I heard about a man who bought his wife a beautiful diamond ring for Christmas. But his decision confused his friend, who said, “Wow, you bought her a diamond ring? I thought she wanted one of those four-wheel-drive vehicles.”

“Well, she did,” he replied. “But where am I going to find a fake Jeep?”

If something is good, there always will be imitators. And that’s who the Antichrist will be. The prefix anti- not only means “against,” but it also means “instead of.” So the Antichrist will be a false Christ sent by Satan himself. He’s an imitation of the real Jesus.

On the Mount of Olives, the disciples asked Jesus, “Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (Matthew 24:3).

Jesus replied, “Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” (verses 4–5).

The Antichrist will be a false Messiah, and some will believe that he is the Messiah. He will be history’s vilest embodiment of sin and rebellion. But he’s not going to be what some may expect. He’ll be suave, intelligent, charming, engaging, magnetic, and charismatic. He even will solve the Middle East peace puzzle. But then he will show who he really is.

So why even give a passing thought to someone as evil as the Antichrist? Because the Bible contains more than 100 passages detailing his career, nationality, character, kingdom, and final doom. So we need to understand what his agenda is and what he will attempt to do.

But remember, as dark as this period of time will be, God is sovereign over all history. History is His story. God is in control, and we don’t have to be afraid.

Greg Laurie is an evangelist, author, and the senior pastor of Harvest Riverside.