The Antichrist will be a devil inspired leader who will rule the world during the last seven years before the second coming of Christ.
The Antichrist is a key figure in the kingdom of darkness which is engaged in a full-scale war against the kingdom of light. The arena in which this war is waged is in the lives of people who have been created in the image of God. The weapons used range from the direct use of occult powers to influence people spiritually, to the indirect deceiving of millions who practise false religions under the power of deception. Every effort is made to corrupt or destroy true Christianity.
Satan’s final objective in this struggle is to gain control over all people and to establish the Antichrist as king and universal messiah on earth. From God’s point of view this great conflict will lead to the final defeat of Satan and his followers, and the establishment of Christ’s kingdom of righteousness on earth. The power of darkness will be broken and all its supporters condemned to an eternal hell.
This war has continued unabated through the ages. It started when Lucifer and the fallen angels were cast out of heaven. When God created humans, Lucifer saw it as an opportunity to destroy God’s handiwork. He deceived Adam and Eve into disobeying God and rebelling against Him. Once that had taken place, Adam and Eve died spiritually and, ultimately, brought physical death upon themselves and their descendants. Humanity became a fallen race of spiritually dead men and women with a natural propensity to sin.
The opportunities that humanity’s depraved nature offered to the kingdom of darkness, resulted in large-scale cultural and spiritual degeneration. During the thousands of years before the coming of Christ, all the heathen nations on earth were spiritually blinded by Satan and deceived into worshipping idols. For extended periods, apostasy also prevailed in Israel among the chosen people of God. At times it seemed as if the entire nation of Israel would be spiritually conquered and that they would be destroyed in the fierce battle that raged against them. At one point, even the prophet Elijah despaired and almost abandoned the fight against the enemies of God:
“Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life. But what does the divine response say to him? I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal” (Rom. 11:3-4).
With the coming of Christ, the command to evangelise the entire world was given to Christians. This great commission resulted in an intensification of the battle, as people from all nations were to be delivered from the kingdom of darkness and brought into the kingdom of light. God’s plan is to ultimately bring the entire world under the rule of His King, His Christ, and thereby bring about a Christian world. Once the gospel has been proclaimed to all nations, Jesus Christ will physically return to establish His literal kingdom on earth, and will rule from David’s throne in Jerusalem. In the meantime, Christians are waging a spiritual battle against a spiritual enemy. However, Christ is spiritually present with us in this battle, empowering us by His Holy Spirit.
Right from the outset Satan actively resisted God’s plan for world evangelisation. His plan has always been to create a rival antichristian world. At present he is pursuing his objectives by way of spiritual deception, but physical manifestations are soon to follow. As an alternative to Christ’s bodily return to earth to establish His kingdom, Satan offers humanity a world empire under the leadership of a world messiah called ‘the Christ’. His counterfeit christ will be the Antichrist and he will be the head of a satanic new world order.
For the duration of the church dispensation, the followers of Jesus Christ have been actively opposed by the satanic spirit of antichrist. In this struggle, the kingdom of darkness mobilises as many people as possible to persecute and try to destroy Christianity. Tyrants such as Nero, Stalin, Hitler, and many others, may rightly also be called antichrists. But they were only forerunners of the end-time Antichrist: “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 that it is the last time” (1 John 2:18).
Daniel 7 discusses four successive world empires following the Babylonian exile of Israel, which form part of the times of the Gentiles. These were all forerunners of the Antichrist’s end-time world empire as they were permeated with the same spirit of rebellion against God and His kingdom. They were the Babylonian Empire, represented by a lion, the Medo-Persian Empire (the bear), the Greek Empire (the leopard), and the Roman Empire (a vicious animal with ten horns on its head). The symbolism in Daniel 7 ties up with Daniel 2:31-45 in which the same four empires are depicted as a great image which was revealed to Nebuchadnezzar in a dream. The head of the image was of gold (Babylonian Empire), its chest and arms of silver (Medo-Persian Empire), its belly and thighs of bronze (Greek Empire), its legs of iron (Roman Empire), and its feet partly of iron and partly of clay (the end-time, restored Roman Empire of the Antichrist).
