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The Book of Revelations might just be one of the scariest reads one may find. It talks about apocalyptic prophecies, tribulation, the judgment, beasts, and antichrist in chilling detail.

This last book of the Bible, compared to the other books, illustrates the future, or to be exact — the end times, with terrifying symbols and visions. And one of the most contentious figures in the text is the antichrist, which pops up in various interpretations of the scripture.

In this article, we’ll try to dig deeper into what the bible says about the infamous antichrist. We’ll also go over some interpretations on what they could possibly mean to help us gain at least some understanding about such a complex concept.

Who or What is the Antichrist?

Questions like who or what is the antichrist are some of the ones that would come up when you try to browse antichrist online. These results alone already show the complexity of the representation in the bible.

Still, let’s try to define and give meaning to it for a frame of reference.

Antichrist comes with a lot of definitions. But in its most basic and literal sense, an antichrist is a being that is against, denies, or opposes Christ. In this context, people refer to something or someone as an antichrist when it/he/she appears to be extremely evil.

However, it gets a lot more complicated when you refer to the bible.

Most descriptions of the antichrist in the bible seemingly portray an embodiment of what an antichrist is. It appears as a physical figure — a beast that will reign over the world in the worst way possible during the end times.

4 Things That the Bible Says About the Antichrist

Photo from christianity.com

It gets a lot more troubling as the scripture describes what the antichrist will do and what awaits the people during the end times. Here are some of the highlights:

1. He will deceive many with false peace.

Like Christ, the Antichrist is said to come to Jerusalem — the epicenter of eschatology. He will “confirm a covenant of peace” with the people of Israel and deceive many (Rev 6:2) by breaking the promise (Daniel 9:27).

Interestingly, this case indeed shows how the Antichrist is the opposite of Jesus Christ. Unlike Jesus Christ himself, the Antichrist is hailed by the Jews because of this promise of false peace.

2. He will claim to be God and demand to be worshipped.

The bible says that the Antichrist will “set himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” (2 Thes 2:3-4) His reign, based on the tribulation prophecies will be for seven years, but will impose reveal himself as the evil one and impose The Mark of the Beast during the middle of the tribulation (Revelation 13:5-7).

He will be given a crown and conquer (Revelation 6:2), change the set times and the laws (Daniel 7:25), and utter blasphemies against God (Revelation 13:4-8). He was given power to wage war against and conquer God’s people, and given authority over nations (Revelation 13:6-7).

3. People will be forced to receive his mark: 666.

One of the most controversial topics related to the antichrist and causes quite the fuss is the mark of the beast, or 666. As per the bible, it is believed that the Antichrist has a “name” or a mark expressed through the number 666. 

What triggers more interest in this mark is how the scripture says in Revelation 13:18 that “It calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man.” Then, it clearly says that the number is 666.

This bible verse raised different interpretations. It appears that there could be a lot of ways behind how the number will be represented as a mark for it to require wisdom and calculation. But one definite hint given by the passage is that the mark is said to be forced upon people on their right hands, or their foreheads. (Revelation 13:16)

With such detail, conspiracy theories and superstitions abound when it comes to interpreting the mark.

Unsurprisingly, even the Covid-19 pandemic and vaccines got caught into the mix representing governmental control along with the mark — which brings us to the next point and probably the most palpable interpretation of the antichrist’s reign.

4. He will control the world’s economy. 

The scripture explicitly describes that the mark of the beast or the Antichrist will be instituted on all people so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark (Revelation 13:16-17).

This passage is commonly translated to be a full control over the economy. In modern times, this prophecy becomes more real as technology advances and various interpretations of the mark come up. For one, there’s the theory surrounding the Covid vaccine. Another article further concludes that it is likely that the coming cashless society will be used by the Antichrist in conjunction with the mark.

Conflicting theories about the Antichrist

The term “antichrist” only appeared three times in the bible, with references in John I and II. Ironically, the term never appeared in the Book of Revelation where the worst imagery and acts of the antichrist are described. Instead, other biblical references like “rider on a white horse” (Revelation 6:2), or “beast” (Revelation 13, 19:20, 20:10) are used to refer to the Antichrist.

Meanwhile, passages outside the Book of Revelation traditionally interpret him as the  “man of lawlessness” (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12) and “abomination of desolation” (Mark 13:14, Daniel 9:27). However, others say they are not the same, resulting in debates on whether these concepts truly point to the same Antichrist as translated by many Christians.

There are also arguments on whether the bible’s antichrist is a real “person” or a symbolic manifestation. In the epistles of John, the antichrist has also been described in singular and plural forms: 

“Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son.” (1 John 2:22)

“I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.” (2 John 7)

Based on these points, it can be argued that the Antichrist can be a physical embodiment of a physical figure as interpreted by many. But it could also be a metaphor to label someone with an extremely evil tendency equating to denying Jesus Christ.

These interpretations can be as accurate or as far-fetched as they can be. Whatever your own interpretation is, it doesn’t change the fact that the concept of the Antichrist brings an exceptionally negative impact, particularly for Christians. The apocalyptic prophecies, deceit, the mark, and most especially the unknown seem to inevitably instill fear in people’s hearts. 

Despite that, a pastor summed up the idea of the antichrist and its meaning which can somehow put things into perspective. He says, “I believe that when we all get to the end that there’s going to be some things that God will look at each of us and say, ‘You know what. You were [really] accurate on that, but you weren’t as accurate on this. Where was your heart? Did you love your fellow man? Did you take care of your community? Did you believe me and trust me?’”

*Cover Photo/Thumbnail Photo from Pexels