Nero, Domitian, the popes, FDR, Hitler, Mussolini, Reagan, Trump, Obama, Kissinger, Gorbachev, Khruschev, Stalin, Lenin, along with many others all have something in common. They have all been accused of being the Antichrist. Since Jesus went back to heaven at the ascension, Christians have been thinking this man or that man has got to be the Antichrist. What does the Bible tell us about his identity? It tells us quite a bit. One, Christians won’t know his identity because he won’t be revealed until we are taken away in the rapture (II Thessalonians 2). We know he’ll be from the revived Roman Empire, but we don’t know which country. We know his number, 666, but really don’t know what that means. Is it a tattoo or a chip under the skin? Does A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) have anything to do with it? We know some of the other names the Bible uses to describe this man. In Daniel 7 he is called the “Little Horn.” In Daniel 9 he is called the “Prince.” I John calls him the “Antichrist.” From John’s little epistle in the back of our New Testaments, we know that the spirit of antichrist is already with us. We know in the last days he will rise to power very quickly and most of the world’s population will follow him. Today I want us to focus on another passage which is found in Revelation 13. In this chapter he is called “the beast.” There are at least five truths that can be seen from this chapter, and I thought I’d briefly share those with you in this little blog.

  1. Tremendous Satanic Influence. 13:1-2. We see that this man, the beast, will rise up out of the sea (multitudes of people). We see that his power comes from the dragon, which is Satan (13:2). I think the Apostle John was correct when he talked about the spirit of antichrist already being with us. If you doubt, do a little research on the recent Paris Olympics. Check out the opening and closing ceremonies. Look at some of the protests that are cranking in Chicago in the early part of this week at the DNC convention. I saw a video on Monday of a street protest and the women participating were dressed up as abortion pills demanding the right to abort children. Satan has always hated kids, and you can see that all through the pages of the Bible and secular history with the likes of Molech and Chemosh. When we see Satanic influence, start looking up, your redemption may be nigh.
  2. God is Blasphemed to the Highest. 13:5-6. Everything godly is mocked these days. Our passage says the Anti-Christ blasphemes God, his name, his tabernacle and even those that have already gone to heaven (13:6). If you have any age at all you will remember in times past that there was a reverence for the things of God. Even unsaved men were respectful concerning religious days and events, but not these days. All I can think of when I see these blasphemies is Psalm 2. God sits in the heavens and laughs.
  3. One-world Religion. 13:12-13. I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard someone say, “All religions are the same, we are all going to heaven just different pathways.” Organization like the World Council of Churches and the National Council of Churches have been promoting this as long as I have been a Christian. The name of Christ is mentioned in their material, but His teachings are manipulated or tossed away all for the sake of unity and ecumenicalism. Jesus said, “If you love me keep my commandments.” He also said, “I am the way…no man comes to the father except by me.” The late great Francis Schaffer answered this question. Why did the Romans kill those early Christians? He gave two reasons. One, because they were rebels worshipping only God and not Caesar. Two, they believed that Jesus was the only true way, true religion in a world empire that was polytheistic. Those radical Christians needed to be done away with. Even today Christians that take a biblical stand are persecuted for that stand. I read this week about the 10th anniversary of a Christian massacre in Indonesia. A decade ago, Islamist rounded up the Christians in this area, giving them the option of paying a tax to Islam (Jizya), becoming slaves, or being killed. Many were martyred and a few days ago marked the tenth anniversary. That is just one example. When we Christians are gone, multitudes will fall into line.
  4. False Miracles. 13:14-15. A huge deception will be perpetrated on those that are on the earth. Great signs and wonders will be done by the beast. He will be praised so much that people will want to make an image of him. Why? He was wounded, possibly faked, and then lived again. Never forget that Satan deals in counterfeits. Satan is the Anti-god, the Beast is the Antichrist, and the False Prophet is the Anti-Holy Spirit. This resurrection could also be a counterfeit of the real resurrection of Christ himself. The whole world will see him alive after being confirmed dead and worship will follow immediately.
  5. Global Control. 13:16-17. The world’s population, rich and poor, free people, and slaves (yes there are slaves today), all will be required to receive a mark in their forehead or their right hand. Without this mark, which is connected with the number of the beast, 666, you can’t buy or sell anything. Remember, this is for those that are unsaved. The rapture has taken place and those that make up the church are now in heaven. But for those that are still on earth, food systems, energy sectors for heating and traveling, Big Pharma and the meds taken by the population, along with Big Tech and those that use the Internet, are all controlled by this mark. That is the ticket and without it no food, no fuel, no anything. If you doubt this spirit of antichrist, search things from various news websites such as “The Great Reset.” This was created by the World Economic Forum in June 2020. One of the sayings that came from this unelected group was “You will own nothing, and you will be happy.” One of the leaders, who has since stepped down, embraced the concept of the earth only having 500 million people on it. The last time I checked there were 8 billion. If some of the elites within the WEF had their way, 7.5 billion people would need to leave the planet. My first thought is, “You first.”

Do you think about various people and the possibilities that they could be the Antichrist? I admit I have in the past and probably will in the future, but I know biblically I will not know exactly who it is because of the passage in II Thessalonians 2. Go ahead, guess. Remember that your guess is simply just that, a guess. Speculation is fun to talk about, but always be based and come back to the things that the Bible tells us. No one will know his identity unless the Lord allows us to read about it in a “Heavenly Gazette” or see it on a “Welcome to Heaven” television show.