April 21, 2021
The 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)
In our study of Bible prophecy, we have considered the certainty of Christ’s coming, the time of His coming, the signs of His coming, and its seriousness—we must be prepared!
We are at the point now in our study of Biblical prophecy that we need to zero in on the topic of the Antichrist. Our focus is on the earth and what will transpire after Jesus has come back to gather His own to be with Him forever.
At some point following the Rapture, the person who is referred to in Scripture as the Antichrist will appear. For the next seven years, the earth will experience what God’s Word refers to as the Tribulation. It is a seven-year time period in which God exercises justice upon the unbelieving inhabitants of this earth. His goal is to judge Israel and bring it to a place where it accepts its Messiah.
While we will plan to look at the specific events of the Tribulation another time, today we will focus our attention on the Antichrist: his person.
What is meant by the term ‘antichrist?’ The prefix ‘anti’ has two meanings. It can mean ‘against,’ as in anti-war, or antisemitism. Thus the Antichrist will be against Christ, opposed to the real Christ, Jesus.
‘Anti’ as a prefix can also mean ‘instead of.’ We find this in the word antidote, which is given instead of a poison, to fight off the poison. So, the Antichrist will present himself as Messiah. He will be a counterfeit messiah. He will be at war with the true Messiah, Jesus.
This person is given many names in the Bible: the little horn, the Man of Sin, the Son of Perdition, the Wicked One, and the Beast.
From where will the Antichrist come? The books of Daniel and Revelation have much to say concerning the end times. In particular, Daniel seems to indicate that this man will come from out of the revived Roman Empire. In other words, he will come from a European nation or a nation colonized by Europeans. This would include the USA, Canada, Australia, most of South America, etc.
Do we have an idea as to his identity? No, but of course this does not prevent people from conjecture.
What we do know, because the Bible is the Word of God, is that he is coming. The most clear passage in this regard is 2 Thessalonians 2.
We also know that he will appear following the Rapture. He will be a persuasive man of power and authority. The source of his great power will be the great Adversary, Satan. Through Satanic influence, he will exalt himself and will demand to be worshiped.
He will be a deceiver. What is most frightening to us today is that anyone who has heard the Word, who is still alive following the Rapture, will be deceived by this person, and will have no further opportunity to come to Christ. Therefore, we must come to the Savior today while there is time, before Jesus returns. Please, do not delay to trust in the love and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ offered to you freely. He died for you; come to Him now!