He is alive today. 

At this time we don’t know what country this man will come from.  He might be someone we are already familiar with, but have no idea of his end times role.  He could be a political, economic, or religious leader, or a combination of all three.  But he will become very powerful and in a position to capture other countries by intrigue and war. 

Rev 13:4, “Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?”

In this capacity, on behalf of the world, he will be in a position to create a covenant with Israel for seven years, the first half of which will be a false peace.  Dan 9:27, “He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven,’ but in the middle of that ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering.”  He will have a very charismatic personality, and he will be politically savvy and intuitive - his words will draw people to him. 

But the man who will be the Antichrist, may not be possessed by Satan until it is his time to act out the role assigned him during the end times.  Like Judas Iscariot, also a Son of Perdition8 (John 17:12 and 2 Thess 2:3), he may go about his normal life until it is his time to act.  Although in his “normal” life, he is a tool of Satan, which will put him in position on the world stage to fulfill scripture.  We might see this handsome man gradually or suddenly take the world stage in peacekeeping initiatives. 

When I consider what to watch for, I remember that the Antichrist will be the polar opposite of Jesus.  I am watching for a man who is a figure of almost uncanny ability in politics and economics.  He may or may not have a military background, but with his staff (“…and with only a few people, he will rise to power.” Dan 11:23), he will become a powerful military leader and wield military power with great dexterity.  He may even have a religious background of some kind.  So by the time he starts his seven-year reign, he will be well known to Christians.

To get to the starting point of the Great Tribulation, a lot still has to happen.  When the Tribulation starts, the Antichrist will already be in control of the world.  According to Daniel, he will consolidate the military power of three kings.  Daniel 7:24, “…he will subdue three kings.”

The fact that he ushers in a period of peace (1 Thess 5:3) infers that the world is coming out of a time of either military, economic, or environmental disaster - or a combination of these three.  He gains control and becomes a world leader by manipulating governments and economics, and militarily consolidating three “kingdoms.”  In this capacity, he has the authority to step in after the Israeli war and generate a contract, a covenant of peace (Dan 9:27), which they will readily accept.
 

THE ANTICHRIST’S NATIONALITY

No one can know for sure, but here are some traditional references on the issue.

Is he Jewish? 

Jesus suggested that the Jews would receive as their Messiah, a man coming in his own name.  John 5:43, “I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him.”  People believe this infers that the Antichrist will be Jewish.  But I don’t see this as proof positive.  The nature of this verse was that Jesus, who fulfilled all required scriptures, was rejected.  Therefore, it is reasonable to believe that the one who is accepted, will fulfill few if any prophetic scriptures and may not even be a full-blood Jew. 

John 5:43 is also the scripture which some people believe indicates that the Israeli nation will accept this man as their Messiah, whatever his nationality. 

In Daniel 9:26-27, the Antichrist will confirm a covenant with many for seven years.  This means a worldwide peace with Israel.  Again, this does not mean he must be a full Jew.  And most Jews won’t care, because most Israelites are not religious.  For a few years of relief from the constant torment they have been experiencing, the Israelites would follow just about anyone, whatever their credentials.

Is he a Syrian Jew?

The main reference people use for the Syrian Jew theory is Isaiah 10:5.  The king of Assyria sounds like Satan, and the timing of the events sounds like the end times.  “Woe to the Assyrian, the rod of my anger, in whose hand is the club of my wrath!”  As you continue to read verses 6-18, you see an image of Satan forming.  “I will punish the king of Assyria for the willful pride of his heart…” (Isa 10:12).  The Assyrian starts to brag in verse thirteen, claiming to do things by his own strength like a mighty one, and in his own wisdom.  He says he removes boundaries, steals treasures, and subdues kings.  Starting in verse fifteen, God responds with a fire kindled under him and a wasting disease brought onto his warriors. 

Isaiah 10:12 brings this into the end times: When the Lord has finished all his work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, he will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria for the willful pride of his heart and the haughty look in his eyes.”  Isaiah 10:20 says that the house of Jacob relied on this Assyrian, but would “no longer rely on him who struck them down, but will truly rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.”

Whether the Antichrist is a Syrian Jew or not is inconclusive and should not be a sign that must be fulfilled for people to know whom the Antichrist is.  But, if the Antichrist is half-Jewish, he will be more readily acceptable to the Jewish people, and it will aid in his deception of them. 

Is he Italian?

Revelation 17:9 says the great prostitute sits on seven hills, which also represent seven kings.  Traditionally, this has been seen as Rome, which is surrounded by seven hills.  This is also seen as a revival of the Roman Empire, which leads some to believe the Antichrist would come out of or temporarily rule from Rome and be an Italian.

THE DECEIVER

Satan’s greatest work seems to be in the area of deception.  He carefully crafts his deception as a half-truth, as he did when he tempted Eve and Jesus, or he makes the idea of something seem totally absurd. 

