The mystery of the Antichrist’s identity

MANY people in this scientifically oriented age are skeptical about the coming of the Antichrist. The Holy Bible, however, is replete with prophecies of the Antichrist.

While the word Antichrist is found only in the books of John I and II, there are various names, titles, and descriptions given to the Antichrist in various parts of the Scriptures. To mention some – the beast whose number is 666, the wicked one, that man of sin, the son of perdition, the little horn, and the lawless one.

*** In the Book of Daniel of the Bible, we are given a description of the Antichrist’s origin, rise to power, highlights of his wicked domination, and his ultimate destruction. The Antichrist is described as a man with an overpowering charisma. But underneath this fascinating personality is a cruel and ruthless warmonger. The Antichrist is a counterfeit of Jesus. He will talk of peace and prosperity, and in the end the words of peace will mean sudden destruction. The Antichrist will likewise perform miracles and wonders not on behalf of the kingdom of God but on behalf of the kingdom of Satan. Simply put, the Antichrist is Satan’s masterpiece of deceit.

*** How many Antichrists are there? Many. Book I John 2:18 says that. . . “even now many Antichrists have come.” Again in Matthew 24:23-25 we find that “false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect. . .” It seems from the Scriptures therefore that the many false Christs will be narrowed down until there is one of superstar stature – the Antichrist. The thing to watch these days are the Christ-pretenders and Messiahmasqueraders.

*** The most publicized of the recent Christ-pretenders was the horrifying figure of Jim Jones. At one time, he gathered around him a thousand devotees, 913 of whom followed him in Guyana in November, 1978. Even at the time of his ordination, Jones threw down his Bible on the platform and screamed to his devotees. They were to listen to him, not to the Word of God. Jim Jones was proclaiming himself as their Christ.

*** Jesus warned that the times of the Antichrist will be the worst that the world has ever known. This is recorded in Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21, John 16 and other passages in the Bible. Also, in the Book of Revelation, the Antichrist will manifest his power in 3 realms – political, economic, and religion. The coming of the Antichrist – the superhuman figure with Satanic power and character should not, however, cause apprehension because this event precedes Christ’s second coming.

*** There is an amazing parallel between the Trinity of the Godhead and the unholy trinity to evil presented in Revelation 13. In this chapter, Satan appears as opposed to God the Father, the Antichrist flaunts himself against God the Son and the false prophet is in violent opposition to God the Holy Spirit.

*** Can the identity of the Antichrist be accurately pinpointed at this time? Christians down through the ages have been on the watch for such a man. Many men in history have in fact been pinpointed as Antichrist – however, all these have been proven untrue and have caused skeptics to take advantage of such obvious mistakes and mock the true prophesies of God. In the late 70’s the film The Antichrist stimulated the imagination of man to speculate as to who is Antichrist. Today, the mystery of the identity of the Antichrist continues to haunt many. Others, however, are totally comforted by the passage in the Scriptures which says that the Antichrist will be revealed whom the Lord will “overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.”

*** Today, millions of people of various nationalities have been carried away into cults and occults. They believe occult-related concepts as was shown in the movie The Omen of Rosemary’s Baby – but view Biblical prophecies and doctrines as nonsense.

Also, many people are now advocating for a world government, a world church, and world money as a resolution to the present turbulent situation – without their realizing that they are fulfilling a prophecy for a world leader who will gain universal control and universal worship as Satan’s incarnate.

*** The rise of the Antichrist should not alarm us because the Antichrist can only do what Christ permits and to the length of time that Christ allows because Christ is in complete control of everything. The defeat of the Antichrist by the mighty power of God will take place in the great Battle of Armageddon.

*** This column continues to give out copies of the Holy Bible for free to those who cannot afford to buy their own copies. If interested, please send your letter-request to Ms. Nelly Favis Villafuerte, 5233 Fahrenheit St., Palanan, Makati City. Kindly mention if it is the Tagalog, English, Cebuano, or Ilocano Bible that is preferred.