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.
Three witnesses
51-0728 §22
Here's what it is, the antichrist spirit is not the communistic spirit. The antichrist spirit is a religious spirit. I have delivered my soul; that's what God was wanting me to, right there. Amen. Father, we thank Thee. Now, I am Your servant, and I believe with all of my heart as sure as I believe I'm standing here with my hand on Your Word, that that's what You wanted me to say. And I waited, stumbling around, until You spoke the Word. Now, we thank You, Lord. And we pray that You'll let men and women here tonigh...
Demonology, religious realm, part 2
53-0609A §102
Here not long ago I was up at Toledo, Ohio, having a meeting. (I'm going to close.) You see what I mean about demons? They are working. They are very religious, just as religious... Oh, they go to church every Sunday, repeat the Apostles' Creed, and sing the Doxology. Oh, my, just as religious as they can be. "Brother Branham, you mean that's the truth?" That's the kind of a spirit that hung Jesus Christ to the cross. And Jesus said, "You're of your father, the devil." Now, some of them said, "Oh, Russia's the anti...
The Mark of the Beast
54-0513 §50
...m Genesis, I can prove that Babylon begin in Genesis and ends up in Revelation. Started out back there with Nimrod, the son of Ham, through idolatry, to bring idols in, to worship idols. And it's come right down through, and is so cunning in the last days till it takes on the name of Christianity, and still, idolatry! Didn't the great Saint Paul, in II Thessalonians say...? Let's just read it before we go any farther. II Thessalonians, 2nd chapter, you see what Paul said here. He even saw it in the Spirit before it...
Seals 4: The Second Seal
63-0319 §75
First... Now you remember this: the first thing he is, he's an antichrist spirit. John said so. "Little children, the spirit of antichrist ... already working in the children of disobedience." See, that thing begin to start. Then it become kind of a saying in the next church age. In the next church age it was a doctrine. In the next church age she was crowned. Isn't that just as plain as reading, any way you could read it? There he come. Now first he was called what? Antichrist spirit, because he was against the Wo...
God keeps His Word, part 1
57-0306 §32
And the Bible said, (Revelation 21.) that this antichrist move, one place it said, "It would deceive the very elected, if possible." What is the elected? There's a mixed multitude with Pentecost today as there was then. The supernatural has been done, and there's a mixed multitude went with it, that will drink in any kind of slop. That's right. Jesus said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." The mixed multitude... The Bible said these days would be here an...