The Anti-Christ/False Prophet

This passage gives us the clearest view of from where the Antichrist will come. This chapter is very rarely ever talked about in terms of eschatology. That is such a shame. Within these verses, the history of the rise of Persia and Greece (Javan) is depicted. There is no guesswork here. The ram is Persia. The goat is Greece. Alexander the Great is the horn of the goat which is broken and splits into four parts. This four-part split aligns perfectly with the four-headed leopard in Daniel 7. These four parts were historically the kingdom of Ptolemy (Egypt), the kingdom of Cassander (Greece), the kingdom of Lysimachus (Macedonia, Turkey), the kingdom of Seleucus (Syria, Iran, Iraq). Note: You see that every one of these areas, save two, are outside of Europe proper. However, they were all controlled and led by the Grecians. If the first horn from the goat (Alexander the Great) is European (Macedonian) and all other horns were as well (Grecian), it stands to reason that the Antichrist himself will be Grecian or Macedonian. At the very least, he will be European, for we are told that he comes from the goat! To emphasize that Daniel is being the final king of Greece, he is told specifically that this refers to the “latter time”.

The language describing the blasphemous actions of this horn are the same as those of the horn in Daniel 7:24-27 with much more detail. The Bible gives a second witness to the ethnic origin of the Antichrist, the little horn, in Daniel 9.

“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. Then he shall confirm a [k]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.” (Daniel 9:26, 27)

Here the Antichrist, the prince of the people who destroyed the temple, is clearly said to be European once again. It was Rome and their legions who destroyed the Temple, in fulfillment of this prophecy. Few prophecy teachers deny this. However, there are those who argue for an Islamist Antichrist trying to maintain that the legions who burned the temple in AD 70 were mainly Arab and Syrian troops, and hence the Antichrist will be of their ranks. However, the leadership of the Roman legions were all Europeans, and there is even a Roman origin story that places them as the remnants of Troy! This would make them of the land of Javan, as this ancient territory covered the Western shores of what is modern Turkey and Greece. This coincides perfectly with the identification of the small horn from Daniel 8.

A side note to history: There are competing narratives of where the Roman people actually came from themselves. Their myth is that two brothers, Romulus and Remus, were raised by a she-wolf. When older, Romulus killed Remus and founded the city in his name. A better historical story though is found in Virgil’s Aeneid. It traces Aeneas, a Trojan prince, who flees the destruction of Troy and founds a colony in Italy. It was a later daughter of his line who it was said gave birth to Romulus and Remus. This connects the original occupants of Rome to ancient Troy, which was just south of modern-day Istanbul in Asia Minor (Turkey). If this story is taken to show at least a hint of the true origins of Rome, then you have that origin being in Asia Minor, the seat of power for three of the kingdoms that emerged from Alexander the Great and out of which the Seleucids became the most powerful. Their greatest king, and Antichrist prefigure, was Antiochus Epiphanes, who declared himself god and spurred the Maccabean revolt.

• At the end time the king of the South will collide with him, and the king of the North will storm against him with chariots, with horsemen and with many ships; and he will enter countries, overflow them and pass through. He will also enter the Beautiful Land, and many countries will fall; but these will be rescued out of his hand: Edom, Moab and the foremost of the sons of Ammon. Then he will stretch out his hand against other countries, and the land of Egypt will not escape. But he will gain control over the hidden treasures of gold and silver and overall the precious things of Egypt; and Libyans and Ethiopians will follow at his heels. But rumors from the East and from the North will disturb him, and he will go forth with great wrath to destroy and annihilate many. He will pitch the tents of his royal pavilion between the seas and the beautiful Holy Mountain; yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him. (Daniel 11:40–44)

This entire chapter lays out the history of the battles between the king of the north and the king of the south within the confines of the broken-up kingdom of Alexander the Great. Antiochus Epiphanes is said to have fulfilled these prophecies; yet many scholars believe that since this portion speaks about the end-time that it is a sort of parallel prophecy that has multiple fulfillments, much like John the Baptist coming as Elijah in the first coming of Christ and yet Elijah comes again in the second coming. Antiochus did fulfill this, but he was not the ultimate king of the north. That will be the Antichrist. Therefore, the language is so nonspecific. Note too that this is describing war within the Antichrist kingdom. It also denotes that Edom, Ammon, and Moab will be saved from his wrath. These are all contained in the modern nation of Jordan.

Some are arguing that the Antichrist will be an Assyrian, or Middle Eastern and not European in their push for an Islamic Antichrist. The Scriptures are clear that this is not so, but it should be commented on.