The fact that the Roman Empire was never conquered or subjected to another world empire, explains the fact that only four world empires are mentioned after the time of Nebuchadnezzar, and that these four will be revived as part of the end-time empire of the Antichrist. Although the Roman Empire ceased to exist as a political entity in the 5th century AD, the influence of Europe over the rest of the world continued throughout the centuries which followed, leading to the colonisation of large parts of the world by European nations. In the end-time, the ancient Roman Empire with its strong European base will be revived and once again become the major power block in the world. This is already happening.
It is also significant that the Roman Empire gained control over the territories of the preceding three empires, i.e. the Babylonian, Medo-Persian and Greek Empires, and for that reason the revival of the Roman Empire will also constitute a revival of those world empires. All indications are that the Antichrist’s future world government will be controlled from the Middle East, from a region that formed part of all four of the previous world empires.
In view of these facts it is obvious why the Antichrist is depicted as a composite beast with symbols derived from all four world empires, i.e. a mouth of a lion, the feet of a bear, the body of a leopard, and a head of a ferocious animal with ten horns on its head (Rev. 13:1-2). Therefore, he will simultaneously revive the Roman Empire along with the Babylonian, Medo-Persian and Greek Empires. All four of them were firmly focused on the Middle East and, furthermore, also tried to annihilate Israel. When the Antichrist and his empire are destroyed, all his predecessors who were conquered and assimilated by the Roman Empire, will also finally be destroyed. This fact ties up with Daniel 2:44-45, where the great image which represents all four of these empires, will be destroyed as one when it is struck by the Rock (Jesus Christ), who will establish His own kingdom in the place of these kingdoms.
Daniel 7:11 refers to the destruction of the Antichrist during the second coming of Christ. This verse describes the fourth beast with the ten horns on its head, and another little horn (the Antichrist) that arose among them (Dan. 7:7-8, 20-21). The ten horns refer to the Roman Empire which will be restored in the end-time during the rise of the Antichrist (the little horn), after which this empire will be destroyed by Christ, bringing an end to the times of the Gentiles. After that, Christ’s kingdom, in which Israel will play a major part, will be revealed and established on earth.
Daniel 7:12 contains an interesting reference to the first three beasts of Daniel 7 – the lion (Babylonia), the bear (Medo-Persia), and the leopard (Greece). The NKJV says that “their lives will be prolonged for a season and a time”, but the NIV rendering comes closer to the basic meaning: “The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.” This suggests that the first three had physically lost their authority, but that their spirit and nature (their anti-God and anti-Israel ideology) lived on in their conquerors. Their final destruction will be concurrent with the destruction of their ultimate representative, the Antichrist, at the end of the tribulation period.
Once the European Union represents most of the Mediterranean countries, as well as those in the Middle East and North Africa, the Antichrist will arise from within the boundaries of the ancient Roman Empire and consolidate three of the Empire’s provinces (or countries) under his personal control (Dan. 7:8). Those will most likely be Arab countries to the north and northeast of Israel, among which will be Syria and Iraq. This development is clearly suggested by the fact that, from Israel’s point of view, the Antichrist will also be known as the “Assyrian” and “king of the north” (Isa. 10:12-14; Dan. 11:31-45). We can anticipate the future expansion of the European Union into the Middle East in order to strengthen their economic interests by the inclusion of oil-producing states, and also by attempting to facilitate peace in one of the most politically volatile regions on earth.
Turkey has already applied for EU membership, while America’s gradual withdrawal from the Middle East is necessitating other countries in this region to rely on Europe for military protection and development aid. The military involvement of EU countries in the liberation of Libya, has paved the way for strong economic and diplomatic ties between Arab countries and Europe, in the new geo-political dispensation which is presently emerging.
Various factors are prompting the revival of the ancient world empires. It is evident that elements from all four the previous world empires are awakening from the dust of an almost forgotten past. It is also evident that a serious power vacuum is prevalent in this region, as well as ominous economic problems which are largely the consequence of poor government and weak leadership. Consider the following developments in the regions of the four ancient world empires:
Europe is indeed being unified into forming the world’s most important power block, but at the same time the need for strong political and economic leadership is increasing daily. The unification of Europe is a daunting task in a culturally diverse region where the different nations are like iron and clay that cannot firmly bond. Furthermore, Europe in its entirety is afflicted by a debt crisis which was mainly caused by poor governments which allowed the escalation of public debt to reach extremely high levels. Overspending continued unabated, while deficits on budget accounts were covered by loans and the issuing of more government bonds that were mainly purchased by foreign banks. Those banks wrongly concluded that these bonds were safe investments with a guaranteed yield, since Western governments had always been able to settle their debt.
