The Antichrist: From Head Wound to Armageddon

The Rise and Fall of the Antichrist Part III

Will the Antichrist usher in and reap the benefits of an era of peace, security and unity unknown previously upon the face of planet earth? Although such a case could be made using some passages of the scripture, that's not quite the whole picture the Bible paints. Though the Antichrist may be a mesmerizing messianic figure to the world, ultimately, it's his use of the big stick that gets things done. The question the world asks that elicits its acquiescence is not about his program for peace, nor his prowess in the supernatural, it's his ruthlessness in war.

Because of the head wound passage (and this one), it is often supposed that the Antichrist suffers an assassination attempt and recovers in a seemingly miraculous way--a pseudo-resurrection of sorts. That interpretation is wrong because it mixes metaphors and thereby misses the point. The heads of the beast, its horns and its crowns do not refer to the physical person of the Antichrist but to the nations or kingdoms that make up his empire. A wound to one of the heads of the beast, therefore, is not a physical wound to the Antichrist's person, but the loss of political control over one of the kingdoms in his empire. 

My reading of Daniel and Ezekiel tells me that the wound will be a rebellion of the King of the South (Egypt). It is put down with such a ruthless, callous, cunning, and an overwhelming display of willfulness and power that whatever independent spirit might have remained in the Gentile world at that time evaporates. "Who is able to wage war with him?" they'll ask themselves acquiescently. The Antichrist will then be poised to expand his hegemony from the Middle East to the world, though he'll need a friend to do so.

Jay Leno learned a valuable lesson shortly after taking the reigns of the Tonight Show. When one is in the limelight, it can be very helpful to have a sidekick (a foil that makes the big dog look good). He hadn't planned for that when he took over for Johnny Carson, and Branford Marsalis wasn't willing to play that gig. Enter Kevin Eubanks who was willing, and voila, his rise into the spotlight.

For the Antichrist, that person is the False Prophet. He will provide a sense of spiritual legitimacy, backed up by signs and wonders, for the Antichrist's claims of divinity. He's the foil that makes the Antichrist look good and the lieutenant that advances and executes the spiritual component of the Antichrist's agenda. The need for such a figure is puzzling given the description of the Antichrist. 

Nonetheless, there he is, prophesied in intriguing detail, the third beast of the Apocalypse's unholy trinity. Is this figure identifiable before he actually appears? Yes, he is! We're told that he's like a lamb with two horns, but he speaks like a dragon (devil). Furthermore, we have the cryptic description of the Whore of Babylon in Revelation 17-18. She rides upon the seven-headed, ten-horned beast and she dwells in the city on seven hills.

What do these things this tell us? Believe it or not, that there is a connection between the False Prophet and the Whore. 

The False Prophet has the appearance of being of Christ (like a lamb); he has two horns, that is, power centers associated with him; and though he looked like a lamb, he did the bidding of and spoke for the Devil, not for Christ. The Whore is a mother figure but not wholesome; she dwells in Rome, the city on seven hills; she commerced with the kings and merchants of the world; she was fabulously rich, global in reach, multi-cultural; and she spread her idolatry (adultery) through a goblet of wine. It's hard not to see the writing on the wall!

The Whore ultimately represents the Catholic Church. The Mother Church which worships the "Mother of God" is actually the Mother-of-All-Harlotries. Although she was useful to the Beast and the Ten Horns in deceiving the world prior to their advent, and they did partner with her for a time (her riding), they actually hate her and want to destroy her. Understandable, I would say, for a Muslim tyrant ruling over a Muslim dominated empire. God's call to all true believers that happen to be in her at the end of days-- "Come out of her," lest you share her sins and the plagues of judgment upon those sins.

On an interesting side-note: both Rome and Constantinople are known as "the City on Seven Hills."

The False Prophet is the Pope at the time of the Antichrist's ascension to power. The lamb-like appearance with those horns representing his ancient Roman and Orthodox loci of power are a dead giveaway. His attachment to the Whore is not so much as mentioned-- so much for his faith-- as would become the chief promoter and spokesman for the Antichrist. This Pope will actually possess some dark, spiritual powers, unlike his ancient predecessors, who were merely performers. Evil signs and wonders, even the release of demonic hordes at his hand are the result.

