Who is antichrist? If you ask this question among Christians and non-Christians you will get a barrage of answers. Most people think of one person that will rise up against the teachings of Christianity. They have been named through the years. Some thought it was Hitler because of his desire for a pure race and his determination to eliminate anyone who did not fit his mold. Others have named the Pope as the antichrist because of the power he holds over the worldwide population of Catholics. Many think it is someone of the Muslim faith because of their hate for Christians outlined in the Koran. Today, I want to look at scripture and ask you the question are you an antichrist?
In I John 2:18, John begins by calling them l “little children.” This does not mean he is speaking to young children, but to young Christians. He reminds them of what they had heard about the coming of an antichrist but confirms there are many antichrists at the present time. This would include anyone who is opposed to Jesus. A person can be opposed to Jesus by being involved in a religion that is built on opposition to Christ, or one who doesn’t give Jesus His rightful place as God in the flesh. He is the supreme authority equal to God the Father. This would place those who place a person’s authority above the Bible’s authority as an antichrist. If what God has authorized in His word is not supreme then He is not supreme. Does the religion you are involved in place a man as the supreme authority over the church?
I John 2:18 “Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.”
In I John 2:22, John speaks of those who oppose Christ. They deny that Jesus is the Christ, the one and only Son of God. They deny He is God in the flesh. With John’s definition of antichrist, there are multitudes of those who would classify as antichrist. We have religions today that say Jesus was just a good man. Some say He was a prophet. Others believe He was a heavenly being, but not the one and only Son of God.
I John 2:22 “Who is a liar but he that denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denies the Father and the Son.”
In I John 4:3, John reminds us that every spirit that does not confess that Jesus came in the flesh and that He is of God, is of the spirit of the antichrist. Again, he teaches us that the spirit of the antichrist is already in the world. He is not referring to one individual, but a class of people. The commentator Albert Barnes says this doesn’t forbid the idea that there might be one individual or a succession of persons in the church that the name might be applied. However, it teaches me that through the ages there will be many that God will classify as an antichrist. Just as there are followers of Jesus Christ there will be those who follow His opposition. I contend there are many in our churches today who want Him as their Savior but do not want Him as the Lord of their lives. They are in essence antichrist. They have chosen a Jesus that is not biblical. They have picked the areas they want to follow about Him and denied the rest. They want a Jesus that is loving, but not a Jesus that demands holiness. They want a Jesus that is forgiving and gracious, but not a Jesus that requires justice. They want a Jesus that was a man who experienced all the temptations and pain that we can face, but they do not want a Jesus that is and was God. When the Jesus we want is not God in the flesh, having all the attributes of holiness, justice, and love that God has, then we are anti the Christ of the Bible.
I John 4:3 “And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.”
So, where do you stand? Are you committed to the Jesus of the Bible? Do you believe He expects you who have called on His name as Savior to also proclaim Him as Lord of your life? Do you believe all sin is serious to Him, or do you take the attitude “no one is perfect,” giving yourself permission to do certain things that aren’t pleasing to Him? If your answer is “yes” then you are anti to the Jesus of the Bible. We can’t pick and choose the commands we want to obey. We must love Him enough to have the desire to please Him. We must love Him enough to repent when the Holy Spirit brings things to our minds that don’t represent Him as He is. We can’t do this alone, but He has equipped us with His power to live a life that is completely for Christ. I John 4:4 teaches us that, greater is He that is in us than he (Satan), that is in the world. Too many Christians spend loads of time trying to figure out who the Antichrist is instead of living their lives making sure they are not part of those against Him.
I John 4:4 “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”
Chose to live a joyous life in Him seeking to please Him and represent Him well to a lost world. It is a choice you will never regret.
