Analysing the scriptures
Rules of interpretation
“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation”
2 Petter 1:20
“And these things, brothers, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that you might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another”
1 Corínthians 4:6
The antichrist
The world antichrist (ἀντίχριστος) is Christ more negation prefix ant. Means anyone who opposes Christ. antichrist, either one who puts himself in the place of, or the enemy (opponent) of the Messiah.
The word antichrist appears only four times in the bible, all in John's letters:
“Little children, it is the last time: and as you have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time”
1 John 2:18
“Who is a liar but he that denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denies the Father and the Son”
1 John 2:22
“And every spirit that confesses not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof you have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world”
1 John 4:3
"For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist”
2 João 1:7
What do we perceive in these passages?
⦁ John says there were many antichrists.
⦁ The antichrist was already present at the time of John
⦁ They denied that Jesus had come in the flesh
Can I apply this passage for a future time? No, Otherwise I would be particularizing a prophecy and going beyond what is written.
So who were these antichrists John refers to?
In the first century there was a sect that separated from the apostles and began to preach that Jesus had not come in the flesh, physically. This sect was called docetism.
Docetism in the early church
Docetism. Docetism, (from Greek dokein, “to seem”), Christian heresy and one of the earliest Christian sectarian doctrines, affirming that Christ did not have a real or natural body during his life on earth but only an apparent or phantom one. ... They consequently denied Christ's Resurrection and Ascension into heaven
Notice that John's antichrists came out of the Christian milieu:
"Little children, it is the last time: and as you have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us”
1 John 2:18,19
So John was fighting the sect in his day and was opposed to the earthly Christ. John was not talking about any future events. Who says yes is going against what the Bible itself says.
My video about it:
Thanks for reading! I hope you like! See ya