Pretribulationism: The Antichrist is a literal future man, but this view sees the Church being raptured before his Revelation and persecution.
Preterism: The Antichrist was fulfilled in the first century, so there is no future Antichrist.
Historicism: The Antichrist is manifested in oppressive leaders throughout Church history, so there is no future Antichrist.
Spiritualism: The Antichrist is not literal, instead, he is symbolic of an evil principle in the Church age, so there is no future Antichrist.
Skepticism: God does not want us to know if the Church will encounter the Antichrist, therefore, don’t teach that the Church will encounter the Antichrist.
The prewrath position teaches though that the Church will encounter the Antichrist’s persecution in the future. It is the only view that has the natural reading of Paul’s words:
“Now regarding the arrival of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to be with him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, (2) not to be easily shaken from your composure or disturbed by any kind of spirit or message or letter allegedly from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord is already here. (3) Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not arrive until the rebellion comes and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction. (4) He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, and as a result he takes his seat in God’s temple, displaying himself as God. (5) Surely you recall that I used to tell you these things while I was still with you. (6) And so you know what holds him back, so that he will be revealed in his own time. (7) For the hidden power of lawlessness is already at work. However, the one who holds him back will do so until he is taken out of the way, (8) and then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will destroy by the breath of his mouth and wipe out by the manifestation of his arrival. (9) The arrival of the lawless one will be by Satan’s working with all kinds of miracles and signs and false wonders, (10) and with every kind of evil deception directed against those who are perishing, because they found no place in their hearts for the truth so as to be saved.” (2 Thess 2:1-10.
