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In the two previous messages we have seen that Antichrist is the fourth beast in Dan. 7, the little horn in Dan. 8, the prince in Dan. 9, and the king in Dan. 11. In this message we need to consider some other characteristics of Antichrist.
Revelation 13:2 says, “And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet as those of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion.” It is very difficult to give a name to this beast because he has the characteristics of all the other beasts. In Rev. 13 he is simply called “the beast.”
According to Dan. 7:4-6, the leopard, whose characteristic is swift and cruel movement, was the symbol of Alexander the Great, the king of Greece. In a sense, a leopard is more fierce than a lion. The fact that the beast which John saw “was like a leopard” confirms our saying that Antichrist will be a Greek. Alexander the Great was a leopard, and Antichrist will also be like a leopard.
We are also told that the feet of the beast are “those of a bear.” The bear, whose characteristic is its destroying feet, was the symbol of the monarchy of Medo-Persia. A bear stamps and destroys with its feet. Antichrist will have this characteristic.
Revelation 13:2 says that his mouth was “as the mouth of a lion.” The lion, whose characteristic is its devouring mouth, was a symbol of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. Since this beast, Antichrist, is like the three other beasts and will have the characteristics of all three, as mentioned in Dan. 7:4-7, he will be the totality of all evil powers in human history. Antichrist will have the characteristics of Alexander the Great, Darius, and Nebuchadnezzar. Although he will look like a leopard, his feet will be those of a bear and his mouth that of a lion. All the characteristics of all the wild beasts will be synthesized in this one person, making him the all-inclusive beast. Hence, he will be the ultimate issue and totality of all the worldly powers. If you study world history, you will see that Nebuchadnezzar devoured people, Darius stamped upon them, and Alexander the Great moved swiftly, seizing the entire empire in a very short period of time. Furthermore, Alexander was exceedingly cruel. All these characteristics prefigure the various features of Antichrist, who will certainly be an extraordinary figure.
Do not think that Antichrist will be an ordinary person. No, he will be a very unusual man. Nearly forty years ago, some said that Mussolini was Antichrist. At that time, in 1936, I was already in my ministry and I was carefully observing the world situation. When we heard this claim, we immediately realized that Mussolini was not that powerful. Furthermore, he did not have the appearance of a leopard, but rather that of a frog. Whenever you hear a rumor that a certain man may be Antichrist, you must consider whether or not he possesses the characteristics of Antichrist. Ask whether he is like a leopard, a bear, and a lion. Inquire whether he is intellectually brilliant. Since we have seen the light in the Scriptures regarding Antichrist, no one will be able to cheat us with respect to him.
Revelation 13:1 says that the beast will come up out of the sea. Geographically, this sea is the Mediterranean Sea, “the great sea” mentioned in Daniel 7:2.
In 9:11, 11:7, and 17:8 we are told that Antichrist will come up out of the abyss. But in 13:1 we are told that he will come up out of the sea, as also mentioned in Daniel 7:3. This indicates that Antichrist will come from two sources. His spirit, which has been kept in the abyss, will come up out of the abyss, and his body will come from one of the Gentile nations around the Mediterranean Sea. That Antichrist will come up out of both the abyss and the sea may also indicate that the sea is the mouth of the abyss, because the abyss is in the heart of the earth (Rom. 10:7; Matt. 12:40), and the sea is above the earth.
In biblical figure, the land signifies the nation of Israel, and the sea signifies the Gentile nations (17:15; Isa. 57:20). This indicates that Antichrist will come out of the Gentile world. Some expect Antichrist to arise in the Jewish territory or out of the Jewish people. But, as we have seen, in the Bible the Jewish territory is signified by the land and the Gentile world is signified by the sea. Since Antichrist will not come out of the land, but out of the sea, he cannot arise in Israel. Furthermore, we know that he will appear out of one of the four kingdoms of ancient Greece (Dan. 8:8-9, 21-23). Because we have received this light regarding Antichrist, we should no longer listen to any loose interpretations.
Revelation 13:1 says that the beast, Antichrist, will have “ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns ten diadems, and on his heads names of blasphemy.” Here we see that this all-inclusive beast will have ten horns and seven heads. We all must pay attention to this.
Both the dragon in 12:3 and the beast in 13:1 have seven heads and ten horns. This emphatically indicates that the coming Antichrist will be one with Satan. He will actually be the embodiment of Satan. Satan will be embodied in him and expressed through him, for Satan’s seven heads and ten horns will be the seven heads and ten horns of Antichrist.
What are these ten horns? Firstly, they are the ten kings in 17:12 signified by the ten diadems on the ten horns. Secondly, they are the ten kingdoms symbolized by the ten toes of the great image in Daniel 2:42-44. Remember that the ten kings are equal to the ten kingdoms represented by the ten toes of the image. With the image there are ten toes, and with the beast there are ten horns. The ten horns of the beast are equal to the ten toes of the image. Moreover, these ten toes are simultaneously the ten kingdoms.
