I want to make some disclaimers first… 1) I have no idea who this specific individual is, 2) I do not believe he has been revealed to the world yet, 3) this post is merely to inform any reader of the characteristics and persona to be looking for in this individual and what I believe he will do. 4) I will not be writing anything sensational. I take this topic too seriously to do that. And 5) I am writing this to warn those who do nor know this topic well and how to prepare yourself and your family. I am also writing this with the intent of love, for what love would it be for someone to not shout to a blindfolded person about to walk off a cliff to stop, remove the blindfold, and look!?
I will mainly be using Scripture (God’s Word) for this post, but some details will come from two anointed modern-day prophets. They are Ken Peters and John Paul Jackson (d. 2015).
I also want to acknowledge that I realize I am writing about one of the most mysterious and widely debated topics since the Apostles Paul and John first wrote about it almost 2,000 years ago.
Lastly, for anyone not familiar with terminology, “Christ” is Greek (from “χριστός” or “chrīstós”, meaning “anointed one”). “Messiah” is Hebrew (from “māšīaḥ” of the same meaning).
Let’s begin…
First, there are two aspects of Anti-Christs… there is the general, all-encompassing term described in the New Testament (we’ll get to those), and then there’s the title “Anti-Christ,” which only one man in history will carry. He is also known as the son of perdition, the man of lawlessness, and the man of sin, depending on your Bible translation. The general, all-encompassing term “Anti-Christ” describes any “deceiver” who has “entered the world” and “denying Jesus Christ came in the flesh…” (2 John 1:7). But I won’t be focusing on that, only on the man Anti-Christ, who I will interchangeably refer to the Anti-Christ, the son of perdition, the man of lawlessness, the son of sin, and the beast of 666. These are all just titles of the same person in different English translations. Judas Iscariot, is also referred to as the son of perdition (John 17:12 AMP), but the Apostle Paul later refers to another man to come (2 Thessalonians 2:3) by the same title.
So, back to the original question, “Who is the Anti-Christ?”
A common misconception is because he is “Anti” to Christ, that he has the same power as Christ/God. No one, not even satan/the devil, has the same power or equality as Christ (John 1:2 AMP, Job 26:7-14 AMP, 2 Chronicles 20:6 AMP). God (the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Spirit of the Father, or the Holy Spirit) is omnipotent, meaning uncreated, eternal, all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-seeing (YHWH meaning “I AM (everywhere)”, Exodus 3:14 AMP). Everything else is a created being. Also, neither satan nor the Anti-Christ are rivals of God. They are only opposed to God and everything He is and represents, after all, “satan”, which is just a shortened form of “ha-satan” and comes from the Hebrew for “The Adversary” (The Satan and Demons).
The Jewish nation will believe the Anti-Christ to be their long-awaited Messiah (after denying Jesus in His first coming). The son of perdition will make a seven-year peace deal with Israel, reestablishing and rebuilding what will be the third temple in Jerusalem. This time of seven years is also referred to as the “time of Jacob’s trouble (Jeremiah 30:3–7) or “The Great Tribulation” and is the final “week” (period of seven years) described in Daniel 9:27.
During this peace deal, the man of lawlessness will allow the Jewish people to set up sacrifices—just like the days under the Old Covenant before Jesus’ final sacrifice of Himself on the Cross. Halfway through the seven years, the son of sin will “exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.” (2 Thessalonians 2:4) When he does this, he will commit the “abomination that causes desolation” (Daniel 11:31, Matthew 24:15), and only then will the Jewish nation see that he wasn’t the Messiah and receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
After this, the second half of the tribulation will begin. The first half was persecution of living believers of the Lord Jesus by the son of perdition. The second half will be the judgments of God on the unbelieving world and those who took the “Mark of the Beast” and worshipped his image. (Revelation 13:16–17)
Why is the Anti-Christ called “The Beast of 666”?
I believe he is called “the Beast” because of who he is on the INSIDE. I say this because it is God who describes him, not man, and 1 Samuel 16:7 says, “…The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” His number, 666, will likely not be seen as the actual number “666” but rather the summation of his name in ancient Hebrew or Greek (as the Apostle John would’ve probably interpreted, Revelation 13:18 AMP & Commentary) on someone’s right hand or forehead. (Revelation 13:16 AMP)
UPDATE:
A few days ago, I stumbled upon the YouTube channel “thelivingword” and in particular a video which I feel adds more clarity and substance to this post. I have also been praying and waiting to see if God wanted me to hold onto this for any reason, and each time there was no restrictions. I hope this brings more light and wisdom to you in interpreting this number!
What is meant by “666” and “antichrist”?
What are (or will be) the physical characteristics of the Anti-Christ?
It may not be that difficult or complicated to imagine what the physical characteristics will be; after all, we have some description of the Messiah… Isaiah 53:2 AMP, “…He has no stately form or majestic splendor…that we would look at Him…nor [handsome] appearance that we would be attracted to Him.”
Here’s where I believe Ken Peters and the late John Paul Jackson’s testimonies come in. The prophet Ken Peters, who gave me permission to use his testimony, spoke in the ’90s how God allowed him to see the Great Tribulation, here. He says, “I will never forget his face as long as I live…his face was almost supernatural in appearance. He was almost too perfect; he was for a lack of terms, he was the most handsome man I had ever seen, and I just want you to know I’m a very happily married heterosexual.
“When I say he was a handsome man, I don’t mean that in a strange manner I just mean to tell you that this man had everything going together for him, …he had kind of a chiseled look to his face, and everything about his appearance was almost perfect, and when he spoke there was just a very strange quality about him.”
John Paul Jackson had a very similar description of him in a talk back in late February 2009 (YouTube video here):
(August 2022, Side Note: I discovered the YouTube channel associated with this video has been terminated. However, these are the true and faithful words of what John Paul said.)
“He will come, and he will have convincing words of men and he will be a great orator, and he will have a great voice, and he would tell you what you want to hear. That will be the Anti-Christ — and I know I’m not saying Obama’s him, lest there be any confusion. The Anti-Christ is far, far… better… than that. I saw the back of him in a vision—scared the stuffin’ outta me. He’s tall, like 6-4, and he is incredibly good-looking and well-groomed. I saw his front from a distance and close from the back.
“And we are being set up to receive him, and I’m not trying to do a fear tactic. I’m saying we the church need the power of God. We cannot depend on oratory skills, and we cannot depend on political parties—either one of them. We have to have a relationship with the Creator of heaven and earth that is so different, when people look at us they want to get close to you…”
Are all these things going to happen, no matter what?
Yes. As the Angel Gabriel told the Virgin Mary in Luke 1:37 NIV, “For no word from God will ever fail.”
What’s wrong with following him?
Quite simply, this is the man doomed to destruction in the Lake of Fire in hell (eternal separation from God, worse than any earthly discomfort or pain). (Revelation 19:20 NIV) (Bill Wiese – “23 Minutes In Hell”)
Also, the wrath of God… “9 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, 10 they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.“-Revelation 14:9-11 NIV
What’s the reward for following Jesus?
“I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.“-Revelation 20:4 NIV
What can you do to avoid his fate?
Some basic things are to read and know the Word of God (The Bible), especially the part about salvation in the New Testament. Then there’s praying, which draws your heart closer to God and His nature.
Knowing God, His character, and believing that He sent His Son Jesus to die for all sins for all time, and not taking the Mark of the Beast, is the only way to avoid the Anti-Christ’s fate!
Mind@Work 