The Ascent of the Antichrist

Introduction

The Bible teaches us that we are at war with unseen forces on a daily basis; however, the greatest of Satan’s weapons has yet to be seen. One of the most important strategies in any war is to know your enemy. The more we know about the enemy, the more prepared we are to defend against him. Therefore, in this lesson, we will spend some time getting to know the Antichrist, and some of the key aspects that the Bible tells us about him.

First, it is important to ask whether it is important for Christians to know as much as we can about him. One way we determine the most important areas we should study in the Bible is by how often they are mentioned in the Bible. We know that the Antichrist plays a central role in God’s plan, because he is mentioned in over 100 different passages in the Bible. It addresses his origin, nationality, character, conquest, and his final doom when he falls.

His Aliases

The Antichrist appears in the Bible under several different names. In fact, there are ten aliases for the Antichrist found in Scripture:

the little horn ()

a king, insolent and skilled in intrigue ()

the prince who is to come ()

the one who makes desolate ()

the king who does as he pleases ()

a foolish shepherd ()

the man of destruction ()

the lawless one ()

the rider on the white horse ()

the beast out of the sea ()

Most commonly referred to as Antichrist.

Refers to an individual & the system he represents.

Appears 5 times in the NT

In ; , it refers to an antichrist (singular) who is coming in the future, and antichrists (plural) ones who are already here.

John’s distinction clearly demonstrates that the final and ultimate Antichrist will be an individual and not merely a worldview.

The ones who existed in John’s day, the plural reference, were false teachers who embodied the spirit of the Antichrist: the lying deceiving spirit that would be manifest fully in the future.

The previous ones offer powerful evidence that his spirit was already working in the world.

John looked beyond his time to the final Antichrist who would come and represent the culmination of the lawless system that opposed Christ.

The Meaning of the name:

Hitchcock, Mark. The End: A Complete Overview of Bible Prophecy and the End of Days (p. 254). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

The prefix anti- can mean “against”/“opposed to” or “instead of”/“ in place of.”

These meanings are undoubtedly included in the term “Anti” Christ.

He will be the archenemy and ultimate opponent of Jesus our Lord.

The origin, nature, and purpose of Christ and the Antichrist are diametrically opposed.

The Antichrist will be against Christ.

The Antichrist will also be “anti” Christ in the sense of “in place of” Christ.

He will parody the true Christ.

He will be a counterfeit Christ, a mock Christ, a pseudo-Christ, an imitation Christ.

In , Jesus says, “I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him” (NASB). The one coming in his own name will be the

In , Jesus says, “I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him” (NASB). The one coming in his own name will be the world’s final false messiah, the Antichrist. He will attempt to be the “alter ego” of the true Christ.

It will not be enough for the Antichrist to oppose the work and person of Christ, he will be a pretender of Christ. He will set himself up as the true Christ; he will be Satan’s counterfeit Christ.

To accomplish this, the Antichrist will mimic Christ in many ways:

Christ: miracles, signs, and wonders (; )

Antichrist: miracles, signs, and wonders (; )

Christ: appears in the millennial Temple ()

Antichrist: sits in the Tribulation Temple ()

Christ: is God (; )

Antichrist: claims to be God ()

Christ: is the Lion from Judah ()

Antichrist: has a mouth like a lion ()

Christ: makes a peace covenant with Israel ()

Antichrist: makes a peace covenant with Israel ()

Christ: causes men to worship God ()

Antichrist: causes men to worship Satan ()

Christ: followers sealed on their foreheads (; )

Hitchcock, Mark. The End: A Complete Overview of Bible Prophecy and the End of Days (p. 256). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition. causes men to worship Satan () followers sealed on their foreheads (; ) followers sealed on their foreheads or right hands () worthy name () blasphemous names () married to a virtuous bride () married to a vile prostitute () crowned with many crowns () crowned with ten crowns () is the King of kings () is called “the king” () sits on a throne (; ; ) sits on a throne (; ) sharp sword from his mouth () bow in his hand () rides a white horse () rides a white horse () has an army () has an army (; )

Antichrist: followers sealed on their foreheads or right hands ()

Christ: worthy name ()

Antichrist: blasphemous names ()

Christ: married to a virtuous bride ()

Antichrist: married to a vile prostitute ()

Christ: crowned with many crowns ()

Antichrist: crowned with ten crowns ()

Christ: is the King of kings ()

Antichrist: is called “the king” ()

Christ: sits on a throne (; ; )

Antichrist: sits on a throne (; )

Christ: sharp sword from his mouth ()

Antichrist: bow in his hand ()

Christ: rides a white horse ()

Antichrist: rides a white horse ()

Christ: has an army ()

Antichrist: has an army (; )

The Appearance of the Antichrist

Hitchcock, Mark. The End: A Complete Overview of Bible Prophecy and the End of Days (pp. 255-256). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Debuts on the World stage at the beginning of the Tribulation

His rise to power will likely be a direct result of the confusion following the Rapture.