Three and a half years into the treaty period, probably just prior to the Temple's dedication, the Beast will reverse course in two ways: 1) he will break his treaty with Israel, make war against them, and confiscate and defile the new temple; and 2) his nominal support of Allah will fall by the wayside altogether as he will declare himself god above all that is called God instead. With the assistance of the False Prophet, he will require everyone in the world to acknowledge his divinity by taking a mark on the right hand or upon the forehead.

Wonder where he got that idea?

This mark will not be coercive, despite the fact that no one can buy, sell or trade without it. The combination of the Antichrist's forceful will, the deceptive signs and wonders done at his bidding, and the strong delusional influence sent by God upon the Gentiles of that day will result in a ready capitulation by the masses. They will gladly take the mark, and it will seem the right and good thing to do. They would actually feel indignation toward any who would not! The mark, however, spells their doom.

Not so with the Jews. Under the ministry of Enoch and Elijah, and the 144,000 in the first 3 1/2 years of the pact, the Jews will embrace Christ en masse and resist taking the mark. Many of them will be imprisoned and some of them will be beheaded for doing so. Though tragic in human terms, it leads to glory in divine ones--  for Christ will raise them up when he returns, the last remnants of the First Resurrection, all participants of which will never die again.

Near the end of the 7 year treaty period, the armies of the nations will be mustered together in northern Israel to do battle against the anticipated invasion of Christ and his army of saints. When the sixth angel empties his vial of wrath upon the Euphrates River at that time, it will set in motion the events we call Armageddon. The river will dry up allowing the armies of the east to cross over it unhindered. Where will those armies be heading? Ultimately to the mount of Megiddo (Har Megiddo) in north-central Israel.

I don't think it is absolutely necessary to envision this as the armies of China and/or India, but it sure is possible, even if not specifically indicated by scripture.

According to Daniel, the Antichrist will find the initial news of these armies stirring alarming. He immediately puts the spin machine into gear and gets out in front of it. Whatever rogue quality these movements may have had at first will be transformed by spiritual deception into a patriotic effort which supports the mission of the Antichrist. Israel, as in the time of Hitler, will be made the fall guy, but I think the key to turning the situation around for the Antichrist may be convincing the world that an alien invasion targeted at Jerusalem is afoot.

Of course, it won't be aliens invading, it'll be Jesus Christ and his church  returning! On a rise, somewhere in the Jezreel Valley near Megiddo, the armies flying the banner of the Antichrist will be utterly destroyed. The Antichrist and False Prophet will be caught alive and thrown immediately into the Lake of Fire which burns forever. The Devil will be shackled and thrown into the Abyss, and Jesus and those who have believed in him will begin to rule here on planet Earth for a thousand years. 

Though the Devil has tried to accomplish the Antichrist scheme for so long, when he finally succeeds, he'll falter rather quickly and end up going out with a whimper rather than a bang. 

To all of which I say, Maranatha!

Index to the Entire Series
I, II, III

The Antichrist: A Muslim in a Muslim World

The Rise and Fall of the Antichrist: Part II

Since the Antichrist's kingdom is typified by the King of the North (the Seleucid Kingdom) and his empire is bounded by the area controlled by both Alexander and the Romans, we can make some fairly certain statements about what will and what will not be part of the Ten Horns. Western Europe is out, entirely-- not England, France, Spain, Italy, Germany... you get the picture. The ten horns will be in the Levant, the Balkans and Africa and nowhere else.

The specificity of a revived Kingdom of the North ensures that Syria, Turkey, Iraq and Lebanon will absolutely be included. Jordan and Saudi Arabia (Ammon, Moab and Edom) are specifically excluded in the biblical text, whereas Egypt, Libya and the Sudan (Cush) are specifically included. That leaves three others which would have to come from the Balkans (i.e. Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, or Albania) or Azerbaijan. Israel is not one of the ten, it merely signs a covenant with their leader, the Antichrist.

