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No one knows who "The anti-christ" will be, as he will not be revealed until the restraining force of the Holy Spirit
is removed, so that the
"mystery of iniquity" which has already been at work since ancient
times can be revealed in
the "person" who will be impowered by Satan himself (2 Thessalonians 2:3-9).
this person is never directly referred to as "the" antichrist
(however is is clearly alluded to in I John 1:18).
That the early church believed the scriptures reveal such a "person"
as "the" anti-christ is clear from the statement
made in 1 John 1:18
("as ye have heard that anti-christ shall come - John was speaking of
a "person").
The fact that there is indisputably a "spirit of" anti-christ and many "anti-christs" ( 1 John 4:4, 1:18) in no way negates
the fact that an evil "person" is revealed in scripture whose power will come directly from Satan just prior to the return
of Jesus Christ back to this earth (2 Thessalonians 2:8, Revelation 13:4-5, Daniel 8:24).
This evil "person" is called by many names in both the Old and New Testaments:
- Man of sin - 2 Thessalonians 2:3
- The Wicked (one) - Isaiah 11:4, 2 Thessalonians 2:8
Son of perdition - 2 Thessalonians 2:3 (the only person besides
Judas to ever have that infamous title bestowed upon them).
- The Beast - Revelation 13:17, 19:19-20, 20:4,10 ("the beast" is identified as a "man" - Revelation 13:17)
- The Assyrian - Isaiah 10:5,24, 14:25-26, a "King" of fierce countenance - Daniel 8:23
- The king - Daniel 11:36
- The King of Babylon - Isaiah 14:4
- The "man" that made the earth to tremble... - Isaiah 14:16-17
- The hand that is stretched out upon "all" nations - Isaiah 14:26
- The hammer of the "whole" earth - Jeremiah 50:23
- A Vile Person - Daniel 11:21
- He/Him/His/Himself - Revelation 13:4-7,14:11,16:2,19:20,20:4,
2 Thessalonians 2:4,6, Daniel 7:24-25,8:11,24-25,9:27,11:21-45
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