WHERE WILL THE ANTICHRIST COME FROM ?

* Originally written on November 30, 2014

The short answer, in my informed opinion, is....Syria, or at least the "Syrian" division of the ancient Grecian Empire of Alexander the Great. Seleucus, Alexander the Great's friend and general, inherited and ruled this division of Alexander's Grecian Empire, known as the Seleucid Empire. The Seleucid Empire (per www.livius.org) included modern-day Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon along with parts of Turkey, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Bust of Alexander the Great.

Later, the Roman Empire succeeded the Seleucid Empire in this region, also extending to modern-day Syria and Iraq. 

The former Seleucid Empire also happens to be a modern stronghold of Islam, more specifically Shi'ite Islam which is strongest in Iran. Shi'ite Islam also tends to be more militant and anti-Semitic than Sunni Islam.

Why do I think the Antichrist will come from Syria, which was in the ancient Seleucid Empire and the succeeding Roman Empire? Primarily because the Bible says so. Note the following group of passages, which together, like a puzzle point to and reinforce that conclusion:

PASSAGES REFERRING TO THE ROMAN EMPIRE:
Daniel 7:7*** notes, "After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had iron teeth. It devoured and crushed, and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns." This empire is widely believed to have been the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire was both in Europe and extended east into Asia.

Daniel 7:8 (addressing the Roman Empire ) confirms Daniel 8:9 (see below) which focuses on the Grecian Empire, "While I was contemplating the (ten horns of the Roman Empire) horns, behold, another horn, a little one , came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it..." Three of the horns, I would conclude, would be in the eastern areas of the Roman Empire, including the Syrian division.

***This passage and interpretation is confirmed by other passages like Daniel 9:26-27 and Revelation 13:1-2.


PASSAGE REFERRING TO A REVIVED VERSION OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE AT THE END OF THE AGE:

Revelation 17:12-13 (describes a Revived Roman Empire) adds that the ten horns would all give their power to the "little horn" noted in Daniel 7:8. Revelation 17:12-13 further adds, "And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings, who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour. These have one purpose and they give their power and authority to the beast."


PASSAGE REFERRING TO THE GRECIAN EMPIRE, SPECIFICALLY THE SYRIAN DIVISION:
Daniel 8:8-9 NKJV, which is generally agreed to be referring to Alexander the Great's (Grecian Empire), notes, "Therefore the male goat grew very strong; but when he became strong, the large horn was broken, and in place of it (refers to division after Alexander the Great's death) four notable ones came up toward the four winds of heaven. And out of one of them came a little horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Glorious Land."

Daniel 8:21 spells out that the "goat" noted in Daniel 8:8-9 is the kingdom of Greece (logically would seem to be Alexander the Great), especially in light of Daniel 8:22 which describes the four empires that would be formed from Alexander the Great's Empire, "...four kingdoms shall arise out of that nation, but not with its (the original goat) power."

PASSAGE REFERRING TO THE LEADER OF THIS "SYRIAN DIVISION" AS THE "KING OF THE NORTH":
Daniel chapter 11 illustrates the clear logic and consistency of concluding that the Syrian division of the old Grecian Empire is where the Antichrist will arise. Daniel 11:3-4 is a great clue.  "Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion..." Now without Daniel 11:4 this king's identity is unclear. Daniel 11:4 sheds light, showing the king in Daniel 11:3 is Alexander the Great because his kingdom was divided four ways after his death and "...not among his posterity" since Alexander didn't have a blood heir. Daniel 11:4 refers to the division of Alexander's great empire to be "...divided toward the four winds of heaven"--north, south, east and west. Syrian was the northern division of the Grecian Empire.

In Daniel 11:35 to 11:45, the End-Time King of the North, the Antichrist, and his exploits are described.

FINAL POINTS

Interestingly, this week, a terrorist group called ISIL or ISIS, is violently and quickly moving from Syria and into Iraq, threatening the capital city of Baghdad. This development shows a link between Syria and Iraq as far as End Time events and the Antichrist are possibly concerned. This development in June 2014 affirms to me that the time of the Antichrist may be very, very near. While ISIS is a violent, "in-your-face" terrorist organization, the Antichrist will use a model of deception, combined with intrigue and possibly blackmail to gain power around the world!

Finally and interestingly, Revelation 13:2 also reveals that the final beast's kingdom would be a combination of all the prior beasts revealed in Daniel's vision (Daniel 7:4-6), "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." The Syrian division of the Grecian empire included Babylon, which was the lion in Daniel's vision. Babylon was also part of the Medo-Persian empire, the bear.

Finally, some teachers believe that Micah 5:5-6's reference to the "Assyrian" may also refer to the Antichrist's occupation of the Promised Land at the end of the age. The "Assyrian" could also have a double meaning, both the Antichrist and the ancient Seleucid king, Antiochus Epiphanes (known as "God Manifest" per Wikipedia).

2018 UPDATE TO THIS POST

The past few years have seen increasing migration around the world, most notably this year from Central American nations to the USA.

In the past few years, there has been massive migration from the Muslim world to Europe, including from Syria.

Therefore, it is possible, in my view, that while the Bible is always inerrant and infallible, that the Antichrist (although of Syrian descent and heritage) may arise in some other nation, perhaps somewhere in Europe, due to the recent migrations from Syria to Europe.

SOURCES:

Additionally, the following other resources also support my view and interpretation:
"Unleashing the Beast" by Perry Stone, pg. 65.
"God's Plan for Man" by Rev. Finis Jennings Dake, pg 300 and 786.

WHAT'S UP WITH THIS SUDDEN ATTACK ON NATIONALISM !

