Would you like to know if the antichrist is a real or symbolic person? Millions of Christians believe that an evil dictator named Antichrist will appear on the world stage before the Second Coming of Jesus. This future Antichrist is mentioned in the following Old Testament prophetic books: Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and Zechariah.
Actually, the term ” antichrist ” never appears in any of them. In fact, it is completely absent from the Old Testament. However, in reference to the Old Testament prophets, MacArthur uses it 53 times in his Study Bible. Here we explain what it really is. We invite you to stay with us.
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Is the antichrist a real or symbolic person? Who is he really?
Billy Graham claims that the Book of Revelation in the New Testament also refers to the Antichrist. However, he will not find the word there either. Considering the plethora of books available on the subject, not to mention the predictions of radio and television evangelists, one might expect to find the word ” antichrist ” appearing frequently throughout the Scriptures.
It actually occurs in just two anonymous letters traditionally attributed to the apostle John. It never applies to the Man of Sin mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 , nor does it refer to the Beast or the False Prophet of the Apocalypse.
In fact, it never applies to any kind of political or religious leader. Also, it is not limited to one individual.
Is the antichrist a real or symbolic person? – The Bible says that millions of people are antichrists.
In 1 John 2:18-22, the first-century author claims that it is the “ last time ” (Greek: last hour) before the Second Coming of Christ because “many antichrists” are already on the scene.
He defines an antichrist as anyone who denies that Jesus is the Messiah: “Little children, it is the last [hour]: and as you have heard that antichrist will come, even now there are many antichrists; so we know it’s the last [hour]. . . Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is the antichrist, who denies the Father and the Son” (KJV throughout).
Again, in 1 John 4:3 and 2 John 7 , an antichrist is described as anyone who does not confess Jesus and the author repeats his observation regarding the “many” antichrists that existed in the first century: “. . . Every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not from God: And this is the spirit of antichrist, of which you have heard that he must come; and even he now he is already in the world. . . many deceivers have come into the world, who do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. This is a liar and an antichrist.” That’s all.
Is the antichrist a real or symbolic person? – There are no other occurrences of the word “antichrist” in the Bible.
In the three passages where it occurs, we detect no sign of a world dictator. To be clear, an evil dictator could be considered an antichrist since he would probably not be a Christian, at least not a genuine one. At the same time, however, the term would apply to millions of other people.
From this study, we can conclude the following:
- The word “antichrist” does not apply exclusively to any individual political or religious leader.
- Anyone who denies Jesus as Savior is an antichrist.
- John knew that it was the last hour before Jesus’ return because there were already numerous antichrists present in the first century.
To some, the precise definition of “antichrist” may seem inconsequential. However, the third conclusion above highlights an important problem.
- How is it that John knew the Second Coming was about to happen in the first century, but MacArthur, Graham, and many others believe it did not?
- Do they know better than the apostle John?
If they are correct, then Juan must have been wrong . But all the famous evangelists claim that the Bible is the inspired “Word of God.”
So how could this biblical prediction be wrong?
John understood that the presence of numerous antichrists in the first century was a sure sign that the Second Coming of Jesus and the arrival of the Kingdom of God would occur during his lifetime, just as Jesus had promised ( Matthew 16:27-28; 10 ). : 23; 24:34; Luke 21:28, 31-32; Revelation 1: 1, 3; 22:10-12 ).
Is the antichrist a real or symbolic person? – What do modern preachers say?
Modern preachers disagree, promoting instead a future world dictator antichrist and a woefully overdue Second Coming.
But who are Christians supposed to trust: Jesus and his “holy apostles” ( Ephesians 3:4-5 ) or confused theologians who presume to contradict them, implying that Jesus was the most outrageous false prophet in history? ?
The vast majority of preachers today are misusing the term “antichrist.” More importantly, however, they are clearly gripped by an enormous illusion regarding the nature of the Second Coming foretold throughout the New Testament.
If we continue to trust these misguided “experts” instead of finding time to investigate matters for ourselves, we will always be as blind as they are.
Is the antichrist a real or symbolic person – Another Biblical Approach
If we were to ask 100 people, we would probably get 80 different answers on the subject of whether the antichrist is a real or a symbolic person. The role played by this biblical enemy of Christ in what some believe will be a final confrontation is also a matter of discussion and interpretation.
While the topic of the antichrist doesn’t come up very often, it is a concept that comes up from time to time.
Is the antichrist a real or symbolic person – is he really coming?
