Anti-christ Revealed... When?
The Revealing Of The Antichrist... When?
Will the body of Christ know the person of Anti-christ before the Rapture of the Church? Second Thessalonians chapter 2 gives a conclusive answer this question.
The apostle Paul was confronting the confusion surrounding the second coming of Christ. Many thought that the Day of the Lord (Great Tribulation) had already commenced and that they had missed the rapture of the Church, assuming that the anti-christ was revealed. The confusion this caused led many believers to neglect their personal responsibilities in life, resulting in unrest and irrational behavior amongst God’s people (2 Thess. 3:11).
While it is true that you and I live in the time of the spirit of antichrist, and the spirit of many false prophets; the person who will be the anti-christ has yet to be revealed. Chapter 2 of Second Thessalonians is quite specific about the revealing of the anti-christ and its timing.
Apostle Paul explains that the revealing of the antichrist to the world cannot happen until the restrainer (the Holy Spirit) is removed. The Scriptures point to the consistency and history of the Holy Spirit and His restraining influence being through God’s people (Matt. 13,14; John 16:7,11).
The Apostle Paul challenged the believers in Thessalonica not to be shaken and troubled by thinking that the Day of the Lord had come (vs. 2). Apostle Paul briefly explains what will happen during the Great Tribulation in verses 3 and 4. Paul further explains, how that the anti-christ will exalt himself as God when he sits in the temple of God. In this, Paul is reassuring them that this did not happen yet.
The antichrist will be the world’s political dictator of the last days. The Scripture declares... And power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
Rev.13:7. The antichrist will be a man whom Satan fills to such an extent that he will be a living example of Satan. This is why Paul calls him the man of sin and the son of perdition (2 Thess. 2:3).
Knowing that the rapture of the Church is imminent, it is believed that it is possible for the anti-christ to be alive today (2 Thess. 2:7). Yet, apostle Paul makes it very clear that the anti-christ will be restrained until the Holy Spirit and the Church are removed, via the rapture.
Due to the antichrists nature of carrying forward Satan’s will by signs and wonders, and successfully deceiving the unbelieving world by promoting idolatrous worship and possessing the power over death, by execution, of those that oppose him, and having all authority over the Babylonian commerce system, also having an identifying physical mark; he cannot be revealed until after the rapture of the Church.
Jesus gave warning about false prophets in Matt. 24:24, advising Christians be aware that in the last days many false prophets would arise and deceive, if possible even the elect. False prophets with their masterful use of false doctrine, easily influence people away from the biblical mandate of God’s Word, mainly, the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The best way to expose false prophets and their teaching, is to live within that which is real and true, and that is accomplished by study of the Word of God under the direct influence of the Holy Spirit. This is why the Anti-christ hides in darkness. The antichrist cannot, even with all of Satan’s potential, overcome the body of Christ (Matt. 16:18; James 4:7; 1 John 4:4). Truly, the antichrist is restrained from exacting his hellish ministry until after the Church is gone.