The term Antichrist (ἀντίχριστος) is unique to the Johannine epistles, appearing in 1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3 and 2 John 7. It is not used in Revelation, despite popular assumptions that associate the Beast with the Antichrist.
Biblical Texts on Antichrist
Here are the key verses where the term appears:
1 John 2:18 – “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.”1 John 2:22 – “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.”1 John 4:3 – “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.”2 John 7 – “For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the Antichrist.”
Exegetical Considerations
ἀντίχριστος is a compound of ἀντί (anti) and Χριστός (Christos). The Greek preposition anti- can mean both against and in place of, so Antichrist carries a double meaning:
Opposition to Christ – A force that denies the true nature of Jesus.
Substitution for Christ – A counterfeit Messiah that distorts His identity.
John’s usage suggests that Antichrist is not a singular eschatological figure (as later traditions developed) but a spiritual reality already active in his time. The presence of “many antichrists” (1 John 2:18) indicates a broader category rather than a single end-times individual.
The defining mark of Antichrist is denying that Jesus is the Christ and denying the Father and the Son (1 John 2:22). This aligns with the high Christology of John, where recognizing Jesus as the Son of God is essential (cf. John 1:1-14).
Spirit of Antichrist (1 John 4:3) is linked to false teachings about Jesus, particularly those that deny His coming in the flesh. This suggests that the Antichrist concept is tied to Christological distortions, not merely political or apocalyptic speculation.
Christ and Messiah: Different Layers
Christos (Χριστός) in Greek is a translation of the Hebrew Mashiach (מָשִׁיחַ), meaning Anointed One.
However, in John 4:25, the Samaritan woman does not say Christos in the sense of anointed king, but refers to Messias(Μεσσίας), linking it with the idea of a revealer and savior rather than simply a Davidic king.
This is significant because Samaritans rejected the Davidic monarchy and expected a prophet-like-Moses figure based on Deuteronomy 18:15.
This suggests that Messiah had different connotations in different Jewish communities: some emphasized the anointed king, others the prophet-revealer.
Layers of Meaning in Antichrist
From these linguistic and theological distinctions, we see that Antichrist operates at multiple levels:
From these linguistic and theological distinctions, we see that Antichrist operates at multiple levels:
Doctrinal Distortion – A misrepresentation of Jesus’ identity and mission.Spiritual Opposition – A force within the world resisting the revelation of the Son of God.
Political or Religious Imposter – Someone or something that seeks to replace Christ’s authority (e.g., false messiahs, corrupt religious systems).
Thus, the Antichrist is not just a single figure but a pattern of deception running through history, culminating in greater apostasies but already active in John’s time.
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