The Antichrist
April 3, 2025
David Cloud, Way of Life Literature, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061
866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org
866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org
The following is excerpted from Understanding Bible Prophecy, one of the courses of the Way of Life Bible College, www.wayoflife.org -
Reading Assignment: Daniel 7:7-26; 8:9-25; 9:27; 11:36-45; Matthew 24:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12; Revelation 13:1-18
During the seven years preceding Christ’s return, a world ruler will arise who is called “the Antichrist” in Scripture.
Antichrists and Antichrist
“Antichrist” is a New Testament word that is used in two senses in 1 John 2:18. John said there were antichrists, plural, even in his day, and he also spoke of a future Antichrist, singular.
Note that John says “it is the last time.” The last time began in the days of the apostles and lasts until the establishment of the new heavens and new earth.
1. The “antichrists,” plural, refers to the spirit of antichrist that is at work in this present age whereby Satan’s emissaries resist the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ and attack the person and doctrine of Christ (1 Jo. 2:18-23; 4:1-3; 2 Jo. 1:7).
Satan’s objective is to overthrow the truth and put his man on the throne of the world. This evil work is as old as Babel, but it began in a special sense in the days of the apostles and is carried on by false teachers energized by demonic powers (2 Co. 11:13-15; 2 Ti. 3:13; 1 Ti. 4:1-3; 1 Jo. 4:1).
The spirit of antichrist that is operating in the world is called “the mystery of iniquity” in 2 Thessalonians 2:7. It is being restrained by the Holy Spirit. He came at Pentecost to empower the churches for world evangelism (Acts 1:8) to take out a people for God’s name from among the Gentiles (Acts 15:14). During this time the Holy Spirit is restraining the devil’s program. After this work is finished, the Holy Spirit will take the New Testament saints away at the Rapture and gather them together to Christ.
At that time the Antichrist will be revealed (2 Th. 2:7-8). The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Godhead and He is therefore omnipresent. He was in the world before Pentecost and He will be in the world after the Rapture. When the Bible says the Holy Spirit came from heaven at Pentecost, it simply means that He came for the special work of this church age.
God is in control. As long as it is God’s will to continue saving Gentiles and building the churches, the devil cannot bring his plan to fruition. Daniel says the timing of the Antichrist’s work is “appointed” and “determined” (Da. 11:29, 35, 36). The Antichrist cannot come to power until God allows it.
2. The future Antichrist, singular, is a man who will arise in the world to make one final attempt to destroy Christ’s work and people before the Lord’s return (Re. 13).
Bible Names for the Antichrist
The Bible uses many names to describe the Antichrist.
In Daniel
The little horn (Da. 7:8; 8:9). In Daniel 7, the little horn comes out of end-time Rome, which is described as “ten horns” (Da. 7:7). Rome is the fourth beast, and the ten horns represent end-time Rome. The ten horns signify the same thing as the ten toes of Daniel 2:41-42. There will be ten kingdoms or national powers associated with end-time Rome. The Antichrist is a little horn that comes out of this alliance. Apparently he will be little or insignificant at first, but he will overthrow three of the powers and take complete authority. In Daniel 8, the little horn comes out of Greece. The Greek kingdom of Alexander is described as a goat “that touches not the ground” (Da. 8:5), signifying his conquering speed. The goat’s great horn is broken and four come up in its place (Da. 8:8), signifying the division of Alexander’s kingdom into four parts after his death. Out of one of these four comes “a little horn” (Da. 8:9). This was Antiochus Epiphanes who ruled the Greek Syrian empire and persecuted Israel. But it also points forward to the Antichrist of the last days.
The prince that shall come (Da. 9:26-27). He is the prince of the people who destroyed Jerusalem in AD 70. This prince will arise from the old Roman Empire and make a seven-year covenant with Israel.
The abomination of desolation (Da. 11:31; 12:11). This refers to the setting up of the idolatrous image of the Antichrist in the Jewish temple which will usher in the last half of the Tribulation with its worldwide desolations (2 Th. 2:4). In Daniel, the abomination of desolation is first of all Antiochus Epiphanes, who in 167 or 168 BC defiled the Jewish temple with a statue of Zeus and the sacrifice of a pig, but Christ taught us that the abomination of desolation also looks ahead to the Antichrist and the Great Tribulation just preceding Christ’s return (Mt. 24:15-30).
In 2 Thessalonians 2
The man of sin (2 Th. 2:3). He is called the man of sin because he is the culmination of 6,000 years of man’s sin and rebellion against God. He is the opposite of Christ, who is the man of righteousness.
The son of perdition (2 Th. 2:3). He is called the son of perdition because he will spend eternity in the lake of fire (Re. 19:20; 20:10). He is the son of perdition because he is the man of sin. The wages of sin is death (Ro. 6:23).
That wicked (2 Th. 2:8). He is called wicked for the same reason that he is called the man of sin.
In 1 John
Antichrist (1 Jo. 2:18). He is the Antichrist because he opposes the true Christ and sets himself up as God in the Jewish temple.
In Revelation
The beast (Re. 13:1; 19:20). He is a man, but in character he is a fierce and destroying beast.
The Mysterious Nature of the Antichrist
On one hand, the Antichrist appears to be a man. He is called “that man” (2 Th. 2:3). He arises from “the people ... that ... shall destroy the city and the sanctuary,” referring to the Roman legions that destroyed Jerusalem and the second temple in AD 70 (Da. 9:26).
