The Anti-Christ Revealed

This future person who is currently restrained (commonly understood to be the Holy Spirit’s restraining influence) until the appointed time, will wear the title "The Anti-Christ" coming in peace by deception, will be given power by Satan to perform many great signs and wonders, will rebel and blaspheme against God the Father and will force all people to worship him as a god during the Tribulation Period:

• He brings false peace and stability

  • Zechariah 11:15-17 "15 Then the Lord said to me, “Take again the equipment of a foolish shepherd. 16 For I am going to raise up a shepherd over the land who will not care for the lost, or seek the young, or heal the injured, or feed the healthy, but will eat the meat of the choice sheep, tearing off their hooves. 17 “Woe to the worthless shepherd, who deserts the flock! May the sword strike his arm and his right eye! May his arm be completely withered, his right eye totally blinded!”​

  • 2 Thessalonians 2:3-8 "3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God [the spirit of the antichrist]. 5 Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? 6 And now you know what is holding him back [the Holy Spirit], so that he may be revealed at the proper time. 7 For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth [Revelation 19:15] and destroy by the splendor of his coming."

  • Revelation 6:2 "I looked, and there before me was a white horse [false peace - imitation of Jesus in Revelation 19:11]! Its rider held a bow [symbol of war], and he was given [by the Red Dragon] a crown ["stephanos" meaning victory award], and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest [in appearance only].

• This will be a man who will lead a confederation of 10 kings in the image of a second Roman Republic that he will eventually control. 

  • Daniel 2:33, 41-43 "33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. ... 41 Just as you saw that the feet and [10] toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron [Rome], so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. 42 As the [10] toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay."

  • Daniel 7:7-8, 19-26 "7 “After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast—terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns. 8 “While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a human being and a mouth that spoke boastfully ... 19 “Then I wanted to know the meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others and most terrifying, with its iron teeth and bronze claws—the beast that crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. 20 I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell—the horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully. 21 As I watched, this horn was waging war against the holy people and defeating them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the holy people of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom. 23 “He gave me this explanation: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it. 24 The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. 25 He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time [3.5 years]

• Some believe that there will be a Gentile confederacy that will enter into a covenant with Israel and other nations for seven years, but break the covenant halfway through. 

  • Daniel 9:26-27 "26 After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. He [the Anti-Christ] will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him."

    • confirm a covenant - Imitation of peace in Ezekiel 37:26 (see Covenant Compromise)

    • one seven - seven years

    • in the middle of the sevens - 3.5 years or midpoint of the Tribulation will be the start of the Great Tribulation.

    • end of sacrifice and offering - alludes to restoration of OT mechanism for atonement of sin

    • at the temple - the 3rd Temple will be built

    • abomination that causes desolation - Anti-Christ will set up a statue of himself in the Temple for people to worship him.

      • Daniel 11:31-32 "31 “His armed forces [Antiochus Epiphanies IV in 168 BC] will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation [statue of Zeus with Antiochus' face on it]. 32 With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him."

      • Daniel 12:11-12 "11 “From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12 Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days."

      • Matthew 24:15 "So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand—"

      • 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 "3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day [the day of the Lord] will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God."

      • This is not only for the Jews; the Anti-Christ seeks to stop all true Gentile worship of God the Father.

    • until the end - Battle of Armageddon

• ​​​He will set himself up as ruler of the entire world; He is the "willful king".​

  • Daniel 11:36-45 "36 “The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed (Revelation 15:1), for what has been determined must take place. 37 He will show no regard for the gods of his ancestors or for the one desired by women, nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above them all. 38 Instead of them, he will honor a god of fortresses; a god unknown to his ancestors he will honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. 39 He will attack the mightiest fortresses with the help of a foreign god and will greatly honor those who acknowledge him. He will make them rulers over many people and will distribute the land at a price. 40 “At the time of the end the king of the South will engage him in battle, and the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood. 41 He will also invade the Beautiful Land. Many countries will fall, but Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon will be delivered from his hand. 42 He will extend his power over many countries; Egypt will not escape. 43 He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, with the Libyans and Cushites in submission. 44 But reports from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in a great rage to destroy and annihilate many. 45 He will pitch his royal tents between the seas at the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.

    • "king" - It will be a man, who will deceitfully lead a grand rebellion with the purpose of destroying the Jews and proclaiming himself the most high.

      • "little horn" - Daniel 7:8 "“While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it..."

      • Daniel 8:23-25 "23 “In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a fierce-looking king, a master of intrigue, will arise. 24 He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy those who are mighty, the holy people. 25 He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power.

      • Daniel 9:26 "...The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed."

      • 2 Thessalonians 2:3 "... for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed..."

    • "say unheard-of things against the God of gods" - he is a blasphemer

      • Daniel 7:11 "Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking..."

      • Daniel 7:25 "He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws..."

    • until the time of wrath is completed - God has ordained suffering for a limited time

      • Daniel 7:25 "... The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time [3.5 yrs]."

    • verse 37 — “the desire of women” (Hebrew: chemdat nashim)

      • This phrase is debated. Some interpret it as rejecting ordinary human attachments (including marriage/sexual desire), others as rejecting what women commonly treasure, and others as rejecting a revered object of devotion associated with women. In context, however, the controlling emphasis is not his sexuality but his total self-exaltation: he shows regard for neither the “gods of his fathers” nor any rival devotion—“nor will he regard any god”—because he “will exalt himself above them all” (Daniel 11:37).

      • Israel’s history shows how foreign worship sometimes entered through alliances and intermarriage (Numbers 25:1–3; Judges 3:6; 1 Kings 11:1–8; Ezra 9–10; Nehemiah 13), which supports reading Daniel 11:37 as rejecting even culturally powerful religious attachments—yet the main thrust remains his claim to ultimate worship. For an extended argument along these lines, see desire of women link.

​