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THE PERSONALITY OF THE ANTICHRIST
By searching the scriptures, we can paint a mosaic of the
personality of this end time figure. A troubled society produces
the atmosphere for a dictator, and his personality will draw most
of the people of the world to him. We are told in Daniel that he
will be a master of intrigue, he will succeed in whatever he
does, he will be completely wicked and "stern-faced", and he will
destroy many:
Daniel 8:23-25 - "In the latter part of their reign,
when rebels have become completely wicked, a stern-faced
king, a master of intrigue, will arise. He will become
very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause
astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he
does. He will destroy the mighty men and the holy
people.
He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider
himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy
many and take his stand against the Prince of princes.
Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power."
However, it must be understood that when this man appears,
he will not appear "stern-faced" at the beginning. He will
appear the opposite - a man of peace, love, and concern for the
world. His emergence will be that of a benevolent dictator, with
the unity of mankind most likely being his theme. He will appear
as the Savior who is promised or vaguely imagined in all
confessions and traditions, who will judge according to the
measure of worldly people. Everything about this great deceiver
will be so good, reasonable, and acceptable that one will have to
have very good reason and a lot of courage to remain calm and
negative about him against all public opinion and against a
whirlwind of enthusiasm. He will be the epitome of deception
and his machinations will not be realized by the world until his
reign is half completed. It is difficult to not compare him with
Hitler, another dictator of our time. When he first came to
power, he so mesmerized the people of his time and country that
they literally worshipped him. William Shirer, author of The
Rise and Fall of the Third Reich wrote, "Today, as far as the
vast majority of his fellow-countrymen are concerned, he (Hitler)
has reached a pinnacle never before achieved by a German ruler.
He has become - even before his death - a myth, a legend, almost
a god..."
He will acknowledge no god other than the material ones:
Daniel 11:37,38 - "He will show no regard for the gods of his
fathers or for the one desired by women, nor will he regard any
god, but will exalt himself above them. Instead of them, he will
honor a god of fortresses; a god unknown to his fathers he will
honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly
gifts." He will be boastful: Daniel 7:8 - "While I was thinking
about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one,
which came up among them; and three of the first horns were
uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a man and
a mouth that spoke boastfully." As Daniel 11:37 states, "He will
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