Although tradition insists on using the term
"antichrist" to refer to the end-times beast of Rev. 13 and the man of
lawlessness of 2Thes. 2, it is simply not Biblical to do so.
From THINGS TO COME, Pages 337-339
VII. THE RELATION OF ANTICHRIST TO THE TWO
BEASTS
The word antichrist appears only in the Epistles of John.
It is used in 1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3 and 2
John 7. A study of these
references will reveal that John is
principally concerned with
an immediate doctrinal error-the denial of
the person of
Christ. The emphasis is not on a future
revelation of an individual, but rather on the present manifestation of
false doctrine.
To John antichrist was already present.
The question arises then
as to the relation between the
"antichrist" of John's epistles and the beasts of Revelation.
The prefix anti may be used either in the sense of "instead of" or
"against." Aldrich correctly observes:
The solution of the problem of the
identification of Antichrist would seem to depend upon whether light can
be thrown on the question of whether he is primarily the great enemy of
Christ or whether he is a false Christ.34
That these possibilities exist is
substantiated by Thayer, who
says that the preposition has two primary
usages: first, over
against or opposite to; and second
indicating an exchange, instead of or in place of. A study of the five
usages of antichrist in John's epistles seems clearly to indicate the
idea of opposition rather than exchange. Trench observes:
To me St. John's words seem decisive that
resistance to Christ, and defiance of Him, this, and not any treacherous
assumption of his character and offices, is the essential mark of the
Anti-Christ; is that which, therefore, we should expect to find embodied
in his name . . . and in this sense, if not all, yet many of the Fathers
have understood the word,86
The word antichrist seems to be contrasted
with "false Christ" in Scripture. This word is used in Matthew 24:24
and Mark 13:22.
On the contrast between the words the same author says:
The [Pseudochristos, false Christ] does
not deny the being of
a Christ; on the contrary, he builds on
the world's expectations
of such a person; only he appropriates
these to himself, blasphe
mously affirms that he is the foretold
One, in whom God's pro
mises and men's expectations are
fulfilled....
The distinction, then, is plain . . .[antichristos, antichrist] denies
that there is a Christ; . . . [Pseudochristos, false Christ] affirms
himself to be Christ.37
It would seem that John has the idea of opposition in mind
rather than the idea of exchange. This
idea of direct opposition
to Christ seems to be the particular
characterization of the first
Beast, for he sets his kingdom against the
kingdom of the Son
of God. If antichrist must be identified
with one of the two
Beasts it would seem to be identified with
the first.88 It may
be, however, that John is not referring to
either of the two
Beasts, but rather to the lawless system
that will characterize
them (2 Thess. 2:7). Since he is
emphasizing the danger of
a present doctrinal defection, he is
reminding them that such
teaching is the teaching of the antichrist
philosophy of Satan
that Paul held was already working (2
Thess. 2:7). Without doubt this anticbrist philosophy of
Satan, referred to by John,
will culminate in the Beasts in their
corporate ministries, where
the first Beast will be in direct
opposition to Christ as one who
falsely fulfills the covenant to give
Israel their land and the
second Beast will assume the place of
leadership in the religious
realm which rightly belongs to Christ. But
John is not trying
to identify either of these Beasts as
antichrist, but to warn any
who would deny the person of Christ that
they are walking in
that system which eventually would
culminate in the manifes-
tation of the lawless system in the
activities of both Beasts.
They, in their corporate unity, culminate
lawlessness.
34 Aldrich, op. cit., p. 39.
35 Joseph Henry Thayer, Greek-English
Lexicon of the Neu Testament, p. 49.
36 Richard C. Trench, Synonyms of the New
Testament, p. 107.
37 Ibid., p. 108.
38 Cf. Newell, op. cit., pp. 195-201 for
arguments to support this view.
FROM MY COMMENTARY ON 1 JOHN 2
Verses 18-23, Warning about the spirit of antichrist through
the presence and influence of false teachers.
Verse 18 A PIVOTAL POINT IN THE PLAN OF GOD
1. children: paidion, emphasis on involvement in the growth
process. At verse 2:1, the word is teknia and the
emphasis is on the writers relationship and affection for
the recipients. And then at verse 2:12, the word is
teknion where the emphasis is on progress in growth
viewed as beginner or baby believer.
A. When this word is used, the writer wants to impress the
recipients with the urgency to be under instruction,
whether in general or for specific information.
B. In this case it is for specific orientation to the
advance and nature of false teachers. Verse 2:26.
2. It is a last hour:
A. Hour (hōra)
refers to a specific point of time within a
time period (kairos).
B. The specific hour may be a short or extended point of
time, but it is a distinct event within an established
time frame.
