You got the title right—this post is about the death and resurrection of the Antichrist, not Jesus. Billions of people have good knowledge about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, but how many know about the death and resurrection of the Antichrist? Probably not as many. And after reading this post, you should have a pretty good understanding of it as well.
Who or what is the antichrist?
Of course, “anti” means against, or opposed to. In this respect there are many who are “anti” Christ. And that’s what John told us in his first letter:
Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come. These people left our churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us.
1 John 2:18-19, NLT
So, of all the antichrists out there throughout time, there will be one who stands out above the rest. From doing a comprehensive, topical study on the Antichrist, we can learn much from the pages of the Bible. He is discussed in many places in the Old and New Testaments. There have been many descriptions of this vile creature, with many names associated with him.
Here are some facts that we can say about Antichrist:
- He is a human being; not a demon or fallen angel.
- He is a male.
- He is a ruler; a leader, both politically and militarily.
- He is from the area on Earth known as the Caucasus in Asia, which lies between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. It includes:
- Southern Russia
- Georgia
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Turkey
- He will form an alliance of mostly muslim nations to attack Israel.
- He will be the first World-Leader.
- He will claim to be god, and demand worship from everyone on Earth.
- He will lead a huge army to fight against Jesus and His followers at Armageddon.
- He will be killed when Jesus returns to Earth.
- He will be the first being thrown into the Lake of Burning Sulfur.
Things we don’t yet know about him include:
- His name.
- His home nation.
- His age or date of birth.
- The dates of his reign.
- Many other facts.
Some Key Scriptures about Antichrist
To really understand this man, we need to dig a bit into the Word of God with an open mind that is considering all of the facts. We need to pay attention and use a bit of logical reasoning. Don’t think that the Bible makes this easy for us all of the time. In fact, many of the verses are not easy to understand at first. Because of this, it isn’t easy to find two scholars who agree on every aspect of this central figure in eschatology (study of the end times). Therefore, what you are about to read will be rejected by many expositors and teachers. But I stand by my assertions, because I have carefully investigated them all and they are the result of sound logic.
Gog and Antichrist are the same man
Right away, not everyone agrees with this assertion. But let’s look at the facts and see if it is logical.
We use some important end-times scriptures to shed light on this topic. First is Ezekiel 38 (the whole chapter). Verses 1 and 2 start us off with this:
This is another message that came to me from the Lord: “Son of man, turn and face Gog of the land of Magog, the prince who rules over the nations of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him.”
Ezekiel 38:1-2, NLT
Tradition tells us that Magog is the land between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. We call this area the Caucasus today. As mentioned above, it is made up of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey. This means that the Antichrist could be from any of those nations. Just because Russia is currently the strongest of those nations does not necessarily mean that he will be Russian, but it is possible. He may even have ties to all of the above nations.
There are a few verses that refer to Antichrist coming out of the North. Daniel 11:40-45, Ezekiel 38:15, Ezekiel 39:2 talk of an invader from the north coming into Israel. Now, I just jumped into saying that Antichrist came from the north, using two verses from Ezekiel 38 and 39. So why did I do that when those verse are speaking of Gog? It is from carefully reading both Daniel and Ezekiel, along with any other verse that speaks of Antichrist, to see if there are similarities and points of convergence between the prophets’ descriptions of their main antagonist.
It seems to me that the main point of contention against Gog not being Antichrist is that a lot of teachers claim that Gog appears before Antichrist. Certainly, Antichrist could not appear prior to Gog, so at least they got that part right. But will Gog show up before Antichrist or are they here at the same time? If they are here at the same time, it seems difficult to believe that there are two conquering leaders on the same scene at the same time, especially if both are the narcissists they seem to be. I mean, “this town ain’t big enough for the two of us”, certainly seems appropriate here. Plus, all reference to Antichrist shows him as being a kind of uncontested ruler with absolute authority. Yes, he has a second-in-command henchman, called the false prophet, but he’s clearly not the same guy.
So, let’s see what indicators we have to show WHEN Gog shows up and WHEN Antichrist shows up. This gets interesting.
A long time from now you will be called into action. In the distant future you will swoop down on the land of Israel, which will be enjoying peace after recovering from war and after its people have returned from many lands to the mountains of Israel.
Ezekiel 38:8
Ezekiel is talking about Gog. Notice that his attack is in the distant future (from Ezekiel’s point of view) and is after Israel returns from many lands after recovering from war. This fits with WWII perfectly. I’ll go with that. But this isn’t exactly a precise timing indicator is it? Let’s keep going.
You and all your allies—a vast and awesome army—will roll down on them like a storm and cover the land like a cloud.
Ezekiel 38:9
In the very next verse, we see that Gog does the exact same thing that Antichrist does in Daniel.
The king of the north will storm out with chariots, charioteers, and a vast navy. He will invade various lands and sweep through them like a flood. He will enter the glorious land of Israel, and many nations will fall, but Moab, Edom, and the best part of Ammon will escape.