Daniel's prophecy has to be taken as locating this covenant in time with the ultimate abominator as opposed to the type of the abominator (Antiochus) or with the Romans. Additionally, the destruction of the city and the temple can only refer to the events of 70 AD and not with anything done by Antiochus. Furthermore, Jesus mentioned the abomination in question as yet to come, not as fulfilled by Antiochus Epiphanes, despite having been fully aware of that history. Because the events of 70 AD do not even remotely resemble what Daniel prophesied concerning this covenant, the actual fulfillment of it has to be reserved to a time after 70 AD by the actual Antichrist.

We have not considered the potential of Palestine being one of the ten nor the producer of the Antichrist, because Palestine is not a biblically legitimate entity. Even though the area had a large Gentile population in the days of Antiochus, and though there are efforts afoot to incorporate an Arab state in the Beautiful Land today, Canaan is Israel's, given once and for all time to her by God. The land of Israel is being restored to the people of Israel in these last days along with Jerusalem their eternal capital.

The notion of Palestine is a wisp of fancy from unredeemed minds that God will never allow to stand now that he's brought the Jews back to their promised land.

The Antichrist will worship a god unknown in Daniel's day. That is the implication of the descriptive phrases used by Daniel-- not the god of his fathers, not the one desired of women, a militaristic god unknown to his fathers, a foreign god. Whenever something is described prophetically that will only exist in the far future, it tends be a bit weird, hence the cryptic language. It is an important, identifying characteristic, nonetheless, or it would not have been mentioned from so many angles.

Let me ask you, "What new god has arisen since the days of Daniel, that is totally outside the bounds of previously existing pagan pantheons and is militaristic? A god of fortresses (literally, strongholds), who assists his followers in overcoming the mightiest of citadels? In my mind, this is a perfect description of the jihadist god of Islam, Allah, and really, nothing else. So, the Antichrist will be a Muslim, at least when he reaches power. Considering his locale and his international ambitions (one third of the current world population is Muslim).

Of course, he could only at best be a nominal one, because as his true heart is revealed, he ends up repudiating all gods and claiming himself alone as one.

Index to the Entire Series
I, II, III

The Antichrist: His Rise to Power

The Rise and Fall of the Antichrist Part I

We return to the subject of eschatology with this series of posts by looking at the career of the Antichrist. I'll set out the narrative of his rise and fall and connect it to the key bits of information the Bible gives us about him. I can't name names or give dates and times (no one can at this moment, honestly), but what we can understand I will do my best to communicate clearly.

At some point in the days to come, a figure will arise to dominate the world. We commonly refer to him as the Antichrist. He will be a willful, even maniacally manipulative, ruthless, politician, a nominal Muslim, and will hale from Turkiye. It is possible that he will originate in the Balkans, in Syria, in Lebanon, or in Iraq, but my money's on the Turkish Republic. His first move to power will likely occur in his country of origin, and he will face a challenge which puts his rule in question in the early half of his reign. 

According to Daniel 7, what separates the actual from other contenders (or pretenders) for the title is his bold power-grab. The Antichrist rises to power at the expense of three of the ten kingdoms that end up constituting his empire. Furthermore, the Apocalypse locates the throne of Satan, the sponsor and inspiration of the Antichrist, in Pergamum (now Bergama, Turkiye). So Turkiye will be the nation of origin for the Antichrist. If history is the key to the future, that would make Syria and Iraq (possibly Lebanon or Azerbaijan) the prime candidates for the other two ripped out horns.

The Antichrist will be ceded imperial power by an alliance of ten nations, which include the ones he personally reigns over plus seven more. In totality then, the Ten Horns are Turkiye, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, Libya, Sudan, and three of Greece, Macedonia, Albania, Bulgaria and Azerbaijan. Some of the ten are identified quite clearly in scripture, some are the fruit of my conjecture, but none are in western Europe, and none have anything at all to do with Rome.