On the other hand, the Antichrist is described as the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit (Re. 11:7; 17:8). The “bottomless pit” is the Greek abussos, which is where some fallen angels are held captive. The demons who were cast out of the demoniac of the Gaderenes begged Jesus not to send them into “the deep” (abussos, Lu. 8:31). Satan will be incarcerated in the bottomless pit during the Millennium (Re. 20:1-3). The Antichrist is called “the beast” 28 times in Scripture (Da. 7:6, 11; 11:7; 13:1, 2, 3, 4, 14, 15, 17, 18; 14:9, 11; 15:2; 16:2, 10, 13; 17:7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17; 19:19, 20; 20:4, 10).
Is the Antichrist a man? Is he a demon? John Walvoord surmised that the beast out of the pit is Satan, who, together with the world dictator of Revelation 13:1 and the false prophet of Revelation 13:11, forms “the satanic counterfeit of the divine Trinity.” We cannot accept this, because the beast and Satan are cast into the lake of fire at separate times and as different personages. Compare Revelation 19:20 with 20:10. W.C. Stevens surmised that the Antichrist is “a resurrected man” who comes out of the pit described in Ezekiel 32:17-32. The bottom line is that we won’t know for sure until we have more light. For now, we know everything God wants us to know and everything we need to know.
The Nationality of the Antichrist
1. The Antichrist will arise out of and rule over an end-time reconstructed Roman Empire. The connection between the Antichrist and the Roman Empire is made three times in the prophecies of Daniel.
In Daniel 9, the Antichrist is the prince of the people who destroyed Jerusalem and the Jewish temple after Christ’s death (Da. 9:26-27). This, of course, was Rome. The Roman armies, which destroyed Jerusalem in AD 70, were led by Titus, who became the emperor. The objects from the destroyed temple, together with captive Jews, were taken to Rome and paraded through the streets as a show of force. The Titus Arch was built to commemorate the destruction of the Jewish temple.
In Daniel 2, the Roman Empire is the fourth empire in the vision, and we are told that this empire will continue to exist during the days of the Antichrist and will be destroyed by God’s kingdom. See Daniel 2:40-44. The legs of iron signify the former Roman Empire and its division into eastern and western portions, whereas the feet of iron mixed with clay and the ten toes signify the end-time Roman Empire that will be ruled by the Antichrist and destroyed at Christ’s return.
In Daniel 7, the Antichrist is depicted as arising out of a revived Roman Empire (Da. 7:19-20). The fourth beast corresponds to the fourth kingdom of Daniel 2, and the Antichrist will arise in conjunction with 10 kings or rulers of an end-time Roman Empire. The 10 horns of Daniel 7 correspond to the 10 toes of Daniel 2, signifying 10 kings or rulers in the end times.
2. The Antichrist is also called “the Assyrian” (Mic. 5:4-5).
This refers to Christ’s defeat of the Antichrist. When Assyria came into the land in the 8th century BC and destroyed the northern kingdom, Israel didn’t raise principal men against it and didn’t lay waste the land of Assyria and the land of Nimrod (Mesopotamia). This prophecy looks yet to the future.
Micah uses “the land of Assyria” and the “land of Nimrod” (referring to Babylon) as synonyms (Mic. 5:6). From God’s perspective, the Assyrians and Babylonians were one. They lived in the same region and had the same character. The Babylonians conquered and absorbed the Assyrians. In 2 Chronicles 33:11, the king of Babylon is called the king of Assyria. The foundation of Assyria and Babylon goes back to Nimrod and Asshur. Nimrod founded Babel, and his associate, Asshur, founded Nineveh (Ge. 10:8-12). These kingdoms were one in spirit and objective and character, being the beginning of the devil’s world system and the forerunners of the Antichrist’s end-time Babylon.
The Assyrian Empire was followed by the Babylonian, the Medo-Persian, the Greek, and the Roman. In God’s eyes, these ancient kingdoms had the same idolatrous spirit and moral character and formed the one great image of pagan rebellion described in Daniel 2. So in God’s eyes, all of the ancient pagan kingdoms that arose in Mesopotamia as described by Daniel are “Assyrians,” and since this is true for Medo-Persia, it would be true for Greece and Rome, too, since they are part of the same image and prophetic vision.
Consider Isaiah 14:25-27. God calls the Antichrist “the Assyrian” in verse 25. The next two verses make it clear that this is speaking of the Antichrist, because it deals with the time when God will punish all nations.
Consider Ezra 6:22. The “king of Assyria” referred to by Ezra was Darius of Medo-Persia, yet God refers to him as Assyrian.
3. The Antichrist as a Muslim
There is a very small movement today that sees the Antichrist as a Muslim who will arise from the Muslim nations. The main representative of this movement is Joel Richardson. For a study on this issue see The Antichrist As a Muslim?, a free eBook available at www.wayoflife.org.
The Reign of Antichrist
1. The time and length of his rule.
Three passages give information about the length of the Antichrist’s reign.
Daniel 9:27 gives the length as one week of years or seven years. At the beginning of this time, he makes a covenant with Israel. In the midst of the seven years, he breaks the covenant and persecutes Israel.