However, all of a sudden there are various highly developed countries that are unable to settle their debt. Many of them are facing economic collapse, particularly Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal. The fears which are stirred up by these countries’ threatening bankruptcy hover like a sword over the whole of Europe.
Many centuries ago, Italy was at the head of the mighty Roman Empire which controlled great wealth, but at present they are a struggling country with an annual growth rate of only 1%. The population is rapidly aging as few children are born, which means that less young people are entering the labour market. For a number of decades, Italy has had the most unstable government in Europe as they move from one shaky coalition government to the next. Scandals among the elite are the order of the day, and within an unstable society of this nature, criminal elements such as the Mafia are flourishing.
Religiously and morally speaking, “post-Christian Europe” is caught up in an even bigger crisis, and that accounts for the great falling away into immoral lifestyles as well as the rapid expansion of non-Christian religions such as Islam. For a long time now, Europe has not been having good political, economic and religious leaders with a constructive vision for the future, and they are now promoting a new world order in which all the struggling countries can pursue a common destiny. However, there are so many crippled, hanger-on countries that must be carried by their stronger partners, that any further progress has become nigh impossible. Europe is now waiting for a dynamic leader to appear on the scene and change the socio-political and economic landscape in such a way that a new beginning and a new future can be offered to all.
According to the Bible, such a leader will indeed arise, but he will be the Antichrist. His solutions and false peace will only last for 3½ years, after which he will institute the most draconian military dictatorship of all time to prevent his own downfall (Matt. 24:15-21; Rev. 6:1-8; 13:1-18).
In present day Iraq, almost nothing remains of the mighty Babylonian Empire which was initially established by Nimrod and which was restored as the leading kingdom in the world, while under the rule of Nebuchadnezzar. America’s intervention in Iraq was a disaster, and only precipitated the chaos and bloodshed in the country. The US troop withdrawal from Iraq has now reached its final stage, and will render Iraq an easy target for invasion by its bloodthirsty neighbour, Iran. There is also no end in sight to the ongoing faction fights between Shiite and Sunni Muslims in this country.
Iraq was at the heart of the ancient Babylonian Empire and will play an important role in the end-time according to biblical prophecy. The Antichrist will unite Iraq, Syria and neighbouring countries, possibly also incorporating the oil-rich Persian Gulf states, thereby making it a strong power block within the broader context of an expanded European Union.
The beast of Revelation 13 will have the feet of a bear, which is an indication that, together with the restoration of the Roman, Greek and Babylonian Empires, he will also revive the Medo-Persian Empire. Persia is the present Iran, and this country is wholeheartedly committed to the antichristian agenda for an Islamic world order which is utterly hostile towards Israel, the West, and Christianity. It will suit the Antichrist well to actively involve Iran in his plans. On numerous occasions, President Ahmadinejad of Iran has called for genocide against Israel, while also demanding the immediate cessation of Western intervention in the affairs of Islamic countries. According to Ezekiel 38 and 39, Iran will also play a major role in a future Russo-Arab invasion of Israel.
The complexity of the Antichrist as a person associated with all four of the ancient world empires, suggests that he will arise from a region which was part of all four of the previous world empires, which can only be the Middle East. The Antichrist cannot be from Italy, France or England and also be linked to the Greek, Babylonian or Medo-Persian Empires and be known as the Assyrian or king of the North.
The end-time establishment of an antichristian world empire will occur just as literally as the six consecutive world empires that existed since the founding of the ancient Babylonian Empire of Nimrod, followed by the Assyrian Empire, the restored Babylonian Empire of Nebuchadnezzar, the Medo-Persian Empire, the Greek Empire and the Roman Empire. All of them functioned in close association with false religions, giving rise to a sinister marriage between politics and religion. Devil-inspired political and religious power was used to physically oppress people, to manipulate them and to blind them by spiritual lies.
Exactly the same alliance between politics and religion will characterise the coming world empire of the Antichrist. John describes the end-time world dictator as a “beast” with a woman riding on its back, who is the personification of all the false religions on earth (Rev. 17:3-6). It is evident that the devil and his co-rulers do not only wish to pursue power, but also to be worshipped. They will be enforced by their mustering of political and religious power on a worldwide scale, as the unification of the world has always been the strategy of Satan and his cronies.
