Anti-Christ in the Bible

Criteria for anti-Christ

1. Denies that Jesus is the Christ (1 John 2:22)
2. Denies the Father and the Son (1 John 2:22)
3. Denies that Jesus came in the flesh (1 John 4:3, 2 John 1:7)
4. Equated with deceivers and linked with false prophets (1 John 4:1)
5. Already in the world during the writing of the epistles of John (100 AD) (1 John 2:18; 1 John 4:3)
6. Former Christians (1 John 2:19)

(Basis for interpretation among some Christians that the anti-Christ will promote world peace and world government)

Interpreted as a future world government (rather than the Umayyad dynasty referenced by 'Abdu'l-Bahá)

"“He gave me this explanation: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it. The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time."

(Daniel 7:23-25)

Note

• 'Abdu'l-Bahá interprets the ten horns (of the dragon in Revelation 12:3-4) in Some Answered Questions, Chapter 13, par. 6 as referring to the Umayyad dynasty. He interprets the 3 and 1/2 years in Some Answered Questions, Chapter 10, pars. 19-20 as being the time from Islám to the time of the Báb. See beast.

Interpreted as the Antichrist making a covenant (treaty) with Israel, initiating a seven-year period of apparent peace, and then breaking it

"He shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall make sacrifice and offering cease; and in their place shall be an abomination that desolates, until the decreed end is poured out upon the desolator.’"

(Daniel 9:27)

Note

• This passage is instead interpreted by 'Abdu'l-Bahá as being about Christ in Some Answered Questions, Chapter 10, pars. 13-14, and thus (deceptive) peace is not an issue.

(The connection to the abomination that causes desolation is unclear--whether it may be a reference to the future abomination during Islám interpreted by 'Abdu'l-Bahá in Some Answered Questions, Chapter 10, par. 16-22 about Daniel 8:13 and Daniel 12 or perhaps to the uncertainty and divisions which occur after the non-firm Covenant in the time of Christ or as a result of such actions as the destruction of the Temple. Chapter 10 of I, Daniel, an individual Bahá'í's understanding, argues for the latter interpretation:

"We know from history that the regular offering at the Great Temple of Jerusalem was abolished in 70 CE. This was followed by about 600 years of abominations between Jews and Christians, as decreed in Daniel 9:26, 27. The abominations left the Temple and the Holy Land both physically and spiritually desolate. Muhammad, The Comforter, decreed an end to these abominations. Thus, the time (Era) of these events ended with Muhammad’s Declaration, marking the beginning of a new Era and a meaningful reference point for the counting of years. (See Dan 7:25)

"It was one of the great tragedies of history that ‘Ali was not permitted to assume the caliphate. In less than thirty years, the caliphate had been usurped by the enemies of Muhammad, and the true meaning of Islam was beclouded forever. As one consequence of these actions, the Holy Land remained spiritually desolate. The ‘abomination of desolation’ did not come to its end until the Declaration of the Báb on May 23rd, 1844, about two months after the Edict of Toleration."

The author elaborates on other abominations that occurred after the destruction of the Temple (in I, Daniel, Chapter 5).)

Warns that when people say "peace and security," sudden destruction will follow, which is often linked to the Antichrist's broken promises

"While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape."

(1 Thessalonians 5:3)

Note

• 'Abdu'l-Bahá also refers to false promises of a desire for peace: "Peace, Peace, how often we heard Him remark, the lips of potentates and peoples unceasingly proclaim, whereas the fire of unquenched hatreds still smoulders in their hearts." (World Order of Bahá'u'lláh, pp. 29-30)

The first horseman of the Apocalypse, riding a white horse, is frequently interpreted as the Antichrist bringing a deceptive, diplomatic peace to the world

"I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest."

(Revelation 6:2)

Note

• Some individual Bahá'ís like Ruth Moffett (in New Keys to the Book of Revelation, pp. 26-27 and pp. 122-123) and Robert Riggs in Apocalypse Unsealed, p. 109 have interpreted this verse of a rider without arrows seeming to be a conqueror as referring to (false) theology, whereas some Christians interpret this as referring to diplomacy (and another device of the anti-Christ).

See also

• Anti-Christ
• beast