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Words of Life - Antichrist
Series: Words of LifeWORDS OF LIFE
“But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand….” / Jude 17
ANTICHRIST
AN-TI-KRIST
1. An enemy of Christ.
2. An epithet of the great antagonist who was expected by the early church to set Himself up against Christ in the last days…
Definitions #1 & #2 are both true - - however the second definition has often been taken out of context.
Questions & Observations For Discussion?
1. Attempts at identifying THE ANTICHRIST have created much confusion in the religious world.
~ This title has been used to pinpoint select individuals throughout the last two millennia:
Nero Caesar … Hitler … The Pope … A President … etal..
It would difficult to compile a full list of all who have been given this title by others.
2. Our task as serious students of God’s Word is to stick to the text of Scripture.
~ We are only authorized to teach what has been taught or revealed by the inspired writers of the Bible.
~ Concerning the antichrist(s), only John uses the actual word - - just four times.
1Jn.2:18 / It is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen
1Jn.2:22 / who is a liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist…
1Jn.4:3 / every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; and this is the spirit of the antichrist…
2Jn.7 / 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.
~ Using the above citations we can compile the following observations.
The antichrist were first-century false teachers (plural) - - “even now many antichrists have arisen” / 1Jn.2:18
“They went out from us, but were not really of us…” / 1Jn.2:19 cf. Acts 15:24 & 21:21
They were both liars and deniers / 1Jn.2:22
They were already present in the first-century / 1Jn.4:3 (is coming, and now it is already in the world)
John writes, “many deceivers have gone out into the world…” / 2Jn.7
3. They are described by a variety of other terms.
~ False prophets (Mt.7:15)…False Christs (Mt.24:24)…False Apostles (2Cor.11:13f)…False Teachers (Gal.1:7 & 2:4).
~ Apostates (1Tim.1:20)…Deceitful spirits (1Tim.4:1 & Titus 1:10)…Men who have gone astray (2Tim.2:18).
~ Scoffers & Mockers (2Pet.2:1 & 3:3-4)…Deserters (2Tim.4:10).
~ Savage wolves (Acts 20:29-30)…Dogs (Philp.3:2)…Wild beasts (1Cor.15:32)…Lions (2Tim.4:17 & 1Pet.5:8).
~ Synagogue of Satan – Rev.2:9 & 3:9
~ The Man of Lawlessness/Sin and/or The Son of Destruction – 2Thess.2:1-12
4. Who were the antichrists?
~ They were law-zealous Jews (Philp.3:2 &Titus 1:10/those of the circumcision) who were bent on derailing
the apostle Paul and others from teaching that The Law of Moses was not binding on the Gentile converts.
These antichrists were determined to stop the work of Jesus in bringing “other sheep” into the fold (Jn.10:16).
The context of their evil deeds was the first-century, during the time period marking the transition from
Old Covenant to the New Covenant - - the end of the Jewish age and the full establishment of the Christian era.
