In the Last Days, a man will come onto the world scene offering answers for rising global problems. He is not the Christ, but a false representation - the Antichrist. In this teaching, learn what the Bible says about him and how to warn others about this coming deceiver.

The Coming FINAL ANTICHRIST’S GLOBALIST world!!!

(James Kaddis )

The Globalist movement all over the world is laying the groundwork for what we know will happen when the Final Antichrist makes his appearance. This are happening quickly just as the Bible said!!!
Men's Study Series: More Than Conquerors - Revelation 13:15-18

The COMING final ANTICHRIST!!! (James Kaddis )

In this episode of Countdown 2 Eternity, Pastor James and Pastor Tom will spend most of their time discussing the current events that appear to be moving in the direction of Revelation 13. The Final Antichrist is on the horizon and things are changing rapidly. What do we do now? We’ll talk about that and much more in this new, exciting episode!!!

The Rise and Fall of the Antichrist

Is he alive today? — And other questions. By Dr. David R. Reagan

https://christinprophecy.org/articles/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-antichrist/

The Bible teaches that in the end times, right before the return of Jesus, the greatest political leader in the history of Mankind will emerge from Europe. After taking over that area by diplomatic cunning and deceit, he will launch a military campaign that will result in his acquiring “authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation” (Revelation 13:7). His empire will be the most extensive in all of history, encompassing the entire world, and his rule will be the most demonic the world has ever experienced.

He will begin his rise to power as a dynamic, charismatic, insightful, visionary leader who will astound the world with the cleverness of his solutions to world problems. He will appear to be the savior of the world. But as he consolidates his power, his true nature will be revealed. He will emerge as a Satan possessed and empowered person who hates God and is determined to annihilate both Christianity and Judaism. For this reason, he is identified in scripture as the Antichrist (1 John 2:18), for he will stand against God and His anointed one, Jesus Christ.

His Origin

Where will this sinister person come from? Some have speculated that he will come out of Syria since one of his prophetic types in history — Antiochus Epiphanes (215-164 BC) — was a Syrian tyrant. But Antiochus was actually of Greek heritage. Could he therefore be a Greek? It is not likely.

It is much more likely that he will rise out of the heartland of the old Roman Empire and that he will be of Italian descent. This conclusion is based upon a statement in Daniel 9:26. In that passage the Antichrist is referred to as “the prince who is to come,” and he is identified as being from the people who “will destroy the city and the sanctuary.”

We know from history that both Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple were destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. Therefore, according to Daniel, the Antichrist must be of Roman heritage.

Will he be a Jew? Many assume he will be because Jesus said, “I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another shall come in his own name, you will receive him” (John 5:43). Based on this statement, people ask, “How could the Jews possibly receive a Gentile as their Messiah?”

But the Bible does not teach that the Jews will receive the Antichrist as their Messiah. It teaches they will accept him as a great political leader and diplomat and that they will put their trust in him as the guarantor of peace in the Middle East.

But the moment he reveals himself as the Antichrist by desecrating the Jew’s rebuilt Temple and blaspheming God, the Jewish people will revolt. They will reject him as Messiah, and he will respond in fury by attempting to annihilate them.

The Antichrist does not have to be a Jew. And, in fact, the Bible makes it clear that he will be a Gentile. In Revelation 13:1 he is portrayed as a “beast coming up out of the sea.” The sea is used consistently throughout the prophetic scriptures as a symbol of the Gentile nations (Daniel 7:3; Luke 21:25; and Revelation 17:1).

By contrast, the Antichrist’s right hand man, the False Prophet, who will serve as his religious leader, will be a Jew. This is revealed in Revelation 13:11 where it says that John saw “another beast coming up out of the earth [literally, the land].” Just as the sea is used symbolically in prophecy to refer to the Gentile nations, the land (or earth) is used to refer to Israel. This does not mean the False Prophet will be an Orthodox Jew. It only means that he will be of Jewish heritage. Religiously, he will be an apostate Jew who will head up the One World Religion of the Antichrist.

There is one other issue concerning the origin of the Antichrist that we need to consider. Many argue that he will be a person resurrected from the dead — most likely Nero or Judas Iscariot. This assumption is based on a statement in Revelation 13:1-3 where John describes the Antichrist as a beast with seven heads. He then makes the observation that one of his heads appeared “as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed.” He comments that “the whole earth was amazed” by this and therefore “followed after the beast” (Revelation 13:3).

The problem with this interpretation is that “the fatal wound” referred to in the passage has nothing to do with the person of the Antichrist. The seven heads represent seven Gentile empires — namely, Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and the final empire of the Antichrist. The head with the fatal wound that has been healed is the Roman Empire. We know this from the book of Daniel where it is prophesied that the Roman Empire will be the last of the Gentile empires until the end times when the empire of the Antichrist will emerge from a reunited Europe — that is, from a revival of the old Roman Empire (Daniel 2:31-45 and 7:1-8, 24-28).

The prophecies of Daniel have proved to be absolutely accurate. The Roman Empire was the last of the Gentile empires. It disintegrated into the nation-state system that has prevailed to this day. There have been numerous military attempts to resurrect the Roman Empire, most notably by Napoleon and Hitler. Today, the core of the Empire is coalescing before our eyes through diplomatic means, producing a united Europe that will serve as the base for the rise of the Antichrist.

Another passage that is used to justify the idea of the Antichrist being a resurrected person is Zechariah 11:17 — “Woe to the worthless shepherd who leaves the flock! A sword will be on his arm and on his right eye! His arm will be totally withered, and his right eye will be blind.”

It is argued that this passage indicates that the Antichrist will be a person who has suffered a fatal wound. Now, there is no doubt this passage refers to the Antichrist, but I believe it is talking about his fate rather than his origin. Using symbolic language, it seems to me the prophet is saying that divine judgment (the sword) will fall upon the Antichrist’s power (his arm) and his intelligence (his eye), and that he will suffer complete defeat (the withering of his arm and the blinding of his eye).

The idea that the Antichrist will be a resurrected person raises a serious theological problem concerning the power of Satan. The Scriptures make it clear that the Antichrist will be Satan’s man, empowered by him and possessed by him. But there is no indication in Scripture that Satan has the power to give life to anyone. Satan is not omnipotent. Jesus is the one who has “the keys to death and Hades” (Revelation 1:18).

One of the most commonly asked questions is whether or not the Antichrist is alive today. I believe he is, and I believe so for two reasons. First, I believe the Scriptures teach that the generation that sees the re-establishment of Israel (May 14, 1948) will live to see all the end time prophecies fulfilled (Matthew 24: 32-34). Second, I believe the signs of the times clearly indicate that we are standing on the threshold of the Tribulation, the most important of those signs being the regathering of the Jews to their land (Isaiah 11:10-12) and their re-occupation of the city of Jerusalem (Luke 21:24).

If the Antichrist is alive today, does he know who he is? I think not. I don’t think he has the foggiest idea of the role that Satan has in mind for him. He will not become the Antichrist until Satan possesses him and empowers him to deceive Europe and the Jews. His full revelation will not occur until he enters the rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem in the middle of the Tribulation and declares himself to be god.

But we are getting ahead of our story. Let’s consider his character before we take a look at his career.

His Character

The Bible is very specific about the character of the Antichrist, and the picture it paints is a disgusting one. The most detailed information can be found in the book of Daniel. Consider the chart below:

Over and over emphasis is given to the Antichrist’s mouth. He will boast non-stop about himself (Daniel 7:8). He will “speak monstrous things against the God of gods” (Daniel 11:36). He will be “given a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies” (Revelation 13:5). First and foremost, he is going to be a braggart and a blasphemer.

He will be strong willed and reckless in his determination to have his way. He will show contempt for human traditions and will, of course, change even the calendar so that it will no longer be related to the birth of Jesus (Daniel 7:25).

Another point that is emphasized repeatedly is that the Antichrist will be possessed by Satan, just as Judas was (Luke 22:3). Daniel says his power will be mighty, “but not by his own power” (Daniel 8:24). Paul says his coming will be “in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders” (2 Thessalonians 2:9). John says that Satan will give his power and authority to the Antichrist (Revelation 13:2).

Because he will be demonized, he will be a man who cannot be trusted. Psalm 52:2 says he will be a “worker of deceit.” Psalm 55:21 says his speech will be “smoother than butter” but his heart will be filled with war. Psalm 5:6 calls him “a man of bloodshed and deceit.” In Psalm 43:1 he is referred to as a “deceitful and unjust man.”

Daniel indicates that he will be a sexual pervert, most likely a homosexual. As Daniel puts it, the Antichrist will show no regard “for the desire of women” (Daniel 11:37).

The overall picture is that of an ego-maniac who abhors God and exploits people for his own purposes. He is deceptive and ruthless. He is a man devoid of integrity. This is probably the reason that when Jesus returns, John characterizes Him as the “Faithful and True” One (Revelation 19:11), in contrast to the Antichrist who has been both unfaithful and untrue.

The lack of character that will be displayed by the Antichrist is perhaps best summed up in some of the names given to him in the Scriptures:

The Beast (Revelation 13:1)
The Man of Lawlessness (2 Thessalonians 2:3)
The Son of Destruction (2 Thessalonians 2:3)
The Despicable Person (Daniel 11:21)
The Willful King (Daniel 11:36)
The Worthless Shepherd (Zechariah 11:17)
The Insolent King (Daniel 8:23)
The Abomination (Matthew 24:15)

His Career

The Rapture of the Church is the event that will launch the career of the Antichrist. This is revealed in 2 Thessalonians 2 where Paul states that the Antichrist cannot be revealed until “he who now restrains” him is “taken out of the way” (verse 7). The restrainer of evil in the world today is obviously the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit performs that task by working through the Church.

It is the Church that will be “taken out of the way,” not the Holy Spirit. We know this for certain because the book of Revelation teaches that a great multitude will be saved during the Tribulation (Revelation 7:9-14), and no one can be saved apart from the witness of the Spirit (John 6:44, John 15:26, and 1 John 5:7). The Spirit will remain in the world, but the agency the Spirit currently works through to restrain evil, the Church, will be removed.

The Rapture itself is likely to be the event that will catapult the Antichrist to power. This is because the Rapture will produce international chaos and panic. The Antichrist, energized by Satan (Daniel 8:24), will seem to have all the answers to the world’s problems. He will take over the European Union through skillful intrigue (Daniel 8:23) and will establish his headquarters in Rome (Revelation 17:3,9,18).

The seven year time period of the Tribulation will actually begin when the Antichrist negotiates a treaty that will bring true peace to the Middle East, enabling the Jews to rebuild their Temple (Daniel 9:27). With his European base consolidated and peace achieved in the Middle East, he will set forth to subdue the whole world.

One of the myths about the Antichrist that has developed in modern day interpretation is that the whole world will become so enamored with him that all the nations will surrender their sovereignty to him voluntarily. The Bible does not teach this. It is also contrary to common sense. Africa and Asia and Latin America have not spent a century casting off European colonialism in order to suddenly turn around and receive a European dictator with open arms.

The world will resist him, and the result will be a Third World War in which he “will destroy to an extraordinary degree” (Daniel 8:24). This war will initially result in the death of one-fourth of humanity, or 1.5 billion people in today’s terms (Revelation 6:2-8). As the Tribulation approaches its mid-point, this war will escalate into a nuclear holocaust that will result in the deaths of an additional one-third of those still alive — another 1.5 billion (Revelation 8 and 9).

It will be a empty victory because in the process of his conquest, one-third of the earth will be destroyed and half its population will be killed. He will then consolidate his “victory” by instituting a one-world economy and a one-world religion.

The key to his economic control will be a mark that each person will have to bear on their right hand or on their forehead (Revelation 13:16-18). No one will be able to buy or sell unless they have this mark. The mark will consist of “either the name of the beast or the number of his name” (Revelation 13:18).

His religious control will be exercised by a false prophet who will head up his pagan religious system (Revelation 13: 11-15). He will force all of humanity to worship the Antichrist. He will be a deceiver who will astound people with “great signs” that appear miraculous in nature. In order to consolidate this Satanic religious system, the Antichrist will launch a great persecution of all those who have placed their faith in the true God since the Rapture of the Church (Revelation 12:13-17). The result will be a mass slaughter of believers (Revelation 7:9-14).

This means that by the mid-point of the Tribulation, the Antichrist will have killed more than half of humanity (1.5 billion in the seal judgments, 1.5 billion in the trumpet judgments, and an undetermined multitude of saints.) It is no wonder that he is referred to in Scripture as “the man of lawlessness” and “the son of destruction” (2 Thessalonians 2:3).

Nor will all this slaughter satisfy his blood thirst. About the time that the Antichrist has consolidated his world empire, Satan will be cast from Heaven and will come to earth in “great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time” (Revelation 12:12). At that point he will possess the Antichrist, even as he possessed Judas (Luke 22:3).

When the Antichrist becomes Satan incarnate, he will become a megalomaniacal tyrant obsessed with two things: himself and the Jewish people.

He will suddenly march into the rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem, stop the sacrifices, blaspheme God, and declare himself to be the one and only true god (Daniel 9:27 and 2 Thessalonians 2:4). And when the Jews reject this horrible blasphemy, he will turn on them and seek to annihilate them. This will be his all-consuming passion during the second half of the Tribulation. That’s why Jesus told the Jews that this period of time would be the “great tribulation” (Matthew 24:21) — not because it would be worse than the first half, but because the wrath would be focused upon them as a nation and a people.

Satan has an insane hatred for the Jews. He hates them because they gave the world the Scriptures. He hates them because God sent the Messiah through them. And he hates them because God has promised that He will bring a great remnant of them to salvation in their Messiah. He wants to destroy them so that God cannot keep that promise.

During the second half of the Tribulation, he will almost succeed in accomplishing this goal. We are told in Zechariah 13:8-9 that two-thirds of the Jewish people will die during this holocaust (another 9.3 million people).

His Fate

The Bible indicates that as the Antichrist becomes obsessed with the Jews, he loses interest in his worldwide empire, and segments of that empire begin to revolt. The core of the revolt is centered in the Asian nations who raise an army of 200 million and send it marching across Asia toward Israel where they hope to engage the Antichrist in a decisive battle for their freedom.

Daniel says that while the Antichrist and his armies are rampaging around the Middle East, looting the nations and killing the Jews, the Antichrist suddenly hears “rumors” that “disturb him” (Daniel 11:40-44). He evidently hears about the great Asian army coming to challenge him. He responds by consolidating his forces “between the seas and the beautiful Holy Mountain” (Daniel 11: 45). This is the same area that is referred to in Revelation as the Valley of Armageddon.

We are told that the Euphrates River dries up at this time and the great Asian army crosses to engage the Antichrist and his armies in battle (Revelation 16:12). As they fight, the Lord Jesus Christ breaks from the heavens, returns to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, and speaks a supernatural word that causes all the armies to drop dead in their tracks. “Their eyes rot in their sockets and their tongues rot in their mouths” (Zechariah 14:12), and the valley is filled with blood up to the horses’ bridles for a distance of two hundred miles (Revelation 14:20).

