Category Archives: Eschatology

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June 21, 2012

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Eschatology, I John, II John

The Antichrist in John’s Epistles: Part III

Another line of argument for a future Antichrist is the phrase “is coming” in 2:18. The verb is in the present tense. Normally it would be translated as “you have heard that antichrist comes.” However, most translations take this as “futuristic present.” This is described by Daniel Wallace as when “the present tense may describe an event that is wholly subsequent to the time of speaking, although as if it were present.”[1]Wallace adds this use of the present tense is commonly found with the verb “erchomai,” which is the word “is coming” in our text. Whether or not this is futuristic is difficult to determine. Even if it is, the question still remains as to whether it is future to the time of John writing or was future when he told them about it in the past (you have heard).  Notice the parallel between 2:18 and 4:3:
 
2:18 Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come.
4:3 This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.
It is possible to read 2:18 as, “you have heard that Antichrist is coming in the future, but even now there are many antichrists who prefigure that coming antichrist.”  This is how Pastor MacArthur reads the passage.   
Or it could be read, “You heard in the past that antichrist would come and now he/they have arrived.” The second reading fits better with the rest of John’s references to the antichrist, while the first reading does not.
Either way, this is not a slam-dunk argument for making the Antichrist an end times world leader.
One final argument is used to say antichrist refers to end times world leader.  John says in 2:18 and in 4:3 that the people “have heard” that the antichrist is coming.  Some pastors take this as a reference to II Thessalonians 2. They will say that Paul speaks of the Antichrist in II Thessalonians and that is where John’s readers heard about it. While this is possible, it is sheer speculation. There is nothing in I John that indicates he was writing to the same group that Paul wrote to or that his readers had access to Paul’s letters.  There is no direct connection in words or concepts between I John 2 and II Thessalonians 2.  It is just as likely that John has previously told them about the antichrist when he planted or visited the church he was writing to.
Everything in I and II John points to antichrists and the spirit of the antichrist being present during the time John was writing.  There are no verbal or conceptual parallels with other passages which speak of an end times leader, even in John’s book of Revelation. John’s epistles are pastoral in nature, discussing particular problems that were facing his readers. There is nothing in the text that demands we read antichrist as The Antichrist.
So what is the antichrist? The simple answer is that antichrist was a set of doctrines or beliefs that denied that Jesus was the Christ. This set of beliefs denied especially the Incarnation.  Any man who holds to these beliefs is a deceiver and the antichrist. So antichrist is both the set of beliefs and the men who hold those beliefs. By the way, Pastor MacArthur implies that all Christians are antichrists. This is overstating the case.  I think this was in his second sermon on this passage.  
            Readers may ask, “Why does this matter?”  First and foremost, all Christians should desire to be faithful to the biblical text. Before we move on to “practical” considerations, there must be a foundational desire to know exactly what the text says.  So our love for Christ demands that we properly understand what I and II John are teaching. Second, by showing that I and II John do not teach us about an end times leader called the Antichrist we are able to focus more clearly on what the text does say. Someone who believes that John is talking about a world leader who shows up during the Tribulation ends up spending a lot of time on passages that have nothing to do with I John. I think this can confuse the flock. Third, John is talking about religious leaders, false teachers who went out from the Apostles. The modern depiction of the Antichrist is that he is a political leader. Again this muddies the waters and causes a focus on nations and world leaders instead of teachers and pastors. Finally, too often when I and II John are preached they are couched in speculation. The flock does not get practical exhortations on how to fight the antichrist who shows up at their door, like the Jehovah Witnesses, the Mormons, Unitarians, or the liberal Presbyterian. (In fairness to Pastor MacArthur he only spends half of one sermon on the world leader. Most of his three sermons are devoted to how to combat present day antichrists.)

[1]  Wallace, Daniel B., Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996),  p. 536.
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June 20, 2012

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Eschatology, I John, II John

