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Antichrist is also the prince in Dan. 9:26-27. If you read this chapter carefully, you will see that the prince refers to two people. Firstly, it refers to Titus who, with the Roman army, destroyed Jerusalem in A.D. 70. That destruction was the fulfillment of the Lord’s prophecy in Luke 21. In His last visit to Jerusalem, the Lord prophesied to His disciples that Jerusalem would be destroyed and that the temple would be torn down, with not one stone left upon another. That prophecy was fulfilled less than forty years after the Lord’s death. According to history, that destruction was terrible. Titus, however, was a shadow of the coming prince, Antichrist, and the destruction of Jerusalem under Titus was simply a shadow of the coming destruction of Jerusalem and the temple under Antichrist. Between these two men who share one title, “the prince,” there is an interval of approximately two thousand years.
In Dan. 9:24-27 we have the prophecy concerning the seventy weeks. These seventy weeks are not weeks of days, but weeks of years. Daniel 9:25 says, “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince, shall be seven weeks and threescore and two weeks.” The seven weeks mentioned here are reckoned from the time the decree was issued by the Persian king to rebuild the city of Jerusalem. From the time this decree was issued until the rebuilding of the city was a period of forty-nine years. The sixty-two weeks are the period from the completion of the rebuilding of Jerusalem to the day of Christ’s crucifixion. The crucifixion of Christ is referred to in Daniel 9:26, which says, “And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself.” Hence, from the completion of the rebuilding of the city to the crucifixion of the Messiah was four hundred thirty-four years. Therefore, of the seventy weeks mentioned in Daniel 9, only the last one remains.
After the crucifixion of Christ, Titus destroyed the city of Jerusalem. Between the time of the crucifixion of Christ and the beginning of the seventieth week is a gap of unknown duration. This interval has already been more than nineteen hundred years. This gap has encompassed the ancient Roman Empire, which expired in A.D. 476, and the Roman Church, which replaced the Roman Empire. It will also include the revived Roman Empire. The last Caesar of the revived Roman Empire will be Antichrist, who will make a covenant with the Jews for one week. Daniel 9:27 says, “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week.” In this covenant Antichrist will promise the Jews the liberty to worship God according to their religion.
However, after three and a half years, Antichrist will change his attitude. Daniel 9:27 continues, “In the middle of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease” (Heb.). This breaking of the covenant will occur at a crucial time, at the time Satan is cast down to earth and stands on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea to stir up Antichrist. Antichrist will then exalt himself above all gods. He may say, “You Jews must not worship your God anymore. I am God! I command you to stop your sacrifices and to abolish your religious feasts. Furthermore, I will change your laws. You must forget everything about your God, the law of your God, and your feasts and turn to worship me.” At the time Antichrist exalts himself above all gods, he will also pollute the temple.
Daniel 9:27 also says, “And for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate.” The Lord Jesus referred to this when He said, “Ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place” (Matt. 24:15). Antichrist will bring in both abominations or idols, and desolation or destruction, demolishing both the temple and the city of Jerusalem. This is the proper understanding of Daniel 9:25-27. If we have this understanding, we shall see how Antichrist will deal with the Jews.
When we come to Revelation chapter seventeen, we shall see that Antichrist will destroy Catholicism in addition to Judaism. Both Judaism and Catholicism have become abominable in the eyes of God. Although some of us were formerly in one or the other, we praise the Lord that we are no longer in these “isms.” We are now in Christ. For centuries, these two “isms” have been abominable in the eyes of God. In Rev. 2:9 and Rev. 3:9 the Lord Jesus called the Jewish synagogues the “synagogue of Satan.” Furthermore, the Lord Jesus revealed to the apostle John that Catholicism is the great prostitute (Rev. 17:1-6). Some may argue, “How can you call the Jewish synagogues the synagogue of Satan? In a synagogue the Jews worship God and study the Scriptures.” But I was not the one who said that the synagogue is the synagogue of Satan — this was the word of the Lord Jesus to His church. It was no longer God but Satan who was in the synagogue. Others, defending Catholicism, may say, “Doesn’t the Catholic Church preach Christ?” But Catholicism preaches Christ as the son of Mary. The worship of Mary comes from paganism. The Mary in Catholicism, who is called “the mother of God,” is another form of the goddess, Venus. This is demonic. Christmas is also demonic, for December 25, the date of a pagan festival in honor of the birth of the sun, is said to be the birthday of Christ. What blasphemy! Although everything in Catholicism has a Christian appearance, its source is Babylonianism. For this reason, in God’s eyes the Catholic Church is the great prostitute who enriches herself by committing spiritual fornication. Therefore, the Catholic Church is called the great prostitute. Both Judaism and Catholicism are Satanic. Under Satan’s instigation, Antichrist will destroy Judaism and Catholicism. He will do this destroying work without realizing that he is doing it for God and for Christ. Over all this, God is sovereign. Antichrist will do all these things in the process of exalting himself above every kind of god, abolishing every religion, and making himself the sole object of worship.
Eventually, Antichrist will be destroyed by God’s wrath (Dan. 9:27). This destruction will be carried out by Christ at the war of Armageddon, when Christ will utterly defeat Antichrist (Rev. 19:17-21).
Antichrist is also the king in Dan. 11:36-45. We have already pointed out the two kings in Daniel 11, the king of the south and the king of the north. In Daniel 11 the south refers to Egypt and the north to Syria. At times, Egypt and Syria war against each other. The king of Syria, the northern king, has much to do with the coming Antichrist.