Paul says the Antichrist will be slain by “the breath of the Lord” (2 Thessalonians 2:8). John says the Lord will make war against the Antichrist “with the sword of His mouth” (Revelation 2:16). Daniel says the Antichrist’s “dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever” (Daniel 17:26). Daniel also says that the Antichrist will be thrown into “the burning fire” (Daniel 7:11).

John confirms the fate of the Antichrist in Revelation when he says that both the Antichrist and the False Prophet will be thrown into “the lake of fire which burns with brimstone” (Revelation 19:20) where “they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10). This means that the Antichrist and the False Prophet will be the first occupants of Hell. (Satan will not be confined there until the end of the Millennium — Revelation 20:10).

Our Hope

The good news for believers is that we will not have to experience the horror of the Antichrist. We are never told to watch for the Antichrist; rather, we are told to look for Jesus Christ. In 1 Thessalonians 1:10 we are assured that we who are believers are waiting for Jesus to return to “deliver us from the wrath to come.” That is a glorious promise. That’s why Paul calls the Rapture our “blessed hope” (Titus 2:13), and its also the reason that he tells us to “comfort one another” with the promise of the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:18).

The Rise and Fall of the Antichrist Is he alive today? And other questions

Scripture about the antichrist and one world government

Revelation 13:1-18 – The Beast from the Sea

Rev 13:1 Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. 2 Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. 3 And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. 4 So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”

5 And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. 6 Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. 7 It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. 8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

The Beast from the Earth

11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. 12 And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. 14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. 15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16 He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, 17 and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.

Rev 13

What is the unholy trinity in the end times?

https://www.gotquestions.org/unholy-trinity.html

A common tactic of Satan is to imitate or counterfeit the things of God in order to make himself appear to be like God. What is commonly referred to as the “unholy trinity,” described vividly in Revelation 12 and 13, is no exception. The Holy Trinity consists of God the Father, the Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Their counterparts in the unholy trinity are Satan, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet. While the Holy Trinity is characterized by infinite truth, love, and goodness, the unholy trinity portrays the diametrically opposite traits of deception, hatred, and unadulterated evil.

Revelation 12 and 13 contain prophetic passages that describe some of the main events and the figures involved during the second half of the seven-year Tribulation period. Although many Bible passages allude to Satan in various forms, such as a serpent or an angel of light, he is described in Revelation 12:3 as a “great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.” The color red indicates his vicious and homicidal personality. The seven heads symbolize seven evil kingdoms that Satan has empowered and used throughout history to attempt to prevent God’s ultimate plan from coming to fruition. Five of the kingdoms have already come and gone—Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece.

All these kingdoms severely oppressed and persecuted the Hebrews, killing many of them. Satan’s intent was to prevent the birth of Christ (Revelation 12:4). The sixth kingdom, Rome, was still in existence during the writing of this prophecy. Under Roman rule, King Herod murdered Hebrew babies around the time of Christ’s birth and Pontius Pilate ultimately authorized the crucifixion of Jesus. The seventh kingdom, which is more fierce and cruel than the others, will be the final world kingdom that the Antichrist forms during the end times. These kingdoms were also prophesied in Daniel, chapters 2 and 7. The seven crowns represent universal rule, and ten horns represent complete world power or authority.

Revelation 12 indicates many important facts about Satan. Satan and one-third of the angels were cast out of heaven during a rebellion before the world began (Revelation 12:4). The Archangel Michael and the other angels will make war with Satan and his demons, and Satan will be excluded from heaven forever (Revelation 12:7-9). In his attempt to prevent God’s fulfillment of His earthly kingdom, Satan will attempt to annihilate the Jews, but God will supernaturally protect a remnant of the Jews in a location outside of Israel for the last 42 months of the Tribulation (Revelation 12:6, 13–17; Matthew 24:15–21).

The second member of the unholy trinity is the Beast or Antichrist described in Revelation 13 and Daniel 7. The beast comes out of the sea, which typically in the Bible refers to the Gentile nations. He also has seven heads and ten horns, indicating his connection to and indwelling by Satan. The ten horns indicate ten seats of world government that will provide power to the Antichrist, three of which will be totally yielded to or taken over by the Antichrist (Daniel 7:8). The number ten also indicates completion or totality, in other words, a one-world government. The one-world government will be blasphemous, denying the true God. The final kingdom will possess traits in common with the former “beast kingdoms” of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and particularly Rome (Revelation 13:2; Daniel 7:7, 23). Revelation 13:3 seems to indicate that the Antichrist will be mortally wounded about halfway through the Tribulation, but Satan will miraculously heal his wound (Revelation 13:3; 17:8–14). After this wondrous event, the world will be totally enthralled by the Antichrist. They will worship Satan and the Antichrist himself (Revelation 13:4–5). The Antichrist becomes emboldened, and, dispensing with all pretenses of being a peaceful ruler, he openly blasphemes God, breaks his peace treaty with the Jews, attacks believers and the Jews, and desecrates the rebuilt Jewish temple, setting himself up as the one to be worshiped (Revelation 13:4–7; Matthew 24:15.) This particular event has been called the Abomination of Desolation.

The final personage of the unholy trinity is the False Prophet, described in Revelation 13:11–18. This second beast comes out of the earth, not the sea, possibly indicating that he will be an apostate Jew coming from Israel. Although he presents himself as a meek, mild, and benevolent person, the horns indicate that he will have power. Jesus expressly warned believers to watch out for false prophets that may look innocent but actually can be very destructive (Matthew 7:15). The False Prophet speaks like a dragon, meaning that he will speak persuasively and deceptively to turn humans away from God and promote the worship of the Antichrist and Satan (Revelation 13:11–12). The False Prophet is capable of producing great signs and wonders, including bringing down fire from heaven (Revelation 13:13). He sets up an image of the Antichrist for worship, gives life to the image, demands the worship of the image from all people, and executes those who refuse to worship the image (Revelation 13:14–15). Revelation 20:4 indicates that the method of execution will be beheading.

The False Prophet will also compel each person to receive a permanent mark of some kind, just as slaves did in John’s day, to show total devotion to the Antichrist and renunciation of God. Only those who receive the mark will be permitted to engage in commerce. Acceptance of the mark means eternal death (Revelation 14:10). The Bible makes clear that humans will fully understand that, by accepting the mark, they are not only accepting an economic system but also a worship system that rejects Jesus Christ. Revelation 13:18 reveals the number of the Beast—666. No one knows precisely what this means. Some believe that the Antichrist’s first, middle, and last names will have six letters each. Some believe that the designation refers to a computer chip, since some computer programs start with 666.

Satan is the anti-God, the Beast is the anti-Christ, and the False Prophet is the anti-Spirit. This unholy trinity will persecute believers and deceive many others, resulting in their eternal death. But God’s kingdom will prevail. Daniel 7:21–22 states, “I was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them, until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom.”

Unholy Trinity

Make no mistake, Satan knew God, and he knew the triune nature of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. So, in his attempt to be God and to rule over God’s new creation, like a mad, psychotic wizard, Satan crags a grotesque, distorted parody of the Trinity—a self-image—with himself as father; the antichrist as son and the false prophet as holy spirit.

While the Holy Trinity is characterized by infinite truth, love, and goodness, the unholy trinity portrays the diametrically opposite traits of deception, hatred, and unadulterated evil. Although defeated in heaven, Satan launches a new offensive against God on earth, and he vows to win this new war, with the souls of all humanity as the prize, transforming God’s creation into a living hell, with himself as king.

A common tactic of Satan is to imitate or counterfeit the things of God in order to make himself appear to be like God.

Examples

God has wise virgins (Mt 25:10) Satan has foolish virgins (Mt 25:12)

God sows good seed—wheat (Mt 13:37) Satan sows bad seed—tares (Mt 13:25)

Christ has the true vine (Jn 15:1-8) Satan has the vine of the earth (Rev 14:19)

Christ has a bride—saved people (Eph 5:22-32) Antichrist has a harlot—unsaved people (Rev 17:15)

God has a city—Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 6:6) Satan has a city—Babylon (Rev 18)

God has sacred stones—Urim & Thummin (Ex 28:30) Satan has 'magic' stones—Chakra stones

Christ is slain and resurrected (Mk 15-16) Antichrist is slain and resurrected (Rev 13:3)

God changed times and seasons (Dan 2:21) Antichrist will change the times (Dan 7:25)

God tells us His plan (the end from the beginning) (Is 46:10) Satan is telling us his plan—For those who are not distracted

Holy Trinity Unholy Trinity

Satan’s grotesque parody of the Trinity (13:1-18)

Dragon / Satan God the Father (13:1a)

Beast 1 / Antichrist God the Son (13:1b-10)

Beast 2 / False Prophet God the Holy Spirit (13:11-18)

Satan is the anti-God, the Beast is the anti-Christ, and the False Prophet is the anti-Spirit. This unholy trinity will persecute believers and deceive many others, resulting in their eternal death. But God’s kingdom will prevail. Daniel 7:21–22 states, “I was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them, until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom.”

Satan
- Satan and one-third of the angels were cast out of heaven during a rebellion before the world began (Revelation 12:4).
- The Archangel Michael and the other angels will make war with Satan and his demons, and Satan will be excluded from heaven forever (Revelation 12:7-9).
- In his attempt to prevent God’s fulfillment of His earthly kingdom, Satan will attempt to annihilate the Jews, but God will supernaturally protect a remnant of the Jews in a location outside of Israel for the last 42 months of the Tribulation (Revelation12:6, 13–17; Matthew 24:15–21).

Antichrist
- The second member of the unholy trinity is the Beast or Antichrist described in Revelation 13 and Daniel 7.
- The beast comes out of the sea, which typically in the Bible refers to the Gentile nations.
- He also has seven heads and ten horns, indicating his connection to and indwelling by Satan.
  - The ten horns indicate ten seats of world government that will provide power to the Antichrist, three of which will be totally yielded to or taken over by the Antichrist (Daniel 7:8).
  - The number ten also indicates completion or totality, in other words, a one-world government.
- The one-world government will be blasphemous, denying the true God.
  - The final kingdom will possess traits in common with the former “beast kingdoms” of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and particularly Rome (Revelation13:2; Daniel 7:7, 23).
- Revelation 13:3 seems to indicate that the Antichrist will be mortally wounded about halfway through the Tribulation, but Satan will miraculously heal his wound (Revelation 13:3; 17:8–14).
  - After this wondrous event, the world will be totally enthralled by the Antichrist.
  - They will worship Satan and the Antichrist himself (Revelation 13:4–5).
- The Antichrist becomes emboldened, and, dispensing with all pretenses of being a peaceful ruler, he openly blasphemes God, breaks his peace treaty with the Jews, attacks believers and the Jews, and desecrates the rebuilt Jewish temple, setting himself up as the one to be worshiped (Revelation 13:4–7; Matthew 24:15.) This particular event has been called the Abomination of Desolation.

Revelation 13: The Antichrist

(Prophecy Update Videos )

False Prophet
- The final personage of the unholy trinity is the False Prophet, described in Revelation 13:11–18.
- This second beast comes out of the earth, not the sea, possibly indicating that he may be an apostate Jew coming from Israel.
- Although he presents himself as a meek, mild, and benevolent person, the horns indicate that he will have power. Jesus expressly warned believers to watch out for false prophets that may look innocent but actually can be very destructive (Matthew 7:15).
- The False Prophet speaks like a dragon, meaning that he will speak persuasively and deceptively to turn humans away from God and promote the worship of the Antichrist and Satan (Revelation 13:11–12).
- The False Prophet is capable of producing great signs and wonders, including bringing down fire from heaven (Revelation 13:13).
- He sets up an image of the Antichrist for worship, gives life to the image, demands the worship of the image from all people, and executes those who refuse to worship the image (Revelation 13:14–15). Revelation 20:4 indicates that the method of execution will be beheading.
- The False Prophet will also compel each person to receive a permanent mark of some kind, just as slaves did in John’s day, to show total devotion to the Antichrist and renunciation of God.
  - Only those who receive the mark will be permitted to engage in commerce.
  - Acceptance of the mark means eternal death (Revelation 14:10).
  - The Bible makes clear that humans will fully understand that, by accepting the mark, they are not only accepting an economic system but also a worship system that rejects Jesus Christ.
- Revelation 13:18 reveals the number of the Beast—666.
  - No one knows precisely what this means.
    - Some believe that the Antichrist’s first, middle, and last names will have six letters each.
    - Some believe that the designation refers to a computer chip, since some computer programs start with 666.

Unholy Trinity

Rev 17

Revelation 17 – The Scarlet Woman and the Scarlet Beast

3 So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. 5 And on her forehead a name was written:

MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT,

THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS

AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS

OF THE EARTH.

6 I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.

The Meaning of the Woman and the Beast

7 But the angel said to me, “Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns. 8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

9 “Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. 10 There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time. 11 The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition.

12 “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. 13 These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. 14 These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.”

15 Then he said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. 16 And the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot, make her desolate and naked, eat her flesh and burn her with fire. 17 For God has put it into their hearts to fulfill His purpose, to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled. 18 And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.”

Beast = Antichrist

7 heads = 7 hills of Vatican City

7 kings = Popes/False Prophet

Harlot = Catholic Papacy

Waters = peoples

Beast = Antichrist
- 10 horns = 10 kings of the Antichrist Kingdom
7 heads = 7 mountains where the harlot sits = 7 hills of Rome
- Western Roman empire became Vatican City
7 kings = 7 Popes since Vatican City was created
- 5 Fallen, 1 is, 1 to come
- 8th Pope = beast going to perdition = False Prophet (Beast from the Earth)

Harlot = Woman = Great city that reigns over the kings of the earth = Vatican City = Catholic Papacy
Waters = peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues

Rev 17:9 “Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. 10 There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time. 11 The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition.

7 heads = 7 hills of Rome = Daniel’s 4th kingdom
- Ancient Western Roman Empire became Vatican City

Ancient Western Roman Empire became Vatican City
- The Roman Empire was never defeated. The Western Roman Empire continues today as Holy Roman Empire (Vatican City).
  - The Western Roman Empire officially ended 4 September 476 CE, when Emperor Romulus Augustulus was deposed by the Germanic King Odoacer.
  - The Eastern Roman Empire continued on as the Byzantine Empire until 1453 CE. Though known early on as simply `the Roman Empire’, it did not much resemble that entity at all.
  - The Western Roman Empire would become re-invented later as The Holy Roman Empire (962-1806 CE).
    - That construct was also far removed from the Roman Empire of antiquity and was an `empire’ in name only.

The Holy Roman Empire was also known as the Papal States – officially the State of the Church
- These were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope. They were among the major states of Italy from roughly the 8th century until the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia successfully unified the Italian Peninsula by conquest in a campaign virtually concluded in 1861 and definitively in 1870.
- At their zenith, the Papal States covered most of the modern Italian regions of Lazio (which includes Rome), Marche, Umbria and Romagna, and portions of Emilia. These holdings were considered to be a manifestation of the temporal power of the pope, as opposed to his ecclesiastical primacy.

