The key for the right understanding of this mysterious person which we have to trace lies in the word anti. As everyone knows, it means “against”. The Antichrist is the adversary, he is the direct opponent to Jesus Christ. The deceptive part lies in the fact that this person refers to Christ, but with all his teachings and his complete practice he is contrary to Christ and His Word. He speaks about Christ but binds his followers, whom he calls “believers”, to his views and dogmas. They believe his word, not the Word of Christ.

The special mark of the Antichrist is known in the fact that he is called “the liar” and is identified with his doctrines which exist of all the religious lies, contrary to Christ whose teachings consist of truths only. The Antichrist substitutes every doctrine of Christ with his own. A lie is truth perverted. As in the garden of Eden Satan did, so does also the Antichrist use the Word of God with deception to fool and deceive especially those who are religious. But if one looks at things very carefully, then none of all his doctrines agrees with the original Word of God. Whosoever acts against the Word has to be against Christ, which means “anti-Christ”, because Christ is the Word — the Logos.

About the Antichrist we already hear in the days of the apostles. John repeatedly mentions this subject in his epistles. He writes in view of the time we are living in, “Little children, it is the last time; and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come…” It is noteworthy that John on one hand speaks about the coming of the Antichrist in the singular and refers to the last days which has to be the end time we are now living in. At the same time he mentions that there were already antichrists in existence, “…even now are there many antichrists” (1 Jn. 2: 18). We must understand that those people did not reject Christ, but they presented Him contrary to the Word and gave their own interpretations about Him.

The false brethren of whom Paul is writing, the false “Christs” of whom Jesus spoke, the false anointed have already been from the very beginning. They deviated from the Word of the true prophets and apostles and brought forth their own teachings. Especially one man is mentioned in the Scriptures; his followers are called the “Nicolaitans”. He took those who easily believed what he said around him, but preached that salvation depends on the works one does, instead of the apostolic doctrine that justification through faith only saves one.

The Lord spoke to His own in the message to the first church age and commends them with the following words, “But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate” (Rev. 2: 6). In the message to the third church age, this unscriptural branch which had usurped authority over the laity and was already manifested in a small way as a clergy, the following admonition is given, “So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate” (Rev. 2: 15). The wheat and the weeds are growing on the same field. The true and the false are on the same Christian grounds.

Firstly it started with the influence of an antichrist spirit which separated the self-made doctrines from the true teachings of the Scriptures. Later those antichrist doctrines were made dogmas, and finally they are crowned in the Antichrist himself. Paul who had a prophetic foresight wrote like this, “If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing” (I Tim. 6: 3–4a).

The apostle knew that his proclamation of the gospel was from God. He had received it by a direct revelation of Jesus Christ (Gal. 1: 12). He did not defend himself or his own doctrines but the gospel of Jesus Christ, the pure salvation message of God. In II Tim. 1: 13–14 he writes to his co-worker about the sound doctrine, “Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Spirit, who dwelleth in us.”

In the course of the church history, there were many false teachers and prophets who rose, just as the apostle Peter had predicted, “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who secretly shall bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction” (II Peter 2: 1). Here we read about false prophets and false teachers.

Inspired by the antichrist spirit, a church developed alongside the true church of Jesus Christ. Self-appointed teachers, false prophets, lying apostles were not preaching the doctrine of Christ, but their own knowledge. They made followers out of those who were not yet grounded enough in the Word of God. At the end all of these marks and attributes of the Antichrist are brought together in one system and under one head. Therefore we read in the book of Revelation about the false prophet. Just as the true prophets had the infallible Word of God which came to them and therefore could say THUS SAITH THE LORD, so does the false prophet claim to be the infallible voice on earth. In reality his teachings have nothing in common with the true Word of God. He is the prophet of the false doctrines, and therefore, he is spoken of as the false prophet.

Whosoever proclaims something which is contrary to what the true prophets said, is a false prophet. A false teacher is who teaches differently to what those teachers at the beginning of the New Testament church taught. By comparison, we can easily notice that today a different Jesus, another gospel is being represented, inspired by another spirit (II Cor. 11: 4). That which is right is being put as though it was false, and that which is wrong is being established in the so-called “Christianity”, as though it was right. In the course of the church history, innumerable teachings, which can be termed as heresies, were introduced which had nothing in common with the true teaching and practise of the first century Christendom, and the people are not aware of it.

