| | :2 John 7: 'For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.' | | :2 John 7: 'For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.' |
| − | Based on the lack of direct references, some Christians argue that the Bible refers only to a ''generalized concept'' of Antichrist, applicable to anybody who is 'against Christ', not to a particular person. Moreover, such 'antichrists' were already present in the world nearly two thousand years ago. Other Christian, such as the [[Catholic Church]] and many [[Protestant]] denominations, have argued that these verses mainly prefigure the actual Antichrist and that one can see a single unifying Antichrist figure with the proper exegetical methods if one looks at the books of [[Book of Daniel|Daniel]] and [[Book of Revelation|Revelation]].<ref>{{cite web| title=Antichrist| url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01559a.htm| publisher=New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia}}</ref> So while there is a spirit of antichrist, there is also one Antichrist who is to come. | + | Based on the lack of direct references, some Christians argue that the Bible refers only to a ''generalized concept'' of Antichrist, applicable to anybody who is 'against Christ', not to a particular person. Moreover, such 'antichrists' were already present in the world nearly two thousand years ago. Other Christians, such as the [[Catholic Church]] and many [[Protestant]] denominations, have argued that these verses mainly prefigure the actual Antichrist and that one can see a single unifying Antichrist figure with the proper exegetical methods if one looks at the books of [[Book of Daniel|Daniel]] and [[Book of Revelation|Revelation]].<ref>{{cite web| title=Antichrist| url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01559a.htm| publisher=New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia}}</ref> So while there is a spirit of antichrist, there is also one Antichrist who is to come. |
| | The Antichrist is often associated with, and in some interpretations considered equivalent to, ''the Beast'' of Revelation or the ''Man of Sin'' referenced in II Thessalonians 2:3. | | The Antichrist is often associated with, and in some interpretations considered equivalent to, ''the Beast'' of Revelation or the ''Man of Sin'' referenced in II Thessalonians 2:3. |