Introduction to the Antichrist –
The Rise of the Beast at the End of the Age
Unless otherwise noted, all scripture references are from the New King James Version.
I. INTRODUCTION: “THE ANTICHRIST IS COMING”
Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists
have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. (1 John 2:18)
A. Towards the end of his life, John uses the name “Antichrist” to describe the coming enemy of the faith that Daniel
was warned about, Paul had described (2 Thess. 2:3) and he himself had seen (Rev. 13:1-18). John’s exhortation speaks
to the preparation necessary for the believer (particularly those young in the faith) related to the pursuit of truth and the
ministry of the Holy Spirit to lead us into “all truth”, particularly related to “things to come”:
“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority,
but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” (John 16:13)
B. John uses the reality of the coming of the Antichrist and the storm of trouble as a backdrop to illustrate their
current crisis of deception in the church and the ability of the Spirit of truth to resist those who would try to deceive them
(1 Jn. 2:26-27) if they “abide in Him”. By setting their eyes on the coming of Christ and the hope of the revealing of our
true nature at His return, believers can resist the enticement of the “antichrists” who deny the Father and the Son in word
and action and “purify himself, just as He is pure” (1 Jn. 3:3).
II. THE DECEPTION OF THE ANTICHRIST DURING THE LAST DAYS
And he (the false prophet) deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight
of the beast…(Rev. 13:14)
“For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”
(Matt. 24:24)
The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders…
(2 Thess. 2:9)
A. The two main End-Time prophetic themes emphasized in the Scripture are Jesus' worldwide leadership in the
Millennial Kingdom and the Antichrist’s evil worldwide empire.
B. Why does God raise up the Antichrist? The combination of the deception and power of the Antichrist, man’s
escalating sin and God’s judgments provide the optimum context to prepare the Church in glory, bring in the Great
Ingathering of souls (Dan. 11:33-35; 12:10; Rev. 7:9, 14) and the establish of the kingdom of Jesus on the earth.
C. The Antichrist will arise in the context of the greatest deception the earth has ever seen. The “antichrists” that
were operating in John’s day were moving in partnership with deceiving demonic spirits that will come to the apex of their
influence on the earth in the last days (1 Tim. 4:1; Rev. 16:12-16). The prototype for the coming “false christs and false
prophets” will be the two main ones highlighted in Rev. 13, the two “beasts” that partner with Satan to establish a false
worship and prayer movement to oppose the labor of the saints to call the earth to loyalty to the coming true King. In that
regard, the two “beasts” are as much a counterfeit to the two witnesses of Rev. 11 as they are to Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
D. In the last days, the whole earth will be in the “valley of decision” when the “day of the Lord is near” (Joel 3:14-16).
In the last days, the “Lord will roar from Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem” in a manner that will shake the heavens and
the earth. As the Lord is speaking clearly from heaven (through the prophetic preaching of the church) to the peoples of the
earth, Satan, the Antichrist, and the false prophet will also be speaking and enticing the peoples through enticement,
temptation, and force to choose their kingdom and their plan for the earth.
E. Ultimately it is the Lord Himself who is orchestrating this great deception, revealing the love of unrighteousness and
this world that burns in the hearts of the peoples – the people choose darkness and the kingdom of the Antichrist willingly;
the context of pressure simply accelerates their choice and reveals the reality of their hearts and desires.
For this reason God gave them up to vile passions…and even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God
gave them over to a debased mind…(Rom. 1:26, 28)
And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned
who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thess. 2:11-12)
Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl…and I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the
dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons,
performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole earth and of the whole world, to gather them…(Rev. 16:12-14)
III. THE GOAL OF THE ANTICHRIST: WORSHIP AND WARFARE
They worshiped the dragon (Satan) who gave authority to the Beast (Antichrist); and they worshiped the Beast, saying,
"Who is like the Beast? Who is able to make war with him?" (Rev. 13:4)
A. Satan's two main goals in His war against God’s people (Rev. 12-13) is to raise up a worship movement in which
he and the Antichrist are worshipped by all nations (Rev. 13:4, 8, 12, 15) and to exterminate the Jewish people so the
remnant of Israel cannot invite Jesus back to Jerusalem to rule them as their Messiah King (Mt. 23:37-39; Rev. 12:13-17).
B. Satan's main weapons of war: Antichrist and False Prophet. John gives an overview of the war that Satan engages
in with God and His people (Rev. 12-14). In Rev. 12, war will break out in heaven between Satan and Michael the
archangel. In Rev. 13, Satan uses the Antichrist and the False Prophet to continue his war on the earth. In Rev. 14, God
promises reward and judgment.
C. The two responses of nations – to worship Satan and to fear resisting him. The Antichrist will have comprehensive
authority and unified agreement in ten nations (Dan. 7:24; Rev. 17:17); he will have great authority and influence through
religion and economics in many other nations (Rev. 13:14-17); and will face great opposition from some nations militarily
as well as the church spiritually (Dan. 11:40-44; Rev. 13:7).
D. Worship – the military conqueror will suddenly turn into a religious leader. The nations will be surprised to see that
his spiritual agendas are more ambitious than his military and political ones. The nations will be awestruck with the
Antichrist.
E. Non-resistance – he will look invincible to unbelievers. All will ask, “Who can resist or war against the Antichrist?”
Michael prevailed (Rev. 12:7-9). Seemingly the only way to survive this time will be to serve the Antichrist as the Church is
driven underground.
