1. Let’s talk about THE Antichrist vs. MANY antichrists.

· Antichrist can mean either the opponent of Christ or the one who seeks to put himself in the place of Christ

· Just as Christ is the Holy One and the anointed king of God

· The antichrist is the Unholy One and the king of all evil.

· Christ is the incarnation of God and goodness

· The antichrist is the incarnation of the devil and evil

Satan and the antichrist are not the same.

· Though Satan is a direct opponent of God, he is still an angel who will give power to the Antichrist as found in Revelation 13:2 “The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and his great authority.”

· The antichrist will be a visible figure upon the earth in which the essence of evil has become incarnate (in the flesh)

o The world will worship the Antichrist because of the power and false signs that he will perform

o He will speak blasphemies against God by deifying himself and places images of himself to receive the worship that belongs to God only.

o He will be a strong political figure

o He will be given power to make war against followers of Christ

· Paul speaks of the antichrist in 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 when he says, “The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing.”

· The idea of the antichrist occurs in the letters of John