When is Antichrist Coming?
The question is not when is Antichrist coming, but when will he reveal himself? The Antichrist is here right now and is secretly very active behind the scenes, preparing and waiting for just the right moment to step out and take control of world affairs. The Antichrist is a very destructive alliance of evil powers, called Babylon the Great in the book of Revelation, chapters 17 and 18. It is a system that is striving to tear down all that is good and noble in society in order to create chaos. And from this chaos it promises, phoenix like, to ‘build back better’ a society which its own policies have destroyed. And behind it all is a religio-political power, professing to be working for the ‘common good’ while secretly plotting to take away our personal freedoms. When is Antichrist coming? It is already here.
The Antichrist is a very ancient entity. So ancient that it began in heaven before this world was created. The angel Lucifer, ‘full of wisdom and perfect in beauty’, one of the ‘anointed cherubs’ who attended the throne of God on ‘the holy mountain of God’, became proud and full of self-importance. He coveted the worship that was due to God and Christ alone, and eventually openly rebelled against heaven’s government after deceiving one third of the angels into following his example. Read Isaish 14: 12-17 and Ezekial 28:12-17 for a fuller description of the first Antichrist.
The rebellion against God which began in heaven, continues to fester on this earth. Why? Because “there was war in heaven: Michael (Christ) and His angels fought with the dragon (Satan); and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So, the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old called the Devil and Satan who deceives the whole world. He was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Revelation 12:7-9). So, when is Antichrist coming? He lives here as an ever-present reality in some form or other.
The term ‘Antichrist’ literally means ‘instead of Christ’ or ‘in place of Christ’. It refers to any individual or system that strives to usurp the position of Christ and to take for himself the prerogatives that rightfully belong only to God. So, the first thing to keep in mind when trying to determine when Antichrist is coming, is that it is a religious power that wields political clout.
On this planet Satan continues his warfare against God through various governmental and religious agencies. Antichrist’s greatest triumph comes about when he can combine the emotional and spiritual appeal of religion with the power of the state. By using state power, he endeavours to force his own religious agenda upon people, and to take away the freedom of the individual to worship God according to his conscience. The greatest experiment ever carried out to control the consciences of men and women by using fear and force, occurred during the Dark Ages, from 538 to 1798. For over 1,000 years a form of apostate Christianity ruled the nations of Europe and devastated the economy and society. Millions were cruelly put to death because they clung conscientiously to the teachings of the Bible and refused to abide by the unbiblical dictates of the church. Here indeed is Antichrist in action. To quote one Christian author – “Compelling power is found only under Satan’s government”.
Though ‘wounded’ for a time, the Medieval Antichrist is back, just waiting for the opportunity to spring once again into active despotism.
The Bible warns against the coming of the Antichrist, which it describes in several ways:
- As “a Little Horn” power. See Daniel 7:19-25 and Daniel 8:9-12, 23-25 for a description of Antichrist in action during the Middle Ages. It is called ‘little’ because its home territory is very small, and it is called ‘a horn’ or kingdom, because its political and religious influence, by contrast, is exceedingly great.
- As “The Man of Sin”, “the Son of Perdition”, and “the Lawless One” – 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10. The term ‘son of perdition’ was also given to Judas, the betrayer of Christ.
- As a “beast” or kingdom, “rising out of the sea” in Revelation 13:1-8; and as “Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots” in Revelation 17:1-6.
- As “the abomination of desolation” – Daniel 11:31. Daniel refers to the enforcement of religious laws by the Antichrist as an abomination that causes desolation.
Jesus referred to the setting up of the “abomination of desolation”, or siege of Jerusalem by the Roman armies, as a sign for the Judean Christians to flee to the mountains for safety (Matthew 24:15-16).
Religious laws that restrict a person’s ability to think and do for him or herself, is like a siege. A siege takes away freedom of movement, the ability to earn a living, to buy and sell freely, and eventually it starves a population into submission. In heaven’s eyes such a restriction of freedom, a gift given by our Creator, is an abomination that desolates the soul. The day of reckoning will surely come.
When is Antichrist coming? He is here. Our best defence against this anti-Christian, yet pretending to be Christian, power, is the Bible. Read its warnings, particularly those in Daniel and Revelation, obey its teachings, and when the Antichrist comes, you will know exactly who he is.
