Identifying the Antichrist: 8 Myths Not To Fall For

The Bible gives many clues on how to identify the Antichrist, but if your life depended on recognizing him when the time comes, would you be able to? Find out how to consider the Antichrist question biblically and free yourself of any anxiety you may have over failing to identify him when he comes and suffering the grave consequences.

The Antichrist Prophecy

Apart from the rapture and Christ's second coming, the Antichrist is probably the most well-known Bible prophecy topic to Christians. Even the rapture itself relates back to the Antichrist for most Christians who believe the rapture will save them from the Antichrist's clutches.

The Antichrist is definitely not to be taken lightly. He will head up a new one-world government that holds captive the entire world. This headship is the same ruling position that Satan offered to Jesus when he tempted him (Lk 4:5-7). For the last 3½ years of this age, God will allow Satan to take full authority over all nations and give it to the Antichrist (Rev 13:7, 2).

His rule begins with him hunting down every person, not just believers (Rev 12:13). He will torture everyone into taking the Mark of the Beast without which they will not be able to buy what they need (Rev 9:1-12=Rev 13:16-18). He will also go to war with the nations that resist his rule. More than one-third of the world population will be killed in the war with Asia that results (Dan 8:24=Dan 11:44=Rev 9:13-21). Given this total control and subjugation, his iron rule will bring a form of peace and prosperity. Jesus and Paul predicted this deceptive "peace and safety" would be in place right before great destruction from God comes and brings the end of the Antichrist' reign (Mt 24:38-39; 1The 5:3).

Given how horrific this man will be, there is a lot of speculation about who he is (today) or how to identify him when he comes. The Bible tells us certain identification details that seem to make this possible. But not every Antichrist theory drawn upon a Bible passage is reliable.

That's why I have collected seven of the most common Antichrist theories that I am asked about.

Myth #1: "The Antichrist' is the Bible's Name For Him"

This global ruler during the Great Tribulation is most commonly referred to by Christians as "The Antichrist." Yet that moniker is itself a myth.

It turns out that the Bible never actually uses that title for him in any prophecy of the coming end-time king of the world.

John's letters use antichrist to refer to a “spirit of antichrist” that was already present in those who opposed or denied Christ. But the end-time prophecies use such titles as the Man of Sin, Son of Perdition, Lawless One (2Th 2:1-8), Little Horn (Dan 7:8), Coming Prince (Dan 9:26), (Willful) King of the North (Dan 11:36) and the Beast (Rev 13:1-10), among others.

Although I am aware of this naming problem, I'm not picky about it. I go with the flow. A good writer knows that to get your real points across, it is best to use the terms that your audience expects and understands. That's what I'll do in this article as I do in all my writing.

Myth #2: "The Antichrist Will Be Popular or Charismatic"

Have you ever tried sharing your pick for Antichrist with others when he is not well-liked, handsome and charismatic? Most people have a hard time imagining an unattractive man winning over the whole world. Certainly, if he is going to be a devil, he had better be devilishly handsome! Right?

However, the Bible nowhere describes the Antichrist as physically appealing. The little physical description we have of him points to the opposite. He will be disfigured with a blind right eye and withered right arm (Zec 11:17). Since this man is said to die and come back to life, this disfigurement may be a result of his death and resurrection before coming to power.

How he comes to power is the key here. If he was going to be democratically elected, charisma and popular appeal would seem to be required.

However, the Bible paints quite a different picture of how the Antichrist takes control of the world. There won't be a vote and people won't care what he looks like; they will care whether he can fix a broken post-Wormwood world. (Keep reading through Myth #5 below for details.)

Myth #3: "The Antichrist Will Sign a Public Peace Treaty With Israel"

A top persistent myth about the Antichrist is that before Satan is kicked out of heaven and begins his great wrath with the Abomination of Desolation, the Antichrist must make a peace treaty with Israel. This is (loosely) based on what Daniel said about the Antichrist making a seven-year pact:

Daniel 9:27 (HCSB) — He will make a firm covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and offering. And the abomination of desolation will be on a wing of the temple, until the decreed destruction is poured out on the desolator.”

Notice that the verse does not say “covenant with Israel.” It only says “covenant with many,” whatever that means. You can look from Genesis to Revelation and you will not find a single verse that says the many is Israel or Israel makes a treaty with the Antichrist (nor the Antichrist making a "peace treaty" with anyone, either). Consequently, it is quite amazing that this theory has become as popular as it has, lacking a single explicit verse of support.

Worse, it ignores and contradicts the plain evidence we do have for who the “many” are. If you look in Revelation 17, you will find another mention of the Antichrist making a trade or deal with many, and this time it tells you how many there are and who they are:

Revelation 17:12-13, 16-17 (HCSB) 12 The 10 horns you saw are 10 kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they will receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour. 13 These have one purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast. 16 The 10 horns you saw, and the beast, will hate the prostitute. They will make her desolate and naked, devour her flesh, and burn her up with fire. 17 For God has put it into their hearts to carry out His plan by having one purpose and to give their kingdom to the beast until God’s words are accomplished.

Article continues below...

"Depart From Me, I Never Knew you!" - Jesus

Jesus predicted that he will tell many sincere believers to basically "get lost" instead of welcoming them into the Kingdom. So...who are they and what did they miss or do wrong? In this study, get those answers and the one requirement for salvation Jesus taught (that Christianity misses) so that you can make sure you don't hear these dreaded words yourself!

“The many” are rulers, but not the kind you are used to. They are not public figureheads like presidents or prime ministers. Instead, they are the power players who pull the strings behind the scenes. What the Bible says here about them I think matches and supports the rumors of the “Illuminati” who supposedly run a shadow government and plan to establish a very non-shadow New World Order. (I know that's a conspiracy theory and I'm not a believer in most of them, but any the Bible confirms, those I believe.)

Illuminati or not, Revelation 17 says ten powerful “kings without kingdoms” are going to be instrumental for the Antichrist taking power. The deal they make with the Antichrist is to use their power to get the Antichrist into power in exchange for finally getting public authority as kings in his new global kingdom. In addition, they must use their power beforehand to get rid of the prostitute Mystery Babylon the Great) who is riding the Beast (preventing him from doing what he wants).

