WHO IS THE ANTICHRIST?

Who is the Wicked One? Whom also the Lord, our God, shall consume with the Spirit of His mouth and the brightness of His coming? Who is this who cometh after the working of Satan? With all deceivableness and lying wonders? Who is this that shall be cast into Eternal Fire to be tormented forever?

He is the Antichrist. He will be a mortal man ( Rev 13:18). He will become ruler of the 10 kingdoms that are yet to be formed inside the old Roman Empire territories (Rev 13:1, 17:8-17, Dan 7:23-24). He will be a blasphemer of God (Rev 13:1, 5, 17:3). He will revive the old Grecian Empire. Rev 13:2 describes the beast as unto a leopard, which in the book of Daniel symbolizes the Grecian Empire (Dan 7:6, 8:20-23, Rev 17:1-17). He will receive power, throne, and great authority from Satan (Rev 13:2, 16:13-16, 2 Thess 2:8-12, Dan 8:24-25, 11:38-39). He will have the entire world wondering after him (Rev 13:2-4, 8-18). He will be an object of worship (Rev 13:4, 14-18, 14:9-11, 15:2, 16:2, 20:4-6). He will be a supernaturally gifted orator (Rev 13:5-6, Dan 7:8, 11, 20, 25, 8:23, 11:36). He will be given power and success for 42 months (Rev 13:4, 11:1-3, 12:6, 14, Dan 7:25, 12:7). He will defy God and claim to be God himself (Rev 13:6, 2 Thess 2:3-4, Dan 7:25, 8:25, and 11:36-39). He will make war on the Jews and Christians left behind after the rapture and multitudes will be killed and beheaded by him (Rev 13:7, 15, 7:9-17, 14:13, 15:2-4, 20:4-6, Dan 7:21, 8:23-25). He will have the power to overcome saints and Jews in those days. He will even behead many of them (Rev 20:4). He will behead them for the witness (testimony) of Jesus, for the Word of God, for not worshipping his image, and for not taking his mark upon their foreheads or in their right hands (Rev 20:4).

He is called the Man of Sin because he will be the embodiment of lawlessness and leader of the great apostasy of 2 Thess 2:3, 8-12, Rev 13:1-18, 14:9-13, 15:2-4, 16:2-12. He is called the Son of Perdition because of being destined to destruction by his own rebellion, just like Judas Iscariot or any other man who sells himself to Satan (2 Thess 2:3, 8-12, Rev 13:2, Dan 8:24, 11:37-39). He will oppose God and even claim to be God. The spirit of lawlessness now works, preparing for his revelation (2 Thess 2:7). He will be a deceiver and only those who are lost will follow him (2 Thess 2:10-12, Rev 13:1-18, 14:9-11, 16:13-16, 19:20). The reason for men being deceived by him is that they have rejected truth, loved sin, and refused salvation (2 Thess 2:11-12). He will be a great delusion and a lie.

He will have a religious leader in the False Prophet who is to come ( Rev 13:11-17, 16:13-16, 19:20, 20:10). He will permit image worship of himself ( Rev 13:14-17, 14:9, 15:2, 20:4-6). He will perform many miracles and cause great deceptions ( Rev 13:13-18, 2 Thess 2:8-12). He will control money and commerce and cause craft (deceit) to prosper. He will destroy mystery Babylon and conquer many nations in those days ( Rev 17:12-17, Dan 11:40-45). He will kill the last two witnesses that God will send to His people in the latter end (Rev 11:7-12). He will change times and laws and understand mysteries (Dan 8:23, 7:25). He will cause the mark or emblem of his kingdom, or his name, or the number of his name to be branded upon the right hand or forehead of his followers among the nations (Rev 13:16-18, 14:9-11, 15:2, 16:2, 20:4-6). For it is written in Rev 13:16-18 “ 16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six ”.

The scriptures above teach clearly that he shall have 3 brands: The first is a mark ( Rev 13:16-17, 14:9-11, 15:2, 16:2, 20:4-6). That this mark is different from either his name or the number of his name is clear from these scriptures. What kind of mark it will be is not stated. It will be a literal brand upon the right hand or the forehead ( Rev 13:16, 14:9). The second is his name ( Rev 13:17, 14:11). It is not stated here or elsewhere what his name will be. The third is the number of his name ( Rev 13:17-18, 15:2). This number as revealed from the scriptures is 666. This is the number of a man, and interestingly, it is the only one of the 3 brands of the Antichrist that is revealed to us in all scriptures ( Rev 13:18). The idea that every name has a number dates back to ancient Greek and Hebrew. It is called Gematria. In the Greek and Hebrew alphabets, there is not a separate system of numbers as we currently have in the English Language where numbers and alphabets exist separately. In Greek and Hebrew, letters of alphabets also stand for numbers. The letters in the name of the future Antichrist will have a numerical value of 666. We cannot know what his mark or name will be, but we can all know what the numerical value of his name will be, for it is stated plainly to be 666. With this clue, the Lord can reveal Him to anyone who desires to know from the Lord. Now, we know a man today to whom the Lord has made him known. That which is concealed shall be revealed in its time.