Arthur Bloomfield also connects the Antichrist’s coming to a great crisis. “Great men of history, famous and infamous, are products of their times. And though we cannot exclude the sovereignty of God, it is easy to see why success or failure is sometimes born of ripe times and circumstances. The Antichrist himself will be a product of his time. A figure so sensational could come only out of sensational times. A world crisis will produce the Antichrist.”

Chuck Swindoll describes the rise of the Antichrist in the wake of the Rapture. This man will emerge after the Rapture, probably to calm the chaotic waters troubled by the unexplained departure of so many Christians. He will be primed and ready to speak. He will stand before not only a nation but a world and will win their approval. Like Hitler, he will emerge on a scene of such political and economic chaos that the people will see him as a man with vision, with pragmatic answers and power to unite the world.

According to , the Antichrist can only be revealed when the Holy Spirit is removed at the Rapture. “He who now restrains” (NASB) refers to the Holy Spirit working in and through the church.

Hitchcock, Mark. The End: A Complete Overview of Bible Prophecy and the End of Days (p. 257). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Hitchcock, Mark. The End: A Complete Overview of Bible Prophecy and the End of Days (p. 257). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

The fact that the restrainer must be removed before the Antichrist can be revealed tells us several important details:

that “Satan must wait on God’s timing, so he is defeated before he ever begins his final assault on God. He can’t make his move until God releases the restraining power of the Holy Spirit indwelling the church.”

He can’t make his move until God releases the restraining power of the Holy Spirit indwelling the church.”

Satan does not know the exact time of Christ’s return or when the restraint will be removed, so he must have a potential candidate for the Antichrist ready in every generation.

Also, since the identity of the Antichrist cannot be known until after the Rapture, no one today should spend time trying to figure out who he is or come up with possible candidates. All such attempts are speculative and futile. As one writer states, “If you ever do figure out who the Antichrist is, I’ve got bad news: you’ve been left behind.”

Hitchcock, Mark. The End: A Complete Overview of Bible Prophecy and the End of Days (p. 257). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

The Attributes of the Antichrist

, using the image of a beast out of the sea, describes the coming world ruler in great detail. Much of what is revealed about the Antichrist in and also builds upon and amplifies what the prophet Daniel wrote. Putting Daniel and Revelation together, we can develop a character profile for this final world ruler. He will be the most incredible leader the world has ever known.

The world will go crazy over him. He will seem to be the answer to all its problems.

He will be filled with all the fullness of Satan.

Handsome, with a charming, rakish, devil-may-care personality, a genius, superbly at home in all the scientific disciplines, brave as a lion, a brilliant conversationalist in many if not all languages, and a soul-captivating speaker.

he will be the idol of all mankind.

He will be a Gentile, not a Jew

One of the most asked and most debated questions about the Antichrist is his ethnic background. As far back as the second century AD, scholars were writing about this issue. The debate springs from how readers interpret the prefix “anti-” in front of the name Christ.

As far back as the second century AD, scholars were writing about this issue. The debate springs from how readers interpret the prefix “anti-” in front of the name Christ.

On the one hand, if “anti-” means opposed to Christ as the ruler of Gentile world power, then the Antichrist is probably a Gentile. On the other hand, if “anti-” means in place of Christ as a false messiah, then many would contend this makes it more likely that he would be a Jew.

Let’s first consider the case made for a Jewish Antichrist.

The consistent view of the church during the closing decades of the second century was that the Antichrist would be a Jewish false messiah from the tribe of Dan.

Irenaeus (c. 120– 202) held this view. He based his conclusion on and the fact that omits the tribe of Dan from the list of the tribes of Israel.

Some also appeal to Jacob’s prophecy concerning Dan in : “Dan shall be a serpent in the way, a horned snake in the path, that bites the horse’s heels, so that his rider falls backward” (NASB). The serpent there is interpreted as Satan, and is then related to what says about the Antichrist. Later, Jerome (AD 331– 420) also held this view.

The other specific Scripture that is most often used to substantiate the Jewish heritage of the Antichrist is the King James Version of , which says, “Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers. . .  .”

