Bible Word of the Day
Antichrist (One Against God and Christ, Satan’s Counterfeit)
Meaning
The word “antichrist” means against Jesus or against Christ. It’s used four times in the Bible. Three times in the letter titled First John and once in the letter title Second John. He also appears in the book of Revelation, but under the name of the “Beast”. The spirit of the antichrist is anyone who denies that God has come in the flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. The actual person whom we refer to as the Antichrist is an end-times figure who will rise to power and kick off the Tribulation period. The Apostle Paul calls him the “man of lawlessness”, the “son of perdition” the one who will “oppose and exalt himself above everything that is called good or holy. He will set himself up in the Temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.” He is also referred to as the “beast” or the “beast coming out of the sea” as John pictures him in the Book of Revelation. Throughout history we have had many displays of the characteristics of the Antichrist with infamous world leaders.
For example Nero and Domitian were classic antichrist types within history. However, neither one carried out all of the action prophesied for the Antichrist to come. Neither one fully met the requirements of the Antichrist. We have to keep in mind, Satan knows what will happen in the end, however, Satan doesn’t know when. Therefore Satan has to have his imposter ready at all times. In other words, Satan has to have a person ready “waiting in the wings” in a sense for the time of his rise to power. The Antichrist spoken of in the book of Revelation is a world leader who will be thrust upon the world stage, at first in an effort to bring peace to the world. He will do the impossible, which is he will broker and sign a seven year peace treaty with Israel and her Muslim neighbors. This will then kick off the seven year Tribulation period spoken of in Bible prophecy. At the end of the Tribulation, the Antichrist along with another figure called the False Prophet will be defeated by Jesus Himself and thrown into the Lake of Fire.
“Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” (Book of 2nd Thessalonians 2:3-4, 6-10)
“Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, ‘Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?’ And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months.” (Book of Revelation 13:1-5)