In Holy Scripture the term
antichrist has a twofold meaning. In a broad and general sense this word
indicates every person hostile to Christ's teaching (the Greek prefix anti-
signifies against). This is the meaning St. John the Theologian used to speak
of many antichrists in his epistles. In a particular sense the name Antichrist
signifies a definite person — the leading adversary of Christ who is to appear
before the end of the world. The appearance of this definite Antichrist on the
world scene constitutes the final and decisive sign that the Second Coming of
Christ is at hand.
All the growing aversion towards God on the part of mankind close to the end
of the world will become, so to speak, concentrated in this definite man of
sin, who will lead the final desperate battle against Christianity. Of the
characteristics and actions of this Antichrist, we read in St. Paul's second
epistle to the Thessalonians:
"Let no one deceive you by any means; for that
Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is
revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that
is called God or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of
God, showing himself that he is God … And now you know what is restraining
(Divine Grace and Providence), which does not allow his appearance. that he may
be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work;
only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then
the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of
His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the
lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and
lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish,
because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
And for this reason God will will send them strong delusion, that they should
believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth
but had pleasure in unrighteousness" (2 Thes. 2:3-11).
A number of external factors will have to play a significant role in
strengthening the power of the coming Antichrist. Possibly, during his time the
threat of nuclear and biological warfare, or the specter of a horrible
political and economic crisis will hang over mankind. Governments will be on
the verge of collapse, and nations in turmoil and revolt. Then, on the murky
waters of a global cataclysm, a "brilliant" leader will surface as
the sole savior of mankind. Backing him will be a formidable organization with
the goal of global domination. With its support the Antichrist will emerge with
a prepared program of socio-economic reforms, which will be actively supported
and advocated by the mass media. What will be the secret of the Antichrist's
persuasive power and his ability to direct world events? We can envision him as
a gifted and inflammatory orator, like Lenin or Hitler. His ideas and
propositions will be readily accepted because they will express the thoughts
and feelings of the masses of his materialistic epoch.
One would think that many Jews, opposed to Christianity, will see in the
Antichrist their long-awaited Messiah, while the majority of people will be
inspired by hopes that he will put an end to wars and crises and will bring
about a general prosperity. Having in mind such a blindness among people who
fail to see the catastrophe hanging over their heads, St. Paul wrote: "For
you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in
the night. For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes
upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not
escape" (1 Thes. 5:1-6).
The Antichrist will not be content with mere political authority and outward
transformations. Praised by all, he will become so conceited that he will
regard himself as a superhuman endowed with divine power. He will proclaim a
new world-view — a new religion and new morality in place of
"outmoded" and "unsuccessful" Christian teaching. Possessed
by delusions of grandeur, he will present himself as God and sit in the temple,
(possibly in Jerusalem's temple rebuilt where the King Solomon's temple) used
to be demanding divine worship.
According to St. Paul, the activities of the Antichrist will be extremely
successful, being supported by satan, and accompanied by lying signs, false
miracles, and all kinds of unrighteous deception of the perishing. By signs and
miracles of the Antichrist we should understand not only the deceptive tricks
aimed to delight the crowd but also the highest accomplishments of science,
which will be exploited to strengthen his rule (According to Rev. 13:15, the
false prophet had the "power to give breath to the image of the beast,
that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not
worship the image of the beast to be killed.") The most sophisticated
form of surveillance on people will be used to control their activities. Those
wishing to buy or to sell anything will have to present official permission to
do so (According to Rev. 13:17, "no one may buy or sell except one who
has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.")
Radio, TV programs, and the press will strive to shape the most favorable image
of the world Leader in order to strengthen his political power and admiration
among people. Any person daring to question the genius of this Leader, or
disagreeing with his measures, will be ridiculed, persecuted, and ultimately
destroyed as a public enemy.
An image of the coming Antichrist is portrayed by the prophet Daniel in the
appearance of a minor horn. Here the prophet describes the characteristics of
the Syrian King Antioch Epiphanos – the cruel persecutor of the faithful Jews
about 175-164 BC — as a prototype of the Antichrist. In the book of Revelation,
the Antichrist is depicted as a beast, coming out of the sea. Some of the
characteristics of this monster remind us of the Roman emperors Nero and
Domitian, fierce persecutors of Christians in the first century AD. These
emperors were contemporaries of St. John who wrote the book of Revelation. To
avoid confusion, one should bear in mind that in the book of Revelation the
term beast applies not only to the personal Antichrist but also to the whole
governmental machine of his anti-Christian empire (Daniel 7:11 and the first 2
books of Maccabees; Rev. ch 13, 19:19-21).
The distinctive features, personality and mode of operation of the
Antichrist are described by St. Cyrill of Jerusalem in his Cathechetical
Letters (4 and 15) and by St. Ephraim the Syrian in his Homily on the Coming of
the Lord and the Antichrist. The famous Russian philosopher Vladimir S.
Soloviev attempted to depict the coming of the Antichrist in his Tale of the
Antichrist, but his representation and occasionally joking style do not convey
all the horror and utter gloom which will threaten mankind in its final period
of existence. His tale is a naive idyll when compared to the horror which will
dominate people who have lost God. Studying the historical prototypes of the
coming Antichrist, like the king Antioch Epithanos, emperors Nero and Domitian,
Lenin and similar "genius" rulers, certain general traits come to
mind. All of them in general were worthless people, both in the intellectual
and the governmental arena. They came to power not because of their exceptional
talents or achievements but because of favorable circumstances. They were more
conspirators than governors. All of them suffered from disproportionate
delusions of grandeur; in their personal lives they were liars, immoral and
cruel. One may speculate that the final world Leader will be distinguished by
similar traits.
If we take literally the time indicated by Holy Scripture regarding the rule
of the beast, the activity of the Antichrist will last for about 3 1/2 years.
It will end with the Second Coming of Christ, the General Resurrection of the
Dead, and the Last Judgment (Daniel 7:25; Rev. 11:2-3, 12:13, 13:5). The
Revelation of St. John mentions the appearance of two witnesses, who will
proclaim the truth, perform miracles, and, upon completion of their witness, be
killed by the Antichrist. These witnesses have been foreseen by some Fathers of
the Church to be the two righteous of the Old Testament period — the patriarch
Enoch (Gen. 5:23) and the prophet Elijah (2 Kings 2:11) — because only these
two men did not die but were taken alive to Heaven. Presumably they will have
to return to earth to complete their earthly mission, to suffer for the Word of
God and to die as all mortals should.
In summary, such is the teaching of the Word of God about the approaching
times, and the behavior and sentiments of the people prior to the Second Coming
of Christ. Although these signs are overt and clear, the ability to see and
realize them nevertheless will depend on a person's spiritual keenness. Most
people, preoccupied with their material well-being, will be incapable of
understanding what is happening before their eyes, or the point toward which
the world is headed. For this reason the Savior warned His disciples: "Take
heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing,
drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For
it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole
earth" (Lk. 21:34-36).
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