In the minds of people, in mythology and religion, the existence of absolute good has always assumed the obligatory nature of universal evil. Therefore, if there are ministers of good, that is, the Lord, and the true church, then there is also the army of the devil, the "synagogue of Satan." The personification of world good is the image of Jesus, and evil is embodied in the image of the Antichrist. He is the antithesis of the first, "the ape of Christ." Who the Antichrist is will be discussed in the article.
In a broad sense
There are two answers to the question of who the Antichrist is. This is due to the fact that there are two ideas about him, general and particular.
In a general sense, this is someone who:
- rejects the existence of Jesus Christ;
- does not confess him who came in the flesh;
- rejects the Father and the Son.
This is what John the Evangelist, the Evangelist, tells about the Antichrist in one of his epistles. At the same time, hehe adds that there are many such and there will be many more. But these are only the forerunners of the coming of the Antichrist, understood in the strict sense of the word. John the Theologian also writes about him, calling him the last and great. It is about him that they most often talk about when they talk about the coming of the Antichrist to earth.
Strictly understood
The word in question is written in Greek as ό αντί-χριςτος. Its meaning is an enemy, an opponent of Christ, who pretends to be him by deceit. The preposition αντί, when attached to another word, usually means "against". But it also has a second meaning - "instead of". The prophecies about the coming of the Antichrist in the Holy Scriptures testify that he is understood both as his opponent, enemy, and as a false Christ, that is, his replacement.
The Apostle Paul speaks of him as a man of sin, ex alted above all things, calling himself God, pretending to be him, who will sit in the temple of God. He opposes God and Jesus.
In the Gospel of John, Christ told the Jews that he came to them in the name of his Father, but they do not accept him, and if another comes in his name, he will be accepted by them. This refers to the coming of the Antichrist. There is also an indication of this in the Gospel of Matthew, when Jesus prophesies about the end of the world.
Other names
In the Holy Scriptures, other names of the Antichrist are given. It's about:
- wicked;
- devastator;
- man of sin;
- man of iniquity;
- son of perdition;
- lawless;
- little horn of the dire beast;
- the crimson beast;
- the beast that comes out of the sea.
So, about the small horn that grew among ten others in a terrible, strong beast, implying the coming of the Antichrist, says the prophet Daniel.
The Apocalypse tells of a beast with ten horns and seven heads coming out of the sea, at the same time looking like a bear, a lion and a leopard. The scarlet beast, the eighth of seven, is also described there. He comes out of the abyss.
Name number
All of the above names are either generic or descriptive. As a common noun is the Antichrist. His own name is not revealed in scripture, it is unknown. Irenaeus of Lyons explains this by saying that it is not worthy to be sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
In the Apocalypse, only the number 666 is indicated, referring to the name of the beast, that is, the Antichrist. Therefore, it is called animal number. The language of the Apocalypse is Greek, and in it, as in Slavic, each of the letters of the alphabet denotes a number. Therefore, theologians believe that the name of the beast consists of numbers, which in total will give the number 666.
Antichrist is a man
The Holy Scripture says that this is a person, a certain person. Through the mouths of the holy fathers and teachers, the ancient Ecumenical Church has always preached the doctrine, according to which this is an individual person. And even heretics did not reject this doctrine, did not doubt its truth. Subsequently, it received recognition in EasternOrthodox Church, and Roman-Latin.
As for the point of view of Protestants, as well as Russian schismatics, they consider the Antichrist as a collective person, meaning a multitude of persons. Or by it they mean the spirit of evil, which finds manifestation in these faces and in people in general.
This doctrine was proclaimed by Martin Luther. In our time, some Protestant scholars do not adhere to it. The Orthodox Church considers it false, heretical. As well as the teaching of Bretschneider, a Protestant rationalist, that the Antichrist is the personification of evil.
Who will it come from?
According to theologians, by nature he will be the same person as all people. And he will be born just like all of them. Holy Scripture, like Church Tradition, does not contain information that the incarnate devil will be the Antichrist. As well as the fact that its origin will be associated with a mixture of an evil spirit and a woman.
Answers to questions about who the Antichrist will come from and where he will be born are not unambiguous. It is widely believed that he will come from the Jews, from the tribe of Dan. There is an assumption that he will be from a pagan environment. There is also an opinion that he will come from perverted Christianity.
From ancient times, there was a notion that he would be born from an illegal connection. Some consider Babylon to be his birthplace, others Rome.
Legend of Nero
During the time of the ancient Christians, there was a legend about Emperor Nero as the Antichrist. She ishad two versions. According to one of them, he was not killed, but he went to the Parthians, where he lives in secret. Someday he will appear under the guise of the antipode of Christ. And then the Romans will be severely punished by them. Another version says that Nero really died, but in the future he will rise again, and the resurrected emperor will be the expected beast.
