The spirit of the antichrist is not anti-God.

We often forget that the Pharisees and teachers of religious law who hated, persecuted, sought to kill and rejected Christ weren't people who could not wait for their synagogue service to end so that they could rush off to commit sins. They were not people who said things like "There is no God." They were highly religious people who feared and respected God's Law which they did their best to keep in order to be godly, but they were against Christ; they were anti-Christ. 

Believer, the spirit of the antichrist is not anti-God. In fact, it can be very religious, preaching strongly against sin from behind the pulpit and shouting the need for churchgoers to bear the fruit of godliness from the rooftops. It focuses on the importance of striving for godliness/salvation from sin by human effort at keeping the Law and gives the impression that this is possible with man, contradicting God's word as we see in the story of the rich young ruler who thought he was doing a good job of keeping the Law (Mark 10.) See what Christ said after the rich man saw his folly:

23 "And Jesus, looking around, said to His disciples, “How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 The disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 They were even more astonished and said to Him, “Then who can be saved?” 27 Looking at them, Jesus said, “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”"

"Rich" here is not limited to the situation of the rich young ruler. It can be in the form of any capital or "good opinion from God" that a person who professes Christ but is still trying to be righteous through the law (neither cold nor hot) thinks he has generated in heaven from his obedience to the law and "doing good things" aka self-righteousnesses, just like the church in Laodicea who thought they were rich in works of the law and righteousnesses that proceed from their obedience to the law. See Christ’s counsel to the church (Revelation 3):

“16 So because you are lukewarm (spiritually useless), and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth [rejecting you with disgust]. 17 Because you say, “I am rich, and have prospered and grown wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked [without hope and in great need], 18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold that has been heated red hot and refined by fire so that you may become truly rich; and white clothes [representing righteousness] to clothe yourself so that the shame of your nakedness will not be seen; and healing salve to put on your eyes so that you may see.”

And this is how you identify the antichrist spirit: It preaches along the lines of: 

"Yes we are saved by GRACE through FAITH but you still have to keep the LAW, not for justification before God, but as a guiding principle for morality/in order for God to bless you/in order not to fall from grace/maintain godliness/so that God can help you/maintain your righteousness/make the Rapture/etc."

Law and Grace don't mix.  Believer, this horrid mixture that is neither Law nor Grace is the "neither cold nor hot" that Christ speaks of in Revelation 3 above.

Remember what Christ told His disciples after the episode with the rich, young ruler in Mark 10 above:

26 "They were even more astonished and said to Him, “Then who can be saved?” 27 Looking at them, Jesus said, “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”"

One is either saved totally by Grace or not saved at all. Mixing law-keeping (man's effort at getting right with God) with Grace (God making us right with Himself through Christ) is the sure way to get cut off from Christ and fall from Grace: Galatians 5:4.

"For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God's grace."

Carriers of this antichrist spirit tell us to do our best to be godly/get right with God by keeping the Law! They will NEVER point you to Christ as the One who can save you from those sins that you struggle with, as it is written of Him Matthew 1:21-

 "She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 

Also Titus 2:14-"He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us His very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds."

Good works are EVIDENCES of our salvation in Christ, not CONDITIONS. But many churchgoers are being deceived by this antichrist spirit into believing that they can keep the Law and do good works in order to be right with God and or earn His freely-given blessings. This is an effort in futility - trusting in human effort to make one godly (be like God) like Adam and Eve did. See what God's word says of man, a truth that Paul experienced, in Romans 7:18- 

"For I know that nothing good lives within the flesh of my fallen humanity. The longings to do what is right are within me, but will-power is not enough to accomplish it."

God's word says human effort aka the arm of flesh will fail, is powerless and cannot. But the spirit of the antichrist, right from behind many pulpits, appeals to Pride in the arm of flesh (human effort at obedience) that will fail, causing many churchgoers to say:

"No, I can. God must be wrong. I still have some good in me. I can keep the law and resist temptation to commit sin by my will-power and sheer determination.” 