By 1861, much of the Papal States' territory had been conquered by the Kingdom of Italy.
- Only Lazio, including Rome, remained under the pope's temporal control.
- In 1870, the pope lost Lazio and Rome and had no physical territory at all, except the Basilica of St Peter and the papal residence and related buildings around the Vatican quarter of Rome, which the new Italian state did not occupy militarily.

In 1929 the head of the Italian government, at the time the Italian Fascist leader Benito Mussolini, ended the crisis between unified Italy and the Holy See by negotiating the Lateran Treaty, signed by the two parties. This recognized the sovereignty of the Holy See over a newly created international territorial entity, the Vatican City State, limited to a token territory.
- The Holy See, also called the See of Rome, is the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome, known as the pope, which includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome with universal ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the worldwide Catholic Church, as well as a sovereign entity of international law.

Rev 17 :9 “Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains (Vatican City) on which the woman sits. 10 There are also seven kings (Popes of Vatican City). Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time. 11 The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition.

7 kings = 7 Popes of Vatican City
8th king = 8th Pope = Beast from the Earth = False Prophet
In 1929 the Lateran Treaty was signed creating the nation state of Vatican City. Since then, including the current one, there have been 8 popes.
Five have fallen,
- Pius XI (1922-1939) ... First king … 17 years
- Pius XII (1939-1958) ... Second king … 19 years
- John XXIII (1958-1963) ... Third king … 5 years
- Paul VI (1963-1978) ... Fourth king … 15 years
- John Paul I (1978) ... Fifth king reigned only 33 days

one is,
- John Paul II (1978-2005) ... Sixth king was seriously wounded in 1981 … 27 years
and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time.
- Benedict XVI (2005-2013) ... Seventh king resigned February 28, 2013 … 8 years
  - Unlike almost all the six monarchs before him, Pope Benedict XVI abdicated his throne.

11 The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition.
- In verse 10 the seven kings of this scarlet coloured beast kingdom are mentioned, but then in the next verse there is a subtle yet fundamental difference when describing the next king in line, the eighth king is called a beast. Why? Who is this beast? What will he do?
  - Francis I (March 13, 2013) ... Eighth king until the end of the world.
    - Francis “was elected by a mafia of cardinals,”
- The book of Revelation describes the last days dominated by a one world government with two branches – political & religious.
  - Political wing is lead by the Antichrist
  - Religious wing is lead by the False Prophet
- The beast described in Revelation 13:1 and Revelation 17:11 is the Antichrist – both describe it as having 7 heads and 10 horns. This is the last kingdom on earth before the second coming. The harlot (Catholic Church / one world religion) will ride as the religious arm of the beast global government, headed by the first beast (Antichrist) and enforced by the eighth king (The second beast, the false prophet)

Rev 17:1 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, 2 with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.” 4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. 5 And on her forehead a name was written:

MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT,

THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS

OF THE EARTH.

6 I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.

The woman is called the "great harlot", with whom earthly kings "have committed fornication". Against only two cities could such a charge be made:
- Jerusalem – Indicted for spiritual fornication by numerous prophets, but does not meet the other criteria.
  - Isaiah 1:21 How the faithful city has become a harlot!
    It was full of justice; Righteousness lodged in it, But now murderers.
    22 Your silver has become dross, Your wine mixed with water.
    23 Your princes are rebellious, And companions of thieves;
    Everyone loves bribes, And follows after rewards.
    They do not defend the fatherless, Nor does the cause of the widow come before them.
- Vatican City – Claims to have been the worldwide headquarters of Christianity since its beginning
  - Her pope claims to be the Vicar of Christ
  - His church claims to be the only ‘true church’ and ‘bride of Christ’.
  - Christ said His kingdom was note of this world, otherwise His servants would fight. Yet the popes have fought with armies and navies in the name of Christ to build a worldwide empire.
  - Vatican II states that even today the Roman Catholic Church ceaselessly seeks to bring under its control all mankind and all their goods. And in furtherance of these goals it has engaged, exactly as John foresaw, in fornication (unholy alliances) with the kings of the earth.
    - See Could Pope Francis be the False Prophet?

Description of Catholic Papacy

4 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication.

The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet – the colors of the Catholic clergy.
- The Catholic Encyclopedia states:
  - Cappa Magna – A cloak with a long train and a hooded shoulder cape...[it] was purple wool for bishops; for cardinals, it was scarlet watered silk....
  - Cassock – The close-fitting, ankle-length robe worn by the Catholic clergy as their official garb....The color for bishops and other prelates is purple, for cardinals scarlet.... (Emphasis added)

Incredible wealth – She was adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls
- Even Christ's blood-stained cross has been turned to gold, reflecting her riches.
- The Catholic Encyclopedia says, "The pectoral cross [suspended by a chain around the neck of abbots, bishops, archbishops, cardinals and the pope] should be made of gold and...decorated with gems...."

having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication.
- The Catholic Encyclopedia calls the gold chalice "the most important of the sacred vessels...."
  - The Roman Catholic Church is known for its many thousands of gold chalices around the world.

A recent newspaper article reported,

The fabulous treasure of Lourdes [France], whose existence was kept secret by the Catholic Church for 120 years, has been unveiled....Rumors have been circulating for decades about a priceless collection of gold chalices, diamond-studded crucifixes, silver and precious stones....

After an indiscreet remark by their press spokesman this week, church authorities agreed to reveal part of the collection... [some] floor-to-ceiling cases were opened to reveal 59 solid gold chalices alongside rings, crucifixes, statues and heavy gold brooches, many encrusted with precious stones.

Almost hidden by the other treasures is the "Crown" of Notre Dame de Lourdes, made by a Paris goldsmith in 1876 and studded with diamonds.

Church authorities say they cannot put a value on the collection. "I have no idea," says Father Pierre-Marie Charriez. ..."It is of inestimable value."

Across the road is a building housing hundreds of [antique] ecclesiastical garments, robes, mitres and sashes––many in heavy gold thread....

"The Church itself is poor," insists Father Charriez. "The Vatican itself is poor." (Emphasis added) [And the treasure described here is only part of that which is kept in one location, the small town of Lourdes, France!]

She has practiced evil to gather her wealth, for the golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication.
- Much of the wealth of the Roman Catholic Church was acquired by confiscating property of the Inquisitions' pitiful victims. Even the dead were exhumed to face trial and property was taken from their heirs by the Church. That practice, one historian writes, offered "unlimited opportunities for loot."
- Most of Rome's wealth has been acquired through the sale of salvation.
  - Untold billions of dollars have been paid to her by those who thought they were purchasing heaven on the installment plan for themselves or loved ones. The practice continues to this day—blatantly where Catholicism is in control, less obviously here in the United States where (for example) one pays the Church to have a Mass card placed on the altar in the name of the deceased during Mass to reduce time in purgatory.
  - The wealthy often leave a fortune for masses to be said for their salvation after their death.

In addition to such perversions of the gospel, there are the further abominations (fully documented in police and court records) of corrupt banking practices, laundering of drug money, trading in counterfeit securities and dealings with the Mafia, which the Vatican and her representatives around the world have long employed.
- Former Business Week correspondent in Rome, Nino LoBello, who because of its incredible wealth calls Rome "the tycoon on the Tiber," says the Vatican is so closely allied with the Mafia in Italy that "many people...believe that Sicily...is nothing more than a Vatican holding."

Mother of Harlots and of the Abominations of the Earth

5 And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

Sadly enough, the Roman Catholic Church fits that description as precisely as she fits the others. Much of the cause is due to the unbiblical doctrine of priestly celibacy.
- The great Apostle Paul was a celibate and recommended that life to others who wanted to devote themselves fully to serving Christ. He did not, however, make it a condition for church leadership as the Catholic Church has done, thereby imposing an unnatural burden upon her clergy that very few could bear. On the contrary, he wrote that a bishop should be "the husband of one wife" (1 Tim:3:2) and set the same requirement for elders (Titus:1:5-6).
- The doctrine of celibacy has been broken repeatedly by millions of priests and nuns, bishops, archbishops, cardinals and many popes such as Sergius III, John X, John XII, Benedict V, Innocent VIII, Urban VIII, Innocent X, et al. Celibacy has made sinners of the clergy and harlots out of those with whom they secretly cohabit. The Catholic Church has paid about $1 billion in out-of-court settlements in the last few years for sexual sins of its clergy in the USA alone. Rome is indeed "the mother of harlots"!
- History is replete with sayings that mocked Romanism's false claim to celibacy: "The holiest hermit has his whore" and "Rome has more prostitutes than any other city because she has the most celibates" are examples. Pope Pius II called Rome "the only city run by bastards," the sons and grandsons of popes and cardinals.
- Even Catholic historians admit that among the popes were some of the most degenerate and unconscionable ogres in all history. More than one pope was slain by a husband who found him in bed with his wife. To call such a man "His Holiness, Vicar of Christ" makes a mockery of holiness and of Christ. Yet the name of each of these mass murderers, fornicators, robbers, warmongers––some guilty of the massacre of thousands—is emblazoned in honor on the Church's official list of Peter's alleged successors, the popes.

6 I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.

The woman is drunk—and not with alcohol but with "the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus..."
- One thinks immediately of the Inquisitions (Roman, Medieval and Spanish) which for centuries held Europe in their terrible grip. Canon Llorente, who was the Secretary to the Inquisition in Madrid from 1790-92 and had access to the archives of all the tribunals, estimated that in Spain alone the number of condemned exceeded 3 million, with about 300,000 burned at the stake. A Catholic historian writes,

When Napoleon conquered Spain in 1808, a Polish officer in his army, Colonel Lemanouski, reported that the Dominicans blockaded themselves in their monastery in Madrid. When Lemanouski's troops forced an entry, the inquisitors denied the existence of any torture chambers. The soldiers searched the monastery and discovered them under the floors. The chambers were full of prisoners, all naked, many insane. The French troops, used to cruelty and blood, could not stomach the sight. They emptied the torture-chambers, laid gunpowder to the monastery and blew the place up.

The remnants of some of the chambers of horror remain in Europe and may be visited today. They stand as memorials to the zealous outworking of Roman Catholic dogmas which remain in force, and to a Church which claims to be infallible and to this day justifies such barbarism. They are also memorials to the astonishing accuracy of John's vision in Revelation 17. Do not forget, that Church has not yet officially admitted that these practices were evil, nor apologized to the world or to any of the victims or their descendants. Nor could John Paul II fully apologize today because "the doctrines responsible for those terrible things still underpin his position."

"Christian" Rome has slaughtered many times the number of both Christians and Jews that pagan Rome did. Beside those victims of the Inquisitions, there were Huguenots, Albigenses, Waldenses and other Christians, massacred, tortured and burned at the stake by the hundreds of thousands simply because they refused to align themselves with the Roman Catholic Church. Listen to the leading nineteenth-century Catholic professor of church history:

The view of the Church had been...[that] every departure from the teaching of the Church...must be punished with death, and the most cruel of deaths, by fire....

Both the initiation and carrying out of this...must be ascribed to the Popes alone...who compelled bishops and priests to condemn heretics to torture, confiscation of their goods, imprisonment, and death, and to enforce the execution of this sentence on the civil authorities, under pain of excommunication. (Emphasis added)

Pope Martin V commanded the King of Poland in 1429 to exterminate the Hussites (sympathizers with the martyred Jan Hus). This excerpt from the Pope's letter to the King explains why popes hated independent Christians and wanted them destroyed:

Know that the interests of the Holy See, and those of your crown, make it a duty to exterminate the Hussites. Remember that these impious persons dare proclaim principles of equality; they maintain that all Christians are brethren, and that God has not given to privileged men the right of ruling the nations; they hold that Christ came on earth to abolish slavery; they call the people to liberty, that is to the annihilation of kings and priests.... [T]urn your forces against Bohemia; burn, massacre, make deserts everywhere, for nothing could be more agreeable to God, or more useful to the cause of kings, than the extermination of the Hussites.(Emphasis added)

Note this excerpt from Pope Nicholas I's (858-67) instructions to the King of Bulgaria, a new convert to what he thought was "Christianity," to force Rome's religion upon his subjects:

I glorify you for having maintained your authority by putting to death those wandering sheep who refuse to enter the fold; and...congratulate you upon having opened the kingdom of heaven to the people submitted to your rule.

A king need not fear to command massacres, when these will retain his subjects in obedience, or cause them to submit to the faith of Christ; and God will reward him in this world, and in eternal life, for these murders.

Why should Rome apologize for or even admit this holocaust? No one calls her to account today. Protestants have forgotten and evangelical leaders join Rome to evangelize together. They don't want to hear any "negative" reminders of the millions tortured and slain by the Church to which they now pay homage, or the fact that Rome has a false gospel of sacramental works.

The Nazi holocaust was thoroughly known to Pius XII in spite of his complete silence throughout the war on the slaughter of Jews. Had the Pope protested, as representatives of Jewish organizations and the Allied Powers begged him to do, he would have condemned his own Church. The facts are inescapable:

In 1936, Bishop Berning of Osnabruch had talked with the Fuhrer for over an hour. Hitler assured his lordship there was no fundamental difference between National Socialism and the Catholic Church. Had not the church, he argued, looked on Jews as parasites...? …"I am only doing," he boasted, "what the Church has done for fifteen hundred years, only more effectively." Being a Catholic himself, he told Berning, he "admired and wanted to promote Christianity [Catholicism]."

18 And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.”

Is there such a city? Yes, and again only one: Vatican City.
- One 18th century historian counted 95 popes who claimed to have divine power to depose kings and emperors.
- Historian Walter James wrote that Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) "held all Europe in his net."
- Gregory IX (1227-41) thundered that the pope was Lord and Master of everyone and everything. Popes crowned and deposed kings and emperors, exacting obedience by threatening excommunication.
- Pope Nicholas I boasted, "Fear, then, our wrath and the thunders of our vengeance; for Jesus Christ has appointed us [the popes]...absolute judges of all men; and kings...are submitted to our authority."
  - In commanding one king to destroy another, Nicholas wrote, “We order you, in the name of religion, to invade his states, burn his cities, and massacre his people....”
- Eminent Catholic historian Ignaz von Dollinger writes, "Pope Clement IV, in 1265, after selling millions of South Italians to Charles of Anjou for a yearly tribute of eight hundred ounces of gold, declared that he would be excommunicated if the first payment was deferred...."
- Catholic Professor Carrerio boasted that the popes had "put down from their thrones great kings and yet mightier emperors, and set others in their place, to whom the greatest kingdoms have long paid tribute, as they do to no other, and who dispense such riches...that no king or emperor has ever had....

