Antichrist Essay

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The war between the Christ versus antichrist has been commencing for generations with tides of people churning and numbers fluctuating inconsistently back and forth. Who is to say what is considered holy or unholy? How is anyone to expand so far to say that many persons of God’s creation are of the antichrist? Jesus’s disciples could (and one did) elaborate on such as shown by John in his first letter, “who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son” (Nelson, 239). What does the statement mean? Is it bad to be considered of the antichrist as long as one believes in God and worships him? How has the antichrist affected the world? With research and supporting …show more content…

A schism is defined by Hastings as “a doctrinal departure from the true faith of the church, implying a separation from its communion” (343). Painter breaks everything down by stating “in 1-2 john the references is to those who deny that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, and thus identified with false prophets and deceivers. The power of such people comes from the devil, who is the model and source of the antichrist. The tradition of the coming of the antichrist, was known to the readers of 1 John through the reading of his letter; ‘even as you have heard, antichrist is coming’ (2:18). The interpretation of the situation which lead to the schism of those who refused to confess Jesus Christ having come in flesh (2:22 and 4:1-3) seems to have been the work of 1-2 John. But ‘now many antichrists have appeared’ (2:18). They are ‘many deceivers,’ the ‘many false prophets’ (1 John 4:1). Though the devil (Satan) inspires the Antichrist, in the New Testament the two are distinct. Outside the New Testament, in the post New Testament period, the antichrist becomes identified as the incarnation of Satan” (210). Breaking everything down, the schism had started from inside of the communion because followers could not agree on whether Jesus was, or was not the Christ. To be considered an antichrist all one person needs to do is go against Jesus as Christ or to follow something else …show more content…

In actuality, the antichrist’s who were developed from the schism tried with diligence to follow God’s word by the bible, but because of some miss interpretation were led astray. Humans may have been led to become an antichrist due to original sin, or maybe due to the devils trickery in an attempt to take God’s glory. Regardless, that does not mean all antichrists are one antichrist. This is a fact which Christians need to remember. An antichrist might be an individual who completely follows God all the time, but does not accept Jesus as Christ because they have been misled. When a soul has been misled the Christian community should not fear and treat the person as if they were the devil, but instead the Christian community as suggested by David Jackman, needs to hear God’s truth. “Historically this has provided the Christian church with motivation for mission” (70). This passage tells us the belief systems that have been crafted through the schism, may have some truth in their teachings. Christians do not even need to reintroduce “the appalling horrors of the Crusaders” (Jackman, 70) by trying to abolish anyone who goes against God. This does mean however that the millions of people who are enmeshed in false religions and ideologies whom are also caught up in false systems, desperately need to hear God’s truth. A church can help any individual see

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