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Most people know that the Bible predicts an end-time ruler. Even if you have never opened the Bible, you have likely heard about him. But there is also a lot of information in the Bible about him that many people have never known.
These are some of the titles the Bible gives to this Antichrist figure:
- Man of Sin — 2 Thessalonians 2:3
- Son of Perdition — 2 Thessalonians 2:3
- That Wicked — 2 Thessalonians 2:8
- Antichrist — 1 John 2:18; 1 John 2:22; 1 John 4:3; 2 John 7
- The Little Horn — Daniel 7:8; Daniel 7:20–21
- The Prince That Shall Come — Daniel 9:26
- The Beast — Revelation 11:7; Revelation 13:1; Revelation 17:8
- The Eighth King — Revelation 17:11
The Bible doesn’t just give us titles for him, though. It also describes him in much greater detail than you might think. It tells us what he is like as a person, how he comes to power, where he comes from, exactly what he does, and more. Yet, with all of this detail, he remains a mystery to many people.
Because they don’t know what the Bible says, they live in fear. Every leader becomes a potential antichrist to them. Every action taken by governments becomes “end-time prophecy being fulfilled.” Everyone is watching for this man of sin, yet most have no clue how to spot him.
So, since we have come to the point in our study where the Gentiles have Jerusalem underfoot for an unknown period of time, we turn our attention to the Antichrist. He must come to power before he thrusts Israel into a period of tribulation. That means he will be active before the final week of Daniel’s seventy-week prophecy.
The Mystery of Iniquity Doth Already Work
Throughout history, Satan has been trying to bring this man to the world stage, but he has been held back.
1 John 2:18
18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
1 John 4:3
3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
Throughout history there has been a spirit of Antichrist. In fact, any spirit that is against Jesus is a spirit of Antichrist. But the Bible doesn’t just tell us that the spirit of Antichrist is coming; it tells us there is a specific person who will be the personification of this spirit.
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
2 Thessalonians 2:6-7
6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
2 Thessalonians 2:9
9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
The Antichrist is not just a world system, a spiritual darkness, or another abstract concept. The Bible tells us there is a spirit, but also a man coming who will be the Antichrist—a man who has been withheld from taking power. Though the spirit is not withheld, this final man of sin is.
He That Withholds the Antichrist
Until his time comes, he has been held back from fully coming onto the world stage. In 2 Thessalonians 2:7 it tells us someone is keeping him from being revealed. Who is that someone?
To answer that question, we will go back to Daniel.
Daniel 10:20-21
20 Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come. 21 But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.
Gabriel and Michael are two angels whom the Bible tells us have been fighting against the progression of these world empires. When Gabriel was taken out of the way, the prince of Greece—Alexander—came onto the world stage.
There is one final empire after Greece, according to the prophecies of Daniel. When Michael is taken out of the way, the next prince will come. That next prince will be the Antichrist. Therefore, Michael is the one who is currently withholding him.
It is not the church or the Holy Spirit, as some have speculated. The Holy Spirit can never be removed from the earth. And even if the church were raptured before this Antichrist comes to power (which it will not be), those saved during the tribulation would still be part of the church.
When Paul was telling the Thessalonians about the one who withholds, he was using Old Testament Scripture. The passages in Daniel dealing with the rise of the world empires and the Antichrist are the ones he would have been teaching them.
The Personality of the Antichrist
Daniel 8:23
23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.
This man is not going to be what we typically see in politics. He does not rely on others to tell him what he needs to do. He understands complicated and dynamic situations. He is a master with his words, able to twist the truth without being detected, and he is not fooled by others who would attempt to do the same.
Daniel 8:24-25
24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. 25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.
He will be powerful, but not with his own military strength. Instead, he will have others fight his battles. This will place him in a position of appearing prosperous and peaceful while he incites the destruction of many. Through his policies and craftiness, he will rule the world through others.
This man will be the ultimate wolf in sheep’s clothing. He will seem peaceful while waging war. He will seem kind while being cruel. He will be seen as a savior to the world while being its destroyer. People will love him while he destroys them.
Yet those who know the Scriptures will know who he really is.
