Who Is the Antichrist?

What does Daniel see coming up out of the sea?

What is a beast in Bible prophecy?

Beasts in Bible prophecy represent earthly kingdoms, and they are a fitting symbol because throughout history, these kingdoms have been distinguished by cruelty, force, and oppression. In contrast, Revelation portrays king Jesus as a Lamb (Revelation 5:13; 12:11; 17:14) because He is guided by love and gentleness. Instead of imposing His will by force, He stands at the door of the heart and knocks (Revelation 3:20), waiting to be let inside.

What does the sea represent?

The sea represents densely populated areas.

What was the first beast Daniel saw?

The first beast coming up out of the sea was like a lion, which represented the kingdom of Babylon. In Daniel 2, the first kingdom represented by the head of gold was also Babylon (see “Europe’s Future Revealed”). The Bible operates on the principle of repetition where previously covered subjects are repeated and new details added, and so Daniel 7 covers the same kingdoms as Daniel 2, but adds more details to each.

What was the second beast?

Babylon was eventually conquered by Medo-Persia, which is symbolized by a bear raised up on one side because this second empire was made up of two groups of people—the Medes, who came up first, and the Persians, who eventually became stronger. The three ribs in the mouth of the bear represent the three main powers conquered by Medo-Persia: Lydia, Babylon, and Egypt. By the way, in Daniel 8:3 Medo-Persia is symbolized by a ram with two-horns, but one of them was higher than the other and came up last; then in Daniel 8:20 this empire is called by name.

What was the third beast?

The Medo-Persian empire was then conquered by Greece, which is symbolized by a leopard with four wings and four heads. Wings in the Bible represent speed (Jeremiah 4:11-13), and the four wings are a fitting representation for the speed with which Alexander the Great conquered. The four heads represent the four kingdoms into which the empire was divided when Alexanded died.

What was the fourth beast?

Greece was eventually conquered by the Roman Empire, which is symbolized by the fourth beast with 10 horns. The 10 horns represent the 10 kingdoms into which Rome was eventually split by the barbarian tribes: Visigoths (Spain), Anglo-Saxons (England), Franks (France), Alemani (Germany), Burgundians (Switzerland), Lombards (Italy), Suevi (Portugal), Heruli, Ostrogoths, and Vandals. These are the same kingdoms that were represented by the 10 toes of the image in Daniel 2:41-44.

What happens next?

Another power appears symbolized by a little horn. We will see that all of the characteristics that the Bible gives it clearly identify it as the antichrist, which is defined in one of two ways: opposition to Christ or acting in place of Christ.

What characteristics does this little horn power have?

The Bible gives nine clear characteristics to identify the antichrist:

1. the little horn would come up somewhere amomg the 10 kingdoms of Western Europe (Daniel 7:8),
2. It would have a man at its head speaking for it (Daniel 7:8),
3. It would uproot three kingdoms (Daniel 7:8),
4. It would emerge from the fourth kingdom—the pagan Roman Empire (Daniel 7:7, 8),
5. It would make war with the saints (Daniel 7:21),
6. It would be different from the 10 other kingdoms (Daniel 7:24),
7. It would persecute the saints for “a time and times and the dividing of time” (Daniel 7:25),
8. It would “speak great words against” (blaspheme) God (Daniel 7:25),
9. It would attempt “to change times and laws” (Daniel 7:25).

What power fits these characteristics?

Historians would be able to quickly identify the power being described because there is only one that fits them all—the papacy. Now it is important to emphasize that this is not a condemnation of Roman Catholics; rather, the Bible is pointing out a system—Catholicism. In other places the Bible also points out the faults of the Jewish and Protestant faiths. Moreover, God has devoted Christians in all churches, including the Roman Catholic church. It is also true that the papacy has done many good deeds for the poor and the needy, but she has also committed serious errors that the Bible clearly points out in Daniel and in Revelation. God must sometimes chasten and rebuke because He wants us to be aware of error and compromise, and people who are truly loyal to Him will heed His warnings, no matter the faith. With this in mind, let’s examine each of the nine characteristics:

1. It came up among the 10 kingdoms of Western Europe. The papal power is in the heart of Western Europe in Rome, Italy.

2. It would have a man at its head speaking for it. The papacy has the pope at its head who speaks for it.

3. It would uproot three kingdoms. Most of the 10 kingdoms of Western Europe supported the papacy, but three of them did not: the Heruli, the Ostrogoths, and the Vandals. These had to be destroyed before the papacy could rise to power. The Heruli were eradicated in 493, the Vandals in 534, and the power of the Ostrogoths was curtailed in 538.

