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Daniel 9:24-27 is the prophecy of the seventy weeks apportioned for Israel and for the holy city. According to history, from the time that Cyrus the king of Persia issued the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Christ was crucified on the cross was a period of seven weeks and sixty-two weeks, that is, four hundred eighty-three years. After this, there is a period of grace, the age of the church, that separates the sixty-nine weeks and the last week. Therefore, of the seventy weeks apportioned by God for Israel, only the last week remains to be fulfilled. In this lesson we will see the prophecies in the Bible concerning Israel in the last week.
After Christ’s ascension, the Lord’s prophecy in Matthew 24:1-2 was fulfilled when Titus, the prince of the Roman Empire, destroyed Jerusalem and the temple of the Jews in A.D. 70. This also fulfilled the prophecy in Daniel 9:26: “The people of the prince who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary.” After the destruction of the city and the sanctuary, the children of Israel had no way to offer sacrifices and oblations in the temple. This situation will continue until the last week. At the beginning of the last week, Antichrist will make a covenant with the many (v. 27), agreeing that the Jews can offer sacrifices to worship God in the restored and rebuilt temple. Hence, Antichrist’s making a covenant with the many and the Jews recovering their worship in the temple are an indication that the last week of the seven years has begun.
During the first half of the last week, Antichrist will be kind to the Jews. However, in the middle of the last week, that is, after three and a half years, his attitude will change. Although he initially agrees that the Jews can offer sacrifices to worship in the temple, he will change his attitude and begin to mistreat the Jews. Daniel 9:27 says, “In the middle of the week he [Antichrist] will cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease.” Antichrist will order the Jews to stop worshipping God and offering sacrifices.
In Matthew 24:15 the Lord Jesus spoke of seeing “the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place.” Antichrist will stop the Jews from worshipping God, exalt himself as God, and put his image in the temple. This is an abomination in the eyes of God. Verse 21 says, “At that time there will be great tribulation, such as has not occurred from the beginning of the world until now, nor shall by any means ever occur.” This great tribulation will last for three and a half years, that is, the second half of the last week. This great tribulation will have Jerusalem as its center and Judea as its circumference.
Revelation 12 says that the dragon is defeated and cast out of heaven to the earth. This will be the beginning of the great tribulation of three and a half years. After coming to the earth, the dragon will stir up the beast from the sea. Therefore, when John saw the dragon standing on the sand of the sea (v. 18), he also saw a beast coming up out of the sea (13:1). This beast is Antichrist.
John said, “The beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion” (v. 2). The leopard symbolizes the swift and cruel movement of Alexander the Great, the king of Greece; the feet of the bear symbolize the stamping and destroying feet of the monarchy of Medo-Persia; and the mouth of the lion symbolizes the devouring mouth of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. The beast that John saw has the characteristics of the three beasts in Daniel 7:4-7. Hence, he will be the totality of all the evil powers in human history and the ultimate issue of all the worldly powers.
Revelation 13:1 says that a beast will come up out of the sea. Geographically, this sea is the Mediterranean Sea and the “Great Sea” in Daniel 7:2. According to biblical figure, the land signifies the nation of Israel, and the sea signifies the Gentile nations (Rev. 17:15). The beast coming up out of the sea indicates that Antichrist will come out of the Gentile world.
In Revelation 9:11, 11:7, and 17:8 we are told that Antichrist will come up out of the abyss. However, verse 1 of chapter 13 and Daniel 7:3 say that he will come up out of the sea. This indicates that Antichrist will come from two sources. His spirit, which exists in the abyss before he is born, will come up out of the abyss. His body will come from one of the Gentile nations around the Mediterranean Sea. Daniel 8 says that he will come out of one of the four kingdoms of ancient Greece (vv. 8-9, 21-23).
The beast has “ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns ten diadems, and on his heads names of blasphemy” (Rev. 13:1). According to this verse, the beast is the same as the dragon (12:3) because they both have seven heads and ten horns. This emphatically indicates that the coming Antichrist will be one with Satan. Satan will be embodied in Antichrist and expressed through him; hence, Satan’s seven heads and ten horns will be the seven heads and ten horns of Antichrist.
