The apostle Paul prophesied in 2 Thessalonians 2 that Antichrist will be “the man of lawlessness..., who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God...so that he sits in the temple of God, setting himself forth, saying that he is God” (vv. 3-4). His coming “is according to Satan’s operation in all power and signs and wonders of a lie and in all deceit of unrighteousness among those who are perishing” (vv. 9-10). All that Antichrist does will become a trial to those who dwell on the earth during the last three and a half years.
Besides Antichrist, Revelation speaks of another beast, the false prophet, who will come up out of the earth (13:11). Geographically, the false prophet will come from underneath the earth, and symbolically, he will come from the nation of Israel. Hence, the false prophet must be one of the Jewish people. The beast out of the earth “had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke like a dragon” (v. 11). This indicates his falsehood. He will appear to be like a lamb but will speak like the dragon, Satan. He will employ satanic power to perform great signs and will do the same thing that Elijah did; that is, he will call down fire from heaven (v. 13). Since the false prophet will perform the same great signs that the real prophets perform, it will be difficult for people to discern the real prophet from the false prophet.
The false prophet will not work for himself but for Antichrist, the beast out of the sea. Satan will give his power also to the false prophet, and Antichrist will place complete confidence in him. The false prophet will be authorized to represent Antichrist, the embodiment of Satan. Satan will be embodied in Antichrist, and Antichrist will be represented by the false prophet. Hence, Satan, Antichrist, and the false prophet will become one. As a result of this union, the false prophet will be authorized to do whatever he desires.
The false prophet will not only exercise the power of Antichrist but also the authority of Antichrist (v. 12). He will also cause the earth and the earth’s dwellers to worship the first beast, whose death stroke was healed. The false prophet will be eloquent and powerful, and his ministry will be to convince people to worship Antichrist. He will deceive those who dwell on the earth and command them “to make an image to the beast, who had the stroke of the sword and revived” (v. 14). He will also be given the power “to give breath to the image of the beast that the image of the beast might even speak and cause whoever would not worship the image of the beast to be killed” (v. 15). The false prophet will actually be able to give the breath of life to the idol, enabling it to speak as a living image. This surely will be an astonishing sign to the earth’s dwellers, causing them to worship the image of Antichrist. Furthermore, all men will be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead (v. 16). Without the mark, no one will be able to buy or sell, making it impossible to live without the mark (v. 17). Only those whose names have been written in the book of life of the Lamb will not worship Antichrist and his image. They will refuse to worship him, even at the cost of their lives (12:11). As a result, many will be martyred.
After Christ’s ascension, Titus, the prince of the Roman Empire, destroyed Jerusalem and the temple of the Jews in A.D. 70. Thus, the children of Israel had no way to offer sacrifices and oblation in the temple. This condition will continue until Antichrist makes a covenant with Israel, allowing the Jews to offer sacrifices to worship God in their restored and rebuilt temple. This will mark the beginning of the last week of the seventy weeks apportioned by God for Israel and the holy city. During the first half of the last week, Antichrist will be very kind to the Jews. However, after three and a half years, he will begin to mistreat the Jews and order the Jews to stop worshipping God and offering sacrifices. At that time, Antichrist will exalt himself as God and put his image in the temple. This will mark the beginning of the great tribulation, which will take Jerusalem as the center and the land of Judea as the circumference. The great tribulation will last for three and a half years.
When the dragon is cast out of heaven to the earth, it will stir up the beast to come up out of the sea. Antichrist, the beast who comes up out of the sea, is like a leopard, his feet are like those of a bear, and his mouth is like that of a lion. The beast has seven heads and ten horns. On his horns are ten diadems, and on his seven heads are names of blasphemy. He will be given power, the throne, and great authority from the dragon. He will act for forty-two months. This beast is the fourth beast in Daniel 7, the little horn in Daniel 8, the prince in Daniel 9, and the king in Daniel 11.
Antichrist is also the angel of the abyss; he will come out of the abyss and will possess the spirit of Caesar Nero. During the last three and a half years, he will be consumed with rage and obsessed with a satanic hatred, and he will bring destruction wherever he goes. The apostle Paul prophesied in 2 Thessalonians 2 that Antichrist will be the man of lawlessness, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God and that he will sit in the temple of God, setting himself forth and saying that he is God. His coming will be a trial to those who dwell on the earth during the last three and a half years.
Besides Antichrist there will also be the false prophet, who will come up out of the earth. He will appear to be like a lamb, but his speaking will be like the dragon, Satan. He will employ satanic power to perform great signs and do the same things that the real prophets do. He will cause those who dwell on the earth to worship the image of Antichrist. Hence, all men will be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead. Without the mark they will not be able to buy or sell, and it will be impossible for them to live. Only those whose names have been written in the book of life of the Lamb will not worship Antichrist and his image. As a result, a great many will be martyred.