The word “antichrist,” which is only used by John (1 Jn. 2:18, 2:22, 4:3, & 2 Jn. 1:7), is one who is opposed to Christ, one who is against Christ, one who is the antithesis of everything that Christ is, and he is also one who denies Christ and the Father (1 Jn. 2:22).

I think he’s a pure Jew. Dan 11:37 tells us Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, which can only mean that his fathers, his lineage, his heritage can be Hebrew and nothing else. Why should Israel accept the antichrist as their Messiah if he’s a mixed race, which was strictly forbidden in the OT? Plus, we should not make Biblical Typology into something more than it is. Biblical Typology is a type of symbolism, not a carbon copy. Something represents something else. That person foreshadows someone else in the future. Types showcase similarities only. Just because Nebuchadnezzar is a type of the antichrist, that doesn’t mean the antichrist will be born in Baghdad. The same is true about the King of the North in Dan. 11 and the references to the antichrist as The Assyrian. Is it possible the antichrist could be born in modern day Syria? Sure. But, since John and Daniel had visions about this beast rising out of the sea, I think that means the antichrist could come from anywhere.

He’s one part of Satan’s wicked trinity of deception made up of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. The dragon, Satan himself, is anti-God the Father. He’s the unseen executive branch of the Satanic trinity just as the Father is the unseen executive branch of the Heavenly trinity. Then there’s the beast, who is the antichrist, the express image of Satan just as Christ Himself is the express image of God. And the false prophet is the anti-Holy-Spirit, the spiritual component of the false trinity, one who through miracles and signs and wonders points the way to the Beast (Rev. 13:12-14) just as the Holy Spirit, the spiritual component of the Heavenly trinity, has and will through miracles and signs and wonders point the way to Christ.

In terms of his appearance, we learned that he has a look that was more stout than his fellows (Dan. 7:20), a look that’s strong, proud, bold, confident, valiant, brave, large, in the sense of just physically imposing. He has a look that inspires confidence in him.

He’ll spurn the desire of women (Dan. 11:37) because he desires power above all and if he is to pretend that he’s the Messiah, then he must stay single to appear as if he’s fulfilling prophecy. I don’t believe Dan. 11:37 means he’ll be a homosexual. If he was, he wouldn’t be able to keep that a secret and Israel would quickly reject him as Messiah, because homosexuality is also strictly forbidden in the OT. I think he is a heterosexual, as all men are, but he will spurn the advances of all women who want to be with him. His purity is essential to convincing Israel he’s the Messiah. There is nothing in prophecy about the Messiah being married. He has to keep up appearances to convince Israel he’s the Messiah. Plus, he is singularly focused on the acquisition of all power. Being in a relationship or a marriage can be a liability. His wife could be kidnapped or threatened, which could be used to empower others to be in control of him. I also think that he doesn’t want to be influenced or manipulated by a woman.

Daniel also writes, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. Most would characterize the antichrist’s one world Babylonian system as being made up of two primary components: political and religious. The antichrist is usually viewed as the political leader and the false prophet as the religious leader. And that one religious system in the antichrist kingdom is an amalgamation of every false god that exists: Buddha, Muhammed, Joseph Smith, L. Ron Hubbard, whomever. The antichrist won’t have any regard for any of those gods, little G, but he shall magnify himself above all.

His number is 666 (Rev. 13:16-18). The believers will figure out through gematria who is the true antichrist whose name equals the value of 666, which is a number of identification, the secret to unlocking the identity of the antichrist in a world that’s now full of liars doing miracles. Believers will figure out the numerical value of his name through a cipher I suspect God will provide through the Spirit during the Tribulation.

We’re also told he’s dreadful and terrible (Dan. 7:7). He will make all the people of the world feel a range of emotions anywhere from fear to absolute terror.

He is strong exceedingly (Dan. 7:7), strong in every sense of the word. He has a strong constitution, a great determination to endure all things. He’s well-fortified in the sense that the source of his power comes from Satan himself. He’s strong in the sense that he will have control over great military forces evidenced by the armies who will slaughter the Jews at the Abomination of Desolation. He’s also strong in the sense of wealth. The antichrist will amass great riches, but all of it will come to nought. He’s strong in the sense of ability to make a lasting impression, evidenced by Daniel saying that he has a big mouth speaking great things. He’s strong in the sense of violence, vehemence, with the skill to win. And he’s also strong in the sense of a rigorous mind, a mind that’s both persuasive and also intensely fanatical about achieving his goals. And in all these aspects of the word “strong,” he is strong exceedingly, to a degree well beyond any of the other beasts.