The ten horns are the ten kings (17:12), signified by the ten diadems on the ten horns. The ten horns are also ten kingdoms, symbolized by the ten toes of the great image in Daniel 2:42-44. The seven heads of the beast are seven Caesars of the Roman Empire (Rev. 17:10), signified by the seven diadems on the seven heads (12:3). The first five Caesars are Julius Caesar, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero. The sixth Caesar is Domitian, who was alive when John wrote the book of Revelation. The seventh Caesar, who will eventually suffer a death blow and be resuscitated by the spirit of the fifth Caesar, Nero, will be Antichrist. These seven Caesars all claimed to be God, assumed deity, and forced their people to worship them as God. Hence, the seven heads of the beast bear names of blasphemy.
The dragon will make the beast one with him by giving him his power and his throne and great authority (13:2). When the Lord Jesus was on earth, He was tempted by the devil. The Lord Jesus defeated him, saying, “Go away, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve’” (Matt. 4:10). Since that day Satan has been looking for someone to whom he could give all his power, his authority, and the glory of his kingdom. He will find the one he has been seeking in the person of Antichrist. Because Satan will give his power and authority to Antichrist, Antichrist will become an extraordinary person.
Revelation 13:3 says, “One of his heads was as it were slain to death, and his death stroke was healed.” Verse 14 also says that the beast “had the stroke of the sword and revived.” This will cause the whole earth to marvel after him (v. 3). “Those who dwell on the earth, those whose names are not written from the foundation of the world in the book of life, will marvel when they see the beast” (17:8).
According to chapter 9, the angel of the abyss emerged shortly after Satan, as the star, fell from heaven to earth. About this time the seventh Caesar of the Roman Empire will be killed. The spirit of Caesar Nero will be released from the abyss and enter into the body of the slain seventh Caesar to resuscitate his corpse and to make him the eighth Caesar. This eighth Caesar will have the body of the seventh Caesar and the spirit of the fifth. This resuscitation will be a counterfeit to Christ’s resurrection. Anyone who does not have the faith of Christ will certainly be attracted by this miraculous occurrence.
During the first half of the last seven years, the seventh Caesar will appear. After he is slain and resuscitated, which will take place near the middle of the seven years, he will become the eighth Caesar. Hence, during the first three and a half years, he will be the seventh Caesar, and during the last three and a half years, he, as the resuscitated Antichrist, will be the eighth Caesar. The seventh Caesar will confirm a covenant with the Jews for seven years, and the eighth Caesar will persecute the Jews and exalt himself as God. Hence, Antichrist “is also the eighth and is out of the seven” (17:11).
This slain and resuscitated Antichrist will have the number of Caesar Nero. The false prophet will cooperate with Antichrist and cause “all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the freemen and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead” (13:16). No one will be able to buy or sell anything unless he has “the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of his name” (v. 17). Verse 18 says, “Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred sixty-six.” The number six hundred sixty-six denotes Caesar Nero. The unbelievers will bear the name of Nero on their forehead or on their hand, testifying that they belong to Nero. Anyone who does not have the mark of the beast upon him will not be able to buy or sell. This will make it impossible to live.
This beast will act for forty-two months (13:5). These forty-two months are the three and a half years in verse 14 of chapter 12 and the thousand two hundred and sixty days in verse 3 of chapter 11 and verse 6 of chapter 12, which will be the time of the great tribulation. In these three and a half years Antichrist will do many things. He will utter blasphemies against God, to blaspheme God’s name and His tabernacle, which tabernacle in heaven (13:6). The beast will make war with the saints and overcome them (v. 7). The saints in verse 7 refer to the rest of the woman’s seed in verse 17 of chapter 12, which consists of the Jews, who keep God’s commandments, and the believers in Christ, who bear the testimony of Jesus on earth at that time. Antichrist will persecute them, war against them, and overcome them. Many will be martyred during this time.
Antichrist will also receive the power, authority, and the kingdom of the ten kings (17:13), enabling him to rule over every tribe, people, tongue, and nation (13:7). Hence, “all those dwelling on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name is not written in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world” (v. 8). From the foundation of the world may modify both whose name is not written and the Lamb who was slain.
