Doctrines

John 5:43; 2 Thes 2:3; 1 John 2:18; Rev 13:5

2 Thes 2:3 reads,

’Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.’ 

The Antichrist is a person. He is described as ‘the man of lawlessness’ and ‘the son of destruction’.

1 John 2:18 specifically mentioned that ‘the Antichrist is coming’ (a special one among the many antichrists who have already come).

And Rev 13:5 calls this person ‘the beast’ who utters ‘haughty and blasphemous words.’  The description here is probably in line with the ‘man of lawlessness.’

We suspect that the name of Jesus will be cursed and swore at by the Antichrist.

Matt 24:15 mentioned the Antichrist as the ‘abomination of desolation’.

The closest historical figure to provide a shadow of the Antichrist was Antiochus IV Epiphranes who conquered Jerusalem in 167 BC, erected an altar to Zeus Olympios and sacrificed a pig on it. These were the things he did:

• Destroyed the Hebrew Scriptures methodically,
• Outlawed circumcision, Sabbath-keeping, and the observance of Jewish feasts.
• Slaughtered many Jewish women and children.

He was a cruel king to the Jews. For more information about Antiochus IV, please click here too.

What will the Antichrist do?

• He (Of course, it could also be a ‘she’ but we will use the term ‘he’ here) will rule the world, or a big part of it (See D275 – Teh Antichrist may not rule the entire world but a big part of it),
• He will declare himself as God (See D273 – The Great Tribulation begins when the Antichrist declares himself as God at the Temple),
• He will have great power (D276 – Satan’s demonstration of power will be imposing and many believers will be deceived),
• He will make the 666 monetary system mandatory for buying and selling (D280 – The 666 system becomes mandatory),
• He will make war with Jews and Christians (D274 – The Great Tribulation represents the worst of times for believers).

The Antichrist is a person.

Rev 13:5-8, 11-15

Rev 13 reveals two beasts.

Rev 13:3-7 lists the attributes of the first beast as follows:

• He has been given authority by the dragon (Rev 13:4),
• He is healed of a mortal wound (Rev 13:3),
• He speaks arrogant and blasphemous words (Rev 13:5),
• He has authority to act for 42 months (Rev 13:5),
• He swears against God and slander his name and his tabernacle (Rev 13:6),
• He wages war against believers and conquer them (Rev 13:7),
• He has authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation (Rev 13:7),
• He receives worship from people all around (Rev 13:8).

Rev 13:11-18 touches on the second beast as follows:

• He exercises the authority given to him by the first beast (Rev 13:12),
• He performs great signs to cause fire from heaven (Rev 13:13),
• He gives breath to the image of the first beast created by the people so that it could speak and act (Rev 13:14),
• He makes it mandatory for everyone to have a mark of the beast in order to buy and sell (Rev 13:16-17).

And then there is the dragon, as found in Rev 13:2. He sits supreme and it is him who gave the first beast ‘his power and his throne and great authority.’

Rev 12:9 reveals the identity of the dragon as ‘that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world.’

So, in order of hierarchy, we have Satan at the top, then the first beast, and finally the second beast.

Notice that Satan tries to replicate God but it is not exactly a Trinity of equals; more like a hierarchy.