End Time Babylon – Part 8
Spirit of Babylon meets the Spirit of Antichrist
The Spirit of Babylon = the Desire of Mankind to re-establish God’s Garden of Eden (Hope and Change) apart from God, who actually owns the garden
The Spirit of Antichrist = the desire of a man to offer himself to the world as a “tangible” alternative to Jesus, the true Messiah. Jesus, the only one worthy of worship, allows anyone who chooses Him to worship Him, and in doing so, experience more LIFE. Jesus does not require that anyone worship Him. Antichrist rides “socialistic nationalism” into power, promising power to those loyal to him, and eventually REQUIRES everyone worship him, at the threat of DEATH.
There are two main books in the Bible that are primarily about the victory of God’s people over the time when the end-time spirit of Babylon “meets” the spirit of the Antichrist. This reality is described in Daniel and Revelation. This reality has never happened before, but will. I believe very soon…years not decades.
Daniel and the Revelation of Jesus Christ are both entirely about the end-times, though they both spoke to the people of their day, as well. This is called “dual fulfillment” and is a common element in Biblical prophecy. The entire book of Daniel is an end-time book. Daniel is the Old Testament book of Revelation. In fact, I believe the Book of Daniel is the little book that John is given in the Book of Revelation:
Revelation 10:8-11 Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, "Go, take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth." (9) So I went to the angel and said to him, "Give me the little book." And he said to me, "Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth." (10) Then I took the little book out of the angel's hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter. (11) And he said to me, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings."
The Book of Daniel is both bitter in its graphic portrayal of what must come upon the whole earth, but sweet in the understanding that what God allows is all written…based on…love. Love is grounded upon free will. Without free will…without the choice to choose love back…love is not possible. Daniel and Revelation are telling the “bitter sweet” story of God giving all the world what it desires and what comes out of the final expression of that choice are a company of people…a royal family who has chosen love…that will remain when everything that opposes love is removed. We are in the thick of the beginning of that final choice. Daniel is really about US!
Daniel 12:4 "But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase."
Both Books are primarily about Babylon, the man who controls Babylon, and what God’s people are to do in the midst of Babylon. Now, it is important to take a minute and point out a very important observation: God, in His mercy, has let the world actually see what is coming when the final Babylon has its way. Last week, in segment 7, I pointed out that the book of Revelation outlines 8 times the world will see the “global superpower” aspect of the spirit of Babylon, the desire to make the earth good WITHOUT God, surface.
Nimrod’s Babel was the first global “superpower.” This was the first UNITED expression of what was in mankind’s corrupted heart after the flood. God said eventually mankind would get everything they wanted. Expression after expression, this spirit came out globally six more times, most recently with the rise of political Islam, called the Ottoman Empire. It is promised to happen one last time as the Ottoman Empire, also known as the Islamic Caliphate, attempts to resurface. The Caliphate won’t successfully resurface, instead, “out of it” will come the last expression of Babylon, called the antichrist empire…the end-time Harlot Babylon will be the “conduit” for this to happen. Antichrist will “use” the luxurious superpower he is the leader of (end-time Babylon), along with the ambitions of 10 Islamic regional leaders (the revived Caliphate) in order to propel HIMSELF into global power! Antichrist could care less about his own country OR those of his 10 co-conspirators. It is a complex relationship! The Spirit of Babylon is important, but it is different than what is in the antichrist’s heart.
So, God has let the “spirit of Babylon”, the global superpower aspect of the end-time power base, surface 7 times:
1. Nimrod - Babel
2. Pharaoh - Egypt
3. Nebuchadnezzar – Babylon
4. Darius - Persia
5. Alexander the Great - Greece
6. Caesar (the one that “is”) - Rome
7. Muhammad (the one that “had not yet come”) – Islamic Caliphate/Ottoman Empire
BUT, God has also let the “spirit of Antichrist” come into view, as well. The spirit of Antichrist has been personified numerous times: Nimrod, Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar…but only fully blossomed a couple of times. These times when Antichrist’s spirit has been allowed to blossom have been kept separate from the times when the spirit of Babylon covered the globe! The Bible gives us great insight into what to expect both “empire” wise, and “emperor” wise, in the final 7 years. You can actually see it coming together right now.
