The early church fathers were agreed on these following seven points concerning the Antichrist, the man of lawlessness (2Thessalonians 2).
1. That before the end of the world or age, there would be an apostasy, which in its culmination would be not merely a corruption of the Christian faith, but a total denial of it, an apostasy not universal, but very general.
2. That the last representative and leader of this apostasy would be a man, “the man of sin,” “the wicked one,” “the son of perdition,” or “the Antichrist.”
3. That this man would attain to universal dominion, all nations becoming subject to him.
4. That this dominion would continue but a short time, forty-two months, or three and a half years.
5. That he would claim divine honours for himself, and persecute all upholding the faith of Christ, and suppress, as far as possible, all Christian worship.
6. That the time immediately preceding and during his reign would one of great tribulation.
7. That many of the Jews would receive him as their Messiah.
8. That he would be destroyed with his adherents by the Lord at his appearing.
Besides these points of general agreement, there were diverse particular opinions about the person of the Antichrist.
(Samuel James Andrews)
