What does it mean that many antichrists have come (1 John 2:18)?

In 1 John 2:18, the apostle says, “Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.” Students of Bible prophecy often speak of the Antichrist, but here John speaks of “many antichrists” already in the world.

Every word given in 1 John was in response to something the church needed to know. The epistle is best understood as being written to correct problems of belief and behavior for Christians. Therefore, 1 John 2:3 tells individuals how they can know for certain that they are Christians—if they “keep his commands.” Verses 7–11 teach that to know God is to love fellow believers. Readers are told in verses 12–17 that loving the world will extinguish love for God and His Word. “Antichrists” are already in the world (verse 18), yet believers “have an anointing from the Holy One” (verse 20), so they can discern between truth and lies. The manner for knowing the truth is to let “what you have heard from the beginning” (the revealed Word of God) remain in you (verse 24).

The most common biblical name for the ruler of the one-world government of the future is the beast (Revelation 11:7; 13:1–4, 11–12, 14–15, 17–18; 14:9; 14:11; 15:2; 16:2, 10, 13; 17:3, 7–8, 11–13, 16–17; 19:19–20; 20:4, 10). The only verse that calls this ruler “Antichrist” is 1 John 2:22. Throughout the history of the church, the term Antichrist has been used most frequently to designate the beast.

The Bible teaches that one individual, the Antichrist (or the beast of Revelation), will lead a final Gentile government. In his rise to power, he will have succeeded a ten-nation confederation (Daniel 7:24), indicated by the ten horns that are crowned on the beast (Revelation 13:1). He will have taken the place of three of those nations (Daniel 7:8, 24). The blasphemous names written on the heads of the beast (Revelation 13:1) may be a reference to the common practice of those ruling to claim deity for themselves. Any human claiming to be God is guilty of blasphemy.

Even as John wrote, many “antichrists” had arisen and exalted themselves against God. An “antichrist” in this sense is anyone who claims Christ’s position or authority or who is in opposition to the Lord and His work. The little “antichrists” are forerunners to the true Antichrist of the end times. The “many antichrists” are set in opposition to God and His Word. Some may claim to be the Messiah (as the beast from the sea will do in Revelation 13:1–10, 15). They are all deceivers bent on leading people astray. Jesus warned of such seducers in Matthew 24:5: “Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.” Ultimately, the insidious mission and aim of these little antichrists will be consolidated in one person: the Antichrist, or the beast of Revelation.

Despite the existence of “many antichrists,” we have a supernatural defense against their lies. Commentator Matthew Henry wrote, “True Christians are anointed ones; their names expresses this: they are anointed with grace, with gifts and spiritual privileges, by the Holy Spirit of grace. The great and most hurtful lies that the father of lies spreads in the world, usually are falsehoods and errors relating to the person of Christ. The unction from the Holy One, alone can keep us from delusions” (Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible).