“The Fourth Kingdom” is a reference to
Daniel
7 and the fourth beast from the sea in his vision. I won't
completely go through Daniel 7, but it is the reason for this page so I
recommend reading that page first. Daniel 7 has some similarities
to another vision from
Daniel
2 and yet another from Revelation 13:1-8 and Revelation 17:1-13. These
all point to the kingdom over which the Antichrist will rule initially and
ultimately from it over the whole world for 3 1/2 years. This page will
present the historical view of this collection of prophecies and then focus
on the details from scripture relating to the Antichrist kingdom. This will
show how God has given us many clues to understanding history and its relationship
to the future as well as some keys to being able to watch for the signs
of the end.
Gentile History in light of Bible
prophecy
There are several places in the Bible where dreams and visions given
to the prophets Daniel and John provide an over-arching view of the history
of kingdoms leading to the final Antichrist kingdom.
The Seven Kingdoms & the Seven Heads
Revelation 12:3 And there appeared
another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns,
and seven crowns upon his heads.
This passage connects the dragon, Lucifer, to this same symbology that
represents the lineage of kingdoms through history showing his spirit behind
the seven kingdoms. What are the heads and what do they represent? As we'll
see, these are kingdoms that span both our history and our future and this
odd image of a beast with seven heads and ten horns and crowns is repeated
several times and is a visualization of the political earthly kingdoms control
of Israel through to the final kingdom.
Part of John's expansive vision of the end provided in the book of Revelation
is a vision of the judgment of the whore of Babylon where there are several
key pieces of information provided about both the Antichrist kingdom and
its history. Most of these are also part of Nebuchadnezzar's dream interpreted
by Daniel. However this goes a little further back in history.
Revelation 17:3; 9-10 So he carried
me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon
a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having
seven heads and ten horns. And here is the mind which hath
wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman
sitteth. And
there are
seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, [and] the other is not yet
come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.
This one portion provides historical context for the seven heads being
seven kings. From John's perspective, writing just after Christ's first
coming, the "one is" would have been Rome, which ruled over Israel until
70 AD when Israel was disbursed and no longer living as a nation in the
land. Five previous kings are fallen
at his time and one is yet to come, which has not been seen historically
and so is still future to us. So this
beast John sees is really defining the great dragon's control of Israel
through history, culminating in the final short reign he will have through
his proxy Antichrist and false prophet.
Ever since the arrival of the nation of Israel back in the land in
1948, Israel has ruled itself once again. It's a different kind of
Israel, regathered from the world and a melting pot of the cultures of
the world along with the traditions planted by God in their own ancient
people still engrained in the culture. The question is, will the
dragon's control of Israel be through another nation as in times of old,
or will the dragon use a ruler of Israel to control the people? We'll look at the remaining vision
when focused on the future fulfillment. We get a little more clarity from
Nebuchadnezzar's dream that Daniel interprets.
Daniel, while in exile in Babylon was called upon by king Nebuchadnezzar
to interpret a dream that troubled him. This dream turned out to cover the
history of the main Gentile kingdoms of the world. It ends with the kingdom
that will be in power when Christ returns and takes the kingdoms of the
world and rules.
Daniel 2:31-40 Thou, O king, sawest,
and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent,
stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. This image’s
head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly
and his thighs of brass, His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and
part of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands,
which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and
brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver,
and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of
the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no
place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became
a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. This is the dream; and
we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king. Thou, O king,
art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom,
power, and strength, and glory. And wheresoever the children of men
dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given
into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. [Babylon] Thou art this head of gold. [Persia] And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee,
[Greece] and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over
all the earth. [Roman Empire] And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as
iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh
all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.
We know this prophecy represents a historical progression of nations
because Nebuchadnezzar is called out specifically as being that head of
gold. The remaining kingdoms are not spelled out for us, but it lays out
an over-arching history of kingdoms from Babylon to the Antichrist kingdom
at the end. Secular historians can attest to the progression of these
kingdoms in the region ruling over Israel.
The following are a look at some possible historical heads of the seven kingdoms
based on some kind of dealing with the nation of Israel by their leaders.
I do not claim that this is completely accurate and if you have any suggestions
please
let me know. I believe it's commony accepted that given the Bible focuses
on the natural branch, which is Israel, these fallen nations and the one
in John's day hold some kind of control over Israel.
Caligula
(Aug. 31, 12-Jan. 24, 41) [Known for his extreme extravagance, eccentricity,
depravity and cruelty, he is remembered as a despot. The Roman historian
Suetonius referred to Caligula as a “monster,” and the
surviving sources are universal in their condemnation.]
Vespasian (1 July 69 – 23/24 June 79 AD) [Emperor at the time
of the destruction of Jerusalem]
The Future Antichrist Kingdom
Now let’s look to the descriptions of the Antichrist kingdom that are
yet future from the various prophesies. There are diverse prophecies that
all cover certain aspects and this is my attempt to bring them all together
to paint a clearer picture of what to expect from the coming global kingdom
of the Antichrist.
John’s Vision: Antichrist Kingdom [Revelation 17]
I won't focus on
the woman riding the beast. The passages from Revelation 17 here will
focus on the beast itself.
Revelation 17:9-10 [Vision] And there came one of the seven
angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me,
Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that
sitteth upon many waters: With whom the kings of the earth have committed
fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with
the wine of her fornication. So he carried me away in the spirit into
the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured
beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with
gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand
full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her
forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER
OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunken
with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus:
and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
[Interpretation] And the angel said
unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of
the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the
seven heads and ten horns.
The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend
out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell
on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book
of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold
the beast that was, and is not, and
yet is. And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven
heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. And
there are
seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, [and] the other is not yet
come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And
the beast that was, and is not,
even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have
received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with
the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength
unto the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall
overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings:
and they that are with him [are] called, and chosen, and faithful. And
he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore
sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall
hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat
her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God hath put in their
hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto
the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. And the
woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the
kings of the earth.
There is a lot there, but I want to bring together the other passages
first and then I will combine them to paint a pictures of the Antichrist
kingdom at the end.
Daniel 2:41-43 [Antichrist Kingdom of the End-Times]
And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay,
and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in
it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed
with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part
of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. And
whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves
with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even
as iron is not mixed with clay. [Millennium]
And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom,
which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to
other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms,
and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone
was cut out of the mountain without hands, [Christ,
the Rock] and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the
clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the
king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and
the interpretation thereof sure.
Daniel also had his own dream of this final kingdom with some similarities
to Nebuchadnezzar's dream, yet it would seem to be focused wholely on the
future state of the world at the time of the Antichrist's kingdom. This
is more fully covered in the Daniel 7 study.
There's a historical and contemporaneous view of the four beasts. In
the past I held that it was paralelling Daniel 2 in describing historical
kingdoms through history to the future and final one. Daniel 7:12 and what
Chris White has presented in his
Bible studies and
books have
convicned me the whole of Daniel 7 is yet future.
Daniel 7 In the first year of
Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head
upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.
Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the
four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. And four great beasts
came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings: I
beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from
the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man’s
heart was given to it.
And behold
another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on
one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth
of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.
After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon
the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads;
and dominion was given to it.
[The
beast or antichrist kingdom - Revelation 13:1-10]
After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful
and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it
devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet
of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and
it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up
among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the
first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were
eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.
[Christ’s Kingdom at Christ’s Return in Glory] I beheld
till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose
garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool:
his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.
A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands
ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before
him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
[Destruction of the Antichrist - Revelation
19:20] I beheld then because of the
voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the
beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.
As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken
away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.
I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man
came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and
they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion,
and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should
serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not
pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the
visions of my head troubled me. I came near unto one of them that stood
by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me
know the interpretation of the things.
[Interpretation] These great beasts, which are four, are
four kings, which shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the
most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever,
even for ever and ever.
Then I would know the truth of the fourth
beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose
teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in
pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet;
And of the ten horns that were in his head,
and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of
that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things,
[Revelation 13:5] whose look was more stout
than his fellows.
[The 2nd Half
of the
70th Week of Daniel] I beheld, and the same
horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; Until the
Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most
High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom
upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall
devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise:
and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the
first, and he shall subdue three kings. And he shall speak great words
against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High,
and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into
his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
[3½ years or 42 months Revelation 13:5
or 1260 days] But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take
away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. And the
kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole
heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High,
whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve
and obey him. Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my
cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but
I kept the matter in my heart.
Regarding the nature of the first three beasts, I would recommend watching
Chris White’s video on Daniel 7
here.