We’ve talked extensively about the spirit of Babylon. Now let’s look a little at the spirit of Antichrist. The spirit of antichrist is most revealed in Antiochus Epiphanes, and most recently, in the person of Adolf Hitler. Antiochus, Hitler, and the Antichrist will all be responsible for promising to save the world by their plans, the mass killing of multitudes of Jewish people (Satan’s plan), and demanding to be treated and obeyed as gods (the final expression of what is REALLY in the heart of man apart from God).
What Hitler was allowed to do regionally, the antichrist will attempt to do globally…and for 42 months (Rev. 13) he will be given authority to get what he wants. Hitler was a man of lawlessness. He changed the laws to make the political system work his ways. He disregarded all the checks and balances of the German state, promised wealth and power to those who would agree with him, and wreaked havoc all over Europe, even though at first the whole world praised him as a great peacemaker!! Hitler claimed to be a Christian, yet secretly worked on having the Bible re-written to make himself the star of the text! Hitler was the ultimate expression of the phrase “the end justifies the means.” He was very much like the first expression of antichrist that was allowed to blossom, named Antiochus Epiphanes:
Daniel 11 tells in advance the story of Antiochus Epiphanes, a “model” of the final “lawless one,” as Paul later called the Antichrist. This is the first mention of Antiochus, the first Biblical representation of the full expression of the antichrist…followed by Hitler…that the earth has seen. We can see Hitler came into, and consolidated power, the same way. We should be watching for the Antichrist to come into power, and consolidate it, the same way:
Daniel 11:21 And in his place shall arise a vile person, to whom they will not give the honor of royalty (he started out small); but he shall come in peaceably (was “welcomed” in), and seize the kingdom by intrigue (and once he was in, he started to do the “trading” that characterized Satan in Ezekiel 28….trading power for loyalty).
Here are some more character descriptions from Antiochus. It is amazing how some of these were met in Hitler, and we can be ASSURED that if we watch for these, they will point to Antichrist:
Daniel 11:22 With the force of a flood (coming quickly and powerfully…without notice) they (those other leaders that welcomed him) shall be swept away from before him and be broken, and also the prince of the covenant (the “prince of the covenant” is referring to the Daniel 9:27 peace covenant that antichrist “guarantees” he will protect Israel through. This sentence is saying “the antichrist will come into and consolidate power just like Antiochus Epiphanes”).
Daniel 11:23-26 And after the league is made (a secret agreement between antichrist and his 10 Islamic conspirators) with him he shall act deceitfully (he will begin secretly trading power for loyalty), for he shall come up and become strong with a small number of people (he will be successful with a seemingly small number of conspirators). (24) He shall enter peaceably, even into the richest places of the province; and he shall do what his fathers have not done, nor his forefathers: he shall disperse among them the plunder, spoil, and riches; and he shall devise his plans against the strongholds, but only for a time (he redistributes wealth and power to those loyal to him in order to consolidate power). (25) "He shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the South (Egypt…antichrist’s big “power play” in the middle east will start with Egypt) with a great army. (The end-time expression of this reality is the “uprooting” of the first of three horns, antichrist first goes after Egypt, putting the force of his large army against the sitting king, by supporting the uprising) And the king of the South shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army (in our time, the sitting king of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, tried to fight off the Arab Spring) ; but he shall not stand, for they shall devise plans against him. (26) Yes, those who eat of the portion of his delicacies shall destroy him; his army shall be swept away, and many shall fall down slain. (this happened during Antiochus’ day, and was promised to happen again during the rise of the antichrist…I believe the world very well may have witnessed this happening during the Arab Spring revolution in Tahrir Square in 2011)
Antichrist, just like Antiochus Epiphanes, won’t be entirely successful, especially before the time he demands to be worshiped, which is the beginning of the “Great Tribulation.” In fact, in the years leading up to his attempt to get the world to worship him, the antichrist will experience gains in the political world, followed by great reversals. Hitler experienced the same thing. This frustration will be vented more and more at Israel:
Daniel 11:28-35 While returning to his land with great riches, his heart shall be moved against the holy covenant; so he shall do damage and return to his own land. (29) "At the appointed time he shall return and go toward the south (suffering a reversal in Egypt, he will turn his attention there again) ; but it shall not be like the former or the latter. (30) For ships from Cyprus shall come against him; therefore he shall be grieved, and return in rage against the holy covenant, and do damage. (the Bible says in Daniel 11:45, as well as in Ezekiel 38 and 39, that a second coalition of governments…called the Gog coalition…led by Russia and Iran…will resist the antichrist coalition, this will frustrate the antichrist to no end). "So he (Antiochus Epiphanes as a picture of the end-time antichrist) shall return and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant. (he will align with non-loyal-to-God Jews)