Another error is the assumed public nature of this coming seven-year pact. Nowhere does it say that it is publicly known. I think it is unlikely that the ten rulers are going to publicize their plan with the Antichrist to take out the most powerful nation on earth who stands in their way. Nor their plan to afterward take over the world and make the Antichrist world king.

Regarding Paul's warning of peace and safety before destruction (1 Thessalonians 5:1–3), that has to do with the one-world government of the Antichrist. This will bring peace and safety until God ends the Tribulation with the rapture and his wrath.

In conclusion, watching for an Antichrist "seven-year peace with Israel" is simply not a way to identify the Antichrist. Nevertheless, the Antichrist will still bring peace to the Middle East. It's just that he'll do it through war, "destroying wonderfully" (Dan 8:24) instead of through peace treaties. He'll accomplish this by conquering and ruling the whole world (Rev 13:7). You may remember learning in history about the Pax Romana ("Roman peace"), or the relatively long period of peace among the conquered nations of the Roman Empire. Imagine the "Pax Antichrist," if you will, that will result across the whole world under the Antichrist's reign. It would put an end even to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Especially when you factor in how everyone with the mark of the beast then seems to lose their free will (Rev 16:9, 11).

Of course, the only true, non-forced peace between Israel and the Arabs will come with Christ's millennial reign when both peoples have the Holy Spirit poured out on them as Joel prophesies (Joel 2:28-29). The whole world will learn God's peaceful ways and learn war no more (Isa 2:4; Mic 4:3) in the Millennium.

Myth #4: "The Antichrist Cannot Be Identified Before the Rapture"

It's good to get this myth out of the way early if we're trying to understand how to identify who the Antichrist is. Some say you simply cannot. This idea is partly based on the assumption that the rapture comes before the Great Tribulation. The thinking is that we will be out of here before the Antichrist even makes his supposed “peace treaty with Israel.” The public peace treaty is the way most Christians expect to identify the Antichrist. So if they will not be here anymore when it happens, they naturally assume they cannot identify the Antichrist if he were already alive in person today.

Yet in Revelation 13 we are given a detailed profile of the Antichrist, albeit in the form of some mysterious riddles. One of them is a picture or calling card of the Beast that has turned out to be surprisingly literal (a beast like that exists today as the heraldry of the world's most prominent prince).

The other riddle is the infamous Number of the Beast or 666. When you put all the verses mentioning it together, the picture emerges that this “666” is the “number of the name” of “a man” that you must “count” or “calculate” from “his name.” The text even gives the number 666 as three letters, not three numbers. The letters are chi, xi, stigma and they have the values or gematria of 600, 60 and 6.

Using “wisdom” (Rev 13:18) which Daniel was told would be available in the end times (Dan 12:10), we can understand 666 and use it to identify who might be the Beast. As you can imagine, not many names are going to work out (without forcing or contrivance) to exactly that sum. Of course, we tend to deceive ourselves in these matters judging from all the Antichrists candidates that have been named in history. So it is best to leave anyone we identify using the 666 formula as only a “potential candidate” and not be dogmatic about it until a prophet comes to confirm it. The coming of 144,000 prophets is indeed prophesied before Wormwood, before the Great Tribulation and way before the rapture. (If you never thought of the 144,000 before as prophets, what would you call people who meet Jesus, are filled with the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, sealed with protection to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom and other messages they receive from three angels (Rev 7; 14:1-13)?)

Myth #5: "The Antichrist Comes to Power By Counterfeiting Jesus' Second Coming"

Although the Antichrist obviously will use force to take over part of the world, the question needs to be asked as to how he gets the rest to go along? Most Christians would say he does it through the deception of presenting himself as the returning Jesus. They expect he will somehow fulfill the prophecies of the Second Coming. Others say the Jews will perceive him as Messiah of the First Coming, giving him a very powerful endorsement. However, the Bible does not indicate anything like that.

Most simply, the Bible says the Antichrist comes not pretending to be Jesus, the Son of God. He goes for a much bigger lie, namely that he is Jesus' father, God himself:

2 Thessalonians 2:4 (HCSB) — He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he sits in God’s sanctuary, publicizing that he himself is God.

This appears to be the “strong delusion” that Paul refers to later in that same chapter:

2 Thessalonians 2:10-11 (HCSB) — and with every unrighteous deception among those who are perishing. ⌊They perish⌋ because they did not accept the love of the truth in order to be saved. 11 For this reason God sends them a strong delusion so that they will believe what is false

For someone to prove he is God through the miracles of a powerful false prophet is an unprecedented trick. It will convince many, but not all. There are, of course, those who simply do not want God to be real and around to tell them what to do. That will never change. These people, therefore, need a special motivation to listen and submit. The Mark of the Beast specifically mentions that nobody will be able to buy or sell unless they agree to worship the Antichrist. And we know what most will need to buy first: food.

You see, the rise of the Antichrist is found at the 5th trumpet (Rev 9). Naturally, this would be right after the 4th trumpet (Rev 8:12) which describes the last of the calamitous effects of the Wormwood rogue planet (named in Rev 8:10). This Wormwood is the next event described in Revelation that has not been fulfilled yet. The destruction caused by Wormwood begins at the 6th seal with eclipses, shooting stars, and a global earthquake so great that every mountain and island is moved out of its place (Rev 6:12-17). It goes on with the first four trumpets bringing meteorite showers, as asteroid strike in the ocean, tsunamis, poisoned fresh waters and a hazy “nuclear winter” style sky (from all the ash and debris thrown up into the stratosphere).

Now you understand how the Antichrist is able to get everyone, even the godless rebels, to submit. People will be cold, starving, and shell-shocked after the Wormwood-caused disasters. They will need a bailout that includes all the basic necessities of life (much like New Orleans needed after Hurricane Katrina). Unfortunately, when a catastrophe is global and complete, there is nobody who can help that is not also in great need. That help must come from God himself, or someone can pawn themselves off as a close substitute. The Antichrist will appear as God and have the powers to bring security and sustenance to what's left of the world population.

