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As the Church reflects on the second coming of Jesus Christ during the final weeks of Ordinary Time and into the first few weeks of Advent, the topic of the "Antichrist" will inevitably come to the surface.
It is a teaching of the Catholic Church that is highly mysterious, and biblical references do not shed much light on the situation.
Yet, the Church has an official teaching on the Antichrist, explained in detail in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
A final deception
As with all aspects of Jesus' second coming, every age has thought they were living in the "last days."
St. Thomas Aquinas points out in his Summa Theologiae that the early Christians thought they were living in the "end times" and that the Antichrist was near, if not already there in the form of the Roman Emperors.
This is why the Church even mentions that the Antichrist's deception has been active since the first coming of Christ.
As with the final days of this world, we won't know for certain whether or not the Antichrist is present in the world. In many ways he has already come and has been with us for centuries.
Throughout this final trial of faith, the key is to stay closely united to Jesus Christ, not wavering in our belief, but trusting that he will lead us to our final home. We may never know who the Antichrist will be, but we do know Jesus Christ and can follow him.