Daniel 7:25 describes the last half of the Antichrist’s reign, when he will persecute Israel, as “a time and times and the dividing of time.” That is three and a half years.
Revelation 13:5-8 also describes the last half of the Antichrist’s reign and gives its length as 42 months or three and a half years.
2. The extent of his rule.
For a short time, the Antichrist will rule the whole world (Re. 13:7-8). He will control a global economy (Re. 13:16-17).
But his dominion will soon be challenged from many directions (Da. 11:40-45).
3. The source of his power
The source of the Antichrist’s power is Satan, the god of this world (Re. 13:4; 2 Th. 2:9).
4. His rise to power
The Antichrist will come to power through spiritual delusion (2 Th. 2:9-11).
The Antichrist’s appearance will be accompanied both by satanic deception and by strong delusion sent by God as a judgment upon those who reject the truth. Those who think they can wait until these events begin to happen and get saved at that time are foolish. No one is guaranteed even another hour of life. And those who have heard and rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ will be blinded. Note that God does not blind arbitrarily; He blinds those who reject the truth. God wants all men to be saved (1 Ti. 2:3-6) and gives light to every man (Joh. 1:9).
We believe that 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 indicates that those who have heard the gospel in this present age will not have a second chance when the Antichrist rules. They will be smitten with delusion because they “received not the love of the truth that they might be saved.”
At the same time, we are told that multitudes will be saved during the Tribulation (Re. 7:9-14).
There are a great many people today who have not heard the gospel, and perhaps it is from among these that the multitudes will be saved under the preaching of the Jewish evangelists.
The Antichrist will make a false peace pact with Israel (Da. 9:27). Five times in Daniel the Antichrist is called a liar and a flatterer (Da. 11:21, 23, 27, 32, 34). Daniel says that by peace he will destroy many (Da. 8:25). The world is crying out for peace today, and the nations will believe the Antichrist’s lies. Revelation depicts the Antichrist coming on the scene riding a white horse, signifying peace, and carrying an empty bow (Re. 6:1-2). The empty bow signifies that the Antichrist will have the capability to make war but initially he will come with a peace program.
The Antichrist will overthrow other kings (Da. 7:7-8, 24). His false peace face will not last long. He will soon show his true violent, tyrannical nature.
The Antichrist will speak great things (Da. 7:8). The Antichrist will be incredibly eloquent. He will be a spell-binding speaker. Like Hitler, he will be able to hold the multitudes in rapt attention and sway their thinking and emotions. Like Germany of the 1930s, the nations will be swept up in idolatrous fervor, saying, “Who is like unto the beast?” (Re. 13:4). As the incarnation of that great God-hater Satan, the Antichrist will be more blasphemous than any that have come before him, speaking great things against Almighty God (Da. 7:25; Re. 13:5-6). He will wear blasphemy upon his very person (Re. 13:1).
The Antichrist will make great wars and cause great destruction (Da. 7:19). Revelation depicts the Antichrist’s kingdom as a composite of the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, and Greek empires. Compare the following two prophecies: Revelation 13:2 and Daniel 7:3-6.
The lion signifies Babylon; the bear signifies the Medo-Persian kingdom that overcame Babylon; the leopard signifies the Greek kingdom of Alexander the Great that quickly conquered Medo-Persia. All of these were brutal kingdoms that destroyed other nations and treated people with great cruelty. The Antichrist will have the same spirit as these ancient kingdoms but he will have even more power and his reign will extend even farther and he will be even more despotic and cruel.
The Antichrist will survive a deadly wound or will be resurrected from the dead (Re. 13:3). At some point the Antichrist will suffer a deadly wound and will either actually die or appear to die. This will amaze the world and surround him with great mystique. Multitudes of Hindus today say that no one has come from the dead to tell us what is beyond the grave (ignoring the fact that Jesus did exactly this), and they will be greatly amazed and impressed when they witness the Antichrist’s resurrection or seeming resurrection
The Antichrist’s prophet will perform great miracles (Re. 13:11-17).
A false prophet will be associated with the Antichrist. He is called “another beast” in Revelation 13:11-17 and a “false prophet” in Revelation 20:10. This false prophet could be the pope. He is described as having horns like a lamb but speaking as a dragon, which means he will appear to be a man of peace and religion, but he will speak blasphemies against God. He will promote the worship of the Antichrist through miracles, such as making fire to come down from heaven and giving life to the image of the Antichrist in Jerusalem so that it will speak.
The Jews demanded a sign from Jesus (Mt. 12:39), and though He performed mighty miracles by the power of God, they rejected Him. The Antichrist and his false prophet will perform lying wonders by the power of Satan and many Jews will receive him.
Every mention of miracles at the end of the church age pertains to satanic miracles. See Matthew 24:24; 2 Thessalonians 2:9; Revelation 13:13-14. Just because someone can perform miracles does not mean that he is of God. The devil can do miracles. The Egyptian sorcerers could even turn their rods into snakes (Ex. 7:10-13).
As a co-ruler with the Antichrist, the second beast will force the world to worship the Antichrist’s image and those who refuse will be put to death (Re. 13:15-17). All men will be required to wear the Antichrist’s mark in order to buy or sell. We don’t know the exact nature of the mark, but it will be worn either on the forehead or the hand. In light of the technology of these times, it could be a computerized mark. Current technology can print letters and symbols embedded with radio activated communication devices.
