Who is the Antichrist?

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Transcript

You’re listening to Amazing Facts Bible Study Guide lesson number 15. Our topic … Who Is the Antichrist?

Who—or what—is the antichrist? Is it an evil alliance—or a sinister individual? Some say his appearance is still in the future. Others say he appeared long ago in the days of ancient Rome. But the Bible indicates that he is alive today! Bible prophecies teach that this antichrist power will play a crucial role in the final events of earth’s history. Do you know who he is? Are you sure? You need to be, because you can’t understand last-day events until you are. What we’ll be studying today is based off of Daniel chapter 7. If you haven’t already, you might want to read that chapter in its entirety to better understand this lesson. Now, stay tuned as we, from the Bible, answer the question, ‘Who Is the Antichrist?!’

Alright. Let’s get to your first question.

Okay. Well I’m wondering about the four beasts coming out of the sea in the book of Daniel, chapter 7. Is this symbolic and if so, what does it mean?

Well, let’s dive right into Scripture and see how it interprets itself.

Daniel, chapter 7, verse 23: “The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth.”
Revelation, chapter 17, verse 15: “The waters … are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.”

From these verses we can see that a beast represents a kingdom or nation. So the four beasts represent four different kingdoms. Daniel chapter 7 is a parallel of Daniel chapter 2, but with more detail given. We know from Daniel chapter 2 and verse 38, that the first kingdom is Babylon. So here, in Daniel chapter 7, the first beast—the lion—represents the kingdom of Babylon. And we see from the other verse that water represents multitudes of people or large populations.

Ok. Well why does the lion have wings? What does that mean? And what are the four winds in verse 2?

Again, let’s go to the Bible.

Deuteronomy, chapter 28, verse 49: “The Lord will bring a nation against you … as swift as the eagle flies.”
Jeremiah, chapter 25, verses 32 and 33: “Thus says the Lord of hosts: … a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the farthest parts of the earth. And … the slain of the Lord shall be from one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth.”

So, the wings of eagles represent speed. Winds represent strife.

Alright, what about the bear? What kingdom does it represent? And what are the ribs in its mouth?

Ok. The key is to read Daniel chapter 8. You’ll notice that the beasts in chapter 8 parallel those in chapter 7. Let’s look at a couple of verses.

Daniel, chapter 8, verses 20 and 21: “The ram which you saw, having the two horns—they are the kings of Media and Persia. And the male goat is the kingdom of Greece. The large horn that is between its eyes is the first king.”

Notice that verse 20 specifically names Medo-Persia as the kingdom that precedes the rough goat representing Greece in verse 21. Medo-Persia is the second kingdom—the same power as the bear of Daniel chapter 7. You see, the empire was made up of two groups of people. The Medes came up first, represented in Daniel, chapter 7, by the bear coming up on one side. But the Persians eventually became stronger, represented in Daniel, chapter 8, by the ram’s second horn that grew higher. The three ribs represent the three principal powers conquered by Medo-Persia, which were Lydia, Babylon, and Egypt.

Interesting. So what about the third beast, the leopard with four wings and four heads?

Alright, let’s look at that verse.

Daniel, chapter 7, verse 6: “After this I looked, and there was another, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.”

The four heads represent the four kingdoms into which the empire of Alexander the Great was divided when he died. The four generals who headed these areas were Cassander, Lysimachus, Ptolemy, and Seleucus. The four wings—instead of two, as the lion had—represent the incredible speed with which Alexander’s army conquered the region.

I see. So, what about the fourth kingdom—the horrible monster with iron teeth and 10 horns?

It does sound frightening, doesn’t it? Once again, let’s allow the Bible to interpret itself.

Daniel, chapter 7, verse 24: “The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom.”

Following the progression of history, Rome was the next kingdom to follow Greece. The 10 horns represent the 10 kings or kingdoms into which the pagan Roman empire was eventually split. These 10 kingdoms are the same as the 10 toes of the image described in Daniel chapter 2. From history, we know that at some point roving barbarian tribes swept in upon the Roman Empire and claimed land or territories for their people. Seven of those 10 tribes developed into the countries of modern-day Western Europe, while three of them were uprooted and destroyed.

Let’s take a moment to discuss these kingdoms. There were the VISIGOTHS that developed into Spain. The ANGLO-SAXONS formed into England. The FRANKS became France. The ALEMANI became Germany. The BURGUNDIANS developed into Switzerland, while the LOMBARDS established Italy. And the SUEVI set up their kingdom in Portugal. The remaining three kingdoms—the HERULI, the OSTROGOTHS, and the VANDALS—were all eventually rooted up.

