To know the tactics and the character of the Antichrist better, we have to deal firstly with Satan. This might sound peculiar, but we shall show the parallel between him and the Antichrist. In Ezek. 28: 12–15 we read as follows, “Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold; the workmanship of thy timbrels and of thy flutes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth, and I have set thee so; thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.”

Here, without any shadow of doubt Lucifer is spoken of, the one whom God created as an angelic being. As a creation of God he was perfect, but as we are endowed with a free will, so was he. Regrettably he used it to exalt himself and turn against God. The same is spoken about his representative who exalts himself above everything. Because Satan was not omniscient, he couldn’t foresee what his action would actually draw behind. So it is with the Antichrist who has to play his role right to the end. But his doom is hid from him. He knows much, but not everything.

As we were told, Satan was in the garden of Eden. There, after his fall, he incarnated himself in the serpent, and in that form he deceived the first human beings to disobey and transgress the Word of God. He questioned it and said, “Should God have truly said?” So he sowed doubts towards the Word of God to them. The same does his representative on earth. The whole humanity from the beginning, therefore, came under the influence of the wicked one, who always tries to put a question mark behind God’s Word. It first started with the sin of unbelief towards it, then disobedience followed, and finally the transgression was perfect. That’s how the fall happened, into which we all were drawn. Everyone of us have acted contrary to the will of God and become guilty — we have done and reacted precisely as Adam and Eve.

Satan did not only fall after he exalted himself, he also brought destruction and all the troubles upon the whole human race. But directly after the fall, the Lord gave the announcement about the coming Redeemer, as He spoke of the seed which would come through the woman to bruise the head of the serpent (Gen. 3: 15). This was the reason why Jesus never called Mary “mother” but only “woman”. He was that seed of God in whom the promised Word was made a reality as it became flesh. The Word of God is the seed (Luke 8: 11), and the good seed is also spoken of as the sons and daughters of the Kingdom of God (Mt. 13: 38). They originate from this divine seed, and together they make up the godly generation (I Pet. 2:9; Acts 17: 29).

In the prophet Isaiah we find the fall of Satan described as follows, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, who didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north, I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High” (Isa. 14: 12–14).

Since the garden of Eden, he tried to rule over human beings. Up to this day, he did not change his notion. He wishes to accomplish his plan. At that time of which we read, he possessed the king of Tyre, in whom we see an example of the man with the satanic might here on earth. To him, God said through His prophet, “Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a god, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas, yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God…” (Ezek. 28: 2).

It is highly interesting to know that a human being would think himself as God. But that is not the man, that is Satan in the man who is called the god and the ruler of this world (II Cor. 4: 4). Satan even asked our Lord that he should fall before him and worship him. He offered Him all the riches of the world (Mt. 4: 8–10). This one here, who represents Satan on earth, therefore, has to have the same marks. Riches and worship must be there. Christ didn’t have a place where to put His head. This one thinks to be someone instead of God; he thinks to take the place of Christ. But he possesses the attributes of Satan who wished to be equal with God. He receives all the wealth Christ rejected.

Further we read, “With thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasuries; by thy great wisdom and by thy merchandise hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches” (Ezek. 28: 4–5). Also this visible, earthly indication is very important. It applies to both, Satan and his representative whom he uses. Until this day nothing has changed. Who doesn’t know where all the riches and the treasuries are! Who has not heard about the inestimable riches, about all the gold, silver, precious stones, etc., etc.?

The prophet continues to write under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned; therefore, I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God…” (Vs. 16). Since when is Satan engaged in commerce? In this description, Satan is once being spoken of and then again the earthly ruler in whom Satan dwelled. The devil is a spirit being, and he needs a physical body which he can possess, so he can exercise his might.

We have to consider the total description about Satan, and the various marks of him we have to keep in mind, because we are going to find them over and over again, as we deal with his representative on earth. Of special importance is that he appears as an angel of light in whom Satan incarnates himself. Paul was writing already in those days, “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works” (II Cor. 11: 13–15).