With a view to the realisation of this objective, the political ideology of the Antichrist will be that of globalism, which will comprise a completely new world order of international unity. Nations will be denationalised by abandoning their God-given sovereignty in order to become part of the Antichrist’s world empire. Only a limited measure of local autonomy will be retained by national governments. Most of their functions will comprise the implementation of the decisions and policies of the global government.
The main justification for the Antichrist’s forming of a world empire will be assurance of international unity and harmony, thereby enabling human solutions to world problems and regional conflicts which lie beyond the capabilities of individual countries to solve. Shortly after his revelation, this new leader will distinguish himself as a diplomat of exceptional stature. Virtually overnight, he will conclude agreements and find solutions to problems which have afflicted the world for a long time. Because of this, he will be widely praised and gain a huge following, thereby quickly rising to a position of world leadership. He will ride the wave of popularity, and all governments and communities will be mightily impressed with his achievements – particularly with the success he will enjoy in the implementation of his ideology of unity, peace and reconciliation: “And all the world marvelled and followed the beast. ... And he was given authority over every tribe, tongue, and nation” (Rev. 13:3, 7).
However, the Antichrist’s new world order of global unity, based on a false, humanistic peace and the socialistic merging of all people into a single class of planetary citizens, will only last for 3½ years. Opposition will arise against his government, particularly after he has declared himself to be God in the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem and subsequently demanded the worship of all people (2 Thess. 2:4; Rev. 13:15). An assassination attempt will be made against him, but with the aid of satanic powers his deadly wound will be healed (Rev. 13:3, 12).
Dramatic changes will be introduced into his style of governance, as he will suddenly change from being an international prince of peace into a military dictator. After this transformation, his ideology of globalism will be enforced by military power. Pressure will most likely be brought to bear on the kings who had previously been his co-rulers, to yield their authority to him, thus allowing him to become the uncontested sole ruler of the world (Rev. 17:13). That will bring to an end the Antichrist’s 3½ year-long neo-Babylonian world Empire (the seventh head of the beast), and the beginning of his satanic reign of terror during the final 3½ years, referred to as the “great tribulation” (Matt. 24:21; Rev. 17:11).
During this time the world will be ruled by a satanic triumvirate: the dragon (Satan), the beast (the Antichrist), and the second beast (the false prophet). Overtly, it will be a two-man government consisting of the Antichrist and the false prophet. But from the spiritual realm, Satan will be in full control by taking decisions and transferring his power to the Antichrist: “And the dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority” (Rev. 13:2). Spiritually speaking, this will be darkest time in the entire history of humanity.
The antichristian new world order, which had started out with tempting slogans of unity, peace and harmony, propagated by an evil “angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14-15), will culminate at this point in a worldwide Luciferic state in which oppression, murder, violence and the forced worship of Satan and the Antichrist, will be the order of the day.)
Universal religious unity, i.e. the inherent unity of all faiths on earth, will be the religious ideology of the Antichrist. The basis of this ideology is theistic universalism, which falsely proclaims that the same god, known by different names, is worshipped in different ways by all faiths. It furthermore alleges that, despite obvious differences, all religions originated from the same source of cosmic wisdom. The logical conclusion of this is that the various religions are all awaiting the same universal messiah, despite the fact that they use different names for him.
This is indeed the ideology which paves the way for the coming of the Antichrist. He will have many facets: he will be the Christ to deluded Christians who remained behind after the repature, the Messiah to the Jews, the Imam Mahdi to the Muslims, Krishna to the Hindus, and the Maitreya Buddha to the Buddhists. He will unite these religions into a close alliance under his supreme leadership. They will join hands to form the ecumenical body referred to as “the mother of harlots” in Revelation 17:5. She will be recognised, empowered, supported, and used by the beast.
The Babylonian inter-faith body (the harlot woman) will be the bride of the Antichrist, as an imitation of the church which is the bride of the true Christ. He will give her a position of power, including the right to persecute and even execute the tribulation saints who refuse to worship the beast (Rev. 17:6). He will use her to great effect in his campaign to establish world unity. All her followers will be made conscious of their common unity, and that belief will be the foundation of an international mystical brotherhood of all people. Once this ideology has been established, the realisation of social, political and economic unity will be achieved.
