Disciples Global Network

Throughout the present age, the Church is being plagued by deceivers from within who are sent to destroy the Body of Christ . The Greek term translated as “ Antichrist ” in English versions of the New Testament is found only in two of John’s letters. In his first epistle, John warns his audience: “ It is the Last Hour; and just as you heard that Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come .” John did not deny that an individual “ Antichrist ” would come. His point was that many “ antichrists ” were (and are) active in the Church.

To identify the Antichrist, we must first understand what the relevant passages of the Bible say about him, his methods, and his objectives . The subject of the Antichrist raises many questions. Who is he? When will he appear? How will we recognize him? In popular culture, he is a global political leader who uses military might to subjugate other nations and attack the modern nation of Israel.

In his first epistle, John declares it is the Last Hour, a period elsewhere called the “ Last Days .” As evidence, he points to the false teachers in the Church who disrupt the congregations under his care. They are the products and instruments of the “ Spirit of Antichrist .” They are the forerunners of the final “ Antichrist ” who is yet to come.

The Antichrist Spirit is working to destroy the church from within, especially through deception propagated by false teachers . In popular preaching, the  Antichrist  is a political tyrant intent on conquering the world. However, Jesus and his Apostles were more concerned with the  deceivers  who spread false teachings inside the Church than they were with outside political powers. The New Testament applies ‘ Antichrist ’ and related terms to false teachers that infiltrate the Body of Christ and distort the Apostolic Teachings.