And THIS is where it is all going one last time:
(31) And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation. (this is the statue of Zeus that Antiochus Epiphanes put up in the temple. Antichrist has his own statue he is promised to setup in the temple he allows to be built by his own political intrigue) (32) Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits. (during a time of great trouble) (33) And those of the people who understand (believers) shall instruct many; yet for many days they shall fall by sword and flame, by captivity and plundering. (martyrs increased under Antiochus, and they will also increase under antichrist)(34) Now when they fall, they shall be aided with a little help; but many shall join with them by intrigue. (35) And some of those of understanding shall fall, to refine them, purify them, and make them white, until the time of the end; because it is still for the appointed time. (Antiochus, and the events of the faithful of God’s people that resisted him, was a down-payment of what would happen in full at the time of the antichrist).
So this is the picture of the spirit of Antichrist throughout history: a man “rides” a country into power claiming to be the one to offer hope and change…he comes in peaceably….and, once nestled into power, he becomes the “man of lawlessness.” This is how Paul described the antichrist coming in the last 7 years (listen for the word “lawless” you can hear it all over the news right now).:
2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, (2) not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. (3) Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first (those who rebel against God for fear of their own lives…those with “no root”) , and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, (the antichrist) (4) who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. (5) Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? (6) And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. (God has not allowed the full expression of man’s heart for lawlessness to meet the full expression of a global superpower bent on remaking the earth apart from God…but God will give the earth what it wants…and this is what it really wants, a man to save it) (7) For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. (this is the ‘restraining hand of God’ that will be lifted in the time appointed for man to get what it wants…that Tower of Babel broken up in confusion, reconnected with the increase of knowledge and global travel) (8) And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. (9) The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan (like father, like son…he will trade power for loyalty…redistribute wealth, just like his father, Satan), with all power, signs, and lying wonders, (10) and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. (the heart of man will be revealed as they either 1. refuse to agree with the tangible “savior” despite his threats, or 2. give in to him in fear or actual agreement) (11) And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, (everyone will get what they want, if you want to believe the lie that life is about you getting the good life now, apart from face to face living with the author of life, God is going to give people over to their own delusion…these are glorious and treacherous times…great and terrible…because in this generation, everyone will get what they really want as the restraining hand of God is lifted…some to righteousness and some to evil). (12) that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
The Antichrist “rides” the last global superpower country, promising great things to those who will trust him for health, wealth, and security…things only God can truly give. BUT, those in antichrist’s country who want a “human savior” actually believe they are riding him!! This is the delusional country the final antichrist will ride into power:
Revelation 17:3-7 So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast (the antichrist empire, a man conspiring with every religious lie about God…every religion that portrays God as a bad father) which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads (those seven “ziggurat” empires) and ten horns (the final 10-nation Islamic confederation). (4) The woman was arrayed in purple (royal) and scarlet (lustful), and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls (wealth) , having in her hand a golden cup (what the world wants to drink…peace, prosperity, and security apart from God) full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. (the true contents of the cup are desolation) (5) And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. (6) I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement. (John indicates this won’t be obvious! You will have to really be looking for truth to see this! John couldn’t believe the woman was THIS woman who, in Isaiah 14, started out as the “Golden City”) (7) But the angel said to me, "Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.
