Antichrist literally means “instead of Christ.” The antichrist will claim what belongs to Christ and act as a substitute for Christ (see 2 Thessalonians 2:3 and Revelation 13:1–10).
many antichrists have appeared: These are false teachers who deny that Jesus is the Christ, God’s Son, God in the flesh (1 John 2:22–23; 4:2; 2 John 1:7).