WHO IS THE
ANTICHRIST?
PART 3
by Steve
Ashburn
We saw in Part 2
of this series how the Antichrist most likely would be
born in Mosul, Iraq, be educated abroad, become
successful in business and be selected to build an
international city in the vicinity of Mosul for the
distribution of spoils of war to coalition member
nations. It is this city that Revelation calls “Babylon”
and will become the center of global commerce in the
tribulation.
Zechariah 5 also
describes the world’s financial center (symbolized by an
ephah, a unit of measure) being established in Iraq.
“Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither
do these bear the ephah? And he said unto me, To build
it an house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be
established, and set there upon her own base” (Zechariah
5:10–11).
Not only will the
Antichrist rebuild Iraq (in part), but he will turn his
capital into a financial center which will become the
hub of world commerce and trade during the tribulation
period. The destruction of this financial center at the
end of the tribulation wreaks havoc with merchants
worldwide, and all those that worship money, as
described in Revelation 18.
And the kings of
the earth, who have committed fornication and lived
deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for
her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,
Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying,
Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city!
for in one hour is thy judgment come. And the merchants
of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man
buyeth their merchandise any more. (Revelation 18:9–11)
Daniel 8:23–25
indicates the Antichrist will be fierce and a master of
the occult (“of fierce countenance, and understanding
dark sentences”); by deception “shall destroy many”;
shall be powerful, “but not by his own power” (possessed
by Satan); is successful (“shall prosper, and
practice”); supports industry (“shall cause craft to
prosper”); and is supremely egotistical (“shall magnify
himself in his heart”). Daniel 7:25 also indicates that
he will persecute the saints (“shall wear out the saints
of the most High”); try to “change times and laws”; and
that this will go on for three-and-one-half years
(“until a time and times and the dividing of time”).
Habakkuk 2 is a
parallel passage which also describes the Antichrist and
his kingdom. Verse 3 establishes the timeline: “For the
vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end [the
end times] it shall speak”; the term “time appointed”
also is used in Daniel 8:19 and 11:35 in reference to
the end times. In addition, verse 14 clearly is
millennial: “For the earth shall be filled with the
knowledge of the glory of the
Lord, as
the waters cover the sea,” clearly establishing this
passage as end times. Generally speaking, Habakkuk 1
contains the prophet’s complaint against the armies of
historical Babylon; Habakkuk 2 is the Lord’s answer to
this complaint in terms of a description of the
tribulation; and Habakkuk 3 describes the second coming
of Christ.
The Antichrist
apparently has a problem with alcohol, is arrogant,
restless, greedy as hell, like death never satisfied,
and conquers for himself all nations and people. In
turn, the surviving remnant of the tribulation (“the
remnant of the people”) will spoil the Antichrist at the
end, mocking him for stealing their property for
three-and-one-half years, and also mocking his image.
In addition,
Daniel 11:37 says that he will have no regard for “the
desire of women”; while some commentators have suggested
this means he will be a homosexual, our passage in verse
5 infers that he will be a restless philanderer.
Therefore, it seems more likely that “the desire of
women” refers to the desire of all women to be the
mother of the Messiah—the Lord Jesus Christ—for whom the
Antichrist has no regard.
Yea also, because
he transgresseth by wine [drunk], he is a proud man
[arrogant], neither keepeth at home [restless
philanderer], who enlargeth his desire as hell [greedy],
and is as death, and cannot be satisfied [never
satisfied], but gathereth unto him all nations, and
heapeth unto him all people [insatiable conqueror]:
Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a
taunting proverb against him, and say, Woe to him that
increaseth that which is not his [stealing their
property]! how long [three-and-one-half years]? and to
him that ladeth himself with thick clay [mocking also
his image]!
Shall they not
rise up suddenly that shall bite thee, and awake that
shall vex thee, and thou shalt be for booties unto them
[at the second coming]? Because thou hast spoiled
[robbed] many nations, all the remnant of the people
[tribulation survivors] shall spoil thee; because of
men's blood [murder], and for the violence of the land
[persecution], of the city, and of all that dwell
therein. (Habakkuk 2:5–8)
This passage also
contains an intriguing description of the image of the
beast. Isaiah 45:20 indicates that this image will be
made of wood (“that set up the wood of their graven
image, and pray unto a god that cannot save”), and our
text passage says that it apparently will be overlaid
with clay (“ladeth himself with thick clay”), which
probably will be used to mold specific body features. In
addition, verse 19 suggests that it will be “laid over
with gold and silver.”
