Is the Antichrist Among Us?

The antichrist is a figure understood in basic Christian doctrine who, while being an enemy of Christ, will deceptively resemble him in some manner. He is mentioned various times in the New Testament, sometimes going by different names such as "Man of Sin" or "Son of Perdition." According to the prophecies, he will rule the entire world for a very short time during the last days. Eventually, he is taken out of power at Christ's second coming and will be cast into the Lake of Fire where he will spend the rest of eternity.

In 1 John the author claims that there will be many antichrists, but he points to one in particular that will be coming in the future. He goes on to say that these men will deny that Jesus is the Messiah, and that God the Father and Jesus are one. St. Paul describes the antichrist in somewhat better detail in the book of 2 Thessalonians, however he refers to him as the Man of Sin, which in some translations is "Son of Perdition." He claims that this man will fulfill certain characteristics which include sitting in the temple, claiming divine authority, performing counterfeit signs and miracles, and performing all kinds of evil acts.

Interestingly enough, this same character is mentioned in the prophetical Old Testament book of Daniel. In this book, he is referred to as the "Little Horn" and it is stated that he will set himself up in the temple as the abomination which causes desolation. The early Church father Irenaeus may be one of the first to make a connection between the antichrist of St. John, the Man of Sin of St. Paul, and the Little Horn of the prophet Daniel. He also speculated that he might be of Jewish descent and because the tribe of Dan is omitted from the book of Revelation that that could be the tribe where he will come from.

Over the years, Christians have been in disagreement concerning who the antichrist will be. The earliest Christians believed that Jesus would return in their lifetimes, so they are no exemption. There have been many figures, both historical and contemporary, whom people have claimed to be the Man of Sin. The earliest figure is Nero Caesar, one of the first opponents of Christianity who is responsible for an uncountable number of martyrs. Other suspects include Napoleon Bonaparte, Adolf Hitler, Ronald Reagan, and Barack Obama. During the period of the Reformation, the Pope was often accused, and is still thought to be in certain circles of Christianity.

Although the figure is primarily found in Christianity, varying forms occur in other religions and worldviews as well, especially Islam. This character is mentioned not in the Koran, but instead in the Hadith, a collection of oral traditions concerning Muhammad. Here it is written that he will have one eye and will come shortly before the Day of Judgment claiming to be Christ.

The Antichrist Identity is an international group of political researchers, analysts and media group with a predominant focus on the formation of the coming new world order and its impact on a political, economic and social level. Visit http://theantichristidentity.com to learn more.