Who Really is the Antichrist?

Since I was a little child I've heard people talk about the antichrist, seen books written about him, and not a few movies all dealing with the antichrist.

And not a few posts on ATS spread speculation about the future arrival of antichrist. Many videos on YouTube deal with that supposed future coming of the antichrist.

Just a simple YouTube search pulls up a plethora of videos accusing a wide array of people as being the antichrist of the Bible such as President Obama, Pope Francis, and even raise questions such as: Did Jesus give the name of the antichrist? Is the antichrist here? among a lot of other things.

Obviously there is a wide array of ideas about the subject. So what will make this one any different, and show you who the antichrist really is?

The word antichrist is used in the Bible only five times and they are all found in the letters of John. Namely, The First and Second Letters of John. The word comes from the Greek: αντίχριστος, translated that reads: antíchristos. Anti means against, or instead of, and Christos means Christ.

Since the antichrist is a Christian teaching, and found in the Bible, this analysis will lead to the correct understanding and identify the antichrist by going by Scripture and what it teaches us about the subject. While all five verses that use the word antíchristos will be used, they will all be quoted at the end of this thread, so you can read for yourself what they say. Also various other verses will be cross-referenced, while not directly using the word antichrist, they they give the same meaning of against, or instead of Christ. For example, Jesus himself foretold the raising up of "false Christs."

The antichrist has been identified as individual people, as was shown above, naming even President Obama, some thinking that it refers to a future leader that will rise to rule the earth with an iron fist (because of an understanding of who the wild beast in Revelation 13 is), it has been identified by some as organizations, for example some clam the papacy is the antichrist.

Notice what John stated about the antichrist, after most of the first century had ended:

(1 John 2:18) . . .Young children, it is the last hour, and just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared, from which fact we know that it is the last hour.

Here John exposed that while the antichrist was going to come, after his death, that there were already operative among them "many antchrists."

What did John mean, that if the antichrist was yet going to come during the "last hour" there were already many antichrists?

An hour in the Bible does not have to mean a literal amount of time, and there are a number of places in Scripture that refer to "an hour" in that context. So that hour is a relatively short period of time, in which we are still in.

One of the antichrists thus are those that deny that Jesus is the son of God, and came to earth in the flesh:

“Who is the liar if it is not the one that denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one that denies the Father and the Son.”—1 John 2:22.

Any religious group or organization, or even individual that denies that Jesus was the son of God and lived as a human on earth make up part of the antichrist.

There are inspiried expressions that claim such things. That is why we are told to test out every inspired expression as to whether it comes from God or from the demons:

(1 John 4:1) . . .Beloved ones, do not believe every inspired statement, but test the inspired statements to see whether they originate with God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

So the antichrist is not just one person. It is anyone, group or organization, that deny the Christ as coming and as the son of God.

But also the antichrist includes many deceivers:

“Many deceivers have gone forth into the world, persons not confessing Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.”—2 John 7.

Anyone that misleads people away from the truth of God as found in his word the Holy Scriptures are really against Christ and his teachings, and thus are antichrist.

Any political organization and religious group that are opposed to God's son and his kingdom are also part of the antichrist:

(Psalm 2:2) The kings of the earth take their stand And high officials gather together as one Against Jehovah and against his anointed one.

And anyone that hurts and persecutes Christ's followers would also be a part of that group:

John 15:20, 21: “If they have persecuted me, they will persecute you also . . . But they will do all these things against you on account of my name.”

Really then, all religious, political, and organizational groups that deny Jesus as the Christ, persecute his followers, oppose his incoming heavenly kingdom government, and those who have gone out from among God's own people (according to 1 John 2:18, 19), and those who falsely claim to be Christ, they are all antichrists. Basically everyone opposed to Christ and his followers, and his real kingdom government in heaven.

And all scriptures that deal with the antichrist show that he will soon meet an end for his attitude and conduct.

1 John 2:18 Young children, it is the last hour, and just as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared, from which fact we know that it is the last hour.