Antichrist and the ten kings, the ten horns, “will hate the harlot and will make her desolate and naked and will eat her flesh and burn her utterly with fire” (17:16). This indicates that after Antichrist has been resuscitated, he will persecute every kind of religion, including Judaism and Catholicism.
The beast out of the sea is the last and crucial part of the fourth beast in Daniel 7:7-8 and 19-26. Both in Daniel and Revelation the beast out of the sea refers not only to the Roman Empire but particularly to Antichrist. Hence, eventually Antichrist is the beast out of the sea, the fourth beast in Daniel 7. This beast is dreadful and frightful (vv. 7, 19). Just as the Roman Empire did dreadful things, in the future Antichrist will also do dreadful things to damage people. This beast is exceedingly strong, indicating that the Roman Empire was the strongest heathen power in history and had once conquered all the neighboring powers. Likewise, Antichrist will also subdue and conquer all the powers around the Mediterranean Sea. This beast has large iron teeth and claws of bronze (vv. 7, 19) for devouring or crushing and for standing or trampling respectively. He will devour and crush the whole earth (v. 23). This applies firstly to the ancient Roman Empire with its Caesars and then to the coming Antichrist. This beast will trample down the remainder with its feet.
This beast has ten horns (vv. 7, 20, 24). These ten horns correspond to the ten kings represented by the ten toes of the great image in Daniel 2. In God’s view these ten kings are the lowest part of the body; however, in the vision in Daniel 7 these ten kingdoms, represented by the ten kings, are exalted as the ten horns. From the perspective of heaven, worldly politics and worldly kingdoms are very low. In the eyes of God, they are like wild beasts, which do nothing except damage and devour people. However, in the eyes of Nebuchadnezzar, that is, in human eyes, the worldly kingdoms seem to be a great and glorious image.
This beast has a small horn—Antichrist—that comes up among the ten horns (vv. 8, 20, 24-26). This small horn has eyes like the eyes of a man, indicating that Antichrist will be intellectually brilliant. He will be a man full of knowledge and will possess great insight. He will not only know political science but will also possess the most up-to-date scientific knowledge. This small horn also has a mouth that speaks great things against the Most High (v. 25). It has an appearance that is greater than its companions (v. 20). Antichrist will be so strong, stout, imposing, and attractive that he will be able to subdue many simply by the power of his presence.
Not only will Antichrist be arrogant and blasphemous, but he will also wage war with the saints. He will persecute the God-fearing Jews and the Christ-believing Christians. That small horn will also wear out the saints of the Most High, and his intention will be to change the times and the law (vv. 21, 25). According to the book of Leviticus, God appointed at least seven yearly feasts for the Jewish people. The law refers to the law of God given to His people through Moses. Because these feasts are related to the worship of God, and because Antichrist will oppose any kind of religion, he will abolish all the feasts and change the laws that the people of Israel received from God through their forefathers.
Antichrist will not only be the fourth beast in Daniel 7 but also the little horn revealed in Daniel 8:8-12 and 21-25. This little horn denotes Antiochus Epiphanes, the king of Syria, who invaded Jerusalem and plundered the temple between 171 and 165 B.C. Antiochus Epiphanes typifies the coming Antichrist. Verse 8 says, “The male goat became very great. But once he became strong, the great horn was broken, and in its place four conspicuous ones came up toward the four winds of heaven.” The goat in this verse refers to Alexander the Great of the Grecian Empire. Alexander the Great had four generals. After his death these generals occupied certain territories and were divided into four kingdoms. These four kingdoms are the four conspicuous horns. “Out of one of them came forth a little horn, which grew very great toward the south, toward the east, and toward that which is beautiful” (v. 9). South refers to Egypt, east refers to Syria, and that which is beautiful refers to the Holy Land. Hence, Antichrist as the little horn will arise probably either from Greece or Macedonia.
