Reflection C.7 / Does God Have A Purpose In Coronavirus? Antichrist

Today we are going to look at the mysterious figure of ‘antichrist’.

The word ‘antichrist’ only comes in John’s letters. However, there are other passages of scripture which seem to be about antichrist even though they don’t use the word ‘antichrist’.

Historically, there have been many views as to who or what antichrist is. One view is that antichrist is the evil within every person’s soul before it is illuminated by God’s word. Another view is that antichrist is a human institution, for example, the papacy. Martin Luther, the Church of England, and Charles Spurgeon all made that identification. A third view takes antichrist more literally – he is an actual person who will appear and oppose Christ in ‘End Times’. Today, some Christians believe that antichrist will be a future leader of the EU. This is partly because they see the EU as the future super-state which they believe Revelation is pointing towards.

Which view is right?

John’s main discussion of antichrist is in 1 John 2:18-27. The passage tells us at least two things about antichrist.

One thing is that there is both a past and a future dimension. Antichrists ‘have come’ and ‘antichrist is coming’. John also tells us that ‘the spirit of the antichrist … now is in the world.’

In regard to the antichrists in the past, John says, ‘They went out from us.’ John is describing some people who had left the church in his day as antichrists! In our day also, some of the strongest opponents to the Christian faith have come from within the Christian community. I think particularly of someone like Bart Ehrman. Friedrich Nietzsche occasionally signed his name as ‘antichrist’. I don’t believe he ever claimed to be a Christian, but he was the son of a Lutheran pastor.

A second thing the passages in John tell us about antichrist or antichrists is that they lie and deceive. Specifically, antichrists deny the truth that Jesus is the Christ, that he is from God, and that he has come in the flesh.

As I mentioned, we only find the word ‘antichrist’ in John’s letters. But there are other passages in the Bible which describe a future figure which might be the antichrist. For example, Daniel mentions a king who speaks against God (Daniel 11:36), and Jesus warns against false christs in Matthew 24.

However, there are two passages which seem to be clearly describing the same figure as John. One is 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, where Paul speaks about ‘the lawless one’. Like the antichrist, the lawless one has a past and a future dimension. The ‘mystery of lawlessness’ was at work in Paul’s time, i.e. in the past. But he will be killed by Jesus, i.e. in the future. The fact that he will be killed strongly suggests he will be a real person. Like the antichrist, the lawless one deceives. He is characterised by ‘false signs and wonders, and … wicked deception’. The other passage is Revelation 13, the second beast. This beast seems to be an imitation christ and, like the antichrist, one of its chief characteristics is that it deceives.

Does this help us to imagine ‘End Times’? I think it does.

First, John and Paul describe ‘antichrists’, the spirit of antichrist, and the mystery of lawlessness. These are in the past or present. However, John and Paul also anticipate a future person. We should expect a future antichrist.

Second, when we think about antichrist, we may imagine a person who is the epitome of untrammelled evil, someone like Hitler or Pol Pot, for example. However, antichrist may not seem so bad. He will deceive people more than terrorise them, and specifically deceive people about Christ.

John doesn’t simply describe antichrist and antichrists. His concern is that believers should not be deceived by them! Here is the conclusion of his passage about antichrist and antichrists (1 John 2:24).

Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father.

Abide in God’s word. Then you won’t be deceived, and you will abide in God. And there is another good result in v.25!

Have a good day!

Simon