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Bible Question: How can we know who is the Antichrist? Could he be an American?
Bible Answer: The Antichrist is a human who is already alive or is yet to be born. There is also a spirit of antichrist that exists in the world. So scripture calls those who are like him, antichrists. This is the message of 1 John 2:18.
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Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen; from this we know that it is the last hour. (NASB) 1 John 2:18 |
Antichrist. The antichrist will actually be a person who appears at the beginning of a seven year period according to Daniel 9:25-27. We call this period the tribulation. The tribulation starts with peace between Israel and its neighbors. The study entitled the Rapture & Prophecy further discusses the future timeline including the Daniel 9:25-27 passage.
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And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate." (NASB) Daniel 9:27 |
The expression "one week" refers to a seven year period (see Rapture & Prophecy). This is the tribulation period. It starts with peace. Later in the middle of the tribulation (3.5 years), peace ends and trouble starts for Israel. What follows is a time called "Jacob's Trouble." It is a horrible period of struggle, war and suffering. The tribulation period ends with Jesus' second coming.
The Antichrist appears to be a politican because he effects a peace treaty between Israel and her enemies at the beginning of the seven year tribulation. This individual will become obvious to all who are alive in the middle of the tribulation when he stops the sacrifice and grain offerings (Daniel 9:27) and declares himself to be God in the Jewish temple in Jeruselam (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4), even seating himself there.
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Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. (NASB) 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 |
2 Thessalonians 2:8-10 says the middle of the tribulation (3.5 years) is the time when he is finally revealed. Someone could successfully bring about peace between Israel and her enemies for a while and not be the antichrist. The real antichrist will eventually declare himself to be God.
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And then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. (NASB) 2 Thessalonians 2:8-10 |
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