Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us—eternal life.
I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.
And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.
If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.
1 John 2.22-end
Such person is the anichrist?
It is typical for human beings to construct our communities on one rather shaky foundation. On the foundation of being against someone. Small groups need a small enemy. Large groups need a large enemy.
How is the enemy chosen? In order to choose the enemy, we need to identify him. And in order to identify him, you need to imagine him. How does he look? How does he acts?
One of the Church’s big enemies has always been the antichrist.
The antichrist is one of the big protagonists of the Christian theatre of the end times. Let’s see how has this theatre and the search for the enemy evolved.
Commentary on the Apocalypse by Beatus of Liébana,1072, France
Act I
In the Middle Ages, there were many prophecies about the Last Times. Many conflicting prophecies.
In one thing, however, they were all unanimous: in the future, the tyranny of the Antichrist will be established on earth. He will brutally persecute the righteous, but in the end, he will be destroyed and his kingdom will fall. Soon after, the second coming of Christ will be followed by the final judgment - the final act of the history of the redeemed humankind.
Act II
Gradually, most theologians agreed that, perhaps, the Antichrist would not be a demon, but a human of flesh and blood. Only it will be... a really-really bad human. In order to emphasize his pernicious nature, they would also ascribe him sinful or disgusting origin and sometimes ugly appearance, worthy of the son of perdition.
Anti-gospels appeared, that narrated the life of Antichrist as the overturned the life of Christ. Instead of humility - pride, instead of genuine miracles - false ones. The Antichrist is the opposite of Christ. He therefore has to look differently and act differently.
Luca Signorelli's depiction of the face of antichrist, Orvieto Cathedral, 1501
Act III
The Antichrist did not appear. Why doesn’t he appear? He must be more cunning than we thought. He comes in disguise!
The image of Antichrist soon became a collective one, incarnated in a series of tyrants who sought to eradicate the true faith. In false shepherds who corrupted the flock from within, or in entire nations opposed to Christianity - Jews, Sarcins, Turks... A chain of enemies of the true Church passing through the centuries, preventing us at all times to live the true faith. They are the problem. Not us.
Thomas Rawlandson, The Devil's Darling, 1814. The Devil holding Napoleon as a swaddled infant.
Act IV
The Antichrist is no longer found only in the future. He is also in the past and, more importantly, in the present. Yes, there will be the big Antichrist, like the Boss in the videogames that you encounter at the end of the game... but before that, we'll have to deal with a lot of little tiny fastidious antichrists who appear on earth and dedicate all their time to deviating us from living godly life. These are the ones we have to fight, his allies.
Suddenly, pointing fingers has grown to a whole new level of importance.
St John in our today's reading is writing to a community because of one simple reason - he takes care of the people in the community. His goal is to keep the community together. To keep it unanimous. In one word, his task is the same as the task of every good leader of any Christian church. To point out to Christ and to help people make their way to Him. To remind of the priorities of faith.
Simon Ushakov, St. John the Theologian, 1673, Moscow
When John says that someone is “avtìxpictoc”, it goes nowhere near the mythology created in the Middle Ages. What he tries to do is simply say: listen, the time will come inevitably when you will have to present your soul to the Lord. Instead of spending time being offended by others, being scandalized by others, grow yourselves. Dedicate your time and energy to taking care of your own soul.
Yes, we know about those who disagreed with us, about those who have left us, about those who have hurt us. If they were wrong and we were right - yes, they are against Christ and truth is not in them. However, it is not your responsibility to run after them shaking fists.
What the letter of John says has nothing to do with the apocalyptic conspiracy theories.
The mythological, the imaginary part of these theories consists not in the reality of the devil and the evil, not in the reality of truth and falsehood. These are very real indeed and are essential parts of our faith.
What is not a part of our faith, and is not a part of our spiritual lives, is pointing fingers to condemn someone as the personification of evil. As personification of all of our problems and misfortunes.
Today it is necessary (as it was always necessary, but today - to a special extent), to preserve the practice of personal prayer... When the world is in the tumult and you have no idea, who is right and who is wrong - now it is good opportunity to start praying.
Without a personal, deep, unceasing spiritual life, without being in prayer, faith and love, we will simply not be able to remain Christians.
For we are Christians not because we manage to find and build a clean and cozy nest free from everything that makes us uncomfortable.
We are Christians because we believe that without Christ this world has no light. Because of that we are trying to keep the light of Christ shining in us in the most disturbing and "unclean" places.
Seraphin adoring Christ, Bartolomeo Caporali, 1487
If we will continue to look for Antichrist, we will be finding him in everyone. In a neighbor who starts to drill at 6 in the morning. In a boss who does everything to make me belittle me. In politicians of this or another country. In other religions or Christian denominations. And in myself. In my own bad choices, mistakes, evil thoughts and unhealthy tendencies.
Can anyone who finds antichrist in himself and in everyone around live in peace?
"If a kindom is divided against itself it cannot stand".
It is typical for human beings to construct our communities on one rather shaky foundation. On the foundation of being against. Talking about Church - being against eveything that is anti-christos.
Maybe the question that we have to ask ourselves more fequently is the opposite: do we know who Christ is? Are we able to hear His voice?..