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Over the centuries, several holy people have been given heavenly insights into what the Antichrist and times would be like.

When we look at what’s going in the world, we would do well to turn away from secular La-La Land’s vision and see what just a sample of major saints, including several Doctors of the Church, had to say about latter times. Of course, we keep in mind that only God knows the actual timetable.

Heading the list are three who knew Jesus directly.

St. John the Evangelist told us, “Whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Whoever denies the Father and the Son, this is the antichrist” (1John 2:22).

In 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12, St. Paul made it clear:

Let no one deceive you in any way. For unless the apostasy comes first and the lawless one is revealed, the one doomed to perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god and object of worship, so as to seat himself in the temple of God, claiming that he is a god...But the one who restrains is to do so only for the present, until he is removed from the scene. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord [Jesus] will kill with the breath of his mouth and render powerless by the manifestation of his coming, the one whose coming springs from the power of Satan in every mighty deed and in signs and wonders that lie, and in every wicked deceit for those who are perishing because they have not accepted the love of truth so that they may be saved. Therefore, God is sending them a deceiving power so that they may believe the lie, that all who have not believed the truth but have approved wrongdoing may be condemned.”

And of course, St. Matthew recording the words of Jesus on this in Matthew 24:15-27.

Doctors of the Church

According to St. Thomas Aquinas, "As in Christ dwells the fullness of the Godhead so in Antichrist the fullness of all wickedness. Not indeed in the sense that his humanity is to be assumed by the devil into unity of person...but that the devil by suggestion infuses his wickedness more copiously into him than into all others. In this way all the wicked that have gone before are signs of Antichrist."

His works will not be what they seem to be, explained Aquinas. "(His miracles may be) said to be real just as Pharaoh's magicians made real frogs, but they will not be real miracles because they will be done by the power of natural causes."

"But his miracles will be lies. No one can perform a true miracle against the faith, because God is not a witness of falsity. Hence, no one preaching a false doctrine can work miracles..."

Another major doctor, St. Augustine, told us, “That which there is no doubt he said is this, that Christ will not come to judge quick and dead unless Antichrist, His adversary, first come to seduce those who are dead in soul...[H]is presence shall be after the working of Satan, with all power, and signs, and lying wonders, and with all seduction of unrighteousness in them that perish. For then shall Satan be loosed, and by means of that Antichrist shall work with all power in a lying though a wonderful manner.”

Between these two came 8th century St. John Damascene, likewise stating: “During the first part of his reign — of his tyranny rather — he plays more the part of sanctity; but when he gains complete control, he persecutes the Church of God and reveals all his wickedness. ‘And he shall come in signs and lying wonders’ — sham ones and not real — and he shall seduce those whose intention rests on a rotten and unstable foundation and make them abandon the living God, ‘in as much as to scandalize (if possible) even the elect…’”

One of the recently named Doctors, St. Hildegard of Bingen, had plenty to reveal about the Antichrist. These are just a few details:

“After the birth of Antichrist heretics will preach their false doctrines undisturbed, resulting in Christians having doubts about their holy Catholic faith.”

“After his birth false teachers and doctrines will appear, followed by wars, famines, and pestilence.  His mother will seldom let anyone see him, and yet by magic art, she will manage to gain the love of the people for him.”

“When he has grown to full manhood he will publicly announce a hostile doctrine on religion.  He will lure and attract the people to himself by granting them complete exemption from the observance of all divine and ecclesiastical commandments, by forgiving them their sins and requiring of them only their belief in his divinity.  He will spurn and reject baptism and the gospel.  He will open his mouth to preach contradiction.  He will say, ‘Jesus of Nazareth is not the son of God, only a deceiver who gave himself out as God; and the Church instituted by him is only superstition.’  The true Christ has come in his person.  He will say, ‘I am the Saviour of the world.’

