A person.
2 Thessalonians 2:3-10 KJV
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; [4] Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. [5] Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? [6] And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. [7] For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. [8] And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: [9] Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, [10] And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
Question
Is the antichrist human as in flesh and blood or is he a spirit being?
Answer
Only John mentions the idea of antichrist (
1 John 2:18;
2:22;
4:3;
2 John 7), and his letters antichrist does not seem to be any particular individual. There are also some textual variants that confuse the issue, some texts provide "the antichrist" in certain verses while others provide only "antichrist." Without the article "the," the idea of "antichrist" appears to be a generic description rather than the title of an identifiable entity.
Assuming the correctness of the most current versions of the Greek New Testament (UBS 4th edition), John mentions "the" antichrist in
1 John 2:22;
4:3 and
2 John 7. However, all of these texts describe "the" antichrist in terms that can be applied to many different people simultaneously:
- "The" antichrist denies that Jesus is the Christ, and denies the Father and the Son (1 John 2:22).
- The spirit of "the" antichrist does not confess that Jesus is from God (1 John 4:3).
- "The" antichrist denies that Jesus came in the flesh (2 John 7).
Moreover, in every verse which mentions "antichrist," the numerically singular idea "antichrist" relates directly to a multiplicity of individuals, not just to one person:
- "Many" antichrists have arisen (1 John 2:18), to whom John refers as "they" (1 John 2:19).
- The antichrist is anyone who denies that Jesus is the Christ, or who denies the Father and the Son (1 John 2:22). John makes this clear by referring to these people with the Greek word pas (all) in 1 John 2:23. Most translations render this with "no one" or "whoever." In so doing they are attempting to capture the flavor of the language in English. But a more literal translation of the opening words of 1 John 2:23 would be "everyone who denies."
- "Every" (pas) spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is "the spirit of the antichrist" (1 John 4:3).
- The antichrist includes "many" deceivers (2 John 7).
The fact that each verse refers to a multiplicity of persons who may be called "antichrist" indicates to me that the textual variants are not terribly significant. Even if
1 John 2:18 should be translated "the antichrist is coming," the idea of "antichrist" still refers to "many" even in that verse.
Thus, I don't think there is an individual, or even a visibly united group of individuals or an institution, that is "the" antichrist to the exclusion of all others. Rather, it seems to me that John uses the term "antichrist" to refer to a sentiment or stance against the fundamental truths about the person of Christ.
Is the antichrist human as in flesh and blood or is he a spirit being?
thirdmill.org
davidjeremiah.blog
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