But we must not forget that as bad as this Wormwood catastrophe sounds, it will apparently be tame in comparison to what the Antichrist will do. This seems to be what is intended by how his rise is called the first of three woes on the earth.

Revelation 8:13 (HCSB) — I looked again and heard an eagle flying high overhead, crying out in a loud voice, “Woe! Woe! Woe to those who live on the earth, because of the remaining trumpet blasts that the three angels are about to sound!”

Myth #6: "The Antichrist Must Be a Jew"

This myth goes along with the previous one about the Antichrist making a treaty with Israel that brings peace and allows them to build the Third Temple. The thinking is that he must be a Jew to be sympathetic to the Jews. They also base it on when Jesus said, "I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another shall come in his own name, you will receive him" (John 5:43). Because Jesus said the Jews will accept the Antichrist, people wonder how that could happen with a Gentile. The Jews ought to know the Messiah must be a Jew, right?

Yet that is assuming the Jews think the Antichrist is Messiah. As we already covered, the Antichrist won't bother trying to convince people using Bible prophecy that they should accept him. He will come in his own name (whatever name it will be adding up to 666) as God, not as the Messiah of the Jews. The Jews will accept him for the same reason everyone else will: necessity. Once they do, they will be under the Mark of the Beast and deluded into believing God is already here to the point that they would fight to defend his kingdom. There is even a prophecy showing that Judah will be part of the Beast's armies and fight against their real Messiah at his return:

Zechariah 14:14 (ESV) — Even Judah will fight at Jerusalem. And the wealth of all the surrounding nations shall be collected, gold, silver, and garments in great abundance.

The Bible does not say Antichrist will be a Jew nor does he have to be a Jew to accomplish anything he is prophesied to do.

Myth #7: "The Antichrist Must Be Arab"

If the Antichrist is not of the Jews, maybe then he is Arab?

This is a more recent theory that has become a popular fad. As a Christian, you may not have encountered it unless you rub elbows with Messianic Jewish/Hebraic believers. I became aware of it through a Messianic teacher on a radio interview. He claimed to have thousands of hours of study of Middle East history from which he concluded that the Bible teaches that the Antichrist will come from Syria. He taught that the Antichrist is alive today in the personage of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad.

The troubling thing is that even after hearing two separate radio show interviews by him, never did he address how Bashar fulfills the identification requirements of Revelation 13, the most important passage on the Antichrist in the Bible. He instead focused on other prophetic chapters from Isaiah (10, 14, 30, 31) and Daniel (11). While interesting and provocative, his theory almost exists only in a vacuum from Revelation. Not surprisingly, Bashar al Assad does not add up to 666. Very few names do.

The other big problem with this theory is that Daniel says that the Antichrist is “of the people...who will destroy the city and sanctuary” (Dan 9:26). History shows that the Roman Empire was the “people” who did this. Daniel says the prince comes from these same people. In other words, he's European, just like his chief type Antiochus Epiphanes IV, a Greek, was (despite revisionist history to the contrary claiming he was Syrian).

Daniel 8 also points to a European Antichrist. It says the “Little Horn” will emerge from a land that is situated so that the Antichrist will have to move southeast in order to take the beautiful land, or Israel (Dan 8:9). Reversing that, it would mean he comes from a land northwest of Israel. If you draw a line northwest from Israel, you go through Greece (where Antiochus Epiphanes came from) and Western Europe, until you end in Great Britain. Syria is north of Israel, so it does not fit. The Antichrist is not likely to be Syrian, but he could very well be a Brit.

Myth #8: "The Antichrist Will Be Muslim"

This is another theory that is more popular among Messianic believers. Oddly enough, it identifies the religion of the Antichrist. It's no wonder why this is popular now. How about this: "Just as the first readers of Revelation were influenced by current events (to conclude that Emperor Nero was the Antichrist), so are readers today. Islam is on the rise and has many Bible believers, both in Judaism and Christianity, worried. We naturally look for the Antichrist in what we already consider the present evil. But that is not the safest way to go about interpreting prophecy.

As a result, some of the evidence for this theory can be downright laughable. One teacher suggests that the word for “Allah” in Arabic is found in a Greek manuscript of Revelation 13 where 666 is written. Arabic in the Greek? It's a bold claim that has persisted since it takes someone with access to and understanding of Greek NT manuscripts to debunk. To see the video teaching this claim or a sound debunking of it, visit this page http://barthsnotes.wordpress.com/2009/07/06/islamic-anti-christ-claim-revisited/.

However, the main problem with this theory is in the fact already shown that the Antichrist is going to prop himself up as God (2Th 2:4). That's not very compatible with the belief of Muslims that Allah is God. If you want the best verse on the “religion” of the Antichrist, here it is:

Daniel 11:37 (HCSB) — He will not show regard for the gods of his fathers, the god longed for by women, or for any other god, because he will magnify himself above all.

Daniel 11:37 (NIV2011) — He will show no regard for the gods of his ancestors or for the one desired by women, nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above them all.

Daniel 11:37 (ESV) — He shall pay no attention to the gods of his fathers, or to the one beloved by women. He shall not pay attention to any other god, for he shall magnify himself above all.

He believes in nothing but himself. Notice this is the same same thing that Paul told the Thessalonians, he will magnify himself as God with complete disregard for all other gods (which would include Allah). Can you be Muslim and say you are God instead of Allah?

This Islamic Antichrist theory is very popular now so you will probably hear many convincing arguments for it, more than I can address in this article. Here are some further links of study to help you cope with this current Antichrist fad:

Bonus Myth: The Antichrist Must Be a Prince

This idea comes up mostly when you talk about Prince Charles as an Antichrist candidate. People assume that since Daniel speaks of the "prince of the people who shall come" (Dan 9:26) that Prince Charles (or any other candidate who is currently a prince) better become Antichrist before his queen mother or king father dies (making him king) or he can no longer fit the Antichrist description.