It was August 2017. Charlottesville, VA, near the home of the wholesome 1970s TV family, The Waltons.  This time, Charlottesville was quite different--it was home to the "Unite the Right" rally that became a riot between protesting Neo-Nazi white supremacists and Anti-Fa counter-protesters...and it got pretty ugly!

President Trump, at the time, said "both sides" were responsible for the bloodshed. The mainstream media, Democratic politicians and some Republicans joined to hammer the President for his assessment and for not slamming the Neo-Nazis even more strongly for their racist views. Looking at the protests, Trump was objectively correct! Frankly, the Anti-Fa fascist thugs were more violent, intimidating and nasty in some, if not most, cases than the Neo-Nazis. However, notably, one Neo-Nazi did ram a car into counter-protesters, killing one.

I recall seeing a Gomer Pyle-esque looking young man (on Twitter), at the rally, dressed in a Confederate uniform, being aggressively intimidated and verbally berated by a group of Anti-Fa thugs as he stood at attention, police looking on.

Fast forward to this year, just a few weeks ago at a mid-term campaign rally in Texas, Trump boldly stated, "You know what I am? I'm a nationalist. OK? I'm a nationalist...Use that word. Use that word." 

Again the mainstream media, especially the likes of CNN and MSNBC, had a fit! They went on and on about the dangers of nationalism since Hitler advocated such a philosophy in the 1930s, clearly wishing to draw a similarity ! The media's aggressive, frankly Nazi-esque reporting of its own was clearly designed to shame Trump and his supporters, lacking sanity, objectivity or credibility. 

The fact that nationalism has been a prominent view held around the world for hundreds of years, including with U.S. Presidents in one degree to another, with possible exception of Obama, Great Britain's Churchill and others didn't seem to matter. 

Rush Limbaugh even noted (11/14/18 radio show) that Google's implied definition of nationalism had references to Hitler and Trump, of course. A convenient and misleading re-definition to demonize Trump, lumping him in with Hitler, while also implicitly supporting Google's own globalist push to help the very nationalistic, authoritarian or even totalitarian Chinese government's increase surveillance over its own people.

Florida Senator Marco Rubio, appearing on Tucker Carlson's Fox News show on 11/14/18, made the excellent point that America's nationalism was and is based on ideals, not the ethnic nationalism of other nations, let alone the racial supremacist foundation of Nazi Germany. America's nationalism is based in God-given freedom...in life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Remembering this...is it not rational to raise the inherently antichrist nature of those opposing Trump's American view of nationalism, like CNN or MSNBC, or as we shall see, like the French President's misplaced comments this past weekend in Paris, demonizing nationalism.

Stepping back to get a bit of an objective grip on things, it's worthwhile to note that the American Heritage Dictionary defines nationalism in three ways, none necessarily sinister:

• Devotion to the interests or culture of a particular nation,
• The belief that nations would benefit from acting independently rather than collectively, emphasizing national rather than international goals,
• Aspirations for national independence in a country under foreign domination.

Also, Webster's Collegiate Thesaurus shows for the word, "patriot" the definition that, "a person who loves his country and supports its interests. A synonym noted is "loyalist" and a related item is "NATIONALIST."

Two issues are in play:

• Trump's claim of being a nationalist is an easy way for the Trump-hating media and deceitful politicians to demonize him, tying him ridiculously to Hitler without mentioning that Reagan, Clinton, Kennedy, FDR and most preceding presidents acted in the same nationalist manner.
• There are powerful interests globally that are pushing for global integration economically, corporations pushing for new markets like China for example. If China was using these relationships and technology to oppress their citizens, then it wasn't Google or Apple's problem. The United Nations is pushing globalism, billionaires like George Soros as well, and even social media is making the globe a smaller place by making it easier to become acquainted with not just American models and heart-throbs but with Brazil's Adrianna Lima or the UAE's Omar Borkan al Gala.

These powerful political, economic, social, technological, and enivronmental trends are pushing the world to globalism or at least greater inter-dependence. The fact that there is now a "push back" against nationalism means these forces are becoming more powerful. These trends pave the way for the Antichrist even though it may take a major crisis to make his rise to power actually happen! 

Just over this past Veteran's Day weekend in Paris, at a rainy event commemorating the 100th anniversary of the World War I armistice, French President Emmanuel Macron said, "Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism." He added "A withdrawal into isolationism would be "a grave error that future generations would very rightly make us responsible for. The old demons are rising again, ready to wreak chaos and death...History sometimes threatens to take its sinister course again." Macron was also backed up by Germany's Angela Merkel, echoing the same self-righteous, but misguided, anti-nationalist theme. 

The irony is...Macron may be right that "old demons are rising again." However, the "demons" that should be watched are not Trump's nationalism, which is actually advancing prosperity and freedom. The danger is from China--returning to a one-man, heavy-handed authoritarian or totalitarian rule--, it is radical Islam and it is the globalism that Macron, Merkel and other Europeans and Americans wish to impose. These are the threats to the world and to the primary benefit of nationalism--that being national sovereignty which can shield sin, tyranny and misguided policies from infecting the whole world.

You don't have to be a Bible scholar to realize that global trends are setting the stage, which are all part of God's plan, for the rise of a strong, dynamic world leader, the Antichrist.

Ultimately, perhaps in less than a hundred or even fifty years from now, a truly new world order with Jesus Christ as world leader will smash this current world order. Nationalism won't be needed to help insulate the world from the destructive nature of sin. As Revelation 21:4 notes, "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

THE SEVEN SEALS OF THE BOOK OF REVELATION

The Seven Seals' judgments are the first of God's judgments noted in the seven-year Tribulation period. In Revelation 6:1-17 are the first six seals and then the 7th Seal continues on through Revelation 9:21.

