Now let us consider the origin of Antichrist. What I say, I do not devise or invent from my own judgment. Rather, I have found all these things written by reading the books carefully.

As our authorities say, Antichrist will be born from the Jewish people, specifically from the tribe of Dan, according to the prophecy that says: “Let Dan be a serpent in the way, a horned snake in the path.” For like a serpent, he will sit in the road and lie in the path, so that he may strike those who walk in the paths of justice and kill them with the venom of his malice.

He will be born from the union of father and mother, like other human beings, and not, as some say, from a virgin alone. Yet he will be conceived wholly in sin, begotten in sin and born in sin. At the very beginning of his conception, the Devil will enter his mother’s womb at the same time, and by the power of the Devil he will be nourished and protected in his mother’s womb, and the power of the Devil will always be with him.

Just as the Holy Spirit came upon the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, overshadowed her by his power and filled her with divinity, so that she conceived by the Holy Spirit and what was born would be divine and holy, so too the Devil will descend into the mother of Antichrist. He will fill her completely, surround her completely, hold her completely and possess her completely, inside and out, so that, with the Devil cooperating, she will conceive through a man, and what is born will be wholly wicked, wholly evil and wholly lost.

For this reason that man is called the son of perdition, because, as much as he is able, he will destroy the human race, and at the end he himself will be destroyed.

You have heard how he will be born. Hear also the place where he must be born. For just as our Lord and Redeemer chose Bethlehem for himself, so that there he might take on humanity and be born for us, so the Devil knows a fitting place for that lost man who is called Antichrist, from which the root of all evils must arise: the city of Babylon. In that city, which was once a famous and glorious city of the Gentiles and the capital of the kingdom of the Persians, Antichrist will be born.

It is said that he will be raised and preserved in the cities of Bethsaida and Chorazin, the cities that the Lord reproaches in the Gospel, saying: “Woe to you, Bethsaida; woe to you, Chorazin.” Antichrist will have magicians, evildoers, diviners and enchanters, who, inspired by the Devil, will nourish him and teach him every kind of wickedness, falsehood, forbidden art and evil craft. Evil spirits will be his leaders, his companions and his inseparable comrades.

Then, coming to Jerusalem, he will slaughter with various tortures all Christians whom he cannot convert to himself, and he will prepare his seat in the holy temple. He will also restore to its former state the destroyed temple that Solomon built for God. He will circumcise himself and will falsely claim that he is the Son of Almighty God. He will first convert kings and princes to himself, and then, through them, the rest of the peoples. He will go to the places through which Christ the Lord walked, and first he will destroy what the Lord made glorious. Then he will send his messengers and preachers throughout the whole world.

His preaching and power will extend from sea to sea, from east to west and from north to north. He will also perform many signs, great and unheard-of miracles. He will make fire come down terrifyingly from heaven, trees suddenly blossom and wither, the sea become stormy and then suddenly calm, natures change into various forms, the course and order of waters be reversed, the air be shaken by winds and by many kinds of disturbances and countless other astonishing things. He will even raise the dead in the sight of human beings, so that, if possible, even the elect may be led into error.

For when even those who are perfect and chosen by God see such great signs, they will wonder whether he is the Christ who, according to the Scriptures, is to come at the end of the world, or not. He will stir up persecution under the whole heaven against Christians and all the elect. He will rise against the faithful in three ways: by terror, by gifts and by miracles. He will give riches of gold and silver to those who believe in him.

Those whom he cannot corrupt with gifts, he will overcome by terror. Those whom he cannot overcome by terror, he will try to seduce with signs and miracles. Those whom he cannot overcome even by signs, he will cruelly kill in the sight of all, after tormenting them with a miserable death.

Then there will be such tribulation as has not been upon the earth from the time when the nations began until that time. Then those who are in the field will flee to the mountains, and the one who is on the roof will not come down into his house to take anything from it.

Then every faithful Christian who is found will either deny God or, if he remains in the faith, will perish by the sword, by the fire of a furnace, by serpents, by beasts or by some other kind of torment. This terrible and fearful tribulation will remain in the whole world for three and a half years. Then the days will be shortened for the sake of the elect. For unless the Lord had shortened the days, no flesh would be saved.

Later, when Antichrist comes to Jerusalem, having been born in the city of Babylon as we said above, he will circumcise himself and say to the Jews: “I am the Christ promised to you. I have come for your salvation, so that I may gather and defend you who have been scattered.” Then all the Jews will stream to him, thinking they are receiving God, but they will receive the Devil.

But so that Antichrist may not come suddenly and unexpectedly, deceiving and destroying the whole human race by his error, two great prophets will be sent into the world before his beginning: Enoch and Elijah. They will arm the faithful of God against the assault of Antichrist with divine weapons. They will instruct them, strengthen them and prepare the elect for battle, teaching and preaching for three and a half years.

These two greatest prophets and teachers will convert to the grace of faith whatever children of Israel are found at that time, and from the pressure of so great a storm they will make them unconquerable among the elect. Then what Scripture says will be fulfilled: “If the number of the children of Israel is like the sand of the sea, a remnant will be saved.”