What do we mean when we say “antichrist”?
When we speak of antichrist, there are three meanings. First, we refer to the spirit underlying our culture as it opposes the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We feel that spirit everywhere. Secondly, we mean those people whose lives embody that spirit of opposition to Christ. Thirdly, Antichrist is the Bible’s name for a specific individual: a powerful person who will arrive someday to bring rebellion throughout the earth against Almighty God. This study focuses on our first meaning of the word—the spirit of antichrist which is so prevalent in our society.

From where does the spirit of antichrist come?
In short, the spirit of antichrist is as old as the Garden of Eden. As soon as Eve chose to rebel against the command of God, the spirit of antichrist appeared in our world. It is the willful determination to usurp the place of God by making our own decisions and ignoring His wisdom and sovereignty. Antichrists are those who continue to live by this delusion, and they fill our universities, our business world, and even our pulpits. The spirit of antichrist has penetrated every part of the world in which we live.

How do we respond to the spirit of antichrist?
The spirit of antichrist is so dangerous, so eternally destructive, and so prevalent that it is vitally important that we know what we believe and why we believe it. Many people are careless about that, however. If someone asked you to describe your basic spiritual beliefs, and then defend them, could you do it? If parents can’t present a full account of their faith, we can be certain that their children will not have that ability. Yet when those children attend our public universities, they will face the full indoctrination of the spirit of the age.

What are the beliefs of antichrist?
Jesus makes all the difference in our lives. He loves us, guides us, and protects us. Therefore He is the first point of attack for antichrist. John writes that “every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God” (1 John 4:2).Any spirit opposing the Lordship of Christ is antichrist. (v. 3) Jesus identified Himself with God the Father many times. The spirit of antichrist denies His deity, His atoning death, and the truth of God’s Word.

What is the fatal weakness of antichrist?
When it comes to the subject of eternity, antichrist has nothing to offer us. You may live by the spirit of the age and conform yourself to this world, but as you come to the end of this life, what then? The spirit of antichrist collapses under its own inconsistent theology. It is self-condemning, because it offers no eternal solutions. All it does is attack the truth that we have. For if Jesus Christ is not God, then who is? If He was just another man, what do we have? We would have no other reason to believe in God, nor would we be able to hold out the hope of salvation. There would be no redemption available to us for the problem of sin.

What do we have in Christ instead?
Let us think instead about what we can embrace rather than the hopeless spirit of antichrist. First, we have a wonderful, daily relationship with Jesus Christ. We have His friendship and guidance in every step we take in life. We have the eternal, imperishable, promise of the Son of God and of His return, as well as the comfort of the Holy Spirit within our hearts. Finally, when death approaches, we can face it boldly. It has no sting as it does for the spirit of antichrist, for we can look to an eternity in the presence of the Lord.

How do we protect ourselves from antichrist?
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God” (1 John 4:1). The Lord has given every believer the presence of the Holy Spirit, whose responsibility is to help us discern truth from error. He will guide us into all truth, protecting us from the countless delusions of the spirit of the age, which surround us all the time. Secondly, we have the Word of God, which makes our faith clear. God’s Spirit interprets it for us and condemns the spirit of antichrist. Thirdly, we have teachers and instructors, godly men and women who keep us accountable. The Spirit of God is infinitely more powerful than the spirit of any age.

What are our basic beliefs?
If we must know and defend our basic beliefs, it is important to name them. First of all, we must believe that the Bible is the Word of God. Second, Jesus is the Son of God, deity in human flesh, and He is the only way to salvation. We must believe that He died on the cross as full payment for our sins, and experienced a bodily resurrection, so that we may be forgiven and have eternal life. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer and has sealed us as children of God. Finally, we believe that Jesus Christ is coming again and will take us to the eternal home He has prepared.

Conclusion:
Do you believe these things? If not, my friend, I must ask you, what do you have? If we don’t have Jesus Christ, we have nothing. All else is vain and empty philosophy, and we might as well surrender to the spirit of antichrist, which is hollow and can offer us only death. The truth is that we need not surrender to this deception, for Christ the Lord has risen. He is real, He is God, and He has the victory over the spirit of this or any other age. The opposition may seem powerful today, and it may seem to have won the war for our culture. Christ is still Lord of all creation, however, and He will have the final word. In the meantime, you and I must know our beliefs and know them well, so that we can communicate them to a world hungry for truth.