I am just a layman. I have no special training in understanding the Lord’s Word. What I have learned has come by reading the Scriptures, then reading what those I consider to be Spirit-Lead teachers have to say about the Scriptures and then looking to see if those teachers match with Scripture — not the other way around. The Lord has equipped me rather uniquely for this task, though I did not realize it until just recently. I have formal training in philosophy and logic, and a very acute sense for catching discrepancies and contradictions. This equipped me to sort ‘wheat from chaff’ when comparing the teachings of others against Scripture. In addition to this, I am a former Marine, and we all tend to hold rather fast to our orders. So, when I read my orders (i.e. the Scriptures), I defend them and will not budge from my position unless and until someone can show me — in the Scriptures — where, how and why I misunderstood those orders. Also, being a former Marine, I have a tendency to be a little too willing to charge in where angels might fear to tread. There is more, but this is enough to explain why the Lord keeps putting me in positions where I have to deal with believers who fall for and propagate false teachings. There seems to be no end of such people and teachings. This week, the issue of the day seems to be an Internet story that claims Christ named Barack Obama as the Antichrist. I think it is high time that the Church stop long enough to look at what the Scriptures actually say about this supposed ‘antichrist.’
First, here is a link to the story that is making its way around the internet (as well as a link to a quick but effective debunking of this false teaching):
Jesus Predicted the “Anti-Christ” – And When You Hear What His Name Is, Your Jaw Will DROP!
[NOTE: you can find a more in-depth critique of this false teaching here. You can also find my earlier posts in which I explain that there is no anti-christ and why it matters; why Obama is definitely not the anti-christ; and that antichrist is a spirit, not a person.]
Now, if you would rather not wade through all those links, I will be happy to lead you through what will be — of necessity — a rather lengthy but also exhaustive lesson on what Scripture actually says about antichrist. I will also be happy to show you something else that Scripture teaches concerning the end times which we would be wiser to consider instead of worrying about antichrist. However, even with a lengthy post, I must still assume that you have some familiarity with the Bible — especially prophecy. If you do not, you will still learn from this post, but it will be imperative that you read the links I will provide. If you do not, you most likely won’t see what I am trying to show you. So, with all this prep-work behind us, let’s begin.
The Bible mentions the word antichrist exactly four times, and in each case, it is by the same author, the Apostle, John. Go to Bible Gateway and search for ‘antichrist’ and this is what you will find:
2 John 1:7 – 7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.
1 John 2:18 – 18 Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour.
1 John 2:22 – 22 Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the [a]Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.
1 John 4:3 – 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.
Believe it or not, these are all the passages in the Bible where you will find the word ‘antichrist,’ and in each case, John tells us we are not looking for a specific person, but for a person who is of a particular spirit. John even describes that spirit as anyone who denies the Father and the Son and that Christ came in the flesh. That’s it. There is no other mention of antichrist anywhere in Scripture — period. So where does this idea come from? Well, if you are interested, it started with a Jesuit priest who was trying to stop the Protestant Reformation and its attacks on the Roman Catholic Church (You can read a good but fairly brief accounting of the full story here).
Now that we have proven that the Bible does not teach us to be looking for an end times figure of a Satan-possessed man called ‘The Antichrist,’ let’s deal with some of the other passages in prophecy where people are convinced they have found this ‘antichrist.’ On figure in prophecy that many people will point to is known as ‘The Prince who is to come.’ We meet him in Daniel:
Daniel 9:26-27 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
26 Then after the sixty-two weeks the [a]Messiah will be cut off and have [b]nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And [c]its end will come with a flood; even to the end [d]there will be war; desolations are determined. 27 And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of [e]abominations will come one who [f]makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who [g]makes desolate.”
Now, I understand that it is natural for those who believe the Bible foretells an end times figure called the antichrist to assume ‘the prince who is to come’ is he, but this Prince is not a man. Daniel uses some specific words to relate the revelation given to him by the angel, Gabriel. Let’s look at the next chapter to see if there are any clues as to what these words mean and to what they refer.
