What the Bible Actually Says About the Antichrist - Part 2: What Will He Be Like?

His Power, His Character, and His Nationality

This is part two of a three-part series on the Antichrist adapted from my book, The End Times: A Guide to Bible Prophecy and the Last Days. If you have Kindle Unlimited, you can read it for free.

In Part 1 of this series, we looked at how the Antichrist will rise to power. In this article, we look at what the Bible says about his personal characteristics.

What Will the Antichrist Be Like?

What else do we know about this dark figure? Does the Bible say anything about his personality?

Yes.

Several passages give insight into the character, motivations, and desires of the most notorious man in human history. Let’s look at those as well:

He’ll Be Enormously Powerful

The Antichrist will be strong, but not of his own power (Daniel 8:24). Where does his power come from? It comes from Satan (Revelation 13:2). This satanic power will include the ability to perform counterfeit miracles (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10).

For example, he’ll make fire come down from heaven (Revelation 13:13). Armed with Satan’s power, the Antichrist will be the greatest conqueror the world has ever seen.

He’ll cause “a shocking amount of destruction” and “succeed in everything he does” (Daniel 8:24). He’ll be so powerful he’ll attack heavenly beings and trample them (Daniel 8:10). He’ll even try to take on Jesus Christ in battle (Daniel 8:25).

As ruler of the revived Roman Empire, the Antichrist will hold unprecedented power. He’ll rule over “every tribe and people and language and nation” (Revelation 13:7). He’ll control the ability to buy and sell everything on earth (Revelation 13:16-17). The people of the world will think he’s invincible. They’ll ask, “Who is as powerful as he is? Who can make war against him?” (Revelation 13:4).

He’ll Be Arrogant and Prideful

Given his immense power and where it comes from, is it any wonder the Antichrist will be arrogant? The Bible describes him as “boasting arrogantly” (Daniel 7:8). He’ll claim he’s greater than God (Daniel 11:36). John says he’s “a beast who speaks great blasphemies against God” (Revelation 13:5).

When asked about the end times, Jesus told His disciples, “The time will come when you see what Daniel the prophet spoke about – the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place” (Matthew 24:16). The Antichrist will fulfill this prophecy. He’ll stand in the Jewish Temple and proclaim himself to be God (2 Thessalonians 2:4). He’ll set up an image in the Holy Place and demand the world worship it (Daniel 9:27).

A mere man will claim to be God, and the world will worship him (Revelation 13:4).

His Ethnicity and Nationality

Where will the Antichrist come from? Will he be American? Will he come from a Muslim country? The Bible doesn’t tell us every last detail of the Antichrist’s ethnicity and nationality. But it does have a lot to say. And from what it says, we can know for sure where he won’t come from.

For instance, we know the Antichrist will come from among the people who live on the Italian peninsula. The Book of Daniel says these are the people who destroy the Temple (Daniel 9:26). And the Romans destroyed the Temple in A.D. 70.

This means the Antichrist will rise from among the descendants of the Roman people. This makes sense. After all, the revived Roman Empire will rule the world in the end times.

However, does this mean the Antichrist will be a full-blooded Italian?

Not necessarily.

He could be a foreign national, but rise to power in Italy.

Once again, Napoleon and Hitler provide historical examples. Napoleon came from the island of Corsica. He was Italian. Yet he rose in the ranks of the French army to become dictator of France. From there, he conquered almost all of Europe.

A century later, Hitler followed a similar path. Born and raised in Linz, Austria, Hitler was not a German. He was Austrian. Yet he climbed to great heights in Depression-era Germany and became the undisputed dictator of the Third Reich. He too almost conquered Europe.

Is it possible the Antichrist will do something similar?

Yes.

Some people believe he’ll be Assyrian. After Alexander the Great died, the Greek Empire split into four kingdoms. The Book of Daniel says the Antichrist will come from the Assyrian portion of those four kingdoms (Daniel 8:9). Some believe the Book of Isaiah refers to the Antichrist as “the Assyrian king” (Isaiah 10:12).

Despite this, others say the Antichrist will be full-blooded Italian because of Daniel 9:26. They say the Antichrist must be of Roman ancestry.

So which one is it? Is the Antichrist Assyrian or Italian?

Perhaps he’ll be both.

Remember, many religious teachers had a similar debate about the Messiah. Before Jesus was born, some said the Messiah would come from Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). Others said He would come out of Egypt (Hosea 11:1). Still others said He would come from Galilee (Isaiah 9:1-2).

Which one was it? It was all of the above.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1), called out of Egypt (Matthew 2:14-15), and raised in Nazareth which is in Galilee (Matthew 4:12-17). All three were true.

Could the Antichrist fulfill prophecies about his life in the same way?

Yes.

