“For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the Antichrist.”
2 John 1:7
“Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.”
1 John 2:22
“And every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already”
1 John 4:3
Most people picture the devil or a great demon when thinking of the antichrist, but this is not what it really is. The true antichrist is infinitely more subtle. He does not go about announcing who he is or what his mission is. All he does is avoid confessing Christ. Maybe he pollutes the Christian faith, flanking it with propaganda. He does not have to make a great spectacle of himself, he can remain below the surface and never stir anything up to a massive degree. The diseases that are best at killing people are the ones that go unnoticed until they bring on the final onslaught of death.
The Bible speaks of the antichrist as simply one who denies Christ (1 John 2:22), that seems simple.
The last passage says that the antichrist is in the world already. If John was talking about a great demon, these passages would be terrifying. But anyone can see by simply looking around that there are no great demons running around causing mayhem. Any demon would avoid drawing attention to himself. It seems that the antichrist is more of an attitude or set of actions that overtakes multiple individuals instead of one singular individual who brings great evil into the world.
The terrifying thing about the antichrist is that it could be you, or it could be me. It could be anyone. Anyone who denies Christ is the spirit of the antichrist. Anyone who opposes God in his lifestyle automatically opposes Christ and His sacrifice, and by virtue of this he embodies the spirit of the antichrist.
Or maybe the whole idea of the antichrist has been blown out of proportion. There are plenty of people who do not believe in Christ and who do not confess his name. Are all of them antichrists? If so, the idea of being an antichrist isn’t as much about being a nightmare figure than it is just living in open rebellion to God. There are plenty of Antichrists all over the world, and being an atheist (form of anti-christ) does not make anyone special or intelligent.
Mantra
Disbelief alone is antichrist.
Application
Simply think on these things with an abstract mind. Be open to new ideas, think about them and determine within yourself whether or not they are true. Examine your actions every day and ensure they are aligned with God rather than opposed to Him.
Conduct Yourselves like Men.