Is Antichrist Only One Man?

Paul called the Antichrist, "the man of sin ... the son of perdition" (2 Thess. 2:3). It is primarily because of this verse that millions have come to believe that there will be o­nly o­ne super-sinister Mr. Sin who will rise to power after the Rapture. Is it true? Will there be o­nly o­ne man - the Antichrist? Is this what Paul really meant?

First of all, in the little book of 1 John, the Bible plainly says there are "many antichrists" (1 John 2:18) and a "spirit of antichrist" (1 John 4:3). John also wrote that any person who denies the true doctrine of Jesus Christ is "a deceiver and an antichrist" (2 John 7,9). Thus, so far, the idea of there being o­nly "one" antichrist fails the biblical test.

There are other equally inspired statements in the Bible which parallel Paul's expression, "the man of sin." Prophecy also refers to this same Antichrist as the "little horn" (Daniel 7:8), the "beast" (Revelation 13:1), "the mystery of iniquity" (2 Thessalonians 2:7), and "that Wicked" (2 Thess. 2:8). Do all of these expressions refer to o­ne evil person who will rise to power after the Rapture? You are about to see that they do not.

Most agree that Daniel’s "little horn," Revelation’s mysterious "beast," and Paul‘s "man of sin," all refer to the same thing. Daniel 7 describes four beasts - a lion, a bear, a leopard, and a dragon-like beast with ten horns (Daniel 7:3-7). Then comes the "little horn" out of the head of the fourth beast (Daniel 7:8). This little horn has "eyes like the eyes of a man," "a mouth speaking great things," and "makes war o­n the saints" (Daniel 7:8, 21). This is exactly what "the beast" has and does in Revelation 13:5,7. Thus the "little horn" is the same as "the beast." But what many fail to discern is that in Daniel 7, a beast is clearly defined as a kingdom, not a man. The Holy Word says, "...the fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon the earth" (Daniel 7:23).

The Bible doesn't say the "little horn" is a man, but rather that it would have "eyes like the eyes of a man" (Daniel 7:8). When Paul used the expression, "the man of sin," in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, he was simply referring to the "little horn" with its "eyes like the eyes of a man." Yet that same horn is called a "beast" in Revelation 13:1, and the Bible clearly tells us that a beast represents a great kingdom (Daniel 7:23).

A careful study of 2 Thessalonians 2 reveals the impossibility of "the man of sin," also called to "the mystery of iniquity," and "that Wicked," as o­nly applying to o­ne man. First, "the mystery of iniquity," although under restraint, was "already at work" in Paul’s time (verse 7). Second, it would continue all the way until the visible return of Jesus Christ at the end of the world (verse 8). Thus it cannot refer to o­nly o­ne man, for that man would have to be almost 2,000 years old!

Did Paul ever use the expression "the man" in any of his other writings in such a way that it does not refer to o­nly o­ne man? Yes. Paul wrote, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." 2 Timothy 3:15, 16. Here "the man of God" does not refer to o­nly o­ne Holy Man, but rather to a succession of godly men throughout history who follow the Scriptures. Paul also used the phrase, "the minister of God" (Romans 13:4) to refer to all civil officers throughout history who restrain evil. Thus, Paul’s mysterious phrase, "the man of sin," which is the same as the "little horn," and the "beast," may properly refer to an actual "kindgom" with "eyes like the eyes of a man," that is, to a kingdom centered in a historical succession of supremely exalted men who, contrary to the Scriptures, are part of "the mystery of iniquity."

Identifying the Beast! Part 2

The Bible says, “All the world wondered after the beast” (Revelation 13:3). It’s no secret that the majority of modern prophecy teachers apply this prediction to the rise of one Mr. Bad Guy (the Antichrist) who will supposedly show up after the rapture. That’s the dominant view. Is it correct?

“FBI Apologizes to American Lawyer Wrongly Arrested” was the title of an Associated Press story that appeared in the San Luis Obispo Tribune on May 26, 2004. A terrorist bombing had occurred in Spain killing 191 people and FBI fingerprint evidence pointed to Portland attorney Brandon Mayfield - a Muslim - as the guilty one. Mayfield was thrown in jail. But the FBI soon discovered they had wrong man. The Tribune declared, “Court documents released Monday suggested that the mistaken arrest first sprang from an error by the FBI’s supercomputer for matching fingerprints.” The embarrassed agency then acknowledged the need to “review its practices on fingerprint analysis.”

