Disclaimer: The author intends these articles to assist the reader in understanding the End Times prophecies of the Holy Bible. There is no intention to provoke hatred towards any group, tribe, or nation. Even the family of the Antichrist deserves to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ! The book of Revelation states that there will be members of every tribe, nation, kingdom, and tongue, in Heaven! It is the hope of the author to provoke Christians to witness of the love and forgiveness of God toward all who will listen! It is his hope that we will share in the joy of seeing even family members of the Antichrist himself, in Heaven with Jesus!
For my fourth and final installment on the Nation of the Antichrist, I want to focus on something that has eluded most biblical End Times scholars.
The Antichrist, like Jesus Christ, has many names in the bible. He is called “the son of perdition”, “the idol shepherd”, “the abominable branch”, “the Beast”, and others, but the term Antichrist is actually a title, not a name. The word “anti” in the Greek not only connotes opposition to Christ, but actually means “in the place of”.
The Antichrist will actually place himself in the position of Jesus Christ. He will claim to do many things that Jesus Christ did, and has done, including being raised from the dead. He will actually show up at a time that appears to be the end of the Tribulation, and will pose as a Savior!
Many have noted the similarity of dictators like Hitler, Stalin, and Mao, to the character of the Antichrist, and in many ways these comparisons are accurate, but there is one where there will be a big difference. These men were famous for their opposition to the bible, and for big piles of bibles being burnt. I am quite certain that Satan has another European dictator in the works who will also be strongly opposed to the bible, however, this is not the Antichrist, but a decoy sent to distract those who are looking for the Antichrist.
The real Antichrist, on the other hand, will actually use the bible to establish his authority! Rather than burning big piles of bibles he will actually open one up, point to certain passages and say “This is about me!” He won’t burn bibles like Hitler, Stalin, and Mao, but will use it, more like Rick Warren, or Joel Osteen!
In researching for The Spirit of Prophecy, I read over half way through Rick Warren’s book “The Purpose Driven Life” and was shocked at how often he takes Scripture out of context, and twists it to conform to his own ideas! Scripture manipulation is truly an art with Warren! It is so bad I couldn’t get past the twenty second week! If you want to know how the Antichrist will treat Scripture just read through Warren’s book, but be careful; he is slippery!
I have searched through the bible looking for a passage that could be used by a Roman dictator to establish his throne as the throne of God, the Messiah. There isn’t one! There is no place where a dictator from Rome could open up a bible and say “Do you see this passage here? This is about me and my ministry!”
The scholars have not been able to come up with one, simply because there isn’t one, and yet so many of them still insist that the Antichrist must come from Rome.
Should the Antichrist come from Edom, however, there are a number of passages to which he could point and say “I am the fulfilment of this promise”, or “I was there and inspired the prophet to write this“!
A few years ago I came to the conclusion that the Antichrist must come from the gentiles, and while walking my dog, I asked this question “If the Antichrist comes from the gentiles how is it that he will be able to masquerade as Israel’s Saviour?”
The very next morning as I was reading Isaiah 63, I was shocked to read verse 1 “Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save.”
I had read through that passage before and didn’t get it, and I have heard pastors read it and miss the point, but all of a sudden my eyes were opened! If the Antichrist comes from Edom he can actually use this verse and say “I inspired Isaiah to write this”! (It is a lie, of course, but it would be believable to some people!)
This is what Daniel meant when he wrote that the Antichrist “shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods” (Daniel 11:36). He will claim to be God in the flesh, just as Jesus is truly God in the flesh!
If this verse were alone we could say that maybe it is an accident of translation, but there is more;
LORD, when thou wentest out of Seir, when thou marchedst out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, the clouds also dropped water. Judges 5:4
“God came from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise.” Habakkuk 3:3
“And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them.” Deuteronomy 33:2
Teman was a grandson of Esau, and Paran, and Seir are districts in Edom. The Lord spoke to Moses while the Israelites were in the wilderness of Paran, in Edom. This is what these passages are referring to, but if you take them out of context, you can turn them into messianic prophecies, saying that the Messiah comes from Edom! This interpretation will be what the Antichrist wants you to believe!
You may remember how, in the book of Hebrews, Levi payed tithes to Melchizedek while in Abraham’s loins? (Hebrews 7:5-9) The passage is pointing out that the priesthood of Melchizedek is superior to the Levitical priesthood, since Levi payed tithes to Melchizedek before he was even born.
The Antichrist will use the same principle with regard to an incident which occurred between Jacob and Esau.
In Genesis 33 Jacob and Esau meet again after having been apart and estranged for many years. Esau had been so angry with Jacob that he was ready to kill him after he tricked his father, Isaac into giving him Esau’s blessing. Now after many years apart Jacob is coming home and brings a number of peace offerings for his brother.