Furthermore, this little horn “grew great, as high as the host of heaven; and it caused some of the host and some of the stars to fall to the earth, and it trampled them. Indeed, he grew in greatness to that of the Prince of the host” (vv. 10-11). Verse 25 says that he will stand up against the Prince of princes. This means that the little horn will exalt himself against God and take away the daily sacrifice (v. 11), stopping the worship of God by the Jews. Even though the Jews have returned to the land of their fathers, they are presently in a very poor situation, being full of sins and transgression. Therefore, God will be disgusted with their offerings. Because of their transgression, He will allow Antichrist to cause the sacrifice to cease.
Antichrist, the little horn, will also throw down the place of the sanctuary of the Prince of the host (v. 11). This indicates that he will destroy the rebuilt temple. He will “cast truth down to the ground” (v. 12), abolishing and tearing down every truth. He will take action and prosper (vv. 12, 24). “His power will be mighty, but not by his own power” (v. 24). Antichrist’s power will be the power of Satan. Revelation 13:2 says that “the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority.” Since Antichrist will be the embodiment of Satan, he will “destroy in an extraordinary manner” (Dan. 8:24) the mighty men and the holy people. He will also destroy cities and even nations in an unprecedented manner, and he will also destroy the people of God.
Antichrist is also the prince in Daniel 9:26-27. In the last seven years of this age Antichrist will confirm a covenant of peace with Israel, permitting the Jews to offer sacrifices and to worship God according to their religion. However, after three and a half years Antichrist will cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, bring in both abominations and idols, and destroy both the holy city and the temple.
Antichrist is also the king in Daniel 11:36-45. This king is typified by Antiochus Epiphanes (vv. 21-35). Antiochus damaged the temple and polluted the sanctuary by sacrificing a sow in the temple. Judas Maccabaeus, a strong man of Judah, rose up and fought against him. Antiochus opposed the holy covenant that God had made with His people (vv. 28, 30) and removed the daily sacrifice (v. 31). Furthermore, he set up in the temple the abomination that desolates (v. 31). In the last three and a half years, Antichrist will do the same. He will “exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and against the God of gods he will speak extraordinary things...And he will not regard the gods of his fathers or the desire of women, nor will he regard any other god; for he will magnify himself above all” (vv. 36-37).
Antichrist will “enter the countries and overflow and pass through” (v. 40); “he will also enter the beautiful land” (v. 41) to take over the Jewish nation. “He will pitch the tents of his palace between the sea and the beautiful holy mountain” (v. 45). The sea in verse 45 is the Mediterranean Sea, and the beautiful holy mountain refers to Zion, which is in Jerusalem. Antichrist will pitch the tents of his palace between the Mediterranean Sea and Mount Zion.
Antichrist is also the angel of the abyss in Revelation 9:11. He will come out of the abyss (11:7; 17:8) and will possess the spirit of Caesar Nero. As the angel of the abyss, Antichrist will be the king of the demon-possessed locusts (9:1-11). At the sounding of the fifth trumpet, Satan will fall to the earth and will be given the key of the pit of the abyss (v. 1). After Satan has been cast down to earth, he will use the key of the pit of the abyss to release an army of extraordinary, demon-possessed locusts. The spirit of Nero will also be released at the time that the locusts are released from the abyss. Thus, Antichrist will become the king of this army of locusts. These locusts will torment men for five months. This will be the first of the three woes, the beginning of the woes of the great tribulation. During the last three and a half years, the angel of the abyss will be consumed with rage, will be obsessed with a satanic hatred, and will bring destruction wherever he goes.
The apostle Paul prophesied in 2 Thessalonians 2 that Antichrist will be “the man of lawlessness..., who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God...so that he sits in the temple of God, setting himself forth, saying that he is God” (vv. 3-4). His coming “is according to Satan’s operation in all power and signs and wonders of a lie and in all deceit of unrighteousness among those who are perishing” (vv. 9-10). All that Antichrist does will become a trial to those who dwell on the earth during the last three and a half years.
