I am the Anti-Christ

It was 1975, the year we started Campus Bible Study in the old Chaplaincy at the University of New South Wales. There were about twenty or thirty of us, sitting in a large circle, studying part of the New Testament. As with most weeks there was a newcomer amongst us, and we were being careful to welcome him.

In the midst of the discussion on a passage, that sadly I cannot remember now, the newcomer offered to make an observation. “You won’t understand that until you have recognized the anti-Christ”.

I confess to being a little nonplussed by this observation, for as far as I could see the passage had nothing to do with the anti-Christ. Still, I did not want to be rude or dismissive of our newcomer and there was always the possibility of a connection between our passage and the anti-Christ that I did not understand. So I suggested there were only a few references in the letters of John to the anti-Christ and said I could not see the connection. I expressed some uncertainty as to precisely who the anti-Christ was – let alone his relationship with the man of lawlessness in 2 Thessalonians. This truthful and humbly agnostic answer was a mistake.

Our newcomer’s response was quick and sure: “I know who the anti-Christ is.”

At this point I turned mistake into disaster by asking “Well then, who is the anti-Christ?”

Looking around the room in complete control of the discussion he announced: “I am the anti-Christ!”

There was considerable consternation around the group as people looked from me to him and back to me to sort out this sudden revelation. No amount of preparation could have equipped me for this eventuality. His declaration seemed to have nothing to do with the passage we were studying. As I had already completely surrendered the agenda of the discussion, I had to work out quickly who the anti-Christ was in the New Testament and why the newcomer was, or more likely was not, the anti-Christ. I felt well and truly out of my depth.

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