The Antichrist in John’s Epistles: Part II

One of the other arguments used to show that John is referring to some future world leader is the use “anti” on the front of Antichrist. “Anti” is a preposition, which can mean in the place or against. Usually what happens is that someone takes “anti” to mean someone who seeks to replace Christ. Then they are able to find the Antichrist in all sorts of places he is not mentioned, such as II Thessalonians 2:3-4 and the beast in Revelation 13. Here is long quote from Pastor MacArthur where he does this exact thing:
“Now without needing to go into all of the rest of what’s in this wonderful section, we can sort of focus, to begin with, on this matter of Antichrist, a term that has become very familiar to Christians in this generation, as I’m sure in many other generations. The word Antichrist is well known to us. It occurs in the New Testament only in John’s letters. It occurs in 1 John several times, and then it occurs in the seventh verse of 2 John. And though it is limited as a term to John’s epistles, it expresses a widely known reality that is dealt with in other portions of the Bible, not only in the New Testament but even in the Old Testament as well. The term “Antichrist” which John uses is antichristos in the Greek. Christos obviously means Christ, anti can have two possible meanings. It is a Greek preposition that can mean either against or in the place of…against or in the place of. Antichrist can then mean either someone who is against Christ, or someone who seeks to replace Christ. Someone who is an adversary of Christ, or someone who is a false representation of Christ. We can take it then to mean the one who opposes Christ. In that case, the opposition is clear, it is plain. Or we can take it to mean one who seeks to be put in the place of Christ and then the opposition becomes more subtle and more disguised. And antichrist can mean either of those, or both. We don’t need to choose between them. Clearly antichrist is one on some fronts who is openly and overtly against Christ. That is to say they speak lies concerning Christ, such as in verse 22 that I just read. They deny that Jesus is the Christ, a denial of the nature and identity and work of Jesus Christ. This is clearly an antichrist perspective.”

By focusing on the anti at the beginning of the word, Pastor MacArthur finds the Antichrist in places where the word is not used and where John’s picture of the antichrist is absent. For example, II Thessalonians 2 describes a man of lawlessness who exalts himself and tries to take the place of God. This fits with Matthew 24:17 and Daniel 9:27. However, this idea is absent from I and II John. The same thing is done with the beast of Revelation (see Revelation 13). The beast is someone who is worshipped, who makes war on the saints, etc. But none of these ideas are found in John’s teaching on the antichrist, which is all the more odd since John wrote Revelation. In other words, the man of lawlessness and the beast are not the Antichrist. 


D.A. Carson warns against what he calls the “root word” fallacy.[1]This is where the root of a word is used to determine its meaning instead of the context. This is what has happened here. Because “anti” can mean “seeks to replace,” and the person in II Thessalonians seeks to replace God then it must be the Antichrist. However, just because a word can mean something does not mean that it does. The context of I and II John must determine the meaning of antichrist, not the various uses of “anti.”  I and II John are clear on the character traits of antichrists. They are false teachers, who have left the Apostles, gone out into the world, so that they might deceive churches by teaching that Jesus did not come in the flesh and that he is not the Christ. Of course, Pastor MacArthur will agree with these points, but by using “anti” he can drag in another point, that Antichrist is the beast and man of lawlessness, which is foreign to I and II John. 

[1]Carson, D.A. Exegetical Fallacies (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1984), p.26-32.
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June 19, 2012

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Eschatology, I John, II John

The Antichrist in John’s Epistles: Part I

Perhaps no vision has shaped contemporary eschatology like that of the Antichrist. He is the epitome of evil and will reign over all the earth supplanting Christ and bringing in  the rule of Satan. However, “antichrist” is only mentioned in I and II John. He is not mentioned in Revelation, where one would expect to find him, especially since John wrote both books.  As I read I and II John I tried to determine if John actually teaches what so many people think he teaches. The exegesis of the antichrist passages in John’s Epistles is usually informed, not by careful examination of the text, but rather by a prior commitment to a certain eschatological viewpoint.   A good example of using prior commitment to examine the text is Pastor John MacArthur’s sermons on I John 2:18-26.[1] He preaches three sermons on these verses. The second half of his first sermon covers passages like II Thessalonians 2, Daniel 8-10, and Revelation 13, not I John 2:18-26. It is interesting that the first part of his sermon, (and in his remaining two sermons on this passage) when he focuses on I John is all about contemporary antichrists. He does a great job exegeting the text. He lays open exactly what the text says. He tells us who these antichrists are and how they behave. But this is not enough. He believes in a final, all powerful Antichrist. But to find the one he must go to other passages. (By the way, I really enjoy Pastor MacArthur, but I disagree with him on this point.)
Before we begin exegesis of the Apostle John’s passages on the antichrist we need to ask, what is the commonly held view of the antichrist?   Pastor MacArthur sums it up well:
“The Bible is clear that one man will be the final, most complete and powerful Antichrist. He will appear in the future history of the world in a time which is called the time of the Tribulation. This is a time that will end man’s day. It is a time, a seven-year period of time divided into two three-and-half year sections in which Satan releases his power in the world, at the same time God releases judgment in the world. And there will be in that day a world ruler who is identified as the Antichrist. He is the culminating and final one, that’s why we have here the singular “Antichrist is coming.”
So the Antichrist is the final culmination of all evil and will come at the end of the world to set up a kingdom that is opposed to Christ. But does John actually teach this?

Let’s look carefully at the text in John’s Epistles which mention the antichrist and then determine if the commonly held view of the antichrist is correct. I will begin with what is agreed upon and then move to the areas of disagreement.  The following passages will be in discussed: I John 2:18-27, I John 4:1-3, and II John 1:7.  I would recommend having your Bible open has you read.