When it comes to the beast, is it possible that the “fingerprint analysis” of many modern prophecy teachers is in error? Most expect the arrival of a future Antichrist, but are they looking for the wrong man? Could the beast be here now?

Let’s review the evidence presented in Identifying the Beast (Part 1). The beast of Revelation 13:1-10 is the same as the “little horn” of Daniel 7. Both have “a mouth speaking great things” (see Daniel 7:8; Revelation 13:5) and “make war with the saints (see Daniel 7:21; Revelation 13:7). Almost everyone agrees here. In Daniel 7, the plain prophetic sequence is:

• The rise of a lion (verse 4)
• The rise of a bear (verse 5)
• The rise of a leopard (verse 6)
• The rise of a fourth beast (verse 7)
• The fourth beast has ten horns (verse 7)
• Another little horn rises among the ten horns (verse 8)
• The little horn had eyes like a man (verse 8)
• The little horn had a mouth speaking great things (verse 8)
• The little horn made war on the saints (verse 21).

An angel said, “The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon the earth” (Daniel 7:23). 98% of Christian scholars throughout history have identified these four beasts as four kingdoms - Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. It’s simple history, a no brainer. The controversy swirls around the ten horns and the little horn. Futurists place the ten horns in the future (predicting a “revived Roman empire”) and think the “little horn” refers to one Mr. Diabolical who shows up after we’re gone.

Preterists think the little horn is Nero who waged war against Christians in the first century. In Identifying the Beast! (Part 1), we saw fatal flaws in both of these views. Futurists insert a 1500-year gap after the fall of Rome (thus breaking the successive sequence of Daniel 7), while preterists fail to realize that the little horn bursts into strength after Rome’s division into ten parts, not before.

The ONLY SOLUTION that fits Daniel 7’s sequence sees Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, then Rome’s division into ten parts, and then the little horn that is the same as the beast. Let me stress that this prophecy is not pointing its irrefutable finger against sincere people who don’t fully understand the Scriptures. No. Its focus is a “kingdom” or beast-system (centered in one “man”) that is leading millions away from childlike faith in the once-and-for-all sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Who is the little horn? Are you ready? Martin Luther wrote that Daniel “saw the terrible wild beast which had ten horns, which by the consent of all is the Roman Empire, he also beheld another small horn come up in the middle of this. This is the papal power, which rose up in the middle of the Roman Empire” (1).

Martin Luther, John Wycliffe, John Knox, William Tyndale, John Calvin, John Wesley, Roger Williams, Fox’s Book of Martyrs, the translators of the King James Bible, John Bunyan, the Westminster Confession, Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Spurgeon, David Benedict’s History of the Baptist Denomination, Bishop J.C. Rylie, Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones, and countless other historic Protestants all believed the little horn of Daniel 7 was the global power of the Roman Catholic Church which came out of the Roman Empire, rose up among the ten parts of Europe, is centered in one man (the Pope), has made war with the saints in history, is a “kingdom” today (over 100 embassies stand on Vatican hill), and even now exerts global influence.

According to 400 years of Protestant scholarship (which shouldn’t be taken lightly), the beast is here now and has been operating for over a thousand years. Again, this prophecy is not against sincere people who don’t fully understand the Bible - but against a system that leads away from direct faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation and has introduced many subtle traditions into the Christian Church.

Preterists and futurists should “review their practices of fingerprint analysis.” Like the FBI in 2004, they have identified the wrong man. Let’s not make the same mistake.

Identifying the Beast! Part 1

Revelation chapter 13 describes two beasts–the first rising out of the sea (13:1) and the second coming out of the earth (13:11). My last article focused on the second beast; now it’s time to zero in on the first. I must warn you: This topic is shocking, controversial, and sure to stir up heated discussion. Nevertheless it must be presented faithfully, fairly, and without compromise. John wrote:

“I saw a beast rising up out of the sea” (Revelation 13:1).

