
Antichrists from the Past, Present, and Future
The apostle John speaks not only of the coming Antichrist, but also of “antichrists” present right now—people who have left the faith and are working against Christ, even seeking to replace Him. With the Spirit’s counsel through God’s Word, we need not be taken in by them.
Transcript
Ever since the church began on the day of Pentecost, the prophecies of a coming Antichrist have captured the fascination of just about everybody. His arrival will initiate a seven-year period of horror and cataclysms in a futile attempt to prevent Christ from establishing His kingdom on earth. He will not succeed. Christ will vanquish him utterly.
Through the centuries, numerous people have been perceived to be this coming Antichrist: Nero, Napoleon, Hitler, Stalin, Saddam Hussein, to name a few. I remember people wondering if it was Ronald Reagan, because there were six letters in each of his three names—Ronald Wilson Reagan—which they believed represented 666.
In contrast to all that foolish, time-wasting speculation, the apostle John presents divine revelation about the Antichrist. By the way, it was John, under the inspiring Holy Spirit, who actually coined the term antichrist. Now he is going to offer some warnings and some encouragement to the church in relation to this subject.
So, let’s set sail again into 1 John 2. We are now at verse 18, where John makes an amazing statement: “Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come.”
What does John mean when he says it is “the last hour”? He wrote that nearly 2,000 years ago. Was he mistaken? Not at all. The New Testament consistently uses phrases like “the last hour” or “the last days” to designate the time between Christ’s first coming and His future second coming. The apostles did not know how long this “hour” would last, of course, and neither do we.
Clearly, John uses the word “antichrist” in two ways here. His first mention refers to the coming deceiver we mentioned a moment ago—the final, satanically empowered individual who will attempt to rule the world and be worshiped as God.
But John also begins to warn, here in the next few verses, about dangerous deceivers who have already shown up and are posing a problem for the church. In a more general sense, John calls these people “antichrists.” Who are they? And since they happen to be in every generation, how do we deal with them?
This title antichrist is made up of two parts: the noun Christ, which means “Messiah,” and the preposition anti, which means “against” or “instead of.” John seems to have had both meanings of anti in mind: “antichrists” are individuals who are against Christ but also present themselves as replacements for Christ—as ones to be followed instead of Christ.
John says these antichrists are already here. In verse 19 he says of them, “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us.” He is indicating that while they joined with the people of God for a while, they never belonged to the people of God.
In other words, antichrists are not Christians who lost their salvation; they were never Christians to begin with. They are radically different from backsliding Christians—those true believers who have become entangled in sin and grown spiritually cold and in need of revival. These antichrists are apostates. They have walked away from the church, and they say without any embarrassment or regret, “I never believed any of that gospel stuff anyway.”
Maybe for a time they fooled themselves (and everybody else) that they believed. But eventually their opposition to the moral standards of the Bible and their resentment against the claims of Christ in Scripture came out, and they walked away. And as John writes here, “They went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us” (verse 19).
Now the problem is, they usually stay in contact with their Christian friends, hoping to draw them away as well. “Hey, I have found some new truth, a better way, an easier path to be right with God.” They do not show up at your house wearing a name tag that says, “I am an antichrist, and I am here to lead you astray.” They are much more subtle than that. They will show you a verse where God seems vindictive or a command that seems so old-fashioned.
So, what defense do ordinary Christians like us have against this kind of deception? John would answer, “Plenty!”
In verse 20 he writes, “But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.” He repeats this truth in verse 27: “The anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you.”
The anointing he refers to is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit Himself, the Counselor or Helper Jesus promised to send to abide in us and teach us all things about Him (see John 14–16).
John is not saying that we know everything; instead, he is affirming that all Christians have the true knowledge from God about the gospel and Christ. And he is not saying we do not need teachers either but assuring us we do not need anyone who claims to have secret knowledge or some hidden truth to add to Scripture. By the way, that is a major characteristic of an antichrist, or a cult—they always have something other than the Bible or in addition to the Bible as a source of authority.
John identifies another key feature of these false teachers in verses 22-23:
Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.
Here is a mark of every cult and false religion in the world today: They reject this core doctrine that Jesus is equally divine with the Father and the Spirit. They might even say it is just a minor technicality that we should not get hung up on. They agree with us in all the things that really matter, they say.
But John is clear: You cannot belong to God the Father if you reject God the Son. Jesus Christ is the anointed, sovereign, eternal, Prophet, Priest, and King of Kings. John knew what he was talking about. He had heard it straight from Jesus’ lips when the Lord said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
Is that offensive? To many, it is; but the truth often offends and challenges people. It demands that all repent and yield to our sovereign Lord. And we do not do anybody any favors by trying to hide the truth.
Let me say it again: you cannot get God without the Son of God, Jesus Christ.
John then urges us to stick with the truth we have heard from the beginning:
Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you [take up residence in you]. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life. (verses 24-25)
No antichrist, no false teacher, can take that away from you!
Yes, there is plenty of deception and confusion out there. There always has been and always will be. But John returns to his encouragement about the anointing we have and repeats his exhortation in verse 27:
But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.
Beloved, remain in Jesus. Stick with Jesus. Stand with the truth about Jesus. He is the only faithful Savior and Lord of all. You are safe in His care. So, draw closer to Him. Thank Him, love Him, obey Him, and depend on Him today to carry you through.
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