The seals start with the white horse representing the coming of the Antichrist, followed by the 2nd Seal's red horse of war, the 3rd Seal's black horse of famine, and then the 4th Seal's pale horse representing death. The 5th Seal represents the Tribulation martyrs and their prayer asking for God's wrath. The 6th Seal is marked by intense natural judgments on the earth, called the "Day of the Lord." 

Finally, the 7th Seal starts with a short time of silence but includes the even more intense Seven Trumpet judgments within the 7th Seal. The seven bowl judgments are likewise included in the 7th Trumpet.

THE TIMING OF THE SEALS

In his book, Revelation Expounded (pg.80), noted End Times author, Finis Jennings Dake, notes that the seven seal judgments and the first six trumpet judgments take place in the first 3 1/2 years of the 7-year Tribulation week referred to in Daniel 9:27. Daniel 9:27, referring to the Antichrist, notes, "Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week..."

SOME RELATED & AFFIRMING BIBLE VERSES TO THE SEVEN SEALS IN REVELATION

Isaiah 13:9-11 refers to the Seven Seals', specifically the Sixth Seal, also known as "The Day of the Lord." A few quotes from this passage,"...Behold, the day of the Lord comes, Cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger...for the stars of heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be darkened in its going forth, and the moon will not cause its light to shine. I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity."

Ezekiel 14:21 outlines similar judgments on Jerusalem. 'How much more it shall be when I send My four severe judgments on Jerusalem--the sword and famine and wild beasts and pestilence--to cut off man and beast from it?"   While the judgment in this passage was on Jerusalem, the Seven Seals will be on the whole earth. 

Daniel 7:24 outlines the rise of the Antichrist and how he conquers the ten kings in the Revived Roman Empire through the deception implied in the first seal's white horse. "The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom. And another shall rise after them; He shal be different from the first ones, and shall subdue three kings."  This shows or at least implies a "conquest" by deception, manipulation and/or perhaps by choice of the conquered.

Daniel 11:40-45, referring to the Antichrist as "the King of the North", portrays more conventional conquering, as it notes, "...shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horseman and with many ships..."

In the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24:6-44, after being asked by his disciples, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" Jesus answered with the judgments seen here in this passage about the seven seals:

• "Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, "I am the Christ," and will deceive many."   Matthew 24:4-5

•   "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars..." Matthew 24:6
•   "...And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places."  Matthew 24:7
•   The Olivet Discourse also speaks of persecution of the righteous, false prophets, lawlessness, false prophets, as well as signs in the heavens.

II Thessalonians 2:8-12 refers to the 1st seal again, the implied deception that the Antichrist, at least, partially uses to conquer. "The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they may be saved."

I Thessalonians 5:1-4, addresses in a summarized fashion, the 1st through the sith seal, noting, "For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord (noted in the Sixth Seal) so comes as a thief in the night. for when they say, "Peace and safety!" (the likely promise of the Antichrist in the 1st Seal) then sudden destrction comes upon them...(refers to the desturction of the 2nd through the 4th seals, and on to the 6th Seal brought on by prayers of the martyrs for God's wrath in the 5th Seal).

Revelation 13:1-4 refer to 1st seal. "...And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten crowns..." This beast represents the 10 kings of the Revived Roman Empire, from which the Antichrist will come. This passage refers to the 1st Seal again, the rise of the Antichrist. revelation 17:13 notes that these ten kings will "give give their power and authority to the beast", part of his conquest noted in the 1st Seal.

THE SEVEN SEALS EXPLAINED
1st SEAL - Revelation 6:2 NIV notes, "I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest." 

Finis J. Dake maintains the first seal (and I agree) refers to the Antichrist's conquests which are accomplished, at least in part, by threat, blackmail and/or deception. Dake also maintains the First Seal fulfills Daniel 7:8-9, Daniel 7:23-25, Daniel 8:8-10, Daniel 8:20-23, and Daniel 11:35-45.  Dake in "Revelation Expounded" offers the insight that the Antichrist will be conquering the other kings in the Revived Roman Empire, which is consistent with Revelation 17:12-14.

Daniel 8:23, for example, is but one of these passages referring to the Antichrist, "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..." 

The symbolism of the first seal is interesting. A rider that held a bow and was given a crown. No arrows but "bent on conquest." It seems to reflect the deceitful nature of the Antichrist, as Daniel 8:23 notes, he uses schemes/ deception effectively rather than actual weapons to conquer. Although, Daniel 11:35-45 indicates that the King of the North, also seen as the Antichrist, will be an actual conqueror but this passage seems to indicate that it will be at the end of his 7-year reign.

While this passage focuses on the deceiving conqueror, the Antichrist, it is interesting to note that II Thessalonians 2:9-12 confirms that the Antichrist is really God's judgment (He uses Satan as His tool of wrath) on the earth's people, "the coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan...and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved."

I am confident that we are seeing this characteristic increase markedly among many today, that of believing a lie despite massive evidence or lack of evidence to the contrary, ala human-caused climate change, while refusing to believe truth such as the success of the American economy during Trump's Administration, let alone the clear biblical prophetic evidence pointing to the divinity of Jesus Christ.


2nd SEAL - Revelation 6:4 NIV declares, "Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword." Most commentators believe this is a seal/judgment of war. Given the Antichrist's deceit, it is reasonable to believe this "man of peace" would actually be a man of war. Indeed this idea is consistent with I Thessalonians 5:3 which declares, "While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape."

