Antichrists / Antichrist

Antichrists:

God states that mankind is living in the ‘last time', the last era, the last period of earth's history. Though we are on the lookout for one man who will be the uber-Antichrist, we recognize that before he comes there will be many lesser evil men characterized by a “spirit of antichrist”.

• 1 John 2:18 HCSB Children, it is the last hour. And as you have heard, "Antichrist is coming," even now many antichrists have come. We know from this that it is the last hour.

The original Greek word for ‘antichrist' can have two meanings. It can mean ‘against Christ', in the sense of someone or some power who opposes the work of Christ. Or alternatively, the word can mean ‘instead of Christ', signifying a person or power who ‘takes the place of Christ', or is a ‘counterfeit of Christ'. Antichrists may portray themselves as Christians, but they are characterized by deception and disloyalty.

• 1 John 2:19, 26 HCSB They (the antichrists present in John’s day) went out from us, but they did not belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. However, they went out so that it might be made clear that none of them belongs to us… I have written these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you.

According to God's Word, antichrists are counterfeit Christians who split away from the body of true believers. They are liars who deny the sufficiency of Jesus for salvation.

• 1 John 2:22 HCSB Who is the liar, if not the one who denies that Jesus is the Messiah? He is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.
• 2 John 1:7 HCSB Many deceivers have gone out into the world; they do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.

Antichrists are not atheists. They are not pagans waging a war against Jesus. They are individuals who are preaching a gospel, but it not the true gospel. It is a ‘different gospel'. They will sometimes be difficult to identify because they disguise themselves as servants of righteousness.

• 2 Corinthians 11:4 HCSB For if a person comes and preaches another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or you receive a different spirit, which you had not received, or a different gospel, which you had not accepted, you put up with it splendidly!
• 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 HCSB For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder! For Satan himself is disguised as an angel of light. 15 So it is no great thing if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their destiny will be according to their works.

Jesus cautioned the Church about the deceptive work of these counterfeit prophets. They will seem like “sheep” (part of the fold) but are actually predators. Just because someone claims to be one of the Ransomed doesn’t make it so. The ability to prophesy, to cast out demons and even to do miracles is no guarantee. Jesus describes them as “lawbreakers” which seems to imply that they will lead people to accept immoral behavior under the banner of grace.

• Matthew 7:15 HCSB "Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravaging wolves.
• Matthew 7:21-23 HCSB "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord!' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to Me, 'Lord, Lord, didn't we prophesy in Your name, drive out demons in Your name, and do many miracles in Your name?' 23 Then I will announce to them, 'I never knew you! Depart from Me, you lawbreakers!'

Jesus further warned that during the period leading up to His Second Coming at the end of the Church age, antichrists would not only come in His name, they would actually try to impersonate Him, claiming to be the returned Messiah. Their claims will even be accompanied by miraculous acts.

• Matthew 24:4-5 HCSB Then Jesus replied to them: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Messiah,' and they will deceive many.
• Matthew 24:24-26 HCSB False messiahs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 Take note: I have told you in advance. 26 So if they tell you, 'Look, he's in the wilderness!' don't go out; 'Look, he's in the inner rooms!' do not believe it.

The Antichrist:

Just before the day of the Second Coming of Jesus, there will be a man who will be the manifestation of the great and final Antichrist, the antichrist who ‘is to come'. With all his frightening power he will still be only human.

• Daniel 7:2-4 HCSB Daniel said, "In my vision at night I was watching, and suddenly the four winds of heaven stirred up the great sea. 3 Four huge beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other. 4 "The first was like a lion but had eagle's wings. I continued watching until its wings were torn off. It was lifted up from the ground, set on its feet like a man, and given a human mind.
• 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 HCSB Don't let anyone deceive you in any way. For that day will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction. 4 He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he sits in God's sanctuary, publicizing that he himself is God.

Satan will enter this man’s body and present his counterfeit, called by the Ransomed the Antichrist, as the Messiah. The Antichrist will come out of an amalgamation of Western nations, save Israel from apparently certain destruction and “confirm” a seven year Middle East peace treaty that he will break three and a half years later.