Satan told Eve that if she ate the fruit, she would know the difference between good and evil.  But he said she would not die when she ate it (Genesis 3:4-5).  Satan even quoted scripture with Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, he said, throw yourself down.  For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone’ ” (Matt 4:6). 

In fact, Satan is so effective as a deceiver, it is almost possible that Christians could be fooled, “For false christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect – if that were possible” (Matt 24:24).  This is a powerful deception, which will affect most of the world, “The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing” (2 Thess 2:9-10). 

Satan manipulates the environment to deceive people into partially or fully accepting an idea or event.  “Partially” works just fine for him.  If he can package the deception as a partial truth you are willing to accept or tolerate, then you will be less resistant to more deception.  If he can just get you to tolerate something, he has won.  Once you see sin as harmless, something you can rationalize or explain away, you have been deceived.

“No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and Money” (Luke 16:13).  

An example is the media of the world: Television, movies, music, commercials and magazines have become and are becoming more and more vulgar and promiscuous with “soft” pornography, infatuation with violence, ambiguous moral messages, emphasis on physical strength for its own sake, emphasis on power over others, and messages of relative and situational truth.  In the name of realism, movies are so grossly violent, you can’t tell the imaginary from the real.  Vivid gross violence grieves the spirit and damages the soul.  After long exposure, children and adults are desensitized to violence, and violence in our society increases every year.

Blends of Christianity with other faiths will become more and more popular, and these churches will dilute the Christian doctrine.  We are already seeing some of this, as “Christians” embrace Islam to promote peace at all costs: Some Christians are saying that the God of the Bible is the same as the god of Islam: That is not possible.  The God of the Bible includes Jesus as the Son (John 10:30, “I and the Father are One.”), which Islam does not believe: Surah IV, p. 171; “O followers of the Book! Do not exceed the limits in your religion, and do not speak (lies) against Allah, but (speak) the truth; the Messiah, Isa [Jesus] son of Marium [Mary] is only an apostle of Allah and His Word which He communicated to Marium and a spirit from Him; believe therefore in Allah and His apostles, and say not, Three.  Desist, it is better for you; Allah is only one God; far be It from His glory that He should have a son, whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth is His, and Allah is sufficient for a Protector.”

Powerful men, women, and even children will rise up, performing real miracles, signs and wonders, and claiming to be the Jewish Messiah or Jesus Christ or some kind of leader and savior, and many people will abandon their Christian beliefs and follow them.  People will flock to animals, which purportedly have healing abilities.  Many of the false people will be leaders of “main line churches” (Catholic, Episcopalian, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, and others) giving their unusual views an appearance of legitimacy and the sound of truthfulness.  They will promise escape from the present and coming problems on the earth and in society, if people only believe in their ability to save them.

In the later days you will see a rise in power of the Oriental and Eastern religions - who once knew no power.  Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and others will be healing the sick and doing even greater wonders.  Many Christians are attracted by Eastern philosophy and concepts of health and internal growth.  They will be susceptible to this deception.  The teachers of these philosophies already promise inner peace and calm amid the chaos of the world.  They will seldom attack Christianity, but they will point out that their way is simply more logical, tolerant and in harmony with all of mankind, nature, the earth, and the universe.  It has an intellectual attraction.

People will accurately predict the future (even the weather).  They will say that someone will be injured, and it will happen as they said.  Another will say the earth will shake in a certain place, at a certain time, and it will be so.  They will draw a following of mystified believers, who will hang on every word that comes out of their mouth.  This is not a new phenomenon and has been around for thousands of years.  Paul, Silas, Luke and Timothy were in Philippi, when they encountered a girl with a familiar spirit.

Acts 16:16, “Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future.  She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling.”

People on television claim to speak to the dead.  This isn’t new.  1 Samuel 28 tells the story about how King Saul went to a woman, a medium or spiritist, to raise the Prophet Samuel from the dead, so he could ask him a question.  And she did. 

Television and the movies tell you that the love you make here will go with you to the next life (Ghost, 1990).  No rules or conditions, just love someone with all your heart.  This has nothing to do with religion, it is just love.  It might be described as ‘a religion inside yourself.’  You are the master of your destiny and future if you love strongly.  Sound innocent?  

These are not new issues and problems for Christians and the Church.  They have been around since the Church was founded, because Satan has been fighting God’s plan from the beginning of time, and fighting the Church since its creation.  Two thousand years ago Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul warned the believers then, and through the Bible, they warn us now.

“Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong…” (Exodus 23:2). 

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Heb 12:1).

Satan is the god of this age, and his message is: If it feels good, just do it, or if it doesn’t hurt anyone, it’s okay to do it.  If something or someone looks good, it or they must be good.  Beauty is worshipped.  I would not be surprised if the Antichrist and/or the False Prophet are very handsome people, by the standards of the world. 

“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him.  The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.  Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart’ ” (1 Samuel 16:7).  The Prophet Isaiah, speaking of Jesus said, “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him” (Isa 53:2).