Ok, this is where the global superpower who really wants the security of God’s Garden to be promised to them by a man, finally meets the man who promises it by way of a “socialistic nationalism” platform…just like Hitler did, and just like Antiochus Epiphanes did. This promise of health, wealth, and security for the masses is as “strong as clay” (not strong!) because the man who promises it is really only interested in his OWN health, wealth, and security! This is why the USSR didn’t work, Hitler's Germany didn’t work, Mao’s China didn’t work, Fidel’s Cuba didn’t work, Chavez’s Venezuela didn’t work…socialism has NEVER worked, because those at the top only really care about the top!!
The 10 horns of Revelation 17 are the same as the 10 horns in Daniel 7…three of which the antichrist will uproot, starting with the sitting king of Egypt. But, they are also the 10 toes in another vision explained to Daniel. I will finish with this vision and my comments. In this true story, Nebuchadnezzar has a bad dream. He threatens to kill all of the magicians, astrologers, and wise men in his kingdom if they can’t tell him the dream and what it means. This is what Daniel was shown:
Daniel 2:30-46 But as for me, this secret has not been revealed to me because I have more wisdom than anyone living, but for our sakes who make known the interpretation to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your heart. (31) "You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome. (32) This image's head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, (33) its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. (34) You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. (35) Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. (36) "This is the dream. Now we will tell the interpretation of it before the king. (37) You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory; (38) and wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all—you are this head of gold. (Nebuchadnezzar’s first rebuilding of the “ziggurat town” of Babel) (39) But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours (Persia, Darius kingdom which succeeded Nebuchadnezzar in controlling Babylon, the ziggurat town) ; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth (Alexander the Great’s Greece, who conquered Babylon in October 331 bc). (40) And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others. (this is the Islamic Caliphate, bent on destroying any trace of the culture that preceded it. The Islamic Caliphate conquered Babylon in 650 ad. The legs of Iron refer to the Ottoman Empire. The feet refer to the much smaller rebirth of the Ottoman empire, in the form of a Caliphate “revival”. I believe this is what the world is seeing right now, in the form of the Muslim Brotherhood, which began contending for the rebirth of the Caliphate in the 1920’s…almost as quickly as the Ottoman Empire breathed its last breath in Turkey.) (41) Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron (Islam) shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay (socialism…leftist liberal social promises). (42) 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. (43) As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay. (liberal left social policies can never really adhere to Islamic fundamental conservative policies) (44) And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed (this is the victorious Bride of Jesus!); and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. (45) Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold—the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure." (46) Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, prostrate before Daniel, and commanded that they should present an offering and incense to him. (Nebuchadnezzar, although filled with the spirit of antichrist, was “restrained” by God, and eventually converted! Soon, the end-time Nebuchadnezzar will be unrestrained.)
The Bible promises that the final lawless one…the antichrist will promise the world a fair redistribution of power…the “clay” promise…right alongside of the iron of the Islamic Caliphate. This is the most unlikely scenario: Socially left-leaning liberal politicians in the last global superpower will collaborate with iron wielding Islamic fundamentalists who hate liberal policies!! The gay rights political elite conspiring with those who hang gay people weekly! This is happening right now. The USA’s left leaning groups are actively conspiring with radical Islamists…feminists with those who oppose any rights for women…LBGT supporters lining up with those who literally kill gay people just for being gay…Pro-choice lining up with Islamic hard-liners who oppose abortion…Iron and Clay!!