He has great iron teeth (Dan. 7:7), because it’s with his mouth that he’ll devour and break in pieces other kingdoms.

He has nails of brass, which denotes his wealth, strength, and ability to shred his victims to pieces with extreme cruelty. Not only that, he will stomp the residue of people and nations with the feet of it. He will keep on stomping that nation until it has been fully annihilated where you wouldn’t even know that nation ever existed. This is power that can lay waste to nations of people who won’t yield to him.

He also has a big mouth. Dan. 11:36 tells us And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods… The biggest, most outrageous lies one could dream up will be said about Christ and the Father. What also makes his lies whoppers is that he exalts himself above God. Even Paul would tell us in 2 Thess. 2:4 that the antichrist opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped… which mirrors the boasting of Lucifer himself in Isa. 14.

He will be diverse from all the beasts that came before him (Dan. 7:7). He’s diverse in that he’ll be more terrifying, more ferocious, more deadly, and more powerful than all the beasts that came before him. Rev. 13 also shows us He is a more exceedingly powerful amalgamation of all the previous beasts. He is like the leopard in Dan. 7 in that he will conquer even faster than Rome. In fact, he will conquer the world in 3 ½ years. His feet are as the feet of a bear. His feet are swift to shed blood even more so than Alexander the Great who preferred war over diplomacy. His mouth is as the mouth of a lion. He roars like the king of beasts, because his kingdom is centered around one man, just as it was for Cyrus the Great.

He’s empowered by Satan to do demonic miracles. Paul tells us in 2 Thess. 2:9 that his “coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders.” He’ll even be able to miraculously heal himself when he receives a deadly wound (Rev. 13:3,12)

He kicks off the Tribulation when in Dan. 9:27 we learn that he (the Antichrist) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week. I suspect he is pretending to be the Messiah from the beginning and he’s pretending to confirm with Israel that the old Abrahamic covenant is still in force.

What are his goals? He has two rather straightforward goals. He is, first, the agent of Satan to fulfill his 6,000 year dream of total dominion over the Earth with all of God’s creatures worshipping him instead of their true Creator. Global dominion is the first, primary goal. Second, his goal is the annihilation of all the Jews and believers. That begins with the antichrist convincing Israel that he’s the Messiah so he can march into God’s temple proclaiming himself to be God in order to carry out the Abomination of Desolation. Then he’ll begin the persecution of all believers.

So what does the antichrist do over the first 3 ½ years? The antichrist is going to be real busy. We have the rise of the ten horns, which are ten kings. Because of Psa. 83, I suspect the ten horns are ten kings of nations that surround Israel. Then follows the rise of the antichrist. I think his rise takes place over the course of the first 3 ½ years in which he becomes a dominant figure on the global stage. He’s the little horn at first (Dan. 7:8; 8:9), the horn of small beginnings, but he slowly builds alliances with the ten other rulers. He squashes a rebellion of three of those kings and takes over their nations. Then he makes his move to kill the Two Witnesses.

Then, as the world watches with bated breath, he kills the Two Witnesses but not before he and one of his heads are given deadly wounds, which the antichrist heals (Rev. 13:3). The world marvels at the antichrist and celebrates his victory while also fearing him (Rev. 11:1-14). With his ten-nation power structure in place, having control over those seven kings and ten nations coupled with his victory over the Two Witnesses, the antichrist is now positioned to implement global dominion (Rev. 13:7). Most nations will be willing to yield their sovereignty to the new antichrist empire because 1) they’re desperate, 2) he seems to be the only solution to all their problems, 3) he is capable of healing, and 4) even if they didn’t want to, who could possibly defeat him in a straight-up fight? Any nation who resists the antichrist kingdom will be utterly annihilated.

Then he marches into the temple in Jerusalem. The people of Israel come in droves to see him. He marches into the temple pretending to be God. Then the hammer falls, and what happens is the Abomination of Desolation (Dan. 9:26-27; Luke 21:20-24; 19:41-44). Gentile armies who have surrounded the city begin to slaughter as many Jews as they can find. The streets of Jerusalem will literally be drenched in blood. Then, they’ll bomb every building until the entire city is laid waste, not one stone will be upon another (Luke 19:41-44). Here the antichrist is, a Jew, who dismissed the God of His fathers, and yet, he’s pretending TO BE the God of his fathers. He’s fooled his own nation into thinking he’s their Messiah, and when he actually achieves his goal of deceiving Israel, he turns on them and slaughters his own people. And he was one of them! They were his family, his friends, his kinsmen in the flesh. And he was their son, their brother, their close friend in whom they all trusted! Now he just systematically slaughters them all. He would carry out a betrayal of mass genocide on a scale that would even make Hitler blush. This is the ultimate insult to Israel, the ultimate act of terror against God Himself. And this is also the greatest betrayal in Scripture since Lucifer himself betrayed God in Heaven and took with him a third of the heavenly host.