Verse 8 mentions a little horn that speaks. What does this represent?

Let’s read that verse.

Daniel, chapter 7, verse 8: “I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words.”

We need to be careful in identifying this little horn because the biblical characteristics single it out as the antichrist of prophecy and history. There must be no mistake in making this identification.

Ok. Are the characteristics lined out in the Bible?

Yes. God’s Word gives us nine characteristics of the antichrist in Daniel chapter 7 so we can be certain of his identity. And even though some might find these truths painful, we need to be honest enough to accept them as fact. Now let’s discover what these nine points are.

Daniel, chapter 7, verse 8: “I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words.”

Here are the first three points. First, the little horn would come up among the 10 horns that were the kingdoms of Western Europe. So it would be a little kingdom somewhere in Western Europe.
Second, it would have a man at its head who could speak for it. And third, it would pluck out or uproot three kingdoms.

Daniel, chapter 7, verse 24: “And another shall rise after them; he shall be different from the first ones, and shall subdue three kings.”

For the fourth point, we see that it would be different from the other 10 kingdoms.

Daniel, chapter 7, verses 21 and 25: “I was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them … He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time.”

Fifth, this little horn power would make war with and persecute God’s people.

Daniel, chapter 7, verses 7 and 8: “After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words.”

For the sixth point, notice that it says that it would emerge from the dreadful, iron-toothed beast which represents the pagan Roman Empire—the fourth kingdom.

39. Daniel, chapter 7, verse 25: “He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time.”

Number seven—God’s people, the saints, would be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time. Number eight—it would speak great words against, or blaspheme, God. In Revelation chapter 13, the Bible says the same power speaks great things and blasphemies. And finally, nine, the little horn power would attempt to change times and law.

Now, remember—all these identification points come directly from the Bible. They are not based on human opinion or speculation. Historians could tell you quickly what power is being described here, because these points fit only one power—the papacy.

Wait! What?! That’s a serious claim! Are you sure?!

Yes—the papacy fits every point. But in order to be certain, let us carefully examine all nine points, one by one. We need to eliminate any doubt. Let’s take a closer look at the facts:

A. The papacy came up among the 10 kingdoms of Western Europe. The geographical location of the papal power is in Rome, Italy—in the heart of Western Europe.

B. It would have a man at its head who speaks for it. The papacy meets this identifying mark because it does have one man at the head—the pope—who speaks for it.

C. Three kingdoms were plucked up to make way for the rise of the papacy. The emperors of Western Europe were largely Catholic and supported the papacy. Three Arian kingdoms, however, did not support the papacy—the Vandals, Heruli, and Ostrogoths. So the Catholic emperors decided they must be subdued or destroyed. Here is how theologian and historian Dr. Mervyn Maxwell describes the results in volume 1, page 129, of his book God Cares: Quote—“The Catholic emperor Zeno arranged a treaty with the Ostrogoths in 487, which resulted in the eradication of the kingdom of the Arian Heruls in 493. And the Catholic emperor Justinian exterminated the Arian Vandals in 534 and significantly broke the power of the Arian Ostrogoths in 538. Thus were Daniel’s three horns—the Heruls, the Vandals, and the Ostrogoths—‘plucked up by the roots.’”—end quote. It is not difficult to recognize that the papacy fits this point perfectly.

That’s amazing! Is there more we can learn about the antichrist from history?

Absolutely. Consider that the Bible says that this power would be different from the other kingdoms. The papacy clearly fits this description, as it came on the scene as a religious power and was different from the secular nature of the other 10 kingdoms. Furthermore, it would make war with and persecute the saints. That the church did persecute is a well-known fact, and the papacy admits doing so. Historians believe the church destroyed at least 50 million lives over matters of religious conviction.

Listen to this, and I quote—“That the Church of Rome has shed more innocent blood than any other institution that has ever existed among mankind, will be questioned by no Protestant who has a competent knowledge of history.”— end quote — this is from History of the Rise and Influence of the Spirit of Rationalism in Europe, Volume 2, page 40.

In The History of the Inquisition of Spain, D. Ivan Antonio Llorente provides these figures from the Spanish Inquisition alone:
31,912 persons were condemned and perished in the flames, and 241,450 persons were condemned to severe penalties.

Now, these are historical facts, but we want to be careful here because we don’t want anyone to think that we’re attacking fellow Christians by identifying the little-horn power. Please keep in mind that the prophecy is aimed at a system and not individuals. There are sincere, devout Christians in all churches, including the Catholic faith. Daniel chapter 7 is simply a message of judgment and correction upon a large religious institution that compromised with paganism, as so many other churches have done.