More soon….
The Spirit of Babylon = the Desire of Mankind to re-establish God’s Garden of Eden (Hope and Change) apart from God, who actually owns the garden
The Spirit of Antichrist = the desire of a man to offer himself to the world as a “tangible” alternative to Jesus, the true Messiah. Jesus, the only one worthy of worship, allows anyone who chooses Him to worship Him, and in doing so, experience more LIFE. Jesus does not require that anyone worship Him. Antichrist rides “socialistic nationalism” into power, promising power to those loyal to him, and eventually REQUIRES everyone worship him, at the threat of DEATH.
There are two main books in the Bible that are primarily about the victory of God’s people over the time when the end-time spirit of Babylon “meets” the spirit of the Antichrist. This reality is described in Daniel and Revelation. This reality has never happened before, but will. I believe very soon…years not decades.
Daniel and the Revelation of Jesus Christ are both entirely about the end-times, though they both spoke to the people of their day, as well. This is called “dual fulfillment” and is a common element in Biblical prophecy. The entire book of Daniel is an end-time book. Daniel is the Old Testament book of Revelation. In fact, I believe the Book of Daniel is the little book that John is given in the Book of Revelation:
Revelation 10:8-11 Then the voice which I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, "Go, take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the earth." (9) So I went to the angel and said to him, "Give me the little book." And he said to me, "Take and eat it; and it will make your stomach bitter, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth." (10) Then I took the little book out of the angel's hand and ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter. (11) And he said to me, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings."
The Book of Daniel is both bitter in its graphic portrayal of what must come upon the whole earth, but sweet in the understanding that what God allows is all written…based on…love. Love is grounded upon free will. Without free will…without the choice to choose love back…love is not possible. Daniel and Revelation are telling the “bitter sweet” story of God giving all the world what it desires and what comes out of the final expression of that choice are a company of people…a royal family who has chosen love…that will remain when everything that opposes love is removed. We are in the thick of the beginning of that final choice. Daniel is really about US!
Daniel 12:4 "But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase."
Both Books are primarily about Babylon, the man who controls Babylon, and what God’s people are to do in the midst of Babylon. Now, it is important to take a minute and point out a very important observation: God, in His mercy, has let the world actually see what is coming when the final Babylon has its way. Last week, in segment 7, I pointed out that the book of Revelation outlines 8 times the world will see the “global superpower” aspect of the spirit of Babylon, the desire to make the earth good WITHOUT God, surface.
Nimrod’s Babel was the first global “superpower.” This was the first UNITED expression of what was in mankind’s corrupted heart after the flood. God said eventually mankind would get everything they wanted. Expression after expression, this spirit came out globally six more times, most recently with the rise of political Islam, called the Ottoman Empire. It is promised to happen one last time as the Ottoman Empire, also known as the Islamic Caliphate, attempts to resurface. The Caliphate won’t successfully resurface, instead, “out of it” will come the last expression of Babylon, called the antichrist empire…the end-time Harlot Babylon will be the “conduit” for this to happen. Antichrist will “use” the luxurious superpower he is the leader of (end-time Babylon), along with the ambitions of 10 Islamic regional leaders (the revived Caliphate) in order to propel HIMSELF into global power! Antichrist could care less about his own country OR those of his 10 co-conspirators. It is a complex relationship! The Spirit of Babylon is important, but it is different than what is in the antichrist’s heart.
So, God has let the “spirit of Babylon”, the global superpower aspect of the end-time power base, surface 7 times:
1. Nimrod - Babel
2. Pharaoh - Egypt
3. Nebuchadnezzar – Babylon
4. Darius - Persia
5. Alexander the Great - Greece
6. Caesar (the one that “is”) - Rome
7. Muhammad (the one that “had not yet come”) – Islamic Caliphate/Ottoman Empire
BUT, God has also let the “spirit of Antichrist” come into view, as well. The spirit of Antichrist has been personified numerous times: Nimrod, Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar…but only fully blossomed a couple of times. These times when Antichrist’s spirit has been allowed to blossom have been kept separate from the times when the spirit of Babylon covered the globe! The Bible gives us great insight into what to expect both “empire” wise, and “emperor” wise, in the final 7 years. You can actually see it coming together right now.