C. It is used here to indicate a pivotal and critical
event in the progress of God's plan. It does not refer
to the "end times."
D. Other examples of this use.
1. Christ's messianic sacrifice. John 2:4; Mk. 14:35;
Mt. 26:455; Jn. 2:23.
2. Change in worship perspective. John 4:21, 23
3. Change in salvation perspective. John 5:25
4. The resurrection program. John 5:28-29
5. The apostolic period of persecution. John 16:2
6. Christ's 40 day resurrection ministry. Jn. 16:25-26
7. Hour of divine judgment during the Day of the Lord.
Rev. 3:10; 14:7, 15
8. The 3 days of the scattered disciples. Jn. 16:32
E. Kenneth Wuest says of this:
"The article is absent before, hour, and the emphasis is not therefore
upon the fact of a particular, definite time, but upon the character of
that particular, definite time. Vincent says that John uses the word,
hour, as marking a critical season. He says, '. . . Hence the phrase
here does not refer to the end of the world, but to the period preceding
a crisis in the advance of Christ's kingdom, a changeful and troublous
period, marked by the appearance of many antichrists.'"
While they both see the issue of this referring to a "critical season,"
they fail to realize that it is not the rise of the many antichrists
that constitutes "a last hour," but rather it is the ARRIVAL of this
"critical season" or TIME that has caused Satan to intensify his efforts
to destroy the integrity of the inspired revelation of God.
John anticipates the end of the revelation period of the church and the
cessation of the revelation communication gifts; apostle and prophet.
The result will be a completed written revelation that is truthful and
trustworthy.
F. There has been previous teaching about the rise of
false teachers.
1. Just as: kathōs,
establishes a standard of previous
teaching.
2. you heard: akouō as
an aorist active indicative
which indicates a previous point in time.
3. It corresponds with what Paul taught at 2Tim. 3:-5
(in the eschatos hāmera;
in the (last)days to come).
4. It corresponds with Peter: 2Pet. 2:1 and 3:1-4
(eschatos hāmera).
5. Corresponds with Jude 17-19 and verse 4.
(eschatos chronos - in the (last) time to come)
6. Thus, John's vocabulary for the same time period is
eschatos hōra
with emphasis on its present arrival.
3. All this previous teaching about false teachers can be summed up by
John's vocabulary; an antichrist is coming.
A. antichristos without the definite article (the) =
an antichrist or simply antichrist.
B. is coming: present middle indicative of erchomai.
It refers to the arrival of a person or time which will be
characterized by speech and lifestyle that is antagonistic
to the Messiah (Christ).
C. Anti: means against or instead of. It thus refers to
both false prophets and false messiahs.
D. The word antichrist refers to false teachers in general and is
not a title for the beast of Revelation 13 or the man of
lawlessness of 2 Thessalonians 2. Yes, traditionally, the title
has been almost universally applied to the beast, but the word
only occurs in John's letters and never is there a hint that it
refers directly to the future dictator of the tribulation.
E. What have they heard concerning what is coming into the world?
If we go back to what has been written, then we go back to
several things, realizing that no one else uses ANTI so we have
to find its equivalent.
1. Jesus: Mat. 24:24, "for many FALSE christs and false prophets
will arise." 30 AD
2. Paul: the deceitful spirits of 1 Tim. 4:1. c. 65 AD
3. Peter: the false teachers of 1 Pet. 2:1. c. 68 AD
F. And yet the apostles acknowledge that there were false prophets who
had infiltrated even as they wrote. And then Jude (which is more
difficult to date, but is probably between 68 and 80 AD) writes that
certain persons HAVE secretly infiltrated,
indicating there presence "already" just as John tells us.
4. John's vocabulary for the fulfillment of that previous teaching is
"many antichrists."
A. even now: kai nun, recognizes that the present rise and
INCREASE of the false teachers indicates that something
crucial and pivotal is about to occur in the progress
of God's plan.
B. many antichrists: described at v. 22; 4:3 and 2 Jn. 7.
"the one who denies the Father and the Son."
C. have arisen: ginomai as a perfect active indicative.
They have become; have arrived on the scene - and probably
are not going away.
D. None of the apostles make any claims that THE man of
lawlessness has arrived, but simply that the "spirit" behind
the man of lawlessness has arrived. Thus we are warned of this
"spirit of antichrist" (based on John 4:2-3) as a CONCEPT rather
than a specific person.
E. John continues telling us about the "spirit" who denies the
incarnation of Jesus, "and this is the one (spirit - based on
context) who is OF the antichrist, concerning which you have
heard that IT (spirit) is coming and NOW is in the world
already."