However, this overlooks a few things. First, the word used by Daniel for prince "nagid" (נגיד) does not specify a prince. It means more broadly a "leader, ruler or prince." Second, other prophecies of the Antichrist talk about a king, such as Daniel's end-time "King of the North" (Dan 11:40-45). The word used for "king" in those passages "melek" (‏מֶלֶךְ‎) is pretty specific. Out of 2523 instances of the word in the KJV, it's translated 99.8% of the time as "king." In modern Hebrew, the same word is still used for "king."

Therefore, one could better argue that someone like Prince Charles must ascend to the throne as king before becoming the Antichrist. However, I would not argue either he must be a prince or a king off of grammatical proofs like this. I don't generally find grammatical arguments reliable. For me, the two words cancel each other out grammatically or perhaps both are true. The man who becomes Antichrist may be most famous as a prince who later becomes king. This would fit Prince Charles if Queen Elizabeth dies before the end times begin. Or the point is he's a civic (not religious) ruler of any/either kind at the time he becomes the Antichrist. With the very specific identifying characteristics in Revelation 13 about the computation of his name and the beastly icon used by the Antichrist, we really don't need to know if he is a prince or a king. It's superfluous.

The Easy Way to Identify the Antichrist

It's no surprise that the Antichrist is the focus of so much interest and speculation among believers. Speculation always brings with it lots of misinformation and myths. I've addressed several popular ones here, but there are many others that may confuse you and take your peace. Anxiety comes to many on this topic because we fear that if we do not study enough and find the right answer when the end times come, we will pay dearly for our ignorance or misunderstanding of Bible prophecy.

I can relieve that anxiety by reminding you of a few things you probably already knew but forgot. God does not expect you to be a Bible scholar and to figure out who the Antichrist is and who he is not. You don't have to worry about sorting out fact from fiction yourself. If he is alive today (which I think he is) then his future empowered nemeses, the coming Elijah of the time right before the Day of the LORD (Mal 4:5), the two witnesses (Rev 11:3-6) and the 144,000 (Rev 7; 14) are alive, too. God must send them all out in different ways to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom as a witness before the end can come (Mt 24:14). As delivered to them by the three angels of Revelation 14, they will also bring us this message:

Revelation 14:9-10 (HCSB) 9 And a third angel followed them and spoke with a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast [Antichrist] and his image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he will also drink the wine of God’s wrath, which is mixed full strength in the cup of His anger. He will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the sight of the holy angels and in the sight of the Lamb,

It is easy to mistake that passage as a warning to the reader. But it's not. That passage is a prophecy of a future warning that will go out to the entire world (through the 144,000).

That warning will appear sometime before the Antichrist arrives, in time for you to escape him. Upon hearing it you will be able to use the Bible to verify that what they say is consistent with God's word. You can prove that the instructions given along with that warning on how to escape are from God and trustworthy. If you have the faith to follow them (and not what your religion might tell you to do instead) you will find yourself safe from the Antichrist and everything else that the Bible says is coming in the final years of this age.

Obviously, if God is providing such a clear warning from a prophet about the Antichrist's mark that is coming:

  1. You do not have to be a Bible scholar to understand it
  2. You do not have to be smart enough to identify the Antichrist. It will be done for you.
  3. Pretty much all you will need is to not be living in a cave and God will make sure everyone hears the warning message.

If it is so simple and clear, won't everyone heed the warning so that the Antichrist has nobody left to deceive? No, since the three angels warnings are disseminated through God's (human) prophets, space will be left for reasonable doubt. Remember, when Moses was sent to Pharaoh, even though he worked multiple signs and miracles, Pharaoh, his court and the Egyptians under him still doubted and did not believe. Imagine how few will believe today given the healthy skepticism towards any claims of anything supernatural like prophecy.

The key is to make sure that you are not one of those who lack faith when the time comes. Jesus said to "pray that you have the strength to escape all these things that are going to take place" (Lk 21:36). If you make that prayer and continually ask God to help you have faith (without which it is impossible to please him (Heb 11:6)) you will be in good shape to not only know who the Antichrist is when he comes but to escape him, too.


If you have found a spelling error, please, notify us by selecting that text and pressing Ctrl+Enter.

Print This Post Print This Post

If this article blessed you and you want to bless back, you can... (NOTE: For instant access to the special Supporter content, please use the buttons over here instead.)

Don't Fear... Comprehend!

If you liked this article, you will LOVE my book, Know the Future, a comprehensive, literal explanation of end time prophecy read by over 25,000 people since 2005.

Learn about Wormwood, the pretrib event that Christianity overlooks, even though a pretrib rapture won't save them from it. The book explains more on end time events than all this site's articles combined and is up-to-date in its 8th edition, in both softcover and ebook editions.

Your book purchase will not only bless you with understanding and me with support, but you will also bless others with new articles that your support enables me to write.

Receive Tim's Prophecy Updates By Email

Join 30,000 subscribers receiving Tim's new articles and updates by email. Understanding Bible prophecy better will dispel your end time fear and bless you (Rev 1:3).

About the author

Tim McHyde

Tim is the author of this site (since 1999) and the book Know the Future that explains Revelation literally at last--including the key event of Wormwood (Rev 6-8). To read more from Tim and not miss a single new article, sign up for his free newsletter above.

53comments
ShealTiel - August 3, 2022

DANIEL 11:36 – The king of Syria will do as he pleases. He will boast that he is greater than any god, superior even to the Supreme God. He will be able to do this until the time when God punishes him. God will do exactly what he has planned.”….. ( Footnotes: 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 & Revelation 13:5-6.) Reference: Good News Bible GNT

Reply
ShealTiel - August 3, 2022

2 ESDRAS 14:10-12 – THE SEVENTH VISION/The Voice from the Bush (Apocrypha Scripture) – The Lord speaking to EZRA 30 years after the fall of Jerusalem (556-557 B.C.). “The world is no longer young; it is rapidly approaching old age. The whole history of the world is divided into twelve periods, and the tenth period has already arrived and it is half over; only two and half parts remain.”
Reference: Good News Bible GNT

Reply
mauricio malagon - February 22, 2022

Illuminati or not, Revelation 17 says ten powerful “kings without kingdoms” are going to be instrumental for the Antichrist taking power. The deal they make with the Antichrist is to use their power to get the Antichrist into power in exchange for finally getting public authority as kings in his new global kingdom. In addition, they must use their power beforehand to get rid of the prostitute Mystery Babylon the Great) who is riding the Beast (preventing him from doing what he wants).