To know the tactics and the character of the Antichrist better, we have to deal firstly with Satan. This might sound peculiar, but we shall show the parallel between him and the Antichrist. In Ezek. 28: 12–15 we read as follows, “Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold; the workmanship of thy timbrels and of thy flutes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth, and I have set thee so; thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.”

Here, without any shadow of doubt Lucifer is spoken of, the one whom God created as an angelic being. As a creation of God he was perfect, but as we are endowed with a free will, so was he. Regrettably he used it to exalt himself and turn against God. The same is spoken about his representative who exalts himself above everything. Because Satan was not omniscient, he couldn’t foresee what his action would actually draw behind. So it is with the Antichrist who has to play his role right to the end. But his doom is hid from him. He knows much, but not everything.

As we were told, Satan was in the garden of Eden. There, after his fall, he incarnated himself in the serpent, and in that form he deceived the first human beings to disobey and transgress the Word of God. He questioned it and said, “Should God have truly said?” So he sowed doubts towards the Word of God to them. The same does his representative on earth. The whole humanity from the beginning, therefore, came under the influence of the wicked one, who always tries to put a question mark behind God’s Word. It first started with the sin of unbelief towards it, then disobedience followed, and finally the transgression was perfect. That’s how the fall happened, into which we all were drawn. Everyone of us have acted contrary to the will of God and become guilty — we have done and reacted precisely as Adam and Eve.

Satan did not only fall after he exalted himself, he also brought destruction and all the troubles upon the whole human race. But directly after the fall, the Lord gave the announcement about the coming Redeemer, as He spoke of the seed which would come through the woman to bruise the head of the serpent (Gen. 3: 15). This was the reason why Jesus never called Mary “mother” but only “woman”. He was that seed of God in whom the promised Word was made a reality as it became flesh. The Word of God is the seed (Luke 8: 11), and the good seed is also spoken of as the sons and daughters of the Kingdom of God (Mt. 13: 38). They originate from this divine seed, and together they make up the godly generation (I Pet. 2:9; Acts 17: 29).

In the prophet Isaiah we find the fall of Satan described as follows, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, who didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north, I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High” (Isa. 14: 12–14).

Since the garden of Eden, he tried to rule over human beings. Up to this day, he did not change his notion. He wishes to accomplish his plan. At that time of which we read, he possessed the king of Tyre, in whom we see an example of the man with the satanic might here on earth. To him, God said through His prophet, “Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a god, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas, yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God…” (Ezek. 28: 2).

It is highly interesting to know that a human being would think himself as God. But that is not the man, that is Satan in the man who is called the god and the ruler of this world (II Cor. 4: 4). Satan even asked our Lord that he should fall before him and worship him. He offered Him all the riches of the world (Mt. 4: 8–10). This one here, who represents Satan on earth, therefore, has to have the same marks. Riches and worship must be there. Christ didn’t have a place where to put His head. This one thinks to be someone instead of God; he thinks to take the place of Christ. But he possesses the attributes of Satan who wished to be equal with God. He receives all the wealth Christ rejected.

Further we read, “With thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasuries; by thy great wisdom and by thy merchandise hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches” (Ezek. 28: 4–5). Also this visible, earthly indication is very important. It applies to both, Satan and his representative whom he uses. Until this day nothing has changed. Who doesn’t know where all the riches and the treasuries are! Who has not heard about the inestimable riches, about all the gold, silver, precious stones, etc., etc.?

The prophet continues to write under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned; therefore, I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God…” (Vs. 16). Since when is Satan engaged in commerce? In this description, Satan is once being spoken of and then again the earthly ruler in whom Satan dwelled. The devil is a spirit being, and he needs a physical body which he can possess, so he can exercise his might.

We have to consider the total description about Satan, and the various marks of him we have to keep in mind, because we are going to find them over and over again, as we deal with his representative on earth. Of special importance is that he appears as an angel of light in whom Satan incarnates himself. Paul was writing already in those days, “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works” (II Cor. 11: 13–15).