I am speculating here but I believe, given the 3rd and 4th seals, that the war of the 2nd Seal, may be nuclear, chemical and/or biological, nuclear at least in part. Why? 

TO BE CONTINUED........3rd through the 7th Seals

THE SEVEN SEALS of REVELATION, PART II

Continuing now to the 3rd Seal of Revelation....

3rd Seal - The third seal is found in Revelation 6:5-6 NIV, "When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, 'Come!' I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, "A quart of wheat for a day's wages, and three quarts of barley for a day's wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine." A tragic but often necessary consequence of war is famine, economic collapse and shortage. Famine is illustrated by the fact that a day's wages is needed to buy a daily ration of wheat. Accompanying the famine and shortage is hyper-inflation; the price of a loaf of bread would be $50+ in today's terms.

Hyper-inflation...imagine needing a wheel barrow full of money to go grocery shopping. It happened in Weimar Germany of the 1920s, Zimbabwe (in southern Africa) and the 3rd Seal indicates a similar condition in this seal.

4th Seal - In Revelation 6:7-8 NIV, the fourth seal is described, "When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, 'Come!' I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth." This seal appears to be a natural consequence of the prior seals. However, it seems this seal is a further intensification of the prior three seals because the rider of this seal mentions death again, as well as the causes of death mentioned in the prior seals. However, another possibility is that this seal is a strong culmination of the prior three seals with the "wild beasts of the earth" mentioned to prefigure the fact that they would dine on those judged in this seal.

5th Seal - Revelation 6:9 notes, "When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed." 

Not to make light of the cries of these martyrs but it occurred to me as I was writing this that by this point in the seal judgments (some time in the 7-year Tribulation period) that already a massive judgment had fallen on mankind. It is also worth noting that these martyrs didn't "love on their persecutors" as many comfortable American Christians urge, but asked for God's vengeance/ justice on them in prayer. They were not rebuked for that but were told to be patient, vengeance would come!

Many feel that the book of Revelation is allegorical. One of my thoughts is that the picture painted in this book is so unpleasant that people cringe at the thought of such brutal judgments being dished out by a vengeful God. Either they hate God or they have a picture of a "loving God" that would never do such a mean thing to his children, humanity. Let me address the latter idea. First, this is a "touchy feely" idea of God that is not biblical. Secondly, God is not father to all humanity but only those who receive His Son as Lord and Savior according to John 1. 

The 6th and 7th Seals of Revelation will be addressed on PART III of this blog post. 

Sources: 
* Finis Jennings Dake, in his book "God's Plan for Plan" (pg. 808) summarizes very well the meanings and interpretation of the first 6 seals of Revelation.
* Finis Jennings Dake, in his book, Revelation Expounded," pg. 80-90.
*The Seven Seals are noted in Revelation 6:1-17 and 8:1.
*Note that the imagery of the horses can be found in Zechariah 6:1-8

THE SEVEN SEALS CONCUDED

Stay tuned for this final post which will address the 6th and 7th seals noted in the book of Revelation.

SIMILARITIES BETWEEN BARACK OBAMA & THE ANTICHRIST !

*** Originally written on December 7, 2013. Revised July 8, 2018.

While such comparisons would likely draw the ire of many liberals "....across the fruited plain", the parallels between the USA's 44th President, Barack Obama and the coming Antichrist of the Bible are worth a look! While the comparison between the two is not perfect or even to the same degree in all cases, I prefer to view Mr. Obama as, "Antichrist Lite."

The term "antichrist" isn't mentioned all that often in the Bible but this ultimate villain is given a number of different names elsewhere in the Word of God. I John 2:18 declares, "Dear children this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come."

Many believers in the time of the early church, could have seen wicked Roman Emperors, like Nero, as the Antichrist. In modern times, Hitler, Stalin and others may have been mistaken as the same. All these and Mr. Obama are "antichrists" as I John 2:18 puts it. Also, John the Apostle, in II John 7 notes, "I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist."

So, you don't have to be a tyrannical mass murderer to be "the antichrist", in the most basic sense.  While Obama is constrained by the U.S. Constitution and has not put millions to death as previous antichrists have, the similarities between Obama and the Antichrist are nonetheless remarkable.

The fact that so many Americans, and so many professing Christians, are oblivious to Obama's "issues" should be instructive to true believers and to the lateness of the hour before Christ's return. The fact that so many are willingfully blind is, in itself, a parallel (see (II Thessalonians 2:10-12 and Proverbs 17:4). The people accepting the Antichrist will be rebels (II Thessalonians 2:3), they will suppress the truth and approve of wickedness (Romans 1:18-32), they will be deceived easily (II Timothy 3:13) and indeed they will become completely wicked (Daniel 8:23). Such behavior is increasing in the USA and such people were among Obama's strongest supporters, i.e. atheists, homosexuals, radical feminists, those vehemently opposed to Christianity, radical environmentalists, radical secular humanists, Muslims, and those in favor of killing the unborn.

Some of the similarities, while not always to the same degree, are:

A) Deception! Daniel 8:12 says, "...truth was thrown to the ground" and Daniel 8:25 adds, "...He will cause deceit to prosper..." both refer to the Antichrist and his reign. Barack Obama's deception is rampant and pervasive. If prizes were given, he is definitely worthy of a blue ribbon. Name the issue, Obama deceives. And yet, so many accept whatever he says without critically considering his claims! So many think only in terms of politics and race it seems, not substance. From claiming to be a Christian, while advancing and appeasing Islam, to insisting that everyone would be able to keep their insurance coverage under Obama-Care, when he had to have known that wouldn't be the case. And, from manipulating the unemployment numbers in 2012 to get re-elected to decrying the state of Washington, D.C. when he is Washington. The lies and deception of Obama are abundant! Add to this his advancement of the "global warming" hoax, "gay marriage" propaganda, and his effort to blame the attack on the Benghazi, Libya consulate on an obscure video telling the truth about Islam, Obama's systematic disregard for the truth is obvious to an objective observer.