Other prophecies point out the faults of Protestant and Jewish faiths. God has true people in all religions. His true people, no matter what their faith, will always humbly accept the correction of the Lord and will not shut their ears and hearts against Him. We should be very thankful that God’s Word speaks with impartial honesty on every subject.

I understand. Wow. Well does the Bible have anything else to say about the little horn power?

Yes. Another feature of the little horn power is that it would emerge from the fourth kingdom of iron—the pagan Roman Empire. We quote two authorities on this point:

First, quoting from The Rise of the Medieval Church, pages 148 and 149: “The mighty Catholic Church was little more than the Roman Empire baptized. … The very capital of the old Roman Empire became the capital of the Christian empire. The office of Pontifex Maximus was continued in that of the pope.”

Second, in What is Christianity? pages 269 and 270, we read: “Whatever Roman elements the barbarians and Arians left … [came] under the protection of the Bishop of Rome, who was the chief person there after the emperor’s disappearance. The Roman church in this way … pushed itself into the place of the Roman World-Empire, of which it is the actual continuation.”

What does it mean that God’s people would be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time?

Ok, several things need clarification in connection with this point: First, a time is a year, times is two years, and the dividing of time is half of a year. The Amplified Bible translates the total as three and one-half years.

This same time period is mentioned seven times in the books of Daniel and Revelation—thrice as a time, times, and half a time; twice as 42 months; and twice as 1,260 days. Based on the 30-day calendar used by the Jews, these time periods are all the same amount of time: 3½ years = 42 months = 1,260 days.

It’s important to know that a day in prophecy is symbolic for a year. We understand from Ezekiel chapter 4 and Numbers chapter 14 that one prophetic day equals one literal year.

So we can calculate that the little horn, or antichrist, was to have power over the saints for 1,260 prophetic days or 1,260 literal years.

The rule of the papacy began in AD 538, when the last of the three opposing Arian kingdoms was uprooted. Its rule continued until 1798 when Napoleon’s general, Berthier, took the pope captive with hopes of destroying the political power of the papacy. This period of time is an exact fulfillment of the 1,260-year prophecy. The blow was a deadly wound for the papacy, but that wound began to heal and continues healing today.

This same period of persecution is mentioned in Matthew chapter 24 as the worst period of persecution for God’s people. Verse 22 tells us it was so devastating that not one soul would have survived if God had not shortened it. But God did shorten it. The persecution ended long before the pope was taken captive in 1798. It’s plain to see that this point, likewise, fits the papacy.

What does the Bible mean when it says the little horn would speak pompous words?

Well, these pompous words are spoken against the most High, meaning God. So we’re talking about blasphemy here. Blasphemy has two definitions in Scripture. One is claiming to forgive sins, as we see in Luke chapter 5. And the other is claiming to be God, as shown in John chapter 10.

Does this point fit the papacy? Yes. Let’s first look at the evidence for it claiming to forgive sins, taken directly from its own literature, and we’re quoting here—“Does the Priest truly forgive the sins, or does he only declare that they are remitted? The Priest does really and truly forgive the sins in virtue of the power given to him by Christ.”—This is from A Complete Catechism of the Catholic Religion, page 279. The papacy further undermines Jesus by setting up a system of confession to an earthly priest, thus bypassing Jesus, our High Priest and only Mediator.

Next, consider the evidence for it claiming to be God. Here’s the quote—“We [the popes] hold upon this earth the place of God Almighty.”—And this is from The Great Encyclical Letters of Pope Leo XIII, page 304. Here is more evidence—quote—“The pope is not only the representative of Jesus Christ, but he is Jesus Christ, Himself, hidden under the veil of flesh.”—And this is from Catholic National, July 1895.

Wow. That does sound blasphemous. But what does it mean to change laws?

The Amplified Bible translates law as the law. The reference is to changing God’s law. Of course, no one can really change it, yet in its catechisms, the papacy has omitted the second commandment against veneration of images and has shortened the fourth commandment from 94 words to eight and divided the tenth commandment into two commandments. You can check this for yourself. Compare the Ten Commandments in any Catholic catechism with God’s commandments in Exodus chapter 20.

There is no doubt that the little horn power, the antichrist, of Daniel chapter 7 is the papacy. No other organization fits all nine points. And, incidentally, this is not a new teaching. Every Protestant Reformer, without exception, spoke of the papacy as antichrist.

Well, going back to Daniel, what does it mean when he was told to seal up his book until the time of the end?