The Character of the Antichrist
1. He will be a blasphemer, a hater of God (Da. 7:25; Re. 13:5-6).
2. He will have an impressive appearance (“whose look was more stout than his fellows” Da. 7:20; “king of fierce countenance” Da. 8:23). He will be a fierce, powerful-looking, awe-inspiring person. He will be a dynamic leader.
3. He will be a murderer and a destroyer, a hard man with no natural sympathy or tenderness (Da. 8:24; Re. 13:15-16).
The Antichrist will display the murderous character of his father, the devil. He will be Nimrod and Nero and Genghis Khan and Attila the Hun and Ivan the Terrible and Maximilien Robespierre and Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin and Mao Tse Tung and Pol Pot and Idi Amin and Kim Jong-il rolled into one.
The armies of the Antichrist will dash children to pieces before the eyes of their parents and have no pity on infants (Isa. 13:15-18).
4. He will have great intelligence (Da. 8:23).
5. He will be exceedingly proud and will exalt himself (Da. 8:25, 37; 11:36-37).
6. He will worship military might (“the god of forces” Da. 11:38).
The Antichrist and the Third Temple
Bible prophecy associates the Antichrist with the building of the Third Temple (2 Th. 2:3-4).
We will look at this temple in the next section on Revelation 11 and the Two Witnesses.
What Messiah are the Jews looking for?
Many Jews today are looking for a Messiah, but the Messiah they are looking for is actually the Antichrist.
1. They are looking for a Messiah that will rebuild the temple.
In rabbinical Jewish tradition, the rebuilding of the temple is associated with the coming of the Messiah. According to Maimonides (AD 1135-1204) (also called Rambam), the highest rabbinical authority, any Jew that starts rebuilding the temple is a potential Messiah. Shimon ben Kosiba was considered a Messiah in the second century AD when he led a revolt to recapture Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. He was named Bar Kokhba (“Son of the Star”) based on the Messianic prophecy of Numbers 24:17, and a coin was struck depicting the temple with the ark of the covenant inside and the Messianic star on the roof.
A representative of the Temple Institute told us in 2010 that they are looking for a temple builder: “We are waiting for a Messiah. In Jewish tradition, we believe that in every generation there is someone who can be the Messiah. The question is who will he be. The answer is only someone who does specific things can be called the Messiah. The one who brings Israel back to Israel. The one who builds the temple again.”
By this tradition, it is simple to see how the Antichrist will be looked upon as the Messiah. He will come on the scene as a peacemaker, and by his satanic power he will make a way for the Jewish temple to be rebuilt in spite of Muslim animosity.
2. The Jews are looking for a Messiah that will solve their problems and bring peace when things look dark.
In a video interview in Jerusalem in 2010 a Reformed Jewish rabbi told us that the Messiah will come when things look really dark and will establish peace. He said:
“Jerusalem is to be whole, and when the Messiah comes the temple will be returned to us. But that can’t happen until there is eternal peace. Ultimately we have to go deeper into destruction before we come out into the light and until God redeems not only the Jewish people but also the rest of the world. Peace has to come, but peace can only come when things get really dark.”
But the Jewish prophets said there is no peace to the wicked (Isa. 57:21). There can be no peace for Israel until she is in right relationship with God, until she repents of her sin and is forgiven and converted. Until then, any so-called peace will turn out to be a false peace, which is exactly what the Antichrist will bring (1 Th. 5:3).
3. The Jews are NOT looking for a Messiah who will save them from sin.
The Jews have no sacrifices, and most are content with that, thinking that they don’t need a blood atonement. They celebrate the Passover and the Day of Atonement without a lamb and without the shedding of blood.
We asked the aforementioned Reformed rabbi in Jerusalem, “How do you purge your sins?” and he replied, “We ask God for forgiveness through prayer and through actions.” When queried about Leviticus 17:11--“it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul”--the rabbi said that to interpret that as meaning that man needs a literal blood sacrifice is a false interpretation.
A representative of the Temple Institute said the same thing:
“God knows that we don’t have the sacrifices. That is why He has given us a different way of atonement, and that’s by prayers. We have prayers that great rabbis wrote just after the destructions, and we say these prayers and that’s as if we are sacrificing.”
The Jews stumbled at the Suffering Messiah 2,000 years ago. They were looking for a Messiah to save them from Rome, not a Messiah who would die for their sins. They wanted a king, not a Saviour.
Why should they look for a suffering Messiah when they don’t think of themselves as sinners? When we asked the aforementioned rabbi if he is a sinner, he looked around in sort of a perplexed manner and even had to be asked the second time before saying, “We all make mistakes in the world.” But he only admitted to mistakes and “negative inclinations,” not to sin. He said that the Jew’s righteousness is in the law of Moses and in the Talmud, the rabbinical tradition.
This is the same self-righteous blindness that the apostle Paul wrote about 2,000 years ago in Romans 9:30-33.
Thus, the Jews are not looking for a Saviour from sin; they are looking for a Messiah that will bring peace, that will solve their problems, that will help them to rebuild the temple, that will not rebuke them as sinners but will help them follow their “positive inclinations.”
Though they don’t know it, they are actually looking for the Antichrist, and the Bible says they will accept him when he comes.