Roughly half (49 percent) of Protestant ministers believe that the “Antichrist” is a figure that will arise in the future.
According to the survey, others say (12 percent) that there is no individual Antichrist, while about 14 percent believe he is a personification of evil or an institution (7 percent). Six percent of pastors think the Antichrist has already been here.
“There’s more agreement on the Antichrist than there is on some of the other elements related to the end times,” McConnell said. “These are the people we rely on every week in a church setting to teach us what the Bible says, and clearly there is more than one interpretation of the Antichrist.”
The term “Antichrist” is only mentioned by name in the epistles of John. It appears in both singular and plural. “Who is the liar? He is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist: he denies the Father and the Son” ( 1 John 2:22, New International Version ).
Could that person be alive on Earth today?
The “Antichrist” has been called an emissary of the devil and described as an agent of evil. The Bible speaks of both a person and a spirit of the antichrist.
“In other words, there are many who oppose the spirit and leadership of Jesus,” “It is both the personality and the spirit.” “Many deceivers, who do not recognize that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any one of them is the deceiver and the antichrist” ( 2 John 7, New International Version ).
“It is interesting that when the apostle John speaks of this, he says that many antichrists have gone out from among us. They were not part of us because if they were, they would have stayed with us”, “we have to recognize that this spirit will be present in all generations”.
Is the antichrist a real or symbolic person – For many Christians, the concept of the antichrist is based on scripture.
While the term “antichrist” does not appear in 2 Thessalonians, it is often identified with references such as “the man of lawlessness” who “will oppose and exalt himself above all that is called God.”
“He doesn’t use the word antichrist, but he definitely describes what many theologians believe the antichrist is. He just doesn’t use the words. We see this throughout the New Testament.”
“John assumed that the church understood what the antichrist was and uses a label for what was already recorded in 2 Thessalonians and what many believe is recorded in Revelation.”
Biblical mentions of the antichrist refer to first-century Christians who are ” loyal and expectant ” followers of Jesus, but are ” skeptical of claims ” that he is the Messiah.
After all, at the time, there were many claimants to that title. The Jews desperately want a reformer, but many are skeptical of the claims of Messianism.”
Is the antichrist an end-time false messiah who comes with a smile, but represents pure evil and chaos?
People think it’s a man. Is he already here? He could be a woman. He could operate through a woman, but that’s where spiritually sensitive people draw the line and can see the difference, that this is a spiritual battle, not a physical battle.
Christian denominations disagree with the Biblical scenario of the end times and the role that an antichrist figure would play. The whole concept has become the boogeyman.
The modern concept of antichrist has more to do with people’s fears.
Fear of the future. Fear that something will happen to the community. Fear of life itself. Then they develop antichrists. It is certainly not what John had in mind. It’s a word we use. We think it’s a wonderful concept because it tells us about ourselves.
The antichrist becomes a “modern scapegoat” in times of chaos and anxiety.
“People need someone to blame, or something, or some hidden cosmic force to blame. And the concept of the antichrist has served that purpose at various stages in history.”
The book of Revelation is full of vivid imagery and symbolism, depicting a final battle between good and evil. Believers identify the rise of an antichrist with various figures noted in Revelation, a popular apocalyptic prophecy that has been the subject of books and movies.
Is the antichrist a real or symbolic person – The Apocalypse illustrates a parody of the Trinitarian nature of God.
You see a parody of God as Father, Son, and Spirit in the fact that Revelation talks about the dragon, the beast from the sea, the beast from the earth, representative of Satan, the antichrist as we call him, and some sort of false prophet machine. Propaganda.
The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority (Revelation 13:2, New International Version ).
The beast that is coming up from the sea of people and that would be the reference to the antichrist. And he will dominate.
- It will be empowered by the dragon, Satan. And there will be one by his side who will be called the false prophet, who will encourage people to follow the beast and take his mark and all that sort of thing.” “The coming of the wicked one will be according to the work of Satan unfolded in all kinds of false miracles, signs and wonders… ( 2 Thessalonians 2:9, New International Version ).
Still, there are millions of believers who welcome the apocalyptic visions of redemption and carnage found in Revelation and view the arrival of an antichrist figure with some expectation.
The end of the world is a chilling concept and, for some, a grim prophecy.
The book of Revelation in the Bible was not intended as a prophecy. It is not a prediction of the end times. It is intended as a message of encouragement for Christians to keep going. All the evil and dangerous powers of his world are encoded here, referred to in elaborate symbolic metaphors.
