Who Is The Antichrist? What Clues Does The Bible Tell Us To Look For?

Much speculation abounds about who the Antichrist is.  Can we know for certain?  Does the Bible give us clues to who it might be?

The Many verses the One

For one thing, there are many antichrists’ out there but apparently there is only one Antichrist.  John writes about this but he doesn’t capitalize the antichrists because it is not a proper noun, therefore it is not one specific person.   In other words, there is only one Antichrist but today, even as I write this, there are many antichrists.  Who are those who are called antichrists?  A quick reading of the Apostle John’s book will help us to identify who all of these antichrists are.

The Many antichrists

John doesn’t mention just one antichrist but many as he writes “Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.  They went out from us, but they were not of us; if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us” (1 John 2:18-20). Amazingly, these “antichrists” were in the church but how were they identified as “not of us?”  John writes that “if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.” Today, there are tares sitting right next to the wheat in church pews.  What differentiates them?  They left and did not remain for “if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.”

How can we know precisely who the antichrists are?  John tells us “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” (1 John 2:22-23).  Anyone that denies Jesus is the Christ or the prophesied Messiah is anti or against Christ as “anti” means against.  If anyone denies that Jesus is the Son of God he or she is an antichrist because Jesus is God and is the Son of God.  Today, there are millions on earth and even some in false religions that deny that Jesus is and has always been God.  I won’t mention these cults because you probably already know about them.  Some cults teach that man can become God but the true Word of God teaches that God became Man and that is the God-Man, Jesus Christ.  Deny this and you yourself are an antichrist.  How can I say such a thing?  I didn’t, John does as he writes “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, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already” (1 John 4:2-3).  Let me define again exactly who is an antichrist from John’s own words “every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist.”  That is as clear of a statement that you can find anywhere in Scripture.  If you deny that Jesus is the Son of God and fully God Himself then you are an antichrist.  I didn’t say it but God’s Word most certainly does.

Is the Man of Lawless the Antichrist?

Paul wrote to the church at Thessalonica to “Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness (or sin) is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God” (2 Thess 2:3-4).  Wasn’t it Satan who exalted himself and wanted to become like the Most High (Isaiah 14:13-15)? Just like Satan desired worship and even in tempting Christ in the wilderness wanted to be worshipped, Satan wanted to take the thrown from God and be worshipped as God, even though he is only a created being.  So this man of lawlessness (or sin) proclaimed “himself to be God.”  He will take “his seat in the temple of God” and require that all the earth worship him.

Paul warns that many will be deceived into thinking that this man of lawlessness is God.  In fact, even in Paul’s day

“the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.  And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.  The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thess 2:7-12). 

Notice that this man receives his power from Satan because even Satan can display “power and false signs and wonders.”  It is possible that John writes about this Antichrist in Revelation 6:3 that he will come riding “a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer” and “And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven.  Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation” (Rev 13:5-7).  This agrees with Revelation 6 in that Satan is the one who gives the power to make war with the saints.  He will have “authority…over every tribe and people and language and nation” with the exception of those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Rev 13:8).

The Antichrist

We have already read that there is a difference between the many antichrists (small “a”) and the Antichrist.  Over the past 2,000 years, there has been much speculation as to who this Antichrist is.  Many falsely believed that the Antichrist is the Pope, Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, and even the president but these are not who the Bible describes as the Antichrist.  All we know for certain is that the Antichrist will lose in the end and that his fate has been sealed for it is written that “the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur” (Rev 19:20) “and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Rev 20:10).

Conclusion

For those who have repented, confessed the state of their sinfulness and put their trust in Christ, they have no need to fear the Beast, the Antichrist, or even Satan because the Devil was defeated at the cross for it was “through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery” (Heb 2:14b-15).  The prophecy where Jesus was to crush the head of Satan (Gen 3:15) finally occurred at Calvary and the works of Satan were destroyed in essence (1 John 3:8).   Jesus Himself said that “Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out” (John 12:31).  Believers can rest assured that the Enemy has no power to take you from Christ (John 6:27. 39; 10:28-29) therefore we have no condemnation (Rom 8:1) and so now “in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,  nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:37-39).

Another Reading on Patheos to Check Out: What Did Jesus Really Look Like: A Look at the Bible Facts

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book  Blind Chance or Intelligent Design available on Amazon