What Does the Bible Say About Antichrist?

The Bible refers to Antichrist as the lawless one, the one whose only law is that which exalts and please himself. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders. (II Thessalonians 2:8-9-NIV)

Our generation is witnessing the rise of lawlessness, particularly in those nations with a democratic form of government. We have fled from one tyranny, that of the kings and religious prelates of Europe, only to experience another tyranny, that of the self-love of individuals. Which tyranny is worse I am not here to say. But it is evident that infinitely more harm is done to the development of saints in the democracy than in the monarchy. This may be due to the fact that we must enter the Kingdom through much tribulation, and when every effort is being made to keep us comfortable and to secure our rights, we lose the intense consecration to God that one finds in more hostile environments.

The tendency in America today is to change the law rather than the people if the people feel their rights to express themselves are being hindered. Is this true? The Bible says Antichrist will worship no god except himself. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God. (II Thessalonians 2:4-NIV)

We see in America today the tremendous emphasis on the human being as god. From the earliest years in school the student is taught that his rights are more important than anything else. He is to be in control. He is to map out his life and do what he feels is significant and enjoyable. He is to be allowed to express himself without hindrance. Any kind of discipline that would prevent his personal liberty is to be regarded with suspicion. Unless this kind of teaching is reversed our nation is doomed. We observe the symptoms today as employees who are fired return and kill their employers. Children in school kill their teacher or classmates if they have been offended in some manner. Drivers on the highway kill one another if they feel they have not been treated courteously. Young people kill one another if one feels the other has been disrespectful.

Yet we do not think about the meaning and the end of all this; we cannot perceive it. This is because self-will blinds us to reality. We would rather "rule in the cardboard shacks of Hell than serve in Heaven," as someone said. It is this blindness that has us attempting to peddle our "marvelous" way of life to other governments. It is the blindness of people who value personal liberty above all else that will cause the world to cry "peace and safety" when all around them is the desolation that always is produced when people worship themselves. We say democracy gives us religious freedom. No government or person can give us religious freedom except God Himself. Americans and Europeans are somewhat politically free to carry on their religious endeavors. But spiritually they are bound with many demons of lust, covetousness, and violence. The slave of Jesus Christ is the only truly free individual.

The Bible says Antichrist will overcome the saints in the last days. He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time. (Daniel 7:25-NIV)

The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, "It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed." (Daniel 12:7-NIV)

Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them. (Revelation 11:7-NIV)

He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. (Revelation 13:7-NIV)

One may wonder, "Why would God give Antichrist the ability to overcome the saints?" It is because when the saints are bearing witness victoriously, being anointed by the Holy Spirit and full of revelation and power, they do not gain the iron of God's righteousness in their character. Too much "rain" makes them soggy. They become careless regarding the fine points of holiness and are not always careful to obey the Lord strictly. They are having a good time and good times are not conducive to the creation of iron godliness. It is during the periods of struggle, of being "killed," that the saints are pressed into God. During the "daylight" there is much speech. But it is at "night" that the knowledge of the holy is gained.

Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. (Psalms 19:2-NIV)

The Bible says Antichrist will ascend to the heavens and tear down some of the host. Out of one of them came another horn, which started small but grew in power to the south and to the east and toward the Beautiful Land. It grew until it reached the host of the heavens, and it threw some of the starry host down to the earth and trampled on them. It set itself up to be as great as the Prince of the host; it took away the daily sacrifice from him, and the place of his sanctuary was brought low. Because of rebellion, the host of the saints and the daily sacrifice were given over to it. It prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground. Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to him, "How long will it take for the vision to be fulfilled-the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation, and the surrender of the sanctuary and of the host that will be trampled underfoot?" (Daniel 8:9-13-NIV)

There can be no doubt the above passage does not correspond to our ordinary view of Heaven. Yet it is obvious that such a statement must be of vast significance concerning the authority and power that God will give Antichrist toward the end of the Church Age. We ought to see immediately that our concept of Heaven as a place of safety is invalid. There is no safety in the heavens, the only safety is in Jesus Christ. Nowhere in the entire Bible does it say there is safety in Heaven or in the heavens. In many passages, however, we are told that God is our fortress and high towers. So we have some midcourse corrections to make in our theology.

The little horn (Antichrist) grew until it reached the host of the heavens. This is exactly what it means, as far as we know. There are two hosts, the host of the saints and the host of angels. The Lord is the Lord of Hosts (plural). The host spoken of in the above passage is the host of the saints, as far as we can ascertain. Several times in the Old Testament and the New we read that God will give the saints into the hands of Antichrist. He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. (Revelation 13:7-NIV)

In order to understand how and why Satan will attack the saints in Heaven we must comprehend the dual personality of each true saint. The Bible states that we are dead and our life is hidden with Christ in God, that is, our new born- again life has been raised to the highest throne, the most awesome position of power and authority in the universe. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your~ life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:3,4-NIV)

But we have another life. The other life is our body and soul which are alive on the earth, or our soul which is somewhere in the spirit realm if we have died. Antichrist is not worried about our body and soul on the earth, or our soul in the spirit realm. His concern is our new nature, which is of Christ and already is located at the right hand of Power. It is this part of our personality that will drive him from the heavens and the earth.