1 John 2:22: “Who is the liar if it is not the one that denies that Jesus is the Christ [or, Messiah, anointed one]? This is the antichrist.”

1 John 2:22: “This is the antichrist, the one that denies the Father and the Son.”

1 John 2:18, 19: “There have come to be many antichrists . . . They went out from us, but they were not of our sort.”

2 John 7: For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those not acknowledging Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.

a reply to: JackReyes

Your biblical quotes are inaccurate and do not represent the original Aramaic writings.

This is all part of an ongoing deception, you see, the definitive term The does not precede the word Antichrist anywhere - in any original scripture.........it only exists in the minds of men who have interpreted a book written by men and modified words to suit a pre-conceived notion and now half the world is deceived into thinking 'Antichrist" is an individual.

The proper translation likens the description to a philosophical movement - not a person.

a reply to: Sublimecraft

Agreed that the antichrist is not a single person, in fact the OP is quite plain using Scripture that it is not a single person.

You might want to read the OP before replying to it.

a reply to: Sublimecraft

"The proper translation likens the description to a philosophical movement - not a person. "

You mean, like this?

"...So the antichrist is not just one person. It is anyone, group or organization, that deny the Christ as coming and as the son of God. "

You may want to re-read the OP. I'm no Christian nor a believer in the Bible. But dang it, I like to read.

a reply to: JackReyes
I did my own thread on "What is an antichrist" earlier this year, covering the same source material and coming to similar conclusions.
I will only add that the base meaning of ANTI is actually "standing opposite". Hence the Lebanon range of mountains on one side of the valley, and the Anti-Lebanon on the other. This leads into "opposing", but also into "a rival, a substitute".

Of course those who try to identify an individual antichrist are equating him with the Beast of Revelation ch13 and following up clues to the identity of the Beast. This confuses the issue by involving spurious clues invented by mediaeval and modern mythology.
That is why it is good to clarify things by focussing on the statements in the epistles.

a reply to: Sublimecraft

I read the OP and clearly my post lead to a presumption on both your behalves that I ignored that which the OP eluded to already - I assure you I did not.

Are either of you going to address the fact that the quoted components of the OP are wrong and not what scripture says, again let me repeat myself for sake of clarity because you first need to quote scripture correctly before asserting anything.

the definitive term "The" does not precede the word "Antichrist" anywhere in the bible - why do all of the OP's biblical quotes have the word "the" before the word "antichrist" - this is wrong.



www.kingjamesbibleonline.org...

a reply to: Sublimecraft
Check your Greek New Testament again.
The word "The" is absent from 1 John 2 v18, yes, but not from the others.

E.g. HOUTOS ESTIN HO ANTICHRISTOS (This is the antichrist) - 1 John ch2 v22

and ESTIN HO PLANOS KAI HO ANTICHRISTOS (He is the deceiver and the antichrist) - 2 John 1 v7

a reply to: JackReyes

NET bible notes 1 John 2:17

4 tn This is the same confession as in 1 John 4:2 except the perfect participle used there is replaced by a present participle (ἐρχόμενον, ercomenon) here. It is not clear why the author changed from a perfect participle in 1 John 4:2 to a present participle here. The perfect participle suggests a reference to the incarnation (past). The present participle could suggest a reference to the (future) second advent, but based on the similarity to 1 John 4:2 it is probably best to take it as referring to the incarnation.
5 sn The statement This person is the Deceiver and the Antichrist! is a metaphor (metonymy). The author does not mean that each individual is to be identified as the Antichrist. The opponents are compared to the Deceiver (Satan) and the Antichrist since they are accomplishing Satan’s work and preparing the way for the Antichrist.

What I find funny here is that they dance around the issue in these two notes. The NET bible is the most up to date bible from Evangelical scholars, its a product largely of the Southern Baptist System.

I love how they shout "metaphor" or "allegory" when it comes to everyone being called an antichrist, yet the vast majority of the bible should be taken at face value, literally. LOL

Also they just can't get why John would use a present tense.

Theologian 1: "Hmm, the perfect participle represents the past, we got that, Jesus came in the past, the present participle must mean the present."