We’ve talked extensively about the spirit of Babylon. Now let’s look a little at the spirit of Antichrist. The spirit of antichrist is most revealed in Antiochus Epiphanes, and most recently, in the person of Adolf Hitler. Antiochus, Hitler, and the Antichrist will all be responsible for promising to save the world by their plans, the mass killing of multitudes of Jewish people (Satan’s plan), and demanding to be treated and obeyed as gods (the final expression of what is REALLY in the heart of man apart from God).
What Hitler was allowed to do regionally, the antichrist will attempt to do globally…and for 42 months (Rev. 13) he will be given authority to get what he wants. Hitler was a man of lawlessness. He changed the laws to make the political system work his ways. He disregarded all the checks and balances of the German state, promised wealth and power to those who would agree with him, and wreaked havoc all over Europe, even though at first the whole world praised him as a great peacemaker!! Hitler claimed to be a Christian, yet secretly worked on having the Bible re-written to make himself the star of the text! Hitler was the ultimate expression of the phrase “the end justifies the means.” He was very much like the first expression of antichrist that was allowed to blossom, named Antiochus Epiphanes:
Daniel 11 tells in advance the story of Antiochus Epiphanes, a “model” of the final “lawless one,” as Paul later called the Antichrist. This is the first mention of Antiochus, the first Biblical representation of the full expression of the antichrist…followed by Hitler…that the earth has seen. We can see Hitler came into, and consolidated power, the same way. We should be watching for the Antichrist to come into power, and consolidate it, the same way:
Daniel 11:21 And in his place shall arise a vile person, to whom they will not give the honor of royalty (he started out small); but he shall come in peaceably (was “welcomed” in), and seize the kingdom by intrigue (and once he was in, he started to do the “trading” that characterized Satan in Ezekiel 28….trading power for loyalty).
Here are some more character descriptions from Antiochus. It is amazing how some of these were met in Hitler, and we can be ASSURED that if we watch for these, they will point to Antichrist:
Daniel 11:22 With the force of a flood (coming quickly and powerfully…without notice) they (those other leaders that welcomed him) shall be swept away from before him and be broken, and also the prince of the covenant (the “prince of the covenant” is referring to the Daniel 9:27 peace covenant that antichrist “guarantees” he will protect Israel through. This sentence is saying “the antichrist will come into and consolidate power just like Antiochus Epiphanes”).
Daniel 11:23-26 And after the league is made (a secret agreement between antichrist and his 10 Islamic conspirators) with him he shall act deceitfully (he will begin secretly trading power for loyalty), for he shall come up and become strong with a small number of people (he will be successful with a seemingly small number of conspirators). (24) He shall enter peaceably, even into the richest places of the province; and he shall do what his fathers have not done, nor his forefathers: he shall disperse among them the plunder, spoil, and riches; and he shall devise his plans against the strongholds, but only for a time (he redistributes wealth and power to those loyal to him in order to consolidate power). (25) "He shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the South (Egypt…antichrist’s big “power play” in the middle east will start with Egypt) with a great army. (The end-time expression of this reality is the “uprooting” of the first of three horns, antichrist first goes after Egypt, putting the force of his large army against the sitting king, by supporting the uprising) And the king of the South shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army (in our time, the sitting king of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, tried to fight off the Arab Spring) ; but he shall not stand, for they shall devise plans against him. (26) Yes, those who eat of the portion of his delicacies shall destroy him; his army shall be swept away, and many shall fall down slain. (this happened during Antiochus’ day, and was promised to happen again during the rise of the antichrist…I believe the world very well may have witnessed this happening during the Arab Spring revolution in Tahrir Square in 2011)
Antichrist, just like Antiochus Epiphanes, won’t be entirely successful, especially before the time he demands to be worshiped, which is the beginning of the “Great Tribulation.” In fact, in the years leading up to his attempt to get the world to worship him, the antichrist will experience gains in the political world, followed by great reversals. Hitler experienced the same thing. This frustration will be vented more and more at Israel:
Daniel 11:28-35 While returning to his land with great riches, his heart shall be moved against the holy covenant; so he shall do damage and return to his own land. (29) "At the appointed time he shall return and go toward the south (suffering a reversal in Egypt, he will turn his attention there again) ; but it shall not be like the former or the latter. (30) For ships from Cyprus shall come against him; therefore he shall be grieved, and return in rage against the holy covenant, and do damage. (the Bible says in Daniel 11:45, as well as in Ezekiel 38 and 39, that a second coalition of governments…called the Gog coalition…led by Russia and Iran…will resist the antichrist coalition, this will frustrate the antichrist to no end). "So he (Antiochus Epiphanes as a picture of the end-time antichrist) shall return and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant. (he will align with non-loyal-to-God Jews)
