Who is the Antichrist?

The Antichrist is one of the most speculated-about figures in Bible prophecy, and the speculation has often generated more heat than light. Let me tell you what Scripture actually says — and what it does not say.

The word "antichrist" actually appears only in John's letters — and not in Revelation, where most people look for him. 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." Two things immediately: John expected a single coming Antichrist, but he also said many antichrists had already come. The spirit of antichrist — opposition to Christ, denial of His incarnation — was already active in John's day.

1 John 2:22 defines what makes someone an antichrist: "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." The defining characteristic is theological — denial of the Son.

Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 describes a "man of lawlessness" who "opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God." This figure — whatever he represents — is associated with the final apostasy and is destroyed by Christ at His return.

Daniel 7 and Revelation 13 describe a beast-figure who receives worldwide authority, demands worship, and wages war on the saints.

Who is this figure? Throughout church history, virtually every powerful enemy of Christianity has been identified as the Antichrist — Nero, the papacy, Napoleon, Hitler, various modern political figures. Every single identification has been wrong. The consistent track record of failed identifications should produce significant humility about confident new ones.

What is clear: a final, climactic opponent of Christ will arise before the end. He will be destroyed by Christ's return (2 Thessalonians 2:8). And the church's task in the meantime is not to identify him but to remain faithful.