Besides Antichrist, Revelation speaks of another beast, the false prophet, who will come up out of the earth (13:11). Geographically, the false prophet will come from underneath the earth, and symbolically, he will come from the nation of Israel. Hence, the false prophet must be one of the Jewish people. The beast out of the earth “had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke like a dragon” (v. 11). This indicates his falsehood. He will appear to be like a lamb but will speak like the dragon, Satan. He will employ satanic power to perform great signs and will do the same thing that Elijah did; that is, he will call down fire from heaven (v. 13). Since the false prophet will perform the same great signs that the real prophets perform, it will be difficult for people to discern the real prophet from the false prophet.
The false prophet will not work for himself but for Antichrist, the beast out of the sea. Satan will give his power also to the false prophet, and Antichrist will place complete confidence in him. The false prophet will be authorized to represent Antichrist, the embodiment of Satan. Satan will be embodied in Antichrist, and Antichrist will be represented by the false prophet. Hence, Satan, Antichrist, and the false prophet will become one. As a result of this union, the false prophet will be authorized to do whatever he desires.
The false prophet will not only exercise the power of Antichrist but also the authority of Antichrist (v. 12). He will also cause the earth and the earth’s dwellers to worship the first beast, whose death stroke was healed. The false prophet will be eloquent and powerful, and his ministry will be to convince people to worship Antichrist. He will deceive those who dwell on the earth and command them “to make an image to the beast, who had the stroke of the sword and revived” (v. 14). He will also be given the power “to give breath to the image of the beast that the image of the beast might even speak and cause whoever would not worship the image of the beast to be killed” (v. 15). The false prophet will actually be able to give the breath of life to the idol, enabling it to speak as a living image. This surely will be an astonishing sign to the earth’s dwellers, causing them to worship the image of Antichrist. Furthermore, all men will be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead (v. 16). Without the mark, no one will be able to buy or sell, making it impossible to live without the mark (v. 17). Only those whose names have been written in the book of life of the Lamb will not worship Antichrist and his image. They will refuse to worship him, even at the cost of their lives (12:11). As a result, many will be martyred.
After Christ’s ascension, Titus, the prince of the Roman Empire, destroyed Jerusalem and the temple of the Jews in A.D. 70. Thus, the children of Israel had no way to offer sacrifices and oblation in the temple. This condition will continue until Antichrist makes a covenant with Israel, allowing the Jews to offer sacrifices to worship God in their restored and rebuilt temple. This will mark the beginning of the last week of the seventy weeks apportioned by God for Israel and the holy city. During the first half of the last week, Antichrist will be very kind to the Jews. However, after three and a half years, he will begin to mistreat the Jews and order the Jews to stop worshipping God and offering sacrifices. At that time, Antichrist will exalt himself as God and put his image in the temple. This will mark the beginning of the great tribulation, which will take Jerusalem as the center and the land of Judea as the circumference. The great tribulation will last for three and a half years.
When the dragon is cast out of heaven to the earth, it will stir up the beast to come up out of the sea. Antichrist, the beast who comes up out of the sea, is like a leopard, his feet are like those of a bear, and his mouth is like that of a lion. The beast has seven heads and ten horns. On his horns are ten diadems, and on his seven heads are names of blasphemy. He will be given power, the throne, and great authority from the dragon. He will act for forty-two months. This beast is the fourth beast in Daniel 7, the little horn in Daniel 8, the prince in Daniel 9, and the king in Daniel 11.
Antichrist is also the angel of the abyss; he will come out of the abyss and will possess the spirit of Caesar Nero. During the last three and a half years, he will be consumed with rage and obsessed with a satanic hatred, and he will bring destruction wherever he goes. The apostle Paul prophesied in 2 Thessalonians 2 that Antichrist will be the man of lawlessness, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God and that he will sit in the temple of God, setting himself forth and saying that he is God. His coming will be a trial to those who dwell on the earth during the last three and a half years.
Besides Antichrist there will also be the false prophet, who will come up out of the earth. He will appear to be like a lamb, but his speaking will be like the dragon, Satan. He will employ satanic power to perform great signs and do the same things that the real prophets do. He will cause those who dwell on the earth to worship the image of Antichrist. Hence, all men will be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead. Without the mark they will not be able to buy or sell, and it will be impossible for them to live. Only those whose names have been written in the book of life of the Lamb will not worship Antichrist and his image. As a result, a great many will be martyred.
