“And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads… and the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority.” (Revelation 13:1-4, NASB)

Whose spirit are you of? Are you of the spirit of Christ or the antichrist? If you are of the Spirit of Christ, then you will follow God. But if you are of the spirit of the antichrist, you will be following Satan. This is the difference between the two, and their separation will become clearly evident during the Great Tribulation. In today’s passage, we read about the emergence of the false messiah, also known as the antichrist. It says,

“And he stood on the sand of the seashore. And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names. And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast; and they worshiped the dragon, because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, ‘Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?’”

The term “antichrist” (antichristos in Greek) is found in the Bible that describes a Christ-like figure who, instead of representing God, will represent Satan on earth. Apparently, the spirit of the antichrist is already in the world, working to deny that Jesus is the Christ (1 Jn.4:1-3), but one day he will take on a human form to unite the world to oppose God and influence people to worship Satan. In today’s passage, we read about how this antichrist will one day emerge. Verses 1-2 say, “And he (Satan) stood on the sand of the seashore. And I saw a beast (antichrist) coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads… And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority.” First of all, notice that Satan and the antichrist are not the same person. Antichrist is an earthly entity whom Satan, the spirit being, will give authority and power to rule on his behalf. Second, we can see that this “beast” or the antichrist is both a person and a system of government.

Based on the description given in this chapter, we see that the antichrist will be a beast-like entity who has characteristics of a “leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion.” It’s hard to know what this really mean but my guess is that it describes its evil nature and its fierceness. It is also described as having “ten horns and seven heads.” According to Revelation 17:9-10, “seven heads” represents “seven mountains” or “seven kings” that Satan has used to rule the world throughout history, and the antichrist, the person who will emerge from the seventh kingdom and become the eighth. And according to Revelation 17:12, “ten horns” represent “ten kings” during the Tribulation who will receive authority from Satan as rulers of their nations with the sole purpose of giving power and allegiance to the beast. Apparently, the “seven heads” represent a succession of seven kingdoms in our history, from which the antichrist will inherit the throne as the final king. The words “one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed” are likely a reference to Daniel’s prophecy, where the “little horn” (antichrist) will subdue and uproot three of the “ten horns” (kings) (Dan.7:24). Regardless, the first beast of Revelation 13 represents both Satan’s system of government and also an individual who will take control of that system during the Tribulation. And Satan will use them to wage war against God and His people and cause the world to worship him.

There are numerous speculations in the world as to the identification of who this antichrist is, but many of them fall flat because they do not match the Word of God. I do not advocate for going around looking for evidence pointing to the identity of the real antichrist. That said, we must be alert and discerning. If someone proclaims, “This is the Christ” or “This is the antichrist,” we must evaluate their claims by the Word of God. Jesus warned, “If anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There he is,’ do not believe him. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect” (Mt.24:23-24). Apostle John warns us, “Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen; from this we know that it is the last hour” (1 Jn.2:18). We are not commanded to go and seek the identity of the antichrist, but rather to have discernment between the true and false Christs. The best way to know the counterfeit is to know the real thing. The best way to know a lie is to know the truth. Our job is not to look for the antichrist, but to preach and teach the real Christ. This is how God’s people will discern and recognize the antichrist, whether it is an individual, a system, or a spirit.

• What do you think? Is the antichrist or the “beast” a person, system, or both?
• Since the Bible says that many antichrists are already in the world to mislead people, how should the followers of Christ deal with them?