Characteristics of the Antichrist

[reddogs]

Here is a article that I was going over that I have from some time ago, that I thought I had posted but cant find it....it needs to be gone over as I dont remember where I got it and my notes dont show the source, but here it is:

Characteristics of the Antichrist

Daniel 7 little horn power characteristics:

Dan 7:7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.
Dan 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.

1. came out of the kingdom represented by the fourth beast. Depending on how you interpret the beasts this indicates the time at which the little horn comes on the scene.

Some interpret the beasts as:

lion, Babylon
bear, Media and Persia
leopard, Alexander and the Macedonian Greek power
Indescribable beast, Rome

Others cite it as

lion, Babylon
bear, Media
leopard, Persia
indescribable beast, Greek

Chapter 2 and 8 provide some framework for identifying the beasts.

Given these options the power would rise somewhere in the Greek or Roman era.

2. Came up among 10 horns. Horns represent kings (verse 24).
3. Three of the previous horns were plucked up before it.
4. eyes, spoke great things.

Dan 7:9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.
Dan 7:10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
Dan 7:11 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.
Dan 7:12 As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.
Dan 7:13 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
Dan 7:14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

5. The last beast was taken away at the judgment, and the little horn was destroyed along with it. The little horn then seems to last until the time when the Son of Man inherits his kingdom. Or to put it in NT terms, the little horn endures until the second coming at which time he is judged.

Dan 7:17 These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.
Dan 7:18 But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.
Dan 7:19 Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet;
Dan 7:20 And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.
Dan 7:21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;
Dan 7:22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.

6. The horn was more stout than its fellows.
7. The horn made war on the saints

Dan 7:23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
Dan 7:24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.
Dan 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
Dan 7:26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.

8. The beast which the horn comes from shall be a dominant kingdom which will crush others, and devour the whole earth.
9. The little horn will be different from the 10 that came before.
10. The three kings that are plucked up appear to be the three kings that are subdued by it.
11. The horn shall speak against the Most High
12. The horn shall think to change times and laws.

 

[thecountrydoc]

To help us gain a clearer understanding of what/who the antichrist really is we need to have a correct definition for the word antichrist. The identification of the Antichrist starts with analyzing the original Greek text. For that purpose I offer the following.

Thoughts on the Biblical Term Antichrist

In I John 2:18, 2:22, 4:3, and II John 7 we find the term antichrist used, which has generally been understood to mean opposed to Christ, or against Christ, with the assumption that the Greek prefix anti means essentially what the English anti means. In English anti-war would rightfully be understood to mean against war, or
opposed to war. However, the question must be asked, What is the primary meaning of the GREEK word anti, and how does this amplify our understanding of the biblical term antichrist?

Fortunately, there are numerous examples of the Greek term anti found in the Scripture, and an examination of them will prove helpful. There at least 16 occurences of the term anti found in the New Testament, with 15 of them being translated for in the King James Bible, while one time it is translated by the phrase in the room of. Let us look at the usage first of all, which is found in Matt.2:22. "But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judea in the room ofhis father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into parts of Galilee". One of the many times anti is translated for is Matt.20:28, a passage which reads "Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many." Another is the familiar Luke 2:2: "If a son shall ask bread of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he asks for a fish will he give him a serpent?" One more example is Heb.12:16, speaking of Esau who traded his birthright: "Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright."*

It is clear from these usages of anti the primary meaning of the term is instead of, or in place of, consistent with the word for. If one attempts to read any of the foregoing text and in the place of for substitute against, or opposed,the logic is lost. The Son of man did give His life against many, but as a substitute for many, or in the place of many.

Without argument, many times one who takes the place of another does so as an antagonist, or in opposition to him, and so these words which employ the prefix anti which have the meaning of opponent as their primary meaning. An example of this would be the word antidikos[adversary] in texts such as I Peter 5:8: "Be sober, vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour."**

But, because the bare term anti clearly utilizes the concept of substitution, it would be a mistake to examine the word antichrist without this in mind. Taking this approach, the antichrist is first of all one who seeks to take the place of Christ, to exercise authority instead of Christ. This is a concept with which the rest of the New Testament is entirely familiar, demonstrated by texts such as II Thess. 2:3,4: "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day 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." The man of sin is described as usurping authority not rightfully belonging to him, attempting to masquerade as God, sitting in the seat of God. It is interesting to note that the word translated oppose in verse 4 is again a compound word, antikeima, meaning one who lies in the place of, or one who lies against. In Rev. 13, the beast power seeks to take the place of God by exhorting worship, something which rightfully belongs only to God, fulfilling the age-old designs of the arch-enemy, whose ambitious aspirations are recorded by the prophet Isaiah "Thou {Lucifer) hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High."(Isaiah 14:13,14)