The qualifying data which John gives us under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit for identifying this woman/city, is specific, conclusive and irrefutable. There is no city upon earth, past or present, which meets all of these criteria except Catholic Rome and Vatican City. Pray for the 980 million Catholics who are deceived into trusting their Church instead of Christ for salvation. May Christ's love move you to bring the gospel to them!

Rev 17:12 “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast.

Describes a confederation of 10 kings during the tribulation
- Dan 2:42 10 toes
- Dan 7:24 The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this Antichrist kingdom.
- Rev 17:12 "The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast.
- There is no fulfillment of this federation of 10 kings in ancient Roman history, therefore this prophecy must still be future

Beast = Antichrist

7 heads = 7 hills of Vatican City

7 kings = Popes/False Prophet

Harlot = Catholic Papacy

Waters = peoples

Daniel 2:35-45 – Daniel Explains the Dream

Dan 2:36 “This is the dream. Now we will tell the interpretation of it before the king. 37 You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory; 38 and wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all—you are this head of gold. 39 But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth.

40 And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others. 41 Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. 43 As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay.

44 And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. 45 Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold—the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure.”

Daniel’s Statue – 4th Kingdom of Rome Becomes Divided

This is a human image representing man's rule in this Earth
- Nebuchadnezzar is clearly said to be the head of gold
- After him will come 3 other kingdoms
  - Medo-Persian, the Greek, and the Roman
- 4th Kingdom – Rome
  - Will be a revival of the Roman Empire
- Then the final Kingdom will be set up by God - Millennium

Feet and toes – antichrist kingdom
- Describes a confederation of 10 kings during the tribulation
  - Dan 2:42 10 toes

- Dan 7:24 The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom.
- Rev 17:12 "The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast.
- There is no fulfillment of this federation of 10 kings in ancient Roman history, therefore this prophecy must still be futur

Iron mixed with ceramic clay
- 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. 43 As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay.
- Could be a reference to the technology that allows implants (iron) to be added to our bodies (clay)
  - Mt 24:22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.
  - Billy Crone’s documentary – Hybrids, Super Soldiers, and the Coming Genetic Apocalypse
  - WEF plan – Organ transplants will be from a 3D printer

Hybrid Supersoldiers & the Genetic Apoca

Dan 2

23 “Thus he said:

‘The fourth beast shall be A fourth kingdom on earth, Which shall be different from all other kingdoms,
And shall devour the whole earth, Trample it and break it in pieces.
24 The ten horns are ten kings Who shall arise from this kingdom.
And another shall rise after them; He shall be different from the first ones, And shall subdue three kings.
25 He shall speak pompous words against the Most High,
Shall persecute the saints of the Most High, And shall intend to change times and law.
Then the saints shall be given into his hand For a time and times and half a time.

26 ‘But the court shall be seated, And they shall take away his dominion, To consume and destroy it forever.
27 Then the kingdom and dominion, And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven,
Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High.
His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’

Antichrist – Comes from a Confederation of 10 Kings

4th beast – Rome – A dreadful horned beast with one conspicuous horn
- This beast is indescribable and uniquely horrific in its power and conquest – The Roman Empire was the largest, strongest, most unified and enduring of them all
- This beast is of interest to Daniel because of its great destructive power – the conspicuous horn because of its fight against God's people.

10 horns – Describes a confederation of 10 kings during the tribulation
- There is an unmistakable correspondence between these 10 horns and the 10 toes of the statue (Chapter 2)
- The mention of iron in the teeth suggest the legs and toes of iron in that image

The prominent horn – the antichrist
- A little horn is conspicuous for:
  - Its dominance
  - Its intelligence
  - Its boastful talk

Antichrist – Boastful blasphemous speech

The antichrist will be characterized by his boastful blasphemous speech

Rev 13:5 And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. 6 Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven.

He speaks pompous blasphemous words perhaps like the fascist creed of Italy
- It is Benito Mussolini’s famous remark — “Everything for the state, nothing outside the state, nothing above the state” — that truly sums up the essence of fascism. The good of the Nation, as defined by the fascist leader, surpasses all other concerns and allegiances. The fascist speaks of the Nation with a religious reverence. An Italian fascist youth movement in the 1920s composed the following creed:

I believe in Rome the Eternal, the mother of my country,

and in Italy her eldest Daughter, who was born in her virginal bosom by the grace of God;

who suffered through the barbarian invasions, was crucified and buried;

who descended to the grave and was raised from the dead in the nineteenth century;

who ascended into Heaven in her glory in 1918 and 1922 (by the march on Rome);

who is seated on the right hand of her mother Rome;

and who for this reason shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the genius of Mussolini, in our Holy Father Fascism,

in the communion of its martyrs, in the conversion of Italians, and in the resurrection of the Empire.

Antichrist – ‘Shall persecute the saints of the Most High’

The antichrist ‘Shall persecute the saints of the Most High’

It speaks of cruel and systematic pressure coming from the word to “wear away” or to “wear out” as friction would wear clothes or shoes
- NAS: the Most High and wear down the saints
- KJV: the most High, and shall wear out the saints
“To wear out the saints means to harass them continually so that life becomes a wretched existence.”
“Such continual and protracted pressure far more effectively breaks the human spirit than the single moment of crisis that calls for a heroic decision. It is easier to die for the Lord then to live for Him under constant harassment and strain.” --Archer
“The Bible predicts no peace-loving world ruler for the last days. We can expect nothing more than greedy commercialism and political imperialism under the most beastly and barbaric type of warfare.”

Antichrist – Wants to change times and law

He wants to change times and law

Dan 7:25 He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, Shall persecute the saints of the Most High, And shall intend to change times and law.
Another copy of God - BC/AD
- Daniel 2:20 Daniel answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, For wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what in the darkness, And light dwells with Him.
Seventh-Day Adventist have historically taught that it was the papacy which “changed the times and laws” by moving the Lord's day from Saturday to Sunday
The earth is actually spinning faster, so maybe that is the reason for the change
- Mt 24:22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.

Antichrist – Power over the saints is limited

His power over the saints is limited – It will last for 3.5 years

Refers to 1/2 of the last 7-year period of man's rule on this Earth – the 70th week of Daniel
Versions of 3.5 years
- 42 months
- time, times and half a time
- 1,260 days
Scripture
- Rev 11:2 But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. 3 And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”
- Rev 12:6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.
- Rev 13:5 And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months.

Daniel 7:7-8 – Vision of the Four Beasts

Dan 7:7 “After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. 8 I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words. …

19 “Then I wished to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its nails of bronze, which devoured, broke in pieces, and trampled the residue with its feet; 20 and the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, before which three fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth which spoke pompous words, whose appearance was greater than his fellows.

21 “I was watching; and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom.

Dan 7

Daniel 8:19-26 - Gabriel Interprets the Vision

Dan 8:19 And he said, “Look, I am making known to you what shall happen in the latter time of the indignation; for at the appointed time the end shall be. …

23 “And in the latter time of their kingdom, When the transgressors have reached their fullness,
A king shall arise, Having fierce features, Who understands sinister schemes.
24 His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power;
He shall destroy fearfully, And shall prosper and thrive;
He shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people.

25 “Through his cunning He shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule;
And he shall exalt himself in his heart. He shall destroy many in their prosperity.
He shall even rise against the Prince of princes; But he shall be broken without human means.

26 “And the vision of the evenings and mornings Which was told is true;
Therefore seal up the vision, For it refers to many days in the future.”

An example of dual prophecy
- Near fulfillment in the person of Antiochus IV Epiphanes
- Far fulfillment in the person of antichrist

Antichrist – Deception

23 ...A king shall arise ... Who understands sinister schemes.

24 His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power;
He shall destroy fearfully, And shall prosper and thrive;
He shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people.

25 “Through his cunning He shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule;
...He shall destroy many in their prosperity.

The power of the Antichrist comes from Satan
Destruction comes by way of prosperity

Dan 8

Daniel 9:24-27 – The Seventy-Weeks Prophecy

Dan 9:24 “Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city …

26 “And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself;
And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.
The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined.
27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;
But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.
And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate,
Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.”

God's redemptive plan – 70th Week for the Jews

Dan 9:24 “Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city …

69 Weeks have been fulfilled, the 70th week has not
Now there is no special focus on Israel in God's redemptive plan – this is the time of the church
But when the church is taken away (at the rapture), God will return his special focus on Israel again for the last 7 years (70th week) of man's rule on this earth
“The 70th week will begin when the Jewish people are restored in unbelief to their land and city; and among them will be found a faithful remnant, owning their sin, and seeking Jehovah's face (Ironside 1911)
These “gaps” or “pauses” in prophecy may seem strange to us but they are somewhat typical
- See Dual Fulfillment: Gap
- Is 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
- Luke 1:31You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

Antichrist – Comes from a Revived Roman Empire

The Prince who is to come is not specifically revealed to us here, but his people are

They are the people who would put Jesus to death in a human legal since – the Romans
Prince who is to come matches with the little horn of Daniel 7
Therefore the Prince who is to come (antichrist) will in some way be an heir to the Romans (even as the final world government is an heir to the Roman Empire)

Antichrist – Confirms a Covenant to Start the Tribulation

He (the Prince who is to come) confirms the covenant with the many (Israel) for the final 7-year period

He breaks the treaty in the middle of the 7 years (3.5 years)
It had not yet happened in 90 AD (as preterists claim)
- All the things that God promised would happen in the 70 weeks (verse 24) have not yet happened
- Therefore, we know that the 70 weeks have not yet been completed
- Yet apparently there is a “pause” in the 70 weeks, between the 69th week and the 70th week
  - Since the Jewish rejection of Jesus, and now ready to begin again when they antichrist shall confirm a covenant with the Jews

With this covenant, Israel probably embraces the antichrist as a political messiah, if not the literal Messiah
- This was predicted by Jesus
  - John 5:43 I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.
  - It is as if God has appointed 490 years of special focus on Israel in His redemptive plan, then the years were “paused” by Israel’s rejection of Jesus

Antichrist – Abomination of Desolation

He will bring an end to sacrifice and establish an abomination (idol) which will bring desolation.

This is when the antichrist “turns” on the Jews, halfway through the last 7-year period. Jesus and Paul understood that this event (the abomination of desolation) was essential in understanding prophecy.
- Matthew 24:15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
- 2Th 2:3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
- Rev 12:6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days. … 13 Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. 14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. 15 So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. 16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Dan 9

Daniel 11:36-45 – The Northern King’s Blasphemies and Conquests

Dan 11:36 “Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done. 37 He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all. 38 But in their place he shall honor a god of fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things. 39 Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain.

40 “At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. 41 He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon. 42 He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43 He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; also the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow at his heels. 44 But news from the east and the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many. 45 And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him.

Here begins a passage that deals with that 70th week of Daniel that is yet to be fulfilled – the time of the end, the last days, the ultimate arrangement of Earth's kingdoms just before the return of Jesus Christ.
- The context of the Maccabean Revolt (Dan 11:30-32) foreshadows something MUCH bigger that is still to come.
- Introduced by the previous verse: Dan 11:35 And some of those of understanding shall fall, to refine them, purify them, and make them white, until the time of the end; because it is still for the appointed time.

This remarkable passage predicts an invasion of Palestine and a counter-invasion from Egypt in the South, and then the meeting of 2 great armies in the land of Israel and the ultimate destruction of those armies there on the mountains of Israel.
- This is also clearly described in the Ezekiel 38-39 and Joel 2. And you will find other prophetic references to this as well.

The king described here is the antichrist – He will put himself forward and seek the people's worship and praise just as Satan has always craved worship.
- Is 14:12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!
  How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations!
  13 For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven,
  I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
  I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north;
  14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’

Mt 4:8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”

2Th 2:3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

Wrath refers to the great tribulation – It's God's indignation against a sinning world
- Is 26:20 Come, my people, enter your chambers, And shut your doors behind you;
  Hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, Until the indignation is past.
  21 For behold, the Lord comes out of His place To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity;
  The earth will also disclose her blood, And will no more cover her slain.

What must take place?
- Paul answered this question in 2 Thessalonians when he addresses the question that some say that the Lord has already returned
  - 2Th 2:1 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. 3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

Dan 11:37 He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all.

This scripture is led many people to believe that the antichrist will be in apostate Jew
- In Judaism, apostasy refers to the rejection of Judaism and possible defection to another religion by a Jew. The term apostasy is derived from Ancient Greek: ἀποστάτης, meaning "rebellious"
Desire of woman
- He may be homosexual
- The desire of women could refer to every Jewish woman's hope that she would bear the child who would bruise the serpent's head
  - Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”
  - Jesus was the child (seed of woman) and fulfilled this prophecy with his atoning death on the cross. So this verse could mean that the antichrist will not regard God or Jesus.

Dan 11:38 But in their place he shall honor a god of fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things.

Other translations say ‘he will honor a god of forces’
The antichrist will worship and be obsessed with military force
- He’ll build a huge and expensive army equipped with tremendous military hardware

Dan 11:39 Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain.

The antichrist will make a covenant with Israel.
- He’ll work out a Middle East peace plan that will divide the land of Israel for his gain
- The covenant will be broken by the antichrist after 3½ years, when he stops the sacrifices in the temple and demands that he himself be worshiped as God

At this point, those Jews who are close to God will flee to the Jordanian rock city of Petra
- Matthew 24:15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.

Isaiah 16:1 Send the lamb to the ruler of the land, From Sela to the wilderness, To the mount of the daughter of Zion.
2 For it shall be as a wandering bird thrown out of the nest; so shall be the daughters of Moab at the fords of the Arnon.
“Take counsel, execute judgment; Make your shadow like the night in the middle of the day; Hide the outcasts, Do not betray him who escapes. 4 Let My outcasts dwell with you, O Moab; Be a shelter to them from the face of the spoiler. For the extortioner is at an end, Devastation ceases, The oppressors are consumed out of the land.
- Sela is the Edomite capital – Petra

Revelation 12:14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. 15 So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood. 16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Dan 11:40 “At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. 41 He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon. 42 He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43 He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; also the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow at his heels. 44 But news from the east and the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many.

The chariots may be tanks
The Glorious Land is Israel. Ammon is Jordan and Iraq
The antichrist will be at the borders of Libya and Ethiopia
- It will probably be a planned attempt to conquer the continent of Africa
The antichrist's 10 nations begins to move against Africa – passing through Israel & taking Egypt
- The Chinese will send their armies, along with the remnant of the Russian army, to battle his forces
  - Rev 16:12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East.
- These armies will meet in The Valley of Megiddo for the great and final battle of Armageddon

Dan 11:45 And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him.

The antichrist will set up his throne in Jerusalem and will seek to rule the world from there in the last 3.5 years.
Jesus will destroy the antichrist with the words of his mouth
- Revelation 19:11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. 17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, 18 that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.”