B) Daniel 8:25 goes on to say of the Antichrist, "...and he will consider himself superior."  The same can be said of Obama and many of his supporters. The proverbial "the ends justify the means" argument applies. Again whether it be health care, deficit spending, rampant deception, etc., Obama's "progressive" agenda is ample justification for his deception. At least partially, it seems he thinks the agenda is right because he supports it. He thinks he is a gift to us all!  Whether getting the Nobel Peace Prize for doing almost nothing to supporting gun control and saving the planet, it's clear these positions make Obama to be a great human being, at least in his own eyes and in the view of his sycophantic and loyal supporters. Perhaps, this explains why Obama has few, if any, in his inner circle who question his views!

C) Daniel 9:27 declares of the Antichrist, "He will confirm a covenant with many for one seven (one seven-year period)..." This covenant will be with Israel. This treaty will make the Antichrist a rock star.  While Obama didn't gain power by a brokering a treaty between Israel and her neighbors, he is pushing for one aggressively in his second term. He is browbeating Israel to cave, to agree to the completely irrational and nearly suicidal demands for the Jewish state to return to the indefensible pre-1967 borders with her neighbors. Early in his first term, Obama seemed noticeably friendlier in his dealings with Israel. Recently, however, his dealings have become more belligerent and treacherous, the nuclear deal with Iran being a case of "throwing Israel under the bus." Again, the Antichrist will show similar initial conciliatory efforts towards Israel (Daniel 9:27), but in the End he will proclaim himself to be god in the Temple (Matthew 24:15) and persecute the Jews (Matthew 24:16 and Revelation 12:13-14).

D) Daniel 8:8 describes the rise of the ancient king, Alexander the Great and the resulting division of his empire into four parts. Daniel 8:9 describes the "little horn" that came from one of these four divisions. This "little horn", I contend describes both Antiochus Epiphanes and also the End-Time Antichrist. The NIV , says of this man, "....which started small but grew in power..." Translation, the Antichrist will rise meteorically to power from obscurity. Daniel 8:12 NIV goes on to add, "...it prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground." Barack Obama also did rise impressively, if not meteorically, as a politician. He was a community organizer in Chicago. He won state legislative office. Then, he became a U.S. Senator from Illinois. While Illinois is a populous state, he was still a rookie Senator. Obama's political rise was impressive since he ran for President and won in 2008. He has succeeded in achieving much of his agenda as President-- legislatively, by ramming through judicial appointments, by changing the culture of the military, and by picking and choosing which laws to enforce, ala the Defense of Marriage Act. He got the Senate's filibuster rules changed, Obama-Care remains intact after repeated efforts to block it, gun rights are under attack, Christianity is being attacked in the military, homosexuality is becoming normalized and becoming enshrined behavior, and Obama's socialistic imprint through regulation is growing as well.

E) While, I'm sure there are other similarities, I wanted to make a point! I am making this final paragraph edit in 2018. Obama's "reign" is over! We survived! It is important to be able to discern what to look for in the Antichrist! Obama's time in the sun has hopefully passed. However, the final Antichrist has yet to come! Don't be deceived! Even now, I stand by the similarities in this post. One final similarity, is that President Donald J. Trump is unraveling Obama's misguided legacy of deception and folly in record time. Obama is being forgotten by most since his Administration was a waste! In the same way, the Antichrist will be forgotten in the light of the new reign of peace and prosperity brought by Jesus Christ in the Millennial Kingdom. Both will be blips in history, in light of God's timeline!

THE DAY OF THE LORD

This is a link to a great article on the "Day of the Lord" from the website unsealed.org:

http://www.unsealed.org/2018/06/the-day-of-lord.html?spref=fb

The "Day of the Lord" is generally considered to be the same period as the Tribulation period, the last week of the 70 weeks described by the prophet Daniel, the time when the Antichrist reigns just before the return of Jesus Christ for His 2nd coming!

IS POPE FRANCIS THE BIBLICAL FALSE PROPHET?

* Originally written 2/9/2014, revised 6/19/2018

The False Prophet will be the Antichrist's side-kick according to the book of Revelation 13;11-17. It is the False Prophet who will "cause all...to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads..." . One of the False Prophet's key actions will be that "...he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do...." I would assert that Pope Francis is a deceiver but his successor will out-class him because he will perform signs and miracles with his deception!

The thing about the Bible is that it can be fun or convenient to be able to refer to an abstract group, like the Pharisees of Jesus' day as the "bad guys," in a bible study with nice church people! However, when the question comes closer to home like, "Who are today's Pharisees?", "Who are today's Sadducees?" or "Is Pope Francis the biblical False Prophet?", many suddenly have this politically-correct nervousness or downright hostility about even entertaining the question, especially about the current popular pope. 

Now if the questions were, "Is Vladimir Putin the Antichrist?" or "Is Pat Robertson the False Prophet?" or "Is Donald Trump Evil?", then since such men are more easy to demonize at least here in the USA, there may not be a such a problem, if you are the typical "low-information" type of American. 

However, as Christians we should desire to discern the truth and we are commanded to do that by continuing in the Word and by "rightly dividing" it per II Timothy 2:15. The key is to recognize that is is possible to discern the truth (John 8:31-32 and John 16:13)! It is also worth noting that since these are the End Times, many will prefer to have their ears tickled with incoherent, secular, "feel-good" nonsense rather than hear sound doctrine (II Timothy 4:3-4). Those that appease the world (I John 4:5-6), like Pope Francis, by tickling their ears possess the "spirit of error."

