Antichrist

Antichrist (Gr. 'antichristos, against Christ; some, instead of Christ), 'a word used only by the apostle John (Epistles 1 and 2).

1. Meaning. The Greek preposition 'anti, in composition, sometimes denotes substitution, taking the place of another; hence, "false Christ." The connection in which the word is used appears to import opposition, covert rather than avowed, with a professed friendliness.

2. Antichrists. St. John seems to make a distinction between "antichrist" and "antichrists" (I John 2:18), for he declares that "even now are there many antichrists," but "that antichrist shall come. An antichrist is one who opposes Christ, whether he oppose the doctrine of his deity or his humanity; or whether he set himself against him, in respect of his priestly office, by substituting other methods of atoning for sin and finding acceptance with God; his kingly office, by claiming authority to exact laws in his Church contrary to his laws, or to dispense with his commandments; or his prophetical office, by claiming authority to add to, alter, or take away from the revelation which he has given in his holy word This is very agreeable to the description of antichrist (I John 2:22; 4:3; II John 7). In a general sense an antichrist is a person who is opposed to the authority of Christ as head of the Church and creation.

3. The Antichrist. From early times the opinion has prevailed that the antichrists referred to were rather the forerunners of an evil than the evil itself. Some individual would arise who, by way of eminence, should be fitly called the Antichrist; and who, before being destroyed by Christ, should utter horrid blasphemies against the Most High, and practice great enormities upon the saints. This view is Scriptural and came from connecting the passages in St. John's epistles with the descriptions in Daniel and the Apocalypse of the great God-opposing power that should persecute the saints of the Most High; and of St. Paul's "man of sin" (II Thess. 2:3-8). See also our Lord's own prediction respecting the last age of the world (Matt. 24:24), and the description of such an Antichrist (Rev. 13:8).

4. Identification. Early Christians looked for Antichrist as a person and not a polity or system. The general opinion of those who closely followed the Scriptures was that he would be a man, in whom Satan would dwell utterly and bodily and who would be armed with Satanic and demonic powers. In the 0. T. he is prefigurcd under the "king of Babylon" (Isa. 14:4); "Lucifer" (Isa. 14:12), "the little horn" (Dan. 7:8; 8:9), "the king of fierce countenance" (Dan. 8:23), "the prince that shall come" (Dan. 9:26), "the wilful king" (Dan. 11:36). In the N. T. he is called "the man of sin," "the son of perdition," that "Wicked One" (IL Thess. 2:3-8), "Antichrist" (I John 2:18) and "the Beast" (Rev. 13:1-10). This sinister demon-inspired leader will rise to dominate the world in the end-time, persecute the saints, seek to destroy the Jew and banish the name of God and His Christ from the earth, and thus take over. This would mean the thwarting of God's plan for the Messianic millennial kingdom, involving the restoration of Isarel (Acts 1:6) and universal peace. He is destroyed by the second advent of Christ (Rev. 19:11-16) who sets up the earthly kingdom (Rev. 20:1-3). This is the premillennial view. Amillennialism rejects an earthly kingdom in favor of Christ's ushering in the eternal state, rather than His establishing another era in time. Views which identify the Antichrist with Mohammed (Innocent III in 1213) or with the Papal Church (Protestantism) can scarcely be called Scriptural.