Antichrist
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Will the Antichrist be visible before the Rapture?
But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.
Looking at the whole of Scripture, I don't think we will be certain about the identity of the Antichrist before the Rapture, but I do believe the rise of the Antichrist and global government will be part of the signs for believers, like birth pangs, indicating the nearness of the Rapture. The full revealing of the Antichrist will happen at the signing of the 7-year pact, after the Rapture, and especially when the whole world is forced to take his mark. On the other hand, it's not unlikely that we may have a strong suspicion about the identity of the Antichrist before the Rapture. Why would the "falling away" and the man of sin be mentioned as indications of the nearness of the Day of the Lord, if we will have no recognition of the man of sin before the Rapture?
Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition
This verse tells us the "falling away" (apostasia) and the revealing of the Antichrist will occur before the Day of the Lord, where He destroys the Antichrist with the brightness of His Coming (verse 8). Some teach that the falling away is the Rapture. But the word apostasia is used in one other verse in the New Testament (Acts 21:21) and the context seems to be consistent with not enduring sound doctrine.
And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.
These verses talk about He who restrains being taken out of the way, which allows the lawless one to be revealed. Whether this is referring to the restraining ministry of the Holy Spirit, or followers of the Jesus, through whom the Holy Spirit works and restrains, this removal event will logically correspond to the Rapture. These verses provide strong support for a pre-trib Rapture and reinforce the understanding that the Antichrist and the mystery of lawlessness will not be revealed until after the Rapture. On the other hand, "the mystery of lawlessness is already at work", even now, leading up to the Rapture and removal of He who restrains.
I believe these verses are clear the Antichrist will be completely revealed after the Rapture, but the mystery of lawlessness leading to the global government of the Antichrist, partial revealing, is a sign of the times for believers. So we won't know for sure who the Antichrist is, this side of the Rapture, but I think these verses indicate that we can observe (and are now observing) the assembling of the global government and even the Antichrist himself (though not known with certainty). In fact, these are specific signs that make us aware the Day of the Lord is approaching fast, and before that, the Rapture!
Have there always been Antichrist candidates?
Identity template in the Bible:
Assyrian
It's likely the the Antichrist will be Assyrian, based on multiple passages throughout the Bible that appear to point to that individual. The whole chapter of Micah 5 appears to be a timeline of Israel, from the first coming of the Messiah to His second coming and final judgement. The reference to the Assyrian appears to be a reference to the one we would call the Antichrist.
Mic 5:5 ...When the Assyrian comes into our land...
Zelensky
Is Zelensky Assyrian? To most of the world he is Ukrainian (whatever that really means); to the Jews he is Jewish, but in fact he may be something else. Significant Assyrian populations are present throughout Ukraine, including Zelensky's hometown of Kryvyi Rih.
In stark contrast to his Jewish background, he has the unlikely endorsement of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the tentative endorsement of the Arab League, and gives particular interest to participating in iftar with Muslims. Additionally, he has always enjoyed a strong backing from the Pope.
He's survived an uncanny number of assassination attempts.
Seems to be a goal of most current world leaders to pay their respects:
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USA |
Congress, Joe Biden, President Trump, Lindsay Graham, Janet Yellen, Mitch McConnell, George W. Bush, William Burns |
| UK |
Rishi Sunak, Boris Johnson, James Cleverly |
| Italy | |
| France | |
| Germany |
Stolz & Macron, Annalena Baerbock |
| Saudi Arabia | |
| EU |
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| UN |
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Headlining G-something summits:
Meetings with non-government entities:
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This will send chills up your spine...
