INTRODUCTION
Few students of Bible prophecy will deny that we live in the days just prior to the return of Jesus Christ. All around we see the signs of the Saviour's return: wars, famines, disease epidemics, sexual vice, religious/ethnic persecution, global pollution, floods, droughts, escalating violence and the terrifying rape of earth's natural resources. Yes, these are the closing days of our age and only the spiritually blind will fail to recognise that something is terribly wrong. Before the Saviour left this earth, he listed the events (signs) that would occur on earth just prior to his return. They are recorded in passages such as Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21.
Matt.24: | 6: And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of
wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must
come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7: For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8: All these are the beginning of sorrows.. |
Commenting on the behaviour of mankind in the last days the Apostle Paul writes the following:
2 Tim.3: | 1: This know also, that in the last days perilous times
shall come. 2: For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3: Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4: Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5: Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. |
No one will doubt that these are accurate descriptions of our
time. Even the unbelieving world is becoming increasingly aware
that something is terribly wrong with the human race. But what
is the next event before Jesus Christ (Yeshua the Messiah) returns
to earth? Millions of Christians think that the next event
will be the Secret Rapture. The rapture, they think, could
occur any moment now any day, any night! When it does occur,
they believe, millions of faithful Christians will be secretly
caught up to heaven, leaving the rest of mankind to go through
the Great Tribulation described in the book of Revelation.
Is that what you are waiting for the Secret Rapture?
If you are, then read this article with special care.
The Apostle Paul warns the church not to be deceived by any false teaching about the vital matter of the Messiah's return. He tells us that before the Saviour returns to earth the Antichrist, the Man of Sin, will appear. In other words, close though we are to the return of Jesus Christ, expect the appearance of the Antichrist first. Consider Paul's words in:
2 Thess. 2: | 1: Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2: That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 3: Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition. |
Notice that before Jesus Christ returns to earth these two events must take place:
The falling away (from the Truth and the Faith once delivered to the early church) has already begun. All over the world believers are giving up their faith and rebelling against the truth. These foundations of law and order (faith and obedience) are being jettisoned. Open any newspaper, switch on any radio or television set in any country and rebellion against law and order will be the main news, in so-called Christian countries! What is even more tragic is that thousands of Christian preachers also take delight in rebelling against the law of God! They teach:
It is difficult, if not impossible, to describe the gravity and
danger of such error. But this paper is not about Yahweh's law
nor the church's falling away from the truth. This
article is about the Antichrist, who is also referred to
in the Scriptures as the Son of Perdition, the Lawless
One, the Man of Sin etc. Make no mistake, failure to
identify the Antichrist, who is to appear just before the return
of Jesus Christ to earth, will be catastrophic.
No one can afford to mistake the identity of the Antichrist. To do so could cost a person eternal life! This Biblebased article will help the reader identify him when he makes his appearance. Read it prayerfully, several times over, and keep it in a safe place. In the Bible the Antichrist is known by several names or descriptions. They are:
Some of our readers will be acquainted with these terms, for many books and articles have been written about the Antichrist. But, strange as it may seem, comparatively few writers support with scriptural proof their conclusions about the Antichrist. Therefore in order to arrive at the truth, we will allow the Scriptures alone to give us the answer to the question:
Who/What is the Antichrist?
As we have already pointed out, failure to identify the Antichrist
will be catastrophic. The reader is advised, therefore, to check
all the statements and conclusions made in this article to confirm
that they are scripturally sound. If you do not agree with what
is written here, then let us have your opinion; making sure that
you give an alternative explanation to all the texts that we have
used to prove our stand. Six identifying clues about the Antichrist
will now be considered.
CLUE NO. 1
The Antichrist is the 'Man of Sin'
2 Thess.2: | 3: Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; |
He is called the man of sin (another word for lawlessness) because he vainly thinks that he can break and finally change the law of the Almighty God. According to the prophet Daniel the particular commandments the Antichrist vainly imagines he can break and change are the ones which deal with the element of time. This means the Sabbath commandments; for they are the only ones in the law of God which deal with the element of time.
Daniel 7: | 25: And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: |
The Aramaic word sh@na' {shen-aw'} means to change,
transform, frustrate. And the Aramaic word z@man
{zem-awn'} means a set time or season.
In other words the Antichrist would attempt to change,
transform and frustrate the Almighty's set or appointed
times in God's law. And that is exactly what the Lawless
One has tried to do by introducing the pagan festivals of Christmas, Easter and Sunday.
CLUE NO. 2
The Antichrist lived before the year AD 96.
When the prophecy of the Revelation was being given (about AD 96) the Beast, to all intents and purposes, was dead.