Those who maintain that the Antichrist is a Jew believe that his rejection of “the God of his fathers” proves his Jewishness. The entire argument rests on the phrase “the God of his fathers.”

There are some challenges, however, to the argument that the Antichrist is Jewish. First, it is unclear why Dan is omitted from the list of tribes in . The best explanation I’m aware of is that Dan was the first tribe to go into idolatry after the people moved into the Promised Land ().

Second, (KJV) could equally apply to a Gentile whose parents were followers of Christ as to parents of Jewish heritage. In where the title “Antichrist” appears, the issue is apostasy from Christianity, not from Judaism.

At its most basic, simply says that the Antichrist will totally reject whatever religion his ancestors practiced. Additionally, most of the more recent Bible translations (ASV, RSV, NASB, and NIV) translate the KJV word God (elohim) as “gods.”

As Arnold Fruchtenbaum notes that, “In the whole context, , the term god is used a total of eight times. In the Hebrew text, six of these times it is in the singular and twice in the plural, one of which is the phrase in verse 37. The very fact that the plural form of ‘god’ is used in a context where the singular is found in the majority of cases makes this a reference to heathen deities and not a reference to the God of Israel.”

The Septuagint, which is the Greek translation of the Old Testament, also uses the plural “gods.” These translations more faithfully reflect the Hebrew text. As you can see, no matter your translation, the key verse— — used by those who believe the Antichrist is a Jew is far from conclusive. Instead, it makes better sense that the coming Antichrist is a Gentile. I believe the Bible clearly teaches this. There are at least four good reasons for this conclusion.

Hitchcock, Mark. The End: A Complete Overview of Bible Prophecy and the End of Days (p. 260). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

First, biblical typology points to the Gentile origin of the Antichrist. The only historical person who is specifically identified as a “type” or preview of the person and work of the Antichrist is Antiochus Epiphanes, who was a Syrian monarch in the second century BC. Antiochus has been aptly dubbed the “Old Testament Antichrist.” He provides a sneak preview of what the Antichrist will be like. If the precursor to the Antichrist was a Gentile, then it makes sense that the Antichrist would also be a Gentile.

Hitchcock, Mark. The End: A Complete Overview of Bible Prophecy and the End of Days (p. 260). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 203 Antichrist’s Foremost Type

He was the first person in history to persecute a people exclusively for their religious faith. Always before, a conquered people was required to accept the god of the conqueror, or the god of the conquered people was added to the list of other gods already worshipped. But the malevolence of Antiochus IV (ca. 212–163 BC) is truly unique. The Jews called him “the devourer, the unjust one in purple, the cruel, the rejector of light.”

Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 204 Antiochus-Worship

The evidence is strong that Antiochus IV not only encouraged the worship of Zeus, but he encouraged the worship of himself also. On many of the coins that survive from that day can be seen the figure of Zeus whose features closely resemble those of Antiochus IV Epiphanes. One which has been seen in the British Museum, a silver tetradrachma, has the head of Antiochus IV as if he were Zeus, crowned with laurel. Its inscription reads: “Of King Antiochus, God Manifest, Victory-bearer.”

Second, the origin of the Antichrist is symbolized by the beast in : “Then I saw a beast rising up out of the sea.” The word sea when used symbolically in the book of Revelation and the rest of Scripture symbolizes the Gentile nations. This is confirmed in where “the waters . .  . represent masses of people of every nation and language.”

Alternately, the word sea could mean “the abyss” or “the deep” (11:7; 17:8). If this is true, then the fact that he comes up out of the sea would be describing his satanic, demonic origin from the underworld.

Third, the Antichrist is presented in Scripture as the final ruler of Gentile world power. His reign is the final phase of the “times of the Gentiles” and their rule over Israel (, NASB). He will sit on the throne of the final world empire and raise his fist in the face of God. Having a Jew as the last world ruler over Gentile power does not seem likely.

Fourth, one of the primary activities of the Antichrist will be persecuting the Jewish people, invading Israel, and desecrating the rebuilt Jewish Temple (; ; , ; ; ; ; ). It doesn’t make sense that a Jew would be the final great persecutor of his own people. Gentiles have always led the way in persecuting the Jews. For these reasons, I believe the Antichrist will be a Gentile.

He Will Mesmerize the World with His Words (, ; ; )

The Antichrist will inspire the whole world with his charisma and eloquence. Over and over again, biblical passages draw attention to his mouth speaking great words. When he talks, everyone else will listen.

