The Antichrist:Who is 666?


This is a sample chapter from my book The Antichrist of Revelation:666
Chapter 1

The Antichrist

Nearly all evangelical Christians have learned of the Antichrist.  He horrifies, mystifies and fills us with dread. He is the world dictator who the Bible forecasts arrives into his position during the Earth’s final years.

Every generation of Christians has talked about him. Even the apostles questioned Jesus about the Antichrist, and they mentioned him in their books.  Jesus’s teachings on him also mystified the church fathers Irenaeus (A.D. 120-202) and his disciple Hippolytus A.D. 170-236 who was a hearer of Polycarp and a disciple of John. They discussed the Antichrist in detail, which reveals the early church members preoccupation with the end of the world and the Antichrist.

We become so fixated on the Antichrist  we forget he is only a part of the judgments that will be unleashed on the Earth before the destruction of the world and during the Tribulation. Never-the-less, the Antichrist’s dictatorship provides the atmosphere of life in the world’s final seven years called by Jesus in Matthew and Revelation the Tribulation.

7 Years of Tribulation

The Tribulation is a seven-year period of wars, plagues, famines, earthquakes, and natural disasters. It ushers in the government of the Antichrist and his final world empire. It ends in the Battle of Armageddon, and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.  The Antichrist’s dictatorship reigns supreme during this time of God’s wrath.  Part of the Earth’s judgments happen through the Antichrist.

The book of Daniel specifically defines the time period as a week, which is a seven-year period of time.  Daniel details the abomination of desolation, which occurs in the middle of the week, and Jesus tells us that  after this event will be great tribulation. Daniel actually provides the number of days from the middle of the Tribulation to the end.

Peace Treaty With Israel

All Bible prophecy centers around the nation of Israel. The Tribulation begins when the Antichrist signs a peace treaty with Israel guaranteeing Israel peace.  The Antichrist is a deceiver, and he deceives Israel into believing he is the nation’s ally.

In several places in Scripture, the Bible elaborates on the deceit behind this agreement.  God tells Israel they have made lies their refuge. In the book of Isaiah, God reveals the truth of this covenant.  Isaiah 28:15, 18 reads:

     Because you have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol, we are in agreement: when the overflowing scourge passes through, it will not come to us; for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood, we have hidden ourselves. 

     Your covenant with death will be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol will not stand; when the overflowing scourge passes through, then you will be trampled down by it.

God is telling the Jewish nation that “with hell they are in agreement” because the man they are dealing with is none other than the Devil in a man’s body.  The phrase “we have made lies our refuge” exposes that the guarantees of the treaty are false.  The Antichrist hates Israel and has no intention of helping the nation rather  he will seek to destroy it.  God tells them that “when the overflowing scourge passes through, you will be trampled down by it.”  Other words, when the Antichrist wages war against Israel, the nation will be annihilated by it.  God elaborates on the Antichrist’s deception and intention as he signed this agreement.  In Psalm 55: 20-21 it says:

     He has put forth his hands against those who were at peace with him:

He has broken his covenant.

The words of his mouth were smoother than butter,

But war was in his heart;

His words were softer than oil,

Yet they were drawn swords.

Scripture provides a view to the emotional and physical picture of Israel once the Antichrist breaks the treaty and lays siege to the nation.  Isaiah 33:7-9 states:

     Surely, their valiant ones shall cry outside: the ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly.

The highways lie waste; the  wayfaring man ceases.

     He has broken the covenant; he has despised the cities; he regards no man.  The Earth mourns and languishes; Lebanon is ashamed and shriveled: Sharon is like a wilderness: and Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits.

These passages mentioned Israel being at peace with him and the weeping of the ambassadors of peace.  These verses clarify that the covenant is an agreement for peace. What should be noted is the phrase “covenant of death.”  In the Revelation Death and Hades are thrown into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:14).  We see Death again as the rider of the fourth horse of the Revelation and Hades follows him. (Rev. 6:8). It is my interpretation that Death and Hades are the principalities, and powers talked about in Ephesians 6:12: 

     For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Death and Hades are rulers of darkness that are directly beneath Satan. The “Covenant with Death” and “Agreement with Hell” is  with these two principalities and powers who are underneath Satan. When the Antichrist signs this treaty, he knows what he is going to do to Israel. The Antichrist becomes the henchman of his father the Devil to cause death and damn souls to hell. Thus, we see the triage of the Antichrist, Death and Hades.