3 And he (Jacob) passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.
8 And he (Esau) said, What meanest thou by all this drove which I met? And he said, These are to find grace in the sight of my lord. 9 And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; keep that thou hast unto thyself. 10 And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand: for therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me.
I have no doubt that the Antichrist will use this passage to say that Jacob, as the patriarch of Israel was recognizing Esau’s superior position in the covenant, by bowing to him, and even foreshadowing the “Messiah’s” coming from Esau. Jacob even called his brother “lord”. Such an interpretation would have to ignore the fact that Esau had sold the birthright to Jacob many years before this incident. The truth is that Jacob was simply trying to make amends to his brother, but he never gave the birthright back. Israel couldn’t give it back then, or today, even if they wanted to!
The problem with taking these verses as prophecies is they don’t match the bible’s other messianic prophecies, which were fulfilled by Jesus Christ. The only way that the Antichrist will be able to fool the world that these passages are prophecies about his “ministry” is if the world is ignorant about the bible, and if they take them out of context. Unfortunately we have a number of popular teachers, like Rick Warren, and Joel Osteen, who are experts at taking the bible out of context. They are preparing a generation for the master of Scripture manipulation.
One key prophecy is Daniel’s seventy weeks prophecy found in Daniel 9:24. The seventy weeks of years began when the proclamation went out to rebuild Jerusalem. There were three proclamations made, but regardless of which one was intended, they all would have required that the Messiah would be “cut-off” before the year 33 AD. This would preclude any messiah coming along at any other time in history.
24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. 25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 26 And after threescore and 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 the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. Daniel 9:24-26
And this takes us full circle; The people of Edom are there in verse 26, not as the Messiah, but as the people of the “prince to come” the Antichrist. It was their actions in Jerusalem, shortly before the Roman armies arrived on the scene, that ultimately led to the destruction of that city.
Their descendants are still there today. They still live in the same land that Esau lived on, and they still hold to the ancient hatred against their brothers!
They were dispersed, much like Israel was, but they have returned and will soon fulfill the prophecy of Malachi;
Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the Lord of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the Lord hath indignation for ever. Malachi 1:4
If you compare this map of ancient Israel and her neighbors, with a modern map, the descendants of Edom, Moab and Ammon form a modern nation. This is the nation that will produce the Antichrist. If you know who he is, don’t fight him with carnal weapons of war, but fight him with the Gospel of Jesus Christ! The bible is clear that while many of the members of this nation will join with the Antichrist, there are also many who will join with Israel, and will offer them protection when they flee from the “Abomination of Desolation”! These are our brothers and sisters in Christ! Pray for them, that they will get saved, and that they will make a difference for Jesus in the last days!
housetops 
How many times have I read those very verses, and didn’t connect the dots! Dan, do you believe that we’ll know who this person is before the Rapture?
Hi Sheryl,
There are several reasons why I do believe that we will know who the Antichrist is, before the rapture of the Church. Here’s one;
Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets. Amos 3:7
Who are in the place of His servants, the prophets, today, but the true Church of Jesus Christ? I believe the evidence is that true Christians will know who that person is, and will endeavor to warn the world, to no avail. They will think we are crazy. Then the rapture will occur, and some of them will start to wake up. The others will be relieved we are gone. I think they will say something like “those wicked people have been taken in judgment, because they were not willing to work for world peace”, or worlds to that effect.
There is a probability that some will credit the rapture to an “alien abduction”, for much the same reason as that above.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 also appears to speak of a “dual unveiling” of the antichrist. You see one in verse 3 and another in verse 8. I’m not sure how clear it is, but I see it.
Dan, speaking of alien abduction; I’ve been watching a series by Chuck Missler of Koinonia House Minitries, concerning the Nephilim-I watched the series on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fa5mJ2lmVB4&feature=colike. I do believe with all the increased UFO sightings, and noises in the heavens, some think it’s the HARP weapon, but could it be angelic or Nephilim? However, we’re living in times, that I’ve not witnessed in my lifetime, and I’m going on 64 – this planet is coming unglued! I believe we will see the Psalms 83 War, and I pray it wont be long after that, that the Gog Magog War begins – that would be Rapture time! However, we’ve not seen the deception yet, and that’s where I feel the “alien/Nephilim” will come into play. The ones who haven’t been searching the scriptures and watching will be caught off guard! Do you believe we’ll see this deception?
Take a look at this! http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2018783144_humans27.html They have believed the lie of evolution, so when the Nephilim/aliens appear, and tell them how we were ‘seeded’ by them, that seems to be the latest belief, they will swallow it hook, line and sinker!