Reminds one of Peter telling Jesus that He was wrong when Jesus told him of his upcoming denials:) Like pre-denial Peter, what we have of our own human effort are good intentions, the undertaking of which are subject to life's circumstances. Time and chance do not conduct SWOT analysis before throwing weights at anybody. The reason for our not committing particular sins is because God did not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear (1 Corinthians 10:12-13.) Of ourselves, there is no good in anybody.  If Satan asks for permission to "sift like wheat" as he did with Peter, anyone who boasts in his own strength (arm of flesh) will fail. One popular song says "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." 

Remember, Christ said to the rich, young ruler who thought he was doing a good job of keeping the Law: "There is none good but God." 

Christ also says in Luke 6: 43 “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of."

Of our human nature and striving, there is no good in any one of us. So how can man produce good fruit from a place of no good? In God's sight, every form of righteousness that proceeds from human striving at earning salvation is like a menstrual rag: Isaiah 64:6-

"We are all like one who is unclean, all our so-called righteous acts are like a menstrual rag in Your sight."

You know it is human striving and of the antichrist if a person can boast about how what he did (human striving) is why he got something from God who gives us all things FREELY with Christ (Romans 8:32) e.g. 

"God gave me a jet because I sowed my car."

"I got delivered from generational curse because I fasted for 70 days." 

Believer in Christ, this "trade by barter" arrangement does not represent our heavenly Father who gives us all things FREELY with Christ: Romans 8:32-

"He who did not spare His own Son but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"

By the way, there is nothing like generational or other curse in the life of a believer in Christ (Galatians 3:13.)

In Christ, having Him as our Righteousness and Strength, God freely fills us to overflowing with His goodness and mercy so much that with what is spilling over, we can't help but be a blessing to those around us. We get to love and live a life of moral excellence that exceeds that which the law demands. We get to give beyond the lawful regulation of the tithe, yet not us but Christ in us, so we cannot boast in the flesh (human effort.) This is why we sing: "Tis no longer I that liveth but Christ that liveth in me."

But Satan, through his antichrist ministers in many churches, appeals to the non-existent ability to produce good or be godly (be like God) in man. The man that falls for his deceit is able to boast about how his efforts at keeping the Law and doing good things is what got God to bless him. Notice no Christ freely saving/delivering/healing/providing in this false equation of salvation? This is the preaching of the antichrist spirit: it is seemingly holy, godly and thoroughly against sin but very subtly, it tries to reduce, remove or replace the finished work of Christ in freely saving/healing/providing for/making righteous the sinner who believes with human striving. 

Believer, see the "forbidden fruit" as a picture of the Law that many are trying so hard to keep in order to be godly in Romans 7:8-12 (MSG.) Satan tries to get man striving to achieve godliness (be like God) by human effort aka law-keeping. Same strategy was used to deceive Adam and Eve. Satan knows this is how to get one cut off from Jesus Christ the Tree of Life:

"For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God's grace." Galatians 5:4.

Smack where Satan wants the church to be. Believer, by Grace, let's not be found here. Law-keeping in order to get right with God is the broad road that leads to destruction and many Christians are suffering on this road due wrong beliefs about God. 

Believer, God is not a "trade by barter" taskmaster who is just waiting in the wings to catch you in your sins so that He can punish you or let the devil have a go at you. He is "Abba, Father" who gave His own Son to die for us that we might live the abundant life in Him.

Christ saves from sins. But the spirit of the antichrist points out sins and ungodliness from the pulpit and tells you to go and make yourself godly and save yourself from your sins or else, God will not save you. Lets take our blessed brains to church. How can our Saviour who came to save us from our sins use those very sins that He gave His life to free us from as an excuse for not saving us? This is akin to an oncologist dad refusing to treat his own beloved child who has cancer... because the child has cancer. The chemotherapy,  iodine, injections, surgery, treatment and healing process (God's correction) might be painful but they are "for our profit" and that we might live (Hebrews 12)

This is how you identify this antichrist spirit: straight from the pulpit, it preaches dependence on human effort or keeping rules and regulations in order to be righteous/godly aka "be like God." This teaching is after the example of Satan who deceived Eve into believing that she could be godly (be like God) by human effort at doing something when God already created she and Adam to be like Himself (Genesis 1:27.) 