So if this is the decade that all this comes to fruition then antichrist must be around in the global arena already. Especially, if the US is still around halting the activity of this beast and his 10 kings. Where is he?

Reply
Mattias - November 10, 2021

“Daniel 8 also points to a European Antichrist. It says the “Little Horn” will emerge from a land that is situated so that the Antichrist will have to move southeast in order to take the beautiful land, or Israel (Dan 8:9)”

You are missing one important detail here, wormhood is going to make the south and north poles to flip, so the sun is gonna rise from the west. The antichrist will rise from a small country of Europe and is going to move to southeast (northwest in our days) to conquer the rest of Europe and after that he will turn to Israel.

Reply
    Tim McHyde - November 19, 2021

    Mattias the earth is not going to flip literally. North will remain north.

    Reply
    Ricardo - November 24, 2021

    This sounds like some of the islamic prophecies, one major sign of the last days is that the sun is going to rise from the west.

    Reply
    Haim - September 22, 2022

    Could the flip mean climate change? Greenland will be warmer than Iceland… yadiyadah.

    Tim and others,

    I’ve seen where you say America could not be the source of the Anti-Christ. Britain conquered most of the world including America. America is northwest of Israel. Has great military might. Thousands of Christians have been swayed by the likes of Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell and Kenneth Copeland who used the name of God to enrich themselves while plugging divisive agendas. Jesus said to love our neighbors not to ostracize gay people, people of color, differently abled people, migrants seeking asylum, etc. Jesus spoke not of chosen people, but that God loved the whole world. It might not even be Israel on a map as we know it.

    Then comes Trump. People who are supposed to be of faith, now believe in Trump, Guns, and Christmas. There is great patriotism that has turned to arrogance. If America is long gone, then there must have been a huge catastrophe/war to remove its power. Sure, Trump’s presidency weakened alliances and even the perceived power of the government.

    I don’t really see Great Britain going back to a dominant world power. But if we are going to be analytical and assume deeper meanings on some things… and assume some of these things are fables or parables or whatever, maybe think past what exists on the map. GB as “the little horn” but what did it do in the past? Didn’t it birth America? Didn’t it have great power around the world that slowly dwindled as America rose (due to innovations and not having to rebuild after wars)?

    I don’t think Trump is the anti-christ. I actually think the verses may suggest someone unassuming who works their way to the top kind of like Hitler did.

    In short, we do not know explicitly that it cannot be America that brings forth the anti-christ. Unless you are saying this is hundreds of years from now when some big calamity destroyed America. Maybe Russia’s leaders get violent. But I think I also read something like you think that the antichrist is almost here or is currently alive? That might have been another commenter.

    I do agree that increasing faith in God is key and not following anyone one person who claims to be Christian and promises he’ll pass an agenda, who acts everything differently from what Christians should be…. counter to Jesus’s teaching that would welcome people to God rather than marginalizing them and pushing them away from faith because they are judged and mistreated. This goes for the Left as much as the Right.

    Reply
    Jeff - February 12, 2023

    Dan 8:9 actually gives 3 different directions: Towards the South, towards the East, and towards the Glorious Land. I don’t think this means “Southeast”. Also, most people forget that the Roman empire was vast and split into two empires, with the Eastern empire being called the Byzantine empire, and it extend through Turkey and beyond. Since one of the titles of this false messiah is “the Assyrian”, he may come from somewhere in the Eastern half of the Roman empire.

    Reply
Heidi - March 15, 2021

Could it be possible that the Antichrist is originally from Syria, but coming as a refugee to Europe, becoming adopted into a European family?

Reply
    Tim McHyde - March 15, 2021

    Heidi, I know no verse preventing that.

    Reply
      Heidi - March 17, 2021

      Tim, thanks for your answer. Coming to think of it, my suggestion would not fit with the current possibility that 2022-2024 would be the start of end time events. He would be too young if adopted now. Thanks again, anyway.

      Reply
Michaela - April 10, 2020

“Daniel 8 also points to a European Antichrist. It says the “Little Horn” will emerge from a land that is situated so that the Antichrist will have to move southeast in order to take the beautiful land, or Israel (Dan 8:9). Reversing that, it would mean he comes from a land northwest of Israel. If you draw a line northwest from Israel, you go through Greece (where Antiochus Epiphanes came from) and Western Europe, until you end in Great Britain. Syria is north of Israel, so it does not fit. The Antichrist is not likely to be Syrian, but he could very well be a Brit.”

Daniel 8 also states that the “Little Horn” comes out from Alexander’s empire, Great Britain was never part of his empire.

I think only Turkey, Cyprus, Greece and a few other Balkan countries are northwest of Israel and also were part of the Roman and Alexander Empires.

Reply
    Boris - April 13, 2020

    The Little Horn of Daniel 8 is not the same as the little horn of Daniel 7.

    Daniel 8 has already been fulfilled by Antiochus IV and doesn’t apply to the final antichrist, so it’s not necessary for the antichrist to be northwest of Israel or at the same geographic location of the Greek empire.

    Reply
      Tim McHyde - April 13, 2020

      Boris, with partial and latter fulfillments you can never know for sure “it already happened” means it won’t have a fuller, latter fulfillment. I find it interesting after concluding Prince Charles fit several literal requirements for the Antichrist that the UK was along the same NW route as Greece.