I also believe that we will know who the Antichrist will be – i t seems, logically speaking, it would be the King of Jordan, Abdullah II, or his heir if Gog and Magog War is down the road a bit after the Psalms 83 War. The EU has already made him the authority over the middle east. as we discussed prior to this post.
I’m hoping and longing that it wont be but a short time after Ps 83 war that G&M war will begin….
God bless you, Dan-it’s always good to hear from you!
Sheryl
Hi Sheryl,
It is always good to hear from you.
One thing I noticed about Abdullah II is that he is from Saudi stock, though his mother is English. If I am correct that the Antichrist will come from Edom then Abdullah couldn’t be him, though he is technically the king of Edom. He actually traces his ancestry all the way back to Ishmael, through Mohammad. His wife, on the other hand is from the “West Bank” and therefore likely from Edomite stock.
This would mean that the Antichrist could be one of his sons. I take it from Daniel 11:21 that the Antichrist will not be the first choice of those who ultimately choose him. “And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.” In most of the world the first son is the automatic first choice as heir to his father. Therefore I doubt that Abdullah’s older son would be the Antichrist, but the second son is a person of interest. He is seven this year.
If you have any contact with the people of Israel you will notice that whenever they come across the tetragramaton (sp?) in the bible,YHWH, which is the name of God, they don’t pronounce it but say “ha shem” which literally means “the name”. Hashem has been used as a substitute for the name of God in Israel, for a very long time. In fact they use it as a synonym for God.
Is it a strange coincidence that Abdullah’s second son is named Hashem bin Abdullah? Personally, I don’t believe in coincidence.
Today Hashem bin Abdullah is a little boy who needs to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. What he does with it, once he hears it, will have some bearing on whether he is the Antichrist or not. At this point all I can say is that it looks like someone is setting him up to fill the role of the Beast.
As for Aliens, I think the presence of the Church on earth will hold back the Spirit of the Antichrist, and thus the angelic alien imposters will likely have to wait for the rapture before they will be able to bring about their full deception. I expect that the day of the rapture will also contain the most UFO sightings in history. Satan doesn’t know when the rapture will be, but once it occurs the fallen angels will put on the greatest UFO airshow ever seen. I think they will be eager to take credit for the rapture, to take it away from Jesus.
Interestingly, while researching for The Spirit of Prophecy, I found that Abdullah is a Star Trek fan, and actually played a bit part in one episode! If one of his sons is the Antichrist, this is the type of home he is growing up in. A home where UFOs and aliens are considered normal.
God Bless,
Dan
Daniel 11:21 is NOT end times, only 36-45 are end times, everything before then is the Hellenistic Era.
Edom is Rome, I’m going to write a whole stud on that.
Hi Jared,
Regarding Daniel 11:21, I believe you are wrong, it is End Times. The Antichrist will obtain the kingdom by flattery, and deceit. You can bet your life on that.
Some prophecies have dual fulfilments, and Scripture often skips between different eras in the same chapter. While these kingdoms mentioned here appear to be the four kingdoms formed when Greece broke up, I think it could also refer to some of the 10 nations of Revelation 17, while they are jockeying for position in the end times.
Notice verse 11 of Daniel 11; And in the end of years they shall join themselves together; for the king’s daughter of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement: but she shall not retain the power of the arm; neither shall he stand, nor his arm: but she shall be given up, and they that brought her, and he that begat her, and he that strengthened her in these times.
I think the phrase “end of years” is an End Times reference. Just because something similar happened during the Hellenist era, it does not necessarily follow that that is the only time this event will occur. While the “king of the north” was taken to be Syria, and the “king of the south” was Egypt, it is likely that the final “king of the north” will be the leader of the Eurasian union, and the “king of the south” will be the leader of the African union.
Satan would like you to believe that this was all fulfilled in the life of Antiochus, and there is nothing to watch for in these End Times. “Nothing to see here, folks. Move along.”!
Just as the pig Antiochus Epiphanes slaughtered on the altar in Jerusalem was an abomination of desolation, there will be another in the End Times. Jesus said so in Matt. 24:15
As they say “history repeats itself”.
Edom is the nation founded by Jacob’s brother, Esau. They did not move to Rome. I am well aware that some Rabbis refer to Rome as Edom, but they are wrong. Edom is much closer than Rome, in fact they are right across the Jordan river. They always were. (except for a short time in captivity, but they did return)
The only reason some would want to identify Rome as Edom, is because there are so many End Times prophecies against Edom, but none against Rome. This is an example of reading your own ideas into Scripture. If it says Rome it means Rome, but if it says Edom, it means Edom. Babylon is Babylon, and Israel is Israel. Spiritualizing Scripture this way is very dangerous.
When you start spiritualizing things like this you can make the bible say almost anything. My advice is “don’t do it”. You will lead people astray!