Rev.17: 8: The beast that thou sawest was, and is not
This is a vital clue; for it tells us that the Beast lived before
the year AD 96; 'he was' (was alive) before
the Revelation was given. It also tells us that the Beast
was dead in that year; he 'is not;' was not alive
when the prophecy was given. A small but vital clue, so remember
it.
CLUE NO. 3
The Antichrist will rise to life from out of the Bottomless Pit.
Rev.11: | 7: And when they shall have finished their testimony,
the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make
war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. |
Rev.17: | 8: The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and
shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition
|
According to Strong's Bible Dictionary the Greek word abussos
{ab'-us-sos} translated Bottomless Pit is the
bottomless, unbounded abyss: a pit of immeasurable depth:
a very deep gulf or chasm in the lowest parts of the earth used
as the common receptacle of the dead and especially as the abode
of demons
In the Gospel of Luke we read how evil angels in times past begged Jesus not to order them to the 'deep,' the 'abussos,' the Bottomless Pit, the Abyss, the angel penitentiary where the Beast is being held captive.
Luke 8: | 31: And they besought him that he would not command
them to go out into the deep. |
2 Peter 2:4 | For if God spared not the angels that sinned,
but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into
chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment. |
Jude 6 | And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. |
In other words, many evil angels are currently being held captive
in the Abyss (the Bottomless Pit, a place in the lowest parts
of the earth) where they await their Day of Judgement.
Free-roaming demons are terrified of being sent there. This
clue tells us that the Antichrist comes from that place - the
Bottomless Pit!
CLUE NO. 4
When the Antichrist rises from the Abyss he will reveal himself to mankind and claim to be God!
Rev.17: | 8: The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall
ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they
that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written
in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when
they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. |
2 Thess.2: | 4: Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that
is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth
in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 5: Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 6: And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7: For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 8: And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming. |
So important is this clue that it must be repeated: When the Antichrist
ascends from out of the Abyss, he will claim to be God and
will reveal himself to mankind!
Notice that the Antichrist doesn't merely speak as though he were
an infallible spokesman of God. Many Roman Catholic and Protestant
leaders already do that. Oh no, the Antichrist goes much further;
he will reveal himself to mankind and say: I AM GOD!
CLUE NO. 5
The Antichrist will reign for three and a half years (42 months).
After being released from the Abyss the Antichrist will begin
a world-wide reign of terror which is scheduled to last three
and a half years or 42 months. During this period virtually
every person on earth will worship the Antichrist as God!
Dan.7: | 25: And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. |
This makes a total of three and a half years or 42 months.
Rev.13: | 5: And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great
things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue
forty and two months. 6: And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. 7: And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. 8: And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. |
CLUE NO. 6
Antichrist will attack the armies of heaven and challenge Jesus Christ himself.
According to the prophecy of Daniel 8 the Little Horn will attack
the army of heaven, enter the heavenly Temple and cast many of
God's holy angels to the earth. He will even challenge Christ,
the Prince of the heavenly host!
Dan.8: | 10: And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and
it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground,
and stamped upon them. 11: Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. |
The temporary victory against the heavenly sanctuary and its host deludes the Antichrist into thinking he can even prevent the true Messiah from returning to the earth. In a vain attempt to accomplish this futile plan, the Antichrist, Beast marshals the armies of the world to make war against the Saviour at his second advent.
Rev.19: | 19: And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth,
and their armies, gathered together to make war against
him that sat on the horse, and against his army. 20: And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. |
That is how the Antichrist will meet his death: in the lake
of fire. From that death the Antichrist will never rise again.
POPULAR BELIEFS ABOUT THE ANTICHRIST
Incredible as it may seem, none of the popular interpretations
about the Antichrist fit these six scriptural clues. Most do not
fit even two clues, let alone all six. Let us now consider some
of the popular opinions about the Antichrist that are circulating
in the Christian world.
International Communism
Many groups believed that International Communism
was the Antichrist. In view of the break up of the former Soviet
Union that interpretation is now dead. Communism, in fact, does
not match clues 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.
United Nations Organisation (UN)
Others think that the UN is the Antichrist. But the UN's
impotence is all too evident these days. Besides, the UN doesn't
fit a single one of those six clues; so it cannot be the Beast.
European Economic Community (EEC):
Still others think that the EEC is the Antichrist; that
as the resurrected Roman Empire it will some day govern the whole
world. But the EEC also doesn't match a single one of those six
clues. Besides the EEC has been in existence a lot longer than
three and a half years.