Dan 11

2 Thessalonians 2:3-12 – The Great Apostasy

2Th 2:3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

The English expression “apostasy” or “falling away” comes from the Greek noun apostasia. There are two major views on what is meant through the noun apostasia.
- Spiritual departure – The majority view is that it is speaking of a spiritual departure, such as the unbelieving world embracing the Antichrist. Most Christians today believe that this is what is meant and that is the sign that Paul gives here.
  - Deception – False Gospel – Paul writes about deception in every letter
- Physical departure (rapture) – According to the second view, the apostasia is not a spiritual departure but rather represents a physical or spatial departure. If this latter view is accurate, Paul’s simple point to the Thessalonian believers is that they could not possibly be in the Tribulation period because their physical departure, or the pretribulation rapture that he had already taught you about, has not yet transpired. (see Pre-Tribulation Rapture: Holy Spirit Must be Removed)

"Why is God going to send a strong delusion in the end times?"

https://www.gotquestions.org/strong-delusion.html

The Bible makes it clear why God is sending a strong delusion in the end times: “They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness” (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12). Simply put, God sends a strong delusion to those who chose not to believe the gospel of Christ. Those who take delight in mocking and rejecting Him, He will condemn.

It is man’s choice whether to accept and believe the truth of Jesus Christ as presented in the Scriptures. To receive the truth and the love God offers is in keeping with its teachings, “This is love for God: to obey His commands” (1 John 5:3). Conversely, to know the truth and not obey it is to face the wrath of God: “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness” (Romans 1:18). Frankly speaking, there is no more dangerous condition for man than to know the truth and refuse to obey it. To do so is to harden the heart and make God’s condemnation sure.

When one knows the truth and refuses to obey it, he is subject to any lie, any deception, any untruth that man can conjure up. “For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools” (Romans 1:21-22). Paul goes on in the next few verses to describe the mindset and behaviors of those who disbelieve (see Romans 1:29-31). As a result of man’s foolishness and his arrogant disdain of the things of God, “God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done” (Romans 1:28). And correspondingly, “Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things, but also approve of those who practice them” (Romans 1:32).

Isaiah puts it succinctly: “They have chosen their own ways, and their souls delight in their abominations; so I [God] also will choose harsh treatment for them and bring upon them what they dread. For when I called, no one answered, when I spoke, no one listened. They did evil in My sight and chose what displeases Me” (Isaiah 66:3-4).

When men know the truth and refuse to receive it, when they refuse to obey it and hold it in unrighteousness, “they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth” (2 Thessalonians 2:12 NLT).

“God is love” (1 John 4:16). He is not some cruel monster who deliberately and inwardly delights in preparing people for everlasting condemnation. But He earnestly and lovingly proclaims the gospel of Christ, “not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

Throughout the Scriptures, God urges people to accept the truth. But when people reject Him and spurn His message, then—and not until then—God hardens them and turns them over to a deluded mind to wallow in their wickedness to their eternal damnation. This is what the Lord says about those who choose to reject the truth: “They greatly love to wander; they do not restrain their feet. So the Lord does not accept them; He will now remember their wickedness and punish them for their sins” (Jeremiah 14:10).

2Th 2

ANITCHRIST

The antichrist is summoned

Satan summons a terrifying beast to attack God’s people – one made in his image.

The sea – In ancient Near Eastern literature “the sea” represents chaos, the primal soup,

the habitation of Leviathan, the “coiled serpent,” the “dragon in the sea” (Isaiah 27:1).

It is a fearful place, and here the beast with ten horns and seven heads

(closely resembling its master, Satan, in appearance), comes out of the sea.

The Greek word for “beast” is θηρίον [thay-ree’-on]
- It is a neuter noun, properly referred to as an “it, not a “he” or “she.”
The Greek word for rising is ἀναβαῖνον [a-na-bye’-no]
- It pictures “rising up,” “climbing,” or “emerging”
In your mind’s eye imagine a huge, grotesque hydra-headed monster, rising from the roiling sea,

fangs barred and snapping, drool and slime oozing from its gaping maw, spewing blasphemies.

The Great Red Dragon and the Beast from the Sea Drawing by William Blake

Rev 13:1 Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. 2 Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority.

This recalls another of Daniel’s visions:

Dan 7:2 Daniel spoke, saying, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea. 3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other. 4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings. I watched till its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.

5 “And suddenly another beast, a second, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And they said thus to it: ‘Arise, devour much flesh!’

6 “After this I looked, and there was another, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.

7 “After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. 8 I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words.

Although John’s beast draws heavily upon the imagery in Daniel’s vision, it is not an exact parallel; rather, John’s beast is meant to be a composite that embodies all of history’s demonic and human opposition against God, all rolled up into one horrendous, frightening and terrifying image.

The antichrist is given authority

Rev 13:2 …The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority.

The dragon, Satan, delegates his own power and authority to the first beast, the Antichrist, the 2nd person of his infernal trinity, just as God delegated his authority to Christ, 2nd person of the authentic Trinity.

Recall that in Daniel the “Ancient of Days” gives “power” and “authority” to the “Son of Man,”

Dan 7:13 “I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man,
Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days,

And they brought Him near before Him.
14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom,
That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away,
And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.

Jesus identifies himself as this very figure from Daniel, calling himself “Son of Man” throughout the synoptic gospels
- John’s gospel reaffirms this delegation to Jesus of God’s power and authority:
  - Jn 3:35 The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand.
  - Jn 5:21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. 22 For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, 23 that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
- And the 1st-century Church understood this delegation of God’s power and authority to Jesus, as is evidenced by Paul in his epistle to the church at Philippi
  - Php 2:9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The antichrist is slain and resurrected

Rev 13:3 And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast.

As Christ was slain on the cross and then raised from the dead, so it appears that the beast had received a mortal wound [“had been slain,” the past perfect tense], but had been raised, as well.
- The parallels between the two are explicit . . . and chilling

One of the heads of the beast appeared to have been mortally wounded.
- The Greek word is ἐσφαγμένην εἰς θάνατον, “slain to death”
- The same word was used of the Lamb in Revelation 5:6 who “seemed to have been slain”
  - Rev 5:6 And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

The antichrist is worshipped

Rev 13:4 So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”

The crowds are fascinated by the beast – And that “marveling” led people to worship both the dragon—who had delegated his power and authority to the beast—and the beast himself.
- The Greek word is προσεκύνησαν , “to do reverence to” or “go down on my knees to, do obeisance to, worship”
- The word was often used of the crowd’s reaction to Jesus in the synoptic gospels.

Watching Satan’s grotesque parody of the Trinity take shape is, indeed, fascinating . . . much like watching in slow motion a violent train crash!

The fact that the beast utters blasphemies suggests that he makes overt claims to being divine, to being the object of worship
- According to the historian Suetonius, the Emperor Domitian (A.D. 81-96) believed that the Empire should be a divine monarchy, not a Republic, proclaiming himself dominus et deus, (“Lord and God”), moving the center of government to the imperial court, rendering the Roman Senate impotent and expelling those senators whom he deemed troublesome. (E.P. Janzen offers numismatic evidence for Domitian’s claims of divinity, citing coins struck during Domitian’s reign that refer to him as “divine Caesar.” “The Jesus of the Apocalypse Wears the Emperor’s Clothes.” In SBL 1994 Seminar Papers, ed. by E.H. Lovering Jr., 637-661. Atlanta: Scholar’s Press.)
- The Temple of Trajan attests to the strength of the Roman imperial cult in the city.
  - Trajan (A.D. 98-117) followed Domitian, and as we learned in Lesson #4, Pergamum, the third of the seven churches of Revelation, became an Asian center of the Imperial Roman cult, boasting the beautiful Temple of Trajan on its acropolis.

Futures: The Antichrist, Who Is He And Where Did He Come From? (Real Life with Jack Hibbs)

Could Emmanuel Macron be the Antichrist?

(Prophecy Update Videos)

Could Emmanuel Macron be the Antichrist? According to Scripture, the greatest political leader in history - the man of lawlessness (a.k.a. the Antichrist) - will arise from Europe to seek world domination and deceive countless people near the time of Christ's return.

Somewhere at this very moment on Planet Earth, the Antichrist is almost certainly alive, and there is much speculation about the identity of this Antichrist. Among the speculation, some of the more popular Antichrist candidates include: Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Jared Kushner and Pope Francis.

Yet, out of all the Antichrist candidates who have come and gone, Emmanuel Macron, who became President of France on the 14th of May, 2017, has generated more end-time buzz than any other world leader that I know! This is because Macron seems to fit the exact characteristics of the Antichrist in so many ways...

Interview with the Antichrist (Lamb & Lion Ministries w/ Jeff Kinley)

If you could interview the Antichrist, what would he say?

The Bible Warned Us About all These Things...And Now They are HERE (The_Watchman_1963) (Start at 26:20 min)

Antichrist Characteristics

The Antichrist - Will he be killed and then resurrected from the dead? By Dr. David R. Reagan

https://christinprophecy.org/articles/the-antichrist/

The authors of the “Left Behind” series assert that the Antichrist will be assassinated and then be resurrected from the dead. There is a biblical basis for this assumption, but I do not believe it is valid. The assumption is based on Revelation 13:1-3 where John says he saw “a beast coming up out of the sea” (the Antichrist rising from among the Gentile nations). He then adds that the beast had ten horns with crowns and seven heads, and that one of his heads “had been slain,” and “the fatal wound had been healed.”

This is obviously symbolic imagery, and I believe it refers to kingdoms rather than a person. In Revelation 12:3 Satan is portrayed as a dragon with seven crowned heads and ten horns. In Revelation 13:1 the Antichrist is pictured as a beast with seven heads and ten crowned horns. Satan’s heads are crowned because they represent the seven great world empires which he has controlled. The Antichrist’s ten horns are crowned because they represent the ten kingdoms he will initially control.

A clue to the identity of the seven heads is located in Revelation 17:9-11 where the imagery of seven mountains is used to refer to the great kingdoms of the world. We are told that at the time John was writing (about 95 A.D.), “five had fallen, one is, the other has not yet come” (Revelation 17:10). That would mean that the kingdoms past, in order, would be Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece. The current kingdom (“one is”) was Rome. The one yet to come is the kingdom of the Antichrist which will be based initially on control of ten kingdoms, but will expand into a world wide empire which will be the eighth and last of the Gentile world kingdoms (Revelation 17:11).

So, I believe the “head” referred to in Revelation 13:3 which is slain and then resurrected is the Roman Empire, and not an individual. We are witnessing that resurrection today in the emergence of the European Community.

--My own personal comment - I do believe that he will be killed and indwelt by Satan, but this interpretation is an interesting possibility.

The Antichrist - Will he be killed and then resurrected from the dead?

The Antichrist - Will he be a Muslim? By Dr. David R. Reagan

https://christinprophecy.org/articles/the-antichrist-2/

The traditional viewpoint has been that the Antichrist will be a European of Roman descent. This view is based on a statement in Daniel 9:26 which says that the Antichrist, referred to as “the prince who is to come,” will be from “the people who destroy the Temple.” Those people proved to be the Romans who destroyed the Temple in 70 AD.

Gentile or Jew?

Scholars have been divided as to whether or not this person of Roman heritage will be a Gentile or a Jew. Many have pointed to John 5:43 to argue that the Antichrist will be a Jew. That verse quotes Jesus as saying, “I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another shall come in his own name, you will receive him.” The argument drawn from this statement is that the Antichrist must be a Jew in order for the Jews to accept him as their Messiah.

But other prophecies in the Bible make it clear that the Jews will never accept the Antichrist as their Messiah. In fact we are told point blank that when the Antichrist declares himself to be God at the mid-point of the Tribulation, the Jews will be outraged and will reject him, causing him to turn on them in fury with the purpose of annihilating them (Revelation 12:13-17).

The Gentile Argument

So what did Jesus mean when He said that “if another shall come in his own name you will receive him?” Those who argue the Antichrist will be a Gentile respond by saying that the Antichrist will be accepted by the Jewish people as their political savior when he implements a treaty that will guarantee their security and enable them to rebuild their Temple (Daniel 9:27). But the Jews will never receive the Antichrist as their spiritual savior. Thus, when he declares himself to be God, they will reject him.

There is other scriptural evidence that the Antichrist will be a Gentile. For example, Revelation 13:1 pictures him as a beast arising “out of the sea.” The sea is used in Scripture to symbolize the Gentile nations (Daniel 7:3 and Luke 21:25).

In contrast, the Antichrist’s right-hand man and spiritual leader is pictured in Revelation 13:11 as rising up out of the land (or the earth, in some translations). This reference to the land is an indication that the False Prophet will be a Jew who will rise out of the Promised Land of Israel.

Possibly a Muslim?

Could the Antichrist possibly be a Muslim? This is a new idea that seems to be catching fire today due to the awakening of Islam and the revival of its territorial goal of conquering the world for Allah.

I recently read four books that relate to this topic. One lays the biblical foundation without asserting that the Antichrist will actually be a Muslim. The other three use that foundation to make the assertion.

The book that provides the biblical foundation — and the best book of the four — is entitled The Assyrian Connection.1 It was written in 1993 by Phillip Goodman. A revised edition was published in 2003.

Goodman is a specialist in Bible prophecy who resides in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He is an astute Bible student and gifted teacher who bases all that he writes and says on Scripture.

Goodman’s Book

In his book, Goodman argues that the Antichrist will rise from the Eastern wing of the old Roman Empire, coming from the ancient Greek sphere of influence that was incorporated into that empire. Getting even more specific, he argues that the Antichrist will come from the Seleucid area of the Greek sphere — specifically, from Assyria, meaning either modern-day Syria or Iraq. Although he never specifically states that the Antichrist will be a Muslim, he leaves this distinct impression by claiming that he will come from an area dominated by Islam.

For scriptural evidence of his thesis, Goodman points to the description of the Antichrist in Revelation 13:2 where he is portrayed symbolically as being like a leopard, with the feet of a bear, and the mouth of a lion. This imagery comes right out of Daniel 7 where the Empire of Babylon is pictured as a lion, the Medo-Persian Empire is depicted as a bear, and the Macedonian or Greek Empire of Alexander the Great is described as a leopard.

Goodman argues that since the dominate feature of the Antichrist in Revelation 13:2 is his leopard body, it is an indication that the Antichrist will rise out of the area of the Greek Empire that was incorporated into the Roman Empire.

Next, he narrows the geographical search by pointing to Micah 5:5 where an end time prophecy refers to “the Assyrian” invading the land of Israel. He argues this is a reference to the Antichrist.

He then buttresses his argument by referencing Daniel 8 where Daniel tells about a vision he was given of a succession of empires. Daniel says he saw a ram representing the Medo-Persian Empire (vs. 3 and 20) and that it was trampled by a male goat, representing the Greek Empire (vs. 5-7 and 21). The male goat had a “conspicuous horn between his eyes” representing Alexander the Great. But then Daniel reports that he saw the large horn “broken” (symbolizing the death of Alexander) and that “in its place there came up four conspicuous horns,” representing the four divisions of the Greek Empire that were created after Alexander’s death.

Out of one of those four divisions of Alexander’s Empire Daniel witnessed the emergence of “a little horn which grew exceedingly great” (verse 9).