John’s Vision:
The Beast From The
Sea [Revelation 13:1-8]
In the time just after Christ's first coming and return to heaven, John
was given a vision of the future where he saw some very similar things as
Daniel related to the fourth beast.
Revelation 13:1-8 And I stood
upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the
sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns,
and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which
I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet
were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth
of a lion: and the
dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his
deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and
they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is
able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking
great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to
continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy
against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that
dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with
the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds,
and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth
shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of
the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
John’s Vision:
The Beast
From The Earth [Revelation 13:11-18]
This passage is somewhat tandential, but confirms and speaks to the beast
and some identifying properties so I'm including this here.
Revelation 13:11-18 And I beheld
another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like
a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power
of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which
dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from
heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that
dwell on the earth by [the means of] those miracles which he had power
to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth,
that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by
a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image
of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause
that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and
bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or
the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom.
Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it
is the number of a man; and his number [is] Six hundred threescore [and]
six.
Now as we combine these prophecies of a future kingdom we see there will
be a seventh kingdom (head) from which will emerge the Antichrist.
Seventh Empire
[not yet come - Revelation 17:10-11]
Daniel 2 - Iron/Clay feet
Daniel 7- Iron teeth & 10 horns
Antichrist Kingdom [Government
formed after the
abomination of desolation under the man of sin - Revelation
17:11]
Daniel 2 - Iron/Clay feet
Daniel 7- Iron teeth & 10 horns
Revelation 13:5 - This is the eighth and of the first seven
and is indwelt/given power by the dragon at the abomination of desolation.
This defines the 8th that is of the seven. He is given power for
42 months.
The Antichrist Kingdom
Having looked at all the passages that refer to all these odd visions
of multi-headed beasts mixed together, what does it all mean? Of course
it's not meant to be speaking of literal mixed beasts, but symbols to help
define the characteristics we can expect to see in the future Antichrist
kingdom.
The Beast
From Revelation 12:3-4 it seems clear that this beast is Lucifer, the
great dragon and his influence over the kings throughout history to affect
Israel. He symbolically draws 1/3 of the angels from heaven to the earth
and he has 7 heads (Revelation 13:1 | Revelation 17:3,7,9) with 7 crowns
(Revelation 13:1) and 10 horns (Daniel 7:7,20,24 | Revelation 13:1 | Revelation
17:3,7,12,16). The only places in scripture these are all mentioned is in
direct relation to this end-time beast. Moreover in Revelation 13:2 we see
that the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. So
I would posit that while in may ways the beast is focused on the Antichrist,
the real power is from the dragon who is the focus of the worship, just
the way he wants it. Revelation 13:4
As with many other places in scripture, there are many types and foreshadows,
but the ultimate fulfillment of this beast will be the future Antichrist
kingdom where the dragon will give his proxies, the Antichrist and false
prophet, power to completely dominate both God's people and the whole world.
Those without faith will quickly recognize they are powerless against the
Antichrist and will submit. Those who know of the coming deception will
not fall for it and may lose their lives, but not their eternal souls. I
believe this is the
mystery
of iniquity at work in the world today, silently marching toward the
goal of deceiving as many as possible to their own destruction. 2 Thessalonians
2
The Rise of the Antichrist
I have to give credit to Chris White and his great
books and
podcast /
YouTube. The research and understanding he's shared has really clarified
some things for me in my studies and painted a much clearer picture of the
coming times that makes a lot of sense.
I think Daniel 7, with
the four contemporaeous beasts from the sea Daniel 7:12, is our first glimpse
of the new world order in Bible prophecy. We have a picture of four distinct
beasts, interpreted as kings Daniel 7:17, all coming from the sea different
from each other. A lion with plucked eagle's wings,
a bear with 3 ribs in its mouth, a leopard
with four wings and four heads and the fourth dreadful and strong
beast with iron teeth, nails of brass and 10 horns.
Zooming into that fourth beast, or kingdom Daniel 7:23, we see a little
horn, king Daniel 7:24, diverse from the others come up from amongst the
10 kings. 3 of those kings are plucked up by their roots, or as interpreted
fell before or subdued by the new king. This new diverse king will speak
out against God and all that believe in God, changing times and laws. This
may have to do with the token of a covenant with many (Revelation 6:2 |
Daniel 9:27) All this is going on while the other three beasts are separate
yet contemporaneous.