      Reply
    Israel - October 26, 2020

    The Anti Christ /son of perdition comes out of S.E ancient Greece which is the Holy Land but travels there in S.E direction[in his mothers womb from USSR country-feet like bear] . He will be Jesus opposite [Matthew27;37] the most popular king & known as ‘the little horn= Hebrew BIBI whose full name /number in old Hebrew Gematria is 666 & rules over the Great City that sits on 7 mountains-Jerusalem whose people[well certain ones]control-have dominion -over the World’s Money & Trade [that is where my family does business]. He is 1996 11th king/horn & 8th head[3 repeat twice] & 7th head was fatally wounded-Rabin-5 before are gone[dead] ;one to come & did as caretaker king then President-Perez; one a short while to go-Shamir d.2014-he is different to ALL before -native born-Palestine-like a leopard speaking lion [arrogantly-loud] Hebrew . WAS NOT 1999 subdues 3 kings & returns WAS AGAIN 2009-without the honor of kingship-Livni wins election- invited by Pres Perez to form minority Govt until April 2019 election failure- becomes caretaker king until May2020 coalition with Benny Ganz which I believe leaves him short of his ‘they[Israel] will be given into his [man of sin’s] hand ‘Time [3.5yrs -Jesus ministry time reflecting Christ] Times [X 3.5yrs] & a half a Time[ 1.75yrs] = 14years -he is short about 13 mnths so IF I am correct will mean his removal mid 2021 [he is supposed to be king until November] – there will be Delay no more-Rev10;6.WATCH & SEE ! This evil man is currently trying to bring into Law the marking of the children of Israel on the r/hand with his Teva Biotec [RfId microChip] System as he has already India& China where you cannot trade without it….Baruch Hashem in Yeshu haMoshiach….HE LIVES HE speaks! Shalom …the old Messianic Jew.

    Reply
Pale Lilly - March 24, 2019

I loved your article. But i want to ask you on what do you think of Trump being the Antichrist? Also if you has to guess where would he come from? Thanks

Reply
    Tim McHyde - March 24, 2019

    Pale, no leader out of America can be the Antichrist as America is gone before and in order for the Beast to rise.

    Reply
Faye Corman - March 14, 2019

Tim,
Every preacher and every prophecy teacher that I know of today, teaches that the beast or “man of lawlessness” is one individual man, and that he’s called “the Antichrist”. And yet the scriptures indicates CLEARLY that the man of lawlessness is A PEOPLE as opposed to being one man. I know this because the man of lawless is always symbolized as that of “the ten horns” in Daniel and in Revelation.

Now I realize that a nobody like myself would ever be able to convince modern-day Christians, especially Christian AMERICANS, that the teaching about a coming “Antichrist” is a fable, but that’s exacting what it is.

Jesus, as well as Peter in 2nd Peter chapter 2, spoke of the MANY false prophecy teachers who would come in the last days, and that they would deceive MANY.

Given all the bad things said about America/Babylon the great in scriptures, I can’t help but feel that America has produced the very false prophets whom Jesus and Peter spoke about.

This is all I will say on the matter in this particular forum, but I guarantee that the teaching about a coming “Antichrist” is a fable. And I would GLADLY debate any philosopher today or any so-called prophecy expect who teaches that fable. And I would put them to shame with the use of scriptures alone.

Reply
    Tim McHyde - March 14, 2019

    Faye, agreed like the article says, the Antichrist is a misnomer as it’s a spirit not a man. But there is a “man of lawlessness” (not a “group of lawlessness”) who sits in the coming Third Temple, declaring himself God (2Th 2:4=Rev 13) (not something a group can pull off, yes?), and this is how Christians use the term Antichrist for better or worse. Peace =)

    Reply
S. Yoder - November 26, 2018

A very interesting article Tim. There are too many points to comment on here though. I would like to comment on a couple things. When Revelation says the antichrist will be the head of 10 other kingdoms (countries) and then reduced to 7, I believe Brexit is the first country to leave this confederation. There will be 2 other countries to leave making the 10 to 7 countries headed by the antichrist. The antichrist’s identity can be known before the rapture. If you do a serious study of the history of the RCC, you understand that the Vatican is the old Roman Empire

Reply
Lisa - June 23, 2018

George Soros a man of lawlessness, look up interview about what he says of himself.
Says he’s Jewish and atheist,
Which does make sense.
Since Yahudah, means praise YHVH. But if he is Esau’s descent, last Herodian banished to Vienna…
He is funding many small groups to stir up trouble. And is pushing the UN agenda as fast as he can.
George Bergolio who pushed aside the bishop of Rome,
Took his place and is causing division by his novel teachings.
The worthless shepherd?
If Prince Charles became King
of UK would he be George the 6?
Psalm 2 the kings of the earth and the mighty men…
Gen 27: 37- 40 is the agenda of Esau. Live militarily, get dominion, break the yoke of Jacob. Who Yeshua will destroy at his coming. Why would Yeshua not even speak to Herod, whose fathers name was Antipater?
Is that why the Muslim Jesus is Issa Esau,
And not Yeshua, YHVH saves?

Reply
KC - June 15, 2018

According to Revelation 17, the Antichrist is the 8th king and of the seven. He is the current king of the Whore of Babylon. The Whore of Babylon is Vatican City.

As for your belief that the 2nd Coming is in 2030, according the fig tree prophecy, Messiah will return no later than 2028. If He returns in 2030, the fig tree prophecy fails.

Reply
kevin casanova - January 20, 2018

Hi Tim do you think the 2 Witnesses will appear in the first 3 1/2 years of the tribulation or the 2nd half’ and why~ Thanks Kevin

Reply
David Price - January 19, 2018

Tim,
I came across Rob Skiba on the internet yesterday and is teaching that in Rev 9:11 the release of Abaddon (Apollyon) is the AntiChrist (Beast)? He has some strange methods of assigning 666. He equates him to Nimrod! Who is Apollyon? Why would he even consider Nimrod, he is long dead!
David

Reply
Klaas - January 11, 2018

Thanks for your response.

The concept of antichrist is not part of the teachings in Judaism. It is only in Christianity and Islam.

This Zech 11:17 is part of the Old Testament, so how come has it ever been used to make such a reference to antichrist?

