Antichrist in the Third Temple

Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. 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, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 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. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion that they should believe the lie that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

(2 Thessalonians 2:1-12)

The third and final sign identified in this passage is the Antichrist seated in the Third Temple. The question then arises: how does the Antichrist come to occupy that position? To answer this, we must first consider how he emerges onto the world stage. (A detailed discussion on the subject of the Antichrist can be found in my series Reign of the Anti-Christ.)

For the purpose of this discussion, a few essential points should be noted: first, the Antichrist is a hybrid being—part angel and part man. Secondly, because he is part angelic, he is therefore also immortal. Finally, he is presently being held captive in the bottomless pit.

"And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined. Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate."

(Daniel 9:26-27)

At the appointed time, the Antichrist will emerge as the Muslim saviour known as al-Mahdi (“the guided one”), who is believed to appear in the end times to eradicate evil and injustice and lead the Muslims to global dominion. Having risen to power over a confederation of ten Islamic nations with a combined population exceeding six hundred and fifty million, the world will be alarmed by his sudden appearance and meteoric rise. As his influence grows, Muslims worldwide will anticipate the fulfilment of his prophetic role in establishing Islamic rule across the earth.

Nations with significant Muslim populations will become increasingly uneasy, but one nation in particular—Israel—will be deeply alarmed. Their concern will stem from their expulsion of Muslim populations from the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and southern Lebanon, and from their destruction of Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem. Convinced that the Antichrist intends to target them for conquest, Israel will begin preparing for war.

Yet at this crucial moment, the Antichrist will reveal his craftiness and duplicity. Instead of advancing the expected agenda of Muslim conquest, he will propose something entirely unexpected—a seven-year covenant of peace.

In the Daniel passage cited above, “the prince who is to come” refers to the Antichrist. Here we see his deceitfulness: he will “confirm a covenant with many for one week,” meaning he will establish a seven-year non-aggression pact between the Muslim world and other nations, including Israel. Relieved by the prospect of peace, the nations will eagerly agree to the treaty.

Why, then, will the Antichrist initiate this covenant? Two reasons are plausible. First, he will seek to lower the world’s guard—Israel’s included—while secretly preparing for war. Secondly, and more importantly, the false prophet will not yet have appeared, and Scripture reveals that the Antichrist’s full agenda will unfold only after the false prophet’s arrival.

Daniel’s prophecy further reveals that midway through the week, the Antichrist will “bring an end to sacrifice and offering.” In other words, he will break the covenant after three and a half years. During the first half of his reign, aside from orchestrating coups against three opposing Islamic leaders, his rule will appear deceptively peaceful. It is also important to note that during this period, the Antichrist will display few, if any, supernatural powers.

"Therefore when you see the 'Abomination of Desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened.

(Matthew 24:15-22)

In considering how the Antichrist gains access to the Third Temple, we must note that Jesus prophesied two separate destructions of Jerusalem. For each, He gave specific signs warning the church to flee the city.

The first destruction occurred in AD 70, when the Roman army razed Jerusalem. The sign Jesus gave was the sight of armies surrounding the city (Luke 21:5–24). This warning came with no urgency, as believers were afforded ample time to escape. In AD 66, when the Roman forces first besieged the city but withdrew, the church recognized the sign and fled Judea. Four years later, the Romans returned and destroyed Jerusalem—but the church was spared.

The second destruction will occur when the armies of the Antichrist devastate the city. The sign given this time is the “Abomination of Desolation”—the Antichrist standing in the holy place. Unlike the first instance, this sign will come with extreme urgency, as the warning period will be mere hours rather than years. Jesus therefore instructs believers to flee immediately upon witnessing the sign.

How, then, does the Antichrist gain access to the Temple? As leader of the Muslim world, there are only two possible ways: either by invitation from the Israeli government or by conquest. If by conquest, the warning would come too late, since his armies would already control the city. Thus, the only viable option is that he gains access by invitation.

A likely scenario is that, in an effort to strengthen diplomatic ties with the al-Mahdi and the Muslim world, Israel will invite him to attend one of the Jewish feasts in the Temple as an honoured guest. For discerning believers, such an invitation will serve as an early sign to leave Judea in an orderly manner. For others, the moment the Antichrist stands in the Temple will mark their final opportunity to flee before destruction comes.

Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marvelled and followed the beast. So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?" And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If anyone has an ear, let him hear. He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth--by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.

(Revelation 13:1-14)

This passage reveals the event that will serve as the catalyst for Jerusalem’s destruction. As previously noted, it is highly probable that the al-Mahdi will be invited to the Temple as a state dignitary. Because this event will hold immense geopolitical significance, it will be broadcast live across the world.

Jesus’ warning to flee will prove urgent, for something will occur that places believers in immediate mortal danger. Revelation 13 shows that the Antichrist will be mortally wounded by an assassination attempt, likely by a zealous Jewish priest using his sacrificial sword. Yet, because the Antichrist is immortal, his wound will be miraculously healed before the eyes of all. Broadcast live, this spectacle will cause the world to marvel.

This assassination attempt will be a staged event—a false flag operation orchestrated by Satan and the Antichrist to frame the Israeli government. Having believed they shared peaceful relations, Israel will be caught completely off guard. The Antichrist will then use this pretext to invade and destroy the nation.

At that moment, as Paul foretold, the Antichrist will sit “as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” This act will trigger two prophetic countdowns: the final forty-two months of the Antichrist’s reign—known as the Great Tribulation, culminating in the rapture of the church—and the 2,300 days until the Third Temple is cleansed at the Lord’s second coming.

Michael E.B. Maher

Resurrection of the Dead

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