The End of the Antichrist
The Antichrist will be defeated at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and cast into the lake of fire to suffer eternal torment (2 Th. 2:8; Re. 19:19-21; 20:10).
Reading Assignment: Daniel 7:7-26; 8:9-25; 9:27; 11:36-45; Matthew 24:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12; Revelation 13:1-18
During the seven years preceding Christ’s return, a world ruler will arise who is called “the Antichrist” in Scripture.
Antichrists and Antichrist
“Antichrist” is a New Testament word that is used in two senses in 1 John 2:18. John said there were antichrists, plural, even in his day, and he also spoke of a future Antichrist, singular.
Note that John says “it is the last time.” The last time began in the days of the apostles and lasts until the establishment of the new heavens and new earth.
1. The “antichrists,” plural, refers to the spirit of antichrist that is at work in this present age whereby Satan’s emissaries resist the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ and attack the person and doctrine of Christ (1 Jo. 2:18-23; 4:1-3; 2 Jo. 1:7).
Satan’s objective is to overthrow the truth and put his man on the throne of the world. This evil work is as old as Babel, but it began in a special sense in the days of the apostles and is carried on by false teachers energized by demonic powers (2 Co. 11:13-15; 2 Ti. 3:13; 1 Ti. 4:1-3; 1 Jo. 4:1).
The spirit of antichrist that is operating in the world is called “the mystery of iniquity” in 2 Thessalonians 2:7. It is being restrained by the Holy Spirit. He came at Pentecost to empower the churches for world evangelism (Acts 1:8) to take out a people for God’s name from among the Gentiles (Acts 15:14). During this time the Holy Spirit is restraining the devil’s program. After this work is finished, the Holy Spirit will take the New Testament saints away at the Rapture and gather them together to Christ.
At that time the Antichrist will be revealed (2 Th. 2:7-8). The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Godhead and He is therefore omnipresent. He was in the world before Pentecost and He will be in the world after the Rapture. When the Bible says the Holy Spirit came from heaven at Pentecost, it simply means that He came for the special work of this church age.
God is in control. As long as it is God’s will to continue saving Gentiles and building the churches, the devil cannot bring his plan to fruition. Daniel says the timing of the Antichrist’s work is “appointed” and “determined” (Da. 11:29, 35, 36). The Antichrist cannot come to power until God allows it.
2. The future Antichrist, singular, is a man who will arise in the world to make one final attempt to destroy Christ’s work and people before the Lord’s return (Re. 13).
Bible Names for the Antichrist
The Bible uses many names to describe the Antichrist.
In Daniel
The little horn (Da. 7:8; 8:9). In Daniel 7, the little horn comes out of end-time Rome, which is described as “ten horns” (Da. 7:7). Rome is the fourth beast, and the ten horns represent end-time Rome. The ten horns signify the same thing as the ten toes of Daniel 2:41-42. There will be ten kingdoms or national powers associated with end-time Rome. The Antichrist is a little horn that comes out of this alliance. Apparently he will be little or insignificant at first, but he will overthrow three of the powers and take complete authority. In Daniel 8, the little horn comes out of Greece. The Greek kingdom of Alexander is described as a goat “that touches not the ground” (Da. 8:5), signifying his conquering speed. The goat’s great horn is broken and four come up in its place (Da. 8:8), signifying the division of Alexander’s kingdom into four parts after his death. Out of one of these four comes “a little horn” (Da. 8:9). This was Antiochus Epiphanes who ruled the Greek Syrian empire and persecuted Israel. But it also points forward to the Antichrist of the last days.
The prince that shall come (Da. 9:26-27). He is the prince of the people who destroyed Jerusalem in AD 70. This prince will arise from the old Roman Empire and make a seven-year covenant with Israel.
The abomination of desolation (Da. 11:31; 12:11). This refers to the setting up of the idolatrous image of the Antichrist in the Jewish temple which will usher in the last half of the Tribulation with its worldwide desolations (2 Th. 2:4). In Daniel, the abomination of desolation is first of all Antiochus Epiphanes, who in 167 or 168 BC defiled the Jewish temple with a statue of Zeus and the sacrifice of a pig, but Christ taught us that the abomination of desolation also looks ahead to the Antichrist and the Great Tribulation just preceding Christ’s return (Mt. 24:15-30).
In 2 Thessalonians 2
The man of sin (2 Th. 2:3). He is called the man of sin because he is the culmination of 6,000 years of man’s sin and rebellion against God. He is the opposite of Christ, who is the man of righteousness.
The son of perdition (2 Th. 2:3). He is called the son of perdition because he will spend eternity in the lake of fire (Re. 19:20; 20:10). He is the son of perdition because he is the man of sin. The wages of sin is death (Ro. 6:23).
That wicked (2 Th. 2:8). He is called wicked for the same reason that he is called the man of sin.
In 1 John
Antichrist (1 Jo. 2:18). He is the Antichrist because he opposes the true Christ and sets himself up as God in the Jewish temple.
In Revelation
The beast (Re. 13:1; 19:20). He is a man, but in character he is a fierce and destroying beast.
The Mysterious Nature of the Antichrist
On one hand, the Antichrist appears to be a man. He is called “that man” (2 Th. 2:3). He arises from “the people ... that ... shall destroy the city and the sanctuary,” referring to the Roman legions that destroyed Jerusalem and the second temple in AD 70 (Da. 9:26).
