Who Is the Antichrist?

"FALSE PROPHETS" AND "THE MAN OF LAWLESSNESS"

Long before John wrote about such religious deceivers, Jesus Christ advised his followers:  "Be on the watch for false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inside they are ravenous wolves."  (Matthew 7:15) The apostle Paul likewise warned Christians in Thessalonica:  "Let no one lead you astray in any way, because  it [the day of Jehovah] will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness gets revealed, the son of destruction." -2 Thessalonians 2:3. 

Hence, in the first century, false prophets and apostates were already at work, endeavoring to weaken the  Christian congregation.  All those involved in spreading lies and religious deception about Jesus Christ and his teachings were included in John's term "antichrist." Jehovah's view of them was revealed when Paul described them as "the son of destruction." 

Next time: Who Is the Antichrist? - BEWARED OF ANTICHRIST'S ACTIVITIES TODAY

From the Watchtower magazine, 2015