WHO IS THE ANTICHRIST?

PART 5

by Steve Ashburn

 

In Part 4 of this series, we saw how the Antichrist was killed by a sword at the midpoint of the tribulation, and then he (or perhaps another spirit) ascended out of the bottomless pit to enter his body. Being possessed by Satan, he now will require everyone on earth to worship him or else be killed by beheading. He administers this decree by physical force, by worldwide surveillance through cameras in many electronic devices (like television sets), and by an economic system that requires his mark to buy or sell anything (including basic travel, food & housing). 

Consequently, although the Antichrist will not regard the God of his fathers, he will honor “the God of forces,” probably meaning the god of military and police forces, by which he will control the world with absolute dictatorial power. He shall honor this god “in the most strong holds” (world capitals) “whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory” (knowing that the only way to control the world is through absolute military force) and thereby “cause them to rule over many,” meaning that he will enable regional governments to rule their populations with absolute force (Daniel 11:38–39). 

The Antichrist will conquer the entire world, but “these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon” (modern-day Jordan; Daniel 11:41); this event also is anticipated in Isaiah 16:4: “Let mine outcasts dwell with thee, Moab; be thou a covert to them from the face of the spoiler.” Apparently, when Israel is forced to flee into the wilderness at the midpoint of the tribulation, they will escape to Jordan. There God will protect them for three-and-one-half years. Not only that, but Israel will raise up leaders (seven shepherds, and eight principal men), who will wreak havoc through their own military power against the seat of the beast (Babylon), as described in Micah 5 and Nahum 2: 

And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men. And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders. (Micah 5:5–6) 

He that dasheth in pieces is come up before thy face: keep the munition, watch the way, make thy loins strong, fortify thy power mightily. For the Lord hath turned away the excellency of Jacob, as the excellency of Israel: for the emptiers have emptied them out, and marred their vine branches. The shield of his mighty men is made red, the valiant men are in scarlet: the chariots shall be with flaming torches in the day of his preparation, and the fir trees shall be terribly shaken. The chariots shall rage in the streets, they shall justle one against another in the broad ways: they shall seem like torches, they shall run like the lightnings. (Nahum 2:1–4) 

Israel is warned that “He that dasheth in pieces” is come up against them; in context this refers to the Antichrist who “breaketh in pieces” (Daniel 2:40). They are advised to keep their fortification (“munition”), i.e., military bases in Jordan; watch diligently; and strengthen themselves mightily (“fortify thy power”). The timeline for this passage is after emptiers have “emptied them out,” meaning they have been forced to flee from Israel to Jordan for safety, in “the day of his preparation”—the tribulation. The leaders of Israel, here pictured as “fir trees” (similar to Zechariah 11:2) shall be “terribly shaken”; their courage will be tested.

 During this conflict, chariots shall be with “flaming torches” (lit. “with the fire of steels” or automatic weapons fire); shall “justle one against another” on highways (heavy traffic); shall “seem like torches” (headlights); and shall “run like the lightnings” (fast traffic), all of which describes modern military vehicles. Interestingly, Nahum indicates that the uniforms of the Antichrist’s troops will be red (“the valiant men are in scarlet”). Maybe this is the beast’s favorite color, or maybe he just likes to spill blood.  

When Israel escapes, the Antichrist will send overwhelming military forces after them (“as a flood”), but the earth will swallow these up, according to Revelation 12. This literally means that troops and military vehicles which pursue the escaping Jews will sink into the ground; presumably, similar disasters also will happen to aircraft and missiles which are launched against them. This act of protection is entirely miraculous and continues for the duration of the tribulation. During this time, Israel remains divinely protected in Jordan (“the wilderness”), while carrying out retaliatory attacks against the Antichrist’s kingdom with impunity. 

And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. (Revelation 12:14–16) 

Zechariah 13:8–9 indicates that two-thirds of Israel will die, but that God will bring one-third “through the fire,” and refine them as silver and test them as gold. Israel currently has about six million Jews; another five million live in the US, with two million more scattered in other countries. These data indicate at least two million Jews—and probably more—will be protected in Jordan from the Antichrist during the second half of the tribulation.  

Some people think that the ancient rock city of Petra will serve as shelter for these Jews—and indeed it might to some extent, as it’s located in Jordan. However, let’s be very practical here: Two million Jews won’t be sleeping on the rocks in Petra; they’ll probably be staying at the Holiday Inn in Amman and other residences in the area with modern sanitation and housing facilities. After all, Israel will have conquered Jordan at the beginning of the end times in retaliation for Jordan attacking them; it will be Israeli territory and probably will include Israeli military bases.  

