Who are the Antichrist and false prophet?

The word antichrist means in place of Christ. The Bible refers to this character by many names, including the “man of sin”, “son of perdition”¹ and “the beast”.

The Bible also tells of a false prophet that will come onto the scene. This prophet will cause the world to worship the antichrist or his image (see Revelation 13:11-15). Anyone who refuses will be killed. They’ll also establish a one world economy in which people cannot buy or sell without accepting the mark of the beast. But accepting the mark of the beast will be a final rejection of Christ.² There is no going back once a person has done that. I therefore believe that this won’t be something a person can unwittingly partake in. I believe every person will know that they are partaking in an action that entails swearing allegiance to someone who expects to be worshiped as a God. This is simply something a Christian cannot do. And even though it will ostracize them from the business world and almost certainly cost them their lives, it is yet another opportunity God gives people to be saved from damnation. The suffering under the antichrist during the Great Tribulation will be severe, but still a small price to pay for an eternity with God.

The antichrist and false prophet will be empowered by Satan, in a blasphemous mockery of the Holy Trinity. They will be an extremely powerful, charismatic and deceptive team. They’ll perform wonders and miracles and the world will follow them in awe and wonder.

We know that initially they’ll appear to offer a solution to the world’s problems and will establish a false form of peace, as the Jews in Israel will be allowed to rebuild their temple and offer sacrifices. But after 3.5 years, the beast will enter the Holy of Holies in the Jewish temple and have an image or statue of himself placed there to be worshiped instead of God (see the Abomonation of Desolation). The Jewish people will not accept this and will be persecuted like never before (see Matthew 24:15-22).