ANTICHRIST 101 (Who, What, When, Where, Why & How) – Part 5

Continued from Part 4.

WHAT

What is the Antichrist? Think about it! The Holy Bible tells us in Revelation:

“And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion:” Revelation 13:1a AKJV

1st-beast-of-revelation-13

We have already established in Part 2 that this beast refers to the Antichrist so there are three things here to consider about him.

  • …like unto a leopard
  • …feet were as the feet of a bear
  • …mouth as the mouth of a lion

This scripture gives us much information about WHAT he is. Firstly, it says the Antichrist is like unto a leopard. In the book of Daniel, it is written:

“After this I beheld, and see another, like a leopard, which had on the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.” Daniel 7:6 AKJV

Biblical scholars agree that the leopard in Daniel represented the old Grecian empire. Vine’s Expository Dictionary, says the word leopard corresponds to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance #3917, and is: “symbolic of the activities of Alexander the Great, and the formation of the Grecian kingdom, the third seen in the vision there recorded.“

However, in Revelation, the Antichrist/beast is only ‘like’ the leopard in Daniel. This simply means that his kingdom will have similar characteristics of Alexander’s old Grecia. Vine’s affirms this where it is stated: “…the imperial power, described there (Rev.13:1) also as a “beast,” is seen to concentrate in himself the characteristics of those mentioned in Daniel 7.” See this LINK. Understanding Alexander’s kingdom, in the context of the swiftness with which it swept through the region at the time, will give more insight as to the Antichrist’s character.

Secondly, the scripture says the Antichrist’s feet were as the feet of a bear. Daniel said:

“And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.” Daniel 7:5 AKJV

Some Bible commentaries say that the bear in Daniel represented the Medo-Persian empire mentioned in Daniel 5:28, the raising up on one side represented the dominance of the Persians over the Medes, and the three ribs Babylon, Lydia and Egypt.

Gill’s Exposition (<— see link) “describes the Medes and Persians as a fierce and cruel people” and tells us Sir Isaac Newton and Bishop Chandler understood the three ribs to be “Babylon, Lydia, and Egypt; which countries were ground and oppressed by the Medes and Persians, as the ribs of any creature are ground in the mouth of a bear.“

However, in Revelation, the Antichrist/beast only has ‘the feet’ of a bear. Since the Medo-Persian empire was a cruel, blood-thirsty, pillaging empire, understanding this will give more insight into WHAT the Antichrist will be like and his possible limitations.

Thirdly, the scripture says the Antichrist’s mouth will be as the mouth of a lion. Daniel wrote:

“The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked…” Daniel 7:4a AKJV

Again scholars agree that the lion symbolized the Babylonians. “The first was like a lion,…. That which rose up first, the kingdom of the Babylonians, as the Syriac version expresses it; or the Assyrian monarchy, founded by Nimrod, increased by the Assyrians, and brought to its height under Nebuchadnezzar by the Babylonians and Chaldeans; this is said to be like a “lion” for its strength and power, for its greatness, dignity, and majesty; the same with the head of gold in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream“. See Gill’s Exposition.

In fact, Babylon has been compared to a lion in scripture (Jer.4:7) as well as to an eagle (Jer.48:40).

However, in Revelation, only the Antichrist/beast’s mouth is like ‘the mouth’ of the lion. This gives us a glimpse into WHAT he will be like and also tells us that his talk will be strong, powerful, great and majestic. The scripture says he will have “lying wonders” and “deceivableness of unrighteousness” and many people will be deluded and believe his lies (2 Thess.2:9-10).

These images painted a vivid picture of the old Grecian, the old Medo-Persian and the old Babylonian empires. Leopards, bears and lions are very powerful animals. The leopard’s power is it’s swiftness; the bear’s power is in it’s claw or feet, and the lion’s power is in it’s mouth, both in it’s roar and in it’s ferocious bite. The Antichrist is described as having characteristics synonymous with those of these old empires. This is also a vivid portrait of WHAT the Antichrist is.

Continued in Part 6. Also see my comment below.

ANTICHRIST 101 (Who, What, When, Where, Why & How) – Part 5