The Bible tells us of a coming Antichrist. How do we identify this individual or individuals? The apostle John wrote the following warning:
Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come. 1 John 2:18 (NLT)
The antichrist spirit resists the rule of our Lord Jesus, the risen lord to whom belongs all glory and authority. Satan hates and opposes God and his rule, and those under his influence do the same. Some who are under Satan’s sway have enormous influence and wealth provided by their dark master. (Luke 4:6) The entire world system is in rebellion (1 John 5:19, James 4:4) to God and operates by deception. (Revelation 12:9) It is a satanic kingdom. (Colossians 1:13) The more a person abandons himself to the antichrist spirit, the more thorough is the satanic influence.
The Bible informs us that a spirit of antichrist actively opposes the gospel and the spreading rule of Christ in the world.
Over the centuries, certain leaders have embodied this spirit in a clear and dramatic fashion. They are always bloodthirsty men who go after God’s people. Entire nations and cultures can come under the sway of this spirit.
Initially, the Jews manifested the antichrist spirit by putting their Messiah, the Christ, to death. They also were the principal persecutors of those who put their faith and allegiance in Christ. Later Rome took up the torch of the antichrist Spirit by violently persecuting Christians. The Emperor Nero fulfilled the 666 warning found in Revelation. That was the number of his name in Hebrew. Revelation was written to the believers who lived during that time of intense suffering for the gospel.
Those of the Scofield Dispensational version of eschatology do not accept that Nero fulfilled the warning in Revelation and from Paul in 2 Timothy 2:3. They believe another antichrist will arise in the Last Days, who will persecute Jew and Christian alike. (You read more about the various eschatological views by clicking here.)
Regardless of which doctrine of the end times we adopt, we know that many antichrists have come and gone because the spirit of antichrist never dies.
It maintains its influence in the earth because there are plenty of people who are willing to sell their souls to the devil to obtain worldly wealth, fame, and power. What are the characteristics of the antichrist spirit? How can we quickly recognize its activity and ward off its influence?
Denial of the Validity of God’s Word.
The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the LORD God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” Genesis 3:1 (NLT)
Denying the truth of the God’s words, the Bible, is a primary way to circumvent God’s authority in our lives.
The serpent injected doubt into Eve’s heart, leading her to question and disobey God’s clear command, which brought death and destruction to the entire earth. This spirit is doing the same thing today. We see its activity in the media, our universities and public schools, the halls of congress, and in mainline denominations, where there has been an embracing of anti-biblical positions regarding creation, marriage, sexuality, gender, and abortion, to name a few.
Once the standard of biblical truth is rejected, the door is open for all manner of deception and evil.
Denial of Christ’s Lordship
There can only be one Lord, and Satan desires to have that position in the world. When people follow a person filled with the antichrist spirit, it amounts to an indirect worship of Satan. Jesus called the devil the prince of this world (John 12:31). At the cross, Satan tried to eliminate Jesus, the lawful heir to God’s kingdom, only to see our Lord completely turn the tables on him by returning to life after three days.
The antichrist spirit still vainly attempts to strip Christ of his glory and honor by denying his identity as the risen Lord and persecuting his followers.
Even if Satan cannot defeat our Lord, he gains a sort of Pyrrhic victory by taking with him to hell as many people as he can. It should astound us that people believe such a liar and follow him into eternal darkness and pain.
And who is a liar? Anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Anyone who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist. 1 John 2:22 (NLT)
Persecution of God’s Elect
Jesus taught that the devil came to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10), and that he was a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44).
Satan hates and seeks to kill God’s people because they are destined to co-rule with Christ and share the glory of their Redeemer – King.
He tried to usurp that glory for himself (Isaiah 14:13), but was put out of heaven for his rebellion. (Isaiah 14:12, Revelation 12:9, and Luke 10:18) It galls the devil to see God’s people, all those born of the Spirit, be freely given everything for which he lusted. The devil is the quintessential bully. If he cannot have what he wants, he wants to prevent others from obtaining it.
The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. John 15:19 (NLT)
Massive Deception
Jesus taught us that Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44) and there is no truth in him. He is a cunning master deceiver who knows how to lie boldly and to subtly twist the truth.
Those with the antichrist spirit will be a master deceivers and use intrigue to enslave the masses (Daniel 8:23-25).
Jesus warned us that the end time deception will be so great that even the chosen of God will stand in danger of being swept away.
Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah,’ or ‘There he is,’ don’t believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones. 25 See, I have warned you about this ahead of time. 26 “So if someone tells you, ‘Look, the Messiah is out in the desert,’ don’t bother to go and look. Or, ‘Look, he is hiding here,’ don’t believe it! 27 For as the lightning flashes in the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Man comes. Matthew 24:23-27 (NLT)
The Muslims teach that Jesus did not actually die, but swooned, was revived, and later was assumed into heaven, where he waits to return in order to join their Mahdi or Messiah in converting people to Islam under pain of death. If that scenario plays out, we will need to remind ourselves of Jesus’ warning above. Whoever this person may end up being, it cannot be the true Lord Jesus because he does not serve Mohammad or Allah. Those who are not firmly grounded in the Bible and possess a love of the truth will be in grave peril.
Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will kill him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming. 9 This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. 10 He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. 11 So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies. 12 Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth. 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12 (NLT)
Violence
At the end of their rule, when their sin is at its height, a fierce king, a master of intrigue, will rise to power. 24 He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause a shocking amount of destruction and succeed in everything he does. He will destroy powerful leaders and devastate the holy people. Daniel 8:23-24 (NLT)
Wherever Satan reigns, violence and chaos are the order of the day.
The antichrist spirit does not flinch from using violence to accomplish its purposes. That is why Jesus will violently destroy the antichrist, consigning him to the lake of fire along with his master, Satan.
Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will kill him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming. 2 Thessalonians 2:8 (NLT)
How Can We Protect Ourselves?
No matter if Dispensationalists are correct and a terrible time of tribulation is coming upon the earth or if the Post-millennialists are correct and a time of God’s kingdom expansion is coming, we must be prepared to suffer for the gospel if required. Here are some keys to overcoming by faith during such a time.
- Faith. The first thing we need to know is that Jesus has all authority, which includes complete sovereignty over Satan, the antichrist spirit, world governments, and current events. Nothing gets by him. Nothing can touch God’s people without God’s permission, limitations, and oversight. In other words, we can trust the Lord, no matter how crazy things may get. (Romans 8:28)
- Allegiance. We are privileged to declare our allegiance to the one true Lord and King, Jesus the Messiah or Christ. We do this both verbally and through water baptism. Let us make a firm commitment to worship, serve, and tell others about him. We should also make a stand on the validity and truthfulness of the Bible.
- Courage. It takes courage to stand for truth when the spirit of antichrist mocks and threatens us. The Holy Spirit is our source of comfort and strength, who will see us through.
- Community. God instituted the church to be a strong community of support. If we are not already of member of a community of believers, we should make it a priority to find one. A wolf always goes after the lone sheep.
- Mission. The best defense is a good offense. If we make the Great Commission our personal mission in life, it will be a safeguard. Let’s make seeking God’s glory our priority and his kingdom our focus. Everything else will take care of itself. (Matthew 6:33)