On the other hand, the Antichrist is described as the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit (Re. 11:7; 17:8). The “bottomless pit” is the Greek abussos, which is where some fallen angels are held captive. The demons who were cast out of the demoniac of the Gaderenes begged Jesus not to send them into “the deep” (abussos, Lu. 8:31). Satan will be incarcerated in the bottomless pit during the Millennium (Re. 20:1-3). The Antichrist is called “the beast” 28 times in Scripture (Da. 7:6, 11; 11:7; 13:1, 2, 3, 4, 14, 15, 17, 18; 14:9, 11; 15:2; 16:2, 10, 13; 17:7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17; 19:19, 20; 20:4, 10).
Is the Antichrist a man? Is he a demon? John Walvoord surmised that the beast out of the pit is Satan, who, together with the world dictator of Revelation 13:1 and the false prophet of Revelation 13:11, forms “the satanic counterfeit of the divine Trinity.” We cannot accept this, because the beast and Satan are cast into the lake of fire at separate times and as different personages. Compare Revelation 19:20 with 20:10. W.C. Stevens surmised that the Antichrist is “a resurrected man” who comes out of the pit described in Ezekiel 32:17-32. The bottom line is that we won’t know for sure until we have more light. For now, we know everything God wants us to know and everything we need to know.
The Nationality of the Antichrist
1. The Antichrist will arise out of and rule over an end-time reconstructed Roman Empire. The connection between the Antichrist and the Roman Empire is made three times in the prophecies of Daniel.
In Daniel 9, the Antichrist is the prince of the people who destroyed Jerusalem and the Jewish temple after Christ’s death (Da. 9:26-27). This, of course, was Rome. The Roman armies, which destroyed Jerusalem in AD 70, were led by Titus, who became the emperor. The objects from the destroyed temple, together with captive Jews, were taken to Rome and paraded through the streets as a show of force. The Titus Arch was built to commemorate the destruction of the Jewish temple.
In Daniel 2, the Roman Empire is the fourth empire in the vision, and we are told that this empire will continue to exist during the days of the Antichrist and will be destroyed by God’s kingdom. See Daniel 2:40-44. The legs of iron signify the former Roman Empire and its division into eastern and western portions, whereas the feet of iron mixed with clay and the ten toes signify the end-time Roman Empire that will be ruled by the Antichrist and destroyed at Christ’s return.
In Daniel 7, the Antichrist is depicted as arising out of a revived Roman Empire (Da. 7:19-20). The fourth beast corresponds to the fourth kingdom of Daniel 2, and the Antichrist will arise in conjunction with 10 kings or rulers of an end-time Roman Empire. The 10 horns of Daniel 7 correspond to the 10 toes of Daniel 2, signifying 10 kings or rulers in the end times.
2. The Antichrist is also called “the Assyrian” (Mic. 5:4-5).
This refers to Christ’s defeat of the Antichrist. When Assyria came into the land in the 8th century BC and destroyed the northern kingdom, Israel didn’t raise principal men against it and didn’t lay waste the land of Assyria and the land of Nimrod (Mesopotamia). This prophecy looks yet to the future.
Micah uses “the land of Assyria” and the “land of Nimrod” (referring to Babylon) as synonyms (Mic. 5:6). From God’s perspective, the Assyrians and Babylonians were one. They lived in the same region and had the same character. The Babylonians conquered and absorbed the Assyrians. In 2 Chronicles 33:11, the king of Babylon is called the king of Assyria. The foundation of Assyria and Babylon goes back to Nimrod and Asshur. Nimrod founded Babel, and his associate, Asshur, founded Nineveh (Ge. 10:8-12). These kingdoms were one in spirit and objective and character, being the beginning of the devil’s world system and the forerunners of the Antichrist’s end-time Babylon.
The Assyrian Empire was followed by the Babylonian, the Medo-Persian, the Greek, and the Roman. In God’s eyes, these ancient kingdoms had the same idolatrous spirit and moral character and formed the one great image of pagan rebellion described in Daniel 2. So in God’s eyes, all of the ancient pagan kingdoms that arose in Mesopotamia as described by Daniel are “Assyrians,” and since this is true for Medo-Persia, it would be true for Greece and Rome, too, since they are part of the same image and prophetic vision.
Consider Isaiah 14:25-27. God calls the Antichrist “the Assyrian” in verse 25. The next two verses make it clear that this is speaking of the Antichrist, because it deals with the time when God will punish all nations.
Consider Ezra 6:22. The “king of Assyria” referred to by Ezra was Darius of Medo-Persia, yet God refers to him as Assyrian.
3. The Antichrist as a Muslim
There is a very small movement today that sees the Antichrist as a Muslim who will arise from the Muslim nations. The main representative of this movement is Joel Richardson. For a study on this issue see The Antichrist As a Muslim?, a free eBook available at www.wayoflife.org.
The Reign of Antichrist
1. The time and length of his rule.
Three passages give information about the length of the Antichrist’s reign.
Daniel 9:27 gives the length as one week of years or seven years. At the beginning of this time, he makes a covenant with Israel. In the midst of the seven years, he breaks the covenant and persecutes Israel.
Daniel 7:25 describes the last half of the Antichrist’s reign, when he will persecute Israel, as “a time and times and the dividing of time.” That is three and a half years.
