Shalom, everyone.
It's extremely interesting all the fabrications that have arisen regarding the "Antichrist." Seems that it started when someone thought that the 70th Seven ("Week") of Daniel 9:24-27 should be equated with the "tribulation" of which Yeshua` spoke in the Olivet Discourse. Hence, someone started to say "the seven years of tribulation" and "the seven-year Tribulation," as though the Bible actually called it that!
Let's investigate this critter (colloquialism for "creature") a bit more thoroughly:
The following should be a collection of what we know to be true regarding that person that the Scripture actually calls "the beast" and "the man of sin" or "the man of lawlessness."
First, ironically, this person is never said to be the "Antichrist." That term is for ANYONE who "opposes the Messiah." The Greek word "antichristos" (or its plural "antichristoi") is only found five times in four verses of the New Testament (and NEVER in the OT):
1 John 2:18
18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
KJV
1 John 2:22
22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
KJV
1 John 4:3
3 And 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 world.
KJV
2 John 7
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.
KJV
Strong's Dictionary of the Greek Language says this about the word:
NT:500 antichristos (an-tee'-khris-tos); from NT:473 and NT:5547; an opponent of the Messiah:
KJV - antichrist.
NT:473 anti (an-tee'); a primary particle; opposite, i.e. instead or because of (rarely in addition to):
KJV - for, in the room of. Often used in composition to denote contrast, requital, substitution, correspondence, etc.
NT:5547 Christos (khris-tos'); from NT:5548; anointed, i.e. the Messiah, an epithet of Jesus:
KJV - Christ.
NT:5548 chrioo (khree'-o); probably akin to NT:5530 through the idea of contact; to smear or rub with oil, i.e. (by implication) to consecrate to an office or religious service:
KJV - anoint.
(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
I find it misleading that "christos" is capitalized in its English transliteration. There were many "christoi," just as there are many "antichristoi," and not all of them were in reference to the Son of God. And, I also find it ironic that Strong's doesn't make the connection here between this Greek word and the Hebrew word from which it is translated "mashiayach":
OT:4898 mashiyach (maw-shee'-akh); from OT:4886; anointed; usually a consecrated person (as a king, priest, or saint); specifically, the Messiah:
KJV - anointed, Messiah.
OT:4886 maashach (maw-shakh'); a primitive root; to rub with oil, i.e. to anoint; by implication, to consecrate; also to paint:
KJV - anoint, paint.
(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
Therefore, one must know what and who is a "messiah" before one can intelligently say what an "antichrist" is. Will discuss more later...
It's extremely interesting all the fabrications that have arisen regarding the "Antichrist." Seems that it started when someone thought that the 70th Seven ("Week") of Daniel 9:24-27 should be equated with the "tribulation" of which Yeshua` spoke in the Olivet Discourse. Hence, someone started to say "the seven years of tribulation" and "the seven-year Tribulation," as though the Bible actually called it that!
Let's investigate this critter (colloquialism for "creature") a bit more thoroughly:
The following should be a collection of what we know to be true regarding that person that the Scripture actually calls "the beast" and "the man of sin" or "the man of lawlessness."
First, ironically, this person is never said to be the "Antichrist." That term is for ANYONE who "opposes the Messiah." The Greek word "antichristos" (or its plural "antichristoi") is only found five times in four verses of the New Testament (and NEVER in the OT):
1 John 2:18
18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
KJV
1 John 2:22
22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
KJV
1 John 4:3
3 And 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 world.
KJV
2 John 7
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.
KJV
Strong's Dictionary of the Greek Language says this about the word:
NT:500 antichristos (an-tee'-khris-tos); from NT:473 and NT:5547; an opponent of the Messiah:
KJV - antichrist.
NT:473 anti (an-tee'); a primary particle; opposite, i.e. instead or because of (rarely in addition to):
KJV - for, in the room of. Often used in composition to denote contrast, requital, substitution, correspondence, etc.
NT:5547 Christos (khris-tos'); from NT:5548; anointed, i.e. the Messiah, an epithet of Jesus:
KJV - Christ.
NT:5548 chrioo (khree'-o); probably akin to NT:5530 through the idea of contact; to smear or rub with oil, i.e. (by implication) to consecrate to an office or religious service:
KJV - anoint.
(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
I find it misleading that "christos" is capitalized in its English transliteration. There were many "christoi," just as there are many "antichristoi," and not all of them were in reference to the Son of God. And, I also find it ironic that Strong's doesn't make the connection here between this Greek word and the Hebrew word from which it is translated "mashiayach":
OT:4898 mashiyach (maw-shee'-akh); from OT:4886; anointed; usually a consecrated person (as a king, priest, or saint); specifically, the Messiah:
KJV - anointed, Messiah.
OT:4886 maashach (maw-shakh'); a primitive root; to rub with oil, i.e. to anoint; by implication, to consecrate; also to paint:
KJV - anoint, paint.
(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
Therefore, one must know what and who is a "messiah" before one can intelligently say what an "antichrist" is. Will discuss more later...