End Time Insights

The “ Mystery of Lawlessness ” is active in the world. This is especially so in the Body of Christ. It is preparing hearts and minds for the “ arrival ” of the “ Man of Lawlessness ” and the “ Apostasy .” It will do so until the appointed time when this “ Lawless One ” will “ come out of the midst ” and be unveiled in the “ Sanctuary of God .” He will employ “ lying signs and wonders ” to cause those who refuse the “ love of the truth ” to betray the Apostolic Faith.

In his first epistle, John declares it is the  Last Hour , a period elsewhere in the New Testament called the “ Last Days .” As evidence of this, he points to the presence of false teachers who are disrupting the congregations under his care. These deceivers are the products and instruments of the “ Spirit of Antichrist ” that is active already in the world, and these very same men are forerunners of the final “ Antichrist ” who is yet to come.

The Spirit of the Antichrist is raising up deceivers in the Church, but a final Antichrist will appear at the end of the age .  The Apostle John applied the term “ antichrist ” to false teachers who were disrupting his congregations, namely, deceivers who denied that “ Jesus is the Christ ” and “ came in the flesh .” They were inspired by the “ Spirit of the Antichrist ” that has been operating in the world since the beginning of human history.

The Antichrist Spirit works to destroy the church from within, especially through deception propagated by false teachers and other deceivers  – 1 John 2:18-22. In popular preaching, the  Antichrist  is a political tyrant bent on world domination. However, Jesus and his Apostles expressed more concerns about the  deceivers  who would spread false teachings in the Church than world leaders. The New Testament applies ‘ Antichrist ’ and related terms to false teachers infiltrating the Body of Christ to distort apostolic teachings.

The term “antichrist” occurs only in the second and third letters of John, and the Apostle applies the plural form of the Greek noun to deceivers who were spreading false teachings in his congregations. The presence of “ antichrists ” constituted irrefutable evidence that the “ Last Days ” were underway, and the false teachers were the product of the “ Spirit of Antichrist ,” forerunners of the final “ Antichrist ” who was yet to come.

Since its founding, Satan has been sending many deceivers and false prophets to destroy the church from within .  Popular preaching presents the  Antichrist  as the ultimate global leader, a tyrant bent on subjugating all nations. But New Testament shows far more concern about deceivers working inside the church and causing apostasy than with political events in the surrounding world.

The subject of the “ Antichrist ” raises certain questions. Who is he? When will he appear? How will we recognize him? What is his “ mark ” or “ number ”? In popular preaching, he is a global political leader who uses military might to subjugate other nations and attack Israel in the Middle East. However, if Satan is truly cunning, why would he do the things we expect?