Believers run into the mountains. The antichrist sends armies after them, but God intervenes and the Earth swallows them up (Rev. 12:7-17). They’re protected and fed manna.

The Mark of the Beast comes next. We read in Rev. 13:16, And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads. I think that “he” is talking about the false prophet. The context bears that out. In vs. 15, it’s the false prophet who will have the power to give life unto the image of the beast. He is the one who establishes this global environment to worship the image of the beast, to worship the falsehood of everything he claims to be. Now everything Satan, the antichrist, and the false prophet do, they do together as one unit, mimicking the Godhead, but in vs. 16, it’s the false prophet who is primarily put in charge of implementing the Mark of the Beast. Taking the mark is more of a religious agreement than anything political or economic, because by accepting that mark, you’ve entered into a religious commitment to worship the image of the beast, to worship all the falsehood of everything the beast claims that he is. Oh, and you’ll also be able to buy and sell. But that’s secondary. What’s primary is your commitment to worshipping the beast. That mark is more of a religious commitment than anything else. I also think it’s nice that the false prophet gives options in what kind of mark you can have. The whole system is evil, but we’ll give you some options about the kind of mark you can have on your right hand or forehead. Hurray! You can have a generic mark, or you can have the name of the beast written on you, or you can choose to have the number of his name. Take your pick! You have options! Isn’t it great? But the bigger point is this: having the mark, having yourself marked with 666 is once again a number of identification. By taking that mark of 666, you are consciously identifying yourself with one man. You are identifying yourself with the antichrist himself, and by extension Satan, which makes you a target of God’s wrath and dooms your soul forever.

Let’s not forget the Image of the Beast. We find in Rev 13:14-15, John writing, “And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.” For me, these passages about the image of the beast is more terrifying than the Mark of the Beast. This is the ultimate dystopian nightmare. In vs. 14, he tells every person on the Earth make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. An image is merely a representation. A little statue. A picture. A painting. An idol of some kind. What John is saying is that the false prophet will make every person on the planet EACH make an image. A little wooden statue. Or print up a picture, frame it, and hang it in your house. Some kind of representation of the beast that is in your possession. And then what does vs. 15 tell us? Rev 13:15 And he (the false prophet) had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. The uncomfortable truth is that the false prophet forces everyone to create idols of the antichrist and then… the idols will come to life. It is basically a demonically powered version of Alexa in your home. (Except an Alexa is only slightly less evil.) Through that idol, now miraculously brought to life through the demonic powers of the false prophet, you now have the eyes, ears, and mouth of Satan in your home. You have the entire demonic realm observing everything you do. Everything you say. And that idol will speak to you if you’re not living the way he wants you to. If you suddenly have a change of heart or if you’re sick of that dystopian nightmare, and you stop worshipping the beast, you will be killed. And it’s not that the false prophet will send men to your home to kill you, the idol itself will kill you. That’s what the verse says. Look at Rev 13:15 again. “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.” If you aren’t faithful to the beast, if you don’t worship that image every time you walk into your home, if you don’t sing the praises of the antichrist every time you speak, the idol itself will kill you. Imagine an Alexa strapped with machine guns ready to kill you the moment you misspeak.

How does it end for him? The seven kings will grow to despise the whore of Babylon. In Rev. 17:12-18, those seven kings turn on the antichrist. They will make that city desolate. They will eat her flesh and help burn that city to the ground. Dan 7:26 tells us But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. It’s the uprising of the people led by the seven heads that help bring him down, that will take away his dominion, and it will be destroyed unto the end. This means that even in the Tribulation, even with the support of Satan himself with miracles, signs, and wonders, nobody wants to be under a fascist, totalitarian, dystopian nightmare.

Just as the antichrist betrayed his own people and made desolate Jerusalem at the Abomination of Desolation, so too, his own seven heads will betray the antichrist and make desolate the capital city of his kingdom. Just as we have in the antichrist the ultimate betrayal of a Jew to his own people, so too, we have in the seven heads the ultimate betrayal of a king’s closest allies.

Perfect irony. Perfect justice. That’s practically Shakespearian. Just as there’s no honor among thieves, there’s no honor among totalitarians.

• This is taken from Joel’s series on The End of the World.