How does Satan attack our life at the right hand of God? By inviting us to emphasize our body and soul so our attention and faith are pulled down until we no longer have our mind set on things above. By many kinds of lies including worldly attractions, the lusts of our flesh, and particularly our willingness to follow our own course instead of looking to the Lord. He also employs the threat of sickness or danger to swerve us from obedience to God.

His desire is to tear us down from our high place in God so our personality consists only of that which is human. Then we are no threat to him. People will claim it is impossible for us to lose our crown of authority. If that were the case the Lord Jesus would not have cautioned us to let no one take our crown. In our own day we have seen prominent ministers torn down from their high place in God until they no longer are a threat to Satan's kingdom. In the twelfth chapter of the Book of Revelation we notice that a third of the stars of Heaven are cast down to the earth by the tail of the dragon. That this is referring to the saints is evidenced by the fact that after the casting down of a third of the stars, Satan and his legions of angels fight against Michael in the heavens. There is no indication that Satan already has lost a third of his army. Why would Satan cast down a third of his warriors when he knew he would need them to fight against Michael? To be sure he would be defeated?

Did God not say He would shake not only the earth but also the heavens? At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens."~ The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken-that is, created things-so that what cannot be shaken may remain. (Hebrews 12:26,27-NIV)

Only that which is firmly established in Jesus Christ cannot be shaken. All that is created, that is, the works of the flesh and carnal mind, will be removed in that day. All rebellion and the symptoms of rebellion shall be driven from the Kingdom of God.

"It threw some of the starry host down to the earth and trampled on them." This is speaking symbolically of Christians who have been torn down from their position with Christ in the heavenlies because of lust or the love of money. We have seen such tearings down in our own day. And as for the great majority of God's saints, those who no longer are alive on the earth, we must remember that God is judging both the living and the dead. But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to men in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit. (I Peter 4:5,6-NIV)

"It set itself up to be as great as the Prince of the host; it took away the daily sacrifice from him, and the place of his sanctuary was brought low." The Prince of the host can be none other than the Lord Jesus. This tells us that in the last days Antichrist will work in the Christian churches in such a manner that the believers no longer will trust in the blood atonement, the daily sacrifice, but will look to the god within them, their own self, and worship themselves, just as Antichrist does. "Because of rebellion, the host of the saints and the daily sacrifice were given over to it." Here is the key to the whole passage. God is seeking out every tiniest bit of rebellion whether it be in the nations, in the Christians on earth, or in the host in the heavens. In addition the ancient rebellion of the angels has not been dealt with thoroughly to the present hour. The passages above tell of the climax of the ages, the period when God drives the rebellion from the creation. First the Lord Jesus was made perfect in obedience through the things He suffered. Next the members of the royal priesthood must be made perfect in obedience through the things they must suffer. Earth, not the realm of spirits, is the crucible where stern obedience to the Father is mastered.

Then the heavenly host itself must be shaken until every member showing the least particle of rebellion is removed from the throne of the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom is the doing of the Father's will, and all rebellion must be abolished. You can see from this how far from being ready for the Kingdom the present Christian churches are. The host of the saints, those who have been sprinkled by the blood of the daily sacrifice, that is, by the blood of the Lamb, must be shaken! shaken! shaken until every trace of rebellion has been removed! These will be intensely hot fires because rebellion is so deeply rooted in us. And then too, we see at the end of the thousand-year Kingdom Age how readily the nations are deceived by the released Satan and encouraged to go up and surround the camp of the saints. After a thousand years of the totally righteous rule of Christ and His saints the nations still are ready to rebel against God and His saints. Imagine! The vision concerns "the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation, and the surrender of the sanctuary and of the host that will be trampled underfoot." When Antichrist, a person who is the product of our current emphasis on "the rights of people," sits in the Most Holy Place of the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem, covered by the golden wings of the cherubim of glory, and declares there is no god except the god within himself, within all people, the great tribulation will commence. This is the abomination that produces desolation standing in the holy place.

As we see in America today, the self-love of man always produces desolation in the financial, educational, military, political, artistic, and vocational establishments. People who enjoy personal liberty cry "peace and safety!" when their environment is that of an unswept chicken coop. How self-seeking does blind us! The Bible says there is something blocking Antichrist that must be removed before he is revealed. We know this means before he is fully revealed, because in the days of the Apostle John there were many antichrists and they had come out of the Christian churches. Antichrist will always come from the Christian churches just as Judas, that forerunner of Antichrist, came from among the twelve who were closest to the Lord. And now you know what is holding him back, so he may be revealed at the proper time. (II Thessalonians 2:6-NIV) If a man or woman in high political office declared himself or herself to be God there would arise such an outcry from the Jews, the Christians, and the Muslims, that the individual would soon be driven from office and scorned as being mentally unbalanced.

But after the massive latter-rain revival the religious people of the world will become so enamored of the "rights of people" that the climate will be ripe for a person to declare himself to be God. After all, everyone will have been taught that the only god to be worshiped is that which is in himself. So it will not seem so strange. Everyone will understand this outstanding leader to be giving voice to what educators, psychologists, and social scientists have been claiming all along. Of course all of this will be familiar to the New Agers. They have realized all along that man is his own god. The apostasy, the revolt against all authority other than the rights and personal freedom of the individual, represents the removal of that last shred of common sense and fear of God. Now Antichrist, the lawless one can be revealed and worshiped as God.