Never Mind the Anti-Christ

Bible students have speculated on the identity of the Anti-Christ since the beginning of the Church Age. Candidates have ranged from Caesar Nero to every U.S. president since Franklin Roosevelt. Beyond mere curiosity, this is unnecessary for these reasons:

In our English translations the person we call the Anti-Christ, and the false prophet, are called “beasts.” The nomenclature used for these persons is fascinating. Beasts is based on the Greek word therion (Strong’s G2342). The scholar Gesenius points out that this word means a “little beast or little animal.” He also notes that therion is the diminutive of thera (Strong’s G2339), which means “hunting for animals to destroy them.” Further, Gesenius says thera is a figurative word for “the destruction of men.”

How this fits! A diminutive is defined as a “smaller or shorter thing.” So, the Beast of the Revelation is a smaller form of thera, or the destruction of men. Clearly, Satan seeks the destruction of men. The Beast will be a smaller form of Satan.

In addition, we have the demise of the first and second Beasts of the Revelation 13:1 and 13:11 described in the Revelation 19:20:

“And the Beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the Beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.” – Revelation 19:20 (my emphasis)

All men great and small, not covered by the blood of the Lord Jesus, will stand before God for judgment, (Revelation 20:12) and whoever is not found written in the Book of Life will be cast into the Lake of Fire. (Revelation 20:15)

Why are the two Beasts of the Revelation cast directly into the Lake of Fire without mention of judgment? If these were men, they would be judged like everyone else. I suspect that these two entities will not be human beings, but supernatural beings whose allegiance is to Satan.

Of course, the Lord Who is sovereign and makes all rules, can change them. For the Word says it is appointed for all men to die once. But Enoch and Elijah did not die. Perhaps the actions of the two Beasts will be so onerous to the Lord that He simply skips the step of judging them, just as He skipped the step of Enoch and Elijah dying, as do all men.

But never mind the two Beasts. In the words of my son, “We will be watching from the mezzanine!” Praise the Lord for His grace toward all who have received Salvation through the Lord Jesus. May He come quickly!

BACK to Lesson Archive.