Antiochus Epiphanes

Nearly all Bible scholars agree that this little horn represents Antiochus Epiphanes, a tyrant who arose out of the Seleucid section of Alexander’s Empire. He is described in detail in verses 23-26 in what sounds like a classic depiction of the Antichrist, making it clear that Antiochus was a type of the Antichrist. In fact, this is made rather clear in verses 17 and 19 where Daniel is told by Gabriel that the prophecy will not find its fulfillment until the “time of the end.”

So, if the type of the Antichrist — Antiochus Epiphanes — was from Seleucia, then Goodman argues the Antichrist will also come from that same area (Syria/Iraq) and will thus be an Assyrian.

A Succession of Empires

Another argument Goodman uses to substantiate the Assyrian connection of the Antichrist is based on a passage in Revelation 17:9-11 where there is a reference to seven empires. Five are referred to as “fallen” (Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece). The sixth is “the one that is” — namely, the one that existed at that time (Rome). The seventh is called the one that “has not yet come” (the empire that will give birth to the Antichrist). Revelation 13:1-3 also refers to these seven empires and states that the Antichrist will arise out of the one that comes back to life in the end times. The traditional interpretation is that this is a reference to a revival of the Roman Empire.

But Goodman says no. He argues that all the kingdoms continued to exist to one degree or another except the Assyrian. He argues it was the only one that totally ceased to exist and therefore, it is the one that will be resurrected from the dead in the end times. To support this conclusion from Scripture, Goodman quotes Daniel 7:12 where Daniel is told that “an extension of life” for “an appointed time” had been granted to the beasts that were symbolic of world empires.

Goodman offers a number of other arguments in behalf of his thesis, but these are the key ones. Let’s now evaluate them.

Responding to Goodman

With regard to the symbolic description of the Antichrist in Revelation 13:2 as being like a leopard with the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion, I see no reason to seize on the mention of the leopard to conclude that the Antichrist will come out of the Greek sphere of the old Roman Empire. I believe all this passage is saying is that the kingdom of the Antichrist will have characteristics of these three kingdoms — swift as a leopard, strong as a bear, and deadly as a lion.

And surely that will be the case, for keep in mind that the book of Revelation reveals that the Antichrist will conquer the entire world in only three and a half years!

Micah 5:5

Nor do I believe there is any validity to the use of Micah 5:5 to determine the national identity of the Antichrist. Micah 5:3-15 is entirely about the Millennium. The Antichrist will be dead and gone during that time. Revelation 19:20-21 says that at the Second Coming of Jesus — at the end of the Tribulation — the Antichrist and his False Prophet will be thrown into the lake of fire where they will be tormented eternally (20:10).

I believe that all the prophet is saying in Micah 5:5-6 is that during the Millennium the Lord will protect Israel from all its natural enemies — as symbolized by Assyria (the enemy of Israel at the time the prophet wrote).

Daniel 8

Regarding Daniel 8, there is no doubt that this chapter is a prophecy that Antiochus Epiphanes, who is a biblical type of the Antichrist, will rise out of one of the four divisions of Alexander’s Empire that were created after his death. It is also clear that the chapter states that what is said about the nature of Antiochus applies to the Antichrist in the end times (Daniel 8:17 and 19). But the primary focus of the chapter is on the personality and character of the Antichrist (verses 23-26), not on his origin.

Keep in mind that there are many other symbolic types of the Antichrist in Scripture besides Antiochus. They include such persons as the Pharaoh of the Exodus, King Saul of Israel, David’s son, Absalom, and King Herod. Some of these are Jewish, but that doesn’t mean the Antichrist will be Jewish. One of the most significant, the Pharaoh of the Exodus, was from Egypt, but that doesn’t mean the Antichrist will be an Egyptian.

They, like Antiochus, are types of the Antichrist because of their rebellion against God and because they attempted to exalt themselves above God. Remember also that symbolic types are never exactly the same as what they are symbols of. Joseph, for example, is a symbolic type of Jesus.

But even more important is the fact that Antiochus Epiphanes was of Greek heritage. He was not an Assyrian. So, if the prophecy in Daniel 8 is pointing to the heritage of the Antichrist, it is indicating that he will be a Roman of Greek heritage.

Revelation 17

The weakest argument Goodman attempts to use is the one he bases on Revelation 17:9-11. His assertion that all the empires included in this passage have continued to this day, except the Assyrian, simply cannot be justified in history. The Babylonian Empire ceased to exist overnight when it was overthrown by the Medo-Persian Empire. Two hundred years later, when Alexander the Great visited the site of the Empire’s capital city, there was nothing left but ruins.

The Bible specifically prophesies that Babylon will be overthrown by the Medes, and that thereafter, it will “never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation” (Isaiah 13:17-20). That prophecy was partially fulfilled in 539 BC when the Medes and the Persians conquered Babylon. It was completely fulfilled in the years that followed as the city went into a slow decline, ultimately ending up in ruins. And just as prophesied, the city has remained desolate to this day (despite persistent rumors of it being “rebuilt”).

The bottom line is that there is no way around the fact that the Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Medo-Persian, and Roman Empires ceased to exist. And there is no way to sensibly argue that all of them have continued to this day except the Assyrian, and therefore it is the one that will be resurrected in the end times. The context of Daniel’s succession of world empires as portrayed in chapters 2 and 7 is that the empire of the Antichrist will be a revival of the last of the empires in the series — the Roman Empire.

This discussion reminds me of the Holy Roman Empire that existed from about 800 AD to 1806. It was an attempt by Germanic tribes to keep the Roman Empire alive. But it was very limited in scope and existed primarily on paper, prompting Voltaire to observe, “It is neither holy, Roman, nor an empire.”

A Major Revision

In the 2003 revision of his book, Goodman decided that the seventh empire of Revelation 17 should be changed from a revival of the Roman Empire to the Ottoman Empire (1299-1923). But he continued to argue that the Antichrist would arise out of the revived Assyrian Empire.2

Let’s take a careful look at the Revelation 17 passage. It begins by referring to the scarlet beast (the Antichrist) on which a great harlot (the Antichrist’s apostate religion) sits. It says the beast has seven heads.

9) Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits,

10) and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while.

11) And the beast which was and is not, is himself also an eighth, and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction.

Considering the time when this passage was written (95 AD), the five kings “fallen” would be the following empires: Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Medo-Persian, and Grecian. The “one is” empire — the one existing at the time Revelation was written — would be the Roman. The one to come would be the revival of the Roman Empire which will give birth to the Antichrist (the European Union). The eighth empire would be the worldwide empire of the Antichrist which he will establish through military conquest during the first half of the Tribulation.

The Ottoman Empire cannot be inserted in this passage. To do so would make it the seventh empire. The eighth, according to Goodman, would be the revival of the Assyrian Empire, making the worldwide empire of the Antichrist the ninth empire. But the passage provides for only eight empires.

Furthermore, to deny that the empire to be revived is the Roman Empire is to deny the significance of the miraculous revival of that empire in our day and time in the form of the European Union — an event that has been predicted by prophecy experts for several hundred years.

VanKoevering’s Book

The second book I consulted that proposes a Muslim Antichrist is one published in 2007 by Dr. Joe VanKoevering. It is titled Unveiling the Man of Sin.3 The author is an eloquent and enthusiastic teacher of Bible prophecy. He serves as the host of a television program called “God’s News Behind the News.” He also pastors Gateway Christian Center in St. Petersburg, Florida.

VanKoevering begins his quest for the Antichrist by asserting, like Goodman, that he must be of Assyrian heritage. His biblical basis for this assertion is Isaiah 10:24 — “Therefore, thus says the Lord God of hosts, ‘O My people who dwell in Zion, do not fear the Assyrian who strikes you with the rod and lifts up his staff against you, the way Egypt did.'”

Next, he resorts to the same argument as Goodman, claiming that since Antiochus Epiphanes — a type of the Antichrist — came from the Seleucid or Assyrian area of the Grecian Empire (Syria and Iraq), the Antichrist must also come from that area.

He then tries to narrow down the search to one modern day country within the old Assyrian Empire. He does this by pointing out that in Daniel 11 there is a description of the Antichrist’s invasion of the Middle East during the Tribulation. Daniel says the Antichrist and his army will conquer Israel and Egypt but will not enter the area of modern day Jordan. This prompts VanKoevering to conclude that the Antichrist will come from Jordan.

Response to VanKoevering

In response I would point out first of all that Isaiah 10:24 has absolutely nothing to do with end time prophecy. Isaiah 10 is a prophecy that God will use Assyria as His “rod of anger” (verse 5) to judge Israel. He urges Israel in verses 24-25 not to fear the Assyrians because “in a very little while My indignation against you will be spent, and My anger will be directed to their destruction.” In other words, God will use Assyria to discipline Israel but He will not allow them to destroy the Jewish people. And furthermore, once He is finished using Assyria as a rod of His discipline, He will destroy the Assyrian Empire.

That’s all there is to the passage. Again, it has nothing to do with end time prophecy or the Antichrist.

I have already addressed the argument that the Antichrist must be an Assyrian because his symbolic type — Antiochus Epiphanes — was from Assyria. Again, there are many types of the Antichrist presented in Scripture, like the Pharaoh of the Exodus and King Saul of Israel, but these types do not mean the Antichrist will necessarily come from Egypt or Israel. But the most important fact to keep in mind is that Antiochus was a Greek, not an Assyrian.

As to the argument based on Daniel 11, it is true that the Antichrist and his armies will not enter modern day Jordan. But the reason given is that the area will be “rescued out of his hands” (Daniel 11:41). That doesn’t sound like a voluntary decision to refrain from invading the area. Rather, it sounds like God prevents the Antichrist from invading Jordan — and for good reason, since the Bible indicates this will be the land of refuge for the Jewish remnant when they flee Israel in the middle of the Tribulation (Revelation 12:13-17).

Additional Qualifications

Besides asserting that the Antichrist must be an Assyrian, VanKoevering also says he must be a “prince” and “the King of Babylon.”

The prince requirement is taken from Daniel 9:26 which says the Antichrist will be a prince. The King of Babylon idea comes from Isaiah 14:4ff where a taunt against the King of Babylon is presented. As the King of Babylon is described in detail, he clearly morphs into a description of Satan. VanKoevering claims it is also a description of the Antichrist.

Having established what he believes are three requirements for the Antichrist — that he be an Assyrian from Jordan, that he be a prince, and that he be the King of Babylon — VanKoevering then spends the rest of his book trying to prove that the best candidate for the Antichrist is Crown Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan!4 Prince Hassan is the brother of former King Hussein and was his designated heir to the throne of Jordan until the king changed his mind on his deathbed and gave the throne, instead, to his son, Abdullah II.

It grieves me that VanKoevering has made this attempt to identify the Antichrist. It is the sort of sensational speculation that has given the whole field of Bible prophecy a bad reputation.

VanKoevering’s Antichrist Candidate

Why does he point to Prince Hassan? First, he argues that “the closest genetic relationship of the Assyrians are with the native populations of Jordan and Iraq.”5 But what he overlooks is the fact that the Hashemite royal family of Jordan is not native to either Jordan or Iraq. The family came, instead, from Saudi Arabia. Members of this family were imposed upon the populations of Iraq and Jordan as kings of these nations by Great Britain after World War I. So, Prince Hassan does not even meet the first criterion stipulated by VanKoevering!

The next qualification of the Antichrist that Hassan is supposed to fulfill is that he carries the title of Prince. This is really irrelevant. When Daniel 9:26 says the Antichrist will be a “prince,” all it is saying is that he will be a political leader. The Bible uses two terms for political leaders — prince and king. The biblical authors could not refer to presidents or prime ministers because those forms of ruling power had not yet developed. Thus, when we are told in Psalm 118:9 “it is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes,” we are being warned against putting our trust in politicians. The warning is not limited to those politicians who literally have the title of prince.

VanKoevering’s third qualification for the Antichrist — that he be the King of Babylon — is, of course, unfulfilled in the life of Prince Hassan. But VanKoevering argues it could become a possibility since one of his Hashemite relatives, King Faisal, was installed by the British as King of Iraq in 1921. King Faisal, the brother of Prince Hassan’s grandfather, King Abdullah, died in 1933. His son, King Faisal II, and all his family were murdered in 1958 when the Iraqi military mounted a coup d’etat.

VanKoevering believes there is an excellent possibility that the leaders of Iraq will seek to stabilize their nation by inviting Prince Hassan to become king. But that is pure speculation, and there is no indication that the people of Iraq want a king, particularly one that is not even native to their population.

Nor is there any requirement in Scripture that the Antichrist be the King of Babylon. The passage VanKoevering uses to establish this idea is found in Isaiah 14 where the King of Babylon is presented as a type of Satan himself. That there might be a double application to both Satan and the Antichrist is a real possibility since the Antichrist will be possessed by Satan, but there is no indication in the passage that the Antichrist must be the King of Babylon.

A similar taunt is presented in Ezekiel 28 against the Prince of Tyre. And like the passage in Isaiah 14, the taunt morphs into a description of Satan that could be applied to the Antichrist. Does that mean the Antichrist must also be the King of Tyre? I think not.

One final observation about VanKoevering’s book. I believe that 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 teaches that the Antichrist will not be revealed until the beginning of the Tribulation. All attempts to identify him before the Tribulation are a waste of time.

Richardson’s Book

The third book I investigated is one by Joel Richardson entitled Antichrist: Islam’s Awaited Messiah.6

I wish I could tell you something about the author, but he states in the book’s introduction that he is using a pen name due to fear of Muslim threats on his life.7

I was really turned off by this revelation and almost decided not to read the book. People who speak out publicly on issues should be willing to put their name to their words. And being motivated by fear is certainly not a biblical attitude (Psalm 118:6).

Whoever he may be, Joel Richardson is an excellent writer who knows how to craft and present persuasive arguments.

Richardson begins by introducing the reader to the complex and confusing world of Islamic eschatology. One of the reasons it is so confusing is because it has never been systematized, as has been the case with biblical eschatology.

Another reason for the confusion is that there is almost no end time prophecy in the Quran. The prophecies are found, instead, in the Hadith, which is a compilation of sayings by Mohammed that were pulled together from a great variety of sources some two hundred years after his death. Most of these sayings are hearsay and many are contradictory. Also, many are just made-up by people who had a much better understanding of Judaism and Christianity than did Mohammed.

I have written a detailed outline of Islamic eschatology.

Misleading Aspects

Richardson’s presentation of what Muslims believe about the end times is somewhat misleading, for he tries to argue that when the Islamic Messiah called the Mahdi appears, he will be able to instantly unite the whole Islamic world. This is highly unlikely since the concept of the Mahdi is one of the key elements in Islamic eschatology that separates the Shi’tes from the Sunnis.