Theologian 2: "Dammit Jim are you crazy? Jesus is in Heaven now waiting to Judge and destroy everyone, how can he be here too? No the present participle must represent him coming in the future... to judge and destroy everyone."

What is funny, but ultimately sad is that this is the mind of those leading christianity in America. Its funny because its so blatantly obvious to everyone that isn't koolaid drunk. But sad because they are so lost.

I write this because most people are informed by this type of thinking in the modern church.

Here it is plain and simple, sorry for the long prelude.

Anyone who denies that Christ IS COME, (in the the present tense, as in, right now) in the flesh is the antichrist.

Instead they make up some future boogey man because in this instance metaphor must be assumed, totally contradictory to their literalist hermeneutic.

The entire evangelical premise is that Jesus came, died rose again and will return again someday to kick ace and take names.

It doesn't include any sore of incarnation now. But what do the apostles say? This is the great mystery concerning christ and the church that the two shall become one flesh. That christ in you is the hope of glory. that you are the temple of God (not some empty building, but a living temple with the Spirit of God dwelling in you, as you. That the disciples (at the very least) were one with Jesus, in the very same way that Jesus was One with The Father. That the kingdom of heaven is in you.

The very denial of the present tense incarnation which is the backbone of the whore system of religion (God is out there, not in here) is what is the hallmark of the antichrist.

"Christ was revealed IN me" Paul said.

John 1:14
The word was made flesh and tabernacled(dwelt) among us. This is not just past tense for tabernacled, but in the aorist which can imply a continuing action. No past present or future considered. And the the word among, is the word En which is translated primarily as IN. (10 times the amount as among).

My point is that the religious leaders and those they have blinded to the truth through their sky god theology, are the antichrist. The idea that God is out there and not in here is the entire premise of the antichrist.

a reply to: DISRAELI

That could easily mean "this is the philosophy (antichrist)", the philosophy that denies Jesus is Christ. It isn't one person, it's many people who promote a certain philosophy, which is why John says many had come and were already in the world.

a reply to: zardust

I agree. Jesus said "I am in you and you are in me", meaning Jesus is right here right now in our current experience, not separate from it.

originally posted by: 3NL1GHT3N3D1
a reply to: DISRAELI

That could easily mean "this is the philosophy (antichrist)", the philosophy that denies Jesus is Christ. It isn't one person, it's many people who promote a certain philosophy, which is why John says many had come and were already in the world.

I suggest that it's not a case of "either..or" but of "both..and".
Yes, John is focussing on the type of person who denies that Jesus is the Christ. That has come out in the OP and in the OP of my own thread on the subject.
But I think he sees them as forerunners preparing the ground for a coming antichrist in parallel to the disciples of Christ as forerunners of a returning Christ.
The gist of 1 John 2 v18 is "You have been warned that antichrist will come, and there is a sense in which he has already come, acting through these agents of his".

a reply to: Sublimecraft

But , and there is always at least one, the Antichrist is also called The Beast , The Deceiver , etc. many times in the Bible.

Who is the Antichrist?

Well, as I see it he is the little horn of Daniel 7.

19 Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet;
20 And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.
21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;

24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.

There are those that would say Antiochus Epiphanes fulfilled this prophecy in 164 BC but there is a problem. Biblical prophesies can have multiple fulfillments. Also there is still a week to go in the Daniel 9 70 weeks prophesy. Also Daniel 9 references the little horn as well. And it specifically states it's a end time prophesy in verse 17.

So who is the Antichrist. Daniel 11 paints him as the 3rd ruler of the kingdom of the north. The one that desecrates the temple. As referred to by Matthew 24-15.

So to specifically ID that person is still a bit early. The temple and the kingdoms of the north and south are still future events. Though if they are to occur in the next 10 years as I feel they will then that would mean the Antichrist is alive and well now. May even be a well known person. It's just too early to tell who at the moment.


