Revelation 13:7 says, “And it was given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them.” The saints here are the rest of the woman’s seed in 12:17, which consists of the God-fearing Jews and of the believers in Christ. This proves that in the great tribulation some believers will still be on the earth. Antichrist will persecute the God-fearing Jews and the Christ-believing Christians. He will war against God’s people on earth and overcome them. As chapters fifteen and twenty indicate, many will be martyred during this time.
Antichrist will also fight and kill the two witnesses (11:7). Our God knows the weakness of His people. Hence, during the last three and a half years, after the rapture of the overcomers, God will send back Moses and Elijah to strengthen His persecuted people. Antichrist will fight against these two witnesses and kill them. But, as 11:11 reveals, after three and a half days the two witnesses will be resurrected and raptured to the heavens.
Revelation 13:7 also says, “Authority was given to him over every tribe and people and tongue and nation.” Because Antichrist will receive the power and authority of Satan as well as the power, authority, and kingdom of the ten kings, he will certainly have the full authority to rule over every tribe, people, tongue, and nation.
Revelation 13:3 says, “And the whole earth marveled after the beast,” and 17:8 says, “And they who dwell on the earth, whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life, shall marvel when they see the beast, how that he was, and is not, and shall be present.” Due to the healing of his “death stroke,” the whole world will marvel after the beast. Only those whose names have been written in the book of life before the foundation of the world will not marvel after him. All true Christians remaining on earth will have the faith within them. Many of them will receive the light from these printed messages, understand the features of Antichrist, and realize that they must not worship him. But “all those dwelling on the earth shall worship him, every one whose name has not been written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (13:8). (“From the foundation of the world” may modify both “whose name has not been written” and “the Lamb slain.”) As we shall see in the next message, the false prophet will compel those who dwell on earth “to make an image of the beast” and to worship it.
Antichrist will also turn his back on the Roman Church, hate her, and make her desolate. Revelation 17:16 says that the ten horns, which are the ten kings, will hate the prostitute and “make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh and shall burn her utterly with fire.” After Antichrist has been resuscitated, he will persecute every kind of religion, including Judaism and Catholicism.
Ultimately, Antichrist will fight against the Lord and be defeated by Him. The Lord Jesus will destroy him and cast him into the lake of fire (17:14; 19:19-21; 20:10). In the war at Armageddon Antichrist and his followers will fight directly against Christ, and Christ and His overcomers, the ones chosen to be His army, will fight directly against Antichrist. This will be an unprecedented war, a war in which Christ and Antichrist confront each other. We shall see more of this when we come to chapter nineteen. In the war at Armageddon, Christ will defeat Antichrist and the false prophet and will cast them alive into the lake of fire. That will be the final destiny of Antichrist.