But who really searches the Scripture today? Who proves and tests whether the teachings are right? Paul said, “For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them” (Acts 20: 29–30). They do speak with well trained voices, surrounded by ceremonial activities. Those who know not better, which are the masses, just accept it, believing that Christ has ordained and introduced those things. They look at the outside which is religious and don’t detect the forgery which is done inside, because they know not the Word. Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice” (John 10: 27). His voice is and for ever will be His Word.

As already mentioned, a false prophet is being recognised because he doesn’t preach the Word of the true prophets. A false apostle is known because he does not preach the true apostolic doctrine (Rev. 2: 2). The Antichrist is recognised because his teachings about Christ are false. They don’t coincide and agree with what Christ taught Himself. Verbally he confesses Christ, but is deeply taken up with idolatry, right down to the calling upon those who died, which is nothing less than spiritism. How serious should we take the words, “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed“ (Gal. 1: 8)!

Whosoever thinks that the Antichrist would be a world dictator, some tyrannical person, will be surprised. Paul writes about him and what Satan will do through him in his last phase, “Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness…” (II Thess. 2: 9–10a). This man doesn’t have scriptural signs and wonders as they happened and are recorded in the ministry of Jesus Christ and the apostles through the power of God. Instead he is a master of deceptive miracles. All are taken up with his success. What no one else could achieve, he will do through religious politics. These are lying signs, contrary to the Truth. He knows how to deceive, and that in a most religious way; to fool those who believe him with his lying gospel. He knows how to speak with heads of state, with the highest church leaders and with the dignity. He has the best advisory staff in the world; he is the best informed man on earth; to him they come from all the various different religious and political camps. He will be a kind of mediator between the political opposing states, as he is the one under whose religious leadership all the deceived will be united. He is the highest spiritual authority existing on earth and, as he claims, he has also the highest jurisdictional power over all nations.

The Antichrist will never have an answer to prayer. Never will there happen a miracle as was done by Christ, that the lame would walk, the blind would see and the deaf would hear. But the whole world will just look up to him and worship him, for they “that perish, because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (II Thess. 2: 10b–12). Remember, the Antichrist is only a Christian by name. But in reality he is a christianised heathen and against Christ. He speaks about the Kingdom of God, but builds his own kingdom wherein he rules as he pleases.

The key for the right understanding of this mysterious person which we have to trace lies in the word anti. As everyone knows, it means “against”. The Antichrist is the adversary, he is the direct opponent to Jesus Christ. The deceptive part lies in the fact that this person refers to Christ, but with all his teachings and his complete practice he is contrary to Christ and His Word. He speaks about Christ but binds his followers, whom he calls “believers”, to his views and dogmas. They believe his word, not the Word of Christ.

The special mark of the Antichrist is known in the fact that he is called “the liar” and is identified with his doctrines which exist of all the religious lies, contrary to Christ whose teachings consist of truths only. The Antichrist substitutes every doctrine of Christ with his own. A lie is truth perverted. As in the garden of Eden Satan did, so does also the Antichrist use the Word of God with deception to fool and deceive especially those who are religious. But if one looks at things very carefully, then none of all his doctrines agrees with the original Word of God. Whosoever acts against the Word has to be against Christ, which means “anti-Christ”, because Christ is the Word — the Logos.

About the Antichrist we already hear in the days of the apostles. John repeatedly mentions this subject in his epistles. He writes in view of the time we are living in, “Little children, it is the last time; and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come…” It is noteworthy that John on one hand speaks about the coming of the Antichrist in the singular and refers to the last days which has to be the end time we are now living in. At the same time he mentions that there were already antichrists in existence, “…even now are there many antichrists” (1 Jn. 2: 18). We must understand that those people did not reject Christ, but they presented Him contrary to the Word and gave their own interpretations about Him.

The false brethren of whom Paul is writing, the false “Christs” of whom Jesus spoke, the false anointed have already been from the very beginning. They deviated from the Word of the true prophets and apostles and brought forth their own teachings. Especially one man is mentioned in the Scriptures; his followers are called the “Nicolaitans”. He took those who easily believed what he said around him, but preached that salvation depends on the works one does, instead of the apostolic doctrine that justification through faith only saves one.

The Lord spoke to His own in the message to the first church age and commends them with the following words, “But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate” (Rev. 2: 6). In the message to the third church age, this unscriptural branch which had usurped authority over the laity and was already manifested in a small way as a clergy, the following admonition is given, “So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate” (Rev. 2: 15). The wheat and the weeds are growing on the same field. The true and the false are on the same Christian grounds.