The Papacy
Millions of Protestants believe that the Papacy is the
Antichrist. This is a tragic mistake. How do we know? Because
of the following reasons:
A New World Order
Some groups believe that the Antichrist is a New World Order,
a coalition of the world's religious and political systems. To
be sure, when the Antichrist appears he will head the world's
final political, religious and military systems; which, as predicted,
are led by him to attack the land of Israel (Zech.14:1). But
the Antichrist is not the system itself. When he arrives a
confederacy of the remnants of all the powers that have gone before
(the lion, the bear, the leopard etc.) will be under his leadership;
but the Antichrist is not the confederacy. He is the MIND in
the seventh head; five previous heads had fallen (those that had ruled ancient Egypt, Assyria, Babylon,Medo/Persia, Greece); the sixth (Rome) was still in power in AD
96. The seventh world empire is in the process of development. It is coming
into existence at this very moment. (1998) Antichrist will indeed
head this world-dominating end-time religio/political systems; but
he is not a world empire. I repeat, he is the seventh head of
the world's last empire. He is the brain that will control it. The belief that the Antichrist is a composite religiopolitical
confederacy is incomplete; it does not fit all the scriptural
clues we have listed in this article.
THEY ARE:
Clue No.1 refers to the Antichrist as the Man of Lawlessness,
the Son of Perdition. One could hardly refer to a world
order as a man!
Clue No.2 requires that the Antichrist existed before AD96.
How could it logically be called a 'new world order' if
it existed long ago?
Clue No.3 requires that the Antichrist is resurrected from
the Abyss. The Abyss, as we have learned, is an angel dungeon
which remains shut till after the 144000 are sealed. The Abyss
houses evil angels, not human beings or manmade systems.
Clues 4 & 5 say the Antichrist will claim to be
God; and that virtually all the peoples of the world will
worship him as God. How can a religio/political system
claim to be God? And even more unthinkable, can you imagine
the peoples of the world accepting such a claim and then worshipping
that confederacy as God? The idea is farcical.
Satan the Devil
Others believe that Antichrist is Satan the Devil.
They are also mistaken, because of the following reasons.
In other words, we are dealing with two separate beings:
WHO OR WHAT, THEN, IS THE ANTICHRIST?
Now that we have examined what the Scriptures have to say about the Antichrist; and how the popular interpretations concerning him do not match those six clues, the question still remains: Who or what is the Antichrist? The following answer takes into account the scriptural clues detailed in this article. We trust that you will prayerfully consider it. Before giving the answer let us summarise what we have already learned from those six clues:
QUESTION: Who, then, is the Antichrist?
ANSWER: With those six scriptural clues in mind we answer
as follows:
Abaddon is the leading demon to be released from the Abyss from where the Beast comes. Abaddon is called the King of the Bottomless Pit. He alone can fit those six scriptural clues. If you will read Revelation chapter 9 you will get some idea of how this sadist of unspeakable depravity will behave when he is released from the Abyss. The only safeguard against Abaddon the Destroyer is to accept the Seal of God in your forehead (your mind). Yahweh's seal is His law; and the Sabbath Days in His law are His Signature, His Sign.
Isa. 8:16 Bind up the testimony, seal the LAW among my disciples.
Heb.8: | 10: For this is the covenant that I will make with the
house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put
my LAWS into their mind, and write them on their hearts... |
Eze.20: | 12: Moreover also I gave them my Sabbaths, to be a SIGN between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them. |
When the Abyss is opened the world is going to witness scenes of awful terror. Because that is when Abaddon the Exterminator will arise from the Abyss to brutalise mankind. Yes, ABADDON IS THE ANTICHRIST for he alone fits those six identifying clues.
Rev.9: | 11: And they had a king over them, which is the Angel of the bottomless pit (the Abyss) whose name in the Hebrew is ABADDON, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon (the Destroyer) |
The prophecy also tells us that three unclean spirits like frogs, the spirits of devils, issue from the mouths of the Dragon, the Beast and the false Prophet. In other words, the Antichrist (the Beast) is an evil, unclean being like Satan the Devil and the False Prophet. Unclean output (lies) issues from each of their mouths.
Rev.16: | 13: And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. |
As king of the evil host which emerges from the Bottomless Pit, Abaddon is the personification of evil, a sadist of unspeakable depravity and he speaks with an unclean, lying tongue!
These are questions which you must be able to answer correctly.
Patiently waiting to be raptured away to heaven when the
Scriptures warn of lawlessness and impending doom is courting
disaster to say the least. You must awake to the realities of
the great rebellion against law and order that is currently
sweeping the world. You must also be on your guard against those
who preach lawlessness from the pulpit; that the Law of
the Almighty is obsolete and that the Sabbath and Festival commandments
in it have been changed or done away with. Be on special guard
against that dangerous deception!