 Who are the Antichrists? Well, you might be surprised. There's a passage that comes up in 1 John 2 that is brought up to show that the people who once professed to be Christians who are not Christians, well, they were never Christians to begin with, and those made evident. And there will be some that says, Well, no, that's not who is speaking of, it's speaking of Antichrist. So, the question is then, who are Antichrists? So, let's go to the Bible. 1 John 2, let's go to verse 18. First, he says, Children, it is the last hour. And just as you have heard that Antichrist is coming, even now, many Antichrists have appeared. And the word that's used here, this is a perfect tense, guys. And so, because it's a perfect tense, this means even at this time that's being spoken of, it has already happened. So, many of these Antichrists have come, meaning plural. How many? Well, it doesn't say, but whatever it is, however the number is, they've already come. They've been in the world. And it says, from this we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not really of us. For if they had been of us, they would have remained with us, but they went out so that it might be, or so that it would be shown, that they are all not of us. So now, here's the question. Who are we speaking of? Because some are going to make this out to be something special, some important group. Well, there's no club that says here, sign up for the Antichrist Club. Whoever these people are, they were formerly identified as believers. You can't miss that. They were formerly identified as believers. They were formerly identified as Christians. They were amongst them, but they left from being among them. And John says, they were never really a part of us. So, does that mean that they were some sort of special class, even more deceptive? Well, no. Matter of fact, would you have considered someone like the High Priest of Caiaphas, any of these High Priests, these Pharisees that came against Christ? Would you consider them to be Antichrists, also to fit this definition? Well, sure. Because the term Antichrist only means those that are adversaries or who oppose Christ. There are a bunch of people who do so either intentionally or unintentionally. They don't think so. You may not even ascribe to them Antichrists, but they fit the definitions. As a matter of fact, let's go to 1 John 4. Notice what it says, Beloved, do not believe every spirit. Now remember, there are those who were formally amongst the believers. This is what John is saying. This was in the past. They were with these people who were amongst them. Well, again, when were they amongst them? Well, they clearly weren't amongst them prior to Christ. So, this is something that happens since Christ, and then even going forward, even up to this day. That in mind. He says, so, Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. But many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this, you know the Spirit of God. Now, he's talking about false prophets, but you're going to see that these false prophets are also Antichrists as well. Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God. Well, that's us. And every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the Spirit of Antichrists, which you have heard that is coming, and now it's already in the world. So, is he talking about Antichrists, or is he talking about false prophets? Same thing. The same person is a false prophet, even if they look like a Christian. Remember, John says later that they were among us. Well, they didn't look like it, but because they left, it was verified that they were never really among us. They were never part of us. And he says that these people who claim or profess that Jesus is from God, that's us. But those who don't say so, they're not. So, a non-believer, a person that opposes whether they do it intentionally or unintentionally, that would necessarily be the Antichrists, or this spirit of Antichrists. Those whose spirit, who they are, is characterized. Their spirit is characterized or resembling of that that is Antichrists that opposes Christ. That is an adversary. Why is that important? Because we're going to think that it must be the most diabolical people who we would consider to be Antichrists. Well, the most diabolical people probably weren't ever among us. The most diabolical people that were, when we think of the Antichrist, the lawless man, we're thinking of someone else who is in a different category, but there are others who are like him but have already come before him. And they weren't as evident as he is, or will be, as a matter of fact, he won't be all that evident until he's actually revealed. But the point is, anyone who has this particular spirit, anyone who is resembling what is being described by John, that is an Antichrist, not the Antichrist, but an Antichrist. And that can be virtually anybody today, anyone that is denying the power, the message of God. Remember Paul talks about a man named Alexander who refuses or who opposes their message, their message of Christ. And so Alexander will be in that same category of Antichrists. And those Antichrists who are amongst them, who look like them, claim to be, but then walk out and left, we know that they were never really among us, or never really a part of us because they left. And so anyone who denies the faith, anyone who opposes Christ, that is Antichrist. Amen.