How do we know that "the antichrist" will actually appear to be antichrist?
1 John 2:22- Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
Is this saying that a person may profess Jesus as the Christ in words but deny Him in their heart?
1 John 2:18-19- Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know it is the last time. They went out from us, but they were not all of us; for if they had been of us, thay no doubt would have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.
The previous verses seem to speak of the man in 2 Thesselonians:
2 Thesselonians 2:3-4, 8-11- Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition (the loss of the soul); who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God (his body?), showing himself that he is God.... And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send tham strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
Does this mean he will call himself Jesus Christ and people will believe that he is in fact the Son of God Jesus or will some Jews believe that he is the actual Messiah that they have been looking for and other people will believe this too?