The king in 11:36-45 is typified by Antiochus Epiphanes in Dan. 11:21-35 (175-164 B.C.). Antiochus damaged the temple and polluted the sanctuary by putting a swine in the temple. Therefore, the Maccabees stood up to fight against him, as recorded in the two books of the Maccabees in the Apocrypha. Antiochus opposed the holy covenant God had made with His people (Dan. 11:28, 30) and took away the continual sacrifice (Dan. 11:31). Furthermore, Antiochus placed “the abomination (idol) that maketh desolate” in the temple (Dan. 11:31). As we have seen, Antichrist will do the same.
Daniel 11:36 and 37 reveal that this king, Antichrist, “shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods.... Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.” Antichrist will do all this.
Daniel 11:38 says that Antichrist shall “honor the god of fortresses: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honor with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things” (Heb.). Antichrist will turn from God to worship his own idol.
Daniel 11:39 says, “Whoso shall acknowledge him will he increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for reward” (Heb.). This indicates that Antichrist will promote those who acknowledge him. He will give them glory, authority to rule, and part of the land as their reward.
Daniel 11:40 says that Antichrist “shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.” This means that he will take over the nations which he will invade.
Antichrist will also enter into “the beautiful land” (Dan. 11:41, Heb.). The “beautiful land” is the Holy Land. This indicates he will also take over the Jewish nation.
Daniel 11:45 says, “And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the beautiful holy mountain” (Heb.). The “seas” here are the Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Galilee. The “beautiful holy mountain” refers to Zion, where Jerusalem is. Between these two seas and Mount Zion Antichrist will erect the tents of his palace.
Eventually, “He shall come to his end, and none shall help him” (Dan. 11:45). This means that Christ will terminate him at the war of Armageddon and that no one will help him to escape.
As we consider all these points regarding Antichrist, we see what kind of person he will be and even where he will come from. I am quite certain that, according to the Bible, he will come either from Greece or from the territory of ancient Macedonia. Possibly, he will both be a descendant of the Greek nationality and come from that geographical region. The eastern Roman Empire included the four divisions of the empire of Alexander the Great. According to the prophecies, Antichrist will not come out of the western Roman Empire, but from one of the four kingdoms in the territory of the empire of Greece and Macedonia. These kingdoms all lie in the territory of the eastern Roman Empire. I say strongly that Antichrist will probably come from both the nationality and the territory of Greece. We need to be watchful and observe the events in Greece. The great part of the prophecies in Daniel chapters two, seven, eight, and eleven have been fulfilled. Since those that have been fulfilled have been fulfilled literally, so will the remainder. Antichrist will proceed from Macedonia or Greece to the south (Egypt), to the east (Syria), and to the Holy Land (the land of Israel). Today’s world situation is centered in the Middle East. We must believe that the time is near and that soon both Christ and Antichrist will come. However, we are not waiting for Antichrist — we are waiting for Christ. Daily, I am watching the situation in the Middle East and exercising my spirit concerning events in that region. We praise the Lord that we have the light of God’s word in His prophecy.
Through the study of the prophecies concerning Antichrist, we may conclude that he is the ultimate issue of the worldly powers. In God’s eyes, the worldly powers began with Babylon, which was followed by the empire of Medo-Persia, the Macedonian Empire, and the Roman Empire. The Medo-Persian Empire continued the Babylonian Empire, the Macedonian Empire continued the Medo-Persian Empire, and the Roman Empire continued the Macedonian Empire. By this we see that world power continued from one empire to another. Ultimately, out of the Roman Empire will emerge Antichrist as the consummate issue of these worldly powers. When Antichrist is defeated and cast into the lake of fire, worldly power will be completely terminated.
According to Daniel 2, a stone “cut without hands” will fall from heaven upon the ten toes of the image (v. 34). That stone will not only smite the ten toes, but also the entire image from the head to the toes. As we all know, the stone is Christ. Today, He is the building stone (Matt. 21:42; Acts 4:10-12), but in that day He will be the smiting stone (Matt. 21:44). To the church Christ is the building stone, but to the worldly powers He is the smiting stone which will smash the whole image to pieces.
We have seen that Antichrist will come out of one of the four kingdoms of the ancient Macedonian Empire, probably out of Greece. Greece, which was part of the Roman Empire, will also be one of the ten kingdoms, or the ten toes, of the image. According to the prophecy of the Bible, we can now definitely and clearly say that Antichrist will come out of the Roman Empire in the region of either Greece or Macedonia.
We also have seen what Antichrist will do. He will oppose God and persecute God’s people. He will annul everything pertaining to Judaism, persecute the Jews and the Christians who are left on earth, and destroy Catholicism. He will be intellectually brilliant, capable, and have the power to touch the host of the heavens. He will probably employ modern scientific inventions to probe into space. He will have an appearance that is stout, strong, fierce, and attractive. If you are left on earth at the time Antichrist appears, you will be able to recognize him by knowing all his characteristics as covered in these two messages. You will know who he is, and you will not be attracted to him.
The entire world today is looking for a strong leader. Although this is the age of democracy, many are tired of the shortcomings of democracy and are looking for strong leadership. When a powerful leader emerges, nearly everyone will look to him. Because this is the tendency of today’s world situation, it will be easy for Antichrist to attract many. But praise the Lord that we have the light of prophecy, and that we are not in darkness! We know what kind of person Antichrist will be. The Antichrist is the fourth beast, the little horn, the prince, and the king. When he appears, it will be easy to recognize him.