In keeping with his treacherous character, the marriage of the Antichrist to his bride (the false religions) will not last very long. After 3½ years he will declare himself to be God and demand the worship of all people. By then, the different religions, their churches, temples, synagogues and mosques will become redundant and be destroyed. The Antichrist will offer his bride the option of either accepting his claim of enhanced status from universal messiah to being God and worshipping him as such, or being executed if she refuses. The world alliance of religions and their association with the Antichrist will then be terminated: “And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire” (Rev. 17:16).
The final religious objective of the Antichrist will be for himself to be worshipped as God along with Satan (Rev. 13: 4, 8). Thus, Satanism will be the only official world religion during the great tribulation (the second 3½ years).
The first phase of the Antichrist’s religious ideology is currently being implemented in preparation for his coming. It will move through the following stages towards its final objective:
· Religious equality. All religions are of equal standing and none is better or more important than another. The playing-field is levelled, and they are all encouraged to join ecumenical bodies such as the World Council of Churches and its affiliated bodies such as the World Conference on Religion and Peace, the Parliament for the World’s Religions, and the United Religions Initiative, and to collaborate with other faiths in various ways. These forums are used to forge closer ties between the participating parties without compromising the identity of any of them. Interfaith actions are initially focused on moral, ethical, and socio-economic issues, with a view to promoting peace and tolerance in societies, and also to eliminating poverty and inequality. These ecumenical bodies are highly critical of evangelical Christians who refuse to associate with them.
· Religious unity. The collaboration between different faiths in the interest of peace and non-discriminatory policies in society gradually spills over into the religious sphere in order to narrow the doctrinal gap between them. This is done with a view to establishing a larger degree of spiritual brotherhood among the various faiths. This objective is realised by propagating the idea that all faiths worship the same God, and that they only used different names for the same Creator-God. When the lie is firmly established that the same universal God is worshipped by all religions, then these religions become partners and are no longer adversaries. According to multireligious ecumenical thinking of this nature all roads lead to Rome (all of them can attain salvation in their own way); consequently, they all await the appearance of the same world messiah who will be sent by the universal God to bring peace to the world.
· An intimate alliance of world religions. When the Antichrist appears as the common messiah of all faiths, he will unite this ecumenical body as his bride, on condition that they all recognise and worship him. Great power and honour will be bestowed upon them, and they will function as a corporate body. They will use their power and influence to persecute evangelical Christians who refuse to join hands with them in worshipping the Antichrist. The same persecution will also be applied to other fundamentalist faiths (or factions of faiths) who refuse to join the ecumenical body and peacefully participate in their actions.
· Compulsory worship of Satan and the Antichrist. True to his nature as the great betrayer, deceiver and abuser of humanity, the Antichrist’s “marriage” to his “bride” will last for only 3½ years. After that, they will have served their purpose of following and worshipping him as the universal Christ of all faiths. At that stage the Antichrist will enter the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem and declare himself to be God. Paul refers to him as: “the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God” (2 Thess. 2:4; cf. Dan. 11:36). He will immediately abolish the alliance of false religions and force them to worship him as God – no longer as simply their “messiah”. That will constitute their final act of rebellion against the true God, by which they will seal their fate in the lake of fire: “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name” (Rev. 14:9-11).
This brings a tragic end to ecumenical compromise which started with the idea of religious equality. The moment that the uniqueness of the Christian faith as the only way to the Father is denied, and Christ is deprived of His deity in order to relegate Him to a level which equated Him with the false gods of other faiths, the way will have been prepared for the revelation of Satan’s false christ of all faiths (the Antichrist). All those who follow him, will end up in perdition. Even though his ideas may initially appear to be good and acceptable, they will be nothing more than the deceptions of Satan’s “angel of light” and therefore contrary to what the Bible teaches.
The economic ideology of the Antichrist will be based on the centralised economic control of the world. This control will be exercised by the application of electronic aids which will additionally be used as a mechanism to monitor people’s locality and actions. In this way, the world’s entire population will become his slaves by not being able to work, buy or sell outside of his system. He will thus enforce his authority upon all people on earth.
A cashless, electronically-controlled world economy will be instituted, with the result that nobody will be able to buy or sell without the number of the Antichrist (Rev. 13:16-18). It is obvious from the context in which this number is discussed, that its allocation will provide economic rights to recipients while obliging them to recognise and worship the Antichrist (Rev. 13:15; 14:9-11; 20:4). An oath of allegiance to him will have to be laid down, which effectively means that people will sell their souls to the devil.
