Who is the “antichrist”?

The Christians of John’s day had heard antichrist was coming in the last hour.  During that time John wrote to them that “many antichrists” (note the plurality) have come, thus proving the Christian age is the final age (1 John 2:18; cf. 4:3b; 1 Cor. 10:11b).

Anyone who lies and denies that Jesus is the Christ, the Anointed One, the Savior and Lord of man is antichrist (1 John 2:22).  The spirit of the antichrist is every spirit which is not from God, which is every spirit that does not confess Jesus (1 John 4:3a).  Any deceiver who has gone out into the world and does not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh is antichrist (2 John 7).

Basically, the antichrist is not one man and is not some supernatural satanic force appearing at the end of the world during the so-called “Rapture” as denominations teach.  The antichrist is any person who is against Jesus in any way (anti Christ, against Christ).