[NOTE; the description of this messenger as given in Daniel 10:5-6 strongly suggests it may have been Christ Who Daniel saw in his vision. See the description of Christ in Revelation 1:13-15.]
Daniel 10:10-21 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Daniel Comforted
10 Then behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my [a]hands and knees. 11 He said to me, “O Daniel, man of [b]high esteem, understand the words that I am about to tell you and stand [c]upright, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. 12 Then he said to me, “Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words. 13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was [d]withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia. 14 Now I have come to give you an understanding of what will happen to your people in the [e]latter days, for the vision pertains to the days yet future…”
“18 …Then this one with human appearance touched me again and strengthened me. 19 He said, “O man of [i]high esteem, do not be afraid. Peace [j]be with you; take courage and be courageous!” Now as soon as he spoke to me, I received strength and said, “May my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.” 20 Then he said, “Do you [k]understand why I came to you? But I shall now return to fight against the [l]prince of Persia; so I am going forth, and behold, the [m]prince of [n]Greece is about to come. 21 However, I will tell you what is inscribed in the writing of truth. Yet there is no one who [o]stands firmly with me against these forces except Michael your prince.“
Now, let’s break this down. We have ‘princes‘ and ‘kings‘ and ‘kingdoms.’ We also know that the messenger is most likely Christ, and that He is not only battling with these princes, but they can delay Him on His mission. There is no man who can delay Christ, Who is God, so we know these princes must be spiritual beings. This is further affirmed when Christ tells Daniel that the prince of his nation/people, Israel, is the Arch Angel, Michael. We know Michael is a spirit being, and if he is a prince, then it stands to reason that the princes in these passages are spiritual beings (most likely demonic, since they oppose God’s messengers).
Next, Daniel is told that these spiritual beings have dominion over kingdoms. Michael has dominion over Israel, the Prince of Persia over Persia and the Prince of Greece, who is yet to come at this point in history, will be over Greece. So who is the Prince who is to come? Well, we have other clues in Daniel. When Daniel sees the four beasts, he is told the beasts represent worldly kingdoms. He is then told the beasts are: Babylon (the lion), Medo-Persia (the bear), Greece (the leopard) and the fourth kingdom yet to come. Now, setting aside the identity of this fourth beast for another post [you can now find an explanation of the fourth beast here], what matters to our discussion is that we now have Scriptural support to conclude the prince who is to come is a spiritual being who will control the kingdom that comes after Greece. This also means that the people who destroy the Temple will be followers or subjects of this prince who is to come.
This leaves us with only one term left to define: ‘kings.’ Again, without getting too deep into Scripture, a careful reading of Daniel 9 — 12 will show that ‘kings‘ most likely refers to actual men who reign as kings over the different kingdoms mentioned in Daniel (but it can also refer to the kingdom by the name of the king who created it even though the man is actually dead). This means Scripture is telling us that this ‘prince who is to come’ is definitely a spirit.
But here is where we can find a possible link between the spirit of antichrist and the prince who is to come. If Rome is not the legs and feet of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, or the fourth beast in Daniel’s vision, then what is it? What earthly kingdom has ruled over the Holy Lands after the time of Rome? The answer is Islam. The Islamic Caliphate matches everything we are told about the legs of iron and feet of clay and iron in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and the fourth beast in Daniel’s vision. What’s more, Islam is a perfect representation of the spirit of antichrist. Islam denies that Christ is God, denies that He was crucified and died and denies that He was resurrected. What’s more, there is mention of a beast in The revelation of Jesus Christ which is described as having attributes of a lion, a bear and a leopard, just like the beasts in Daniel’s vision (henceforth called LBL beast). What’s more, in Revelation, John tells us that this beast has a head (kingdom) that was wounded unto death, yet lives. Rome is long gone with no sign of ever coming back, but not so with Islam. The Caliphate was ‘killed’ by the Allied powers in 1924, yet now, thanks in part to ISIS, the Caliphate is coming back to life again. So what if the prince who is to come is the demonic spirit over this fourth beast? How would that understanding match up with prophecy?