Satan’s specially empowered king will therefore be the political and religious head of the world and will additionally attain full control over the world economy. The Lord Jesus clearly warned people against the god of money, Mammon, and emphasised that one cannot serve God and Mammon at the same time (Luke 16:13).
At this point, the world will be ready for the rider on the white horse as described in Revelation 6:2. That will be the Antichrist who, for a short period of time, will succeed in ending wars and uprisings around the world, which will result in the demobilisation of troops everywhere. His successful exploits as diplomat and peacemaker will soon enable him to attain a position of political, religious and economic leadership on a global scale.
However, after only a few years things will go horribly wrong for him, giving rise to strong opposition to his reign. In reaction to this, he will institute a military dictatorship and rule by means of military decrees. The rider on the white horse of peace will suddenly have changed into the rider on the red horse of war, soon to be followed by the black horse of rationing and the pale horse of death (Rev. 6:3-8).
The world is heading for a “great tribulation” such as there has never been before (Matt. 24:21). However, this period will deceptively preceded by the false peace and unity of an antichristian new world order. All people are now awaiting this transformation in the hope that it will deliver them from their present woes and dilemmas. However, true Christians should not fix their hopes on events of this nature but rather on the imminent return of the heavenly Bridegroom: “Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36).
The Bible mentions a number of key aspects of the Antichrist’s wicked, perverted, and distorted character:
· He will be lawless. After “he who restrains” (the Holy Spirit indwelling the church) has been taken out of the way, complete spiritual darkness will set in, followed by the revelation of the lawless one (2 Thess. 2:8), a name implying utter rejection of God’s right to rule over all people.
· He will be without integrity. By way of political fraud he will attain a position of leadership, and by the use of clever diplomacy and political manipulation, he will soon become the undisputed world leader (Dan. 9:27).
· He will be the big briber. Double standards, bribery and corruption will be the order of the day in his wicked regime. Special favours will be granted to his accomplices: “…he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain” (Dan. 11:39).
· He will be a satanic reformer. “He shall … intend to change times and law” (Dan. 7:25). He will nullify various traditions and repeal laws that impede the freedom of people. He will possibly also abrogate the institution of marriage and even change the days of the week. In the geo-political sphere, he will remove the boundaries among the nations and institute a unified Babylonian world order of planetary citizens (Isa. 10:13; Rev. 13:3).
· He will be the man of sin and the son of perdition [the son of ruin, loss and pernicious ways] (2 Thess. 2:3). Disobedience, arrogance, rebellion, moral depravity and utter selfishness are manifestations of the spirit of sin, which will pave the way for the revelation of the man of sin. There will be no limit to the conceit and evil intentions of this dictator’s perverted character. His close companion, the false prophet, will deceive the nations into embracing sinful and occult practices.
· He will be the self-declared god of this world (2 Thess. 2:4). After having been honoured as world messiah for 3½ years, he will proceed to the most extreme form of rebellion against God by declaring himself to actually be God and thereby demand the worship of all people.
· Pride and self-exaltation will motivate him to claim the position of God as ruler of the universe (Dan. 11:36).
· He will be a blasphemer of the true God and of the saints (Rev. 13:5-6; Dan. 7:25).
· He will be the greatest hater and persecutor of Jews of all time. Although he will be accepted as Messiah by the Jews during the first 3½ years of the tribulation, he will order the killing of all Jews after they have revoked their covenant with him (Matt. 24:15-22).
· He will be a notorious occult practitioner who will use great powers given to him by Satan (Rev. 13:2). His coming will be “according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs and lying wonders” (2 Thess. 2:9).
· He will be the great deceiver of mankind. His coming will be “with all unrighteous deception among those who perish” (2 Thess. 2:10). Blaspheming God will be encouraged: “And men … blasphemed the name of God … and they did not repent and gave Him glory” (Rev. 16:9).
· He will be a man of violence and a murderer. “But news from the east and the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many” (Dan. 11:44).
· He will be a psychopath with a schizoid personality: a man with many facets as he is also seen as a beast with many heads. At times he will be exceedingly friendly and charming while he deceives people – to the extent that no one will believe that there is anything evil in him. But there will also be times when the dark side of his character gains the upper hand and provokes him to commit the most unimaginable cruelties. During the first half of the tribulation period the innocent, “angel of light” aspect of his personality will be dominant, while in the second 3½ years his dark and vicious character will be openly manifest. Because of his lack of moral principles, he will be completely unpredictable.