Ok, in Daniel chapter 12 and verse 6 an angelic voice asked, How long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be? In verse 7 the reply was, It shall be for a time, times, and half a time—which we just looked at. The angel assured Daniel that the section of the book dealing with end-time prophecies would be opened after the end of the 1,260-year period of papal control, which was 1798, as we learned earlier. So the time of the end began in the year 1798. Obviously, the book of Daniel contains crucial messages from heaven for us today. We must understand it.

It’s critical when we encounter new Bible truths that we study them out for ourselves.

Acts, chapter 17, verse 11: “These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.”

It’s critical that we compare any new teaching with Scripture. That’s the only way we can find out if it’s in harmony with God’s Word.

We’re going to be covering additional important prophecies in the coming studies. Key participants in the closing war between Jesus and Satan will appear repeatedly in these prophecies. These include: Satan, Jesus, the United States, the papacy, Protestantism, and Spiritualism. Jesus repeats and expands His messages from the prophets to make certain His warnings of love and protection come through loud and clear.

But I always thought antichrist was a person rather than an organization. Am I wrong?

Well, we’ve looked at some pretty strong evidence that the antichrist is an organization—the papacy. The words eyes of a man in Daniel chapter 7, however, do point to a leader. Revelation chapter 13 speaks of a man with a number being involved. In Daniel chapter 8, Greece is represented by a goat and its leader, Alexander the Great, is symbolized by a horn. The same is true of antichrist. The organization is the papacy. The pope in office is its representative. The prophecy of Daniel chapter 7 is not saying that popes are evil and that Catholics are not Christians. There are many warm, loving Catholic Christians. The system, however, is called antichrist because it has attempted to usurp Jesus’ authority and attempted to change His law.

So, do you think Christians should ever pass laws enforcing Christianity?

No, and this is a very important point. The Bible is clear that everyone should have freedom to choose the direction they wish to go in matters of conscience, even if they choose to deny God. The Creator permitted Adam and Eve to choose to disobey even though it hurt both them and Him. Forced worship is not acceptable to God. Forced worship is the devil’s way. God’s way is loving persuasion. History shows that virtually every time the church passed laws to enforce its beliefs, persecution and murder of others resulted. This is a lesson we can learn from the Middle Ages history of the little horn.

Ok maybe I’ve misunderstood. My thought has always been that the antichrist would be an evil being who openly opposed God. Is this incorrect?

Well, we usually consider the word anti to mean against. It can also mean in the place of or instead of. Antichrist is guilty of assuming the prerogatives of God. It claims its priests can forgive sins—which the Bible says only God can do. It also has attempted to change God’s law by dropping out the second commandment against worshiping images and splitting the tenth into two parts. The Scripture says God’s law cannot be changed. Additionally, it claims that the pope is God on earth.

Satan’s original plan in heaven was to assume God’s position and authority. His aim was to oust God and rule in His place. When Satan was ejected from heaven, his aim did not change but rather intensified. Through the centuries he has endeavored, using various human agencies, to discredit God and take over His position. Satan aims to replace God in these last days by deceiving people into following antichrist, who appears to be spiritual and holy. The main purpose of the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation is to expose Satan’s traps and strategies and lead people to anchor in Jesus and His Word for safety.

Sadly, according to Revelation chapter 13, most people will follow the antichrist, thinking they are following Christ. Only those who are aware and grounded in the Word of God will be safe. They will be safe because they test every spiritual teaching and every leader by Scripture. Religious deception is everywhere today. We cannot be too careful. God gave us His Word, the Bible, to keep us safe.

Alright. But doesn’t the Bible say that there are many antichrists?

Yes. There have been many antichrists down through history who have worked against the kingdom of God. However, there is only one entity that specifically fulfills all the prophesied characteristics of the antichrist. In Daniel chapters 7 and 8 and in Revelation chapter 13, you will find at least nine identifying traits of the antichrist. These nine identifying marks are all fulfilled in only one entity—the papacy.

In prophecy, if something is portrayed as a beast, does that mean it has beastly characteristics?

Not at all. God uses the symbolism of a beast to signify a ruler, nation, government, or kingdom. It is His way of depicting governments in prophecy. We do this ourselves to some degree: We have depicted Russia as a bear, the United States as an eagle, etc. Beast is not a demeaning or disrespectful term. Even Christ is portrayed as a Lamb by John the Baptist and the apostle John.

The term beast is utilized by God to give us a message about nations and leaders—both good and evil.

Well we’ll have to finish up here for today, but let’s plan to study together again soon. Our next lesson is entitled, “Angel Messages from Space.”

You’ve just heard highlighted portions from lesson 15 of the Amazing Facts Bible Study Guides. To read the complete lesson, please visit www.AmazingFacts.org/BibleStudyGuides.