• And this One shall be peace. When the Assyrian comes into our land, and when he treads in our palaces, then we will raise against him seven shepherds and eight princely men. They shall waste with the sword the land of Assyria, and the land of Nimrod at its entrances; thus, He shall deliver us from the Assyrian, when he comes into our land and when he treads within our borders. Then the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples, like dew from the Lord, like showers on the grass, that tarry for no man nor wait for the sons of men. And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep, who, if he passes through, both treads down and tears in pieces, and none can deliver. Your hand shall be lifted against your adversaries, and all your enemies shall be cut off. (Micah 5:6–9)

This is a primary proof text for many who believe in an Islamic Antichrist. Reading the text, one can find no justification that this must be the case. Whoever this Assyrian is, he is met and repelled by seven shepherds and eight princes. Even more, these national and political leaders lead Israel to do battle against the Assyrian in his own land and defeats him! That is not the Antichrist. Israel will be given into his hand, not the other way around. Also, what is happening in this passage occurs either before or during Israel being in the midst of the nations. That, too, will not be the period of the Antichrist, as they will be back in the land of Israel. There are other scriptures regarding Assyria and Israel, such as Isaiah 10 and Isaiah 31:8,9 that many have placed in this end-time scenario. Given the context, one cannot reasonably do so. The historical judgment of Assyria fits far better. These possibly could be a reference to the leader of the Gog of Magog hordes that are mentioned in Ezekiel 38, 39, something we shall treat more fully later on. Whatever the case, they certainly are not a reference to the Antichrist. All that said, there are scriptural references to “”the Assyrian”” that very much seem to fit the Antichrist. However, they are NOT referring to a geographical or even a genetic characteristic, but a spiritual one.

Chapter 13 is the first time that the book of Revelation speaks of the Antichrist, referring to him as the beast.

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. 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. 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. 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?” And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. 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. 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. If anyone has an ear, let him hear. He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. (Revelation 13:1–10)

Placing all the visions of Daniel 7 onto the beast of Revelation 13, we see they form a perfect composite creation. From the chronology of what is presented, it is clear that “all who dwell on the earth” will eventually come under his authority; but this follows the 1,260-day period, where he is fighting to bring all under his dominion. The world will eventually “worship” him, and Christians will be here for that (at least initially) because we are told “here is the patience and faith of the saints” when the Mark of the Beast is finally implemented. This will be the ultimate testing of the faith of those believers still awaiting their promised deliverance by Jesus. As a side note, there are some who argue that the beast here is the last kingdom, or system. There is some truth to this, but it is a reference to the man of perdition. Scripture tells us this later when Christ returns and throws the Antichrist into Hell, alive!

Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. (Revelation 19:20)

The beast is the Antichrist, and his is the final kingdom. When seeing this outlay of the final ten-nation federation, the parallels with the passages from Daniel that have already been explored are striking in their exactness. However, these verses give us something more than previously known. They explain that not only is the final kingdom made of ten kings (horns), but it is also a composite of all the kingdoms that have come before, which ruled over Jerusalem. This revelation perfectly combines all the visions of Daniel about the final kingdom into one whole so that there is absolutely no confusion as to what nations are in it or why they are in it. And all of them shall be rule by a single man, of Grecian ethnicity.

The False Prophet

After the Antichrist is presented to us, we are introduced to his sidekick, the false prophet. 

• Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. 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. He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. 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. 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. 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, 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. 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. (Revelation 13:11–18)

The individual that is referred to as the “false prophet” is as important to the scheme of Satan as the Antichrist. Without him and his miraculous wonders, it is likely the Antichrist would be unable to get so many to believe in him. He is vital to this deception. It is he who “causes” people to worship the Antichrist, he who gives life to the image of the beast, and he who does incredible feats of power. It is important to remember that he is “granted” this power by God. This will be the ultimate test of those loyal to the Word of God. Throughout Scripture, we are told to test the spirits (1 John 4:1–3) and the prophets (Deuteronomy 13:1–3). Those who do not confess that Jesus is the Christ, who has already come in the flesh, are of the Antichrist. Those whose “word” does not align with Scripture are Antichrist. This coming false prophet will be the final “test” of those who claim loyalty to Christ, and there will be ZERO wiggle room. You will either confess Jesus and die, or you will embrace the lie and lose your soul. 

There is not actually much debate as to the identity of this false prophet. The Scriptures tell us that it is a two-horned lamb that speaks with the mouth of the dragon. The lamb is clearly associated with Christ; hence, this person MUST come out of Christianity. The fact that he speaks like a dragon shows that he is demon possessed and operating under the control of Satan. The two horns illustrate that whatever aspect of Christianity this reflects, it somehow has two parts to it. That is easily solved when you consider the history of the church. 

Historically, the first great split in Christendom was when the Roman Catholic Church, centered in Rome, and the Greek Orthodox Church, centered in Constantinople (Istanbul), split apart. The formal separation occurred in AD 1054, but its actual start date was AD 800, when Pope Leo of Rome crowned the Frankish king Charlemagne as “king of the Holy Roman Empire.” The Byzantium kingdom, which had been the only vestige of the Christian Roman Empire left following the collapse of Rome in AD 476, felt this was an intolerable offense. 