• Daniel 9:27 HCSB He will make a firm covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and offering. And the abomination of desolation will be on a wing of the temple until the decreed destruction is poured out on the desolator."

Note: He will not necessarily create this covenant. The Bible is very careful to state that he only “confirms” (Strong’s #1396 [gabar]) it. It might mean that he signs on to it or that he agrees to enforce it.

Again, this Antichrist referred to as the “lawless” one. He will come with all of Satan’s considerable power backing him, performing miracles, signs and wonders. However he will eventually be unmasked for the pretender he really is.

• 2 Thessalonians 2:8-10 HCSB and then the lawless one will be revealed. The Lord Jesus will destroy him with the breath of His mouth and will bring him to nothing with the brightness of His coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is based on Satan's working, with all kinds of false miracles, signs, and wonders, 10 and with every unrighteous deception among those who are perishing. They perish because they did not accept the love of the truth in order to be saved.

Note: In view of this characterization of antichristian behavior as “lawless” and the description of the unsaved as “lawbreakers” in Matthew 7:23 as well as the depiction of the true children of Israel and of God as being keepers of God’s commandments as well as having a testimony of Christ, (Revelation 12:17) it is interesting to note the current attitude many so-called Christians have toward the Old Testament and the Sinaitic Law.

He will originally be a part of a group of ten powerful men. According to Daniel these will be “landless” kings. Perhaps they will be CEO’s of powerful multinational corporations who will initially back the Antichrist’s bid for power in the hopes of economic stability. At first he will repay them with gifts of land. However, he will betray three of these men and begin vying for world domination.

• Daniel 7:7-8 HCSB "While I was watching in the night visions, a fourth beast appeared, frightening and dreadful, and incredibly strong, with large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed, and it trampled with its feet whatever was left. It was different from all the beasts before it, and it had 10 horns. 8 "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. There were eyes in this horn like a man's, and it had a mouth that spoke arrogantly.
• Daniel 11:39 He will deal with the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign god. He will greatly honor those who acknowledge him, making them rulers over many and distributing land as a reward.
• Revelation 13:1-2 HCSB (12:18) (He stood on the sand of the sea.) And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea. He had 10 horns and seven heads. On his horns were 10 diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names. 2 The beast I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like a bear's, and his mouth was like a lion's mouth. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority.
• Revelation 17:12 HCSB The 10 horns you saw are 10 kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they will receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour.

Note: Horns are often used in biblical prophecy to indicate power or authority. In Revelation, we see that these ten powerful figures will attempt to merge into one world subjugating power. Their influence and ability will be Satanically backed.

I believe that this powerful league will likely be part of a revived Roman Empire.

• Daniel 9:26-27 HCSB After those 62 weeks the Messiah will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the coming prince 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. 27 He will make a firm covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and offering. And the abomination of desolation will be on a wing of the temple until the decreed destruction is poured out on the desolator."
• Revelation 17:8 HCSB The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up from the abyss and go to destruction. Those who live on the earth whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will be astounded when they see the beast that was, and is not, and will be present again.

Note: The nation that “cut off” the Messiah and destroyed both Jerusalem and the Temple was the Romans. In the same breath Daniel says that a prince of this people will establish a seven year treaty, break it and bring the Abomination of Desolation; all traits of the coming Antichrist. John predicts that this future beast will come from a government that “was, is not, and will be present again.” My vote is for a revived Romans Empire.

At the time, there will be a world-spanning religious system that persecutes the saints. This system will be run by a group of seven leaders. The Antichrist will be one of the backroom power brokers in that system. He will not be one of the seven. He will be an “eighth”. Perhaps because of this, he will, along with the 10 “landless kings,” overthrow this system, hoping to step into the power vacuum.

• Revelation 17:10-13 HCSB They are also seven kings: five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he comes, he must remain for a little while. 11 The beast that was and is not, is himself the eighth, yet is of the seven and goes to destruction. 12 The 10 horns you saw are 10 kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they will receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour. 13 These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast.

