According to the Bible, there will be two main signs that will happen before the Day of the Lord (2 Thess. 2:1-3). The first sign is apostasy. Many Christians will fall away from the truth and go into error. The second sign is the Antichrist.
We see apostasy today. False teachings and false prophecies are widespread within the church. However, we don’t yet see the Antichrist. This means that the Day of the Lord has not yet come.
There is no virtue in believing that the Day of the Lord is here if it’s not. Throughout history Christians have been deceived about when the Lord would return, and they became foolish in the process. In the 1800s, William Miller led a large group of sincere believers onto the top of a hill because he said the Day of the Lord had come. After waiting a while, it became obvious they were wrong. They went down from the hill, depressed. Ellen G. White came along and created the Seventh Day Adventist church out of the broken pieces of this group.
We need to be aware of what the Bible says about the end times so that we are not deceived.
Before the Day of the Lord comes, the Antichrist will appear. It’s important to recognize what the Bible says about the Antichrist so we don’t think the Antichrist is someone he isn’t. Some Christians believed Ronald Wilson Reagan was the Antichrist because he has 6 letters in his first, middle, and last names – 666. Others believed that Barack Obama was the Antichrist, while others believed that Juan Carlos King of Spain was the Antichrist. There is no virtue in believing such things.
The Bible shows us what the Antichrist will be like.
In 2 Thessalonians 2, the Antichrist is called “the man of sin” – he will be characterized by sinfulness and the promotion of sin. He is called the “son of perdition” which means he is totally lost. He will oppose the worship of anyone or anything except himself. He will claim to be God. He will be inside “the temple of God.” The temple of God is the church (Eph. 2:19-21). The Antichrist will be a false Christian.
The Antichrist is called the “lawless one.” According to Jesus, “lawlessness” is the condition of those who hear God’s words but don’t obey them (Matt. 7:21-23, 26-27). Lawless Christians call Jesus “Lord, Lord” and may even work miracles, but they don’t do what Jesus says. The Antichrist will be a false Christian who will not obey the word of God.
The Antichrist will work miracles. He will be very deceptive, claiming to be someone he isn’t.
John warned that many antichrists had already come (1 John 2:18-19). These little antichrists were false teachers and false prophets who opposed God’s work. They began in the true apostolic church, but went out from there, forming their own denominations. At the end of time, the big Antichrist will come, and he will be worse than all the little antichrists who came before him.
John gives us a test to discern the spirit of the Antichrist. “Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist” (1 John 4:2-3).
This test can mean two things. 1. The Antichrist won’t admit that Jesus Christ came in human flesh. 2. The Antichrist will not confess (say the same things as – in Greek) the true Jesus Christ who came in the flesh 2000 years ago. He won’t have the same doctrine. We can test the Antichrist through the teachings of the Bible, because the Antichrist won’t follow the Bible.
Daniel describes the global government that will dominate the world at the end of the age (Dan. 7:23-27). This government will be different from any government before it, and it will be very destructive. It will rule the whole world. The Antichrist will arise and take over leadership of this government. He will speak against God. He will drastically change times and laws. He will persecute Christians.
Daniel gives more details about the Antichrist (Dan. 8:23-25). The Antichrist will rise in a time of great sin. He will have fierce features, understand dark plans, and through promises of peace he will destroy many people. He will be empowered by Satan, be proud, and be deceptive. Further details about him are given in Daniel 11:36-45.
It’s important for us to be aware of these characteristics so we can identify the Antichrist when he appears.
The book of Revelation says the Antichrist will speak great things and blaspheme God. He will dominate the world for 3.5 years. He will war against the saints. He will rule every nation and demand worship from everyone. Everyone in the world who is not a true Christian will worship him (Rev. 13:5-8).
The Antichrist will do great miracles, deceive people, and control everyone in the world so they receive a false spirit. He will force people to receive a mark in their right hands or foreheads so that no one can buy or sell unless they have this mark (Rev. 13:11-18). He will try to kill anyone who refuses to get this mark.
Revelation says that anyone who receives the mark of the beast will go into hell (Rev. 14:9-11). People go into hell when they don’t believe in Jesus. The mark of the beast may somehow block people from believing in Jesus; it will be a means of control.
Finally, when Jesus returns, the Antichrist will be thrown “alive into the lake that burns with fire and brimstone” (Rev. 19:20). He will be “tormented day and night forever” along with Satan (Rev. 20:10).
It is important for us to understand what the Bible says about the Antichrist so that we can recognize him when he appears and not be deceived by him. Furthermore, we don’t want to believe that someone is the Antichrist who isn’t. And we know that until the Antichrist is revealed, the Day of the Lord has not yet come.
The Bible tells us all we need to know in order to be safe, regardless of what what we will face in the future. And as we follow Jesus, he will protect us from evil. Let’s remember his promise, “Greater is he who is in you, than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). When we are hidden in Christ, we have nothing to fear.
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