The Antichrist
His Person
The main person in Bible prophecy, other than the Lord Jesus Christ, is the coming world ruler, Antichrist. Harold Willmington describes this coming ruler this way,
“Since the days of Adam, it has been estimated that approximately 40 billion human beings have been born upon our earth. Four and one-half billion of this number are alive today. However, by any standard of measurement one might employ, the greatest human (apart from the Son of God himself) in matters of ability and achievement is yet to make his appearance upon our planet.”1
“Antichrist” is used once in 1 John 2:18.
Children, it is the last hour. And as you have heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. By this we know that it is the last hour.
The title says something significant about his character and intentions. In relation to the Antichrist, the proposition “anti” carries with it or conveys two ideas: (1) the idea of opposition to Jesus and His mission or purpose, and (2) the idea of “in place of” or being a substitute. This also holds true of the seven-year tribulation period antichrist since he will be Satan’s substitute messiah. He is also known as the man of lawlessness (2 Thessalonians 2:3). Since he lives outside of God’s laws, this title highlights his personal wickedness. In Revelation 13 and 14, he is called the beast, a title which emphasizes his depravity and deep hostility towards God and God’s people. In Daniel 7:8, we find him called the little horn, a name which allows his pride and aggressiveness to be seen.
While I was considering the horns, suddenly another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. And suddenly in this horn there were eyes like the eyes of a human and a mouth that was speaking arrogantly.
It also speaks to the relative power that he will have. Often in the Old Testament, this term is used to describe power, such as that of a king.
There are a number of passages in Scripture, both in the Old and New Testaments, that indicate that the Antichrist will be endowed by Satan with great abilities and power (cf. Daniel 7:8-26; 9:26-27; 11:36-45; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-10; Revelation 13:1-9; 17:8-14). He will be precisely the kind of individual that the world is ready for, a charismatic individual who will successfully and easily win over the hearts and minds of the inhabitants of the earth. How will he accomplish that? Well, the Bible suggests the following things about him: First, he will be a great leader, someone with an incredible ability to solve complex problems and who will be able to take control of situations.
Second, he will be very smart, perhaps a highly educated individual with a keen grasp of both economic and political matters.
Third, in light of the hostile and dangerous world, and the events taking place during his time of reign, he will be both brilliant and powerful militarily.
Fourth, his craftiness and oratorical abilities will enable him to persuade multitudes from all over the world to follow him (cf. Daniel 7:20; 8:24, 25; 11:21; 2 Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation 13:1-2). Remember though, his abilities, power, and authority to rule is given to him by Satan.
There are four characteristics about his character that will be mentioned here: First, he is driven by a consuming pride.
Then the king will do whatever he wants. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god, and he will say outrageous things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, because what has been decreed will be accomplished. He will not show regard for the gods of his ancestors, the god desired by women, or for any other god, because he will magnify himself above all (Daniel 11:36, 37).
The king referred to here is the coming Antichrist.
He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he sits in God’s temple, proclaiming that he himself is God (2 Thessalonians 2:4).
Second, he will be an arrogant blasphemer.
And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two month. Them he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven (Revelation 13:5-6 NKJV).
Third, he will have great power.
He will also invade the beautiful land, and many will fall. But these will escape from his power: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of the Ammonites. He will extend his power against the countries, and not even the land of Egypt will escape. He will get control over the hidden treasures of gold and silver and over all the riches of Egypt. The Libyans and Cushites will also be in submission. But reports from the east and the north will terrify him, and he will go out with great fury to annihilate and completely destroy many (Daniel 11:41-44).
The beast was given a mouth to utter boasts and blasphemies. It was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. And it was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them. It was also given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation (Revelation 13:5, 7).
Fourth, he will oppose Christ. In Luke 19:10, Jesus clearly stated that the very reason or purpose for His incarnation was “to seek and to save the lost.” The goal of the Antichrist, as it has been with Satan all along, is to oppose the purposes of Christ. In addition to opposing in every conceivable area, Antichrist will also seek to supplant Jesus by claiming to be the Messiah (cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:4).
As we assess the current state of the world today, it sure seems quite evident that the world is ready to embrace a leader such as the one described above. In the midst of all the fear, chaos, hostility, violence, evil, hatred, etc., that the world is currently experiencing, and the direction the world is headed in for which there is no turning back now (for who will deny that the world is nothing more than a time bomb waiting to explode), it is clear that the way is being paved for the antichrist to emerge on the world scene and be perceived by its inhabitants as the one who will successfully bring peace and stability to the world. The truth is, though, no other wicked dictator in all human history can be compared to him. He will be a vile and vicious demagogue who will bring devastation and agony to men as nobody ever has in history.