Since he will not be revealed to the world until after the rapture of the church (2 Thess 2:7), and until after the formation of 10 kingdoms inside the old Roman Empire territories (Dan 7:8, 24), and until the beginning of Daniel’s 70 th week (Dan 9:27), we certainly know that no man will be able to take his mark, his name, or the number of his name before the last 31/2 years of this age (Rev 11:1-3, 12:6, 14, 13:5). It is impossible for any unbeliever to receive the mark of the beast today. People that claim that the mark of the beast are being taken today by many have no understanding of God’s truth concerning this and we beseech them to take heed and diligently search the scriptures to know the truth, lest they fall prey to greater deceit in the days to come.

The Antichrist will not come and speak as Christ, speaking for God to deceive the people as some men claim. Contrarily, he is called “Anti” Christ which literally means “Against Christ”. He is against Christ and God and will not speak the words of God. According to the word of the Lord, this man will speak blasphemies against God (Dan 7:8, 25, 11:36, Rev 13:1, 5-8, 17:3) and declare that God has no Son, for he (Antichrist) is against Christ who is also God (John 1:1, 1 John 4:3).

Now here is the strange thing: These same words are inscribed in Arabic on the dome of the rock on the Temple Mount (Haram al-Sharif in Arabic) in Jerusalem as we speak. This is the third holiest site in Islam. These words are written in Arabic on the south side, eastern entrance, and the northern portal of the dome and it literally says that GOD HAS NO SON. Another interesting quest is this: when anyone hears of the word behead (i.e. to cut off the neck), what comes to your mind? Great evil you will all say. But what else comes to mind? You know what it is? It is the religion of Islam. Permit us to digress a little here and quote to you all what is written in the Moslem Qur’an: It is written in their book in Sura 47:4 “ Therefore, when ye meet the Unbelievers (in fight), smite at their necks... ” This is the authority by which Moslems behead as we currently see in Iraq today and many parts of the world. During the early stages of the Iraq war when many guerilla groups took some western men hostage and beheaded them, this is the quotation they cite before they cut off the neck of the hostage. Yet still, beheadings are still ongoing in Iraq today as we speak. Now, all these things are a shadow of things to come. By revelation from the Holy Spirit we know that Islam is coming to the world and shall devour it in the days to come. It shall be after the catching away, after the rapture of the church. Behold, we have already told you. If any man has an ear, let him hear. He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity.

Now why do we speak in this manner? Did the Word of the Lord which we all believe to be absolutely true not clearly declare that this man i.e. the Antichrist, shall make war on the saints (Christians and Jews left behind after the rapture because of sin) and prevail against them (Dan 7:21, 25, 8:23-25, 9:27, 11:35-45, 12:7, Rev 11:7, 13:7, 14:9-11, 15:2-4, 20:4-6)? Did the scriptures not say clearly that he (the Antichrist) shall behead (Greek word is pelekizo, meaning to behead) many saints of God (Rev 20:4)? He will behead them for the witness (testimony) of Jesus, for the Word of God, for not worshipping his image, and for not taking his mark upon their foreheads or in their right hands. Are these things not also written in Rev 20:4? Is it not also written in Rev 7:9-17 that these people will be so many that Apostle John was unable to know their number? How can such multitudes be slain? It is because it is the powers that shall be that will slay them, and God has purposed it to be so. But yet praise be the name of the Lord for these men will tarry in His presence forever in the New Jerusalem in Heaven and shall no longer go out.

The appointed time that all these things will take place is the time of the Great Tribulation. If God calls the time of the future Great Tribulation as a time of great trouble that the world has never seen since it was created in the very beginning or ever will see again, do you think God was speaking in hyperboles? Exaggerations? Never! God is truth in its absoluteness. His words are always true for He is the Truth. So then, we believe that the future time of Great Tribulation that shall come upon the entire world in the days to come passes present human knowledge and reasoning. For God Himself said this would be a time of trouble the world has never seen before or ever will see again. Ever!

So then, who again is the Antichrist and from whence does he come? He is a mortal man, a Gentile Moslem, an Edomite. He shall arise from his place in the East, the Middle East, about the Great Sea called the Mediterranean. He shall come from ancient Assyria (Isa 10:20-27, 14:24-27, 30:18-33, 31:4-32:20, and Micah 5:3-15) and shall have a kingdom in Iraq which is also called Babylon (Isa 14:4). He is the Prince that shall come (Dan 9:27), that shall tread down the holy city, even Ariel, which is also called Jerusalem in Judah, for 42 months (Rev 13:5). There, and then shall he come to his utter end and none shall help him. According as it written, so it shall be. It is done!

Behold, we have already told you these things before they happen; so that in the days that these things come to pass, he that readeth may understand and believe that this is the word of the Lord. Our Lord Jesus Christ has commanded us to teach these things very quickly for there should be time no longer. Again, this we say, according to the word of the Lord. We shall be here a little while longer, and thereafter we shall go away to Him that sent us. Now, praise be the name of the Lord for he has made all these things known to us all as children of light that we may remain in Him, in the light, unto the end. The catching away shall be, the Man of Sin shall come, and the day of the Lord shall end it all. This is that which is determined and according as it is written, so shall it be. Now we pray that our Lord will make you all to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do towards you, to write these things to you, to the end that He may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at His coming. The Lord cometh shortly. Prepare, Watch, and Be Ready. May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.