Habakkuk then
twice pronounces woe upon the Antichrist and his
government for establishing his kingdom based on blood
and unjust gain, and warns that all these works will be
burned up and are in vain (does this remind anyone today
of Wall Street banks and their manipulation of worldwide
markets?):
Woe to him that
coveteth an evil covetousness to his house [builds his
house by unjust gain], that he may set his nest on high
[have a secure bunker], that he may be delivered from
the power of evil [be safe from attack]! Thou hast
consulted shame to thy house by cutting off [killing]
many people, and hast sinned against thy soul. For the
stone shall cry out of the wall [their blood shall cry
out], and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.
Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood [murder], and
stablisheth a city [Babylon] by iniquity [corruption]!
Behold, is it not of the
Lord of hosts that the people [government of the beast] shall
labour in the very fire [their works shall be burned
up], and the people shall weary themselves for very
vanity [they labor in vain]? (Habakkuk 2:9–13)
These woes
pronounced upon the Antichrist’s government and
corporate institutions by Habakkuk are identical to the
judgment on Babylon in Jeremiah 51:58: “the people shall
labour in vain, and the folk in the fire, and they shall
be weary.” This indicates that the judgments are the
same—on the capital city of the beast (and of one-world
government) at the end of the tribulation.
The overall
picture we get here of the Antichrist (and his minions)
is one of a deceitful manipulator, thief, and murderer.
In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he turned out
to be a former Goldman Sachs prop trader, and is
installed by them to oversee the rebuilding of Iraq and
international distribution of its oil resources. (That
oil revenue would pay for a lot of the interest on our
national debt!—and US banks [including the Federal
Reserve] hold more than $4.5 trillion in treasury bonds
as of 2020.)
Our Scripture
passage then pronounces the third woe against the beast
for enticing the entire world to sin (“makest him
drunken also”) and then mocking them for it; in return,
he will receive shame and disgrace for his own sin from
the cup of God’s judgment (“the cup of the
Lord's right hand”). This is a parallel account of Revelation
18:3, whereby the entire world is seduced into
worshipping the beast and his image (“For all nations
have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication”)
which causes God to pour out furious judgment upon
Babylon (“the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his
wrath”; Revelation 16:19).
Interestingly, it
appears from this passage that the Antichrist will not
be circumcised (“let thy foreskin be uncovered”) which
is another identifying characteristic of his. It is in
this shameful condition, covered with abominable filth
(“shameful spewing”) that he will be “tormented day and
night for ever and ever” in the lake of fire and
brimstone (Revelation 20:10).
Woe unto him that
giveth his neighbour drink [induces the world to sin],
that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken
also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness [mock
them]! Thou art filled with shame for glory: drink thou
also [of your own sin], and let thy foreskin be
uncovered [uncircumcised]: the cup of the
Lord's
right hand shall be turned unto thee, and shameful
spewing [vomit] shall be on thy glory. For the violence
of Lebanon [judgment for your murders] shall cover thee,
and the spoil of beasts [theft and murder by your
subordinate dictators], which made them [your victims]
afraid, because of men's blood [murder], and for the
violence of the land [persecution], of the city, and of
all that dwell therein. (Habakkuk 2:15–17)
The concluding
section of Habakkuk 2 contains a warning against idol
worship, which in the context of the passage proscribes
worship of the image of the beast:
What profiteth the
graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it
[carved wood]; the molten image [molded clay], and a
teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth
therein, to make dumb idols? Woe unto him that saith to
the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone [hardened clay],
Arise, it shall teach! Behold, it is laid over with gold
and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst
of it. But the LORD is in his holy temple [suggesting
that the idol in v. 18-19 is in the earthly temple]: let
all the earth keep silence before him. (Habakkuk
2:18–20)
The fourth and
final woe is pronounced here against the Antichrist,
because he commands this wooden image to “Awake. . . .
Arise, it shall teach!” However, this image, which has
the ability to speak through demonic manifestation
(Revelation 13:15), is “a teacher of lies” (vv. 18–19).
Finally, in view of worldwide idol worship during the
tribulation, the prophet reminds men soberly: “But the
Lord is in
his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before
him” (v. 20).
We’ll discuss the
fate of the Antichrist in Part 4 of this series,
especially his assassination and subsequent resurrection
from the dead to rule over the earth during the last
half of the tribulation.
I provide more
details of this and many other end-times prophecies in
my recently published book, END TIME DAWNING:
Get Ready! (available from
www.endtimesrecord.com). Please read it! Also if you
would, please “like” my Facebook page at
www.facebook.com/endtimesrecord!
Yours in Christ,
Steve Ashburn
