Distinguishing “Antichrist,” “the Man of Lawlessness,” and Other End-Time Figures in Scripture 區分聖經中的「敵基督」、「不法之人」與其他末世角色

1. All biblical references to “antichrist” come only from John’s letters

1. 聖經裡所有「敵基督」的經文只出現在約翰書信

1 John 2:18
“You have heard that the antichrist is coming; even now many antichrists have appeared.”
約翰一書 2:18
「你們曾聽見那敵基督的要來；現在已經有好些敵基督的出來了。」

1 John 2:22
“Who is the liar? It is not the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Whoever denies the Father and the Son—this is the antichrist.”
約翰一書 2:22
「誰是說謊的呢？不是那否認耶穌為基督的嗎？否認父與子的，這就是敵基督的。」

1 John 4:3
“Every spirit that does not confess Jesus… this is the spirit of the antichrist.”
約翰一書 4:3
「凡不認耶穌的靈……就是那敵基督者的靈。」

2 John 1:7
“Many deceivers have gone out into the world… such a person is the deceiver and the antichrist.”
約翰二書 1:7
「世上有許多迷惑人的出來……這就是那迷惑人者、敵基督的。」

All four occurrences are written by John, and the Bible uses the term in a very specific and limited way.
四處經文全由約翰寫下，而且聖經使用這個詞的方式非常清楚、範圍有限。

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2. According to Scripture, “antichrist” is not one future figure

2. 按照聖經本身，「敵基督」不是末世的一個大人物

From the text itself:
從經文本身可以確定：

✔ “Antichrist” refers to a kind of person, not a single individual.
✔ 「敵基督」指的是一類人，不是單一人物。

✔ It refers to those who deny Jesus is the Christ.
✔ 指那些否認耶穌為基督的人。

✔ It refers to those who deny the Father and the Son.
✔ 指那些否認父與子關係的人。

✔ It refers to a spirit of deception, not an end-times ruler.
✔ 指的是一種迷惑人的靈，而不是末世的統治者。

The Bible never uses the term “Antichrist” to describe the beast of Revelation, the man of lawlessness, or the false christs Jesus mentions.
聖經從未用「敵基督」描述啟示錄的獸、不法之人，或主耶穌提到的假基督。

Those are different categories, and Scripture never merges them.
它們是不同類別的角色，聖經從不把它們混在一起。

The modern idea of a unified “Antichrist figure” is a later theological construction, not a biblical term.
把這些人物拼成一個「末世大敵基督」是後世神學的產物，而非聖經原文的用法。

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3. A Scripture-based interpretation must respect the distinctions the Bible itself makes

3. 合乎聖經的解釋必須尊重聖經本身的分類

A faithful, text-centered reading keeps these distinctions clear:
忠於文本的釋經會保持以下區分：

• “Antichrist” (from John’s letters) = anyone who denies Christ.
  「敵基督」（約翰書信）＝否認基督的人。

• “The beast” (Revelation) = a symbolic apocalyptic figure.
  「獸」（啟示錄）＝象徵性的末世角色。

• “The man of lawlessness” (2 Thessalonians) = a separate symbolic figure.
  「不法之人」（帖後）＝另一種象徵人物。

  Antichrist (from John’s letters) refers to many people who deny Christ and already exist in the present age.

  敵基督（約翰書信所說）是現在就已經存在、而且有許多否認基督的人。

  The man of lawlessness (from 2 Thessalonians) is one future individual who will be revealed only at the appointed time, and no one knows his identity now.
  不法之人（帖撒後書所說）是一位將來才會顯露的人物，目前沒有人知道他是誰。

• “False christs” (Matthew 24) = a category of deceivers.
  「假基督」（太24）＝迷惑者類別。

Since Scripture does not merge these categories, a sound interpretation should not merge them either.
既然聖經沒有把它們混為一談，任何忠於聖經的解釋也不該混合。