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The Identity of the Antichrist, or the First Beast
For a brief discussion of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, go here.
Revelation Chapter 2.3: The two Beasts will arise to rule the world for a short time
§U Introduction: A mighty angel descend from Heaven to give a little Book to John [Storyline outside the historical occurrences on Earth]
¶O A mighty angel descends from Heaven with a little Book in his hand (10:1-7)
¶O The angel gives the little Book to John, and he eats it (10:8-11)
§C Body: The reign of the two Beasts over the entire Earth
¶O The two Witnesses prophesy for the second 3 1/2 years of the Great Tribulation (11:1-13) [First Mini-story]
¶O The 24 elders give thanks and praise to Almighty God that the Great Tribulation is over (11:14 - 19)
¶C Lucifer became Satan and began his long war with God and the woman (Israel) (12:1-6) [Second Mini-story]
¶C Satan was cast out of Heaven and went to make war with the woman (Israel) and Believers in Jesus Christ (12:7-17)
¶U The two Beasts (political and religious) rule the world for Satan and kill all who will not receive the mark of the Beast (13:1-18)
§C Conclusion: The hour of God’s Judgment has come upon the Earth [Storyline outside the historical occurrences on Earth]
¶C Angels in Heaven announce the fall of Babylon and warn against worshiping the Beast (14:1-13)
¶C The martyrs of Jesus sing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb just before the End of the Tribulation (14:14-15:4)
The Antichrist will initially appear as a man of peace
The events of the 7 Seals and 6 of the Trumpets will occur during the first half of the Great Tribulation period.
“And after the sixty-two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself. And the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the Sanctuary; and its End shall be with a flood; and until the end of the war desolations are determined. And he [the Antichrist] shall confirm the covenant with many for one week of years; and in the middle of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the offering to cease. And for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation; and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.” (Daniel 9:26-27)
Based on this text from Daniel, and comparing it with our text from Revelation, it is my opinion that at the beginning of the Great Tribulation and after the Rapture, the Antichrist will appear on the scene, but he will not be fully revealed as he really is: the Servant of Satan. He will initially appear as a man of peace and righteousness: a uniter of all the world's religions; which will leave the Bible-believing Christians as outsiders and enemies of the One-World State.
But, as the progress of history through Revelation shows (see my detailed studies on Revelation for more details), the false peace at the beginning of the Tribulation is soon destroyed with war, famine, and disease. I believe that there will be a world-wide nuclear war involving most or all of the nuclear-armed states, including India, China, and Pakistan in particular. In those three nations alone, about three billion people live as of today (2018). If those nations should attack each other with nuclear missiles, along with a nuclear exchange between Russia and the USA and China, it is easy to understand how the text of Revelation tells us that one-third of the world's population will die during this period.
“And the four angels were released, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, in order to slay the third part of men."” Revelation 9:15
This horrific event will result in the population of the world crying out for a "Savior", a "deliverer" from all of this evil; but they will not be looking for Jesus, but a false Jesus: the Antichrist.
Some of you may remember the events of 9-11 in the United States; I do. After that terrifying event, the people of the US rallied around the President, looking to him to protect them from attack by Al-Qaeda, at almost any cost.
The same thing will happen when the entire Earth has experienced an all-out nuclear exchange, with billions of people dead. The world will cry out for a Savior, and this is when the Antichrist will reveal himself in all of his hideous evil; but the world will not care, for the most part: they just want someone to protect them.
This will be the only way that the entire Earth will unite behind a one-world Dictator and a one-world government. They will drop their differences over religion, class, and wealth; and come together as one; except, of course, those pesky Bible-believing Christians; and the Antichrist will make an example of them, with public beheadings and not allowing them to make money to support themselves by demanding that all submit to the "Mark of the Beast". Anyone without the "Mark" will not be able to buy or sell anything, at least with money.
“And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads; and that no man might buy or sell, except he that had the mark, or the name of the Beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom: let him that has understanding count the number of the Beast: for it is the number of man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.” Revelation 13:16-18
The Antichrist will arise out of the ruins of the Roman Empire (the European Union)
In the first subparagraph above (9:26), the “people of the prince that shall come” (that is the Roman army of Titus) “shall destroy the city [of Jerusalem] and the Sanctuary [that is Herod’s Temple]” in 70 A.D.
So this text tells us that the “prince that shall come” [which is the Antichrist mentioned in 9:27] will arise out of the same lands that made up the Roman Empire of 70 A.D., which is basically Europe. In our day, we know it as the European Union. The Bible tells us that this “European Union” will survive, in spite of its current financial problems, as a group of “ten kings” or nations.
“And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings, who have received no kingdom as yet, but receive power as kings one hour with the Beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength to the Beast.” (Revelation 17:12-13)
We don’t know yet exactly which nations will make up the “ten kings” which provide the military and political power behind the Antichrist, but I believe it will have to include at least these nations: Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Great Britain, Italy, Austria and 3 more which will remain in the EU no matter what happens to the rest of the nations in the current EU structure.
However, there are ten royal families in Europe and Britain which seem to provide an exact match for the "ten kings" of Revelation:
(The order is random - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_current_sovereign_monarchs)
1) Kingdom of Belgium King Philippe
2) Principality of Liechtenstein Prince Hans-Adam II
3) Grand
Duchy of Luxembourg HRH Grand Duke Henri
4) Principality of Monaco HSH Prince Albert II
5) Kingdom of the Netherlands HM King Willem-Alexander
6) Kingdom of Norway HM King Harald V
7) Kingdom of Spain HM
King Felipe VI
8) Kingdom of Sweden HM King Carl XVI Gustaf
9) Kingdom of Denmark HM Queen Margrethe II
10) United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland HM Queen Elizabeth II
The Sovereign Military Order of Malta is included in the wikipedia listing; however, that is more of a Catholic "religious" order than a true monarchy. If you remove the Military order of Malta from that list, you have a very good match, I believe, for the "ten kings" or ten royal families of Europe (think "Bilderberg"), who will one day give their authority and power to the Antichrist ("the Beast"). They will also hate the Great Whore (the Catholic religion of Rome); and at or near the end of the Great Tribulation, they will destroy the Vatican, once and for all.