Firstly it started with the influence of an antichrist spirit which separated the self-made doctrines from the true teachings of the Scriptures. Later those antichrist doctrines were made dogmas, and finally they are crowned in the Antichrist himself. Paul who had a prophetic foresight wrote like this, “If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing” (I Tim. 6: 3–4a).

The apostle knew that his proclamation of the gospel was from God. He had received it by a direct revelation of Jesus Christ (Gal. 1: 12). He did not defend himself or his own doctrines but the gospel of Jesus Christ, the pure salvation message of God. In II Tim. 1: 13–14 he writes to his co-worker about the sound doctrine, “Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Spirit, who dwelleth in us.”

In the course of the church history, there were many false teachers and prophets who rose, just as the apostle Peter had predicted, “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who secretly shall bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction” (II Peter 2: 1). Here we read about false prophets and false teachers.

Inspired by the antichrist spirit, a church developed alongside the true church of Jesus Christ. Self-appointed teachers, false prophets, lying apostles were not preaching the doctrine of Christ, but their own knowledge. They made followers out of those who were not yet grounded enough in the Word of God. At the end all of these marks and attributes of the Antichrist are brought together in one system and under one head. Therefore we read in the book of Revelation about the false prophet. Just as the true prophets had the infallible Word of God which came to them and therefore could say THUS SAITH THE LORD, so does the false prophet claim to be the infallible voice on earth. In reality his teachings have nothing in common with the true Word of God. He is the prophet of the false doctrines, and therefore, he is spoken of as the false prophet.

Whosoever proclaims something which is contrary to what the true prophets said, is a false prophet. A false teacher is who teaches differently to what those teachers at the beginning of the New Testament church taught. By comparison, we can easily notice that today a different Jesus, another gospel is being represented, inspired by another spirit (II Cor. 11: 4). That which is right is being put as though it was false, and that which is wrong is being established in the so-called “Christianity”, as though it was right. In the course of the church history, innumerable teachings, which can be termed as heresies, were introduced which had nothing in common with the true teaching and practise of the first century Christendom, and the people are not aware of it.

But who really searches the Scripture today? Who proves and tests whether the teachings are right? Paul said, “For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them” (Acts 20: 29–30). They do speak with well trained voices, surrounded by ceremonial activities. Those who know not better, which are the masses, just accept it, believing that Christ has ordained and introduced those things. They look at the outside which is religious and don’t detect the forgery which is done inside, because they know not the Word. Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice” (John 10: 27). His voice is and for ever will be His Word.

As already mentioned, a false prophet is being recognised because he doesn’t preach the Word of the true prophets. A false apostle is known because he does not preach the true apostolic doctrine (Rev. 2: 2). The Antichrist is recognised because his teachings about Christ are false. They don’t coincide and agree with what Christ taught Himself. Verbally he confesses Christ, but is deeply taken up with idolatry, right down to the calling upon those who died, which is nothing less than spiritism. How serious should we take the words, “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed“ (Gal. 1: 8)!

Whosoever thinks that the Antichrist would be a world dictator, some tyrannical person, will be surprised. Paul writes about him and what Satan will do through him in his last phase, “Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness…” (II Thess. 2: 9–10a). This man doesn’t have scriptural signs and wonders as they happened and are recorded in the ministry of Jesus Christ and the apostles through the power of God. Instead he is a master of deceptive miracles. All are taken up with his success. What no one else could achieve, he will do through religious politics. These are lying signs, contrary to the Truth. He knows how to deceive, and that in a most religious way; to fool those who believe him with his lying gospel. He knows how to speak with heads of state, with the highest church leaders and with the dignity. He has the best advisory staff in the world; he is the best informed man on earth; to him they come from all the various different religious and political camps. He will be a kind of mediator between the political opposing states, as he is the one under whose religious leadership all the deceived will be united. He is the highest spiritual authority existing on earth and, as he claims, he has also the highest jurisdictional power over all nations.

The Antichrist will never have an answer to prayer. Never will there happen a miracle as was done by Christ, that the lame would walk, the blind would see and the deaf would hear. But the whole world will just look up to him and worship him, for they “that perish, because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (II Thess. 2: 10b–12). Remember, the Antichrist is only a Christian by name. But in reality he is a christianised heathen and against Christ. He speaks about the Kingdom of God, but builds his own kingdom wherein he rules as he pleases.