Believer, Christ has made all who believe in Him to be godly and not because we kept the Law or did anything to deserve it. Isaiah prophesied of Christ's suffering for us in Isaiah 53. See the result of His decease which He accomplished at Jerusalem in Isaiah 53:11- 

"After He has suffered, He will see the light of life. And He will be satisfied. My godly servant will make many people godly because of what He will accomplish. He will be punished for their sins." 

But the antichrist spirit's way for man to attain godliness (be like God) is not through the suffering of Christ but through human striving at keeping the Ten Commandments, wearing baggy clothes, shunning IVF and other medical treatments to "prove your faith" and doing good deeds. Same strategy was used on Eve.

Also those ridiculous antics on social media - "pastor" telling church members to eat grass, spraying members with insectide and publicizing their personal wealth in a vulgar manner. These are all gimmicks to make the world think that Christians are a bunch of gullible idiots who worship their pastor. But the Lord is still saving His people.

The spirit of the antichrist rejects or gives little recognition to the finished work of Christ in making the sinner who believes godly (be like God.) The focus of this antichrist spirit is on what YOU must do to be right with God by your own power and not what CHRIST has done. God's word tells us how He sees all who are in Christ -Romans 5:9 says of Him: 

"And there is still much more to say of His unfailing love for us! For through the blood of Jesus we have heard the powerful declaration, “You are now righteous in My sight.” And because of the sacrifice of Jesus, you will never experience the wrath of God." 

But the spirit of the antichrist says the blood of Jesus is not enough to make you righteous. It says you have to use your arm of flesh (human effort) that will fail to stop sinning and keep cosmetic rules like "don't wear wig and makeup" or else you will face God's wrath that God's word says believers in Christ will never experience! This is the preaching of the antichrist spirit: it is seemingly holy, godly, speaks from behind many pulpits and speaks a lot against sins but very subtly, it tries to reduce, remove or replace the finished work of Christ in freely saving/healing/providing for and making the sinner who believes righteous in the sight of God with human striving at keeping rules and regulations. 

Believer, Jesus did not come to tell sinners to try to be good or to "try and change" using their will-power. His word tells us this is an effort in futility - the arm of flesh will fail. Christ came to raise the dead (in sin) to life (in HIS righteousness - we have none of ours) and that we might have life more abundantly and reign over sin and death. 

SALVATION in Christ is not behaviour modification by human effort aka suppressing sinful urges and keeping the Law (that condemns all who try) by will-power. The arm of flesh (human effort at keeping the Law) will fail and when it does, those suppressed sinful passions will explode in a volcanic eruption of sins that lead to death (Romans 7:5.) 

SALVATION in Christ is all about hearts transformation by the Holy Spirit. In Christ, God sees us as 100% righteous, despite our many flaws and imperfections. Romans 5:9 says of Him and how He sees all who believe in Jesus: 

"And there is still much more to say of His unfailing love for us! For through the blood of Jesus we have heard the powerful declaration, “You are now righteous in My sight.” And because of the sacrifice of Jesus, you will never experience the wrath of God." 

Believer, this is how our heavenly Father in Christ sees us. His word concerning us here isn't something that we believe just for the sake of it. Our believing His word is life. By seeing ourselves as He sees us in Christ (righteous through the blood of Jesus), we are being transformed. As we continue to see ourselves through the mirror of God's Word (Christ Himself: Grace-personified) and not through the Law (which condemns, kills and which Romans 3:20 says was given to show us how sinful we are,) we are being transformed by His Spirit: 2 Corinthians 3:18- 

"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." 

Only imperfect people need transformation. The one who can transform himself to "be like God" by will-power and human striving (arm of flesh) at obeying the Law and not wearing skinny pants and mini-skirt does not need the Spirit of the Lord to transform him. The Holy Spirit transforms all who believe in Jesus from inside out; what is on the outside cannot but align with the work of the Holy Spirit within. 

With Christ as our righteousness, we are 100% righteous in God's sight and "so lovely" in the sight of Jesus Christ our Shepherd-King (Song of Songs 1:5) through whom we have God's super-abounding Grace and His gift of righteousness that causes us to live in triumph over sin and death through Jesus Christ: Romans 5:16-17:

 16 “And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one Man, Jesus Christ.”

Right believing always produces right living.