Profile of the Antichrist
“And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer” (Revelation 6:2 NKJV).
Some have confused the rider of the white horse in this verse with Jesus, but the rider is actually the Antichrist. It is true that Jesus comes on a white horse, but this rider is not the same as the description of Christ in Revelation 19.
For following the appearance of the rider is not a kingdom of righteousness—as with Christ’s return (Revelation 19:11–13; 20:4)—but a time of wickedness and sorrow. Masquerading as the true Messiah, he wears a crown, while Jesus wears many crowns (Revelation 19:12). In the Greek translation, the crown worn by the rider of the white horse refers to the crown of victory worn by a conqueror. The crowns Jesus wears in Revelation 19 refer to crowns of royalty.
Furthermore, Antichrist carries a bow without arrows; Jesus Christ has a mighty sword. Antichrist initiates war; Jesus comes with his armies at the battle of Armageddon and ends war. Antichrist inaugurates the Great Tribulation period; Jesus Christ ends the Great Tribulation period.
A Conqueror Bent on Conquest
The Antichrist will deceitfully establish himself, and then show his true colors.
This coming world leader, the Antichrist, will come at an economically difficult time. There will be war in different parts of the world and he—through brilliant political moves along with an incredible charisma—will be able to do what no one else has ever done: bring economic stability to the world’s monetary system and bring world peace.
By establishing this peace, he will deceive many. He will even convince the Jewish nation and the Arab nations to sign a peace treaty, paving the way for the long-awaited third temple.
His accomplishments will be so spectacular, so far-reaching and unprecedented, that many will hail him as the Messiah. But we are warned in Scripture that he is a deceiver (Daniel 8:25).
The Man of Sin
The Antichrist will be history’s vilest embodiment of sin and rebellion: “Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness [sin] is revealed—the one who brings destruction.” (2 Thessalonians 2:3 NLT).
The Wicked One
“And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming” (2 Thessalonians 2:8 NKJV).
Lawless can be translated as “wicked.” The Antichrist totally opposes every law of God. Halfway into his power play he will show his true colors, rebuilding the temple and committing the abomination of desolation (Daniel 9:27, Daniel 12:11, Matthew 24:15). He will show himself to be a blood-thirsty dictator who will make Adolph Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Saddam Hussein look like lightweights in comparison.
Dictators rarely take over nations by brute force. Political or economic problems almost always pave the way for tyranny. This has already proven true in history. Rome set the precedent, seeking out nations who were in political and economic turmoil. They came with seeming benevolence, only to turn to tyrannical suppression and demand worship of Caesar.
Adolph Hitler did the same. In 1930, Germany was in desperate financial straits. Inflation was so bad, that literally thousands of people were starving. Communists stirred up riots in the streets, and there was general chaos.
Then Adolph Hitler came on the scene—a voice of authority in the midst of chaos. He spoke of a people of destiny and promised glories to come. But it was not meant to be.
Hitler was but a pale version of the Antichrist who will work through a revived Roman empire. He, like the Romans and Hitler, will bring political, military, and economic answers, and he will persecute Jews and Christians.
Satan’s Unholy Trinity
The Antichrist will not act alone. There will be a false prophet working with him. “Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone” (Revelation 19:20 NKJV).
Here we see Satan’s unholy trinity:
Satan, imitating God.
The Antichrist, masquerading as the Son (and will have the worship of people worldwide; see Revelation 13:3–4, Revelation 13:8).
The false prophet, impersonating the Holy Spirit.
The Work of the Antichrist
The Antichrist Will Bring a One-World Religion
The Antichrist will bring about a new religious system, described in Revelation 17. Antichrist’s global belief system will be a mixture of many beliefs intertwined with occultism.
The Antichrist Will Develop a One-World Economy
The Antichrist will harness the world’s economic system. He will have control of the world’s ability to buy and sell: “He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666” (Revelation 13:16–18 NKJV).
Modern Technology and the Last Days
Before computers were such a vital part of our lives, it was hard to imagine how this prophecy could be enforced.
In our generation, we have seen the developments of all the parts of the electronic system necessary for one person to wield total economic control: credit cards, debit cards, smart cards, ATM, etc. Now we have supercomputers that are so fast, they can perform thousands of operations on each person’s files in the world every second.
Satellites can link the whole world together instantly, receiving unbelievable amounts of data simultaneously. Fiber optics that service our homes and computers are able to carry thousands of conversations, video images, and data transfers at the same time. Our cell phones can do this wirelessly. The internet links large and small businesses around the globe together instantly. In addition, we all have several numbers assigned to us—social security, driver’s license, etc—that enable easy access to our records.
Modern technology has made it possible for the Antichrist to do what the Bible predicts: to literally control the right of individuals to buy and sell. For example, we can buy most of what we need by using our debit or credit cards. Cards, however, can be lost.
This problem could be solved by inserting tiny electronic transponders (chip implants) somewhere in our body. (This has already been done with livestock and household pets). Thus, the stage is set for the mark of the beast.
Is the Antichrist Alive Right Now? When Does He Come?
Nobody can say with any certainty that the Antichrist is currently on Earth. We don’t know if he’s alive now—but he could be.
We know that when Antichrist emerges on the scene, he comes at economically hard times. He’ll do what no other president, prime minister, king, or world leader has ever done. . . He’ll bring economic stability and global peace. He’ll be hailed as the greatest peacemaker that ever lived; as we covered earlier, he is a deceiver.
Don’t Look for Antichrist, Look for Jesus Christ
It is completely futile and pointless to try to figure out who the Antichrist is because, if you figured out who the Antichrist is, that means you missed the Rapture. So don’t waste your time. By the way, there will still be Christians when Antichrist is here, but those are the people who come to Christ amid the tribulation period.
Instead of spending your time looking for Antichrist, spend your time looking for Jesus Christ. Because Jesus said, “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near” (Luke 21:28 NKJV).
