An end-times expert explained the meaning of the Antichrist, who it is, and the possibility of Russian President Vladimir Putin fitting the description of the said biblical figure in line with statements made by Ukrainian Orthodox Church Archbishop of the Kyiv Patriarchate Yevstratiy Zoria about it.
Faithwire said "Interview With the Antichrist" author Jeff Kinley explained the biblical meaning of the Antichrist in a follow-up interview with them on the prophecies of the Prophet Ezekiel on "Gog and Magog."
In the interview, Kinley said the word Antichrist was mentioned five times in the Bible. He said that the Antichrist will come seven years before the end of the world's history. Kinley cited several biblical verses that predict the coming of the Antichrist.
"He'll basically be a global leader. He'll be the global leader of the planet," Kinley said.
Kinley pointed out that Putin does not fit the frame of who the Antichrist is in the Bible, who will come "through a peace platform" and not through invasion or war. He clarified that Revelation 6:1 indicated the Antichrist to have a bow for a weapon yet it has no arrows. He then cited Daniel 9:27 as the beginning when the Antichrist "launched his career" by making a "peace covenant" with the Jewish people.
Zoria stated that Putin is the Anti-Christ during an interview with BBC "Global News Podcast" last February 27, just a few days when Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Zoria made the statements after disclosing that Putin regarded himself to be the savior that will unite the Eastern Orthodox churches yet his actions ironically prove otherwise.
"(Putin is) really not messianic, but really (the) anti-Christ of our current time...Yes, he is anti-Christ because everything that he does, everything that he does now, is totally against Gospel, against God's law (sic)," Zoria said.
Kinley agreed with Zoria in stating that the spirit of the Antichrist is alive during our times and in the past as seen by many prominent figures in history. He named the Greek king Antiochus Epiphanes who lived in 167 B.C. as one of them. Epiphanes invaded the Jewish temple where he slaughtered a pig and erected an altar and statue to himself afterward. Other more recent Antichrist figures are the Roman Emperor Nero and the German leader Adolf Hitler.
However, Kinley clarified that the real Antichrist the Bible is referring to would be distinctly different since he is able to wield global control. He underscored that despite the characteristics and descriptions given in the Bible about the Antichrist, it would be hard to particularly identify who this figure will be.
"If you do know who he is, then bad news: You're in the tribulation period," Kinley stressed.
Kinley highlighted Revelation 13 where it mentioned a "beast out of the sea" and a "beast out of the Earth." He revealed his belief that the Antichrist would be the first beast mentioned in the prophetic book, since the latter one would be eventually called in the Bible as a "false prophet."
As per Kinley, the false prophet will persecute Christians and will be the one to enact the Mark of the Beast, which is symbolized by the number 666. This number, he said would be the identifier for the Antichrist. Thus, the second beast mentioned in Revelations pertains to the promoter of the Antichrist and acts as his spokesperson and henchman.
In the Bible, the book of Revelation details that the beast from the earth has "two horns like a lamb" yet speaks similarly as does a dragon. The beast of the earth has the power to take on a very different form, as well as, to make the world worship him despite slandering God.
Kinley also raised that his approach to understanding the Holy Scriptures, as with other scholars, is through an historical textual, historical, and grammatical. This approach, he said, may differ because the Apostle John used methaphors and symbols in the book of Revelation.
"When you read revelation just at face value you come to the conclusion that, yes there will be a real antichrist. He will be a real person. He will be a man he will rise in the last days and he will rule the existing world," Kinley said.