I just don’t get it.

Reply
    Chris Ball - January 14, 2018

    Hi Klaas

    Yes it is true that the concept of “Antichrist” isn’t taught in Judaism though if you look closely at the Old Testament, the man of sin is typified through characters such as Pharaoh, Saul, Nebuchadnezzar, Sennacherib, Goliath, Haman and more evil characters.

    Look up Nebuchadnezzar as his setup of the gold statue that everyone worships or gets tossed into a furnace uncannily foreshadows the man of sin setting up his statue in the temple which will compel worship of the man of sin or lose their head upon refusal to do so.

    Concerning Zech 11:17 who else but the man of sin would be a worthless, idol shepherd? The man of sin clearly acts as a false shepherd.

    I hope that helps

    Reply
klaas - January 9, 2018

You tried to clear away Myth#2 with another myth. Zec 11:17 is not about prophecy or characteristics of the antichrist. It’s not even the words of God in the verse; it is simply Zechariah’s prayer.

Plus, it is not clear whether ‘the shepherd’ is referred to antichrist or another evil shepherd that the context of the previous passage mentions. This Bible exegesis site also denies the ref is to antichrist: “However, Antichrist shall destroy, rather than “leave the flock.” Perhaps, therefore, the reference is to the shepherds who left the flock to Antichrist’s rapacity”. https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/jamieson-fausset-brown/zechariah/zechariah-11.html

Care to clarify more?

Reply
    Tim McHyde - January 9, 2018

    Klaas, it’s pretty hard to prove a negative such as your claim “Zech 11:17 is not speaking of the Antichrist.” The argument that the Antichrist “does not leave the flock but destroys it” is mismatched to the shepherd/flock metaphor. Inside that metaphor, the worst thing a shepherd could do is desert his post leaving the flock defenseless. This in itself leads to the destruction or at least decimation of the flock anyway due to wild animals, starvation, dehydration, etc. To argue that the shepherd does not fit the Antichrist because we know the Antichrist will kill people is forgetting the context of the metaphor, and I would say what happens to a shepherdless flock!

    BTW, Christians make the same mistake with another shepherd metaphor when they quote Jesus saying “My sheep hear my voice” (John 10:27) as evidence for the doctrine that “all Christians can and should hear from Jesus and work on developing this special ability!” But that breaks the metaphor which is about the shepherd’s flock who do what the good shepherd wishes, communicated as shepherds are wont to do: by their voice, their arm, their staff, etc. Besides, God is developing our judgment and faith now, not our ability to be told what to do or be reassured by God’s voice all the time =).

    Anyway, Zech 11:17 is not important to my argument against Myth #2 that the Antichrist will be charismatic, good-looking or likeable as there is not a single verse to support that. On the other hand a verse commonly received as about the Antichrist says he’s deformed.

    Reply
      Peace - May 31, 2018

      Hey there! I have a thought about what you said about the ac being deformed. I understand that we should take a literal approach to Scripture sometimes and not see absolutely everything as metaphorical or symbolic, but the deformity idea seems like one of those Verses that really seem more symbolic than literal. Hands and eyes have spiritual meanings too. Maybe it can be interpreted as the fate of the ac? It says “Woe to the….” in Zechariah. There is not much woe to him it seems until after he’s taken down by Yeshua/Jesus Christ. And after the Sword (which I think could be symbolic), cuts the ac down, the ac’s arm is “withered/useless” meaning he has no more power. I get this idea because the hand also seems symbolic for actions. As for what the symbolism of the right eye getting stabbed by the Sword could mean, I am not absolutely positive. Scripture does say it would be better to pluck the right eye out if it causes you to stumble though, so it could maybe connect back to that. That is not to say that your idea is incorrect of course! Sometimes I just think we have to remeber that Scripture can be symbolic and not always physically literal.

      Reply
Marie McGrail - January 5, 2018

How about Sebastian (means “greatly revered”/’greatly feared) Kurz (means “short” or “for a short time”). He is the new leader of a coalition Government, partnering with the far right ( ex Nazi party) in Austria (which is north-west of Israel). Kurz is an Ashkenazi surname .

Reply
    Chris Ball - January 5, 2018

    Hi Sister Marie

    The only thing I can think of going for Sebastian Kurz as a candidate for the little horn aka the Antichrist is that Austria lies north west of Israel which is where he comes from to take over Israel and set up the Abomination of Desolation. Besides there is no prophet that has told us who he is yet and the world hasn’t been ravaged by Wormwood/WWIII combo yet.

    So he is a possible candidate though I wouldn’t be too worried about candidates for the Antichrist if I were you. Better would be to increase your faith in Jesus so that once the prophet turns up you’ll be able to obey his command to get to the safe zone before Wormwood/WWIII occur.

    Reply
Athena from Greece - October 27, 2017

I really like your thoughts and printed your myths out November 4, 2013 and have just reread what you wrote and have read your new thoughts and think the Antichrist is Prince Charles from Great Britain. God Bless and Thanks for the Info. Again, thanks.

Reply
Jan C - October 10, 2017

What about that crazy North Korean – where does he fit in the end times?

Reply
    Tim McHyde - October 10, 2017

    Jan, end time prophecy mentions very few nations. The way it looks now, NKorea will team up against America in the Russian sneak attack when Wormwood’s pass-by is imminent.

    Reply
TR. Jilo - September 23, 2017

Hmm. I disagree with this exegesis. Nowhere does the Bible mention that the Antichrist will torture people to receiving the mark of the beast.

Remember that it says “by peace he will destroy many”.

You need to rework this section.

Reply
    Tim McHyde - September 23, 2017

    TR Jilo, Then who do you think the nephilim locusts from the Abyss torturing people at the 5th trumpet/start of the Great Tribulation work for if not the Antichrist?

    The Dan 8:25 “conquer through peace” verse you quote does not contradict his locust violence, just your understanding of that verse does. That verse is not a slam dunk as the word there for peace also means suddenly (“and without warning he shall destroy many” as some versions render it) plus how do you think you destroy people but through violence, perhaps under the guise of peace or just “suddenly.” Certainly Dan 11:44 confirms that he goes out with wrath to destroy (= war) so maybe you need to rework your understanding of Dan 8:25 in context of the rest of Daniel =).

