What does "Antichrist" mean in the Bible?
This word occurs only in the Epistles of John. Etymologically, it may mean either one who is opposed to Christ or one who sets himself up in the place of Christ. Antichrist appears in 4 verses across 2 books of the Bible.
What does the Bible say about Antichrist?
AN'TICHRIST. This word occurs only in the Epistles of John. Etymologically, it may mean either one who is opposed to Christ or one who sets himself up in the place of Christ. Comp. "anti-pope," "rival-king." A comparison of the four passages in which the word is found,1 John 2:18,Lev 19:22;1 John 4:3; 2 John 7, shows that John meant to designate various persons holding heretical opinions in regard to the incarnation of Christ. " very spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God; and this is that spirit of antichrist." 1 John 4:3. He directs his warnings against this spirit as an existent evil; "Even now are there many antichrists," 1 John 2:18; "Even now already is it in the world." 1 John 4:3. We know that in John's day there were in the Church false teachers who denied the union of the divine and human in Christ and resolved the history of Christ into a mere phantom or myth. Such were Cerinthus and the early Gnostics (who have their followers in the modern assailants of the gospel history). But this use of the word by the apostle does not exhaust its meaning. It can be also applied to all enemies of Christ, and to all those doctrines and influences which tend to set up against the simplicity of gospel truth the traditions or speculations of men, thus weakening or destroying the force of the former. We should not confound the antichrist of John's Epistles with the beasts from the abyss, or the antagonistic worldpowers described in Daniel and in Revelation. More nearly related to antichrist, and yet distinct, is "the man of sin." 2 Thess 2:3.
Definition text: Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible · 1898. Public domain.
Compiled by Protos: the verse list on this page. Where one name belongs to more than one person or place, each of them gets a separate entry.
What is the Greek word for Antichrist?
Greek · G500
ἀντίχριστος
antichristos
antichrist
TBESG, from Abbott-Smith (1922). Public domain.
Where does Antichrist appear in the Bible?
Antichrist is referenced in 4 verses across 2 books. Every passage below is about this one, not just every verse the word turns up in.
- 1 John 2:18
- 1 John 2:22
- 1 John 4:3
- 2 John 1:7
What else appears in these passages?
These turn up in the same passages as Antichrist.
Common questions
How many times does the Bible mention Antichrist?
Antichrist appears in 4 verses across 2 books, most often in 1 John, which accounts for 3 of them.
Which books of the Bible mention Antichrist?
1 John, 2 John.
Where can I read every verse about Antichrist?
This page lists 4 of them. Protos carries all 4, and opens this entry on the verse you are reading rather than in a separate tab.
