Experts identify characteristics of the Antichrist, say Satan is ‘grooming’ Earth for his arrival
Satan is grooming the world to prepare it for the coming of the Antichrist, according to podcast hosts who weekly dive into End Times prophecy to dispel myths and share their views for believers and nonbelievers alike.
In an episode of the "Prophecy Pros" podcast that aired last month, co-hosts Jeff Kinley, an author, and Todd Hampson, an author, illustrator and animation producer, talked about the coming of the Antichrist. Kinley described the Antichrist as "the devil with skin on."
The Earth is being “groomed” and “preconditioned” for the coming of the Antichrist, said Kinley, who likened it to how "predators will condition people and groom them for things."
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"[Satan] is seducing the world right now," Kinley said. "He's preparing the way for his man of sin. I call him the devil with skin on. He is Satan’s Superman and he is coming to this Earth. The world can't wait for him. It's dying for him."
Kinley, the author of God's Grand Finale which will be released in June, noted that the Bible highlights characteristics of the Antichrist: "The Antichrist is not just an evil force. It's not just a government. It’s not some sort of movement in the world," he said, but rather, "it's a man."
"And Satan, though he is the prince of the power, of the air, would love nothing more than to have an individual that would represent him; sort of like counterfeiting the Trinity with Satan, counterfeiting the Father; the Antichrist, the Son; and the false prophet, the Holy Spirit,” Kinley said.
“He's going to be an actual man. We know that there are over 100 passages of Scripture that talk about Antichrist. And most people don't realize that."
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Kinley said, "If God talks about him that much, certainly we should too," adding that "we obviously should know about him, because John told us in 1 John 2 and 1 John 4 that the spirit of the Antichrist is already here.”
Kinley, who co-wrote with Hampson The Illustrated Guide to Tough Questions About the End Times, also pointed out that Christians "cannot know who the Antichrist is" and warned against claiming that various modern-day public figures might be the Antichrist.
“I mean, surely there are figures in the world that are Antichrist-like, and that have certain characteristics that we see, really in spades, with the Antichrist himself. But it's really unbiblical, and I think it's a little arrogant to just point out someone and say, ‘Oh, that's the Antichrist!’” Kinley said.
“Scripture calls him ‘the little horn.’ And so, he’s going to rise out of obscurity. He’s going to come out of nowhere. Nobody's going to see him coming. That's the way Satan wants it. He's not playing all of his cards right now. He's holding that one close to his chest. So don't believe anyone if they tell you they think they know who the Antichrist is.”
Kinley contended that the Antichrist will not be revealed until after the Rapture when believers are taken up to Heaven. Therefore, any person who has discovered who the Antichrist really is will have been left behind.
Over the centuries, many have claimed that various major public figures were the Antichrist, including presidents of the United States, various popes and other world leaders.
Michael Youssef, a bestselling author and cultural anthropologist, told The Christian Post in an interview last September that he believed the strict COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns "taught us how easily and how quickly some authoritarian power rises in democracies."
“As authoritarian regimes are rising even in Western democracies, you see this is Satan’s way of preparing the world for the Antichrist,” said Youssef.
“We need to train people how to be faithful in the midst of difficulties. ... Here in America, this is new to us. As much as we should resist it … we should also be prepared as the onslaught comes; how are we going to stand?”
Nicole Alcindor is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: [email protected].
