Who is the anti-christ?

[JohnD]

For the sake of argument, those who believe the antichrist is a system or religion please refrain from derailing this discussion.

IF (notice I said if for your sakes) the antichrist is an actual person as I believe the Bible teaches (and identifies)... then who is it?

[Guest]

I don't think that we know, yet.

[JohnD]

1 minute ago, Rick_Parker said:

I don't think that we know, yet.

To determine who the real Christ is, the Jews were required to use the scriptures. The scriptures authenticate who the Christ is.

Using that same logic...

2 Thessalonians 2:3 (AV)
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

John 17:12 (AV)
12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

John 13:26–27 (AV)
26 Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.
27 And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.

Luke 22:3 (AV)
3 Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.

Acts 1:25 (AV)
25 That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.

Revelation 20:1–3 (AV)
1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

 

[Mike Mclees]

12 minutes ago, Rick_Parker said:

I don't think that we know, yet.

The Bible also states that the man of sin will desecrate the temple and declare that he is god to the world. It is true though the world and its systems political religious walks in the spirit of antichrist. the world  will see the man of sin  as a boon to mankind for it says they will all follow after Him. 

[LadyKay]

1 hour ago, JohnD said:

For the sake of argument, those who believe the antichrist is a system or religion please refrain from derailing this discussion.

IF (notice I said if for your sakes) the antichrist is an actual person as I believe the Bible teaches (and identifies)... then who is it?

If I answered this with what I really think. It will derail the thread and close it down. 

[David1701]

1 hour ago, JohnD said:

For the sake of argument, those who believe the antichrist is a system or religion please refrain from derailing this discussion.

IF (notice I said if for your sakes) the antichrist is an actual person as I believe the Bible teaches (and identifies)... then who is it?

The anti-Christ is the "Pope", who sits in the temple of God (the professing Church), claims authority to change times and laws, makes war on true Christians (millions have been tortured and murdered on his authority), has titles of blasphemy (including "Holy Father" and "Vicar of Christ", and this latter one means "Instead of Christ", i.e. anti-Christ), is head of the one of the richest organisations on Earth, leaders of the world bow down to him and kiss his ring in obeisance, etc, etc..

One of the mainstays of the Reformation was that the "Pope" is the anti-Christ.

Edited March 7, 2021 by David1701

[Hopefully]

I don’t think he has been revealed yet but the Bible tells us the things he will do when he comes on the scene. I think it’s important for this person to affect the entire world too not just one or two continents. 

[missmuffet]

2 hours ago, JohnD said:

For the sake of argument, those who believe the antichrist is a system or religion please refrain from derailing this discussion.

IF (notice I said if for your sakes) the antichrist is an actual person as I believe the Bible teaches (and identifies)... then who is it?

We don't know. He could be on this earth now. He will not reveal himself until Revelation 6. 

[JohnD]

17 minutes ago, missmuffet said:

We don't know. He could be on this earth now. He will not reveal himself until Revelation 6. 

okay.

2 Thessalonians 2:1–11 (AV)
1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

The scriptures were not fully canonized until a couple of centuries after Paul wrote this letter.

Could this be the revealing spoken of above?  That scripture could be compared with scripture for the first time in all history?

We could dismiss this. But it is a fairly compelling biblical case.

1. the only two mentions in scripture of the son of perdition include Judas who:
2. is the only man in the Bible directly inhabited by Satan (a point made twice)
3. whose death was to go to his own place which could mean the abyss not hades where the rich man is
4. that the devil in Revelation 20 has been / will be locked away in the abyss and released at the end of history
5. the abyss is for the angels who kept not their first estate Jude 6

 

[David1701]

52 minutes ago, Hopefully said:

I don’t think he has been revealed yet but the Bible tells us the things he will do when he comes on the scene. I think it’s important for this person to affect the entire world too not just one or two continents. 

He was revealed long ago.  He is none other than the "little horn", in Daniel chapter 7, which arose out of the fourth "beast" (the Roman Empire), having been split into ten kingdoms, after its fall.

Rome fell in 476 A.D., which means that the anti-Christ had to arise not very long after this.  This agrees with 2 Thess. 2.

2 Thess. 2:3-8 (Webster)

3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come , except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
  4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
  5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
  6 And now ye know what restraineth that he might be revealed in his time. 
  7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now restraineth will do so , until he be taken out of the way.
  8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

The early Church knew what was restraining the anti-Christ from arising, because Paul had told them.  We have some of their documents and they show that it was the Roman Empire (or the emperor, as representing that empire).

1) The apostasy had to happen first (a great departure from the faith once for all delivered to God's people).  This had already happened, by the time of the Emperor Constantine.

2) The Roman Empire (the restrainer) had to fall, which happened in 476 A.D..

3) The spiritual authority of Caesar (the latter Caesars had declared themselves to be gods) was transferred to the Bishop of Rome, by the Emperor Justinian, in 538 A.D..

4) The Bishop of Rome was given a seat of authority, in Rome itself.

5) This anti-Christ had to sit (i.e. in a seat of authority) in the temple of God (i.e. the professing Church), exalting himself above God.  The Bishop of Rome (the so-called "Pope") did exactly this, claiming authority to change times and God's laws, thus putting himself above God.

This, and much more besides, was all common knowledge, from the Reformation, for about 300 years, until serious decay set into the Protestant Church and false teaching began to prevail (e.g. the teaching that the anti-Christ will be a man, at the end of time - this teaching was started by a Jesuit called Ribera, who was part of the RC counter-Reformation).

Edited March 7, 2021 by David1701