IV. THE NATURE OF THE ANTICHRIST: FULLY MAN, FULLY DEMON
A. The Antichrist is a literal man. He is the final world ruler in this age. He fights God by oppressing Israel and the
Church. He will be fully human and fully demon as a counterfeit to Jesus who is fully human and fully God. He ascends
from the bottomless pit as Jesus descended from heaven. He will be the most powerful leader and greatest criminal in
history and will demand that the whole earth worship him. He is the counterfeit king. Jesus is the true King of the earth.
7 The Beast (Antichrist) that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war… (Rev. 11:7)
8 The Beast…will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. (Rev. 17:8)
B. There is a mysterious dimension to the beast, both related to the demonic spirit of deception John attributes to
him, the manner in which he “ascends” from the pit, and the way in which he and the false prophet are thrown directly, or
“cast alive” into the lake of fire by Jesus 1000 years before anyone else is sent there (Rev. 19:20; 20:14-15). Another
mysterious feature of his activity is the manner in which Satan gives “his power, his throne, and great authority” to this
man as he comes up out of the nations (Rev. 13:1-2).
C. Yet Paul clearly considered him a “man” and a “son” in 2 Thess. 2:3; he has a lineage of “fathers” in Dan. 11:37;
and he is called “the Assyrian” in Mic. 5:5. His activities and interactions with kings, leaders, and peoples indicate that he
is a flash and blood man longing to be worshipped as the “god” of humanism and the apex of human potential.
D. Shockingly, Revelation 13:3 describes the means by which he will come into great power and the worship of the
peoples: this man (and his empire) will be “mortally wounded” – yet his “deadly wound” will be dramatically healed (the
passage does not describe death and resurrection) in a manner that will cause the whole earth to marvel; untold numbers
throughout the world will follow his leadership as a result of this dramatic event.
V. OVERVIEW OF THE ACTIVITIES OF THE ANTICHRIST:
A. Summary of the coming Antichrist as the most powerful evil political leader in history:
1. Military Genius (tactics/strategy) – Rev. 6:2; 13:2,16; Dan. 8:24, 25; 11:38-39
2. Oratorical Genius (moves masses of people) – Dan. 11:32, 36; 8:23
3. Political Genius (diplomacy) – Rev. 13:8, 12; 17:11-12; 2 Thess. 2:4; Dan. 7:23
4. Commercial Genius (prosperity) – Dan. 11:36, 43; Rev. 13:16-17; Dan. 8:9, 24
5. Religious Genius (doctrines and history) – 2 Thess. 2:4; Rev. 13:4, 8, 12
6. Intellectual Genius (science, math, technology, languages, etc.) – Dan. 8:23; 7:25
7. Occult Genius (demonology, miracles, human sacrifice) – Dan. 8:24; 11:39; Rev. 13
B. This man will emerge from the turmoil of the nations (Dan. 7:2; Rev. 13:1) and arise with great intrigue
(Dan. 11:21) and sinister schemes (Dan. 8:23) to help broker a false peace (Dan. 9:27) and partner in a significant way
with the Harlot system militarily and politically (Rev. 17:3); when his power base grows through deceit and force
(Dan. 11:22-23) he will make an alliance with ten kings to expose and destroy the Harlot and take her influence, wealth,
and religious power (Rev. 17:16-17).
C. Once the power of ten nations and the Harlot system are his, this man will bring an end to the sacrifices of the
temple (Dan. 8:13; 9:27; 11:31); sit in the temple declaring to himself and the nations that he is god (2 Thess. 2:4)
opposing and exalting himself above everything else that is called god (Dan. 7:8, 11, 20; 11:36; 2 Thess. 2:4; Rev. 13:5);
he will go forth from there conquering and to conquer (Rev. 6:2; Dan. 11:40-44).
D. The Antichrist will use the covenant of Dan. 9:27 to gain a stronghold in the land of Israel. He will plant part of his
headquarters in Israel. The "glorious holy mountain" is in Jerusalem (site of the Temple). The "Seas" on the two sides of
Jerusalem and the temple are the Mediterranean Sea (west) and the Dead Sea (east).
45 And he (Antichrist) shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas (Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea) and
the glorious holy mountain (Jerusalem)… (Dan. 11:45)
E. He will work with the false prophet to set up an “abomination that brings desolation” in the Most Holy Place of the
rebuilt temple, demanding that all worship the image of him or die (Matt. 24:15; Mk. 13:14; Rev. 13:14-15) using his
control of much of the global economy as a tool to coerce the peoples (Dan. 11:43; Rev. 13:16-17; Rev. 17:16;
Rev. 18:9-19). Global war, famine, and bloodshed are the result of these actions (Rev. 6:3-8; 13:4). He will continue
for 42 months (Rev. 11:2), 1260 days (Rev. 11:3; 12:6), “time, times, and half a time” (Dan. 7:25; 12:7), or 3 ½ years
before the coming of Jesus to destroy Him in a way that transcends “human means” (Dan. 8:25; 2 Thess. 2:8).
F. He shall prosper until God’s wrath stops him (Dan. 11:36d). The Antichrist will be the tool of God’s judgment on
apostate Israel and on the wickedness of the Gentile nations (Rev. 13). The Antichrist will prosper for 3½ years even in
an environment in which God’s judgment are being poured out on his empire (Rev. 6-9). Antiochus IV who was a
prophetic type of the Antichrist also prospered (Dan. 8:12). While Antiochus IV foreshadows the future Antichrist, he by
no means fulfilled all the passages that describe the coming wicked world leader (see Dan. 11:36-45); nor was the power
of the holy people “shattered” related to his end (Dan. 12:7). Jesus saw this man’s coming as a future event, not a past
one (Matt. 24:15) related to the most extreme time in all of history (Dan. 12:1; Matt. 24:21-22).