The seven heads of the beast are seven Caesars of the Roman Empire (17:10), signified by the seven diadems on the seven heads (12:3). Altogether, the Roman Empire had twelve Caesars, but only seven figure in the prophecy in Revelation. The other five are not much involved. The first Caesar was Julius, the fifth, Nero, and the sixth, Domitian, who was Caesar when John wrote the book of Revelation. The seventh Caesar, who will eventually suffer a death blow and be resuscitated with the spirit of Nero, the fifth Caesar, will be Antichrist. At the present, Nero’s spirit is being held in the abyss. After the seventh Caesar has been killed and is about to be resuscitated, Nero’s spirit will be released from the abyss and will enter into the body of the seventh Caesar, who will then be resuscitated to be the eighth (17:10-11). Although Antichrist will be the eighth, yet he will still be of the seventh and a part of the fifth. We shall consider this more thoroughly when we come to chapter seventeen.
The seven heads of the beast bear names of blasphemy. According to history, all seven Caesars claimed to be God, assumed deity, and forced their people to worship them as God. That was really blasphemous to God. This is what is signified by the names of blasphemy.
Antichrist will also be the angel of the abyss (9:11), which is a deep shaft. We have seen that Antichrist will come out of the abyss (11:7; 17:8) and will possess the spirit of Nero. Some may wonder how we know that the resuscitated Antichrist will possess the spirit of Nero. On the one hand, as far as his physical origin is concerned, Antichrist will come from one of the four kingdoms of the empire of ancient Macedonia and Greece. On the other hand, the Bible clearly indicates that he will emerge out of the abyss. Furthermore, his name will have a number, six hundred sixty-six. According to the numerical evaluation of the Hebrew letters, the number of the name Caesar Nero equals six hundred sixty-six. This indicates that the coming Antichrist will be Caesar Nero. With the help of some of the foregoing teachers, we have seen that after Caesar Nero died his spirit undoubtedly went to the abyss for some future use. At a certain time, his spirit will be released from the abyss. We are told clearly in Revelation that the coming Antichrist will suffer a fatal blow. Although he will be killed, his fatal wound will be healed (13:3). This denotes resuscitation. When we come to chapter seventeen, we shall see that Antichrist will be resuscitated with the spirit of Caesar Nero. Antichrist will firstly be the seventh Caesar who will be assassinated, probably before the last three and a half years. Then the spirit of Nero will be released from the abyss to enter into the body of the seventh Caesar, who will then be resuscitated to become the eighth Caesar. This will be a counterfeit of the resurrection of Christ. Christians have been preaching that Christ was the only One to be crucified and resurrected. But the day is coming when another one will be killed and seemingly resurrected. Due to this counterfeit of the resurrection, the whole world will marvel after the beast (13:3), Antichrist, the counterfeit of Christ. He, the seventh, will become the eighth; yet he will have the body of the seventh and the spirit of the fifth. We all need the enlightenment of this proper understanding.
As the angel of the abyss, Antichrist will be the king of the demon-possessed locusts (9:1-11). At the sounding of the fifth trumpet, Satan will fall to the earth and will be given the key of the shaft of the abyss (9:1). The star in 9:1 refers to Satan, who will be cast down from heaven to earth. After Satan has been cast down to earth, he will use the key of the shaft of the abyss to release an army of extraordinary, demon-possessed locusts. At the time these locusts are released from the abyss, the spirit of Nero will probably be released with them. They may all come out of the abyss together, and Antichrist will become the king of this army of locusts. As we have seen, these locusts will torment men for five months. Satan, the dragon, and Antichrist, the beast, will collaborate to torment and injure man whom God created for Himself. This will be the fifth trumpet, the first of the three woes, the beginning of the great tribulation.
Revelation 9:11 says that the name of the angel of the abyss in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek is Apollyon. Abaddon means destruction, and Apollyon means destroyer. Antichrist will be both the destroyer and the destruction. He will be consumed with rage, will be obsessed with a satanic hatred, and will bring destruction wherever he goes. Satan will realize that his time is short, that he has just three and a half years to act on earth. Hence, working through Antichrist, he will do everything possible to damage mankind.
Antichrist will also be the man of sin (2 Thes. 2:3-10). When the apostle Paul wrote 2 Thessalonians, he must have been impressed regarding this man of sin from his knowledge of the book of Daniel. According to Daniel chapters eight and eleven, Antichrist will exalt himself above all gods and call himself God. Paul’s word concerning this in 2 Thessalonians 2 must refer to the book of Daniel.