Since Seventh-day Adventists have generally found the fulfillment of these prophetic symbols in the historical papacy, it is interesting to see how this understanding impacts our interpretation. Without question, the papal power has attempted to take the place of Christ by title, by pronouncement, and by practice. The term vicar of Christ is instructive to compare the context. Vicar is of Latin origin, and meansone who takes the place of, or one who acts instead of. We use the adjective vicarious to describe Christ's substitutionary sacrifice. Thus, when the pope identifies himself as the vicar of Christ, to operate in His stead, as His substitute, take note of this strange irony, then. Since both anti and vicar mean the same thing, namely substitute or one who takes the place of, the one from Greek and the other from the Latin, when the pope accepts the title vicar of Christ, he is thereby also accepting the title of anti Christ. Unfortunatly, since most assume that the anti of antichrist means only against, or in opposition to, they are looking for a fulfillment of this prophetic symbol outside the church, while the Bible clearly identifies this power as coming from within. He sits "in the temple of God (II Thess. 2:4)." Paul warned the Ephesian elders "of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them (Acts 20:30)." John saw in vision Babylon typified as a woman (a church) which sat on a beast.

There is no question that the antichrist of the New Testament is an opponent of the true Christ, whose work is against that of Christ. But it would be a mistake of large proportions, when discussing the term antichrist to not include the concept of substitution, which the prefix anti clearly employs, which clarifies and amplifies the mission and identity of this important prophetic symbol.

*The other usages of anti in the New Testament are as follows:

Matt. 5:38 "an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth

Matt. 17:27 "take, and give unto them for me and thee

Mark 10:45 "and to give His life a ransom for many

John 1:16 "have all received, and grace for grace

Rom. 12:17 "recompense to man evil for evil

I Cor. 11:15 "for (her) hair is given her for a covering I Thess. 5:15 "See that none render evil for evil

Heb. 12:2 "Who for the joy that was set before Him

James 4:15" for that ye ought to say, If the Lord

I Peter 3:9 "Not rendering evil for evil

** Other compound words which employ anti as a prefix include antilambano(see Luke 1:54 and Acts 20:35) translated helped and antilempsis in I Cor. 12:28 translatedhelpful deeds, and antileptor in Psalm 18:2 translated deliver. While there are other compound words using anti as a prefix in which the notion of against predominates, it is difficult to discern that flavor in the foregoing compound words.

Respectfully, your brother in Christ,
Doc

 

[reddogs]

We have the text giving us the characteristics of what is Antichrist.
1 John 2:18
Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

1 John 2:22
Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.

1 John 4:3
And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

2 John 1:7
For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

But can we find the characteristics of the antichrist which is also referred to under other names. We find Paul gives this clue in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 and it has a name attached to it.
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day 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.

"The son of perdition", who is the son of perdition? We see many who say it is Judas. But is it, Judas betrayed Christ for the thirty pieces of silver, but he doesnt fit the context given in the prophecy as Paul is talking to the Thessalonians about deception which Judas couldnt do as he was dead, and especially the 'falling away first'.

Second, "perdition" in the Greek is:
G684
ἀπώλεια
apōleia
ap-o'-li-a
From a presumed derivative of G622; ruin or loss (physical, spiritual or eternal): - damnable (-nation), destruction, die, perdition, X perish, pernicious ways, waste.

G622
ἀπόλλυμι
apollumi
ap-ol'-loo-mee
From G575 and the base of G3639; to destroy fully (reflexively to perish, or lose), literally or figuratively: - destroy, die, lose, mar, perish.

We also see the "son of perdition" will do something in verse 4 of 2 Thessalonians 2. '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.'

Judas didn't sit in God's temple claiming to be God. So we look to see if this prophecy fits the devil after he fell.
Isaiah 14:12
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

"Lucifer" in the Hebrew is:
H1966
הילל
hêylêl
hay-lale'
From H1984 (in the sense of brightness); the morning star: - lucifer.