When is he expected to arrive? The Antichrist will appear just before the next coming of Christ. It comes before the end of the world. This is stated in sources such as:
- The Book of Daniel.
- Apocalypse.
- Gospel.
- Second Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Thessalonians.
But since the date of the coming of Christ and the end of the world is unknown, it is also unknown when the Antichrist will come.
Bible Predictions
However, the Bible still points to events that should indicate the coming of the Antichrist. It will be prepared over a long period. The apostle Paul described this preparation as “the mystery of iniquity already at work.”
By this, he probably meant the actions of Satan, who until the time sowed evil in a secret way, and under the Antichrist will openly and fiercely fight on earth against Christ and the Kingdom of God. This is also mentioned in the Apocalypse.
In the Gospel of Matthew there is a parable about the wheat and the tares, which teaches that good and evil grow and develop together, and this will continue until the end of the world. The growth of tares, like evil, is a sign of the coming of the Antichrist.
Forerunners
In particular, the preparersthis event are its predecessors or forerunners. These include people who are wicked and hostile to God. Those who are called antichrists in the broadest sense of the word. John the Theologian says that the spirit of the beast is already in the world. This is the spirit of opposition to the Almighty and his incarnate Son.
Some of these Antichrists are seen as types of the latter. Such in the Old Testament was Antiochus IV or Antiochus Epiphanes. This Syrian king brutally persecuted the Jews and their faith, striving for their complete eradication.
Other types are seen in Balaam and Goliath, who were opponents of Moses and David. The last two were considered as types of Christ. The prototypes of the Antichrist are also seen in the kings of Tire and Babylon. They are all distant preparers for the coming of the beast.
In the end times
More obvious signs of the coming of the Antichrist will appear at the time of his immediate approach. Then the growth of evil will especially intensify. This, in particular, says:
- In Jesus' speech on the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the world.
- In Paul's letters to Timothy.
- At John the Evangelist in the Apocalypse.
In these sources there are predictions that in the last times all kinds of vices, unbelief and wickedness will especially spread and multiply. Faith will dwindle, and love will grow cold. Religious and moral decline will entail the inevitable decline of the established family system, followed by society and the state.
Due to the decline of morality and religion, with a breakdown insocial relations will multiply and human disasters. This will be partly the result of increased wickedness, and partly God's punishment for it.
From this very abyss of evil and calamity, the Antichrist will rise. Therefore, John the Theologian saw him in the form of a beast - either coming out of the abyss, or out of the sea. Saint Irenaeus says that he will lead all wickedness and deceit, concentrating all the apostate power in himself.
Two witnesses
People will mistake different faces for the beast, but when it really appears, true believers will recognize it with the help of the signs indicated in the scripture. This is stated by Ephraim the Syrian. There will also be two more witnesses. They will be sent by God and will prophesy for 1260 days. And then they will be killed by the Antichrist. The Apocalypse also speaks of this.
This is Enoch and Elijah. The first of these is a character from the Old Testament who was the seventh patriarch, beginning with Adam. He was a descendant of Seth and great-grandfather of Noah. Enoch lived four thousand years BC. e. At the age of 365, the Creator took him to heaven alive.
The second is the prophet Elijah, who lived in the kingdom of Israel in the 9th century. BC e. He is also said in the Bible that he was taken alive to heaven. According to the Book of Kings, a fiery chariot and fiery horses suddenly appeared, and Elijah rushed to heaven in a whirlwind.
According to the opinion of Orthodox theologians, Enoch and Elijah are not in heaven, but in some secret place, where they await the Apocalypse. Their coming is expected before the second comingJesus. They will witness the appearance of the Antichrist, and will be killed by the beast that came out of the abyss.
The coming of the beast
Coming into the world, he will destroy people with seduction and violence. He is called the son of perdition because he will destroy others and he himself will perish. He will sow evil and uproot good. The Antichrist will ex alt himself above God himself and abolish his service. He will blaspheme, rejecting all religions and Christianity in particular.
He wins people over with flattery, miracles and deceit. And on whom these means do not work, he will force him to worship himself by persecution and deprivation. It will be impossible to buy or sell anything if the name of the beast or its number is not imposed on the hand or forehead of a person. And those who persist will be killed.
Everything human will be trampled and destroyed, all God's ordinances, the structure of human society will be violated, marriage and family will be trampled. The Beast will mock the Divine and human laws. Judging by some of these signs, some preachers believe that the coming of the Antichrist has already begun.
The reign of the beast, destructive and godless, will last three and a half years. After that, Jesus will kill him, destroying him with the manifestation of his coming. The Apocalypse says that the beast will be captured along with his false prophet, and both of them will be thrown alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. There they will be tormented forever and ever.