Minimally, his empire will be roughly bounded by that area that was ruled by both Alexander (Daniel 8) and the Romans (Daniel 7) in the Levant, the Balkans and Africa. 

The Antichrist is typified by the prophetic figure called the "little (מִצְּעִירָ֑ה: littleness) horn" in Daniel 8. That figure is Greek and arises to power within (upon) the conquests of the "shaggy goat" (Alexander) in the Medo/Persian Empire (the ram). Given the division of Alexander's empire after his death, and the description of the little horn's growth toward the south, toward the east, and toward (yes, in the Hebrew, the "toward" is mentioned thrice) the glorious land (Israel), the little horn could only arise within the Seleucid Empire. 

The "little horn" prophecy was most immediately fulfilled in the Seleucid ruler named Antiochus Epiphanes. However, through the instrumentality of secondary fulfillment, this prophecy looks through him, past him, to the ultimate Antichrist yet to come. The domains of Antiochus included large portions of Syria, Israel, Lebanon, Turkiye, and Iraq, which is indicative of where the Antichrist will rule as well. The type/antitype relationship between Antiochus and the Antichrist is also demonstrated in Daniel 11-12. Daniel 11:21-35 prophetically points to the type (Antiochus); Daniel 11:36-12:4 points to the antitype (Antichrist).

The type of the Antichrist, Antiochus, not only demonstrates the evil persona of the Beast, but also indicates the general location his domain will cover in that kingdom, the Apocalypse styles, "...that was, now is not, and will be again."

In Daniel 11, the prophetic description of Antiochus' rule seamlessly morphs into that of the Antichrist at verse 36. That, in turn, is carried on through to the end of Daniel 12. So in understanding the rise and fall of the Antichrist, it is the type-- the King of the North (the Seleucid Emperor)-- that is most descriptive of the domain and action of the antitype, the Antichrist. Yet, the Antichrist's kingdom is Roman as well (as is determined by Daniel 7), so the domain of the Antichrist will be roughly bounded by that area controlled by both Alexander and the Romans, but arising after the Roman Empire as is necessitated by Revelation 17:8.

The Roman Empire could not possibly be described as "once was, now is not and yet will be" at any of the times the Apocalypse was supposedly written.

Daniel 7:8 uses a different word (זְעֵירָה֙: small, insignificant) than does 8:9 to describe the little horn, but the concept is the same. That makes sense because they're not quite the same: one is the type, the other the antitype. In 7:8, the little horn arises from ten other horns on the fourth beast of the vision. The four beasts represented Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome in succession. In the Apocalypse, those same ten horns are said to arise in the day of the Antichrist for the sole purpose of turning power over to him. Yet, they were not in existence at the time of John (Revelation 17:8) despite coming out of the fourth beast in Daniel 7.

That description, by itself, rules out interpreting the Ten Horns as a revival of the Roman Empire. That empire was in existence at the time John received the Revelation, so it was, in fact, "now," quite the opposite of "now is not." Since the ten-horned empire of the Antichrist represents a resurrection of a empire that was dead in the Apostle John's day, and it has to been seen as within the Roman Empire because of Daniel 7, and also within one of the Alexandrian daughter empires because of Daniel 8; therefore, that revived empire must be the realm of the King of North, the Seleucid Empire which expired in 63 BC.

In view of all the prerequisites and the facts of history, interpreting the Ten Horns and the "little horn" (the Antichrist) as arising in western Europe is unscriptural and just wrongheaded.

At some point after the Ten Horns have ceded imperial power to the beast, he will sign a 7 year pact with Israel. The treaty will give Israel control over the Temple mount and the right to rebuild that structure. Whether or not this is the reason that the King of the South (Egypt) rebels, I am not sure, but Egypt most certainly does rebel as signified by the apparently fatal head wound of the Beast. Since the ten heads represent kingdoms, the wound is not to the person of the Antichrist but to his control over one of those kingdoms. The Antichrist reacts so forcefully and utterly to this challenge that the rest of the world loses all desire to withstand him.

I'll talk more about the horns, and the Antichrist with my next post.

Index to the Entire Series
I, II, III