Throughout history, greedy men have risen to power to promote their own personal causes. They nearly always
couch themselves as the answer to a particular problem or even as the savior of the world. In all cases to date,
by the time these people reached a certain level of prominence and power, godly people had searched the Scriptures
and concluded that they were not the Christ.
In some cases, the same godly people concluded that the leader in question was the Antichrist. To date, they
have all been wrong. We have not yet experienced the presence of the Antichrist, for when he makes his appearance,
the entire world will know his identity because he will loudly proclaim it.
A Person or A Spirit?
Is the Antichrist a person or a spirit? The answer is both. There will be a person whose doctrine and deeds
will earn him the title of Antichrist. There also is a prevailing spirit of antichrist at work in our world today.
The Person Called Antichrist
The Antichrist will be a real man who will assume a right to world rulership and be the very embodiment of evil.
He will be filled with and directed by Satan himself. In the book of Revelation, John refers to this man as the
Beast. He will manifest supernatural powers and exert global influence. (See Rev. 13.)
The Spirit of Antichrist
The word antichrist appears only in the epistles of John. John's concern was far more with the spirit
of antichrist, whom he regarded as Satan himself, than with the person who would one day be filled with Satan and
dominate the world stage. John saw Christians as being in a real and present struggle with the devil, who seeks
to be a false christ—a substitute, an “instead of” christ.
The prefix anti has two meanings. The first conveys the idea of being in place of something. The
second conveys the idea of being opposed to something. Satan always seeks to be in place of Christ; he is
always opposed to Christ. He is anti-Christ in everything he says and does. He is the ultimate representation
of ideas and behaviors opposed to Jesus.
Many people have operated in the spirit of antichrist. This type of spirit is not a demon. Rather it is a philosophy,
a mind-set, a way of thinking and behaving.
The Bible refers to several types of spirit. We each have a human spirit. Romans 8:16 tells us, “The Spirit
Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” There is a spirit of the world as a whole,
which is the prevailing philosophy of the world order we discussed in the last lesson. Paul wrote, “Now we have
received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have
been freely given to us by God” (1 Cor. 2:12).
Paul and John also wrote about a pervasive spirit that characterizes evil people. In Ephesians 2:2 we read about
the “prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience.” John refers to “false
prophets”—those who are spokespersons for what is evil (1 John 4:1). Peter said, “There were also false prophets
among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies,
even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction” (2 Peter 2:1).
These people who operate with an evil intent and speak things contrary to the will of God are operating in the
spirit of antichrist. Everything they say is opposed to Christ and everything they do is an attempt to take over
the place that is rightfully Christ's alone.
• Have you ever encountered a person who operated in the spirit of antichrist? How did you feel in that person's
presence?
Our Responsibility to Test the Spirits
Jesus warned His disciples that there would be people who would attempt to deceive the believers:
Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, “I am the Christ,” and will deceive
many.… false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even
the elect. (Matt. 24:4–5, 24)
Paul also warned against those who would preach any gospel other than the gospel of Christ. He spoke of “false
apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ” (2 Cor. 11:13).
We are warned repeatedly throughout the Scriptures that we are never to accept a person's message as being true
on the basis of that person's personality, appearance, or ability to communicate, or on the basis of the number
of people who follow him, the music or testimonials he presents, or the promises he makes. The only basis for our
acceptance of any person's teaching and testimony must be this: it is in complete agreement with the written Word
of God.
We are to test the spirits against the criterion of God's Word, and specifically against the criterion
of what is said about Jesus in God's Word. Any person who says that Jesus Christ is not God's Son come in the flesh,
or who denies the sovereignty of Christ as the sole and complete provision for salvation, is false. (See 1 John
4:1–3.)
We also must be on guard that we do not buy into a person's teaching or testimony because the person seems to
be speaking the truth about one particular issue or concern. We must consider always the “whole counsel” of God's
Word—everything that a person says must be in line with God's Word, not just a portion of what he says.
What the Word Says
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets
have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confess that Jesus Christ has
come in the in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh
is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in
the world (1 John 4:1–3)
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. Therefore take heed to yourselves.… For I know
this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparring the flock. Also from among yourselves
men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves (Acts 20:27–30)
What the Word Says to Me
• In what ways are you being challenged in your spirit?
Characteristics of Those with False Spirits
Those who are filled with the spirit of antichrist, the devil's own spirit, often have the following characteristics:
1. They are manipulative. False teachers exploit others and use others for their own gain. If allowed
to amass power, they will seek to drain all of the finances of those who follow them. They seek to destroy the
individuality of their followers, often requiring that their followers dress and act in highly prescribed ways.
2. They promote sensuality. False teachers nearly always claim that sensuality is to be highly valued
and sexual sins are permissible. Many cult leaders are advocates and practitioners of blatant fornication and adultery.
3. They secretly introduce destructive heresies. They take a portion of God's Word and twist it into
a form that seems reasonable and palatable to human lusts and desires. They hold out a principle about which men
can say, “Yes, that's the way it ought to be.” The trouble is, the principle they proclaim is not what the
Word of God holds to be truth. For example, false teachers today proclaim that there are many ways to approach
God and experience salvation. People clamor after this heresy, saying, “Surely God wouldn't send a person to hell
for not believing in Christ.” The Bible says that Jesus is the way, the truth, the life, and
that nobody comes to the Father but by Him (John 14:6).
4. They exhibit personal materialism and greed. False teachers with an antichrist spirit nearly always
surround themselves with great wealth. Peter said, “By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words”
(2 Peter 2:3).
• Have you or someone you know been the victim of a person who is filled with an antichrist spirit?