There are several areas of agreement between those who see the Antichrist as a culmination of all evil at the end of history and those who do not. Let me list those briefly. First, all parties agree that antichrists live in the world. This is clear from I John 2:18. John says explicitly that there are many antichrists who have gone out into the world. Second, all parties agree that these antichrists prove that it is the last hour. Of course, there is much disagreement about what exactly that means. Third, all parties agree that the antichrist is someone who denies Jesus came in the flesh (II John 1:7) and denies the Father and the Son, especially the Son as Christ (I John 2:22).  Fourth, all parties agree that anyone who is an antichrist is not a Christian. They do not know have the Son or the Father (I John 2:23).  On all of these major points and several minor ones most commentators agree.

However, does I and II John teach that we are to look for a future all powerful Antichrist?  There are numerous arguments used to back up the claim that John is talking about an end times leader: the use of a singular antichrist in 2:18, the use of anti in the term antichrist, the phrase “is coming” in I John 2:18, and the phrase “have heard.”  I will address these items in order. By the way, I am not arguing against an end times, all powerful figure.  I am simply asking whether John teaches us about this end times figure.

Let ‘s begin by looking at the singular use of the term “antichrist” in John’s letters. You can see that Pastor MacArthur in the quote above uses the singular as one of the ways he establishes that there will be an end time Antichrist. Here are the four verses in I and II John, which use the singular term antichrist. All quotes are from English Standard Version:
(1Jn 2:18)  Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.
(1Jn 2:22)  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.
(1Jn 4:3) 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.
(2Jn 1:7)  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.
Let’s put the final three verses in a paraphrased form:
2:22 The one who denies Jesus is the Christ is the antichrist.
4:3 The one who does not confess Jesus is the spirit of the antichrist.
II John 1:7 The one who does not confess that Jesus came in the flesh is the antichrist.
In these verses is John pointing us to a future Antichrist or to antichrists which were present when he was writing?  Examining these three passages in more depth will give us an answer.
2:20-27 begins and ends with an anointing (vs. 20, 27) John exhorts his readers that they know the truth and that no lie is of the truth. He is encouraging them to hold fast to the truth. Then he tells them to watch out for liars; that is those who deny that Jesus is the Christ. These men are the antichrist. These men are trying to deceive them (vs. 26). This word deceive is verb form of the noun used in II John 1:7.  In other words, John expected his readers to be on the lookout for these antichrists who were trying to deceive them and keep the truth from abiding in them (vs. 24).  In these verses, there is no expectation of a future Antichrist. John is talking about men who were present when he wrote.
3:24-4:6 is a section on testing the spirits. It begins by saying that we have the Spirit (3:24). This is why we can test the spirits.  John then encourages his readers to test the various spirits. These spirits are not floating about in the air, but come through the false prophets who preach lies (4:1).  John gives his readers a key test: every spirit which confesses that Jesus came in the flesh is from God. The one who does not confess this is not from God. The one who does not confess this is the spirit of the antichrist.  John reminds them that this spirit of the antichrist was promised and is now here. John goes on tell his readers that they have overcome them (false prophets) because his readers are of God, but these false prophets are of the world (4:4-6). In these verses there is no expectation of a future Antichrist who will rule the world. John expects his readers to confront the antichrist by testing the spirits behind the false prophets.
II John 1:7 comes in the middle of short letter where John is exhorting his readers to keep the truth (1:4).  There are many deceivers who have gone out into the world. These deceivers do not confess that Jesus has come in the flesh. These men are the antichrist.  The ESV says, “Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.”[2]John then exhorts this flock to look out for these men who do not bring this doctrine with them and to not receive them (vss. 9-11).  Again there is nothing in the passage about a future Antichrist even though John does use the singular “antichrist” in verse 7.
The point of examining these three passages is to show that the singular use of antichrist in 2:18 does not demand that this refer to a single powerful man in the future. None of the other uses of the singular in I John or II John are referring to a future antichrist.  All of the singular uses refer to something that existed at the time John wrote. He was exhorting his readers to make sure these antichrists did not deceive them.  It is not impossible, but it is unlikely, based on John’s use of antichrist, that antichrist in I John 2:18 refers to an end times world leader.

Over the next couple of days I will address various other arguments used to argue that John is teaching about an end times world leader. 

[1]These sermons can be accessed at gty.org under I John or the title “Christians and Antichrists.” 
[2]See also Wallace, Daniel B., Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), 332.
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May 22, 2012

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Eschatology, I Peter

Do We Live in the Last Times?

“Last Time/Times”
            The phrase “last time” is used twice in the New Testament in I Peter 1:5 and in Jude 1:18. While the phrases in I Peter 1:5 and Jude 1:18 are translated the same in English, they use two different Greek words for “time.” Peter uses chairos and Jude uses chronos. I Peter 1:5 does refer to the final revelation of Jesus Christ. The phrase “reserved in heaven for you” points us in this direction.