There may be a suggestion that the “Ten” may use an outbreak of pestilence as an excuse to nuke this “whore of Babylon” the world spanning religious system.

• Revelation 17:16 HCSB The 10 horns you saw, and the beast, will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, devour her flesh, and burn her up with fire.
• Revelation 18:8-10 HCSB therefore her plagues will come in one day--death, and grief, and famine. She will be burned up with fire, because the Lord God who judges her is mighty. 9 The kings of the earth who have committed sexual immorality and lived luxuriously with her will weep and mourn over her when they see the smoke of her burning. 10 They stand far off in fear of her torment, saying: Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the mighty city! For in a single hour your judgment has come.
• Revelation 18:17-21 HCSB because in a single hour such fabulous wealth was destroyed! And every shipmaster, seafarer, the sailors, and all who do business by sea, stood far off 18 as they watched the smoke from her burning and kept crying out: "Who is like the great city?" 19 They threw dust on their heads and kept crying out, weeping, and mourning: Woe, woe, the great city, where all those who have ships on the sea became rich from her wealth; because in a single hour she was destroyed. 20 Rejoice over her, heaven, and you saints, apostles, and prophets, because God has executed your judgment on her! 21 Then a mighty angel picked up a stone like a large millstone and threw it into the sea, saying: In this way, Babylon the great city will be thrown down violently and never be found again.
• Revelation 8:9-11 HCSB a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. 10 The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from heaven. It fell on a third of the rivers and springs of water. 11 The name of the star is Wormwood, and a third of the waters became wormwood. So, many of the people died from the waters, because they had been made bitter.

Note: That the Ten will be the instrument of Babylon’s destruction is clear from Revelation 17:16. That she will suddenly and calamitously suffer from a plague is clear from Revelation 18:8. Comparing those two passages you will notice that the Ten “devour her flesh”. This may imply that they are behind this catastrophic plague. The plague comes on in “a day” but her destruction by fire comes on in “an hour.” Most of the earth will see the smoke of her burning and according to Revelation 18:17, all ships will have to “stand off” perhaps because of the fallout. According to Revelation 8:9-11 this act will poison a third of all oceanic life. This will further cause the eventual poisoning of a third of all planetary water systems and the deaths of “many people.”

He will be brilliant, cunning and crafty. He will be arrogant and insolent. His true skill will be like his father the Devil’s – deceit. At first this strategy will succeed but only until he comes face to face with the Lord of Hosts.

• Daniel 8:23-25 HCSB Near the end of their kingdoms, when the rebels have reached the full measure of their sin, an insolent king, skilled in intrigue, will come to the throne. 24 His power will be great, but it will not be his own. He will cause terrible destruction and succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the powerful along with the holy people. 25 He will cause deceit to prosper through his cunning and by his influence, and in his own mind he will make himself great. In a time of peace, he will destroy many; he will even stand against the Prince of princes. But he will be shattered, not by human hands.

He will be a boastful man.

• Daniel 7:8 HCSB "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. There were eyes in this horn like a man's, and it had a mouth that spoke arrogantly.
• Daniel 7:20 HCSB I also wanted to know about the 10 horns on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three fell--the horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spoke arrogantly, and that was more visible than the others.
• Daniel 8:23-25 HCSB Near the end of their kingdoms, when the rebels have reached the full measure of their sin, an insolent king, skilled in intrigue, will come to the throne. 24 His power will be great, but it will not be his own. He will cause terrible destruction and succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the powerful along with the holy people. 25 He will cause deceit to prosper through his cunning and by his influence, and in his own mind he will make himself great. In a time of peace, he will destroy many; he will even stand against the Prince of princes. But he will be shattered, not by human hands.

Where the Ten will be quietly working in the background, the Antichrist will be very much a public figure.

• Daniel 7:20 HCSB I also wanted to know about the 10 horns on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three fell--the horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spoke arrogantly, and that was more visible than the others.

He will be temporarily allowed to persecute the saints, which obviously entails there still being believers around. This creates difficulties for a pre-tribulation rapture.