Who is this beast that figures so largely in God’s last book? Those who accept a “Preterist” interpretation of Revelation generally believe the beast was the Roman emperor Nero who murdered Christians and Jews in the first century AD. Hank Hanegraaff and Sigmund Brouwer have recently expressed this view in Tyndale’s new prophetic novel, The Last Disciple. Gary DeMar, John Noe, Ken Gentry Jr., Samuel Frost, Kurt Simmons, and many others teach this idea. To Preterists, the beast is dead.

While Preterism is growing in strength, by far the most popular interpretation remains the “Futurist” one reflected in the bestselling Left Behind series (also published by Tyndale). According to Futurists, the beast is still on the horizon–a monster that will only lurch into action after the Rapture. Leading proponents of Futurism today are Tim LaHaye, Tommy Ice, Jack Van Impe, John Hagee, Chuck Smith, Hal Lindsey, and Irving Baxter Jr. Both Preterists and Futurists see the beast as one satanic individual; an evil person. The biggest difference is the timing of when Mr. Diabolical shows up.

So which is it? Is the beast past or future? Or could he be present? Hold onto your seats. This may surprise you, but from the time of the Reformation until the late 1800s the vast majority of Protestant scholars firmly believed the beast was snarling right in front of them. Such was the doctrine of Martin Luther, Philip Melanchthon, John Calvin, John Knox, the translators of the King James Bible, John Wesley, Sir Isaac Newton, Bishop J.C. Rylie, Thomas Cranmer, Matthew Henry, Charles Spurgeon, Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones, and countless others. These weren’t Preterists or Futurists. They were Historicists * – meaning they saw prophecy fulfilled throughout Church history until the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

Let’s put emotions, personal opinion and speculation aside, and adjust our brains to facts–solid, unquestionable, irrefutable evidence. The beast rises from the sea (13:1), looks like a lion, bear, and leopard (13:2), has ten horns (13:1), a mouth speaking great things (13:5), makes war on the saints (13:7), and achieves global influence (13:7). Daniel chapter 7 talks about the same things, describing four beasts rising from the sea (7:1-3), a lion, bear, leopard, and dragon-like animal with ten horns (7:4-7), a little horn with eyes like a man (7:8), a mouth speaking great things (7:8), which makes war on the saints (7:21). Most scholars agree–both Protestant and Catholic–that Daniel’s little horn is the same as the beast in Revelation 13:1. Each has a big mouth and makes war on the saints. These are all facts.

Here’s a key question: What is a beast? A man? A computer? The Bible provides the answer. An angelic interpreter told Daniel, “The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon the earth” (Daniel 7:23). Thus a beast is a kingdom. Period. The four beasts are four kingdoms. Daniel was living during the time of Babylon (7:1), and in fact, a winged lion was a symbol of that ancient power. Most scholars agree the lion represented Babylon, followed by Persia, then Greece, then Rome. This is basic history. Rome fell in 476 AD and was divided among ten primary nations–Vandals, Heruli, Ostrogoths, Visogoths, Franks, Anglo-Saxons, Suevi, Burgundians, Lombards, and Alemanni. Prophecy clearly predicted “the little horn” would:

• Rise out of the fourth beast, or Roman Empire (7:7, 8)
• Rise among the ten horns, in Western Europe (7:8)
• Have eyes like a man, or human leadership (7:8)
• Have a mouth speaking great things (7:8)
• Make war on the saints (7:21)

Thus we have Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, Rome’s division, and then the little horn that is the same as the beast. Who is this horn? “Nero!” shout Preterists. “The future Antichrist!” contend Futurists. What’s wrong with this picture? The answer should be obvious. Preterists are wrong because the little horn (antichrist) especially gains power after Rome was divided into ten parts. Nero came 500 years too soon. Futurists fail because the little horn burst into strength immediately after the empire of the Caesars collapsed into ten parts. The future-beast notion sweeps 1500 years of history under the proverbial rug by expecting the little horn to rise only after Christians vanish.