And THIS is where it is all going one last time:
(31) And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation. (this is the statue of Zeus that Antiochus Epiphanes put up in the temple. Antichrist has his own statue he is promised to setup in the temple he allows to be built by his own political intrigue) (32) Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits. (during a time of great trouble) (33) And those of the people who understand (believers) shall instruct many; yet for many days they shall fall by sword and flame, by captivity and plundering. (martyrs increased under Antiochus, and they will also increase under antichrist)(34) Now when they fall, they shall be aided with a little help; but many shall join with them by intrigue. (35) And some of those of understanding shall fall, to refine them, purify them, and make them white, until the time of the end; because it is still for the appointed time. (Antiochus, and the events of the faithful of God’s people that resisted him, was a down-payment of what would happen in full at the time of the antichrist).
So this is the picture of the spirit of Antichrist throughout history: a man “rides” a country into power claiming to be the one to offer hope and change…he comes in peaceably….and, once nestled into power, he becomes the “man of lawlessness.” This is how Paul described the antichrist coming in the last 7 years (listen for the word “lawless” you can hear it all over the news right now).:
2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, (2) not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. (3) Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first (those who rebel against God for fear of their own lives…those with “no root”) , and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, (the antichrist) (4) who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. (5) Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? (6) And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. (God has not allowed the full expression of man’s heart for lawlessness to meet the full expression of a global superpower bent on remaking the earth apart from God…but God will give the earth what it wants…and this is what it really wants, a man to save it) (7) For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. (this is the ‘restraining hand of God’ that will be lifted in the time appointed for man to get what it wants…that Tower of Babel broken up in confusion, reconnected with the increase of knowledge and global travel) (8) And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. (9) The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan (like father, like son…he will trade power for loyalty…redistribute wealth, just like his father, Satan), with all power, signs, and lying wonders, (10) and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. (the heart of man will be revealed as they either 1. refuse to agree with the tangible “savior” despite his threats, or 2. give in to him in fear or actual agreement) (11) And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, (everyone will get what they want, if you want to believe the lie that life is about you getting the good life now, apart from face to face living with the author of life, God is going to give people over to their own delusion…these are glorious and treacherous times…great and terrible…because in this generation, everyone will get what they really want as the restraining hand of God is lifted…some to righteousness and some to evil). (12) that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
The Antichrist “rides” the last global superpower country, promising great things to those who will trust him for health, wealth, and security…things only God can truly give. BUT, those in antichrist’s country who want a “human savior” actually believe they are riding him!! This is the delusional country the final antichrist will ride into power:
Revelation 17:3-7 So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast (the antichrist empire, a man conspiring with every religious lie about God…every religion that portrays God as a bad father) which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads (those seven “ziggurat” empires) and ten horns (the final 10-nation Islamic confederation). (4) The woman was arrayed in purple (royal) and scarlet (lustful), and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls (wealth) , having in her hand a golden cup (what the world wants to drink…peace, prosperity, and security apart from God) full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. (the true contents of the cup are desolation) (5) And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. (6) I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement. (John indicates this won’t be obvious! You will have to really be looking for truth to see this! John couldn’t believe the woman was THIS woman who, in Isaiah 14, started out as the “Golden City”) (7) But the angel said to me, "Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.