Dan
Dan I forgot to give the references/links for the article where I found out about the unidentified DNA .
http://prophecyupdate.com/pu080112.htm
“Sex With Fallen Angels And/Or Nephilim Seen In DNA, UW Researchers Say”
Hi Dan! In 2 Thessalonians, could this be a forerunner of the AC? Also, is Hashem a common Arabic name? I could see how and why the Jewish people would be drawn to someone by that name, especially when he performs supernatural wonders….
Abdullah is a Star Trek fan-that’s funny! I can see that the second born son is a good possibility, but that would mean we are going to be here a lot longer, and the way the US is going, that’s a grim outlook right now 😦
Hi Sheryl,
Like you, I want Jesus to rapture me right now! I really believe, however, that there will be signs before the rapture. I think that both the Psalm 83 war and the Gog and Magog war are the “Wars and Rumours of wars” that Jesus spoke of. I am quite certain they are both pre-Tribulation events. He might have also meant the current hysteria about the Iranian nukes. I think that will lead to a war, and I expect the Psalm 83 war will follow shortly, before Iran has a chance to recover.
Something will keep Iran out of that war. It really looks like the current Arab support of the rebels in Syria and the Iranian support of Assad, is the narrow point of a wedge between the Arabs and Iranians. There appears to be a continuation of the same conflict in Iraq as well, with the Maliki government supporting Iran and rebels agitating for an Arab Spring type of rebellion.
We are always in a hurry, but God has his own timing.
About Hashem; As I understand it there are a number of Arabs with that name. In fact Abdullah has a brother named Hashim, a variation of the same name. The Antichrist is called a “prince” in a number of places, so I expect he will be from a royal family. He only becomes a “king” once he takes world power. This would eliminate most of the other Hashems in the Arab world.
Here’s something to consider; Was Hosea referring to a “day as a thousand years” in 5:15 – 6:2?
5:15 I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.
6:1 Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. 2 After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.
I think this reference to two days is the same days that Moses was referring to in Psalm 90:4 and Peter in 2 Peter 3:8. If it is, then we have the question “does the two thousand years refer to Hebrew years or Solar years?”. God told Adam to number years by the movements of the sun and stars, and He told Moses to number the years by the movements of the moon.
Two thousand Hebrew years, from the ascension, would have been in 2003-2004, so I am leaning toward solar years. Two thousand solar years after the ascension will take us somewhere around 2028-2033. Of course Hosea was referring to Christ’s coming for Israel, so it is entirely possible that the rapture of the Church could still be seven years earlier.
The truth is that we don’t know the day, nor the hour, but we can know the season if we are watching for the signs. In the mean time we are to occupy ’til He comes, and be assured of this that if we die in Christ, before the rapture, we will receive our glorified bodies before the rapture. “The dead in Christ shall rise first…” 1 Thes. 4:16
Hi Dan! I suppose with my failing health, and the possibility of things becoming much worse in the US, I feel I wont physically be able to deal with the judgment that is falling on America. If we could afford to leave this country, we would, but I doubt that’s going to happen. Even at my age, I’m still reminded to trust the Lord in my daily walk with Him-not looking back, and not worrying about tomorrow because I can’t do a thing to change what’s coming. I am reminded that if the Lord cares for the sparrow, He will care for me and everyone else who has put their trust in Him…
Concerning the Psalms 83 War, I wondered if the destruction of Damascus, would be a prelude for The Psalms 83 War; however, your view is very plausible too.
HI Sheryl,
In the past there was always somewhere to go, for those suffering religious persecution. I don’t know where one would go today. The whole world is in a mess. We need to put our faith in the Lord and work for Him where He puts us.
I can’t see Israel reducing Damascus to a heap of ruins just because of a Syrian civil war. Israel is too conscious of the world’s opinion. The nuclear option is an option of last resort… of desperation. Neither can I see the Syrians themselves reducing it to such a state.
The only reason I can see it becoming a heap of ruins (Isaiah 17:1) is if they join the Arabs in an all-out attack against Israel, and if they use some of their WMDs in that attack.
The bible tells us where the Hagarites used to live, and I have no doubt that some of them still live there; The Golan Heights, aka. Gilead (I Chronicles 5:10). Since this land used to belong to Syria, and some of it still does, I believe this is the best explanation for Syria being involved in the Psalm 83 war. The Arabs in that area are the ones agitating for the Syrian government to attack Israel and take it back. Since Assad was not in as much of a hurry as they, they are leading the revolt to replace him.
They won’t get it back, but a large section of Syria will end up under Israeli control. God gave them the land all the way to the Euphrates river, a large chunk of Syria! The world will be in a state of shock when it happens.
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