    Reply
Darren - September 21, 2017

Hi Tim, hoping you have an answer- I noticed one of the myths was about the antichrist being disguised as Jesus’ second coming however, don’t most Jews believe in the old covenant? Is it possible the antichrist comes disguised as the first coming, or is that a myth as well? Thanks and God bless you!

Reply
    Tim McHyde - September 22, 2017

    Darren, reread that section for your answers as I’ve updated it for completeness.

    Reply
Obiajulu Echedom - September 9, 2017

Yet another eye opening article. Would love to support your ministry but for mode of payment. Again your book is not in Nigeria.

Reply
Jan - September 9, 2017

Finally, a truthful Christian who put a plug on the “Muslim Antichrist” myth. What is the utmost unbreakable foundation in Islam is the belief in the One God of Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and all of the other prophets, no matter how much people try to ignore or speak against it; Uncontended, Infinte and the Sustainer of all things is The Lord. If any man claims to be God or tries to raise himself to or above God, he has blasphemed the worst form of blasphemy and will be rejected by Muslims of any literacy level.

Though the myths are rampant against Islam, God ultimately remains Glorious and Victorious in the end, and no man or creature can stop God’s Judgement.

On a second note, what’s troubling is that many Christians are staunch believers in the deity of Christ, which Muslims reject. Because of the mainstream Christian belief in a man who came as God, many Christians might unfortunately fall victim into believing that the AntiChrist (or, as the article describes through the Bible, the man of lawlessness) is in fact God (God in the flesh). Muslim believers love Christ unconditionally, he is a very important prophet in Islam, and Muslims neither reject him nor The Father (God Almighty). Just think about it.

Reply
Gage - September 7, 2017

This was a great article – well thought out. One thing is for sure, we’re near that time and things seem to be lining up just as foretold. Thanks for sharing, Tim.

Reply
Dick Carmack - August 15, 2017

Concerning “breaking a covenant” Israel obviously signs a covenant with somebody. If Isaiah is not talking about Antichrist here, who is he talking about.

Isa 28:15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves: 18 And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.

This is a Jewish covenant with somebody. Who?

Reply
    Tim McHyde - August 16, 2017

    Dick, Isaiah 28 seems to be about Israel’s covenant with Egypt (Isa 30:1-5; 31:1-5).

    Reply
james - July 19, 2017

seen this?

(link arguing Dan 9:26 should be translated “blood line of the prince who shall come shall destroy the temple” = Arab peoples)

brings up some interesting points regarding how to interpret the scriptures with regard to the ultimate origin of the ac

Reply
    Tim McHyde - July 19, 2017

    James, I’ve seen those theories (temple destroyers were really “Arabs” not Romans) and grammatical arguments for years (let’s retranslate this word differently than all Bibles do to support our cultural-biased eschatology, in this case anti-Muslim/Arab by making “people” become “single blood-line”).

    The argument “it was not Roman; it was an Arab contingent” is disingenuous as the histories even they quote say it was mixed group, not pure Arab. Hence this amounts to cherry-picking to focus on the one “boogey-man” contingent of the mix to support your theory. Before Islam became the boogeyman (in this century), it was Russia last century who Western Christians feared and therefore imagined the Antichrist came from as Hal Lindsey popularized. Think of all the ‘candidates’ for Antichrist that have been proposed in the 20th century alone–Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin, Mikhail Gorbachev, Saddam Hussein, Juan Carlos, Bill Clinton, and many others. Leading candidates prior to the twentieth century have included Caligula, Nero, assorted popes, Napoleon, and Kaiser Wilhem and you see the same pattern of who is most feared, not most supported Scripturally. Who’s next? Whoever Christians fear most after Islam/ISIS is defeated…

    Given the admitted mix to the Roman army and realistic inability to isolate who destroyed the temple beyond “the Romans” the best most honest answer is to leave it that: the Roman Empire destroyed the temple and the “coming Prince” will be out of that people (which, ahem, includes the UK) (without reading into it there is a “revived Roman Empire” which is not necessary).

    Reply
Kath - February 9, 2017

Tim, I am a lapsed Catholic (mainly due to the figures that are being questioned for child sexual abuse) but I have been told recently that my fellow Australian Cardinal George Pell is the anti Christ. Heresay or something truthful?

Reply
    Tim McHyde - February 10, 2017

    Keith, People say that about people all the time, but with no evidence. Australia is not part of the land conquered by the Roman Empire and therefore according to what Daniel said, no prince there fits for the Antichrist.

    Reply
JesusisLord - February 1, 2017

Great article. Very insightful. So what do you think of Trump? Months ago I asked the Lord what to think of Trump, since so many American christians support him. I tried to support him, but something felt off.
So I received a very short but clear dream. I saw Donald Trump and the number 666.

Reply
    Tim McHyde - February 1, 2017

    Adyam, thanks. No American can be the Antichrist, therefore I don’t agree that Trump is the antichrist. Dreams are of course of subjective interpretations and origins. I think you had a pizza dream, no offense.

    Reply
Barbara - December 18, 2016

What is your comment on the Jehovah Witness’ ? They go from door to door world wide preaching the Good News of the Kingdom. In fact they refer to Matthew 24:14. They also continually refer to God as Jehovah and his son of course as Jesus. It would appear they could be the useful tool fulfilling prophecy before end times.

Reply
    Tim McHyde - December 19, 2016

    Barbara, JW’s? They go door to door preaching Jehovah’s Witness doctrine, not Jesus’ Good News of the Kingdom. They have both “Jehovah” and “Jesus” wrong, too. The only prophecy I am aware of that they are fulfilling is the same one all Christianity does: Matthew 24:5.

    If you want to finally know what the kingdom of God is and the Good News associated with it, read my comprehensive article.

    Reply
Click here to add a comment

Leave a comment:


Spelling error report

The following text will be sent to our editors: