Signs of the Antichrist

The Antichrist is a Biblical figure who inspires both great curiosity and fear. As a result, he’s someone that many people somewhat understandably spend a lot of time trying to identify. But who is he?

A friend recently saw President Trump’s “Trump Gaza” ad featuring (among other things) a golden statute of himself, which eerily resembled many artistic renditions of Nebuchadnezzar’s statue. So she asked me if I thought President Trump might be the Antichrist. I thought the question provides an opportunity to look more closely at what the Bible says, so that’s what I want to do here.

Before I get into the Biblical signs of the Antichrist, I want to make a few observations: first, even though I believe there is coming a personal Antichrist figure, I fully recognize that there have been many antichrists that have already gone out into the world (1 John 2:18); second, while some people differentiate between “the Antichrist”, “the Man of Sin”, and “the Beast”, I interpret these as the same figure; third, I believe that while these signs have been given to us so that we might not be unprepared for these events, I also believe we must exercise a sober mind so that we’re not caught up in sensationalism or fear of whatever is happening in the moment. Our explorations of such questions will benefit greatly from some degree of “humility” and “meekness” in how we hold our views.

So, having said that, here are some of the Biblical signs that will identify the coming Antichrist figure:

Seated in the Temple of God (2 Thessalonians 2:4, Daniel 9:27). He will take his seat “in the temple of God, proclaiming that he himself is God” (2 Thess. 2:4). Most interpret this sign as a literal re-built temple in Jerusalem, while others like myself see this as a reference to the Church, which is the true temple of God, and, therefore, connect this to the great apostasy described below, expecting the Antichrist to be instrumental in causing the great rebellion. Should this be the case, then the Antichrist will actually exercise influence over Christians and lead them in rebellion to God, which means we should expect someone to whom many Christians look to follow, but who is worldly and does not lead people in Jesus’ way.

Lawlessness and Rebellion (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). He is called “the man of lawlessness” (2 Thess. 2:3) and will exalt himself “above every so-called god or object of worship” (2 Thess. 2:4). His coming is associated with a great rebellion (apostasy) (2 Thess. 2:3). He will exalt himself so that people listen to him rather than to God, rendering their fidelity and obedience to him instead of giving the worship of their lives to God, which we’re told is what true worship really is.

Global Political and Economic Power (Revelation 13:16-17). He will establish a system where “no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark of the beast” (Rev. 13:17), which is the number 666 (Revelation 13:18). This number is “the number of a man” (Rev. 13:18). Out of all the signs, this one is most difficult to interpret, but I’ve written on this more extensively here. The essential element necessary to this sign is that the Antichrist will be an influential figure who exercises political and economic power on a global scale, quite possibly through some kind of federation, union, or system of alliances.

Opposes and Persecutes the Saints (Revelation 13:7, Daniel 7:25). He will “wage war against the saints and conquer them” (Rev. 13:7). He will “speak words against the Most High and oppress the holy ones” (Dan. 7:25). Although he will initially exercise enough influence in the Church that he is able to lead many into the great rebellion, he will ultimately turn against those Christians who remain true to God and violently persecute them.

Deception and False Miracles (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10, Matthew 24:24). The man of lawlessness will come “with all kinds of false miracles, signs, and wonders” (2 Thess. 2:9). Jesus warned that “false messiahs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, even the elect” (Matt. 24:24). He will have Satanic power and dominion (Revelation 13:2, 2 Thessalonians 2:9). The beast “was given power by the dragon (Satan)” (Rev. 13:2) and operates “by Satan’s working” (2 Thess. 2:9). He will be a figure who accomplishes the seemingly impossible because he is empowered by Satan himself. We know that due to the trouble of his time, people will be crying out for peace and security right before sudden destruction comes upon them (1 Thess. 5:3), so one possible great sign that he might accomplish is establishing a deceptive covenant of peace (Dan. 9:27) that he will use to bring about the “abomination of desolation”. So, although we’re not told precisely what great signs he will accomplish, we know they will be “false” or “deceiving” signs.

A Wounded but Resurrected Beast (Revelation 13:3, 12). The beast appears to have “a fatal wound in his head, but his fatal wound was healed and the whole earth was amazed and followed the beast” (Rev. 13:3), which might be interpreted as either a literal wound to the head like an assassination attempt or as symbolic of some political loss that appears permanent and until he regains power (or both).

Assisted by a False Prophet (Revelation 13:11-15). A second beast (often called the False Prophet) “performs great signs” and “makes the earth and those who live on it worship the first beast” (Rev. 13:13-14). The Antichrist will be empowered by some kind of false prophet, who greatly increases the Antichrist’s reach, fame, and power. Although I don’t discount the possibility, I don’t necessarily expect him to perform authentic miracles like Jesus performed, nor do I expect them to be counterfeit miracles like con-artists perform. Rather, I expect these to be things that are not really miracles which are received as if they were miracles, which blind, deceive, and mislead people in the same way that Pharaoh’s magicians performed signs to harden his heart and deceive him. He will do what seems to be the impossible, and these things will deceive the world.

At the end of the day we must all keep in mind that the Antichrist will ultimately be defeated by Christ (2 Thessalonians 2:8, Revelation 19:19-21). The Lord Jesus will “destroy him with the breath of his mouth and bring him to nothing at his coming” (2 Thess. 2:8). The beast and the false prophet will be “thrown alive into the lake of fire” (Rev. 19:20). While these will afflict the earth with great difficulty for a while, they will be defeated by Jesus’ return and the Saints will receive their inheritance in the Kingdom of God!

So, is President Trump the Antichrist?

Whenever I’m asked if any figure is the Antichrist, my answer is always to line that figure up with these signs: while president Trump is certainly positioned to potentially fulfill a few of these signs, he doesn’t clearly fulfill any of them. For example, he is an immoral man who somehow exercises incredible influence on Christians, which positions him as someone who could lead the Church into the great rebellion against God, yet he hasn’t proclaimed himself to be God, nor has he clearly succeeded in causing the great rebellion. He suffered a political loss in 2020 that appeared to end his political career and then retook power in 2024, as well as suffering an assassination attempt to his head, which could be taken as a (relatively soft) fulfillment of the wounded-head prophecy. And President Trump’s return to power has been empowered by Elon Musk, who could be positioned to be interpreted as his false prophet, and who has helped position him on the global stage for political and economic control, he doesn’t yet have such power, and Elon hasn’t caused the world to worship Trump or receive his mark, nor are they persecuting Christians. And, finally, we’re not seeing him perform anything that is being received as some kind of “great sign” or “miracle”. So, my answer is that President Trump has not been revealed as the Antichrist at this point in time, but our eyes should remain open and our minds should remain sober.