ESCHATHOLOGICAL STUDY SERIES (VIII)
TEXT: – Daniel 2:14-45; 7:7-28; 8:23-27; 2Thes.2:6-12
INTRODUCTION: – After the rapture of the Church. Then that wicked will be revealed who will set up hi wicked government within the old Roman empire.
1) The Anti Christ: – The antichrist cannot be anyman in the past as some postulated. He is the “little horn” of Daniel 7:8, 24; 8:9,23; the prince that shall come” of Dan.9:26-27. “The king of the earth of Dan.11:36-45; The man of sin of 1Thess.2:3, 8; “the beast” of Rev.13:1-18; 14:9-11; 15:2-4; 16:2-16; 17:1-18; 19:19-21; 20:10.
The antichrist will be an embodiment of lawlessness will lead the great apostacy of the end time (2Thes.2:3; 8:12; Rev.13:1-18; 14:9-13; 15:2-4; 16:2-12). This is why he is called “the man of sin (1Thes.2:3,4, 8).
He is destined for destruction by his rebellion against the Lord that is why he is called the son of perdition “like Judas Iscariot (Dan.8:24; 11:37-39; 2Thes.2:3, 3-12; Rev.18-2.
The antichrist, when he is revealed will oppose God and anything that is called God’s, he will exalt himself above God and will accept worship as God (2Thes.2:4). He will enter into covenant with the Jews at the beginning of 70th week, which will probably help him to conquer the three other kingdom of the ten kingdoms of the revised Roman Empire and get the remaining seven submit to him easily. The agreement with Israel may likely involve military alliance which will enable him to accomplish this during the first half of the 70th week (i.e.31/2years). (Dan.7:23-24; 8:23-25; Rev.17:8-17). It will include the protection of the Jews in their national establishment and restoration and assure them at least temporary peace for 7 years (Dan.8:25; 9:27; 11:36-45).
In the middle of the week, the antichrist having gained power over the ten kingdoms of the revised Roman Empire will break his covenant with the Israel, enters and takes over Palestine and makes the Jewish temple his capital building (Dan.7:21-25; 8:9-14; 9:27;11:36-45; Mt.24:15-24; 2Thes.2:3-4; Rev.13:1-18; 17:8-17).
He will then do away with all Jewish sacrifices in the temple and set himself and his image in the temple to be worshipped as God. This will continue for 2,300 evening and mornings or 3years, 2months and 10days of the 1,260days of the last 31/2years of the 70th week (Dan.8:9-14; 9:27; 11; 45; Mtt.24:15-22; 2Thes.2:3-4; Rev.13:1-8).
The beast worship and the abomination will continue from the middle of the 70th week through the judgment that will be poured out upon the one making the temple desolate. These judgments will consist of the plagues caused by the two (2) witnesses (Rev.11:3-11), the vial judgments (Rev.15-16), ending with antichrist’s defeat and destruction at Armageddon (Rev.16:13-16; 19:11-12; Zec.14).
2) The Identity of “the man of sin” – antichrist: – Daniel 11:36-12:13 definitely identifies te antichrist as the king of the North (i.e. Syria) at the time of the end. The little horn that Daniel saw in his vision coming out of one of the 4 divisions of the old Grecian Empire (Da,8:8-9, 21-23). This was to be “in the latter times of their kingdom and so it must be yet in the future, fi these kingdoms still exist (Dan.8:23). These 4 divisions are today known as Greece, Turkey, Syria and Egypt. In Dan. 7 we saw the Antichrist coming from 10 kingdoms inside the Roman Empire and if we did not have the supporting vision of Dan.8, one could have concluded or believed that he could come from England, Belgium, Holland, Austria, Hungary, France, Switzerland, Albana, Yugoslovia, Italy, Spain, Portugal or other part of the old Roman Empire territory outside the 4 divisions of the Grecian Empire. But since we have in Dan.8 the narrowing down of Antichrist’s coming from 10 kingdoms to 4 of the 10, and definitely limiting his coming as from Greece, Turkey, Syria or Egypt, then we must limit his coming to one of these 4 countries.
However, having being identified as the king of the North in Dan.11:36-12:13, the coming of antichrist can be geographically narrowed down to king of Syria.
The visions of Dan.2 and 7 were given to show the formation of 10 kingdoms inside the old Roman Empire and reveal that the Antichrist would come out of one of these 10 kingdoms and lead these nations against Christ at His 2nd advent. Dan.8 gives additional information to that of Dan 2 and 7 narrowing down the coming of Antichrist geographically from 10 to the 4 divisions of the Grecian Empire which will make up to the 4 divisions of the 10 kingdoms of the revised Roman Empire before the Antichrist comes. While Dan.10:1-12; 13 was to narrow the coming of the Antichrist from 4 kingdoms to just one of these divisions, i.e. the king of the north – Syria.