Who or What Is the Antichrist?
1) Direct Answer
The Antichrist is Satan’s religious spirit that opposes and replaces the Word of Jesus Christ. It began as a spirit working among believers, grows into a churchly system, and will finally be embodied in a man—the “man of sin”—who sits in the temple of God and exalts himself as God.
2) Scriptural Explanation
- The Bible says the antichrist is first a spirit: “Every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God… this is that spirit of antichrist” (1 John 4:3). “Even now are there many antichrists” (1 John 2:18).
- It denies the true revelation of Jesus Christ: “Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son” (1 John 2:22).
- It will climax in a person: “That man of sin… who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God… so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). “The mystery of iniquity doth already work” (verse 7), and then it appears “after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders” (verses 9-10).
- It is religious and blasphemous power: the beast “was given… a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies… and it was given unto him to make war with the saints” (Revelation 13:5-7). Another beast looks like a lamb but speaks like a dragon (Revelation 13:11)—religious appearance, satanic voice.
- It speaks great words against God, persecutes saints, and thinks to change times and laws (Daniel 7:8,25).
3) Simple Clarifying Logic
- “Anti” means against and instead-of. So the Antichrist doesn’t just fight Christ; it takes His place—claiming authority over the Word and over the worship of God.
- Notice where it sits: “in the temple of God.” That shows it operates in the realm of worship. If it were merely political or atheistic, why does Scripture place it inside the temple and describe religious signs and wonders?
- John said it was already working in his day (1 John 2:18; 2 Thessalonians 2:7). So it began as a spirit in the church, organizing around teachings that deny Jesus Christ as God manifested in flesh and replacing the Scriptures with human creeds. In time it becomes a powerful system, and in the end it is headed by a man who exalts himself.
- God’s safeguard is the love of the truth and the seal of the Holy Spirit. The true Church stays with the plain Word. Any spirit, system, or leader that adds to it, takes from it, or puts a man in Christ’s place is antichrist.
4) Reinforcing Statement
Now notice, it’s not the outside world that deceives the elect—it’s a look-alike, so close it would deceive if possible. Stay with the Scripture: Jesus Christ is God manifested in flesh, and His Word is final. Anything that denies that revelation or substitutes man’s authority for Christ’s is the Antichrist spirit, and it will culminate in the man of sin exactly as the Bible says.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
An Exposition Of The Seven Church Ages
CAB 2:E-49
...of that justice. There will be no tempering of it. He that is unjust will be unjust still; he that is filthy will be filthy still. The Unchanging One will not change then, for He never has and never will. Those feet of brass will crush the enemy. They will destroy the antichrist, the beast and the image and all that is vile in His sight. He will destroy the church systems that have taken His Name only to corrupt its brilliance and crush them along with the antichrist. All the wicked, the atheists, the agnostics, th...
Hearing, recognizing, acting on the Word of God
60-0221 §101
Morris Cerullo said to me the other night, said, "Who is the antichrist, Brother Branham? The Jew is the antichrist." I said "Morris! And you, a Jew?" He said, "They're the greatest God-haters there is." I said, "Morris, don't ... tell me in the Scripture where the antichrist come out of Jerusalem. The antichrist come out of Rome, not out of Palestine." He said, "Well, look, I'm... They're God-haters." "Yes, didn't God say He blinded their eyes so we could have a day of seeing? But our day will be over soon." He sa...
Seals 8: The Sixth Seal
63-0323 §74
Then here they come out with another power---another power, another age of the church, another ministry. Then when he does that, along comes God with his ministry, when the antichrist comes with his. See, anti is against. They run side by side. I want you to notice a little something. Just about the time that Cain come on earth, Abel came on earth. I want you to notice, just about the time that Christ came on earth, Judas came on earth. About the time that Christ went off of earth, Judas went off the earth. Just ab...
Seals 3: The First Seal
63-0318 §166
I went the other night with two brothers sitting in this church now (Brother Norman, back there, I believe, and Brother Fred). We was over to hear a man teach on the antichrist-a well known man, one of the best the Assemblies of God have got. And his interpretation of antichrist was that they're going to take a vitamin of some sort out of a man, and transfer this life out of a man into a great image that is going to step a city block at a time. And that's the... Could you imagine a man filled with the Holy Ghost un...
Seals 6: The Fourth Seal
63-0321 §63
See the rider? The first place as an antichrist, he was death to begin with, but he was innocent then. Then he received a crown (a triple one), and when he did, then he united... Satan united his church and state because he was over both of them then. Antichrist was Satan in the form of a man. And then also, St. Matthew, I believe it is, the 4th chapter, tells us that Satan took Jesus, our Lord, up and showed Him the kingdoms of the world, all of them, in a moment of time, and the glory of them. Offered them to Him...