Ever since Constantine moved the capital of ancient Rome to Constantinople, after he had reunited the two parts of the splintered empire, the two cities were in competition with each other. With the political ascendancy of Rome once again under the Holy Roman Empire in the west and with the waning of the Eastern Orthodox influence as the Islamic caliphate subsumed huge swaths of the Byzantine Empire, culminating in the conquest of Constantinople, the papacy of Rome became the undisputed face and voice of Christendom, not only in the west European theater but throughout the expanding world. Even after the factionalism that developed out of the Protestant Reformation, this holds true today. Roman Catholicism is by far the largest Christian denomination. The pope is seen by the entire world as speaking for Christendom. The Roman Catholic Church maintains that they alone are the true church, and that the pope is the voice of Christ on earth. 

Since that great schism, the two major Holy Sees of Rome and Constantinople have sought a reconciliation. Not only that, but there has also been an increased effort among the more traditional branches of Protestantism, such as the Anglican and Lutheran churches, to reunite with the Roman Catholic Church as well. This will happen very soon. It is my contention that the spiritual authority of the Roman Catholic Church will eventually be acknowledged by all these denominations. The Antichrist will be a key player behind the scenes in helping to create this reconciliation. This means that the pope of Rome, not necessarily the current one, will be the false prophet. This has been a view held by most scholars for centuries. 

Roman Catholicism is the largest denomination of Christians in the world. They have been talking for years about finding a way to reunite with the Eastern Orthodox. Also, there is a move within Christianity to unite Islam and Christianity. Many Roman Catholic leaders who want globalism are for this. Pope Francis had the Quran read in the Vatican for the first time ever! 

What if that deal was part of a larger political unification of European and Islamic countries? The Roman Catholic pope becomes the head of the religious portion of the new emerged kingdom. In this scenario, the last pope would be of Middle Eastern origins, like the very first so-called pope, Apostle Peter. This would certainly be a first for the Roman church, but it would fit the prophetic language. This is very important because it shows that this spiritual leader is not coming from Europe, at least not geographically, though he may operate there. He comes from the earth, while the Antichrist comes from the sea. This false prophet is the apostate Christian leader because he looks like a lamb (the symbol of Christ) but speaks like a dragon (Satan). He also has two horns. Remember, only Rome had their empire split into two distinct empires. However, it did this as a Christian empire! Constantine moved the Roman capital to Constantinople, and not long after, Emperor Justinian declared Christianity the religion of the realm. So, you had Christianity literally split between the two zones of political authority (the two horns of the lamb). Therefore, I believe the false prophet will be the pope of a new, unified Roman Catholic Church.

This is the man who will so deceive the world that he convinces them the Antichrist is God! Many so-called Christians will buy this lie. The Bible says this is coming. 

• 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… (2 Thessalonians 2:3)

It is worth noting that the Day of the Lord, His coming and the Rapture, will NOT happen until AFTER the Antichrist is revealed, AND the Great Apostasy (falling away) occurs. Anyone who studies the book of Revelation or Bible prophecy simply cannot fathom that someone claiming to be a Christian would be deceived into worshipping a false Christ, and worse, accepting his mark because the Bible predicts it will happen and that damnation comes to those who do it. Surely, a Christian would not do this. The problem with that thinking is that it assumes most Christians read Bible prophecy. They do not. Most do not even read the Bible, let alone prophecy, and most certainly, Revelation is not taught to them. 

This ignorance of Scripture will be the doom of many so-called Christians. But surely once the man of lawlessness is revealed, people will see the truth. Right? NO! Hundreds of millions will accept the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church as TRUTH, as the WORD OF GOD! Even now, Roman Catholic leaders are promoting the idea that Christ may have come from another world (think alien life-form) and are in fact scanning the heavens for, not just extraterrestrial life, but “spiritual” alien life. They are not alone in this either. There is such a paucity of Scripture being taught in the Roman church or read in churches in general that the coming apostasy is ripe for taking place. 

This is why our societies are in such turmoil. Truth has been turned on its head. Like never before, good is being called evil and evil good, and this by “Christians,” not the world. Because of this, the Bible says God will give them over to a strong delusion for their destruction. 

• 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 might be saved. And for this reason, God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 3:9–12)

When one rejects truth, one has no hope. No amount of reasoning can bring someone to truth who does not want the truth. But surely, even if many are following the beast, when the time to take the mark, 666, they will snap out of it and refuse to accept. Right? Again, thinking this way is assuming that one knows what the Bible says and believes what the Bible says. The world in that moment WILL NOT! They will be faced with death or subjection to the Antichrist. No thought will be given to something the Bible says by most people. They will be motivated by the fear of dying and will lose their souls to merely save themselves in this life for a short time.