Are the beast and antichrist among us today waiting to be released, and if so, who are they and what is holding them back?
The Antichrist has been in the World since Biblical Times
Both Paul and John discuss an antichrist spirit that was in the world even in their day. Paul makes a shocking statement in his letter to the Thessalonians. He says, “And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed.”
How can the antichrist be restrained if he wasn’t already in the world?
John also writes of the antichrist coming and that the spirit of the antichrist was manifesting in many false prophets in his day.
Paul describes this as a mystery stating, “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.”
This mystery is that the antichrist, either in spirit or physically, was already in the world and being restrained. But that leaves the question of who is restraining him.
Who Restrains the Antichrist?
You most likely will answer either the church or the Holy Spirit. This is the traditional answer. But that answer is wrong.
Today, satan enjoys access to heaven where he accuses the brethren day and night. He has dominion over the areas of our lives that we have surrendered to sin. He has principalities under his had that rule many lands.
But once the beast and antichrist are given dominion, a timer is set. Their days are numbered before they are cast into the lake of fire as well as satan. So why would satan want the antichrist to be unleashed?
Is satan eager to be kicked out of heaven? Is he so anxious to lose all his power and meet a torturous fate in the lake of fire that the Holy Spirit needs to restrain him? No way.
Satan is the restrainer.
Satan’s Preparation of the Beast and Antichrist for the End-Times
So, does this mean that satan controls the timing? No.
God has the next move. At some point, He will evict satan from heaven. Revelation 12 tells us that He will send Michael to wage war with satan and throw him down to earth.
So satan has known for some time that at some point, God will force him out of heaven. He also knows that his beast and antichrist will only be given authority for 3 1/2 years. But he does not know when this will happen.
Creating an empire takes time and planning and satan is not all powerful like God. Therefore he had to create a beast that would serve as the end-times beast far before now.
This is precisely why the book of Daniel is so confusing. The angels tell Daniel that these events pertain to the end-times, but from our current perspective, many of the events appear to have occurred. That is because the end-times beast already exists so it will be prepared when the time comes. For now, he waits. That is why there is a large gap in Daniel between events that have occurred and those yet to come.
Understanding the Identity of the End-Times Beasts
So what is identity of this beast? It is the Islamic Empire.
This is a larger topic than I can accomplish in this one post. But I will write more about this in the future. The Islamic Empire, which started in the early 600’s A.D., is the only empire that matches Daniel’s descriptions.
Many scholars shoehorn the Roman Empire into these prophecies. These scholars are holding onto a traditional European mindset that is incorrect and does not match scripture. Rome did not conquer the middle-east empires described by Daniel and it did not trample other kingdoms. It absorbed kingdoms, adding them to its own empire. In doing so it created trade and wealth.
In contrast, the Islamic Empire did conquer the middle-eastern empires as described by Daniel. It tramples those it conquers, forcing its beliefs on others with the rigidity of iron. The choice is either to conform or die. Islam replaces the previous religions and takes its temples as their own, trampling the “infidel” religion before it. It is the divided empire of iron and clay in Daniel 2 and the beast of iron teeth in Daniel 7.
And the Islamic Empire has been around for over 1,500 years waiting for the appointed time.
The Identity of the Antichrist
It is interesting that Islam has nearly identical yet opposing end-times prophecies concerning it’s end-times messiah. I will save a detailed discussion of this for a future post, but the parallels between the antichrist of Christianity and the Mahdi from Islam are astounding. Here are a simplified list
Comparison of the Biblical Antichrist to the Islamic Mahdi
| The Antichrist | The Mahdi |
| The Beast will rise from the wilderness | The Beast will rise from the desert (Mecca) |
| The Antichrist lead a war against the saints | The Mahdi will lead a war against non-Muslims |
| The Antichrist will rule for seven years | The Mahdi will rule for seven years |
| The Antichrist will execute the martyred saints through beheading | The Mahdi will execute non-believers through beheading |
| The Antichrist will attack and conquer Jerusalem. | The Mahdi will conquer Jerusalem |
| The Antichrist will speak boldly | The Mahdi will speak boldly |
| The antichrist will have a false prophet to bring people to worship him | In the Muslim version, “Jesus” will return to help the Mahdi gain acceptance |
| The Antichrist performs many signs and wonders | The Mahdi performs many signs and wonders |
| The Antichrist will force people receive a mark on the hand or forehead to pledge allegiance to him | The beast will mark Muslims on their foreheads to distinguish them from non-Muslims |
| The Antichrist will change times and laws. | The Mahdi will establish Shariah law and the Islamic calendar |
| The first seal a false prophet is shown as riding a white horse | The Mahdi will come riding a white horse. |
| The antichrist will make people worship the beast and a god of fortresses | The Mahdi will establish worship only for allah |
So do Muslims also believe that this antichrist spirit already exists in this world?