To answer the question on Pope Francis, I think it could be possible, but he seems a bit old at 77 (81 now in 2018, as I revise this post) to fulfill the role of False Prophet. Please see my other postings on the False Prophet. Also, the web site www.biblical falseprophet.com, with Roman Catholic ties, presents a strong case for considering Pope Francis as THE biblical False Prophet or I would maintain at least a false teacher or false prophet! The role that Pope Francis may be filling is in preparing the way for a more apostate pope, perhaps the False Prophet. Francis is selecting liberal cardinals and sidelining more conservative ones. Therefore, it is perfectly reasonable that by padding the College of Cardinals with liberals, his successor would be like him or even more liberal and apostate.

Now, I know many liberals and Catholics would scream that such "attacks" and "accusations" are anti-Catholic. The key should be are they the truth!  Also, Pope Francis' anti-capitalist, and by association pro-socialist, views are at odds with former Popes like Pope John Paul II and Pope Pius XII (who wrote an encyclical against communism). So who is the anti-Catholic one? More importantly, who is pro-Jesus, pro-truth, pro-Bible! And, what happened to the much vaunted liberal open mind?

It is also curious that the liberal media absurdly thinks they are the arbiter of truth in today's modern world. Haha! They represent an antichrist, worldly perspective that is generally in error! Their hypocrisy is tiresome because they suddenly rather to the side of homosexuals, pro-abortion zealots and the like who protest against the Roman Catholic Church.

WHAT BIBLICAL EVENT MARKS THE START OF THE 7-YEAR TRIBULATION PERIOD?

*Originally written on 3/17/2010. First blog post for this blog. Updated on 3/25/2018.

Daniel 9:27 NIV declares, "He will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him."

The "he" mentioned in Daniel 9:27 is widely accepted to refer to the prior verse, Daniel 9:26, which says, "...The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary." This refers to the Romans who destroyed Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple after Jesus Christ was "cut off". 

This interpretation of Daniel 9:26-27 is confirmed by other passages like Daniel 2:40-43 (which refers to a "divided kingdom", a Revived Roman Empire), Daniel 8:8-12 (refers to the coming of the Antichrist from Alexander the Great's ancient Grecian Empire and also refers to the abomination of sacrifice during the Great Tribulation by the Antichrist), Matthew 24:15 (Jesus Christ specifically refers to Daniel's prophecy of "the abomination that causes desolation...") and Revelation 13:1-2 (refers specifically to the Revived Roman Empire).

The "he" in Daniel 9:27 is likewise widely accepted to be the Antichrist who will arise from the Revived Roman Empire. Daniel 8:8-9, among other passages, further narrows the place of the Antichrist's origin to be in the ancient Greek Empire, which was also in the eastern part of succeeding Roman Empire. The Greek Empire was built by Alexander the Great. After Alexander died, four of his generals divided up his empire as follows:

• Cassander took Greece/Macedonia,
• Lysimachus assumed Turkey or Asia Minor,
• Seleucus took what includes modern-day Syria, Iran and Iraq, and
• Ptolemy took Egypt.

THE EVENT described that marks the beginning of the 7-year Tribulation period is widely seen as when the Antichrist signs a peace treaty between a revived state of Israel, which currently exists, and its neighbors. This accomplishment would likely give the Antichrist wide acclaim and could lead to or enhance his rapid ascension to power.

And why will such a "covenant" be such a "big deal"?.....

Since Israel was established as a new nation in 1948, it has been at war, in a state of war, or in a state of uneasy peace with its neighbors. Also, many attempts for peace have been tried but no lasting peace has been achieved, at least between Israel and all of its neighbors. Carter, Clinton, Bush, Obama...all failed!

I would speculate with biblical support that the Antichrist will make peace after a major war, which would make his peace efforts to be perceived as an even greater coup. Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 38 both refer to major attacks on Israel by her neighbors or nations in the area. It could be these wars that will provide the basis for the Antichrist's rise to fame, according to Daniel 9:27, "he will confirm a covenant with many..."

A SYNOPSIS OF THE POPE'S APOSTASY AND BLASPHEMY

Recently, the Pope popped off again with his antichrist nonsense glorifying communism while he also equated Isis' efforts to violently spread terror around the world with Jesus Christ's Great Commission to spread the Gospel around the world. Utter blasphemy !

The following is a link to a great summary of the Pope's apostasy and blasphemous statements during his papacy :

Unsealed.org, an article called "the Wolf" :

This passage from II Thessalonians 2:3 about the signs of the coming of Jesus Christ seems relevant to this story:
   "Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come, until the rebellion*** occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction." 

*** The passage refers to "the rebellion"". This is what Pope Francis (aka Jorge Bergoglio)  is helping to usher in, an apostasy against the truth, the true faith and the Son of God, Jesus Christ. This article is a great summary of the examples of Mr. Bergoglio's apostasy and blasphemies. 

Roman Catholics need to consider these facts and consider who is their Lord, Jesus Christ or Mr. Bergoglio, a false prophet .

THE POWER OF THE ANTICHRIST !

*Originally posted on December 8, 2010. Revised on December 7, 2013.

WHAT POWERS WILL THE ANTICHRIST HAVE ?