The Antichrist Regards No Man

The Antichrist will also cause tremendous hardship and suffering on those he wages war against. The Isaiah passage tells us he “regards no man.”’ This means he does not have any compassion or empathy for anyone in the human race. He is worse than a sociopath or psychopath. Daniel 11:37 elaborates on the Antichrist’s regard for no man.  It states: “He shall regard neither the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above them all.” Genesis 3:16 teaches that Eve represented all of womanhood. Her “desire shall be for your husband.” The desire of women is man.  Thus, the Antichrist will regard no man.

The Scriptures detail the Antichrist’s reign of terror. Due to his anti-God, anti-Christ policies, Evangelical circles customarily refer to him as the Antichrist. The Bible mentions this title only once in the Scriptures (1John 2:18).  The Devil enters this man’s body and wreaks havoc on the world.  His reign ignites the Battle of Armageddon (Is. 14:12; Ezek. 28:3-4).

Names of the Antichrist

Evidencing the Antichrist’s significance, over thirty titles relate to him in both the Old and New Testaments.  These include:

The Bloody and Deceitful Man Ps. 5-6

Wicked One  Ps.  10:2-4

The Man of the Earth Ps.  10:18

The Mighty Man Ps.  52:1

The Enemy Ps.  53:3

The Adversary Ps.  74:8-10

The Head of Many Countries Ps.  111:6

The Violent Man Ps.  140:1

The Assyrian Is.   10:5-12

The King of Babylon Is.   14:2

The Sun of the Morning Is.   14:12

The Spoiler Is.   16:4-5; Jer. 6:26

The Nail Is.   22:25

The Branch of the Terrible Ones Is.   25:5

The Profane Wicked Prince of Israel Ezek. 21:25-27

The Little Horn Dan. 7:8

The Prince That      Shall Come Dan. 9:26

The Vile Person Dan. 11:121

The Willful King Dan. 11:36

The Idol Shepherd Zech. 11:16-17

The Man of Sin 2 Thess. 2:3

The Son of Perdition 2 Thess. 2:3

The Lawless One 2 Thess. 2:8

The Angel of the Bottomless Pit Rev. 9:1

Another Coming in His Own Name John 5:43

The King of Fierce Countenance Dan. 8:23 The Abomination of Desolation Matt. 24:15

The Desolator  Dan. 9:27

The King of Tyre Ezek. 28:12

The Lion           Jer. 4:6-7

The destroyer of the nations   Jer. 4:6-7

Lucifer           Is.   14:12

1 John 2:18, identifies him as the Antichrist, a liar who denies the Father and the Son. Rev. 13:1 refers to him as “the Beast,” and later in the passage names him 666. The number six, translated from the New Testament Greek into English, means “vex,” or “curse.”  Seven represents God’s number of perfection. The triple six represents the unholy trinity, with the Devil acting as God.  The Antichrist, whom Satanists call the son of Satan, mimics Jesus Christ. The False Prophet who the Bible predicts will come to the Earth and performs miracles to get the masses to worship the Beast, mocks God’s Holy Spirit.  The unholy trinity are named in Scriptures as “The Dragon,” “The Beast,” and “The False Prophet.”

Unlike previous dictators, Satan, himself possesses the Antichrist.  He obtains the world’s respect by bringing the world prosperity, until the day he declares himself a god and demands worship for himself alone. Once the Antichrist  establishes himself as a deity his evil side manifests itself.

Seat of Antichrist

Revelation 13:2 tells us that Satan provides the Antichrist with a “great seat of authority,” i.e., the political position he will hold.  The Antichrist’s “great seat of authority” becomes the highest position of the most powerful government to exist.  Despite its earthly might, it does not compare to the heavenly kingdom of Jesus Christ.