That is exactly what the Shia Muslims believe.
The Mahdi
Specifically, they believe that an imam who disappeared in 948 A.D. is hiding in “occultation” and will return during a time of global upheaval. The Shia Muslims believe this man known as the Mahdi will appear alongside “Jesus,” killing all the infidels and establishing Muslim rule.
Shia-led Iran’s purpose is centered on the Mahdi and described in this recent article concerning the death of IRCG “Al-Quds” leader Qasem Soleimani. Both Soleimani and Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, frequently reference(d) the Mahdi in speeches.
This article references these statements from Khamenei, who said, “many of our great scholars have personally met with this beloved [Imam] of hearts of the admirers during his occultation…”
Did you catch that? Many Islamic scholars have claimed to have met him. A senior representative of Khamenei, Mohammed Hassan Rahimian, has even claimed that he was an eyewitness to 13 meetings between Khamenei and Al-Mahdi.
These statements leave three possibilities: 1) these men are lying, 2) these men were deceived, or 3) the Mahdi exists and is hidden, waiting for satan to unleash him.
The False Jewish Messiah
But Muslims are not the only ones claiming to be in contact with their messiah. Jews are as well. Rabbi Yaakov Zissholtz recently revealed on a radio interview, several shocking statements.
- He stated that Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky “recently told him that he is already in direct contact with the Messiah.”
- He further stated that Rabbi David Abuhatzeira had unknowingly met the Messiah and did not realize it until it has been revealed in a dream.
- Rabbi Kanievsky had also been reported to say that “the Messiah is here, in Israel, but he did not give a precise time when he will be revealed. He is here but he does not have all the power he needs to act as the Messiah.”
- He further added that “There is a Messiah in potential in every generation and there are tzaddikim [36 hidden righteous men] who know precisely who it is.”
- Lastly, he stated that “We are currently in the midst of the War of Gog and Magog.“
If these rabbis truly met a man claiming to be the messiah, he deceived them. Jesus is the true and only Messiah and He has all the power.
It seems that both leader Muslims and leading Rabbis believe the messiah is here already, is hidden, and is about to be revealed in a time of war.
Is the Islamic Mahdi and the Jewish “messiah” the Same False Prophet?
During these end-times Jesus warned us that false prophets will arise. It is amazing to see that both Muslims and Jewish Rabbis are claiming to have met a messiah and are expecting him to appear imminently. Could they actually be meeting with the same being?
This would be the perfect setup for a false messiah to arise and convince two of the three monotheistic religions that he is the Messiah. It isn’t a stretch to believe he will convince many Christians as well. For Jesus tells us “false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.“
If this is the same false prophet, it it becomes much easier to understand how he could convince two enemies to come together in covenant as foretold.
The Beast and Antichrist in the End-Times Roadmap
We know that 3 1/2 years before the beast and antichrist hold dominion over the earth, the antichrist will enter into a covenant with many. Daniel 11:23 further tells us that deception will surround any such alliance.
Most end-times scholars believe this agreement will lead to to construction of the third temple.
The Sanhedren have been diligently preparing for the third temple since 1987. They fully expect to build it in the near future and have been preparing temple vessels, wood for sacrifices and a red heifer to meet the requirements of temple sacrifices.
These are the same sacrifices that the antichrist will end mid way through the prophesied seven year covenant.
Fortunately, God has given us specific signs to know when the time approaches. These are the signs of the Olivet Discourse and the Seals (see post Six Seals Revealed in the Olivet Discourse.) When we see the signs of false prophets, conflict, famine, pestilence, and Christian persecution, we will know the time is imminent.
I believe the first five seals have been opened and present my case in the post Has Jesus Opened the Seals? If this is true, then we are very close to seeing the covenant with many, possibly within the next few years.
Prepare your hearts. We are in for times of great sorrow and great joy and throughout this time, great opportunities.