Who Is the Antichrist? One Billionaire Investor Thinks He Knows

The identity of the Antichrist, the biblical figure said to bring about the end of the world before the return of Jesus, has long fascinated Christians and religious theorists alike.

Now, after millennia of speculation, billionaire tech mogul Peter Thiel thinks he has an idea of who – or what – the Antichrist will look like, and he’s bringing his theories to a series of sold-out talks in San Francisco.

Is the Antichrist among us, and does Peter Thiel know its name?

The Origins of the Antichrist

In the Bible, the Antichrist is portrayed as a deceiving figure who rises to power in the end times, opposing God and persecuting the faithful. The term itself appears explicitly in the letters of John, where it refers both to a singular apocalyptic figure and a general anti-Christian spirit already at work in the world (1 John 2:18, 2 John 1:7).

Elsewhere in scripture, the figure is described in related terms: Paul writes of the “man of lawlessness” who exalts himself above God in 2 Thessalonians 2, while Revelation depicts a beastly ruler empowered by Satan to deceive nations and wage war on the saints (Revelation 13).

Collectively, these passages build the biblical profile of a final adversary who will mislead many before Christ’s return.

In popular culture, the Antichrist has become a symbol of ultimate evil, with cinematic portrayals in the 60s and 70s blending biblical prophecy with modern fears. Horror films like The Omen and Rosemary's Baby imagine him as a child destined to destroy the world, while innumerable thrillers and novels depict him as a smooth-talking politician or global leader ushering in tyranny under the guise of peace.

Through Hollywood blockbusters to airport paperbacks, the Antichrist eventually became less a fixed biblical figure and more a cultural canvas to project society’s anxieties about whom, or what, might be steering humanity toward destruction.

Who is Peter Thiel?

Before we get into Thiel’s theories of the Antichrist, it’s important to know his background. Peter Thiel is one of the world’s wealthiest men, a billionaire who made his fortune with savvy early bets on Silicon Valley juggernauts like PayPal and Facebook. He’s also become a major political kingmaker, bankrolling Vice President JD Vance’s rise to national prominence.

Thiel is well known for his early investments in future tech giants, but his most controversial investment was in Palantir, a data analytics firm he cofounded in 2003. Since then, Palantir’s technology has been deployed across the federal government, powering mass surveillance for agencies including ICE, the NSA, and even the Department of Defense (err... War?).

The Identity of the Antichrist

Thiel has long had a totally-normal obsession with the Antichrist, and is now bringing his theories to wealthy tech figures in a series of sold out, closed-door events.

The first of the four talks took place earlier this month, and though details on Thiel’s lecture are under wraps, his past comments on the subject may offer insight into what the talks will entail. In a previous New York Times interview, Thiel suggested that “the way the Antichrist would take over the world is, you talk about Armageddon nonstop. You talk about existential risk nonstop.”

In other words, Thiel believes the Antichrist won’t necessarily be a charismatic politician, as Christians have long speculated. Instead, he imagines the figure emerging as an activist who weaponizes humanity’s fear of existential threats – from climate change to nuclear war to runaway AI – to consolidate power, usher in a global surveillance state, and impose a one-world government.

At one point, Thiel even floated climate activist Greta Thunberg as a possible candidate.

Protesters, Satanists Flock to Event

The first San Francisco event was met with dozens of protesters who oppose Thiel's worldview. Some critics even accuse Thiel himself of being the shadowy biblical figure.

One protest sign outside the event read “They get rich, we get surveillance, abductions, & genocide,” bearing an image of a smirking Thiel holding a suitcase full of cash.

Many detractors point out the irony in Thiel, a chief architect of tools widely used by the government to track citizens, suggesting the Antichrist would help usher in a global surveillance state.

Adding to the spectacle, a troupe of Satanists showed up dressed in black, clutching Anton LaVey’s Satanic Bible, with inverted crosses painted on their foreheads. Playing the part with tongue firmly in cheek, they mockingly hailed Thiel as their messiah.

“We’ve been looking for a messiah to bring in the end times,” said one woman identified only as "Satan’s Babygirl". “We believe Peter Thiel is the Antichrist we’re looking for.” Protesters held signs with slogans like “Embrace Darkness, Hail Thiel” and “The End is Near, Palantir is the Path, Thiel Leads the Way.”

Meanwhile, others poked fun at the implications of Thiel being a harbinger for the end of the world:

What Comes Next?

Details of Thiel’s lecture remain murky, though leaked chatter suggests his message tracks closely with his earlier comments: a cunning, magnetic figure exploiting apocalyptic crises to centralize power, enforce surveillance, and rule over a one-world order.

But who that figure might ultimately be (and whether it exists at all) is still up for debate.

What is your interpretation of the Antichrist? Is this a real figure, or simply a biblical tale some choose to believe? Could the Antichrist already be among us?