The Antichrist’s reign on Earth will completely contrast our Lord’s. Unlike Christ, whom the masses rejected, the Antichrist they will accept.  In John 5:43, Christ affirms: “I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.” This verse also happens to be the one place here Jesus makes a direct reference to the Antichrist. Jesus came to save; Antichrist comes to destroy.  Daniel refers to the Antichrist as a “prince,” with a lower-case p, while capitalizing the Prince of Peace.

Appointed by God

A surprising as this sounds, and as much as Christians speak out against the Antichrist and his coming world empire, he is appointed by God.  Daniel said to Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon in Daniel 2:38:

You O King, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength and glory: And wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of heaven. He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all—you are this head of gold.

The prophet Jeremiah spoke against the Babylonian empire and the coming king of Babylon who was a type of Antichrist.   During his ministry, he preached against this future invasion and warned the Israelites of the coming judgment for their sin.

In return for his speaking God’s word and warning them, the princes sent Jeremiah to a dungeon, which was basically a slushy dry well.  They lowered Jeremiah into the mud and mire with ropes and left him to die of hunger. King Zedekiah had him pulled out to inquire of Jeremiah what he should do in the face of the invading Babylonians and Jeremiah told him he must surrender. However, instead of submitting he tried to flee and was captured and killed. He left Jeremiah in prison. Surprisingly Jeremiah ended up being protected by the King of Babylon, who took him out of prison. God used the evil king to shelter Jeremiah and judge the sinning Israelites in Jeremiah 39:17.

     Then they sent someone to take Jeremiah from the court of the prison, and committed him to Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shapan, that he should take him home. So he dwelt among the people.

This did not mean that Jeremiah was not afraid of the Chaldeans because he was but God told him, “For I will surely deliver you, and you shall not fall by the sword, but your life shall be as a prize to you, because you have put your trust in me.” So not only was the King of Babylon appointed by God to judge Israel, but God used him to protect Jeremiah.

This same king, Daniel served in his court and interpreted his dreams.   Nebuchadnezzar liked Daniel and Daniel never judged him, but spoke God’s word.  Daniel understood that he was given his position by God. Likewise, the Antichrist is given his authority by God. We are told in Daniel 11:36, …and (he) shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done.

Revelation tells us in three places of the power given to him by God.  Revelation 13:5, ..and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. Verse 7 states, It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue and nation.

During the Tribulation God allows the Antichrist to make war with Christians and kill them.  God also gives him dominion over all people on earth. We see in Revelation 6:10, the martyrs crying for vengeance under the alter towards those who took their lives.

The Antichrist’s position is given by God, it is Satan who gives him his power, his throne, and great authority (Rev. 13:2).While Satan gives the Antichrist his government, it is God who gives him his rule, thus he is appointed by God. Satan has authority over all the kingdoms and governments of this world. Luke 4:5-7 confirms during the temptation of Jesus by the Devil:

     Then the devil said to Him, All this authority I will give You and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish, Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be yours.

I am reminded of Elisha, who wept as he told Hazael that he would be king of Syria and the evil he would do against the children of Israel. 2 Kings 8:12 states:

And Hazael said, Why is my lord weeping? He answered, Because I know the evil that you will do to the children of Israel. Their strongholds you will set on fire, and their young men you will kill with the sword; and you will dash their children, and rip open their women with child.

Just as Hazael was part of God’s purpose, so is the Antichrist in God’s plan. Thus, he is appointed by God, meaning he will take his part in  fulfill God’s purpose.  Jesus handpicked Judas Iscariot knowing full well he was a devil and told him, “do what you must do” in his betrayal against Jesus.   Judas was part of God’s purpose.

What does this mean It? means that when the Antichrist arrives, he is part of God’s plan.  Do we try to put a stop to him, no, do we speak out against his Kingdom?  No we sit and observe. The action we must take is to make sure we know Jesus as our personal savior.  If we know Him, we need to make sure that we are living our lives for Him and not letting a minute go to waste because there is not  much time left.  We are that close now to the end.

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