            However, Jude 1:18 does not refer to the end of the world.  Jude 1:17-18 is almost an exact parallel with II Peter 3:2-3.  Therefore it is not surprising that Jude should agree with Peter that the last times had already begun. Jude says in verse 19 that scoffers are “these who cause divisions” among his readers. (See verses 4, 8, 10, etc.) Verse 16 says the same thing as verse 19. Those to whom Jude wrote his letter were already dealing with these false teachers. These scoffers are not men who will arrive with the coronation of the antichrist. They are men who were in churches that Jude was writing to.  The “last time” began in the first century.

            I Peter backs up Jude saying that the “last time” began with Christ.  Though Peter does not use chronos in I Peter 1:5 he does use it in 1:20.  Here is that verse:
            He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you (I Peter 1:20 ESV)
            Peter agrees with Jude. The last times began when Jesus “was made manifest,” that is when he came in the flesh. We do live in the last times, but they have been going on for almost 2,000 years now. 
End of the Ages
            There are two places where we are specifically told that the end of the ages has come.  Here are those two verses:
            Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.
(1Co 10:11, ESV)
For then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
(Heb 9:26, ESV)
            There is much that could be said about these verses. It would be a worthwhile discussion to determine what are these “ages” Paul is referring to. But the main point for this post is that the end of ages came when Jesus sacrificed Himself upon the cross.  We usually envision the end of the ages as something to come in the future. Paul sees it as something that has already come.  
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May 18, 2012

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Eschatology

The End of the World?

It is commonly assumed that “last days” and similar phrases in the New Testament refer to the end of the world or the tribulation prior to the end of the world.  This assumption is so thoroughly ingrained in our thinking that to say we are living in the last days means the end of the world is near.  But does the Biblical data actually back this up? Does the phrase “last days” actually mean the end of the world? I want to look at some key biblical phrases that we usually think refers to the end of the world. I want to examine them in their context to see if our common interpretation of these verses is correct.

“Last Days”
Let’s begin with Acts 2:17.  In Acts 2 the Spirit has been poured out in tongues of fire and the believers in Jerusalem have begun speaking in other languages.  This causes some bystanders to accuse them of being drunk. Peter refutes this claim and says this:
But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;
(Act 2:16-17, ESV)
Peter tells the people at Pentecost that speaking in tongues and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit are a sign that the last days have begun.   Verse 33 clearly backs up this interpretation. According to Peter the “last days” have begun.  Peter’s sermon makes plain that Joel is beginning to be fulfilled right before their eyes. The prophets saw a time, which they called “the latter days,” when God’s Kingdom would be exalted and his people restored. Peter says this time began with the Ascension of Jesus Christ and the pouring out of the Spirit.
            Here are some other New Testament passages referring to the “last days.”
Paul says this in II Timothy 3:1-5,
“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.”
           
Many, many New Testament commentators make this passage refer to the end of the world.  This has been a key verse to show that as the end gets near men and women will become more wicked. However, at the end of verse 5 Paul tells Timothy to “avoid such people.” He goes on to say in verse 6 that these people creep into households and capture weak women. He says in verse 8 that these men, just like Jannes and Jambres, oppose the truth. But they will not get far because their folly will be manifest to all. (verse 9)
The last days in II Timothy 3:1 are not coming. They are here. Timothy is living in them.
            Hebrews 1:2 is one of the clearest passages on the last days beginning with Jesus Christ. Here is Hebrews 1:1-2
            Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
            The writer of Hebrews states it as plainly as possible. When Jesus took on flesh the last days began.  The old covenant days were gone and the new covenant days had come. The end of the world began with the birth of Christ.
            James 5 contains several references to the last days and the coming of the Lord. I will examine this passage later when I look at the phrase “the coming of the Lord.”
            II Peter 3:3 is another reference to “the last days.”  The entire passage needs careful attention and exegesis. What many commonly think it teaches, the end of the world, is debatable. However, the main point for the current discussion is that Peter says that scoffers will come in the last days.  And these scoffers already existed at the time Peter was writing. These scoffers are false teachers. (See II Peter 2) These scoffers are men who are saying, “Where is the promise of His coming?” (3:4) These are not men who will show up at the end of the world. These are men who existed when Peter was writing. He is telling his readers how to combat these false teachers.  So once again “last days” does not mean the end of the world.
            Those are the only five (including James) references to the last days in the New Testament. It is possible that James refers to the end of the world, but the other four plainly do not.  But what about phrases like “last time,” “last hour”, etc.?  Maybe verses like these refer to the end of the world? We will look at a few more of these passages the next week.