Preterism’s problem:

• Lion (Babylon)
• Bear (Persia)
• Leopard (Greece)
• Dragon-like animal (Rome)
• Ten horns (Rome’s fall and division)
• Little horn (Nero–this doesn’t fit)

Futurism’s failure:

• Lion (Babylon)
• Bear (Persia)
• Leopard (Greece)
• Dragon-like animal (Rome)
• Insertion of a 1500-year gap
• Ten horns (future revived Roman Empire)
• Little horn (future Antichrist)

Historicism’s accuracy:

• Lion (Babylon)
• Bear (Persia)
• Leopard (Greece)
• Dragon-like animal (Rome)
• Ten horns (Rome’s fall and division)
• Little horn (rising into strength in Europe right after Rome fell)

Who is the little horn? Ask Luther, Melanchthon, Wycliffe, Huss, Jerome, Calvin, Knox, Wesley, Newton, Rylie, Cranmer, Spurgeon, and countless others. To them, the answer was obvious. They all saw a present power that started small but grew into strength immediately after Rome fell, rose up in Western Europe, had eyes like a man, a mouth speaking boastful things, and made bloody war on the saints.

It’s easy to write fiction books about an imaginary future Antichrist or a dead one. But to write non-fiction works about a present beast, especially one with global influence–this isn’t so easy. Nor is it politically correct. Yet the question Jesus Christ bids us ponder is:

What is the truth?

To be continued…

The Antichrist and the Protestant Reformation

The Protestant Reformation in the 1500s literally changed the course of history. It helped move Europe out of the Dark Ages and led to the rise of true religious freedom. It's original principles eventually found expression in the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America which teaches that when it comes to religion, the governments of earth have no right to control the conscience.

True Protestantism teaches salvation by grace through faith in Jesus (Eph. 2:8) and the supremacy of the Bible above the visible church (2 Tim. 3:16) - above traditions, pastors, priests, popes and kings (See D'Aubigne's History of the Reformation of the Sixteen Century, book xiii, chapter vi, pp. 520-524). It also teaches the priesthood of all believers (2 Pet. 2:9, 10) and that all people everywhere can be saved by coming directly to our loving heavenly Father through His only Son, Jesus Christ (John 14:6). "There is o­ne God, and o­ne mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus" (1 Tim. 2:5).

What did the major Protestant Reformers teach about the Antichrist? Whether you agree with them or not, it's important to realize what they taught. The following quotations are not intented to foster ill will toward any human being, for this would be contrary to teaching of Jesus Christ (John 13:34, 35), but rather to simply present what some of the most influential Christian leaders who have ever lived believed about "the little horn" (Daniel 7:8), "the beast" (Revelation 13:1), and "the man of sin" (2 Thessalonians 2:3) - about Antichrist.

Martin Luther (1483-1546) (Lutheran): "Luther ... proved, by the revelations of Daniel and St. John, by the epistles of St. Paul, St. Peter, and St. Jude, that the reign of Antichrist, predicted and described in the Bible, was the Papacy ... And all the people did say, Amen! A holy terror siezed their souls. It was Antichrist whom they beheld seated o­n the pontifical throne. This new idea, which derived greater strength from the prophetic descriptions launched forth by Luther into the midst of his contemporaries, inflicted the most terrible blow o­n Rome." Taken from J. H. Merle D'aubigne's History of the Reformation of the Sixteen Century, book vi, chapter xii, p. 215.

Based o­n prophetic studies, Martin Luther finally declared, "We here are of the conviction that the papacy is the seat of the true and real Antichrist." (Aug. 18, 1520). Taken from The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, by LeRoy Froom. Vol. 2., pg. 121.

John Calvin (1509-1564) (Presbyterian): "Some persons think us too severe and censorious when we call the Roman pontiff Antichrist. But those who are of this opinion do not consider that they bring the same charge of presumption against Paul himself, after whom we speak and whose language we adopt... I shall briefly show that (Paul's words in II Thess. 2) are not capable of any other interpretation than that which applies them to the Papacy." Taken from Institutes of the Christian Religion, by John Calvin.

John Knox (1505-1572) (Scotch Presbyterian): John Knox sought to counteract "that tyranny which the pope himself has for so many ages exercised over the church." As with Luther, he finally concluded that the Papacy was "the very antichrist, and son of perdition, of whom Paul speaks." The Zurich Letters, by John Knox, pg. 199.

Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556) (Anglican): "Whereof it followeth Rome to be the seat of antichrist, and the pope to be very antichrist himself. I could prove the same by many other scriptures, old writers, and strong reasons." (Referring to prophecies in Revelation and Daniel.) Works by Cranmer, Vol. 1, pp. 6-7.