Revelation 13:5-8 also describes the last half of the Antichrist’s reign and gives its length as 42 months or three and a half years.
2. The extent of his rule.
For a short time, the Antichrist will rule the whole world (Re. 13:7-8). He will control a global economy (Re. 13:16-17).
But his dominion will soon be challenged from many directions (Da. 11:40-45).
3. The source of his power
The source of the Antichrist’s power is Satan, the god of this world (Re. 13:4; 2 Th. 2:9).
4. His rise to power
The Antichrist will come to power through spiritual delusion (2 Th. 2:9-11).
The Antichrist’s appearance will be accompanied both by satanic deception and by strong delusion sent by God as a judgment upon those who reject the truth. Those who think they can wait until these events begin to happen and get saved at that time are foolish. No one is guaranteed even another hour of life. And those who have heard and rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ will be blinded. Note that God does not blind arbitrarily; He blinds those who reject the truth. God wants all men to be saved (1 Ti. 2:3-6) and gives light to every man (Joh. 1:9).
We believe that 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 indicates that those who have heard the gospel in this present age will not have a second chance when the Antichrist rules. They will be smitten with delusion because they “received not the love of the truth that they might be saved.”
At the same time, we are told that multitudes will be saved during the Tribulation (Re. 7:9-14).
There are a great many people today who have not heard the gospel, and perhaps it is from among these that the multitudes will be saved under the preaching of the Jewish evangelists.
The Antichrist will make a false peace pact with Israel (Da. 9:27). Five times in Daniel the Antichrist is called a liar and a flatterer (Da. 11:21, 23, 27, 32, 34). Daniel says that by peace he will destroy many (Da. 8:25). The world is crying out for peace today, and the nations will believe the Antichrist’s lies. Revelation depicts the Antichrist coming on the scene riding a white horse, signifying peace, and carrying an empty bow (Re. 6:1-2). The empty bow signifies that the Antichrist will have the capability to make war but initially he will come with a peace program.
The Antichrist will overthrow other kings (Da. 7:7-8, 24). His false peace face will not last long. He will soon show his true violent, tyrannical nature.
The Antichrist will speak great things (Da. 7:8). The Antichrist will be incredibly eloquent. He will be a spell-binding speaker. Like Hitler, he will be able to hold the multitudes in rapt attention and sway their thinking and emotions. Like Germany of the 1930s, the nations will be swept up in idolatrous fervor, saying, “Who is like unto the beast?” (Re. 13:4). As the incarnation of that great God-hater Satan, the Antichrist will be more blasphemous than any that have come before him, speaking great things against Almighty God (Da. 7:25; Re. 13:5-6). He will wear blasphemy upon his very person (Re. 13:1).
The Antichrist will make great wars and cause great destruction (Da. 7:19). Revelation depicts the Antichrist’s kingdom as a composite of the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, and Greek empires. Compare the following two prophecies: Revelation 13:2 and Daniel 7:3-6.
The lion signifies Babylon; the bear signifies the Medo-Persian kingdom that overcame Babylon; the leopard signifies the Greek kingdom of Alexander the Great that quickly conquered Medo-Persia. All of these were brutal kingdoms that destroyed other nations and treated people with great cruelty. The Antichrist will have the same spirit as these ancient kingdoms but he will have even more power and his reign will extend even farther and he will be even more despotic and cruel.
The Antichrist will survive a deadly wound or will be resurrected from the dead (Re. 13:3). At some point the Antichrist will suffer a deadly wound and will either actually die or appear to die. This will amaze the world and surround him with great mystique. Multitudes of Hindus today say that no one has come from the dead to tell us what is beyond the grave (ignoring the fact that Jesus did exactly this), and they will be greatly amazed and impressed when they witness the Antichrist’s resurrection or seeming resurrection
The Antichrist’s prophet will perform great miracles (Re. 13:11-17).
A false prophet will be associated with the Antichrist. He is called “another beast” in Revelation 13:11-17 and a “false prophet” in Revelation 20:10. This false prophet could be the pope. He is described as having horns like a lamb but speaking as a dragon, which means he will appear to be a man of peace and religion, but he will speak blasphemies against God. He will promote the worship of the Antichrist through miracles, such as making fire to come down from heaven and giving life to the image of the Antichrist in Jerusalem so that it will speak.
The Jews demanded a sign from Jesus (Mt. 12:39), and though He performed mighty miracles by the power of God, they rejected Him. The Antichrist and his false prophet will perform lying wonders by the power of Satan and many Jews will receive him.
Every mention of miracles at the end of the church age pertains to satanic miracles. See Matthew 24:24; 2 Thessalonians 2:9; Revelation 13:13-14. Just because someone can perform miracles does not mean that he is of God. The devil can do miracles. The Egyptian sorcerers could even turn their rods into snakes (Ex. 7:10-13).
As a co-ruler with the Antichrist, the second beast will force the world to worship the Antichrist’s image and those who refuse will be put to death (Re. 13:15-17). All men will be required to wear the Antichrist’s mark in order to buy or sell. We don’t know the exact nature of the mark, but it will be worn either on the forehead or the hand. In light of the technology of these times, it could be a computerized mark. Current technology can print letters and symbols embedded with radio activated communication devices.
