Imperishable Inheritance

Many Antichrist Have Already Come

John is the only author that uses the title "antichrist" in his writing and only in his epistles. In his first epistle writing against the Docetists (they believe that Jesus did not have a physical body) he states that: "By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world." (1 John 4:2-3). Denying the incarnation is one characteristic of an antichrist.

Flat, flagarant denial of Jesus as the Christ (Messiah) is another characteristic of the antichrist: "Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son" (1 John 2:22). John's teaching is that there have already been many antichrist, there are currently many antichrists, and many more will come before the end of the age. To John, the antichrist is not an individual but a type of person. He says also: "For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist" (2 John 1:7). It should be noted, in one of the clearest passages on perseverance in the New Testament, that true believers will not be swayed by people such as these.

"Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know." (1 John 2:18-20)

The Man of Lawlessness

The final point of reflection is Paul's teaching on the man of lawlessness in his second letter to the church in Thessalonica.

"Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness." (2 Thess 2:1-12)

That lengthy section has a lot for us to understand this person in the Pauline corpus. Paul specifically teaches that this is a man that is the "son of destruction" he (singular) takes his seat in the temple of God. That phrase "temple of God" is where we get various interpretations. Dispensationalists insist that this refers to the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem during the tribulation, and Preterists go to the other end claiming it refers to the temple in 70 A.D. But we must remember that Paul has a different definition of the temple in the New Covenant age. He tells the Corinthians: "Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" (1 Cor 3:16; cf. 6:19), and that the church is "the temple of the living God" (2 Cor 6:16). He also tells the Ephesians that the church is "growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit" (Eph 2:21-22). It is apparent that the "temple" Paul is referring to in 2 Thess is the church. Kim has the following to say:

"As [G.K.] Beale points out, the word temple (naon) is found nine other times in the New Testament outside of 2 Thessalonians, where it is almost always use of Christ or the church. In the five other times Paul uses the word, it does not refer to a literal temple in Israel, past or future (1 Cor. 3:16-17; 6:19; 2 Cor 6:16; Eph. 2:21; 2 Thess. 2:4). In both Matthew and John the word is used of hte temple taht will be destroyed before Christ raises it up, or of the true temple, which is his body (Matt. 26:61; John 2:21). Paul refers to believers as constituting the temple of the God because they are in union with Christ, through faith." (pg. 128)

This person is further restrained so that in time he will be revealed (vs. 6). This person will come in accordance with the activity of Satan with signs and wonders to lead away those who didn't receive the truth, and it's important to notice that "God will send upon them a deluding influence" so they will believe in this figure and incur judgment. But Paul's "plight to solution" reigns again in his comfort that "God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth" (vs. 13).

Conclusion

This is surely a difficult subject to tackle through all the speculation and all that does not proceed from the teachings of Scripture. We must be wary that there are people all around us that are the embodiement of the antichrist, and that someday one will be revealed that will be the fullest measure of all that sin. Fear not however, as the victory is won, his fate is sealed, because our Lord has bruised his head!