Some of the doctrines in Scripture concern demons and the kingdom of darkness. One of the prominent characters in the study of the powers of darkness is the Antichrist.
John the apostle is the only writer of Scripture who uses the term “antichrist” (1 John 2:18,22, 4:3; 2 John 7). The term literally means an opponent of The Messiah. It can refer to an actual individual who poses as The Christ, or a system that seeks to replace man’s need for Christ as Redeemer and Savior. In 2nd Corinthians 11 Paul talks about this spirit of antichrist which creates or invents another Jesus, another gospel, and another spirit (2 Corinthians 11:3,4). He calls these individuals who promote such damnable teachings ministers of Satan, and angels of light (2 Corinthians 11:13-15).
Whenever we begin to enter into a study or discussion on demons and the powers of darkness, we must guard against extremism. One extreme completely ignores the fact that there is such a thing as a real devil and real demons, while the other extreme is a kind of obsession with demons and their activity. As a rule of thumb, it is wise to follow the pattern given by Michael the archangel, and keep The Lord between you and Satan (Jude 9). It is also worth noting that James exhorts us to submit to God before he admonishes us to resist the devil, and this is followed by the promise of God drawing near to us when we draw near to Him (James 4:7,8).
If the warning against the spirit of antichrist was needed in John’s day, we certainly need it today. We are not given a rosy picture of the last days on planet earth, beloved (2 Timothy 3:1-5;13). We are living in the days when the seeds of the kingdom of darkness foretold in Revelation are being planted. Yes, darkness and deception in this world are very real, but God has given to us His armor (Ephesians 6:10-18), His Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14), and His truth (John 8:31,32) to guide and protect us. The Lord is not only our loving and diligent Shepherd (Psalm 23:1), but also our strong and mighty tower (Proverbs 18:10).
In these dark times, precious saints, we must never forget that nothing can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39), and “greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)