The Sunni branch of Islam believes that Mohammed’s successor, Abu Bakr, selected in 632, rightfully took his place as the leader of the Muslim world. The Shi’ites, on the other hand, believe that Mohammed’s successor should have been a blood relative and not just a person selected on the basis of Islamic piety or politics. Abu Bakr was Mohammed’s father-in-law. The Shi’ites favored Ali ibn Abi, the prophet’s cousin and son-in-law. Ali ultimately became the fourth successor of Mohammed, reigning from 656 to 661.

After the death of Ali, his heirs were overcome by a military leader named Mu’awiya Umayyad, who proceeded to establish the Umayyad Dynasty centered in Damascus. Sunnis refused to recognized his leadership since he was not a blood relative of Mohammed. They looked, instead, to the surviving heirs of Ali for their leadership.

The blood line of Mohammed through Ali became extinct in 873 A.D. when the last Shi’ite Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, who had no brothers, disappeared within days of inheriting the title at the age of four. The Shi’ites refused to accept that he had died, preferring to believe that he was merely “hidden” and would one day reappear. This event is referred to in Islamic theology as “The Great Occulation” (the shutting off). This boy was the Shi’ite’s Twelfth Imam, and he is the one they expect to return as the Islamic Mahdi. The Sunnis strongly reject this concept.

Historian Timothy Furnish has summed up the difference between the two groups over the Mahdi by observing: “For Shi’ites he has already been here, and will return from hiding; for Sunnis he has yet to emerge into history: a comeback versus a coming out, if you will.”8

The point is that if a Shi’ite leader suddenly appears on the world scene claiming to be the Mahdi, he will be rejected by the Sunnis (who constitute 90% of the Muslim world), and in like manner, any Sunni claiming to be the Mahdi, will be rejected by the Shi’ites.

Another misleading aspect of Richardson’s presentation is his constant talk about the “amazing parallels” and “startling similarities” between Islamic and biblical end time prophecies. Actually, there is nothing startling or amazing when you consider the fact that Mohammed borrowed nearly all his key ideas from Bible stories he heard from both Jews and Christians, stories he often got thoroughly confused. This is a well proven fact, and for overwhelming evidence, I would direct you to Dr. Samuel Shahid’s book, The Last Trumpet.9

Also misleading is Richardson’s heavy reliance on quotations from the Hadith to establish his scenario for end time events. He treats the Hadith as if it contains inspired prophecy, when, in fact, it is nothing more than the ramblings of a demon-possessed man.

Another problem with Richardson’s book is that he states that he got many of his ideas from Walid Shoebat.10 This man is a former Palestinian terrorist who became a Christian. He is an expert on terrorism, and he is an outstanding speaker on the subject.

But when it comes to Bible prophecy, his ideas are very unorthodox, as Richardson’s book clearly reveals. One irritating point that Shoebat keeps making in his public presentations is that one must have an Eastern mindset in order to understand Bible prophecy. He claims that all of us in the Western world have completely misunderstood Bible prophecy because we interpret it from a Western mentality.

This is not only a prideful viewpoint, it is also unbiblical. The Bible was not written in such a way so that only those with a particular mindset can understand it. It was written for all people to understand. There certainly are guidelines to interpretation (such as accepting the plain sense meaning), but any mindset can use those guidelines to understand what the Bible says, as long as the person is indwelt with God’s Holy Spirit.

The Central Concept

The heart of Richardson’s thesis (and Shoebat’s) is that the Antichrist will be a Muslim who will lead a Middle Eastern coalition of Muslim nations against Israel in the end times. In short, the empire of the Antichrist will be a regional one confined to the Middle East!

Like Goodman, Richardson asserts that the seventh empire of Revelation 17:9-11 is the Ottoman Empire, but unlike Goodman, he claims that the eighth and final empire will be a revival of the Ottoman and not the Assyrian. This scheme works better than Goodman’s because there is no need for a ninth empire since Richardson denies that the Antichrist will use the revived Ottoman Empire to build a worldwide empire. The revived Ottoman Empire will be the final Gentile empire.

Regional or World Empire?

In order to sustain this totally revisionist interpretation of end time prophecy, Richardson goes to great pains to deny the clear meaning of Revelation 13:7 which reads as follows: “And it was given to him [the Antichrist] to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him.”

Let me ask you a question: What more would God have to say to convince us that the Antichrist will have a worldwide kingdom?

Yet, Richardson tries to dismiss this verse as nothing but hyperbole. He does so by quoting Daniel 5:18-19 where it states that Nebuchadnezzar, was feared by “all peoples and nations and men of every language.” Richardson then asks, “Did every single nation in the earth fear Nebuchadnezzar?”11 My answer would be, “Yes, all nations that were aware of him.” That’s all the statement means in its context.

Richardson then quotes 1 Kings 4:34 which says that men of all nations came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, “sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.” He then asks derisively, “Was Solomon’s wisdom so impressive that not a single king in all the earth failed to hear of it?”12 That’s not what the verse says. Read it again. It says the kings who had heard of his wisdom sent representatives — not all kings.

Context determines meaning, and the context of Revelation 13:7 clearly means that the Antichrist kingdom will be worldwide, not just a regional coalition of Muslim nations.

The Ezekiel 38 War

Richardson denies that the war described in Ezekiel 38 and 39 will be led by Russia or that Russia will even have a part in it. He favors Turkey as the leader.13 Yet, Ezekiel 38 clearly states that the invasion will be led by the Prince of Rosh coming from “the remote parts of the north” (Ezekiel 38:15). There is no way that Turkey could be considered a nation located in “the remote parts of the north.”

Richardson never reveals when he believes the Ezekiel 38 invasion of Israel will occur, but it must be at the end of the Tribulation since the invading army will be the army of the Antichrist and will be destroyed by God. Thus, he must equate the battle of Gog and Magog in Ezekiel 38 and 39 with the Battle of Armageddon. But these are not the same battles.

The battle of Gog and Magog involves Russia and certain specified allies who come against Israel either at the beginning of the Tribulation or, most likely, before it begins. One of the tipoffs as to the timing of this invasion is the statement that following the defeat of the invading armies, the Israelis will spend seven years cleaning up the battle field and burning the leftover weapons (Ezekiel 39:9).

Many have equated this seven years with the Tribulation, thus putting the invasion at the start of that period of time. But we know that in the middle of the Tribulation the Antichrist is going to turn on the Jews and try to annihilate them, making it impossible for them to continue the clean-up during the last half of that terrible period. So, most likely, the battle will occur before the Tribulation begins.14

In contrast, the Battle of Armageddon occurs at the end of the Tribulation. And there really is no battle at all. The armies of the Antichrist are destroyed in an instant when Jesus returns to the Mount of Olives and speaks a supernatural word, causing their flesh to drop from their bodies (Zechariah 14:1-13). In the Gog and Magog battle, the invading armies will be destroyed on the “mountains of Israel” (Ezekiel 39:4), not in the Valley of Armageddon, and they will be destroyed by pestilence, hailstones, fire and brimstone (Ezekiel 38:22).

Another serious problem with placing the Gog and Magog war at the end of the Tribulation is that Ezekiel 38 says the invasion will occur at a time when Israel is living in peace with unwalled cities (Ezekiel 38:11). That will not be the case at the end of the Tribulation. The land of Israel will be in absolute chaos at that time.

Psalm 83

When I finished reading the book, I found myself wanting to ask Richardson and Shoebat what they are going to do with Psalm 83? This psalm portrays an attack on Israel by a Muslim coalition consisting of Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Gaza, Saudi Arabia and Assyria (Syria). The Bible clearly teaches that God will protect Israel against all such attacks in the end times (Zechariah 12:6).

The outcome of this war most likely is detailed in Zephaniah 2:4-5. These verses indicate that the attacking nations will be devastated by Israel. It is during this war that Damascus, the capital of Syria, will probably be destroyed completely, never to be rebuilt again (Isaiah 17:1-14 and Jeremiah 49:23-27). That is why Syria is not mentioned in Ezekiel 38 as one of the Russian allies.15

The outcome of the Psalm 83 war is what will produce peace for Israel, the peace that it is prophesied to be enjoying when Russia and its allies decide to launch the Ezekiel 38 invasion.

The war of Psalm 83 followed by the war of Ezekiel 38 will result in the annihilation of nearly all the armies of the Muslim nations of the Middle East, and these wars are most likely going to occur before the Tribulation begins! Thus, if the Antichrist is a Muslim who is going to rule a Muslim empire in the Middle East during the Tribulation, then he is going to rule over an empire that has been reduced to ashes!

Final Arguments

Richardson wraps up his arguments with the observation that the Antichrist will be a Muslim because Islam is the most perfect incarnation of the antichrist spirit,16 because it practices beheading as a form of execution,17 and because it observes a calendar that is different from the rest of the world.18

The first point simply is not true. The most perfect incarnation of the antichrist spirit is, and always has been, Humanism in all its various forms. Islam points people toward a god, even though he is a false god. Humanism encourages people to worship Man. God is denied. Man is exalted. And the rejection of God, together with the exaltation of self, is the ultimate antichrist spirit.

The point about beheading is based on the statement in Revelation 20:4 that the Tribulation martyrs will be executed by beheading. Richardson says this is proof that the religion of the Antichrist will be Islam because Muslims are the only people in the world today who practice beheading. This is flimsy evidence at best. Beheading is not a unique characteristic of Islam. It was one of the stellar characteristics of the French Revolution, and is just the type of horror the Antichrist would institute, regardless of his nationality or religion.

Regarding the calendar, Richardson’s point here is based on Daniel 7:25 where it says the Antichrist will alter “the times and the law.” It is true that the Muslims have a calendar different from the Western world, and it is true that if they ever could gain control of the world, they would enforce the observance of their calendar. But the Antichrist is going to change the calendar regardless of who he is. That’s because the calendar followed by most of the world dates from the birth of Jesus.

The Fourth Book

As this essay was being completed a new book was published on the subject that is co-authored by Richardson and Shoebat. It is titled God’s War on Terror: Islam, Prophecy and the Bible.20

This is a very expensive book ($29.95) and a very long one (512 pages). The writing is very tedious and difficult to follow. Even worse, the organizational format is chaotic and confusing. It is very clear that it was not written by Joel Richardson, who is an excellent writer. I can only conclude that Richardson must have helped with the research and Shoebat was the writer.

The book rehashes Richardson’s arguments, but in much greater detail. One of the maddening things about the book is that it resorts throughout to convoluted reasoning and scripture misapplication.

Mis-applying Scripture

An example of the latter can be found in Shoebat’s explanation of Psalm 83 — a topic ignored in Richardson’s book.21 He attempts to prove that the war described in this psalm between Israel and its close Arab neighbors is one that will occur at the end of the Tribulation, after the Second Coming of the Messiah. Thus, he argues it will be a conflict between forces led by Jesus and those led by the Antichrist. I was astonished to read this interpretation because I have studied this psalm in detail, and there is not one verse in it that even implies that Jesus will be present on this earth when the battle occurs.

So, I looked for Shoebat’s scriptural proof of Jesus’ presence. Believe it or not, the proof he provided was quotes from two other psalms:22

1) Psalm 82:8 — “Arise, O God, judge the earth!”

2) Psalm 80:14 — “Return, we beseech You, O God of hosts.”

Neither one of the psalms are related to Psalm 83. Both are prayers by Asaph for the Lord to return to the earth to bring justice. Neither one states that the Messiah is on the earth.

This kind of incredibly sloppy proof-texting can be found throughout Shoebat’s book. Whenever he wants to make a point, he goes fishing for a verse. When he finds it, he reels it in and applies it to the passage under consideration, whether it is related to that passage or not.

Another example can be found in the second argument he gives for placing the Psalm 83 war at the end of the Tribulation. He says it must occur at that time because it is a war triggered by the Antichrist’s desecration of the Jewish Temple — a temple that will be rebuilt during the first half of the Tribulation. And what is his evidence? He quotes Psalm 79:1 — “O God, the nations have invaded Your inheritance; they have defiled Your holy temple.” Once again, he tries to prove a point about Psalm 83 by quoting a verse from an unrelated psalm.

Strange and Strained Logic

A good example of Shoebat’s tortuous logic can be found in his attempt to explain away the meaning of Daniel 9:26. The plain sense meaning of this passage is that the Antichrist will come from the people who will destroy the Temple.

Shoebat and Richardson argue that the Roman legions that carried out the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 AD were composed primarily of Arabs, mainly Syrians and Turks.23 They therefore conclude that the Antichrist will arise from the Syrians or Turks and will be a Muslim.

This is really grasping at straws in the wind! It doesn’t matter whether or not the legions were composed of Australian Aborigines, it was the Roman government that decided to destroy Jerusalem, it was the Roman government that gave the orders, and it was Roman generals who carried out the destruction. Rome was the rod of God’s judgment and it is from the Roman people that the Antichrist will arise.

Something Correct

Shoebat and Richardson have gotten one thing right: the Muslim world is going to suffer a devastating fate in the end times, but not at the end of the Tribulation as a result of a conflict between armies commanded by a Muslim Antichrist and Jesus.

The Middle Eastern Muslim nations will suffer overwhelming defeats in the Psalm 83 War and the Ezekiel 38 War before the Tribulation begins and before the Antichrist comes on the scene. The Antichrist, who will arise out of the revived Roman Empire will then launch a world war to conquer all nations, and during that war, he will be used of God to annihilate the remaining Muslim nations outside the Middle East.

Concluding Thoughts

In conclusion, I want to emphasize once more that the behavior of the Antichrist described in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 rules out his being a Muslim. This has to be one of the key stumbling blocks for the whole theory.

I would also like to answer a question that Shoebat poses throughout his book and seems always to mention in his public presentations. He asks, “Besides the argument over whether Magog is Russia, can you cite any literal reference to a nation that God destroys in the End-Times that is not Muslim?” Yes, I can. It is Babylon, whose destruction is described in detail in Revelation 18. I say that because I am convinced that the “mystery” Babylon that is mentioned in Revelation 17:5 is the end time worldwide empire of the Antichrist that will be headquartered in Rome. I have written extensively on this point, and you can find an essay about it.

Two final observations. First, beware of Lone Ranger interpretations of prophecy that are not widely shared. God does not reveal the meaning of prophecy only to a person or two. 2 Peter 1:20 says, “no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own

interpretation.” Private and peculiar interpretations like the recent “Pre-Wrath Rapture,” usually make a big initial splash and then fade quickly when submitted to critical review.

Second, I think the current rush to identify the Antichrist as a Muslim is a classic example of newspaper exegesis — of reading the news headlines into the Bible rather than letting the Bible speak for itself. It would be good to keep in mind a comment made by the great Bible teacher Ray Stedman: “What determines the future is what God has done in the past and what He has promised to do in the future. So don’t look horizontally at current events.”24

Notice

I want to thank Daymond Duck and Arnold Fruchtenbaum for the insights they shared with me concerning this topic. Both are Bible prophecy experts and authors of several books about prophecy. I also want to thank another Bible prophecy expert, Lambert Dolphin, for providing me with the quote from the writings of Ray Stedman.