• Daniel 7:21 HCSB As I was watching, this horn made war with the holy ones and was prevailing over them
• Daniel 7:25 HCSB He will speak words against the Most High and oppress the holy ones of the Most High. He will intend to change religious festivals and laws, and the holy ones will be handed over to him for a time, times, and half a time.
• Daniel 11:36 HCSB "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.
• Revelation 11:7-8 HCSB When they (the two witnesses) finish their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, conquer them, and kill them. 8 Their dead bodies will lie in the public square of the great city, which is called, prophetically, Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.
• Revelation 12:17 HCSB So the dragon was furious with the woman and left to wage war against the rest of her offspring--those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony about Jesus.
• Revelation 13:7 HCSB And he was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them. He was also given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation.

He will receive a fatal wound, perhaps from an assassination attempt, and will miraculously survive it. A partner, a self-proclaimed prophet will parlay that wondrous miracle into a religious, cultish frenzy over the Antichrist.

• Revelation 13:3 HCSB One of his heads appeared to be fatally wounded, but his fatal wound was healed. The whole earth was amazed and followed the beast.
• Revelation 13:11-14 HCSB Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; he had two horns like a lamb, but he sounded like a dragon. 12 He exercises all the authority of the first beast on his behalf and compels the earth and those who live on it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. 13 He also performs great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth before people. 14 He deceives those who live on the earth because of the signs that he is permitted to perform on behalf of the beast, telling those who live on the earth to make an image of the beast who had the sword wound yet lived.

It is perhaps at this point that he will decide that he actually wants to be worshipped as a god. He will undertake what the Bible refers to as the Abomination of Desolation. He will enter the rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem and declare himself to be God. This act will signal not only the last have of the tribulation, called the Great Tribulation and the Great Day of God’s wrath, but also, according to Christ, the rapture of the Ransomed.

• Daniel 11:31 HCSB His forces will rise up and desecrate the temple fortress. They will abolish the daily sacrifice and set up the abomination of desolation.

• Matthew 24:15-22 HCSB "So when you see the abomination that causes desolation, spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place" (let the reader understand), 16 "then those in Judea must flee to the mountains! 17 A man on the housetop must not come down to get things out of his house. 18 And a man in the field must not go back to get his clothes. 19 Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days! 20 Pray that your escape may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For at that time there will be great tribulation, the kind that hasn't taken place from the beginning of the world until now and never will again! 22 Unless those days were limited, no one would survive. But those days will be limited because of the elect.
• Matthew 24:30-33 HCSB "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the peoples of the earth will mourn; and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. 32 "Now learn this parable from the fig tree: As soon as its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 In the same way, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near--at the door!
• Mark 13:14-27 HCSB "When you see the abomination that causes desolation standing where it should not" (let the reader understand), "then those in Judea must flee to the mountains! 15 A man on the housetop must not come down or go in to get anything out of his house. 16 And a man in the field must not go back to get his clothes. 17 Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days! 18 Pray it won't happen in winter. 19 For those will be days of tribulation, the kind that hasn't been from the beginning of the world, which God created, until now and never will be again! 20 Unless the Lord limited those days, no one would survive. But He limited those days because of the elect, whom He chose. 21 "Then if anyone tells you, 'Look, here is the Messiah! Look--there!' do not believe it! 22 For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and will perform signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, the elect. 23 And you must watch! I have told you everything in advance. 24 "But in those days, after that tribulation: The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not shed its light; 25 the stars will be falling from the sky, and the celestial powers will be shaken. 26 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 He will send out the angels and gather His elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of the sky.
• 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 HCSB Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to Him: we ask you, brothers, 2 not to be easily upset in mind or troubled, either by a spirit or by a message or by a letter as if from us, alleging that the Day of the Lord has come. 3 Don't let anyone deceive you in any way. For that day will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction. 4 He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he sits in God's sanctuary, publicizing that he himself is God.

He will cause the daily sacrifices that will have been taking place in the rebuilt Temple to cease.

• Daniel 11:31 HCSB His forces will rise up and desecrate the temple fortress. They will abolish the daily sacrifice and set up the abomination of desolation.

His prophet will build an image of the Antichrist and will be Satanically granted the power to give the image life and demonic power. Everyone who does not follow Christ will worship the Antichrist through his image. This act will spell their doom.

