Die Biblische und Islamische endzeitlehre im Vergleich

Comparing The Biblical Antichrist And The Mahdi

The Antichrist

Most people who haven't even read the Bible have heard of the man known popularly as "The Antichrist." Simply put, according to the Bible, the Antichrist will be Satan's primary human agent on the earth in the last -days. Interestingly, in the Bible, the Antichrist is actually only referred to once by that specific name (1 John 2:18). Using other names however, there are numerous references to the Antichrist found throughout the Bible. Some of the various names that Scripture assigns to the Antichrist are "the Beast" (Revelation 13:4), "the abomination that causes desolation" (Matthew 24:15), "the desolator" (Daniel 9:27), "the man of sin," "the man of lawlessness," "the son of destruction" (2 Thessalonians 2) "the little horn" (Daniel 7:8), "the Assyrian" (Micah 5:5, Isaiah 10:5,14:25), "the oppressor', "the king of Babylon" (Isaiah 14) and even the mysterious "Gog" (Ezekiel 38:1, Revelation 20:7). There are several other names that Scripture uses to refer to the Antichrist as well.

But beyond all of his unusual names, who exactly is the Antichrist? In this chapter we will review a few of the primary descriptions and actions that define just who the Antichrist is according to the Bible. Our examination will also focus on several very specific similarities between the Antichrist and the Mahdi.

A Powerful Political And Military World Leader.

From the Bible, we learn that in the last -days, the Antichrist will emerge as a man who will lead a very powerful world empire the likes of which history has yet to produce. This powerful leadership role of the Antichrist is first described clearly in the Bible by the prophet Daniel. In the Book of Daniel, in the seventh chapter, we find Daniel describing a vision of four very bizarre and gruesome "beasts". After describing the first three beasts, Daniel says this of the fourth:

After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast -terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns. While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth that spoke boastfully. Daniel 7:7,8

Then, in verses 15-16, Daniel asks an angel in his vision to explain the interpretation of the vision of the four beasts. The angel explains that the four beasts represent four very great kingdoms or empires:

I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me. I approached one of those standing there and asked him the true meaning of all this. So he told me and gave me the interpretation of these things: The four great beasts are four kingdoms that will rise from the earth. Daniel 7:15-17

It's actually pretty straightforward. Daniel again asks the angel specifically about the fourth beast, and in particular about the "little horn" that uprooted three horns. The angel again responds with a very direct and clear explanation:

He gave me this explanation: The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it. The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. Daniel 7: 23,24

Essentially, the angel explains that the fourth kingdom will be an empire that will cause great destruction to the whole earth. Initially, this kingdom will consist of ten kings. Then another king, an eleventh, will arise and will displace three of the previous kings. This eleventh king is the Antichrist first referred to as "the little horn". Thus we see that based on the vision that Daniel was given, the Antichrist is a future king who will first gain control over three other kingdoms or nations, and eventually over ten, thus forming his future ten nation "Beast" empire. It will be an empire of unparalleled power and ferocity, which will "devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it".