Moulton and Milligan cite examples to show that the Greek prefix, anti-, added to some person’s name or title, can mean either (i) the claim to be that person, or (ii) opposition to, equivalence to, or substitution for that person. Jesus taught that false Christs would appear in the last days (Matt 24:24; Mark 13:22). In practice there is little difference between a false Christ and an antichrist, for both are opposed to the true Christ. It is very likely, then, that when the author says his readers have heard that antichrist is coming he is referring to the message they heard from the beginning (when they were first instructed in the faith), which included teaching about the coming of the antichrist(s).