Ok, this is where the global superpower who really wants the security of God’s Garden to be promised to them by a man, finally meets the man who promises it by way of a “socialistic nationalism” platform…just like Hitler did, and just like Antiochus Epiphanes did. This promise of health, wealth, and security for the masses is as “strong as clay” (not strong!) because the man who promises it is really only interested in his OWN health, wealth, and security! This is why the USSR didn’t work, Hitler's Germany didn’t work, Mao’s China didn’t work, Fidel’s Cuba didn’t work, Chavez’s Venezuela didn’t work…socialism has NEVER worked, because those at the top only really care about the top!!
The 10 horns of Revelation 17 are the same as the 10 horns in Daniel 7…three of which the antichrist will uproot, starting with the sitting king of Egypt. But, they are also the 10 toes in another vision explained to Daniel. I will finish with this vision and my comments. In this true story, Nebuchadnezzar has a bad dream. He threatens to kill all of the magicians, astrologers, and wise men in his kingdom if they can’t tell him the dream and what it means. This is what Daniel was shown:
Daniel 2:30-46 But as for me, this secret has not been revealed to me because I have more wisdom than anyone living, but for our sakes who make known the interpretation to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your heart. (31) "You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome. (32) This image's head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, (33) its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. (34) You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. (35) Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. (36) "This is the dream. Now we will tell the interpretation of it before the king. (37) You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory; (38) and wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all—you are this head of gold. (Nebuchadnezzar’s first rebuilding of the “ziggurat town” of Babel) (39) But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours (Persia, Darius kingdom which succeeded Nebuchadnezzar in controlling Babylon, the ziggurat town) ; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth (Alexander the Great’s Greece, who conquered Babylon in October 331 bc). (40) And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others. (this is the Islamic Caliphate, bent on destroying any trace of the culture that preceded it. The Islamic Caliphate conquered Babylon in 650 ad. The legs of Iron refer to the Ottoman Empire. The feet refer to the much smaller rebirth of the Ottoman empire, in the form of a Caliphate “revival”. I believe this is what the world is seeing right now, in the form of the Muslim Brotherhood, which began contending for the rebirth of the Caliphate in the 1920’s…almost as quickly as the Ottoman Empire breathed its last breath in Turkey.) (41) Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron (Islam) shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay (socialism…leftist liberal social promises). (42) 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. (43) As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay. (liberal left social policies can never really adhere to Islamic fundamental conservative policies) (44) And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed (this is the victorious Bride of Jesus!); and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. (45) Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold—the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure." (46) Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, prostrate before Daniel, and commanded that they should present an offering and incense to him. (Nebuchadnezzar, although filled with the spirit of antichrist, was “restrained” by God, and eventually converted! Soon, the end-time Nebuchadnezzar will be unrestrained.)
The Bible promises that the final lawless one…the antichrist will promise the world a fair redistribution of power…the “clay” promise…right alongside of the iron of the Islamic Caliphate. This is the most unlikely scenario: Socially left-leaning liberal politicians in the last global superpower will collaborate with iron wielding Islamic fundamentalists who hate liberal policies!! The gay rights political elite conspiring with those who hang gay people weekly! This is happening right now. The USA’s left leaning groups are actively conspiring with radical Islamists…feminists with those who oppose any rights for women…LBGT supporters lining up with those who literally kill gay people just for being gay…Pro-choice lining up with Islamic hard-liners who oppose abortion…Iron and Clay!!
More soon….
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