He will grant entire freedom from the commandments of God and the Church and permit everyone to live as his passions dictate.  By doing so he hopes to be acknowledged by the people as deliverer from the yoke, and as the cause of prosperity in the world.  Religion he will endeavor to make convenient.  He will say that you need not fast and embitter your life by renunciation...It will suffice to love God…He will preach free love and tear asunder family ties.  He will scorn everything holy, and he will ridicule all graces of the Church with devilish mockery.  He will condemn humility and foster proud and gruesome dogmas.  He will tear down that which God has taught in the Old and New Testament and maintain sin and vice are not sin and vice…”

“He will ally himself with the kings, the princes and the powerful ones of the earth; he will condemn humility and will extol all the doctrines of pride. His magic art will feign the most astonishing prodigies…”

Fathers of the Church

The early Father of the Church offered great insights too. St. Hippolytus described how the deceiver seeks to liken himself in all things to the Son of God. Christ is a lion, so Antichrist is also a lion; Christ is a king, so Antichrist is also a king. The Saviour was manifested as a lamb (John 1:29); so he too, in like manner, will appear as a lamb, though within he is a wolf. The Saviour came into the World in the circumcision, and he will come in the same manner. The Lord sent apostles among all the nations, and he in like manner will send false apostles. The Saviour gathered together the sheep that were scattered abroad, and he in like manner will bring together a people that is scattered abroad. The Lord gave a seal to those who believed on Him, and he will give one like manner…”

St. Irenaeus gave these details, among them:

“[H]e, being an apostate and a robber, is anxious to be adored as God; and that, although a mere slave, he wishes himself to be proclaimed as a king. For he (Antichrist) being endued with all the power of the devil, shall come, not as a righteous king, nor as a legitimate king, [i.e., one] in subjection to God, but an impious, unjust, and lawless one; as an apostate, iniquitous and murderous; as a robber, concentrating in himself [all] satanic apostasy, and setting aside idols to persuade [men] that he himself is God, raising up himself as the only idol, having in himself the multifarious errors of the other idols. This he does, in order that they who do [now] worship the devil by means of many abominations, may serve himself by this one idol, of whom the apostle thus speaks in the second Epistle to the Thessalonians…there shall come a failing away first, and the man of sin shall be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he sits in the temple of God, showing himself as if he were God.”

“As Christ, the Lord also declares: ‘But when you shall see the abomination of desolation, which has been spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let him that reads understand), then let those who are in Judea flee into the mountains; and he who is upon the house-top, let him not come down to take anything out of his house: for there shall then be great hardship, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall be.’”

“The Lord also spoke as follows to those who did not believe in Him: ‘I have come in my Father's name, and you have not received Me: when another shall come in his own name, him you will receive’ (John 5:43) calling Antichrist the other, because he is alienated from the Lord.”

Irenaeus pointed out the Angel Gabriel said in Daniel 12:7 his tyranny will last three years and six months.

The full story

http://www.ncregister.com/blog...about-the-antichrist

Original Post

The Antichrist is one figure, throughout Christianity and it's history, that many have been looking for.  It's amazing just how many historical figures have been targeted with his name and as the Antichrist yet history has rolled on and proven each forecast to be wrong.

I have my personal beliefs where to look for the Antichrist and I'm also not certain that he will appear within our lifetime but I also certainly believe it could be our generation.  There are many attributes assigned to the Antichrist among which are a great political leader,  world leader, a very charismatic person as well. 

Many protestant Christians, through the years and even today believe that the Antichrist, whomever he is, will come from the position of the Roman Catholic Pope and everyone knows his seat of power is Rome and the Vatican.  I am not one who subscribes to this theory.   I am not comfortable naming the Antichrist, at least as of yet, but I 100%, fully believe that the Antichrist will come out of Islam and be a Muslim.  I believe that the Antichrist will be the Mahdi that Islam is looking to come, in their end days that will lead the world to become Muslim and will defeat the Jews and Christians and will have his seat of power in Jerusalem. 

I can't say, with certainty, that it will be within our lifetimes but I do believe that there is that possibility given events as they are in the world today and how the future is trending with Islam growing, often at an unrestrained rate.  That's just my own opinion. 

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