Who is the Antichrist?

04 August 2010, updated 3 October 2010

By Mark Farquharson

During the supposed coming great tribulation there is meant to be a individual antichrist that raises to rule the world in the last seven or three and half years of this last age before Christ returns.

I say “supposed coming great tribulation,” because a lot of Christians accept as fact that there will be a great tribulation. However I do not believe in a coming great tribulation. The book of Revelation is not a prophecy of a coming great tribulation. It is a prophecy of future events at the time it was written, most of the events have now already occurred.

Daniel had a prophecy of seventy weeks, which was actually a prophecy of 490 years, each week being seven years. The last week or half of the last week of Daniel’s seventy weeks is meant to be the time of the great tribulation, having been separated from the rest of the weeks by a period of grace. It is wrong to separate of the last week of Daniel’s seventy weeks. There is no separation in the weeks. This prophecy was fulfilled long ago.

Daniel 9:26 After the sixty-two sevens, Messiah will be cut off, and there is no adjudication for Him. The city and the holy place shall be laid in ruins with the other governor's coming; then its end is by an overflow, and till the end of the war desolations will be decided." {CLV}

Daniel 9:27 Then he will be master of a covenant with many for one seven: At half of the seven, he will cause to cease the sacrifice and the approach present; on a wing of the sanctuary shall be desolating abominations. {CLV}

It is claimed by those who believe in a tribulation that the “he” here is the supposed coming antichrist. In fact this passage in Daniel does not even mention an antichrist. The “he” here is not the antichrist or even a antichrist, it is in fact Christ. Earlier in Daniel 9:26, above, it says “Messiah,” meaning Christ, not the antichrist. It is still talking about the “Messiah,” in Daniel 9:27, there is no mention that it has switched to talking about someone else, and no mention of an antichrist.

That is it is talking about Christ’s first coming. The sacrifice ceased because Christ died on the Cross, he was the ultimate sacrifice, which meant that there need to be no more animal sacrifices for sin. This happen when Christ died on the Cross, it is not still to happen. However animal sacrifices did not stop at that time. The priests did not stop animal sacrifices, because they did not recognize Christ as the sacrifice. However God recognize the sacrifice, thus meaning there was no need for more sacrifices.

Thus the last week of the seventy weeks of Daniel is about Christ. It is not some future week of years that is contacted to a supposed Great Tribulation and it has nothing to do with an antichrist.

This prophesied abomination is not going to happen in a as yet future temple, that has not be built yet. There will probably not be built another temple. While many believe that the temple needs to be rebuilt, and abominations need to go on there as a sign of Christ’s return, this is not the case.

I do not think God would allow sacrifices to start again as that would be a false sign to others that Christ was not the ultimate sacrifice and there needs to be another. It does not refer to a as yet to come future antichrist. These events have already happened long ago, they are not still future.

Daniel’s prophecy of 70 weeks never mentions an antichrist, in fact it is not even in the book of Daniel. The book of Revelation also does not mention an antichrist at all. If Revelation is meant to be a future prophecy of the great tribulation, why does it not mention the antichrist? Also Christ himself never mentions an antichrist at all.

The term “antichrist” is only used by John and only in his letters, 1 John & 2 John.

1John 2:18 Little children, it is the last hour, and, according as you hear that the antichrist is coming, now also there have come to be many antichrists, whence we know that it is the last hour." {CLV}

Christ death on the cross ended the Passover Age, that started at Passover when Israel come out from Egypt and begin the start of the Pentecostal age, the age of grace. This age of grace is the last days or the last hour. I am not here talking about the over all eons, these are ages with in an eon.

During the time of grace there have been many antichrists, but people are searching for the single antichrist that will rise to power during the great tribulation.

1John 2:19-21 Out of us they come, but they were not of us, for if they were of us, they would have remained with us. But it was that they may be manifested that they are not all of us. " And you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all are aware." I write not to you seeing that you are not acquainted with the truth, but that you are acquainted with it, and that no lie at all is of the truth." {CLV}

“Out of us they come” that is the antichrists had come out of brethren, but they were not of the brethren. That is they had been with the brethren, but then they had been manifested, that is exposed as antichrists. The brethren had heard that “the antichrist is coming.” However there was not just one, because John states: “now also there have come to be many antichrists.” That is there had come to be many antichrists not just one single individual antichrist. And in fact these antichrists had already come in John’s day. The ones John was writing to already knew the truth, which meant he did not have to explain it to them in the letter.

1John 2:22-23 Who is the liar, if not he who is denying, saying that "Jesus is not the Christ"? This one is the antichrist, who is disowning the Father and the Son." Everyone who is disowning the Son, neither has the Father. He who is avowing the Son has the Father also." {CLV}

The liar is denying that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, this one is the antichrist. That is the person who is denying is the antichrist, and since many in John’s day denied that Jesus was the Messiah, they were all antichrists. These antichrists claimed to know the Father, but they deny that Jesus was the Messiah/Christ. If one disowns the Son, as these antichrists did, then they do not have the Father.

2John 5-7 And now I am asking you, lady, not as writing a new precept to you, but a precept which we have from the beginning, that we may be loving one another. And this is love, that we may be walking according to His precepts. This is the precept, according as you hear from the beginning, that you may be walking in it; for many deceivers came out into the world, who are not avowing Jesus Christ coming in flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. {CLV}

Those who are not avowing Jesus Christ coming in flesh, are deceivers. The one not avowing is the deceiver and the antichrist. That is the deceivers are the antichrists, meaning many antichrists not just one.

There is nothing about them becoming powerful world leaders, or ruling nations or kingdoms, or become kings. They do not have to hold any positions of power or great influence.

There is nothing about a single powerful antichrist that is to come during the supposed great tribulation, in fact no mention of a great tribulation at all in John‘s letters.

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