“And he said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the whore sits, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and languages. And the ten horns that you saw upon the Beast, these shall hate the whore, and they shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire: for God has put in their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree; and give their kingdom to the Beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. And the woman that you saw is that great city of Rome, which reigns over the kings of the earth.”” Revelation 17:15-18
For a closer look at the ten kings of Revelation, go here.
The Antichrist will make a false covenant with Israel at the beginning of the Great Tribulation
This false Christ will make a covenant with the Jews in Israel, and pretend to be their friend, guaranteeing their security with European and possibly even American troops. He will be a great “uniter” and the world in general will look to him as a great man of peace and wisdom; but they won’t be quite ready to give control over their countries to him as a One-World Dictator.
But the events of the last Chapter which end up killing several billion people and leaving governments worldwide in shambles and people without food, clothing, shelter, and medical care for their injuries will remove all remaining roadblocks to Satan’s man, who will be the President of the European Union, assuming control of the world population (what’s left of it) as their absolute ruler.
It is possible that the events of Chapter 2.2 describe the first 3 1/2 years of the Great Tribulation, which prepare the way for the Antichrist to assume control of the entire world as its absolute ruler.
The Antichrist will break his covenant with Israel and set himself up as “god” in the rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem
Daniel 9:27 tells us that “and in the middle of the week he [the Antichrist] shall cause the sacrifice and the offering [in the Temple in Jerusalem] to cease. And for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation; and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”
“And this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness to all nations; and then shall the End come. Therefore when you shall see the Abomination of Desolation spoken of by Daniel the Prophet, stand in the Holy Place (whoso reads, let him understand), then let them who are in Judea flee into the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house; neither let him who is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe to them that are with child, and to them that nurse in those days! But pray that your flight is not in the winter; nor on the Sabbath day: for then shall be a Great Tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time; no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” (Matthew 24:14-22)
The Lord Jesus said that the “Abomination of Desolation” (the Antichrist) will “stand in the Holy Place” (that is the Temple in Jerusalem). We need to be careful not to read too much into Christ’s statement “for then shall be a Great Tribulation”, which seems to say that this will begin after the Antichrist stands in the Holy Place. Christ wasn’t giving a historical, sequential account of the events, but rather he was making general statements which need to be compared with other passages to get the true picture. Daniel 9:27 seems to be clear that the Antichrist will not “stand in the Holy Place” until the middle of the 7 year period.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 is a general description of the coming of the Antichrist, not a historical narrative.
So the Great Tribulation will have been ongoing for 3 1/2 years when the Antichrist is finally revealed as the Servant of Satan in all his wickedness. In the beginning, he will deceive all nations into believing that he is a man of peace and wisdom; but in the middle of the Tribulation, he will be revealed for what he really is.
“Now we urge you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together to him, that you be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled; neither by evil spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the Day of Christ is near. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that Day shall not come, unless a falling away comes first; and that man of Sin is revealed, the son of Perdition; who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped, so that he as God sits in the Temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Do you not remember, that, when I was still with you, I told you these things?
And now you know what withholds that he might be revealed in his time: for the mystery of iniquity is already working; only he who now is restraining will continue to restrain, until he is taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked one be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming; whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders; and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they did not receive the love of the Truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe the Lie, that they all might be damned who did not believe the Truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12)
In this passage from 2 Thessalonians, Paul was speaking in general terms, not in sequential historical terms. When “he [the Holy Spirit] who now is restraining” “is taken out of the way” (i.e. through the Rapture of all Believers from the Earth), this will pave the way for the revelation of the Antichrist (“that Wicked one”).
The “Day of Christ” (which is Christ’s Return to Earth in fiery Judgment Revelation 19:11-22) “will not come” until the Antichrist is revealed in all his wickedness (the mid-point of the Great Tribulation period). This is all in complete harmony with the literal interpretation of Revelation as a sequential document of future history.
Who is the Antichrist?
So who will the Antichrist be?
1) He will be a great blasphemer of the one true God Jehovah (Daniel 7:25, 11:36)
2) He will be a homosexual; or, perhaps bi-sexual (Daniel 11:37)
3) He will arise to political power out of the European Union to be its President at first, but in the middle of the Tribulation assume world-wide political authority as a “god” (Daniel 9:26-27; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4)
4) He will have Jewish blood, but hate his ancestors; like Hitler, who also had Jewish blood, but hated his ancestors (Daniel 11:37)
5) He will appeal to all nations and religions by most likely being a mixture of different races and religions (Christianity and Islam), like Barack Obama
6) He will be totally committed to serving Satan
7) He will help the Jews rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem during the first 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation, but betray the Jews by standing in the Holy Place as “a god” after that time.
It is possible that the Antichrist has already been born, and is secretly being prepared for his future role by his “handlers” in the Illuminati, the Bilderbergers, Trilateral Commission (TLC), Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and others.
You say, “I don’t believe in conspiracy theories.” Then you don’t believe the Bible either, because the Bible tells us about a great Conspiracy (the “mystery of iniquity”) that has been ongoing from the very beginning, led by Satan himself through his servants here on Earth, to one day rule the Earth and make all humanity bow down to him as a “god”. This conspiracy will be successful, the Bible tells us, but only for a short time; praise God for that!