4. It would emerge from the fourth kingdom—the pagan Roman Empire. The papacy is a continuation of the pagan Roman Empire, and historians attest to this. “The mighty Catholic Church was little more than the Roman Empire baptized. ... The very capital of the old Roman Empire became the capital of the Christian empire. The office of Pontifex Maximus was continued in that of the pope.”^[1] “Whatever Roman elements the barbarians and Arians left ... [came] under the protection of the Bishop of Rome, who was the chief person there after the emperor’s disappearance. ... The Roman church ... pushed itself into the place of the Roman World-Empire, of which it is the actual continuation.”^[2]

5. It would make war with the saints. It is no secret that the Roman Catholic church killed millions of people whose religious convictions differed from hers, especially during the Dark Ages. “That the Church of Rome has shed more innocent blood than any other institution that has ever existed among mankind, will be questioned by no Protestant who has a competent knowledge of history.”^[3]

6. It would be different from the 10 other kingdoms. The papacy is different from the other secular powers in Europe in that it rose to power as a religious power.

7. It would persecute the saints for “a time and times and the dividing of time.” In the Bible a time is a year, times is two years, and half a time is half of a year, so this is a total of three and a half years. The Amplified Bible actually translates it as “three and one-half years.”^[4] This same period is also mentioned as 42 months in Revelation 11:2; 13:5, as well as 1,260 days in Revelation 11:3; 12:6, 14 (the Jewish calendar is 30 days). In the Bible one prophetic day equals one literal year (Ezekiel 4:6; Numbers 14:34), so the little horn would have power to persecute the saints for 1,260 years. The papacy gained this power in 538 when the Ostrogoths, the last of the opposing kingdoms, were uprooted, and it ruled until 1798 when Napoleon’s general, Berthier, took the pope captive. Thus, its 1,260 year rule from 538 to 1798 is a direct fulfillment of this prophecy. Matthew 24:21, 22 mentions this period of persecution against the saints, saying no soul would have survived it if God did not shorten it, but He did shorten it, and the persecution ended well before 1798.

8. It would “speak great words against” (blaspheme) God. Daniel 7:25 (“speak great words against the most High”) is echoed by Revelation 13:5 (“speaking great things and blasphemies”), so speaking great words is equivalent to blasphemy, which has two definitions in the Bible: claiming to forgive sins (Luke 5:21), and claiming to be God (John 10:33). The papacy claims both of these things. “Does the Priest truly forgive the sins, or does he only declare that they are remitted? The Priest does really and truly forgive the sins in virtue of the power given to him by Christ.”^[5] “We [the popes] hold upon this earth the place of God Almighty.”^[6] “The pope is not only the representative of Jesus Christ, but he is Jesus Christ, Himself, hidden under the veil of flesh.”^[7]

9. It would attempt “to change times and laws.” This is a reference to the law of God, and there is only one commandment that is both a time and a law: the fourth commandment about keeping the seventh day Sabbath holy. Furthermore, there is also only one Lawgiver (James 4:12), the Creator of heaven and earth, and no one can actually change the law of God (Luke 16:17), but the papacy has thought to transfer the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday, the first day of the week. In its catechisms, it has also removed the second commandment against the veneration of images, shortened the fourth commandment, and divided the tenth commandment into two. In other words, there are now two apparent lawgivers, with two different days of worship, but only one of them is legitimate—the seventh-day Sabbath of the Almighty God.

There is no other organization but the papacy that fits all nine of the characteristics of the little horn power of Daniel 7. And this is not a new idea either because every Protestant reformer believed the papacy was the antichrist.^[8]

Aren’t there many antichrists?

It’s true that through out history many antichrists have worked against God, but there is only one entity, the papacy, that fulfills the traits of the little horn power, which makes the following claim, “we declare, we proclaim, we define that it is absolutely necessary for salvation that every human creature be subject to the Roman Pontiff,”^[9] despite the fact that salvation is a gift, by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8, 9). Some may expect the antichrist to openly oppose God, but the word “antichrist” has two meanings: opposition to Christ or acting in place of Christ. Ultimately, both actions seek to supplant God’s position and authority, which is a continuation of Satan’s original aim in heaven.

Satan’s work of deception in the last days is much more effective when the antichrist appears spiritual and holy, but God, in His love, gave the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation to expose these deceptions so that people are not mislead. Many will follow antichrist (Revelation 13:3) thinking they are following Jesus, but those who test every teaching by the Bible (Isaiah 8:20) will follow the Lamb (Revelation 14:4).

What should I do when encountering new teachings?

When encountering a new teaching it’s crucial not to take someone else’s word, but to study the topic for myself to see if it’s in harmony with the Bible.

What promise does Revelation give?

The good news is Satan is a defeated foe. Jesus has already won the battle between good and evil on the cross, and those who overcome Satan in the last days will do it only by the grace and power of Jesus in their lives. Jesus is the Light, and it is my privilege to know and follow Him by daily reading His love letter to me—the Bible; it will illuminate my path and expose darkness because Jesus does not want anyone to be deceived.

Read next: Mark of the Beast