Roger Williams (1603-1683) (First Baptist Pastor in America): Pastor Williams spoke of the Pope as "the pretended Vicar of Christ o­n earth, who sits as God over the Temple of God, exalting himself not o­nly above all that is called God, but over the souls and consciences of all his vassals, yea over the Spirit of Christ, over the Holy Spirit, yea, and God himself...speaking against the God of heaven, thinking to change times and laws; but he is the son of perdition (II Thess. 2)." The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, by Froom, Vol. 3, pg. 52.

The Westminster Confession of Faith (1647): "There is no other head of the church but the Lord Jesus Christ. Nor can the pope of Rome in any sense be head thereof; but is that Antichrist, that man of sin and son of perdition that exalteth himself in the church against Christ and all that is called God." Taken from Philip Schaff's, The Creeds of Christendom, With a History and Critical Notes, III, p. 658, 659, ch. 25, sec. 6.

Cotton Mather (1663-1728) (Congregational Theologian): "The oracles of God foretold the rising of an Antichrist in the Christian Church: and in the Pope of Rome, all the characteristics of that Antichrist are so marvelously answered that if any who read the Scriptures do not see it, there is a marvelous blindness upon them." Taken from The Fall of Babylon by Cotton Mather in Froom's book, The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, Vol. 3, pg. 113.

John Wesley (1703-1791) (Methodist): Speaking of the Papacy, John Wesley wrote, "He is in an emphatical sense, the Man of Sin, as he increases all manner of sin above measure. And he is, too, properly styled the Son of Perdition, as he has caused the death of numberless multitudes, both of his opposers and followers... He it is...that exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped...claiming the highest power, and highest honour...claiming the prerogatives which belong to God alone." Antichrist and His Ten Kingdoms, by John Wesley, pg. 110.

A Great Cloud of Witnesses: "Wycliffe, Tyndale, Luther, Calvin, Cranmer; in the seventeenth century, Bunyan, the translators of the King James Bible and the men who published the Westminster and Baptist confessions of Faith; Sir Isaac Newton, Wesley, Whitfield, Jonathan Edwards; and more recently Spurgeon, Bishop J.C. Ryle and Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones; these men among countless others, all saw the office of the Papacy as the antichrist." Taken from All Roads Lead to Rome, by Michael de Semlyen. Dorchestor House Publications, p. 205. 1991.

Identifying The Anti-Christ - Introduction

Many feel that the books of Daniel and Revelation need not to be studied because they are either too hard to understand or because they think the books are “locked.” However, Jesus Christ tells us in Revelation 1:3:

“Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.”

“Seal not the saying of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.” Revelation 22:10

The very word “Revelation” means revealed. We see that if we study bible prophecy we are pronounced as a blessed people. We also see how Jesus said “for the time is at hand.” In the book of Daniel, Daniel was told that the prophecies of Daniel were to be “sealed” up until the “time of the end” Daniel 12:9. Now when we return to Revelation 1:3, Jesus said, “for the time is at hand.” Therefore, the time to read and understand the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation is now! These two books go hand and hand, as you will notice while we begin to study them in this booklet. Peter and Paul in their wisdom said:

“We have a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts.” 2 Peter 1:19.

“Despise not prophesyings.” 1 Thessalonians 5:20

Friends, be not as the people spoken of in Isaiah 29:11: "And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed." Let us not be as the one mentioned in proverbs, which says:

"He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly (silliness) and shame (disgrace) unto him. -Proverbs 18:13.

Will there be an ultimate antichrist that will stand up against Jesus and his kingdom, and war with the saints of God? John spoke of many antichrists who have already crept into the churches, but notice how he also warns of an antichrist whom they have heard will soon come (1 John 2:18). Paul warns of this mega antichrist:

“Let no man deceive you by any means, for that day (the 2nd coming of Christ –verses 1 and 2) shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?” -2 Thessalonians 2:3-5

This “son of perdition” exalts himself, and makes himself God, he is opposite of God and puts himself “in place” or “instead” of God: which is what the very word “anti” means. In this booklet, we will expose who this antichrist is through the books of Daniel and Revelation.

Brethren, my prayer is that you are blessed with the study of Daniel and the Revelation. May God richly bless you in your study of God’s word. Amen.