Difference between revisions of "Antichrist"

Revision as of 08:08, April 15, 2007

The word Antichrist comes from the Greek αντί-χριστος (anti-khristos), meaning opposite of Christ. The Greek word anti can also mean 'instead of' or "equal to, like" so that the phrase can also be interpreted as meaning in place of, or like, Christ.

All that the Bible actually says about the Antichrist (KJV), however, is:

I John 2:18 'as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now there are many antichrists'

I John 2:22 'Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieith the Father and the Son.'

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.

2 John 7: 'For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.'

Thus, all these references are to a generalized concept, applicable to anybody who is 'against Christ', not to a particular person. Moreover, they make it clear that such 'antichrists' were already present in the world nearly two thousand years ago.

There are no other references to the term in the Bible. Neither the book of Daniel nor St John's Revelation (both of them controversial in their own right) mention the concept at all. Thus, if Christians choose to link it to anything there, it is they who are making the link, not the Bible.

Sources

• Cruden, A., Complete Concordance to the Old and New Testaments (Lutterworth, 1930)
• The Holy Bible (King James Version)
• The New English Bible (Oxford & Cambridge University Presses, 1970)
• The New Jerusalem Bible (Darton, Longman & Todd, 1990)
• Peake, A.S., Commentary on the Bible (Nelson, 1962)
• Young, R., Analytical Concordance to the Holy Bible (Lutterworth, 1939)