F. Even though the definite article is now used, it points
BACK to what is in context and not forward. John uses the
definite article at 2 John 7 also, where it very clearly refers
to what is NOW present in the world.
"For many deceivers have gone out into the world,
those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the
flesh (again - the issue revolves around the doctrine of
the incarnation).
THIS (what is then present) is THE deceiver and THE
antichrist." Ie, this is the "spirit" of antichrist which
he previously taught about.
G. There is nothing in this context which should take us
forward to "the end times" (which have not presently arrived)
and have us apply the term antichrist to the man of lawlessness
and the two beasts of The Revelation.
H. And of course believers overcome these false teachers by faith
and love - that is, they overcome the FALSE DOCTRINES of these
false teachers, but have ever been the recipients of great
physical persecution and can not boast of any PHYSICAL victory
over them.
5. from this: the rise of many false teachers.
6. we know: ginōskō as
a present active indicative. We have
experiential knowledge that the present unparalleled rise
of the false teachers portends the arrival or imminent
arrival of a unique, critical and pivotal time in God's
plan.
7. that it is a last hour: It is not the rise of antichrists that is
"the critical hour." It is the unusual (although predicted) increase of
the false teachers that INDICATES a critical hour is at hand.
8. This
is NOT the last days of the church age. There are still 1900 years to go
even though John does not know it.
A. Under the principle of inspiration, John would not
erringly say that it is time for Christ's return.
B. But what he could know is that God's plan for the
completion of His written revelation to the church is
presently at hand.
9. John has in mind a pivotal event in the progress of God's plan. List
of pivotal events.
A. Birth of Messiah. B. Baptism of Messiah
C. crucifixion/resurrection. D. birth of the church.
E. Fall of Jerusalem. F. completion of the canon.
G. rise of the man of lawlessness.
H. Christ's return/rapture & start of the day of the Lord.
10. But what is THIS last hour?
1. It is a period of time that was present at the end
of John's ministry (c. 90 AD).
2. It was not the end of the church age; IE. the time
for Christ's return. John's dealing with that
(verses 2:28; 3:2) is not different from how Paul
and Peter deal with it.
11. In 90 AD, the only pivotal event in the progress of God's plan and
which would elicit a major attack from Satan via false teachers would be
the imminent completion of God's written revelation within about 7
years.
As stated above, "John
anticipates the end of the revelation period of the church and the
cessation of the revelation communication gifts; apostle and prophet.
The result will be a completed written revelation that is truthful and
trustworthy."
12. Thus, John actually addresses this issue in vs. 19-27.
A. He brings attention to the truth and his reason for
writing. Verse 21.
B. He reminds them of an already established standard.
Verse 24.
C. He brings up the reality of those who are trying to
deceive. Verse 26. That is to distract from the
integrity of the already established doctrinal standard.
D. Verse 27 refers to the ministry of the Holy Spirit
who formerly taught what the established standard is.
Verse 19, A specific & unique origin of the false teachers.
1. They went out from us: aorist active indicative of erchomai + ek +
us.
A. Recognize fulfillment of Acts 20:29-30 (ek + you).
B. Indicates the reality of Jude verse 4. secretly
infiltrated.
2. Those who secretly infiltrated thus become "ek us" but at the same
time, NOT (ouk) "ek us." This is because they do not establish genuine
fellowship and doctrinal rapport with us. (2nd class condition if
clause).
A. If they had been of (ek) us: ei introduces the if
clause (and they were not).
B. They would have remained with us (and they did not):
menō as a pluperfect active ind. + an + meta + us.
The particle "an" completes the 2nd class if clause.
C. The contrast in the whole section is between believer
and unbeliever. The infiltrators of Jude are
unbelievers as well (Jude 19).
3. But: alla introduces the historical reality of non compatibility
between truth and error.
4. in order that: hina is used as a result clause to indicate the
manifestation of false teachers based on their inability to hang with
the truth.
5. That they all: hoti pas - there are no exceptions. Truth will always
expose, convict and divide.
6. they might be manifest: aorist passive subjunctive of phaneroo. In
other words, to establish their true colors.
7. that they all: hoti pas - no exceptions. Truth will always expose,
convict and divide.
This is what Jesus meant when He said, that he came to bring a division
and not peace on the earth (Luke 13:51-53; Mat. 10:34-37).
8. are not of us: eimi (present indicative) + ouk + ek + us.
Indicates no identification with believers who are following the truth.
A. no compatibility, no rapport, no fellowship.
B. They separated from us and still continue trying to
neutralize us from the outside with their message of
deception (V.26). Titus 1:10-11;
Acts 20:30, "draw away disciples after them."
C. Compare the two factors.
1. 1 John 2:19, they left.
2. Jude 4, they infiltrated.
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