Antichrist

The term antichrist comes from the Greek word antichristos, which roughly means ‘opponent of Christ'. It's only found four times in the Bible, in the letters of John (1 John 2.18, 22; 4.3; 2 John 1.7). However, the concept behind it is understood by many to be found in other books too (e.g. Daniel chapters 7-11; Matthew 24.15-25; 2 Thessalonians 2.3-12 and Revelation 13.1-8). In the letter of John, there are references to more than one antichrist (and to an anti-Christian spirit in general). The other references are understood by some to refer to an individual human who will arise at a given point to marshal the masses against Jesus.

In every age, people have identified specific figures as the antichrist, depending on their particular standpoint. This has included Caesar Nero, various Popes, Martin Luther and Hitler. In our own time, the finger of suspicion has been pointed at Vladimir Putin, Osama Bin Laden and even David Hasselhoff. Popular interest in the Antichrist was aroused by the 1974 CE film The Omen, which portrayed the antichrist as a literal child of the Devil called Damian (a concept and name not found in the Bible).