Daniel 11:40b-41
So both Gog and Antichrist successfully invade Israel. A little later in Ezekiel 38, the prophet says something very interesting about Gog:
This is what the Sovereign Lord asks: Are you the one I was talking about long ago, when I announced through Israel’s prophets that in the future I would bring you against my people?
Ezekiel 38:17
“Are you the one”—pretty much ruling out the possibility that there will be two rulers doing the same thing at the same time. To me, this is clearly speaking of Antichrist, since he was foretold in more than one prophetic tale. Now we have two details that point to Gog being Antichrist. But wait, there’s more.
But this is what the Sovereign Lord says: When Gog invades the land of Israel, my fury will boil over!
Ezekiel 38:18
“My fury will boil over!” Sounds like God’s wrath to me. Could this be a telltale sign that Gog’s entrance into Israel triggers God’s wrath of the end times? I mean the very same wrath of God that is shown in many places in scripture—like Revelation’s trumpets and bowls.
In my jealousy and blazing anger, I promise a mighty shaking in the land of Israel on that day.
Ezekiel 38:19
“A mighty shaking” sounds like a big earthquake. Maybe just like the biggest earthquake ever prophesied about in God’s wrath.
All living things—the fish in the sea, the birds of the sky, the animals of the field, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and all the people on earth—will quake in terror at my presence. Mountains will be thrown down; cliffs will crumble; walls will fall to the earth.
Ezekiel 38:20
Oh, yeah, this is definitely talking about God’s wrath shown in Revelation. “All living things…will quake in terror at my presence.” We know that Jesus will be present above the Earth during His acts of vengeance upon the world. All eyes will see Him. “Mountains will be thrown down; cliffs will crumble; walls will fall to earth.”
… a great earthquake struck—the worst since people were placed on the earth…. the cities of many nations fell into heaps of rubble. So God remembered all of Babylon’s sins, and he made her drink the cup that was filled with the wine of his fierce wrath. And every island disappeared, and all the mountains were leveled.
Revelation 16
Could Ezekiel have said it any clearer, any closer to what John said in the Revelation of Christ? Because of Ezekiel 38, and the description above about God’s wrath, I firmly believe that Gog is present in his invasion of Israel during God’s wrath. What are the odds of him and Antichrist being there at the same time if not the same conquerer?
If someone, anyone, gives reason why Gog and Antichrist are not the same person, investigate very carefully their reasoning for such a claim. I doubt that it will stand up to the clarity of this argument.
But if you need more evidence, look to Ezekiel 39. After Gog’s invasion, God says that His name will never be profaned again, that His people will live in peace and security forevermore, and all the nations will know that the Lord is Jesus.
“In this way, I will demonstrate my glory to the nations. Everyone will see the punishment I have inflicted on them and the power of my fist when I strike. And from that time on the people of Israel will know that I am the Lord their God. The nations will then know why Israel was sent away to exile—it was punishment for sin, for they were unfaithful to their God. Therefore, I turned away from them and let their enemies destroy them. I turned my face away and punished them because of their defilement and their sins.
“So now, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will end the captivity of my people; I will have mercy on all Israel, for I jealously guard my holy reputation! They will accept responsibility for their past shame and unfaithfulness after they come home to live in peace in their own land, with no one to bother them. When I bring them home from the lands of their enemies, I will display my holiness among them for all the nations to see. Then my people will know that I am the Lord their God, because I sent them away to exile and brought them home again. I will leave none of my people behind. And I will never again turn my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit upon the people of Israel. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!”
Ezekiel 39:21-29
Given what Antichrist does to Israel, the above verses from Ezekiel cannot in any way precede Antichrist’s invasion. No. I am resolute in my opinion that Gog does not precede Antichrist. Nor could Antichrist precede Gog. Nor could they both be present in the same place at the same time. Logic (very sound logic) forces me to reject any notion of Gog and Antichrist NOT being the same man. All arguments I have seen to the contrary have at least some fatal flaw in their reasoning. Check it out for yourself.
Death of Antichrist
We know that Antichrist is killed by Christ upon Jesus’ triumphant and glorious return to Earth. We just saw this demonstrated in Ezekiel. But there are some other verses that are more direct in telling us what happens.
Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming.
2 Thessalonians 2:8
“The Man of Lawlessness” is none other than the Antichrist. Paul is clearly showing that Jesus kills Antichrist when Jesus returns. We’ve seen Ezekiel confirm this as well. And Daniel hints at it too.
The ruler will make a treaty with the people for a period of one set of seven, but after half this time, he will put an end to the sacrifices and offerings. And as a climax to all his terrible deeds, he will set up a sacrilegious object that causes desecration, until the fate decreed for this defiler is finally poured out on him.”