Christ is the true morning star:
Revelation 22:16
I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

Satan always wanted to be God and will do everything he can to pretend he is Christ when he's here to deceive the world.
Isaiah 14:13
For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

The "north" is God's throne..
Ezekiel 8:3
And he put forth the form of an hand, and took me by a lock of mine head; and the spirit lifted me up between the earth and the heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the inner gate that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.

We see that the will be something Jerusalem, and provoke jealousy, it is Satan. So who is Satan provoking.
We see what God said in Exodus.
Exodus 20:3
Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

And repeated it in Deuteronomy..
Deuteronomy 5:7
Thou shalt have none other gods before me.

When Satan is here and shows up in Jerusalem he will want the whole world to worship him as God as he has always wanted as Isaiah 14:14 shows.
Isaiah 14:14
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

Again, Lucifer (satan) will be here claiming worship that belongs to God and wanting to be God. He did it in heaven and deceived a third of the angels and they followed him.
Revelation 12:3-4
3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

Ezekiel 28:2 also identifies Satan and what he desires.
Ezekiel 28:6
Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God;

"Tyrus" in the Hebrew means "rock"
There is a fake rock and the True Rock (Duet 32). Our True Rock is Christ, and not the fake rock, which is satan
The Prince and King of Tyre, in Ezekiel 28 are Satan.

Now we also see another name used for Satan. Revelation 9 gives us the name over the locust army. God gives it to us in both the Hebrew and the Greek so there is no way of missing it:
Revelation 9:11
And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.

"Abaddon" in the Hebrew is:
G3
Ἀβαδδών
Abaddōn
ab-ad-dohn'
Of Hebrew origin [H11]; a destroying angel: - Abaddon.

H11
אבדּון
'ăbaddôn
ab-ad-done'
Intensively from H6; abstractly a perishing; concretely Hades: -

Who is the destroying angel? Satan

"Apollyon" in the Greek:
G623
Ἀπολλύων
Apolluōn
ap-ol-loo'-ohn
Active participle of G622; a destroyer (that is, Satan): - Apollyon.

Apollyon comes from the same word as "perdition", as seen up above.

But is Satan the "son of perdition", no, he is the source of it, but someone else sits in Gods church with the characteristics of Satan, who is the "son of perdition" and as you can see 'that man of sin be revealed' is has a man at its head.

In the description of the man of sin, the son of perdition, who operates under cover for a time and is then revealed at the end, we are told opposes God, exalts himself above God, sits in the temple, and proclaims that he is God. Exalting himself above God and usurping God’s place in the heavenly temple recalls the little horn of Daniel 8. Showing himself to be God recalls Satan in scripture in Isaiah and Ezekiel, but it also points to the blaspheming power of Daniel and Revelation.
Daniel 7:11
I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.

Daniel 7:25
And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

Revelation 13:6
And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

So, the description of the man of sin contains elements pointing to both Satan himself and a wicked agent of Satan in the course of Christian history. Through much of Christian history he has operated to undermine God’s law, in particularly the Sabbath, and to usurp powers that belong only to Christ. In passages such as Daniel 7 showing the little horn power and Revelation 13 showing the Beast from the sea, we see this same power operates after the fall of the pagan Roman Empire, combining both religious and secular authority to persecute the saints of God. Many interpreters and Bible Scholars from the Middle Ages, and even to this day, have designated this entity that has all the characteristics as the antichrist. The only power in history that fits all the specifications of these prophecies and characteristics is the power in the church of Rome, the Papacy.

 

[BibleLinguist]

This subject is so important, and so often but partially understood. Three texts may help us to connect the dots and to identify the antichrist spirit. The first two are Jesus' own words:

"God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." (John 4:24)

"Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have." (Luke 24:39)

Jesus teaches that God is a spirit, and a spirit does not have flesh. However, in this same context, Jesus points out that he himself has flesh.

The next passage is from John, Jesus' closest disciple:

"Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world." (1 John 4:2-3)

Interestingly, John says this spirit of antichrist "should come; and even now already is it in the world." The seeds of doctrine that would teach that Jesus was God had already begun to emerge in John's day, but they would more strongly bear fruit in the fourth century AD. If Jesus were God, he could not have had flesh, and if one says Jesus did not come in the flesh, this is by John's definition the very spirit of antichrist.