He is antichrist. 1 John 2:22
The
antichrist is the one who, in one sense, stands instead of Christ, taking the
Christian name and yet opposing the very kingdom of truth that the name
implies. John says, “As you have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are
there many antichrists. . . . They went out from us, but they were not of us;
for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but
they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us” (verses
18-19). So when we think of the antichrist, we have to bear that in mind.
“These antichrists who have arisen,” says John, “belonged to us, but they were
not of us.” In other words, they took up the Christian position, they claimed
they were Christians, they professed to be teachers of the Christian Church,
and yet they have been separated from the Christians in order that it would be clear
to all that they were not of them. In other words, they claimed to delight in
the true religion and yet they destroyed it.
The
antichrist was already at work in the days of Paul and of John. Further, it is
abundantly clear that although there have been many imitations of him, he will
reach his maximum power just before the end of this age. I think it is equally
clear that Daniel pictures the political aspect of this power, whereas Paul
emphasizes the ecclesiastical aspect, and in Revelation 13 you get both—the beast
from the sea (the political) and the beast from the earth (the ecclesiastical).
And the last point, I think, of which we can be certain is that this power will
ultimately be concentrated in one particular person. John says there were many
antichrists, and yet the teaching is clear that there is going to be an
ultimate antichrist, one person, a person having terrible power, able to work
miracles and do such wonders that he almost deceives the elect themselves.
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