Emanating from the example of the Antichrist as a violent person and a man of sin, a culture of violence and sin will be established world-wide.
CHRIST |
ANTICHRIST |
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He descended from heaven and appeared as Man, but He is of a heavenly origin (John 3: 13; 6:38). |
He will ascend out of the bottomless pit and emerge as man from the sea of nations (Rev. 17:8 and 13:1). |
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He is the Son of God who has come to reveal His heavenly Father and His righteousness to the world (John 14:9). |
He is the son of perdition, the lawless one, who reveals the evil character of his father, the devil, to the world (2 Thess. 2:3). |
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He is the true God and eternal life (1 John 5:20). |
He will declare himself to be God (2 Thess. 2:4). |
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He is without sin (2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15). |
He is the man of sin (2 Thess. 2:3-10). |
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He came in the Name of His Father (John 5:43). |
He will come in his own name (John 5:43). |
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He came to glorify the Father (John 17:4). |
He will glorify himself and blaspheme God (Rev. 13:4-6). |
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He is one with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and came to reveal the Father (John 1:18, 14:9; 1 John 5:7). |
He will form a triumvirate with the dragon and the false prophet and represent Satan on earth (Rev. 13:4, 11-12). |
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He is the Saviour of the world who came to redeem us from the power of Satan (1 John 4:14; Heb. 2:14-15). |
He will make people slaves to sin and of his satanic empire of darkness, and control their lives (Rev. 13:7, 15-18). |
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He came to the world as a humble Servant to offer His life as a ransom for our sins (Mark 10:45). |
He will be exalted in his own eyes and be a dictator who will ruin people’s lives (Dan. 11:36; 2 Thess. 2:4). |
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He came to save sinners and give them abundant life (1 Tim. 1:15; John 10:10-11). |
He will come to scatter people abroad and to destroy them (Dan. 11:44). |
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He came to establish God’s righteousness on earth (Matt. 6:33; Acts 17:31). |
He will promote wickedness and unrighteousness on earth (2 Thess. 2:3, 9-12). |
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He came to establish and fulfil the law (Matt. 5:17-18). |
He will change times and laws (Dan. 7:25). |
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He brings true peace to men’s hearts (John 14:27; Luke 1:79). |
He will create a false peace on earth (1 Thess. 5:3). |
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He came to unmask Satan as adversary and to destroy his works (Col. 2:15; 1 John 3:8). |
He will worship the God of forces [Satan] with everything he has (Dan. 11:38). |
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He condemns greed and the excessive accumulation of material wealth (Luke 12:15). |
He will gather vast riches and use them to bribe people in his kingdom (Dan. 11:39, 43). |
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He came to proclaim the truth about God, sin, salvation, heaven, and hell to people (Matt. 22:16; John 1:17; 8:31-32). |
He will deceive humanity into believing lies that will lead to their eternal ruin (Matt. 24:4-5; 2 Thess. 2:9; cf. John 8:44). |
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He only associates with the true church that confesses His name as Saviour and rejects idols (John 14:6; 2 Cor. 6:14). |
He associates with the false religions whose members are prepared to accept him as their messiah (Rev. 17:3-6). |
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His bride, the true church, will be glorified and be with Him forever in the new Jerusalem (2 Cor. 11:2; 1 Thess. 4:17). |
His bride, the false world church, the Mother of Harlots, will be destroyed by fire after 3½ years (Rev. 17:16). |
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He convicts people through the Spirit of truth who leads them into all truth (John 16:13). |
He convicts people through the spirit of deceit to mislead them (2 Thess. 2:9; 1 John 4:3). |
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He will come from heaven in a cloud with glory and every eye will see Him! (Rev. 1:7). |
He will emerge from the desert and might be seen on television (Matt. 24:26). |
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His kingdom will endure forever (Rev. 11:15). |
His kingdom will be short-lived (Rev. 17:9-12). |
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He will conquer the Antichrist and achieve the final victory (Rev. 19:19-21). |
He will be cast into the lake of fire forever when Jesus Christ comes (Rev. 19:20; 20:10). |
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His followers will all inherit an eternal and imperishable kingdom of everlasting joy (Col. 1:13-14; 2 Pet. 1:11). |
His followers will share his eternal fate with him in hell, with wailing and gnashing of teeth (Rev. 14:9-11). |