Correct Terms

When discussing the future and the big characters that come onto the stage of history, Christians should be more careful about the terms that you use, because it helps with understanding.

The expression antichrist is not in the book of Revelation. The term in “antichrist” is only used four times in the New Testament, and they are all in John’s epistles. John explains that antichrists (plural) were already out and about in his time, so antichrist is not a future character. John explains in this letter that antichrists are people who deny the divinity and humanity of Jesus. An antichrist is any person with heretical views about Jesus who opposes the advance of the gospel. Giving the title to any of the actors in Revelation creates confusion.

A second character is the Man of Sin. He seems to be a man who stirs up a big rebellion, at the end of the age. He is described only in 2 Thessalonians. He will be destroyed by Jesus when he returns in glory. He is not in the book of Revelation either.

The big characters in Revelation are referred to as beasts. This parallels Daniel’s vision. Beasts are powerful political empires that dominate a significant part of the world. The first beast that John saw was the beast that came out of the sea (Rev 13). This beast was the Roman empire. The vision goes on two explain that this Beast will be restored long after it seemed to have disappeared.

John explains how this beast will be restored. The key player is a beast that looks like a lamb, but speaks like the dragon. This refers to a religious empire. It creates a political empire that is equivalent in power to the Roman Empire.

My belief is that if this Beast comes to power in our time, it will have to be based in the United States, because it is the only nation with sufficient military and economic power to control the world. I suspect that this Beast is already in operation in the United States.

I explain these issues further in my book called Times and Seasons