The Son of Perdition

Throughout history, many people have attempted to discover the identity of the dreaded Antichrist.

Some folks believe that he will be easily recognized because he will be a violent and evil person. Others claim that he will be recognized for his infamous 666 mark that they believe will be prominently displayed on his forehead.

And still others believe that he will be some sort of half man, half beast who will terrorize the entire world.

Who's right? Can we learn anything about this man's identity and persona before he appears?

Though the Bible doesn't identify him by name, it gives us a detailed description of where he will come from, how he'll behave and the type of power he'll possess that will mesmerize the entire world.

First of all, the Bible reveals that this man will be an elaborate counterfeit of Jesus Christ. That's what the term Antichrist stands for: a substitute for Christ or a replacement of Christ.

In fact, Christ Himself warned us that several counterfeit Christs will appear in the last days that will deceive the world through demonic power: "At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' Do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that were possible." (Matthew 24:23-24)

The apostle Paul also warned that this counterfeit will use supernatural powers to convince many that he is the genuine Christ when he appears: "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, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing." (2Thessalonians 2:9-10)

And the apostle John who recorded the Revelation while in exile from Rome in about 90 A.D., revealed that this counterfeit Christ will perform "great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men." (Revelation 13:13)

John also revealed that this counterfeit will recover from a fatal wound and rise from the dead, (Revelation 13:12) and he will have his own advance prophet who will introduce him to the world. (Revelation 19:20)

Christ rose from the dead three days after He was crucified and His appearance to the world was announced by John the Baptist. And so, the Antichrist will deceive many by rising from the dead after suffering a fatal wound, and he will be revealed to the world by his own John the Baptist.

Secondly, the Antichrist will not appear as a violent, mass murdering warmonger. Rather, he will appear as a benevolent man who will convince the world that he has come to bring peace to a world ravaged by war. (Daniel 8:23)

And he'll be a con artist who'll possess hypnotic powers that will persuade the entire world to follow him. According to John: "All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast--all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb (Jesus Christ) that was slain from the creation of the world." (Revelation 13:8)

John's prophecy reveals that true Christians will refuse to worship this counterfeit because they'll know who he really is. And those who refuse to worship this man will be persecuted because he will institute an electronic marking system that will be essential for everyone's survival. (Revelation 13:16-17)

In order to receive this mark, everyone will be forced to swear allegiance to him. Those who refuse to swear allegiance to the counterfeit Christ will not be given the mark and they will be unable to buy, sell or transact business. They will literally have to survive on their own.

Thirdly, biblical prophecy reveals that this man will rise in conjunction with a global counterfeit religious revival and he will come from the Roman Catholic Church. (Revelation 17)

 

He will be both a political and a religious figure who will be backed by satanic power. (Revelation 13:2) And after he initially appears as a man of peace, he will begin a reign of terror across the world that will destroy multitudes. (Daniel 8:24)

But where will this man come from? Though many biblical scholars throughout the centuries have predicted that he will come from Rome, he will in fact come from Russia. How can we determine that?

The Bible reveals that this man will be the ruler of a powerful nation that's described as a northern kingdom. (Daniel 11) How can we determine that Russia is that northern kingdom? Because the Bible always places Israel at the center of its geographical map, and Russia is located directly north of Israel.

But how does that prove that Russia is that northern nation? Because Daniel also revealed that this powerful northern kingdom will do battle with a powerful southern kingdom for world supremacy in the last days. (Daniel 11) Who would that southern kingdom be? That southern kingdom is China that sits on Russia's southern border at two different points, separated by Mongolia.

Both Russia and China are the emerging as the globe's newest superpowers as the United States declines. And Daniel also revealed that these two nations will become allies for a period of time (Daniel 11:6) before they become bitter enemies.

 

Currently, Russia and China are allies and they cooperate on a number of military, energy and economic projects. The Russians possess an abundance of energy that the Chinese need such as coal, crude oil and natural gas. And China possesses a lot of money that Russia desperately needs to rebuild her economy.

Also, the prophet Ezekiel revealed that this northern kingdom will put together a military alliance called Magog that will attempt to destroy Israel at some future date before Christ destroys this kingdom and its alliance. Ezekiel revealed the name of this kingdom as Gog, which was an ancient name for modern Russia.

When will the Antichrist appear? According to Daniel, he will appear perhaps several years after a world government has been established. (Daniel 8:23) Daniel revealed that this man will be mysterious and will seemingly come from nowhere. But his ability to perform incredible miracles will convince the world that he is divine.

Biblical prophecy indicates that this man will be a prominent world leader who will rise from the dead after he's assassinated. (Revelation 13:3) John also revealed that when this man rises from the dead, he will begin performing miracles and the world will worship him. (Revelation 13:4)

And biblical prophecy reveals that this counterfeit Christ will order a new Jewish temple to be constructed in Jerusalem that he will eventually enter and defile with his presence. (Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15, 2Thessalonians 2:4) Obviously, if there's going to be a new temple in Jerusalem, then Israel is going to continue to exist as a nation.

The fact that this man will have the power and authority to permit a new Jewish temple to be built indicates that Islam will either be extremely weakened when the Antichrist appears, or Islam will no longer exist.

However, before the Antichrist can appear, a one-world government must arise that will consist of 10 nation groups. In conjunction with the rise of this world government will be a global religious revival that will be demonically inspired. And this revival will purport to be a Christian revival that will feature counterfeit signs, wonders and miracles.

Is the Antichrist coming? He is. Tragically, only a handful of true Christians will recognize him for who he really is. The rest of the world will believe that he is Jesus Christ who has returned to bring peace to the earth. That's when the real nightmare will begin.