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Can We
Identify
The Antichrist?
"Even so, Come
[quickly], Lord Jesus"
Few subjects have intrigued the student of prophecy more than
the Antichrist—“Man of Sin.” Small wonder, all
Bible-believing Christians with the Apostle John long to be united
with our Heavenly Bridegroom at his return, the event which will
bring the satisfying grand fulfillment of
“that blessed
hope” (Titus 2:13). Excited by Paul’s clue in 2
Thessalonians 2:8 that the Man of Sin must first be revealed
before Christ returns, speculation on the identity of this
mysterious figure has always been intense….
Eager for their Bridegroom’s return, Christians during the
first three centuries concluded that the Pagan Roman Empire was
undoubtedly the Man of Sin. In the sixteenth century, the rallying
cry of the Reformation leaders was that Papacy was the Man of Sin.
And so the imminent return of Christ was the heart-throbbing
expectation of Christians during the centuries that followed.
With the rebirth of the State of Israel in 1948 and Jewish
zealots calling for the construction of the third temple, a
literal, superhuman Man of Sin sitting in a literal temple in
Jerusalem became a popular option of prophetic interpretation.
What are the scriptural merits of this popular concept of
Antichrist?
How can we identify the Antichrist, the Man of Sin, which must
come before Jesus Christ can return for his Bride, his Church?
When then can John’s prayer representing the longings of the
Church for centuries be answered?
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