This is the second in a series of four lectures by Newman on
The Patristical Idea of Antichrist, the first lecture of which we released back in January. Whereas the first lecture considered “The Times of Antichrist”
, this second lecture addresses the question of whether the Antichrist will profess any particular religion at all.
On the one hand, Antichrist will not only reject Christ—he will oppose all religion, all worship, and all that is called God. On the other hand, the Antichrist will be mistaken for the Christ. He will impersonate the Messiah, and therefore will have some connection to Jewish custom, ritual, and the Temple. Further, he will usher in a novel form of false worship, and will do so even as he restores the old Roman Empire.