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teaching erroneous and deceptive doctrines. On an earlier occasion, Peter said that the Jews deliv-
ered up Yeshua "and DENIED him in the presence of Pilate...they DENIED the Holy One and the
Just...and killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead" (Acts 3:13-15). The ones
who denied Yeshua did not deny his existence. They denied him by rejecting his claims and having
him crucified.

3/. Paul used the word "deny" in connection with those who taught false doctrines among
the Christians. They are mentioned as "deceivers...who subvert whole houses, teaching things
which they ought not." Such were not "sound in the faith"; but gave heed to doctrines that cause
men to "turn from the truth....They profess that they know God; but in works they DENY him, being
abominable, and disobedient" (Titus 1:10-16).

Now that we have considered the word "denied" as used by Jude, Peter, Paul and John, it
is clear that atheism is NOT meant. Those who denied the Lord did so by not fully following the
original Christian in word and deed. These were called "antichrists."

The next passage that mentions "antichrist" is 1 John 4:1-6:

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because
many false prophets are gone out into the world...every spirit that confesseth not that Je-
sus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of ANTICHRIST,
whereof you have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the
world....They are of the world....We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us [the
apostles]; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the
spirit of error.

Since John and the other apostles had received their instruction directly from Yeshua him-
self, he could say that those who believed their message were of Yehovah. Those who did not
stand for the apostolic faith were "false prophets," their inspiration not coming from the spirit of
Yehovah, but the antichrist spirit. John was not dealing here with such things as political corrup-
tion, alcoholism, prostitution, brutality, or crime in the streets. True Christians could easily recog-
nize these for what they were. What John dealt with here was the deception of counterfeit
doctrines.

John warned the people to continue in the truth "as you have heard from the beginning" --
the apostolic doctrine -- "for many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus
Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an ANTICHRIST...whosoever abideth not in the
doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father
and the Son" (2 John 7-9).

In this particular case John was pointing out that deceivers were saying that Yeshua pre-
existed and did not "begin (come) in the flesh," but this was not a denial of the existence of Yeshua
-- this certainly would not have deceived the Christians of the time. Instead, it was an erroneous
and counterfeit view regarding the very nature of Yeshua.

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