Using the following biblical support, here are a list of the Antichrist's powers, according to the book, "God's plan for Man":

• A) To blaspheme God and speak boastfully (Daniel 7:8, 11, 20 and 25; 11:36; Revelation 13:5-6),
• B) To overcome the saints (Daniel 7:25; Revelation 7:9-17; 14:13; 15:2-4) ,
• C) To overcome the Jews (Daniel 7:21; 12:7; Revelation 13:7,15),
• D) To conquer many nations (Daniel 7:8, 20-24; 11-36-45; Ezekiel 38, 39) and rule them as he will(Revelation 13:7),
• E) To destroy Mystery Babylon (Revelation 17:12-17),
• F) To overcome and kill the two witnesses (Revelation 11:7),
• G) To change times and laws (Daniel 7:25),
• H) To cause peace in the Middle East, to protect the Jews as long as he desires, and also to succeed in destroying them for a period (Daniel 9:27; II Thessalonians; Revelation 11:1-2),
• I) To work counterfeit signs, wonders and miracles (Daniel 8:24; II Thessalonians 2:8-12; Revelation 13:1-18 and 19:20),
• J) To cause deceit to prosper and consider himself superior (Daniel 8:25; John 5:43; II Thessalonians 2:10-12; Revelation 13:1-18),
• K) To control money and riches in his own realm (Daniel 11:38-43),
• L) To do according to his own will (Daniel 11:36),
• M) To control worship and religion (Daniel 11:36; II Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation 13:1-18; Revelation 14:9-11: Revelation 16:21) ,
• N) To control the lives of all men in his realm (Revelation 13:12-18),
• O) To control kings as he wills (Revelation 17:12-17),
• P) To make all the other nations fear him (Revelation 13:4),
• Q) To fight against Christ, although ultimately he will be crushed by Jesus Christ (Daniel 8:25; Revelation 19:11-21) ,
• R) To reign 42 months (Revelation 13:5)

***Adapted from the book, “God’s Plan for Man” by Finis Jennings Dake

THE PURPOSE OF THE ANTICHRIST

*Originally written June 11, 2010.

The Antichrist is ordained by God as:

●A judgment from God for a people who refuse the truth. According to II Thessalonians 2:9-12 notes, “The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. 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.”

●A curse of God for wicked behavior. More specifically the curse may be related to the world’s treatment of Israel. God’s promise of Abraham noted in Genesis 12:3 still applies, “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse…” Recently, the global reaction against Israel’s attempt to board a provocative flotilla heading for the Gaza Strip met with nearly global condemnation, while even the USA was silent. In light of Iran and North Korea’s behavior this represents a clear double standard and a curse against Israel. It is this type of global behavior that will cause the Almighty to honor His Word and curse the world for its hatred of Israel. The coming Antichrist will represent a fulfillment of this curse.

WHAT EVENTS WILL PRECEDE THE COMING OF THE ANTICHRIST?

*Originally written on March 20, 2010. Additions April 23, 2018.

The following are some events that appear to be required or likely to occur before the Antichrist is revealed according to the Bible:

A) A revived Roman Empire of sorts will arise. Daniel 7:24a describes "...ten kings who will come from this kingdom" (the Roman Empire is described in Daniel 2:33, Daniel 2:40-43, and Daniel 7:23). Daniel 7:24b goes on to say, "After them (referring to the ten kings just mentioned above) another king will arise (describing the Antichrist), different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings." 

Revelation 17:12 describes the same ten kings preceding the Antichrist. Revelation 17:13 NIV further clarifies their purpose, "They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast (aka the Antichrist)."

B) Serious wars, terrorism and natural disasters will occur according to Matthew 24:6-8, termed "...the birth pains" by Jesus. This appears reasonable because the Antichrist will gain wide acceptance, at least for one reason, because he will bring peace and safety according to Daniel 9:27, I Thessalonians 5:3 and Revelation 6:1-2. "Peace and safety" will be clamored for by the people at the time of the Antichrist, so it would seem that it would be lacking up to that point.

C) It would seem that the USA would lose its super power status to the "ten kings" referred to in Daniel 7:24a. This could occur by a foreign invasion, cyber-attack, an EMP attack, nuclear attack, or through an economic catastrophe brought on by excessive debt, among other reasons.

D) Increased wickedness among the people of the earth described in Daniel 8:23 as, "...when rebels have become completely wicked..." and in II Thessalonians 2:10-12 as, "...and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. 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" (also see Matthew 24:12).

The malicious hatred of President Donald Trump in 2018 due to his bold stands for America and righteousness; stubbornness in the face of a lack of evidence about alleged Russian collusion; and other petty, malicious attacks against his Cabinet officials shows that "attitude problems" are growing among the people of the earth. On a personal level, I find it difficult to have even a basic conversation with some "attitudinally challenged", arrogant people, often resulting in contention about insignificant matters or being maliciously accused for a misunderstanding, at best! II Timothy 3 describes such End Times' behavior!

E) Accompanying the increased wickedness will be a general global apostasy or rebellion against truth, the Bible, Jesus, and the true church according to Psalm 2:1-6 and II Thessalonians 2:3. 

Because these wicked people hate and curse Israel and Christians (Genesis 12:3), the judgment of the Great Tribulation will come upon the world, "...and whoever curses you I will curse." This is currently being evidenced in a global backlash against Israel for their alleged mistreatment of the Palestinians and rampant persecution of Christians around the world.


F) The Bible also says in Joel 2:28-29 NIV that a great revival will occur, "And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people, your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days." It is frankly unclear to me if this will occur before the Antichrist arrives or during the Great Tribulation. It is possible that the great apostasy and great revival could happen simultaneously.

G) Also, technology and travel will increase greatly, according to Daniel 12:4 KJV, "...many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." 

AND CONCERNING THE TEN KINGS....

