The Coming Antichrist

The Coming Antichrist

By Pastor Michael W. Wilson

“And he shall speak great words against the Most High and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws; and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.” Daniel 7:25

I. HIS PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS

            A. He will be an intellectual genius (Daniel 8:23)

            B. He will be an oratorical genius (Daniel 7:25; 11:36)

            C. He will be a commercial genius (Daniel 11:43; Revelation 13:16-17)

            D. He will be a political genius (Revelation 17:11-12)

            E. He will be a religious genius (Revelation 3:8; 2 Thessalonians 2:4)

            F. He will be a military genius (Revelation 6:2; 13:4)

II. HIS OTHER NAMES AND TITLES

            A. The man of sin (2 Thessalonians 2:3)

            B. The son of perdition (2 Thess. 2:3; John 17:12)

            C. The wicked one (2 Thess. 2:8)

            D. The willful king (Daniel 11:36)

            E. The beast (Rev. 11:7). N.B. This title is found 36 times in Revelation.

            F. The little horn (Daniel 7:8)

III. HIS OLD TESTAMENT FORERUNNERS

            A. Cain: Murdered the chosen seed (Gen. 4:5-14; Jude 11; 1 John 3:12)

            B. Nimrod: Built the Tower of Babel (Genesis 10-11)

            C. Pharaoh: Oppressed God’s people (Exodus 1:8-22)

            D. Korah: Rebelled led others to rebel (Numbers 16:1-3; Jude 11)

            E. Balaam: Tried to curse Israel (Numbers 23-24; 2 Peter 2:15; Jude 11; Rev. 2:14)

            F. Saul: Intrusion into the office of the priesthood (1 Samuel 13:9-13)

            G. Goliath: Was proud and boastful (1 Samuel 17)

            H. Absalom: Tried to steal the throne of David (2 Samuel 15:1-6)

            I. Jeroboam: Devised a substitute religion (1 Kings 12:25-31)

            J. Sennacherib: Sought to destroy Jerusalem (2 Kings 18:17)

            K. Nebuchadnezzar: Worship of a golden statue (Daniel 3:1-7)

            L. Haman: Plotted extermination of the Jews (Esther 3)

            M. Antiochus Epiphanes: Defiled the Temple (Daniel 11:21-35)

IV. HIS ABILITY TO IMITATE

            A. The antichrist comes in the very image of Satan, as Christ came in the image of  God (Compare Rev. 13:4 and 2 Thess. 2:9 with Colossians 1:15 and Hebrews 1:3).

            B. The antichrist comes up from the abyss while Christ comes down from Heaven (Compare Rev. 11:7 with John 6:38).

            C. The antichrist is the second person in the hellish trinity, as Christ is in the Heavenly Trinity( Compare Revelation 16:13 with Matthew 28:19).

            D. The antichrist is a savage beast while Christ is a sacrificial Lamb (Compare Rev. 13:2 with Rev. 5:6-9).

            E. The antichrist receives his power from Satan, as Christ received His power from the Father (Compare Rev. 13:2 with Matthew 28:18).

            F. The antichrist will experience a resurrection (possibly a fake) just as Christ experienced a real resurrection (Compare Rev. 13:2, 12 with Romans 1:4).

            G. The antichrist will receive the worship of all unbelievers, Christ will receive the worship of all believers (Compare Rev. 13:3-4, 8 and John 5:43 with Matt. 2:11, Luke 24:52, John 20:28 and Philippians 2:10-11).

            H. The antichrist will deliver mighty speeches, as Christ did (Compare Daniel 7:8 and Revelation 13:5 with John 7:46).

            I. The length of the antichrist and Christ’s ministries will be about the same three and one-half  years (Compare Rev. 13:5 and 12:6, 14 with John 2:13, 6:4, and 11:55).

            J. The antichrist’s number is 6, while the number of Christ is 7 (Compare Rev. 13:8 with Rev.  5:6, 12).

            K. The antichrist will kill his harlot wife, while Christ will glorify His Holy Bride (Compare  Rev. 17:16-17 with Rev. 21:1-2).

V. HIS RISE TO POWER

            A. Through the power of Satan (Rev.13:4; 2 Thess. 2:3, 9-12)

            B. By permission of the Holy Spirit (Job 1-2; 2 Thess. 2:6-7)

            C. Through the revived Roman Empire (Daniel 7:7-8, 24; Rev. 12:3; 13:1; 17:7, 12). This Empire is the last of seven Gentile world powers to plague the nation of Israel. The six others were:

                        1. Egypt (Exodus 1-12)

                        2. Assyria (2 Kings 17)

                        3. Babylon (2 Kings 24)

                        4. Persia (Esther 3)

                        5. Greece (Daniel 11)

                        6. Rome (Luke 21)

            D. Through the cooperation of the false religious system (Rev. 17)

            E. By a false (or real) resurrection (Rev. 13:3)

            F. By a false peace program (Daniel 8:25)

            G. By a master plan of deception and trickery (Matt. 24:24; Rev. 13:14)

            H. Through his personal charisma (Dan. 11:36)

VI. HIS ACTIVITIES

            A. He controls the Western power block (Rev. 17:12)

            B. He makes a 7 covenant with Israel, breaking it after 3½ years (Dan. 9:27)

            C. He gains control over the middle east after the Russian invasion (Ezekiel 38-39)

            D. He attempts to destroy all of Israel (Rev. 12)

            E. He destroys the false religious system (Rev. 17:16-17)

            F. He sets himself up as “God” (Dan. 11:36-37; 2 Thess. 2:4-11; Rev. 13:5)

            G. He briefly rules over all nations (Psalm 2; Dan. 11:36; Rev. 13:5)

            H. He is utterly crushed by the Lord Christ at the Battle of Armageddon (Rev. 19)

            I. He is the first creature to be thrown into the Lake of Fire (Rev. 19:20)