• Revelation 13:14-15 HCSB He deceives those who live on the earth because of the signs that he is permitted to perform on behalf of the beast, telling those who live on the earth to make an image of the beast who had the sword wound yet lived. 15 He was permitted to give a spirit to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast could both speak and cause whoever would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.
• Revelation 14:9-11 HCSB And a third angel followed them and spoke with a loud voice: "If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he will also drink the wine of God's wrath, which is mixed full strength in the cup of His anger. He will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the sight of the holy angels and in the sight of the Lamb, 11 and the smoke of their torment will go up forever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or anyone who receives the mark of his name.
• Revelation 15:2 HCSB I also saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had won the victory from the beast, his image, and the number of his name, were standing on the sea of glass with harps from God.
• Revelation 16:2 HCSB The first went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and severely painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and who worshiped his image.
• Revelation 19:20 HCSB But the beast was taken prisoner, and along with him the false prophet, who had performed signs on his authority, by which he deceived those who accepted the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.
• Revelation 20:4 HCSB Then I saw thrones, and people seated on them who were given authority to judge. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of God's word, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and who had not accepted the mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with the Messiah for 1,000 years.

In an attempt to control the world economy he will cause everyone under his dominion to take a “mark” upon them. This mark will be a number that represents his name.

• Revelation 13:16-18 HCSB And he requires everyone--small and great, rich and poor, free and slave--to be given a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, 17 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark: the beast's name or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom: The one who has understanding must calculate the number of the beast, because it is the number of a man. His number is 666.
• Revelation 14:11 HCSB and the smoke of their torment will go up forever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or anyone who receives the mark of his name.

He will be a military man who will justify his belligerence by claiming to seek peace by any means possible. This internationally deified dictator will inaugurate a world peace program that holds the world spellbound for 42 months, or three and one-half years. When the world believes utopia has arrived, the bottom falls out.

• Daniel 11:31 HCSB His forces will rise up and desecrate the temple fortress. They will abolish the daily sacrifice and set up the abomination of desolation.
• Daniel 11:35-12:13 HCSB Some of the wise will fall so that they may be refined, purified, and cleansed until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time. 36 "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. 37 He will not show regard for the gods of his fathers, the god longed for by women, or for any other god, because he will magnify himself above all. 38 Instead, he will honor a god of fortresses--a god his fathers did not know--with gold, silver, precious stones, and riches. 39 He will deal with the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign god. He will greatly honor those who acknowledge him, making them rulers over many and distributing land as a reward. 40 "At the time of the end, the king of the South will engage him in battle, but the king of the North will storm against him with chariots, horsemen, and many ships. He will invade countries and sweep through them like a flood. 41 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. 42 He will extend his power against the countries, and not even the land of Egypt will escape. 43 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. 44 But reports from the east and the north will terrify him, and he will go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many. 45 He will pitch his royal tents between the sea and the beautiful holy mountain, but he will meet his end with no one to help him. 12:1 At that time Michael the great prince who stands watch over your people will rise up. There will be a time of distress such as never has occurred since nations came into being until that time. But at that time all your people who are found written in the book will escape. 2 Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to eternal life, and some to shame and eternal contempt. 3 Those who are wise will shine like the bright expanse of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. 4 "But you, Daniel, keep these words secret and seal the book until the time of the end. Many will roam about, and knowledge will increase." 5 Then I, Daniel, looked, and two others were standing there, one on this bank of the river and one on the other. 6 One said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, "How long until the end of these extraordinary things?" 7 Then I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river. He raised both his hands toward heaven and swore by Him who lives eternally that it would be for a time, times, and half a time. When the power of the holy people is shattered, all these things will be completed. 8 I heard but did not understand. So I asked, "My lord, what will be the outcome of these things?" 9 He said, "Go on your way, Daniel, for the words are secret and sealed until the time of the end. 10 Many will be purified, cleansed, and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; none of the wicked will understand, but the wise will understand. 11 From the time the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12 Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches 1,335 days. 13 But as for you, go on your way to the end; you will rest, then rise to your destiny at the end of the days."

