Session 9: Section 2

Terminology (Part 3)

A. Antichrist

The Young’s Concordance entry for "Antichrist" shows that the word occurs four times in the Bible.

ANTI-CHRIST -
An opponent of Christ,    antichristos.
1 Jo. 2.18 antichrist shall come…..are there many a.
         2.22 He is antichrist, that denieth the Father
         4.  3 this is that (spirit) of antichrist, whereof
2 Jo.      7 This is a deceiver and an antichrist

Let us see what these verses tell us:-

Verse 18 says that there were many "antichrists" around in John's time in the first century. Verse 19 makes it clear that these "antichrists" were originally part of the first-century community of believers - "They went out from us".

These verses give the added information that antichrists "deny that Jesus is the Christ". They also refuse to accept Bible truths about God and His Son, Jesus Christ.

Antichrist is related to false prophets in these verses. They say that such people do not accept that Christ "came in the flesh". They also confirm what was stated in 1 John 2 v 18, that the problem was around even in John’s day.

This verse again confirms what you have already learned, i.e. the problem was already there and one characteristic was the denial that Jesus "came in the flesh".

Reference to Strong’s Concordance shows us that "Antichrist" is comprised of two words "anti" and "Christ". The word "anti" means "against" or "instead of". So we are being told that this influence is opposed to, or claims to be in the place of, Christ himself.

To summarise:-

"Antichrist" is:-

1. An influence which was around in John’s day.
2. An influence which spread from some of the believers.
3. An influence which denies that Jesus is the Christ or Messiah.
4. An influence which denies the Father and Son relationship of God and Christ.
5. An influence which is opposed to Christ’s teachings.
6. An influence which, despite all the above characteristics, claims to be instead of Christ.

B. Church

If we look at Young’s Concordance again we are told that "church" means "that which is called out". Strong’s Concordance defines the church as a company of people who have separated themselves from unbelievers and are united by their common faith.

C. Messiah

"Messiah" means "anointed" and is the Hebrew form of the Greek word "Christ". People and objects were anointed in Old Testament times to indicate "holiness" or "separation to God".

Anointing was fundamentally an act of God, as 1 Samuel 10 v 1 indicates. It was regarded as the giving of Divine favour.

Anointing indicates an appointment to a special place or function in God’s purpose.

These ideas of "separation to God" and "appointment to a special place in God’s purpose" were part of Jesus Christ’s mission. This is why he was given the name of "Christ"

D. Mediator

A mediator’s function is to intervene between two parties in order to restore peace and friendship. It is the role of Jesus to restore the peace between God and men.

Optional Assignment 12

Look at the "Antichrist" references. Don’t look at what we have said, but write down in your own words what the verses are saying. Look up cross-references if your Bible has them, and write down what they say. There has been a lot written about this subject which is not based on the Bible, so be careful not to draw conclusions which are not supported by the Bible.