A thought here though. If the current mess in the middle east is the war of the ram and goat in Daniel 8 then I would point out that Daniel is saying the future Antichrist is an American.

originally posted by: DISRAELI

originally posted by: 3NL1GHT3N3D1
a reply to: DISRAELI

That could easily mean "this is the philosophy (antichrist)", the philosophy that denies Jesus is Christ. It isn't one person, it's many people who promote a certain philosophy, which is why John says many had come and were already in the world.

I suggest that it's not a case of "either..or" but of "both..and".
Yes, John is focussing on the type of person who denies that Jesus is the Christ. That has come out in the OP and in the OP of my own thread on the subject.
But I think he sees them as forerunners preparing the ground for a coming antichrist in parallel to the disciples of Christ as forerunners of a returning Christ.
The gist of 1 John 2 v18 is "You have been warned that antichrist will come, and there is a sense in which he has already come, acting through these agents of his".

This is the crux.
The great flaw in the OP's post is that the term "Antichrist" is used in two senses: both as a title for the 'Son of Perdition' (that is, The Antichrist), and as a general term for those who are against, or opposing, Christ.

In reference to The Antichrist, you're talking about someone who actually has at least 33 different names in Scripture and is identified in numerous passages in both the Old and New Testaments.

In reference to being antichrist, John talks about the spirit of Antichrist having already "gone out into the world". The suggestion is that THE Antichrist (capital A), that specific man that will rule for 3.5 years during the Great Tribulation, will be indwelt and possessed by the spirit of Antichrist (meaning, the devil).

This is the picture Scripture consistently presents.
...in short, if you want to understand the person known as "the Antichrist', you need to look at the whole picture, not just five verses that use the word "antichrist" - because that term has multiple equally valid applications, not just the one specific application that people are most familiar with.

a reply to: Awen24
On "the spirit of antichrist"; If you check 1 John ch4 vv1-3, you will see that it talks of multiple spirits and multiple false prophets.
But the phrase "spirit of antichrist" is not in the Greek. The literal Greek of v3 is "This is the of antichrist" [TOUTO ESTIN TO TOU ANTICHRISTOU]; "spirit" has been added in the AV and modern translations. "This is all the work of antichrist" would also be a reasonable interpretation.

I think there is value in concentrating on John's word "antichrist", because it's the first step in shaking off the accumulated mediaeval and Hollywood mythology and getting back to the real scriptural outline.

a reply to: JackReyes
Too many threads about this foolish subject. Same thing over and over, realize you will never get your answer.

a reply to: ugmold
If you mean "There are lots of foolish threads attempting to identify an individual as antichrist", the OP is actually agreeing with you.

originally posted by: ugmold
a reply to: JackReyes
Too many threads about this foolish subject. Same thing over and over, realize you will never get your answer.

I know almost nothing about this and I find it fascinating.

I think the comments by Disraeli and Gothmog are correct. While there are four verses cited above referring to multiple antichrists, only in 1 John 2:22 is he mentioned as "the antichrist." But in Daniel and in Revelation, there are many verses referring to him using other names.

We know full well that Jesus has many names: the Son of Man, Son of God, Son of Mary, Son of David, Heir of all things, Captain of our Salvation, the Redeemer, the Messiah, the Prince of Peace, King of the Jews, the Lamb of God, the Lion of Judah, the Logos (the Word), the Light of the World, Rabbi, High Priest, Savior, etc. The Antichrist is also referred to under many names, so let us not ignore references like:

The King of Babylon
The Assyrian
The Man of Sin
The Beast
The Lawless One
The Little Horn
The Enemy
The Destroyer
The Arrogant One
The Angel of the Abyss
and many others...

I believe the most important title from the list above is "The King of Babylon," because it is used often - and because I believe the city and the empire of Mystery Babylon are New York and the United States. According to R.A. Coombes in America, The Babylon – there are 33 unique Bible references describing America as the end times kingdom of Babylon and 66 clues unique to New York City. They can't all be addressed here, but New York is the most populous city of the world's most powerful empire. It has dominated world trade and finance for at least a century. It has had more Jewish residents than any other city - 2 million at peak, and still over a million today. It sits on many waters, and many nations and tongues have entered through it.