This man of sin is described as “the lawless one” (2 Thes. 2:8, Gk.). Antichrist will be a lawless person. The entire world today is heading in the direction of lawlessness. Lawlessness is everywhere. Because Antichrist will be the representative of lawlessness and even its totality, the Bible calls him “the lawless one.”
Antichrist, the man of sin, is also described as “the son of destruction” (2 Thes. 2:3). Because he will be so sinful and lawless, he will become “the son of destruction,” who will perish in an extraordinary way. He will be defeated by the Lamb, seized, and thrown alive into the lake of fire. Therefore, in this short portion of the Word, Paul gives us three titles of Antichrist — the man of sin, the lawless one, and the son of destruction.
Second Thessalonians 2:4 says that Antichrist “opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped.” We need to compare this verse with Daniel 8:11 and 25, 11:36 and 37, and Revelation 13:6. These portions all relate the same thing — that this man of sin will oppose God and exalt himself above God.
Second Thessalonians 2:4 also says that Antichrist “seats himself in the temple of God, proclaiming himself that he is God.” Paul went further than Daniel in relating this matter. Daniel did not say that Antichrist would sit in the temple, but Paul tells us clearly that he will sit in the temple as God and compel people to worship him.
In 2 Thessalonians 2:9 and 10 Paul says, “The coming of whom is according to the operation of Satan, with all power and signs and wonders of a lie, and with all deceit of unrighteousness among those who are perishing.” The coming of Antichrist will be according to the working of Satan. In Christianity today there is a tendency to seek signs, wonders, and miracles. But we must be careful. According to John 2:23-25, the Lord Jesus had no confidence in those who were seeking signs. Do not seek signs. If you do, you may be cheated. Not only can the Spirit of God do wonders; the spirit of Satan can also perform them. Paul says that Antichrist, coming after the working of Satan, will perform lying wonders. Although they are wonders, they are a lie, a falsehood, and a deceit of unrighteousness. Do not care for wonders, but maintain the principles of righteousness. Anything unrighteous, even if it is miraculous, must be rejected. Do not accept miracles and forget righteousness. If we are strict to maintain the principles of righteousness, we shall be protected from being deceived.
Second Thessalonians 2:7 says, “For the mystery of lawlessness is already operating; only there is one who restrains now until he comes out of the midst.” We all know that both Christ and the church are mysteries. But here Paul speaks of another mystery — the mystery of lawlessness. Antichrist will also be a mystery. According to Paul’s concept, this mystery of lawlessness is already operating. However, there is someone who restrains it. It is difficult to say who is restraining this lawlessness. Nevertheless, there is some force, some strength, restraining lawlessness.
The hippy movement in the United States began in the early 1960’s. Those years were years of lawlessness. But something restrained that lawless hippy movement, and it has passed away. If there were no restraint on lawlessness, the earth would no longer be habitable. We would have no peace to sleep at night. Today, there is a tendency toward lawlessness, but it is under restraint. Because God’s purpose has not been fulfilled, that is, because the Bride has not yet been prepared, God exercises His control over lawlessness. Eventually, at the time of the last three and a half years, this restraint will be removed, and it will seem that God has said, “Let the world go.” At that time, Antichrist, the lawless one, will be fully manifested, and the entire earth will be filled with lawlessness. This is a word of prophecy, and it does not seem to help us in the experience of life, which is our primary concern. Nevertheless, I hope that the young people in particular will be enlightened by all these points and say, “Praise the Lord that I am clear concerning the tide of the world. I know what is coming.” Praise the Lord that in the midst of the dark night we have light!
Finally, in 2 Thessalonians 2:8, Paul says, “And then the lawless one shall be revealed (whom the Lord Jesus will slay by the breath of His mouth and bring to nothing by the appearing of His coming).” The breath of the Lord’s mouth signifies the word. Revelation 19:15 says, “Out of His mouth proceeds a sharp sword, that with it He might smite the nations.” This sharp sword, a two-edged sword (1:16), is the Lord’s killing word. He will send out His word as the breath to slay Antichrist and to consume him. The Lord will also destroy Antichrist with the brightness of His coming. This brightness will be an intensified burning and a killing light. Christ will come with such a mouth and such light to deal with this man of sin. As a result, Antichrist will become the son of perdition and be the first to perish in the lake of fire. Along with the false prophet, he will perish in the lake of fire earlier than Satan will (Rev. 19:20; 20:10). When we come to chapter nineteen, we shall see that Antichrist will fight directly and personally against Christ and that, at His coming, Christ and His overcomers will fight directly against him.
Thus far, we have seen seven aspects of Antichrist: the fourth beast, the little horn, the prince, the king, the all-inclusive beast, the angel of the abyss, and the man of sin. In the next message we shall see even more regarding him.