Note: He will form an alliance with another ten powerful men. These men are described as kings without kingdoms but who receive promises of land and power from the Antichrist. Together, they will destroy “Babylon” and burn her to the ground. This causes a world-wide economic collapse but gives them absolute power. The Antichrist will receive a fatal wound but will manage to recover. At some point he will become satanically possessed. In the middle of the seven-year period of Tribulation, he will turn on his former allies, uprooting 3 of them. The King of the south and the king of the north will attack him. Antichrist will invade Israel (though Moab, Edom and a large part of Ammon will escape), conquer Egypt, Libya and Ethiopia. The king of the north will regroup and with the help of the king of the East will move in on Antichrist. Antichrist will swing back north and encamp between Jerusalem and the sea for a last stand. He will place himself in the Temple of Jerusalem, imitating Antiochus Epiphanes’ placing the god Zeus in the Temple, and declare himself to be God. Antichrist will break all of his pledges and destroy his contractual obligations with Israel (Daniel 9:27; 1 Thessalonians 5:3)

As he begins to battle the other kings, Jesus will return with the saints. Instantly all these forces of evil will unite against the rightful king – to no avail.

• Daniel 8:25 HCSB He will cause deceit to prosper through his cunning and by his influence, and in his own mind he will make himself great. In a time of peace, he will destroy many; he will even stand against the Prince of princes. But he will be shattered, not by human hands.
• 2 Thessalonians 2:8 HCSB and then the lawless one will be revealed. The Lord Jesus will destroy him with the breath of His mouth and will bring him to nothing with the brightness of His coming.

• Revelation 17:14 HCSB These will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will conquer them because He is Lord of lords and King of kings. Those with Him are called and elect and faithful."
• Revelation 19:11-21 HCSB Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse! Its rider is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a fiery flame, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knows except Himself. 13 He wore a robe stained with blood, and His name is called the Word of God. 14 The armies that were in heaven followed Him on white horses, wearing pure white linen. 15 From His mouth came a sharp sword, so that with it He might strike the nations. He will shepherd them with an iron scepter. He will also trample the winepress of the fierce anger of God, the Almighty. 16 And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS 17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out in a loud voice, saying to all the birds flying in mid-heaven, "Come, gather together for the great supper of God, 18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of commanders, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of their riders, and the flesh of everyone, both free and slave, small and great." 19 Then I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and against His army. 20 But the beast was taken prisoner, and along with him the false prophet, who had performed signs on his authority, by which he deceived those who accepted the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. 21 The rest were killed with the sword that came from the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.

He will be cast alive into the lake of fire and constantly tormented for eternity future.

• Revelation 19:20 HCSB But the beast was taken prisoner, and along with him the false prophet, who had performed signs on his authority, by which he deceived those who accepted the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.
• Revelation 20:10 HCSB The Devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet are, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Other names attributed to Antichrist:

1. Little horn (Daniel 7:8). The "little horn" arises out of the fourth beast, which represents Rome. It is likely that Antichrist will rise out of the revived Roman Empire. This term is also used of Antiochus Epiphanes in Daniel 8:9.
2. He is also called the willful king (Daniel 11:36).
3. The prince that shall come (Daniel 9:26). The people of the coming prince are the ones who will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The Romans destroyed the Temple in 70 AD under Titus, seeming to identify the Antichrist as a Roman head of the revived Roman Empire.
4. That man of sin (2 Thessalonians 2:3). The Antichrist is a lawless individual, the very embodiment of sin.
5. The son of perdition (2 Thessalonians 2:3). Not only does the Antichrist seek the destruction of others, but it is his own destiny. He is devoted to perdition for others, yet cannot escape it himself.
6. That wicked one (2 Thessalonians 2:8). Wicked is simply another form of the above mentioned title, "the man of sin." It is his proper name.
7. The beast…out of the sea (Revelation 13:1). This name describes both his character and his origin. He is a beast of prey like the one who empowers him (1 Peter 5:8). The sea is thought to be the sea of troubled nations (Isaiah 57:20).