Hitchcock, Mark. The End: A Complete Overview of Bible Prophecy and the End of Days (p. 261). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

As A. W. Pink says:

He will have a mouth speaking very great things. He will have a perfect command and flow of language. His oratory will not only gain attention but respect. declares that his mouth is “as the mouth of a lion” which is a symbolic expression telling of the majesty and awe-producing effects of his voice. The voice of a lion excels that of any other beast. So the Antichrist will outrival orators ancient and modern.

He Will Rise from Obscurity As a Great Peacemaker (; )

The Antichrist will emerge from relative obscurity to take the international political scene by storm. He won’t attract much attention when he first enters the political arena. characterizes him as the “little” horn among the ten horns in a reunited Roman Empire.

But he will quickly rise in the ranks and be elected by the group of ten to rule over the whole empire (). He will be the ultimate bipartisan politician. He will acquire power using the stealth of diplomacy. His platform will be peace and prosperity.

Emerging with an olive branch in his hand, he will weld together opposing forces with ease. The dreams of the United Nations will be realized in his political policies.

He will even temporarily solve the Middle Eastern political situation, which may well earn him accolades such as the Nobel Prize or being anointed TIME magazine’s man of the year.

He will bring such peace to the Middle East that the Temple Mount area in Jerusalem will be returned to Jewish sovereignty (). He will undoubtedly be hailed as the greatest peacemaker the world has ever seen.

He Will Establish a One-World Economy (; )

The Antichrist will be Satan’s CEO of the world’s economy.

He will set interest rates, prices, stock values, and supply levels. Everything will be nationalized or internationalized and placed under his personal control.

With the chaos created by the Rapture and the collapse of the world economy predicted in , people will be willing to give all power over to one man.

Much like the Germans turned to Hitler after the runaway inflation in Weimar Germany, the world will turn to the man who seems to have answers for the crushing problems they’re facing or the United States surrendered many of their civil rights to the Patriot Act following 9/11.

From the midpoint of the Tribulation until the second coming of Christ, no one will be able to buy or sell without the Antichrist’s permission (). People all over the world will be compelled to take his mark. His one-world economy will be run by his sidekick the false prophet ().

He Will Rule the World (; )

At the midpoint of the Tribulation, the Antichrist’s mask will come off, and he will replace his olive branch with a sword. He will subjugate the whole world. All the greatness of Alexander and Napoleon will pale compared to him. No one will be able to stand in the way of his conquest. He will crush everything and everyone before him. He will be the final great Caesar over the Roman Empire. “Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?” (, NASB).

He Will Claim to Be God (; )

The Antichrist, Satan’s prodigy, will achieve what no other religious leader has ever done. He will do what neither Muhammad nor Buddha nor any pope has ever been able to do: unite the world in worship.

Hitchcock, Mark. The End: A Complete Overview of Bible Prophecy and the End of Days (p. 263). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

All the religions of the world will be brought together in the worship of one man. He will proclaim that he is God and require the world to worship him (; ).

Just think what genius and power and deception it will take to pull this off!

Religion divides so many people. Some people have very strong feelings about it and are easily angered and frustrated by those who disagree with them. Religion separates.

But that will all change some day, and preparation is well under way for the acceptance of worshiping a man. The world, like never before, will be looking for a great leader, a messiah, a savior to solve the profound predicaments the earth faces today. The planet is well down the road toward worshiping the ultimate idol.

Conclusion

As you can see, Scripture teaches that there is a future, final human opponent of Jesus Christ who will rise during the Tribulation. For seven years he will capture world headlines, dominate geopolitics, and implement his plans. He will embody evil as a visible, vigorous enemy of Jesus Christ. Yet, in the final battle when Christ returns, he will be defeated, and Christ will establish His Kingdom on the earth.

Scripture does not teach about the Antichrist to make us anxious or afraid, but to make us aware. God has revealed this information to us not for us to become preoccupied with the Antichrist or to recklessly speculate about his identity but to show us where this world is headed and to assure us that God is still in control. Our awareness of God’s final victory over the Antichrist and evil reassures believers that both the present and the future are firmly in God’s grasp.

Hitchcock, Mark. The End: A Complete Overview of Bible Prophecy and the End of Days (pp. 266-268). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Hitchcock, Mark. The End: A Complete Overview of Bible Prophecy and the End of Days (p. 260). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Hitchcock, Mark. The End: A Complete Overview of Bible Prophecy and the End of Days (p. 259). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Hitchcock, Mark. The End: A Complete Overview of Bible Prophecy and the End of Days (p. 255). Tyndale House Publishers. Kindle Edition.