In 1 John 4:3 we read:

'Every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the

flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye

have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the

Here once again we have stress upon: (1) The nature of Christ's Person;

(2) The parallel with the many antichrists of 1 John 2:18.

2 John 7 continues in much the same note:

'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

Two forms of the Greek verb 'to come' are used in these references to

the Lord's 'coming in the flesh':

Eleluthota is the perfect -- 'has come' (1 John 4:2,3).

Erchomenon is the present participle -- 'Is coming' (2 John 7).

The one denies that He Has Come in the flesh, the other denies that He

Will Come in the flesh, and both attitudes are essential characteristics of

the antichrist.

Oecumenius, a bishop of the tenth century, wrote:

'He declares antichrist to be already in the world, not corporeally,

but by means of those who prepare the way for his coming, of which sort

are false apostles, false prophets and heretics'.

We shall receive fuller light upon the terms and character of the final

antichrist, when we have considered the testimony of Daniel, Revelation and 2

Thessalonians 2.  For the moment, it will be wise to remember that antichrist

will set himself up as 'The Messiah'.  He will appeal especially to the

unbelieving Jews, and must be distinguished from the Gentile Beast (Rev. 13),

with whom he has such treasonable traffic.