The Outcome for Those with an Antichrist Spirit
The Scriptures give us a fivefold progression related to those who have an antichrist spirit. This progression
is most evident in the life of the future antichrist world leader, called the Beast, but it is also the path that
is followed by any person who allows himself to be filled with Satan's spirit.
First, the person displays lawlessness. The person with an antichrist spirit has no regard for God's
law. To the contrary, he ridicules God's law as he dismisses its value. Those with an antichrist spirit also hold
themselves to be above the laws that govern other people. They have little regard for order or justice. They rule
according to their own whims and dictates. Paul wrote to the church at Thessalonica:
The mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of
the way… The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders.
(2 Thess. 2:7, 9)
Second, the person claims to be a deity. He claims special powers or wisdom. Just as Satan before him,
he claims to have knowledge about God that God hasn't revealed to others. At times, the person will claim to be
under God but on par with Jesus—the mind-set is usually that Jesus was just a good man, a prophet, and that there
are and have been many such people, the person making the claim among them. False prophets claim that Jesus was
only a son of God, not the Son, and that people today can have as much authority and dominion as
Jesus. While we are called to become sons and daughters of God and joint heirs with Christ, we are always under
Christ's authority. The Bible never claims that any person can do what Christ did or be what Christ is—the only
begotten Son of God, the Savior of the world, the Lord of lords and King of kings forevermore.
Paul addressed these lies directly: “There is no other God but one.… there is one God, the Father, of whom are
all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live” (1
Cor. 8:4, 6).
Third, the person seeks to rule others. People who are filled with an antichrist spirit do not live in
isolation. They recruit followers and build power structures. They long to manipulate, control, and rule over people,
places, and things. Their desire for power over other people is insatiable, although their outward demeanor may
be one of false humility and gentleness.
Jesus taught us to pray to our heavenly Father, “Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever” (Matt.
6:13). Anybody who attempts to get you to ascribe to his or her absolute rulership, power, and glory is a person
with an antichrist spirit.
Fourth, the person is a tool of Satan. The person may appear to be the one doing the ruling and teaching,
but ultimately, he is a pawn in the hands of Satan. Satan gives a form of power to his followers, but it is the
power described in Revelation 9:3: “To them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.” This is
the power to sting, to inflict pain, to cause suffering, to bring about loss, destruction, and devastation.
Jesus taught, “Whoever commits sin is a slave of sin” (John 8:34). The person with an antichrist spirit may
think he is acting of his own accord; in reality he is a victim of Satan.
Fifth, the person is ultimately destroyed by God. God may allow a person with an antichrist spirit to
exert influence for a season, but the person with this spirit is ultimately removed from the scene by God. Paul
wrote, “What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is
death.… the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:21, 23).
Nothing built by a person with an antichrist spirit survives for very long. False religions come and go. Cults
based on false teachings rise and fall. Empires built by people with antichrist spirits crumble. Only what is of
Christ lasts on this earth. Only those whom Christ redeems will live forever.
• What new insights do you have into the nature of our enemy and how to overcome him?
Three Questions to Ask
If you believe you are facing a person who has a false spirit, there are three questions you should ask:
1. What do you believe about Jesus? Was He God? A person with an antichrist spirit will hem and haw at
the question. The person who is a true Christian will say, “Jesus was God come in the flesh.” John said, “Every
spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God” (1 John 4:3).
2. What do you believe about humankind and about humans' relationship to God? A person with an antichrist
spirit will claim that humankind is supreme; God is a nice idea that is valuable to people, but in the end, God
is humankind's creation. Others with an antichrist spirit will claim that God exists to serve people. The true
Christian will say, “Humankind is valuable to God, but humankind is always subservient to God. Humankind's role
is to serve God.”
A person with an antichrist spirit will claim that humankind has no need for salvation, and that if humankind
desires to improve itself, it is capable of doing so without any help from God. The true Christian will say, “People
need salvation and are incapable of earning it or achieving it on their own. Salvation is a gift of God, freely
made available through Jesus Christ to all who will believe.”
3. What do you believe about the Bible? A person with a spirit of antichrist will be opposed to hearing
the Word of God and will have no interest in the things of God. He will dismiss the Bible's authenticity and authority.
He will be opposed to any efforts that a person makes to live a life in accordance with God's commandments.
The true Christian will say, “I believe the Bible to be the authoritative Word of God, good for instruction.
It presents the way that God desires for me to live, think, feel, and believe.”
When we ask these questions of a person, we must listen closely to the answers with spiritual ears. We must
ask the Holy Spirit to alert us to anything that is contrary to God's Word. We can trust the Holy Spirit to prick
our consciences so that we will be able to tell right from wrong. John said, “By this we know the spirit of truth
and the spirit of error” (1 John 4:6).
What the Word Says
And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of
this world … among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of the flesh, fulfilling the desires
of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in
mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together
with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us to sit together in the heavenly
places of Jesus Christ, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness
toward us in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:1–7)
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works,
lest anyone should boast (Eph. 2:8–9)
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
Every work of God is pure;
He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.
Do not add to His words,
Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar (Prov. 30:5–6)
What the Word Says to Me
What the Word Says
By this way we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit (1 John 4:13)
What the Word Says to Me
Pervasive but Not Unbeatable
The spirit of antichrist is pervasive in our world today, but it can be confronted, challenged, and denied.
We do not need to be victims of those who are operating according to Satan's dictates or who are filled with his
spirit. We can overcome the enemy if we will be committed to a persistent, unrelenting search for and compliance
with God's truth.
• In what ways are you being challenged in your spirit?
From Overcoming the Enemy: Discover God's Plan for Winning Spiritual
Battles by Charles Stanley. Copyright 1997 by Charles Stanley.
