Is the Antichrist around today?

Read 1 Jn. 2:18-28

What do the following have in common: Judas, Nero, Diocletian, Mohammad, Pope Boniface VIII, German Emperor Frederick II, John Calvin, Martin Luther, Napoleon, Napoleon III, Kaiser Wilhelm, Mussolini, Hitler, John F. Kennedy, Henry Kissinger and Jimmy Carter???  Answer: they have all wrongly been accused of being THE Antichrist.

“Antichrist” has been a title applied at times to a political enemy, anyone failing to show favor to the Jewish people or who has had seemingly anti-Semitic views.  Quite apparently, from the above list, many people have been wrong with respect to “The Antichrist,” referring to an individual spoken of in the Scriptures who plays a significant role in the predominance of evil in the end times.  Some of the people in that list, Adolph Hitler comes to mind, have a tremendous likeness to that end-time figure.  

But in today’s passage John writes that even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.  In that sense we would expect to see people around who fit the description.  But John also makes clear that one is not an antichrist simply because of a political view with which we take issue.  An antichrist is defined as he who denies the Father and the Son.  He further notes that to deny Christ is to deny the Father.  Jude notes that there are many who had crept into the Church in his day who did this very thing (Jude 4).  

Having noted this general sense of antichrist, John does not deny what these people had heard, that the Antichrist is coming.  The Bible is quite clear about this individual.  And in addition, while this individual is still future, the Bible also refers to at least two individuals, Antiochus Epiphanes (Dan. 11:21-39) and Judas (John 17:12; 2 Thess. 2:3), who are in some way pre-figuring illustrations of this end-time Satanic world leader.  We should not be surprised if, in looking back, we see some of his traits in would-be world rulers throughout history.  There is, after all, a common trait among the kings and rulers of earth that they take counsel together against the Lord and against His Anointed with a view to destroying the boundaries God has placed around them (Psalm 2:1-3).

You may think this is not a prime devotional subject (although you may be surprised at the lessons that can be learned from such a study).  So let me suggest that this is an appropriate study because …

·        It is a Biblical study.  All Scripture is profitable (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

·        It is a study that should help eliminate confusion.

·        It will give insight into our world today, even as it did in John’s day.

·        And it will help us accurately identify and deal with antichrists in our day.

Next week: we will get to know his names and thus identify various passages in Scripture that speak of him.  Little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.