***Originally written in July 2014, reposted in 2017 and again in April 2018.

"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." Revelation 17:12 NKJV


Who are the ten kings Revelation 17:12 refers to?

Before answering, let me share a few verses from the book of Daniel. Confirming Revelation 17:12, and also showing how the book of Revelation fulfills, and is intertwined with, the book of Daniel, these verses speak of the same ten kings, albeit in a slightly different way:

• In Daniel 2:33, Daniel describes this empire to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, "its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay." 
• In Daniel 2:41-42, Daniel describes this empire further, "Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided...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."
• In Daniel 7:7b NKJV, Daniel himself had a vision. The part of his vision referring to this empire: "...It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns."  (The 4th beast described by Daniel to Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2:31-43)

These "ten horns" are also known as the Revived Roman Empire, which the aforementioned passage declares will arise at the end of this age, just before the 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ! As these verses note and most commentators agree, this empire will likely mix democracies shown as "clay" and dictatorships shown as "iron" together. Today, this is what we see: democratic republics in Europe and dictatorships in parts of the former parts of the Roman Empire, notably Turkey.

And now let's go back to Revelation to show the same Revived Roman Empire yet again since the Bible confirms itself with different passages:

• Revelation 17:10 described seven major earthly kingdoms throughout history. It is widely held that their common thread is that they all oppressed Israel at different periods in history, "There are also seven kings. Five have fallen (Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia & Greece), one is (the Roman Empire was presently in power during John's writing of the Book of Revelation), and the other has not yet come (the Revived Roman Empire, aka the 10 Kings of Rev. 17:12-13). And when he comes, he must continue a short time." 
• Revelation 17:11, which can be confusing refers to "the beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth". Chuck Missler, in his excellent YouTube teaching on Revelation 17, says that this shows the Roman Empire originally, and in its later revived form. This is a reasonable interpretation and is consistent with related passages. 

How then should we reconcile the four beast kingdoms Daniel describes with the seven kingdoms mentioned in Revelation? First, Daniel combines the two manifestations of the Roman Empire into one kingdom, which is obvious. Additionally, Egypt and Assyria were not part of the four kingdoms noted in Nebuchadnezzar's dream, outlined in the book of Daniel. Nebuchadnezzar was the central character in his own dream. Perhaps the Egyptian and Assyrian empires may have been omitted to avoid "offending" Nebuchadnezzar. More likely, perhaps they would not have been considered worthy in the eyes of Nebuchadnezzar since they were in the past so God didn't include them in the King's dream.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE of REVELATION'S TEN KINGS?
The Bible answers this question very simply. In Revelation 17:13, "These are of one mind, and they will give their authority for one hour as kings with the beast."  One hour means a short period of time, which is consistent with Revelation 17:10.  The leaders of these 10 kingdoms will essentially become puppets of the Antichrist, willingly giving their authority to him.

Also, Revelation 17:14 notes, "These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb (Jesus Christ) will overcome them..."  


WHERE DOES THE ANTICHRIST FIT IN WITH THESE 10 KINGS?
Revelation 17:13 says these 10 kings give their authority to the beast. Daniel 7:8 notes, "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..."
Revelation 17:11 describes this relationship as the Antichrist being the 8th kingdom, who is also of the 7th, "The beast (the Antichrist) that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition." 

WHEN WILL THEY ARISE? WILL THE USA BE INCLUDED?
Signs of the times seem to point to...soon! My personal thought is no, the USA will not be included, but the USA may be influenced by the Revived Roman Empire of the 10 kings.  The USA, after all, was not part of the original Roman Empire. It seems reasonable this revived empire may arise after the USA's power is diminished. 


WHAT AREAS WILL BE PART OF THIS REVIVED EMPIRE?
    If this is to be a truly revived form of the Roman Empire, we would look to the original Roman Empire's boundaries which included most of Europe and parts of Asia, including Syria. The rise of Isis in 2014 in Iraq and Syria with its violent hostility against Christ and Christians could foreshadow this type of character being present in the Revived Roman Empire. We also see a rising Anti-Semitism in Europe and appeasement of Islam in many parts of Europe. 
   However, J. Dwight Pentecost, in his book, "Things to Come" makes a good argument that the boundaries of the Revived Empire may well exceed the original Roman Empire, including the Americas, as well.

IS THERE A CONNECTION BETWEEN ISLAM AND THE ANTICHRIST?

* Originally written May 8, 2010, revised April 2018.

First a little background, Islam claims to be descended from Abraham. Abraham was the natural father of Ishmael, the father of the Arabs, a “great nation” according to Genesis 21:18. Ishmael was the son of Hagar, Abraham’s wife’s slave girl. Ishmael was the father of 12 warrior or hostile tribes (Genesis 25:13-18).

However, at an old age Abraham finally gave birth to God’s promised son. He was named Isaac from his geriatric wife, Sarai after a long wait. It was through Isaac that the promise of God’s blessing would continue. Isaac is a portrait of God’s grace while Ishmael is a portrait of human effort.

After Isaac was weaned, Ishmael began to mock him. At this, Hagar and Ishmael were sent away by Abraham. It is this conflict, rooted in jealousy, that is the root cause of tension between God’s people and the Muslims even until today. I would maintain that it is probable that just as Jesus Christ came from the line of Isaac so the Antichrist may come from the line of Ishmael. 

It should be noted that Ishmael was the father of the Arabs per Genesis 21:13. Islam came through the false prophet, Mohammed. Most Arabs are Muslim, but not all, noteworthy are the Coptic Christians in Egypt.

In addition to the historical roots, there is also a fundamental religious connection. I John 2:22 states, “Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son.” This is the essence of Islam, denying the divinity of Jesus Christ.