The Antichrist, Beasts, the Man of Lawlessness, and 666

by Gary DeMar

On March 30, 1981, six shots cracked across the air outside the Washington Hilton and the president of the United States crumpled toward his limousine. Within minutes, reports were circulating that a top White House official was dead, that the president had suffered a near-fatal wound, and that he had somehow survived.

For Christians in the 1980s who saw "Antichrist" and "666" hiding behind every headline, Ronald Wilson Reagan-three six-letter names, a bullet, a wound, a "death" announced and then reversed —looked like the perfect candidate for the Beast of
Revelation. In The Antichrist, Beasts, the Man of Lawlessness, and 666, Gary DeMar shows how moments like that are not unique.

Across history, sincere believers have repeatedly "found" the Beast in popes, dictators, presidents, barcodes, credit cards, and even children's characters-because their own interpretive methods virtually guaranteed they would. This book exposes how those speculative systems work, why they keep failing, and how they can quietly deceive God's people. More importantly, it offers a careful, historically rooted, and thoroughly biblical approach to prophecy-one that takes time texts seriously, honors the original audience, and helps you read Revelation and the rest of Scripture with clarity, confidence, and conviction, unlocking God's Word without chasing the latest prophetic fad.

161 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 14, 2025

About the author

Gary is a graduate of Western Michigan University (1973) and earned his M.Div. at Reformed Theological Seminary in 1979. In 2007, he earned his Ph.D. in Christian Intellectual History from Whitefield Theological Seminary. Author of countless essays, news articles, and more than 27 book titles, he also hosts The Gary DeMar Show, and History Unwrapped—both broadcasted and podcasted. Gary has lived in the Atlanta area since 1979 with his wife, Carol. They have two married sons and are enjoying being grandparents to their grandson. Gary and Carol are members of Midway Presbyterian Church (PCA).

Reviews

[Alan Fuller · Rating 2 out of 5]

"There is no temple in heaven (Rev. 21:22)." Loc 543

So Gary Demar says. It’s not just 21:22, he uses chapter 11 to support that idea. In 21:22 God and the Lamb are its temple (Rev 21:22). The heavenly temple is mentioned throughout Revelation, primarily as a place of worship, judgment, and the presence of God. Key references include Revelation 11:19, 15:5-8, 8:3-5, and 7:15.

So why does Demar deny that there is a temple in heaven? (Eph 2:18-22) Because he wants to focus on earthly things and the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

Christians have traditionally connected John’s epistles, the beasts of Revelation 13, and 2nd Thessalonians 2 when describing the Antichrist. Demar breaks this up into different people and things. That’s because he wants to say 666 represents Nero. He filters Scripture through a Roman history book. Strangely enough, he also says it could be King Solomon. Which is it?