As described in the book: Antichrist 2016-2019: Mystery Babylon, Barack Obama & the Islamic Caliphate

"Revelation 10:1-2 describes an angel whose “face was like the sun” (the Statue of Liberty’s crown has seven rays coming out) and “had in his hand a little book which was open” (like the tablet in the statue’s left hand.) This angel “placed his right foot on the sea and his left on the land” like our statue standing on the coast. In Revelation 10:5 “the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand to heaven” just as the Statue of Liberty is holding up a golden torch, a cup of fire, in her right hand; as in Revelation 17:4 “having in her hand a gold cup.”

The Statue of Liberty looks like several other ancient statues – which is no surprise, as she was based on earlier goddesses of the Old World. The sculptor, Auguste Bertholdi, had just attempted to sell his idea for a giant statue to the Suez Canal project – he wanted to build a huge statue of the Egyptian goddess Isis to stand by the canal as a robed woman holding a torch. Isis had influenced the Roman concept of the goddess Libertas (which our Statue of Liberty was based on) – a goddess of liberty, personal freedom, and the very Roman idea of doing whatever feels good, which eventually linked Libertas with prostitution. This is no surprise, as the images of Isis and Libertas are both derived from the Babylonian goddess Ishtar, goddess of prostitution and “Mother of Harlots.”

Revelation 17:15 says “the waters which you saw where the harlot sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.” Ellis Island was the main port for immigrants coming into the American melting pot from many nations, right by the Statue of Liberty – an image we can trace back to the harlot of Babylon. I can’t claim to know what John saw in his visions or how clearly he saw it – or understood it – but it sounds like the Statue of Liberty to me."

The author not only believes that New York is the primary city of the Bible's end times "Mystery: Babylon" - but also that whoever is President of the United States at the appropriate moment in history is the King of Babylon, and therefore the Antichrist.

As for timing: he assumes the final seven years end in late December 2019, based largely on astronomical alignments in which the sun, moon, and planets act out all the major steps of a week long, ancient Jewish wedding ceremony in the sky. Seven years earlier (coincidence?) is the end of the Mayan Long Count calendar. In the middle is June 6, 2016, when he expects the Antichrist to stand in a new Temple in Jerusalem.

As on earth, so it is in heaven: when the Antichrist enters the Temple, Venus appears to enter the Sun. The Morningstar (Lucifer/Antichrist=Venus) enters the Temple (goes directly behind the Sun/altar of fire in the Temple.) As the Sun also represents Christ, and Venus is on the opposite (anti-) side we have our astronomical Antichrist in the right position.

And even the date fits activity for the Antichrist - the sixth day of the sixth month of a year ending in six - the only 6-6-6 date during the entire tribulation.

It is exactly one 49 year JUBILEE after the Israeli's liberated the Temple Mount and all of Jerusalem, on the night of June 6-7, 1967.

These and many other very specific clues lead to the conclusion that Obama is probably the Antichrist, and that the entire world will know and understand by mid-2016.

My favorite part:

As Morgan Freeman approached Obama at a fundraiser, Obama once said:

"This guy was president before I was."

Obama said this before he was even elected president - referring to Freeman’s role in Deep Impact. But the amazing quote comes from what he said regarding Freeman's role in Bruce Almighty:

"This guy was God before I was."

a reply to: JackReyes

Are you sure that what we understand today is actually what Christ was talking about then?

There is a possibility he was talking about the Pharasees because he knew what they got up to. His saying He hadn't come to change the law, just to maintain it, is the point which proves he differed with them because they would have had no trouble with him - if they were all reading from the same song sheet. . People forget the first in line to get rid of him was the Priesthood. They manipulated the Romans into going for him - unless - you have the possibility that he was actually considered the real King of the Jews?

The early Christian founders have blatantly lied about the role of Mary Magdalen who could never ever have accessed the house of the High Priest Caiaphus unless she was of royal status. She was unlikely to have been a hooker and the Nag Hammadi scrolls certainly don't call her that.