Notes

Setting the Stage for a Global Dictator :: By Britt Gillette

https://www.raptureready.com/2022/02/20/setting-the-stage-for-a-global-dictator-by-britt-gillette/

Around the world, freedom and liberty are under assault. Tyranny is asserting itself. The COVID-19 pandemic has given us lockdowns, vaccine passports, vaccine mandates, and even forced vaccinations and quarantine camps. On January 15th, Canada implemented a vaccine requirement for all truckers crossing the Canada-U.S. border. A week later, the U.S. instituted its own vaccine mandate for truckers crossing the Canadian and Mexican borders. The truckers said no.

They formed long convoys to protest the mandates. Day after day, the ranks of the protestors grew until the Freedom Convoy occupied the streets of Ottawa and several major roadways at the Canada-U.S. border. More and more Canadians joined the cause, bringing food, water, fuel, and even bounce houses to show their solidarity with the truckers. However, the national leaders of Canada rejected the Freedom Convoy’s peaceful demands for an end to the mandates and a return to freedom and liberty.

On February 4th, GoFundMe took down the Freedom Convoy 2022 fundraiser page. Claiming the effort “reflects or promotes behavior in support of violence,” GoFundMe froze the account. At first, they said donors would only see their donations refunded if they specifically requested that the money be returned. Otherwise, it would be forwarded to another cause of GoFundMe’s choice. After an immense backlash, they promised to return all funds to those who donated. That remains to be seen.

A few days later, a new fundraising campaign emerged on GiveSendGo. Almost immediately, the government of Ontario ordered GiveSendGo to withhold all donations. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act and seized broad powers in an attempt to shut down the protests. Broadening anti-money laundering rules, he accused crowdfunding sites of financing “terrorism” and authorized financial institutions to “cease providing financial services where the institution suspects an account is being used to further the illegal blockades and occupations.” Trudeau and his minions then threatened the protestors with massive fines, impoundment of vehicles, revocation of driver’s licenses, and seizure of bank accounts.

Then today, Canada’s Justice Minister, David Lemetti, doubled down on Trudeau’s threats. When asked if those who donated to the Freedom Convoy should be worried if banks will freeze their accounts, he responded, “Well, I think if you are a member of a pro-Trump movement who’s donating hundreds of thousands of dollars and millions of dollars to this kind of thing, they oughta be worried.” He then said, “This is about stopping the financing of these illegal blockades. We are today serving notice; if your truck is being used in these illegal blockades, your corporate accounts will be frozen.” The message is clear – criticize Canada’s national leaders, and they’ll crush you.

Government Demands for Compliance

This is the type of reaction we’ve come to expect from governments like China, Russia, and North Korea. But the Canadian government’s response surprised a lot of people. It shouldn’t have. Throughout history, the drive toward tyranny has been the natural inclination of government. Freedom and liberty are the exception, not the norm. In recent years, Canada has shown growing hostility toward free speech. So it shouldn’t surprise anyone to see them label peaceful protestors “terrorists” for daring to commit the “crime” of criticizing government leaders and “undermining trust in government institutions.”

Since early 2020, the same totalitarian instinct has invaded other Western Democratic nations. Australia vilified the unvaccinated and put its people in quarantine detention centers. The United Kingdom, France, Germany, Israel, and various cities in the United States rolled out vaccine passports. Austria implemented mandatory vaccination. To various degrees, all these governments trampled on individual liberty, demanding compliance to their draconian measures.

The message is clear. Comply or you’ll be fined. Comply or you’ll lose your job. Comply or you’ll lose your benefits. And if you still don’t comply, they’ll take away your assets and your ability to participate in society.

If we don’t stand up to this now, we’ll lose our freedom and liberty forever. The marriage of Big Government and Big Tech creates an oppressive combination, and we’re only in the early stages. The next government power grab will be the last, and it will lead to total enslavement.

The Next Power Grab

The next power grab will rival any ever dreamed about by past rulers and dictators. Across the world, central banks openly discuss their plans to introduce central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). This includes central banks in England, Canada, China, Mexico, the European Union, the United States, and many other nations. This should alarm everyone because CBDCs are far different from Bitcoin and other popular cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin is decentralized. No single authority controls it. In contrast, central banks will operate, regulate, and control CBDCs. This simple distinction is the difference between a Libertarian’s dream and every citizen’s nightmare.

The replacement of today’s government currencies with CBDCs will give unlimited power to government. Not only will this new system permanently record every financial transaction, but CBDCs will track where you go and what you do. They’ll track the websites you visit, the friends you interact with, and the charities you contribute to. While most of this information is already available via tracking of credit and debit cards, mobile phones, and social media profiles, a state-sponsored digital currency will provide unfettered access to this information in one centralized location. It will create a closed, government-controlled economic system where everyone is dependent on CBDCs to participate in society.

This gives government the ability to control your behavior, down to the most minute details of daily life. If the government decides they don’t like you, they can cut off access to your accounts and freeze you out of the economic system. We’re already seeing this take place in Canada. With CBDCs, the government will be able to tell you what you can and can’t buy. They’ll be able to tell you where you can and can’t go. In essence, they’ll have complete control over every aspect of your life.

Do you see why this will be not just the next power grab, but the power grab? This is it. Once you enter such a system, they’ve got you. You can never leave. If you criticize the government or do anything they deem “undesirable,” they’ll cut off your access to CBDC, and you won’t be able to buy or sell anything.

This is the ultimate power grab, and it’s coming soon. The current monetary system is broken. It’s completely dependent on central bank distortions of the free market and permanent bailouts for big corporations. The central banks can’t allow the free market to set interest rates. If they do, the increased interest payments will bankrupt governments around the world. But if they persist in keeping rates artificially low, they’ll eventually spark hyperinflation. One way or another, the entire system is set to collapse. When it does, a “great reset” will be necessary. And that’s when the CBDCs roll out.

CBDC Adoption Will Be Swift

CBDCs will be the central feature of this great reset. Think most people will reject them? While I hope so, it’s highly unlikely. Governments will make sure adoption is quick and easy. They’ll simply launch a campaign to “claim your digital wallet.” To incentivize you, they’ll offer an initial deposit of $10,000 (or $20,000, $30,000, or whatever amount is necessary to get people to take action). Once everyone is on board, they’ll eliminate paper currency and other options for payment of goods and services. The result will be a government-controlled economic system based on CBDCs.

The Bible Foretold All of This

For those who have read the Bible, this is no surprise. Almost two thousand years ago, the Book of Revelation foretold of a global economic system eerily similar to the one taking form today.

The Bible says a time will come when a global dictator will require everyone on earth to receive a mark on their right hand or their forehead (Revelation 13:16). Without this mark, people will be unable to buy or sell anything (Revelation 13:17). How will this work? The exact details aren’t clear. But the worldwide rush to create central bank digital currencies provides us with a glimpse as to how such a system might work.

The Bible says the Antichrist will rule a global government (Revelation 13:7). To control who can buy and who can sell, he’ll need a system capable of tracking every transaction on earth. He’ll need a way to monopolize all financial transactions and a way to kick people out of the system if they don’t do his bidding. CBDCs create such a system. All that’s required to bring about this “Great Reset” is a global economic crisis, and one is coming. Hungry people will be more than willing to adopt such a system if it means the difference between eating and not eating.

So what does this mean? It means we’re fast approaching a time the prophets long warned us about. We’re in the midst of a global pandemic (Luke 21:11). Israel is back in the land (Jeremiah 23:7-8). The Jewish people are back in Jerusalem (Luke 21:24-28). And the Gospel is being preached throughout the world (Matthew 24:14). The end times approach. The tribulation, the Antichrist, and global government are on our doorstep. But first, the rapture must take place. So don’t despair. While it looks like the world is falling apart, every Christian should have peace. We know how it ends. Jesus is coming (Revelation 22:20), and He’s coming soon!

Signs of the Coming Antichrist - Part 1

(Real Life with Jack Hibbs)

Pastor Jack shares a special Bible teaching regarding the days in which we are living and what the Bible has to say about them. Don't allow fear and confusion to trouble you. Let's look into His word together so that we can have hope, knowledge, and expectation of Christ's near return.

Signs of the Coming Antichrist - Part 2

(Real Life with Jack Hibbs)

Pastor Jack shares part two of a special Bible teaching series regarding the days in which we are living and what the Bible has to say about them. Don't allow fear and confusion to trouble you. Let's look into His word together so that we can have hope, knowledge, and expectation of Christ's near return.

Signs of the Coming Antichrist - Part 3

(Real Life with Jack Hibbs)

Join us for a special Bible teaching regarding the days in which we are living in and what the Bible has to say about them.

Setting the Stage for a Global Dictator

Prince Charles COP26 Climate Summit Glasgow Speech Transcript

https://www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/prince-charles-cop26-climate-summit-glasgow-speech-transcript

WATCH- Britain's Prince Charles gives statement at COP26 climate summit in Glasgow FULL SPEECH (InfoNews )

The WORLD of the ANTICHRIST is FORMING!

(James Kaddis )

In this episode of Countdown 2 Eternity, Pastor James and Pastor Andy Woods will discuss the evidence that clearly points to the fact that this world is running into the economy of the Final Antichrist! Things are changing rapidly and the unprecedented movement we’re witnessing is staggering!!! This episode will be one NOT to be missed!!!

Prince Charles: (00:01)
Your excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us just how devastating a global cross border threat can be. Climate change and biodiversity loss are no different. In fact, they pose an even greater existential threat to the extent that we have to put ourselves on what might be called a war like footing. Having myself had the opportunity of consulting many of you over these past 18 months, I know you all carry a heavy burden on your shoulders and you do not need me to tell you that the eyes and hopes of the world are upon you to act with all dispatch and decisively because time has quite literally run out. The recent IPCC Report gave us a clear diagnosis of a scale of the problem. We know what we must do. With a growing global population creating ever increasing demand on the planet’s finite resources, we have to reduce emissions urgently and take action to tackle the carbon already in the atmosphere, including from coal fired power stations.

Prince Charles: (01:27)
Putting a value on carbon, thus making carbon capture solutions more economical, is therefore absolutely critical. Similarly, after billions of years of evolution, nature is our best teacher. In this regard, restoring natural capital, accelerating nature based solutions, and leveraging the circular bio economy will be vital to our efforts. As we tackle this crisis, our efforts cannot be a series of independent initiatives running in parallel. The scale and scope of the threat we face call for a global systems level solution based on radically transforming our current fossil fuel based economy to one that is genuinely renewable and sustainable. So ladies and gentleman, my plea today is for countries to come together to create the environment that enables every sector of industry to take the action required. We know this will take trillions, not billions of dollars.

Prince Charles: (02:40)
We also know that countries, many of whom are burdened by growing levels of debt, simply cannot afford to go green. Here we need a vast military style campaign to marsh the strength of the global private sector, with trillions at his disposal far beyond global GDP, and with the greatest respect, beyond even the governments of the world’s leaders. It offers the only real prospect of achieving fundamental economic transition. So how do we do it? First, how do we get the private sector all pulling in the same direction? After nearly two years now of consultation, CEOs have told me that we need to bring together global industries to map out in very practical terms what it will take to make the transition. We know from the pandemic that the private sector can speed up timelines dramatically when everyone agrees on the urgency and the direction. So each sector needs a clear strategy to speed up the process of getting innovations to market.

Prince Charles: (03:58)
Second, who pays and how? We need to align private investment behind these industry strategies to help finance the transition efforts, which means building the confidence of investors so that the financial risk is reduced. Crucially, investment is needed to help transition from coal to clean energy. If we can develop a pipeline of many more sustainable and bankable projects at a sufficient scale, it will attract greater investment. Third, which switches do we flick to enable these objectives? More than 300 of the world’s leading CEOs and institutional investors have told me that alongside the promises countries have made, their nationally determined contributions, they need clear market signals, agree globally so that they have the confidence to invest without the goal posts suddenly moving. This is the framework I’ve offered in the Terra Carta Roadmap, created by my Sustainable Markets Initiative, with nearly 100 specific actions for acceleration.

Prince Charles: (05:23)
Together, we are working to drive trillions of dollars in support of transition across 10 of the most emitting and polluting industries. They include energy, agriculture, transportation, health systems, and fashion. The reality of today’s global supply chains means that industry transition will affect every country and every producer in the world. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the private sector is ready to play its part and to work with governments to find a way forward. Your excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, many of your countries I know are already feeling the devastating impact of climate change through ever increasing droughts, mudslides, floods, hurricanes, cyclones, and wildfires, as we’ve just seen on that terrifying film.

Prince Charles: (06:26)
Any leader who has had to confront such life threatening challenges knows that the cost of inaction is far greater than the cost of prevention. So I could only urge you as the world’s decision makers to find practical ways of overcoming differences so we can all get down to work together to rescue this precious planet and save the threatened future of our young people. Thank you.

Prince Charles COP26 Climate Summit

Hasten The Day!

Future Prophesies - the Stage is Set (Can Happen Any Day) ONE WORLD - ANTICHRIST

The Rise and Fall of the Antichrist

Is he alive today? — And other questions. By Dr. David R. Reagan

https://christinprophecy.org/articles/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-antichrist/

His Origin

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His Character

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His Career

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His Fate

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Our Hope

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Revelation 13:1-18 – The Beast from the Sea

Revelation 17 – The Scarlet Woman and the Scarlet Beast

Daniel 2:35-45 – Daniel Explains the Dream

4th beast – Rome – A dreadful horned beast with one conspicuous horn

This beast is indescribable and uniquely horrific in its power and conquest – The Roman Empire was the largest, strongest, most unified and enduring of them all

Daniel 7:7-8 – Vision of the Four Beasts

Daniel 8:19-26 - Gabriel Interprets the Vision

Daniel 9:24-27 – The Seventy-Weeks Prophecy

God's redemptive plan – 70th Week for the Jews

Dan 9:24 “Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city …

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Daniel 11:36-45 – The Northern King’s Blasphemies and Conquests

2 Thessalonians 2:3-12 – The Great Apostasy

ANITCHRIST

The antichrist is summoned

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The antichrist is given authority

Rev 13:2 …The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority.

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The antichrist is slain and resurrected

The antichrist is worshipped

Rev 13:4 So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”

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The Antichrist - Will he be killed and then resurrected from the dead? By Dr. David R. Reagan

https://christinprophecy.org/articles/the-antichrist/

The Antichrist - Will he be a Muslim? By Dr. David R. Reagan

https://christinprophecy.org/articles/the-antichrist-2/

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Gentile or Jew?

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The Gentile Argument

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Possibly a Muslim?

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Goodman’s Book

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Antiochus Epiphanes

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A Succession of Empires

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Responding to Goodman

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Micah 5:5

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Daniel 8

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Revelation 17

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A Major Revision

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VanKoevering’s Book

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Response to VanKoevering

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Additional Qualifications

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VanKoevering’s Antichrist Candidate

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Richardson’s Book

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Misleading Aspects

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The Central Concept

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Future Prophesies - the Stage is Set (Can Happen Any Day)
ONE WORLD - ANTICHRIST