Antichrists

Antichrists have always been--and always will be--with us.

There isn't just the one Antichrist who comes at the end of the world.

There are a multitude of antichrists who lead little ones astray.

The priests who abused children were supposed to be "alter Christi," "other Christs," but they were, in fact, antichrists.

They are all our enemies, which means that we have to condemn their sins but love the sinners.

Letters of John

"The word Antichrist occurs only in the Johannine Epistles; but there are so-called real parallelisms to these occurrences in the Apocalypse, in the Pauline Epistles, and less explicit ones in the Gospels and the Book of Daniel."

1 John 2:18	Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that the antichrist was coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. Thus we know this is the last hour.
1 John 2:19	They went out from us, but they were not really of our number; if they had been, they would have remained with us. Their desertion shows that none of them was of our number.
1 John 2:22	Who is the liar? Whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Whoever denies the Father and the Son, this is the antichrist.
1 John 4:3	Every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus does not belong to God. This is the spirit of the antichrist that, as you heard, is to come, but in fact is already in the world.
2 John 7	Many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh; such is the deceitful one and the antichrist.

St. Paul

2 Thess 2:3-10

3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For unless the apostasy comes first and the lawless one is revealed, the one doomed to perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god and object of worship, so as to seat himself in the temple of God, claiming that he is a god-- 5 do you not recall that while I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. But the one who restrains is to do so only for the present, until he is removed from the scene. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord (Jesus) will kill with the breath of his mouth and render powerless by the manifestation of his coming, 9 the one whose coming springs from the power of Satan in every mighty deed and in signs and wonders that lie, 10 and in every wicked deceit for those who are perishing because they have not accepted the love of truth so that they may be saved. 11 Therefore, God is sending them a deceiving power so that they may believe the lie, 12 that all who have not believed the truth but have approved wrongdoing may be condemned.

Acts 20:29-30

"I know that after my departure savage wolves will come among you, and they will not spare the flock. And from your own group, men will come forward perverting the truth to draw the disciples away after them."

Matthew

Mt 7:15-20.

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will know them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. So by their fruits you will know them."

Related texts

"After studying the picture of Antichrist in St. Paul's Epistle to the Thessalonians, one easily recognizes the 'man of sin' in Daniel 7:8, 11, 20, 21, where the Prophet describes the 'little horn.' A type of Antichrist is found in Daniel 8:8 sqq., 23, sqq., 11:21-45, in the person of Antiochus Epiphanes. Many commentators have found more or less clear allusions to Antichrist in the coming of false Christs and false prophets (Matthew 24:4-24; Mark 13:6, 22; Luke 21:8), in the 'abomination of desolation', and in the one that 'shall come in his own name' (John 5:43)."

Mt 24:5	For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Messiah,' and they will deceive many.
Mt 24:24	False messiahs and false prophets will arise, and they will perform signs and wonders so great as to deceive, if that were possible, even the elect.