And the final message is that your faith in God and in Jesus will prevail. But this is a hard sell, because throughout Christian history, the Apocalypse has been considered a prophecy, and its various scenes have been taken as various levels of literal truth.
The antichrist is a real or symbolic person – People who have been confused with this character
Throughout history, some individuals considered tyrannical, with great power and influence, have been labeled as potential antichrists.
- “In the 20th century it was Hitler and Mussolini , and more recently Saddam Hussein, Muammar Gaddafi .”
He says it is a concept that emerges as world events unfold.
There is a near-perfect correlation of these types of millennial expectations and arousals with social dysfunction and generalized anxiety. You can find a perfect correlation between the outbreak of hostilities in World War I, World War II, the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor.”
A Google search for “antichrist” returns over 11 million results.
“In every generation, there have been people that people have tried to identify as the antichrist. I’ve heard all kinds of names in my life, even. But none of that influences the other pieces of the puzzle. Even the papacy was considered antichrist during the Protestant Reformation.
“[Martin] Luther in his book on Babylon, says that the Pope is the antichrist. Is the Pope the antichrist?
The antichrist label is a metaphorical language used when people feel paralyzed.
“We believe that it is very dangerous because it takes us away from communication. It takes us away from the dialogue. It dislocates us from not being afraid. This is what the world really needs today, for people not to be afraid.”
The antichrist is a real or symbolic person – academically
Britannica’s online encyclopedia describes ” Antichrist ” as ” the polar opposite and ultimate enemy of Christ “.
The Catholic Church has never been heard to deny Christ. The other denominations have never been heard to deny Christ. And that is one of the requirements to really judge if they are an antichrist.
It does not mean that people of different denominations, different religions are the antichrist. I want to be clear on that. The antichrist will work against everything by which the spirit of God works.
When it comes to the concept of the antichrist, the imagery is strong enough, but also vague enough that ” we can read it in many different ways .”
We believe that probably, for the rest of my life and for the rest of the life of the Earth, there will probably be people who are sure that this person is the antichrist, or that person is. And so far, history, 2,000 years, has proven them wrong every time.
The concept of an end-time Antichrist, whether real or illusory, has been around for thousands of years.
This so-called ” son of perdition ” and last enemy of Christ is also reflected in popular culture in movies like “The Omen” and “Rosemary’s Baby”.
- A lot of things in Hollywood empower this little cohort who then go against the antichrist and win. But that is not the biblical narrative.
An antichrist is a real person or a symbolic one – the counterfeits
As believers continue to search for clues about this mysterious biblical figure, how will they know the fake when they see it?
People of faith who have the “spirit of Christ” will be able to see that. If you were trying to be someone who discovered counterfeit dollars, you would want to know what the real thing looks like more than you would want to know what counterfeiting looks like, because by knowing real currency, you know what counterfeiting is.
- The coming of the wicked one will be according to the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of false miracles, signs and wonders…” ( 2 Thessalonians 2:9, New International Version ).
The rise of an antichrist figure will certainly involve deception.
There is going to be a great deception that will be used by this person. There will be false miracles that will happen, and everyone will say, this must be from God because they are miraculous. And they will be deceived by what appear to be miracles that will take place.
There is too much emphasis on apocalyptic visions that embody evil. We think we should try to somehow deal with evil instead of trying to embody it.
Instead of labeling someone on the outside for their heresy, which is the original, or their sense of evil, wouldn’t it be nice if we could use a self-examination in our meditation in the morning, or before going to bed at night?
Was I antichrist today in any way in my attitude, or in my heresy? My beliefs in my attitude towards people? So that way it could be healthy.
If there is a final grand hoax, what will it look and feel like? Many say that it is quite complex, a subject that has attracted much debate and many opinions.
conclusion
As you can see, the Bible is clear when it comes to whether the antichrist is a real person or a symbolic one. We believe that when we all get to the end, there will be some things where God will look at each of us and say, ‘You know what? You were really accurate on that, but not so accurate on this. Where was your heart? Did you love your neighbor? Did you take care of your community? Did you believe me and trust me? We believe that at the end of the day, God is more concerned with that than with trying to figure out which person is the antichrist or which person has the spirit. The antichrist is actually in a system (ie symbolic) that represents the enemy. But, Christ had already defeated the world. We hope we have helped you with this information. God bless you.