Although this is somewhat speculative, the providential care of God toward Israel will most likely include basic utilities (although there may not be any electricity, water, or gas in the main trunk lines); security (the Antichrist won’t be able to touch them, but they will attack his kingdom with impunity); food (that box of Cheerios^® in the pantry may never run out); and a blessed spiritual environment, during which time they will come to recognize Jesus as their Messiah. 

Apparently, Israel will fly to safety in Jordan with “two wings of a great eagle.” The last time we saw these wings, they were attached to the first beast of Daniel—the lion with eagle’s wings. These wings were plucked, indicating the probable conquest of the US following the rapture. Jews worldwide will have to make it to Jordan somehow—and in a hurry—after the Antichrist declares himself to be God and sits in the temple, and the quickest way to get there is to fly. This verse could indicate a massive airlift of Jews worldwide to Jordan, before the Antichrist is able to stop it. Many aircraft are of US manufacture; in addition, the US has roughly half of the world’s Jewish population, which could explain the reference to the “wings of a great eagle.”  

Zechariah 2:6 also advises Israel to “flee from the land of the north” because God has “spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven.” In context, this seems to refer to the regathering of Israel after the Diaspora, especially from the “land of the north,” which in context probably means the United States, home to nearly half the world’s Jews. (Jeremiah 3:18 and 16:15 also describe the return of the Jews from this same “land of the north” after the Diaspora.) The next verse narrows down the timeline of this admonition: “Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest with the daughter of Babylon.” The “daughter of Babylon” most likely refers to nations of the Antichrist’s one-world empire during the tribulation, and in particular to the US; the exact time here would be the midpoint of the tribulation, when the Antichrist declares himself to be God and Israel has to flee for their lives to Jordan. After the Lord returns (“After the glory”), then he will “dwell in the midst of thee” and “many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day” (Zechariah 2:8–11). 

Ezekiel 32:30 also describes “the princes of the north,” who in context seem to be from “the land of the north” of Zechariah. The timeline of this chapter is the Psalm 83 war with Egypt and her resulting destruction, along with the nations allied with her. Ezekiel here describes a “rogue’s gallery” in hell from past centuries, which Egypt and her allies see when arriving there, including Asshur (Iraq), Elam (Iraq), Meshech and Tubal (Russia), Edom (Jordan), and “the princes of the north, all of them, and all the Zidonians,” probably meaning the US and other maritime trading nations.  

I’ve been pretty kind to the US in my books, for indeed we are “sanctified ones . . . even them that rejoice in my highness” (Isaiah 13:3) because of our Christian heritage and history of missionary evangelism; but the flip side of this is that there are—and have been—many unsaved Americans. For example, in past decades it was the practice of the government to respect our constitutional rights and the principle of limited government; however, nowadays it seems that the object of many federal agencies is to ignore our rights and turn our country into some kind of Orwellian police state.  

This has been accomplished in part through false-flag operations such as 9/11 and the resulting legislation authorizing intrusive searches and surveillance, which a compliant Congress just rubber-stamped (an Internet search on “9/11 hoax” will reveal several careful analyses and original videos, showing that no planes ever hit the World Trade Centers, and that these buildings actually were brought down by controlled demolition). It is the leaders of such atrocity—whom Ezekiel identified as “the princes of the north”—who will “bear their shame with them that go down to the pit,” despite the terror they caused by their power. 

It’s amazing to think that the Antichrist—despite his worldwide military power— will be unable to stop a massive airlift of Jews to Jordan at the midpoint of the tribulation, but that’s what the Bible says will happen. However, although he honors the “God of forces” (Daniel 11:38), this god cannot help him when the Lord Jesus Christ returns at the battle of Armageddon. Revelation 19:20 records his ultimate fate: “And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.” 

I hope you have enjoyed reading this series about the Antichrist. I believe this man is alive today, and given his Christian family background, and the fact that he is now abroad, his parents may—eek!—be taking him to your church! He may even—arghh!—be dating your daughter! So parents: don’t let your daughters date any red-haired Iraqis from Mosul! Especially if his name adds up to 666!  

I provide more details of this and many other end-times prophecies in my two books, The Next Nuclear War and  END TIMES DAWNING (available from www.endtimesrecord.com). Please read them! 

These books describe the timing and sequence of events of the end times, and at a level of detail which no one yet has ascertained from Scripture. I believe the Lord has given me the great personal honor of writing about these details for the first time, as this great time period draws near! 

The first book provides a concise overview of the end times, including the definition, timing and sequence of events—and the key role of the United States in Bible prophecy. The second book describes the end times in more detail, including an in-depth analysis of Isaiah. Both of these make an excellent addition to a Christian’s library, as well as gifts for friends and pastors—and for your Sunday school class! 

My publisher made me buy 2,000 books as part of my author agreement, and I really need your help in moving them! Also if you would, please leave book reviews on Amazon! 

Yours in Christ, 

Steve Ashburn