The Character of the Antichrist
1. He will be a blasphemer, a hater of God (Da. 7:25; Re. 13:5-6).
2. He will have an impressive appearance (“whose look was more stout than his fellows” Da. 7:20; “king of fierce countenance” Da. 8:23). He will be a fierce, powerful-looking, awe-inspiring person. He will be a dynamic leader.
3. He will be a murderer and a destroyer, a hard man with no natural sympathy or tenderness (Da. 8:24; Re. 13:15-16).
The Antichrist will display the murderous character of his father, the devil. He will be Nimrod and Nero and Genghis Khan and Attila the Hun and Ivan the Terrible and Maximilien Robespierre and Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin and Mao Tse Tung and Pol Pot and Idi Amin and Kim Jong-il rolled into one.
The armies of the Antichrist will dash children to pieces before the eyes of their parents and have no pity on infants (Isa. 13:15-18).
4. He will have great intelligence (Da. 8:23).
5. He will be exceedingly proud and will exalt himself (Da. 8:25, 37; 11:36-37).
6. He will worship military might (“the god of forces” Da. 11:38).
The Antichrist and the Third Temple
Bible prophecy associates the Antichrist with the building of the Third Temple (2 Th. 2:3-4).
We will look at this temple in the next section on Revelation 11 and the Two Witnesses.
What Messiah are the Jews looking for?
Many Jews today are looking for a Messiah, but the Messiah they are looking for is actually the Antichrist.
1. They are looking for a Messiah that will rebuild the temple.
In rabbinical Jewish tradition, the rebuilding of the temple is associated with the coming of the Messiah. According to Maimonides (AD 1135-1204) (also called Rambam), the highest rabbinical authority, any Jew that starts rebuilding the temple is a potential Messiah. Shimon ben Kosiba was considered a Messiah in the second century AD when he led a revolt to recapture Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. He was named Bar Kokhba (“Son of the Star”) based on the Messianic prophecy of Numbers 24:17, and a coin was struck depicting the temple with the ark of the covenant inside and the Messianic star on the roof.
A representative of the Temple Institute told us in 2010 that they are looking for a temple builder: “We are waiting for a Messiah. In Jewish tradition, we believe that in every generation there is someone who can be the Messiah. The question is who will he be. The answer is only someone who does specific things can be called the Messiah. The one who brings Israel back to Israel. The one who builds the temple again.”
By this tradition, it is simple to see how the Antichrist will be looked upon as the Messiah. He will come on the scene as a peacemaker, and by his satanic power he will make a way for the Jewish temple to be rebuilt in spite of Muslim animosity.
2. The Jews are looking for a Messiah that will solve their problems and bring peace when things look dark.
In a video interview in Jerusalem in 2010 a Reformed Jewish rabbi told us that the Messiah will come when things look really dark and will establish peace. He said:
“Jerusalem is to be whole, and when the Messiah comes the temple will be returned to us. But that can’t happen until there is eternal peace. Ultimately we have to go deeper into destruction before we come out into the light and until God redeems not only the Jewish people but also the rest of the world. Peace has to come, but peace can only come when things get really dark.”
But the Jewish prophets said there is no peace to the wicked (Isa. 57:21). There can be no peace for Israel until she is in right relationship with God, until she repents of her sin and is forgiven and converted. Until then, any so-called peace will turn out to be a false peace, which is exactly what the Antichrist will bring (1 Th. 5:3).
3. The Jews are NOT looking for a Messiah who will save them from sin.
The Jews have no sacrifices, and most are content with that, thinking that they don’t need a blood atonement. They celebrate the Passover and the Day of Atonement without a lamb and without the shedding of blood.
We asked the aforementioned Reformed rabbi in Jerusalem, “How do you purge your sins?” and he replied, “We ask God for forgiveness through prayer and through actions.” When queried about Leviticus 17:11--“it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul”--the rabbi said that to interpret that as meaning that man needs a literal blood sacrifice is a false interpretation.
A representative of the Temple Institute said the same thing:
“God knows that we don’t have the sacrifices. That is why He has given us a different way of atonement, and that’s by prayers. We have prayers that great rabbis wrote just after the destructions, and we say these prayers and that’s as if we are sacrificing.”
The Jews stumbled at the Suffering Messiah 2,000 years ago. They were looking for a Messiah to save them from Rome, not a Messiah who would die for their sins. They wanted a king, not a Saviour.
Why should they look for a suffering Messiah when they don’t think of themselves as sinners? When we asked the aforementioned rabbi if he is a sinner, he looked around in sort of a perplexed manner and even had to be asked the second time before saying, “We all make mistakes in the world.” But he only admitted to mistakes and “negative inclinations,” not to sin. He said that the Jew’s righteousness is in the law of Moses and in the Talmud, the rabbinical tradition.
This is the same self-righteous blindness that the apostle Paul wrote about 2,000 years ago in Romans 9:30-33.
Thus, the Jews are not looking for a Saviour from sin; they are looking for a Messiah that will bring peace, that will solve their problems, that will help them to rebuild the temple, that will not rebuke them as sinners but will help them follow their “positive inclinations.”
Though they don’t know it, they are actually looking for the Antichrist, and the Bible says they will accept him when he comes.
The End of the Antichrist
The Antichrist will be defeated at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and cast into the lake of fire to suffer eternal torment (2 Th. 2:8; Re. 19:19-21; 20:10).
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