Daniel 9:27
I’m not going to get into the Tribulation in this post (it’s already long enough), but this verse tells me that Antichrist will meet his end (die) after the Tribulation is over. So this verse gives us another clue as to the timing of his death—after the Tribulation, at Christ’s return. Now this verse does not say that he dies after the Tribulation, it says that half-way into his 7-year treaty with Israel he puts and end to their sacrifices and offerings and that his placing a sacrilegious object is a climax to all of his terrible deeds at that time. But we see in other passages that he is in the place called Armageddon when the Lord returns and that is where he meets his end. The importance of this verse is showing the 7-year term, the abomination that causes desolation, and that he will meet his end sometime after that.
He will stop between the glorious holy mountain and the sea and will pitch his royal tents. But while he is there, his time will suddenly run out, and no one will help him.
Daniel 11:45
This verse in Daniel goes hand-in-hand with Ezekiel’s depiction of Armageddon. This means that Gog and Antichrist die in the same place.
You and your army and your allies will all die on the mountains. I will feed you to the vultures and wild animals.
Ezekiel 39:4
Ezekiel talks of mountains; Daniel talks of valleys. Does this mean that they are talking of different people in a different place? No, because the army of Antichrist is so vast and huge, that it stretches from the Mediterranean Sea to the Dead Sea.
I will drive away these armies from the north.
Joel 2:20
I will send them into the parched wastelands.
Those in the front will be driven into the Dead Sea,
and those at the rear into the Mediterranean.
The stench of their rotting bodies will rise over the land.
So, clearly, the invading armies are spread out all across Israel when they meet their demise. This means it doesn’t matter if one prophet discusses mountains and another valleys, since the Antichrist’s armies are spread out over both.
Ezekiel tells us that Gog (Antichrist) is thrown into a mass grave with his army.
And I will make a vast graveyard for Gog and his hordes in the Valley of the Travelers, east of the Dead Sea.
Ezekiel 39:11
Isaiah also talks of him being in a mass grave:
“The kings of the nations lie in stately glory,
Isaiah 14:18-21, NLT
each in his own tomb,
but you will be thrown out of your grave
like a worthless branch.
Like a corpse trampled underfoot,
you will be dumped into a mass grave
with those killed in battle.
You will descend to the pit.
You will not be given a proper burial,
for you have destroyed your nation
and slaughtered your people.
The descendants of such an evil person
will never again receive honor.
Kill this man’s children!
Let them die because of their father’s sins!
They must not rise and conquer the earth,
filling the world with their cities.”
So, it’s pretty well undisputed that Antichrist is killed at Armageddon and so is Gog. They are the very same man. So let’s now look at what happens next.
Antichrist Resurrected
One thing that puzzled me about Antichrist was in reading Revelation 19.
Then I saw the beast and the kings of the world and their armies gathered together to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army. And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast—miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue. Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came from the mouth of the one riding the white horse. And the vultures all gorged themselves on the dead bodies.
Revelation 19:19-21
Why did this passage puzzle me so? It seems contradictory to what we know about Antichrist—that he is killed at Armageddon. “Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.” “Thrown alive” is a very puzzling statement to me, knowing that he was killed. What did John mean by this?
When one verse out of many seems to contradict the many, we have to roll up our sleeves and get into the weeds of the text. We have to answer the question, “What did John mean, ‘thrown alive’, when all indication is that he was dead?
I believe that the answer can be found in the same book from John—Revelation. It is John who tells us that all the souls who rejected the Cross of Christ will be resurrected to judgment at the Final Judgment.
The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years had ended.
Revelation 20:5 (partial quote)
I should just mention, briefly, that Jesus reigns on Earth for 1,000 years after Antichrist is killed. During that time, Satan is thrown into something called The Abyss. After the thousand years are up, Satan is released and inspires mankind to again rebel against Jesus, but goes straight to the Lake of Burning Sulfur afterward, the same one that Antichrist and his false prophet were thrown into a thousand years earlier. All of mankind who do not accept Jesus as Savor will be thrown into this Lake of Fire. Notice, though, that before anyone is judged, they “come back to life” to face judgment.
When someone “comes back to life” we call that a resurrection. Jesus was the first to come back to life in His resurrection. And just as Jesus was the first to be resurrected, I believe that the Antichrist will be the first to face judgment in the Lake of Fire.
So when John says that Antichrist and his false prophet were thrown “alive” into the Lake of Fire, I believe that he is indicating that they were first brought back to life (resurrected), and that they were keenly aware of what was happening to them and why. This is the only interpretation of this text that makes sense to me, given the larger context of Antichrist definitely dying in Israel. What do you think?
I hope that you have enjoyed this brief look into the worst, most despicable person to ever walk the earth. And remember, no matter how bad life on Earth is under this villain, in the end Jesus wins—which means that WE win!
Be blessed in the knowledge of the supremacy of Christ.
Gary