In fact, prophecy experts can’t agree on the Antichrist’s religion either.

Some say he’ll be Jewish. Why? They point to two prophecies in Genesis.

One says the Antichrist will strike the Messiah’s heel (Genesis 3:15). The other says Dan will be a roadside snake who bites the horse’s heel (Genesis 49:16-17). Some people believe this means the Antichrist will come from the tribe of Dan.

Others cite what Jesus told the people of Israel. He said, “I come in my Father’s name and you don’t accept me. Someone else will come in his own name, and him you will accept” (John 5:43).

Was Jesus talking about the Antichrist? If he was, why would the Jewish people accept a Gentile as the Messiah? They wouldn’t.

This leads some people to believe the Antichrist will be Jewish.

However, others completely reject the idea of a Jewish Antichrist. They insist he’ll be a Gentile. Why? First, the Bible describes the Antichrist as a beast who rises “out of the sea” (Revelation 13:1). The Bible consistently uses “the sea” as a symbol for the Gentile nations (Daniel 7:2-3; Luke 21:25; Revelation 17:1). If this interpretation is correct, the Antichrist will not be Jewish.

Is the Antichrist Muslim?

In fact, some people insist he’s a Muslim. This idea became popular after the September 11th terrorist attacks. What’s this based on?

First, it’s said the Bible refers to the Antichrist as “the Assyrian” (Isaiah 14:25-26; Micah 5:5). If true, this means the Antichrist will come from among the people to the north and northeast of Israel. Assyria took up parts of modern-day Syria, Iraq, Kuwait, Israel, Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Iran. In other words, the modern-day Middle East.

The Bible also says the Antichrist will come from among the four kingdoms that split from Alexander the Great’s empire (Daniel 8:9). Historically, Antiochus Epiphanes fulfilled this passage. He was an Assyrian king who rose to power in the Seleucid Empire.

Antiochus Epiphanes persecuted the Jewish people and served as a prophetic type of Antichrist. His career foreshadowed the rise of the global dictator.

Second, Daniel called the Antichrist “the king of the north” (Daniel 11). Again, this described the career of Antiochus Epiphanes. But if the Antichrist rules over the same geographical lands, his empire will be in modern-day Iraq, Kuwait, Iran, Afghanistan, and parts of Pakistan and Turkmenistan. These nations are majority Muslim nations today. Because of this, many people believe any ruler from these nations will be a Muslim.

But that’s not all.

Those who believe in a Muslim Antichrist cite other verses as well. They point out that the Antichrist will behead those who oppose him (Revelation 20:4). Beheading is a common form of capital punishment in Islam. This, they say, supports the case for a Muslim Antichrist.

The Bible also says the Antichrist will change the laws and the times (Daniel 7:25). Supporters of the Muslim Antichrist theory say this means he will institute Sharia law and the Islamic calendar.

Supporters of this theory claim even more evidence is found in Islamic prophecies about “the Mahdi.” The Mahdi is an Islamic Messianic figure who will rule the earth for seven years before Judgment Day. Muslim beliefs differ as to exactly what the Mahdi will do.

However, most teachings say he will return with Jesus and defeat a false Messiah known as “the Dajjal.” He’ll unite the world for Islam and rid the world of evil. Islamic prophecies about the Mahdi are similar to Christian prophecies about the Antichrist. Supporters of the Muslim Antichrist theory point to these similarities as proof of the Antichrist’s origins and religion.

But that’s a weak argument.

Prophecies in the hadith (a collection of Muhammad’s teachings) are not equal in authority to prophecies in the Bible. The Bible proved its divine inspiration through fulfilled prophecy. No Islamic writings can make the same claim.

Islamic teachings should have zero influence on how we interpret the Bible. Does this mean the Antichrist is not a Muslim? No. It’s unlikely he is, but it’s not impossible.

Remember, many experts held opposing views on the Messiah’s origins. Then Jesus arrived. The events of His life proved many of those views correct. The same could prove true with the Antichrist.

Regardless, the Bible is clear when it comes to the Antichrist’s religion. He may be culturally Jewish, Muslim, or some other religion. But his true religion will be humanism – a philosophy that emphasizes the power of human beings over the power of the divine.

The Antichrist will place his faith in a god of fortresses (Daniel 11:38). He’ll also demand worship (Revelation 13:12-15), setting himself up in the Temple of God and proclaiming himself to be God (2 Thessalonians 2:4).

The Antichrist’s Evil Agenda

While the Bible has much to say about the Antichrist and his personal characteristics, he’s mostly known for carrying out an evil agenda in complete opposition to God.

The Bible gives us insight into this as well. Next week, in Part 3 of the Antichrist series, we’ll look at what the Antichrist does once he comes to power.

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This is Part 2 of a three-part series on what the Bible reveals about the Antichrist.

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