Rise of the Antichrist Part 2: Exposing the Antichrist Spirit

Last Updated on November 30, 2025 10:47 PM by herald

Recap

In part 1 we examined the basic teaching about the Antichrist and why he is given that name.  We also said that he will not be coming from outer space as some might want us to believe.  

Part 1 was based almost wholly on 2 Thessalonians 2 which was a letter written by the Apostle Paul to the Thessalonians. But that passage is not the only piece of scripture that talks about the Antichrist.

Antichrist or Antichrists

The Apostle John also talks about the Antichrist. This is the same John who had the out-of-body experience that led to his writing of the book of Revelation at the direction of Jesus. It is the same John who wrote the Gospel of John and the three epistles: I John, 2 John and 3 John.

It is generally accepted that the book of 1 John was written in the first century AD perhaps between A.D. 90–95. In it, John makes the following amazing, and perhaps confusing statement, about the Antichrist: 

Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. 1 John 2:18

What does John mean by the statement, “already many such antichrists have appeared?” Is there more than one antichrist? Does that mean that the Antichrist has already come?  Stay with us as we unpack this mystery.

The quoted verse tells us that a distinction is to be made between the one Antichrist who is yet to come and other antichrists that will appear.  The two different spellings are designed to indicate that.

But what does John mean by saying that “many such antichrists have appeared”? Is antichrist a generic term like many of the products we consume? To answer that we go to another passage where John introduces the concept of the spirit of the antichrist.

Spirit of Antichrist

John begins chapter 4 with this verse:

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.  1 John 4:1

When some people hear the word “spirit” they get perturbed and dismissive because most people do not want to talk about shadowy or invisible entities.  Yet, ironically, they display extraordinary interest in stories of aliens.

The word “spirit” used by John comes from a Greek word, “pneuma”, which means wind or breath. In order to speak, one must use wind or breath or “pneuma”. So what John is talking about, partly metaphorically, is not some shadowy ghost but something very practical.

He is talking first of all about what is taught or voiced or broadcast. In other words, he is talking about all forms of communication. Hence the notion of false prophets.In the present age in which we live we would say he is talking also about mass media communication and social media.

So, in essence, when John talks about, the spirit of the antichrist, he is talking all forms of communication of false doctrines or teachings or ideologies about the nature of Christ.   But he gets very specific in 1 John 4:3 and tells us how we can recognize the spirit or ideology of the antichrist:

Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.  1 John 4:3

In other words, when we hear people communicating the idea that there was no such real person as Jesus or refusing to acknowledge his first advent, such individuals have the spirit of the antichrist.  That could not be clearer.

Those who have come to know Christ as their personal Saviour and Lord understand why it is important to acknowledge that there was a real person called Jesus who walked the earth. If Jesus was never here, then there is no such thing as his crucifixion, no such thing as his resurrection, no such thing as salvation! Period!

But why does John say that the spirit of the antichrist “is already in the world”.  We do not know who or what exactly John had in mind but let us show you something amazing.

First Antichrists

If you are familiar with the New Testament, particularly the gospels, you may know that the religious elite in Israel often challenged Jesus about several things. But what is the point on which they challenge him most often? His miracles? No! His teaching? No! Take quick look at John chapter 8, starting at verse 22 to see what their main issue was with Jesus.

Did you get it? What the religious elite in Israel challenged Jesus most often about was his identity! Clearly they did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God.

For that reason, we can easily conclude that speaking generally, the Jewish elite in Israel at the time of Jesus’ time on earth were the first antichrists!

In essence John’s statement in 1 John 4:3 is quite accurate. By the way, take note that it was not the ordinary people who refused to believe that Jesus was the Son of God, the promised Messiah in the flesh. The unbelievers were a certain set of people; people whom we today might call the “elite”. In fact, Paul identified these very precisely in the book of Corinthians. 

Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.  1 Corinthians 1:26

In modern day terms, Paul is talking about the intelligentsia, the movers and shakers and the upper class.  Those were the ones who rejected Jesus and still do so today, speaking generally, of course.

Synagogue of Satan

We need to understand, therefore, that there were, are, and will be Jews, who do not believe that Jesus, the one who came over 2000 years ago, was the Messiah.

Once we understand that, we can easily comprehend why the Bible talks about people who say they are Jews but who – to use the words of the Book of Revelation – are of “the synagogue of Satan” (See Revelation 3:9)

Fast forwarding to our time again, this means that we cannot go around believing that every Jew is evil. But that is what voices such as Candace Owen and Tucker Carlson have been telling us although Tucker Carlson is alleged to have since apologized for his antisemitic remarks.

In contrast, we know that there are Jews today who believe that Jesus, the one who came over 2000 years ago, is the Messiah and worship him as such. We call them Messianic Jews. Some of them are very active on social media in a religious context.  Two of the best known are Johnathan Kahn and Amir Tsarfatti.  Clicking on the hyperlinks will take you to their Youtube channels.  

But Israel as a nation has not yet accepted Jesus as the Messiah. So they are still awaiting the Messiah.

Antichrist Disguise 

What John the Apostle did not know at the time of writing 1 John was that a religion would be birthed about 600 years later that would create a more deceptive concept of antichrist.

That religion would admit that Jesus was born and therefore, was on the earth.  But it would argue that Jesus was just another messenger or prophet sent by Allah and deny outright that he is the son of God.

I guess by now you know what religion I am referring to. But just in case you think we are being islamaphobic here is what the Quran, the holy book of the Islam says of Jesus.

In Al-An’am, 6:101, the Quran states that God is incapable of having children:

 At Al-Tawbah 9:30 Islam refutes the claim of Christianity about the deity of Jesus.

 And at Al-Ma’idah 5:75 the Quran declares Jesus is just another messenger:

Looking Ahead

But what has all of this got to do with the coming Antichrist? Is the Antichrist going to be a Muslim? In the next episode we will look at the special relationship the Antichrist will have with the Jewish nation and how it will usher in a major prophecy of Revelation.