First, if the prince who is to come is a demonic spirit who rules over Islam, then that changes how we should understand another controversial aspect of this passage:
Daniel 9:26-27 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
26 Then after the sixty-two weeks the [a]Messiah will be cut off and have [b]nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And [c]its end will come with a flood; even to the end [d]there will be war; desolations are determined. 27 And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of [e]abominations will come one who [f]makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who [g]makes desolate.”
This would put an end to the beliefs centered around Daniel’s 70th week and the idea of a seven-year Tribulation with a peace treaty and a violation of that treaty after 3 1/2 years. That would be because Islam has been around for a long time now. So, how would we explain this prophecy? Brother Skolfield (not Scofield) has done a great deal to help the Church with another understanding of Daniel. You can review the full work by downloading his Study of Daniel from his web page, Fish House Ministries, but a more abbreviated version can be found here. In short, if we apply the formula that Skolfield uses, the 70th Week of Daniel ended in 1948! And the mid-point of that ‘week’ was 688 AD. This is the generally accepted date of the construction of the Dome of the Rock mosque. Now, before you dismiss this, read Skolfield’s argument. But also consider that the inscription around the inside and outside of the Dome of the Rock reads “There is no god but Allah. He blasphemes who says Allah has a partner.” This is a direct refutation of Christ and the Trinity, which is exactly what John calls the spirit of antichrist, and it is an abomination standing on the Temple Mount — all of which match prophecy perfectly. But there’s more.
Notice this last line in our now familiar passage (this time, the NIV translation is actually a bit more true to the original Hebrew):
Daniel 9:26-27 New International Version (NIV)
26 After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing.[a] The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. 27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’[b] In the middle of the ‘seven’[c] he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple[d] he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.[e]”[f]
In the middle of the seven (688 AD), he (the prince who is to come) will set up an abomination (the Dome of the Rock Mosque). Now note: it remains until the end of all things foretold in Revelation is poured out on this prince who is to come. If you know prophecy, then you know this means the Dome of the Rock will stand where it is — in the old Court of the Gentiles — until the last day: the Day of the Lord. Once again, this matches prophecy. It is consistent and does not require us to hammer anything into place. It just requires us to let Scripture speak for itself and not try to push our preconceptions onto it.
But there’s more. The LBL beast has a number: 666. Here again, many people believe revelation is talking about a man, but Scripture is very clear on this: even within the book of Revelation, we are told a beast is a kingdom. So the LBL beast is a kingdom, and its description suggests it consists of the old Babylonian, Persian and Greek empires. Today, that would be the Muslim world. So, assuming we are correct, and the beast is Islam, then the prince who is to come is most likely Allah. Did you know that Muhammad claimed that 666 is the number of Islam and the Qur’an? However, if Walid Shoebat is correct and the ancient manuscripts do not actually say 666 but show a symbol, instead, then that symbol is still the abbreviation for Jihad — which you have seen many times, but did not recognize for what it is:
Once again, if we understand the prince who is to come is a spirit, that it is of antichrist, that the last beast (kingdom) is Islam, this prince who is to come if over it and that the prince claims the number 666 (or symbol of his kingdom, jihad), everything fits prophecy without having to be forced and without introducing contradictions in Scripture.
Now, I am not going to tell you this is the definitive understanding of prophecy, but as I have been telling others, it gets us in the correct ballpark. No, we may not have the exact seat yet, so when we watch the game (God’s prophetic plan), we may not be seeing the action as clearly as the Lord intended us to, but we are seeing the correct game and not something else. But, as with everything I write concerning God’s Word, you should take this and test it against the Word for yourself. Just be sure you do so with a sincere heart, and open mind and — most importantly — that you ask God for His guidance and understanding before, during and after your study. After all: it is God’s prophecy, so His understanding is the only one we should seek because it is the only one that matters.
God bless.
The Oil for Your Lamp 
Reblogged this on The Rio Norte Line and commented:
Once again, if you find ANYTHING useful in my scripture-based posts, please start following me on the oyl. I may not post another one on the RNL as this is a political blog and I do not mean to abuse my privileges here.
Reblogged this on Centinel2012 and commented:
A very interesting read and a very strong case if made that these words written here are correct. I recommend you read this.