Where Is the Antichrist From?
Daniel 7:23-25
23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. 24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. 25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
The fourth kingdom is the current world system. It is Rome, mixed into all the world, as we have said in previous studies. It should also be noted that when Daniel speaks of these beasts (world empires), he never includes Israel as being part of them. Instead, Israel is affected by them.
This should immediately tell us that the Antichrist does not come from Israel. He will come from another part of the world.
Daniel 8:8-12
8 Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven. 9 And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land.
After the death of Alexander the Great, his kingdom was divided into four parts, which later became two—a northern and a southern kingdom. The Bible narrows down even further where the Antichrist will come from. He will come from the lands to the north of Israel that were part of the northern kingdom. We covered this in a previous study.
This immediately removes the entire western world, Europe, and much of Asia. It leaves only Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, and Iraq. But the Bible narrows it down even further.
Isaiah 10:5
5 O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.
Isaiah 10:23-25
23 For the Lord God of hosts shall make a consumption, even determined, in the midst of all the land. 24 Therefore thus saith the Lord God of hosts, O my people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian: he shall smite thee with a rod, and shall lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt. 25 For yet a very little while, and the indignation shall cease, and mine anger in their destruction.
Isaiah 14:25-26
25 That I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders. 26 This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations.
Isaiah 30:30-31
30 And the Lord shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones. 31 For through the voice of the Lord shall the Assyrian be beaten down, which smote with a rod.
The Bible speaks of the Antichrist as the Assyrian. The ancient Assyrian homeland includes today’s northern Iraq, southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, and northeastern Syria. Then Daniel 11 tells us exactly which one of these places he comes from.
Daniel 11:21
21 And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.
The kingdom Daniel is speaking of is the kingdom of the north, introduced earlier in Daniel 8 and expanded in Daniel 11. This kingdom is part of what remained of the Greek Empire following its division and specifically refers to the Seleucid realm, centered in Syria and ruled by the line of Seleucus.
Over time, the lands that made up this kingdom were divided into different nations. Portions of the former Seleucid territory are now found in modern-day Turkey, including the city of Antioch, which later became an important regional capital. This has led many to conclude that the Antichrist must come from Turkey.
However, this conclusion rests on a misunderstanding of what Daniel is describing.
Daniel does not say that the vile person arises merely from the lands of the northern kingdom. He says the vile person rises “in his estate.” The Hebrew idea behind estate (מַעֲמָד), meaning standing or position, points to office, succession, or political standing, not to geography, soil, or national borders. This makes the issue one of political inheritance, not territorial location.
Nations gain and lose land over time. Capitals move. Borders shift. Yet a kingdom—its authority, identity, and political structure—can remain intact despite these changes. Daniel’s focus is not on where the borders were drawn at any given moment, but on the continuity of the ruling estate itself.
Therefore, this passage does not direct us to look for a figure who merely arises from the geographic remnants of the Seleucid Empire. Instead, it points to someone who emerges within the political estate of the northern kingdom. That estate is the nation of Syria which existed then and continues to exist today.
Another clue comes from who destroyed the city and sanctuary in 70 AD.
Daniel 9:26
26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
The people who came were the Romans in AD 70, and they destroyed the city and the Temple. This may seem odd, since the other passages show that he does not come from Rome. However, history provides important insight.
The Romans used auxiliary troops—non-citizen soldiers recruited from various provinces of the empire. Ancient sources sometimes note that the units involved in crucifixion or maintaining order in Jerusalem were Syrian auxiliaries. Josephus mentions Roman troops from Syria multiple times in the context of Judea, since that province supplied reinforcements for Pilate and other governors.
So the people who carried out this destruction were from Syria specifically. Taken together, all of this tells us that the Antichrist comes from the lands of Assyria, specifically the nation Syria itself.
Everything we have seen in the Scriptures shows us a human man known as the Antichrist. He rises to power through deception, peace, and prosperity, with others giving him their power. We also see that he comes from what was called Assyria—modern-day northern Iraq, southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, and northeastern Syria. But more accurately the modern day nation of Syria itself.
In our next study, we will discover exactly how he comes to power before the tribulation.
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