The Antichrist is the most written-about future figure in popular prophecy — and the most misunderstood. Novels, films, and pulpit speculation have produced a caricature: a sinister villain obviously identifiable as evil. But the biblical portrait is more disturbing than that. He rises to power through peace, not war. He's embraced as a savior before he's revealed as a destroyer. He fools almost everyone — because he's designed to.

Last time we identified the major symbolic figures of Revelation 12-13: the woman, the dragon, the manchild. Now we examine the two beasts specifically: the political Antichrist who rises from among the nations and the False Prophet who gives him religious legitimacy.

First, let's examine what this passage tells us about the beast out of the sea. This is symbolic language, and we need to treat it that way.

The sea represents peoples Daniel 7:2, 3Revelation 17:1, 15. The beast in Revelation points to the rise of a kingdom — and more specifically, to the Antichrist, the earthly head of that kingdom Revelation 13:18. It also symbolizes a supernatural spirit out of the Abyss, as we'll see later.

Throughout Scripture, beasts symbolize kingdoms and kings Daniel 2:38, 39Daniel 7:2-7, as well as the supernatural powers controlling those kingdoms. This passage covers the personal Antichrist — his power, where that power comes from, his worship, characteristics, mouth, titles, wars, exaltation, reign, length of reign, and more. Let's walk through these briefly:

1. Who is the Antichrist?

At the present time (1949), this question simply cannot be answered. It will remain unanswerable until the Antichrist personally makes the covenant with Israel for seven years Daniel 9:27.

Many people today, as always, speculate about whether the pope, Stalin, or others might be the Antichrist. This kind of speculation has done tremendous harm to the study of prophecy — many thinking people have become disgusted by it. Plenty of folks have turned their backs on prophetic Scripture because of unfounded guesses about Hitler, Mussolini, or other men who never became the Antichrist.

Here's the bottom line: no man now prominent in world affairs could possibly be the Antichrist. The points below make this clear.

2. From where does he come?

This question is fully answered in our study of Daniel (see Lesson Thirty-nine, Point IV, 2).

3. When is he to be revealed?

When will the Antichrist step into prominence in world affairs? Scripture answers this clearly:

(1) In Daniel 7:24, we have definite proof that the Antichrist cannot be revealed or prominent until after ten kingdoms are formed inside the Roman Empire. According to this verse, those ten kingdoms must first exist for some time as the seventh kingdom, or Revised Rome.

The Antichrist will arise and gain control of all ten kingdoms during the first 3½ years of the Week. By the middle of the Week, he'll be seen as the beast of Rev. 13 coming up out of the sea of humanity — already possessing the seven heads and ten horns he conquered before the Week's midpoint.

His emergence "out of the sea" at mid-Week simply represents the recognition of his power by the ten kingdoms and their acceptance of him, granted by the ten kings and the dragon Revelation 13:2-4Revelation 17:12-17. This verse also teaches that because he rises from within the ten kingdoms, he comes out of obscurity and his rise to power will be rapid. Daniel saw the "little horn" rising so suddenly among the ten that he was bewildered Daniel 7:7-8, 19-24. So no one can identify the Antichrist until after those ten kingdoms are formed.

(2) The Antichrist also cannot be revealed until after the rapture, as proven in 2 Thessalonians 2:6-8 (see Lesson Forty-three, Point VII, 9).

4. How long is he to reign?

He'll reign over one of the ten kingdoms of Revised Rome at the start of the Week. During the last 3½ years, he'll gain power over all ten kingdoms Revelation 13:5Revelation 7:25Revelation 12:7.

It's in those final 3½ years that he'll exalt himself above every god and be worshipped by many of his subjects Revelation 13:14-18Daniel 8:25Daniel 11:36-452 Thessalonians 2:4.

5. Where is he to reign?

During part of the last 3½ years, the Antichrist will reign in Jerusalem "in the glorious holy mountain" where the temple will be rebuilt Daniel 11:45. He'll sit "in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God" 2 Thessalonians 2:4.

This temple is where the abomination of desolation will be placed Daniel 9:27Daniel 12:7-13Matthew 24:15-22Revelation 11:1, 2Revelation 13:12-18. Until then, Babylon — not Rome — will be his place of reign (as we saw in Lesson Thirty-nine, IV, 2, (6)).

The fact that there will be ten separate kingdoms with ten separate capitals and ten separate kings during the first 3½ years shows that up to mid-Week, the Antichrist doesn't have one central capital. The ten kingdoms won't be under him yet. Rome will be just one of those ten capitals, with her king ruling only over Italy and her possessions — not over all of Revised Rome.

Only when the Antichrist becomes head of the ten kingdoms at mid-Week will he establish one central throne in Jerusalem for the entire newly formed empire. Even then, the kings will continue as kings under him Revelation 17:9-17.