Some have argued that the Antichrist is: (1) a Jew, (2) some hold that he is Gog (the leader of the invasion of Israel described in Ezekiel 38), and (3) others, in more recent times, have proposed that he will be a Muslim, drawing support by noting alleged similarities between the Antichrist and the coming Muslim Mahdi, who will emerge in the end times and subject the entire world to Islam according to Muslims. But does Islamic Scripture and tradition really reflect that position? Ron Rhodes says,
“By no means! Many of the passages in the hadith (Islamic tradition) that deal with the end times are contradictory. This makes it difficult to piece together a cohesive Islamic theology of the end times. Unfortunately, books and articles written by Christian proponents of the antichrist-Muslim hypothesis avoid addressing this reality. The reason is understandable: It would weaken their case.”2
I do not think any of those options are correct. Regarding him being a Jew, why would a Jew persecute Jews, persecute Israel? Plus, Revelation 13:1 says that the beast is coming up out of the sea, and the term sea in the Bible is often a reference to Gentile countries.
As for Gog, that leader heads up the Russian and Muslim force that will invade Israel (Ezekiel 38:1-6, while the Antichrist is an individual who rises out of the revived Roman empire (Daniel 2, 7). Ezekiel 39 tells us that God ends up destroying this invading force, yet we know that the Antichrist will play a significant role and will be in power for a significant part of the seven-year tribulation period (Revelation 4-18).
As for him being a Muslim, I think that there are several problems with that position. First, Daniel 9:26 (NLT), speaking of the 70 weeks of Daniel, tells us that he will be a Roman.
After those sixty-two weeks the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the coming ruler will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come with a flood, and until the end there will be war; desolations are decreed.
We are told here that both Jerusalem and the temple will be destroyed by the people of the coming ruler. When Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed in A.D. 70, who destroyed it? A Roman emperor (Titus) with his Roman army. So, who would be the people of this coming ruler (Antichrist)? The Roman people.
Second, Daniel 9:27 tells us that the Antichrist “will make a firm covenant with many for one week” (that is one week of years—seven years). The obvious questions here are, why would Israel make a covenant with a Muslim Antichrist and vice versa? Would a Muslim Antichrist make a covenant with the Jewish people in Israel to protect those whom they hate and the land which Muslims believe is theirs and have sought to get it back at every turn? Would Israel consider making a covenant and place their own security in the hands of a world leader who is part of a people who have hated them, have sought to destroy them, and have been archenemies for millennia? It seems inconceivable that a Muslim Antichrist would sign a covenant with Israel.
Additionally, what Muslim nation or nations would agree or go along with a Muslim leader who covenants to protect the Jewish State? There is no precedent that even makes this covenant even plausible. If anything, the history between these two peoples point to the exact opposite.
Then Daniel 11:36 tells us that the Antichrist “will exalt and magnify himself above every god.” Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:4 says that the Antichrist “opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he sits in God’s temple, proclaiming that he himself is God.” Such actions by a Muslim Antichrist would be inconsistent with and in complete opposition to the Muslim creed which says: “There is one God named Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet.” Rhodes says that he,
“Cannot imagine a true Muslim making any claim that he was God. Just as it is anathema to Muslims to call Jesus “God incarnate” or the “Son of God,” so it would be anathema to Muslims for any human to claim he was God. A Muslim antichrist would be viewed as an infidel among Quran-believing Muslims.
In keeping with this is the Muslim teaching that “God can have no partners.” Muslims generally say this as a means of arguing against the doctrine of the Trinity. But it is certainly applicable to human leaders on earth who claim to be God.”3
Will believers who are raptured when the Lord returns for His church know beforehand who the Antichrist is? I do not think so, at least with any certainty, because the event that will cause the tribulation period to start will be the signing of a covenant between the Antichrist and Israel (Daniel 9:27). By the time that event takes place, the church will have already been taken to be with Christ.
1 Harold Willmington, The King Is Coming (Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers, 1981), 81.
2 Ron Rhodes, Bible Prophecy Answer Book (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2017), 150-151.
3 Ibid., 153.
All Scripture quotations, unless indicated, are taken from The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NKJV) are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.
Copyright © 2021 by Miguel J Gonzalez Th.D.
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