Antichrist (Gr. against, or in place of, and Christ), a term which occurs five times in the Bible, but only in the first and second epistles of John. These passages recognize the previous teaching that "Antichrist shall come;" declare the existence even then of "many Antichrists," who "went out from" the Christians, but "were not of" them; and characterize as an Antichrist him "that de-nieth the Father and the Son," or "confess-eth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh." Most interpreters identify Antichrist with the "man of sin" (2 Thess. ii. 3); many also with the "little horn" of Daniel's fourth beast and the "king of fierce countenance," with the Apocalyptic beast and false prophet, and with the false Christs and false prophets foretold in Matt. xxiv. 5, 11; but all these are controverted points. The numerous representations of Antichrist given by Biblical critics and theologians may be arranged under the following five heads: 1. An individual yet future. Thus most of the early Christian fathers represent the "many Antichrists" of the apostle's day as forerunners or types of a terrible future Antichrist - a person (of the tribe of Dan, according to Aretas, Bede, etc.) armed with Satanic powers (Satan himself, say some) - who is to come just before the final and glorious appearance of Christ, and then to be destroyed by Christ. 2. A polity or system.

Thus the Waldenses, Wycliffites, reformers of the 16th century, and others, make Antichrist to be the papal system, or the pope as representing the Roman Catholic polity; others, imperial or pagan Rome; others, Mohammedanism, or popery and Mohammedanism, or Judaism and pagan Rome and papal Rome, etc. 3. An individual already past. Thus Antichrist has been found by different Roman Catholic and Protestant expositors in one or another heathen emperor of Rome, Jewish leader, false Messiah, or heresiarch. 4. A class united in opposition to Christ. This opinion, held by Bengel, Mac-knight, Bishop Wordsworth, etc, makes Antichrist a collective term, equivalent to the "many Antichrists" of 1 John ii. 18, or the embodiment or representative of a limited or unlimited class of those who set themselves up against Christ, as the false prophets or teachers about the time of the destruction of Jerusalem, or all false teachers in every age, or the particular class who deny that Jesus is the Christ, or all heretics, etc. 5. An evil principle personified.

This opinion, held by Koppe, Nitzseh, and others, is naturally connected with the view that Satan is not a person, but only evil personified. - It may be added that Jewish rabbinical books describe Antichrist under the name of Armillus, who, it is said, will defeat and slay the Messiah Ben Joseph, but will himself be defeated and slain by Messiah Ben David; and that Mohammedan traditions represent the Jewish Messiah Ben David as himself Al-Dajjal (Antichrist), who will be slain by Jesus.