Antichrist

In Christianity, a fi gure opposed to CHRIST. The Antichrist is expected to come at the end of time. In the NEW TESTAMENT (see BIBLE, BIBLICAL LITERATURE) only the letters of John mention the Antichrist. In these letters the Antichrist is the person "who denies the Father and the Son." Furthermore, John's letters suggest that many Antichrists are already in the world. That, the letters say, is a sign that the last days have already arrived (1 John 2.18–25). Although other New Testament writers did not use the word "Antichrist," they shared the belief in a being or force opposed to JESUS. The book of REVELATION has been particularly infl uential. Christians have often taken one of the beasts in Revelation to be the Antichrist. (See also 2 Thessalonians 2, which anticipates the coming of an unnamed, lawless opponent to Christ.) Speculation about the identity of the Antichrist has been rampant throughout Christian history. At one time or another, Christians have identifi ed Simon Magus (a miracle-worker in the book of Acts), MUHAMMAD, particular popes and Byzantine emperors, Napoleon, Adolf Hitler, institutions such as the PAPACY, and ideologies such as communism with the Antichrist. Some who have opposed Christianity and its values have seen the Antichrist as a positive, not a negative fi gure. The best example is the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, who wrote a book entitled The Antichrist.