With the
wars of the Antichrist, I think this quartering of power on the earth
gives us a view of the time of the fourth seal where the rider is given
power over 1/4 of the earth to kill with sword, hunger, death and beasts
of the earth. Revelation 6:7-8 One of Daniel's other visions gives us a
view of the Antichrist in the last days.
Daniel 11:36-12:1 And the
king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and
magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against
the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished:
for that that is determined shall be done. 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. But in his estate shall he honour
the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour
with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he
shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to
rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain. [Wars of Antichrist] And at the time
of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of
the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and
with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries,
and shall overflow and pass over. He shall enter also into the glorious
land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape
out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children
of Ammon. He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and
the land of Egypt shall not escape. But he shall have
power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious
things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his
steps. But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble
him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy,
and utterly to make away many. [Final
transition to the
Abomination of Desolation] And he shall plant the tabernacles
of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he
shall come to his end, and none shall help him. And at that time shall
Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of
thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was
since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy
people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in
the book.
Notice similarly to Daniel 7, this king will do his own will and magnify
himself above God, speaking against the God of gods, honoring a god of forces
who his fathers didn't know. With the perspective of a
Jewish Antichrist, this makes a lot of sense. Speaking to the unbelieving
Jews in His day, Yeshua said, "I
am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall
come in his own name, him ye will receive." John 5:37-47
Understanding more also that the Jews are looking for a conquering king
to restore Israel, it's setting up for a perfect deception. And God will
give the world over to that lie. 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12 Remember though
that Yeshua said His coming would not be on the earth. Acts 1:9-11 | Matthew
24:23-28 | Revelation 19:11-16
This king will acknowledge and increase with glory a strange god. It
would seem this strange god will give this king his power, seat and great
authority as he begins to conquer his surrounding enemies like Egypt, Libya
and Ethiopia. In my mind the details of who the king of the North and South
are is not as important as understanding that he will seem to be unstoppable.
I do find it interesting that the nations that are mentioned are typically
not big fans of Israel. With the
Jewish Antichrist paradigm these wars start
to make a lot more sense if indeed he has already confirmed a covenant to
restart the daily sacrifice in Israel. Israel's neighbors would not be too
happy and the religious furvor of a perceived messiah conquering their enemies
would only enhance the deception the world is given over to. 2 Thessalonians
2:7-12
There is an event that will at first seem to have stopped this unstoppable
force. At some point at the end of these wars, the Antichrist will plant
his tabernacle to the West of Jerusalem where he will "come to his end."
Revelation 13:3,12,14 | Revelation 17:8,11 It is at this time that the
unparalleled time of great tribulation will begin, when the conquering
king comes to his end yet lives, that the mask will come off and tolerance
for not worshipping him will cease. He will go into the temple at Jersualem
and declare himself to be God and anyone in Jerusalem at that time should
heed the words of Christ and flee for the mountains. Those Jews and Gentiles
will soon see that he is not who he says and those disciples that are deceived
by him will do whatever he says to the unbelievers.
The Antichrist Kingdom Fulfilled
The Seven Heads/Mountains/Kings
The Ten Horns & Ten Kings
The Little Horn
Millennial/Eternal Kingdom
In the end we see the rock, Christ, destroying both the final Antichrist
kingdom as well as showing superiority over all historical kingdoms with
the destruction of the image and consuming these temporal kingdoms to stand
forever. While there are not a lot of details of these kingdoms, there is
another prophecy from John that gives more history to these kingdoms.
Daniel 2:44-45 And in the days
of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall
never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people,
but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it
shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut
out of the mountain without hands, [Christ, the
Rock] and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay,
the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king
what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the
interpretation thereof sure.
There are several paradigms when studying the end times that affect how
you interpret the details. For me, when initially studying Bible prophecy,
I learned from a paradigm that viewed a revived Roman empire as the kingdom
from which the Antichrist would come and reign. There is also a view of
an Islamic empire from which the Antichrist would come and reign and more
recently a Jewish.
While I am leaning toward the latter, the goal of this site is to gather
knowledge I’ve gained of different perspectives and put them in one
place. So this page is really a jump point to the three main views that
can be switched between using the three icons to the right. As with everything
this is a work in progress.
Mediterranean Kingdom |
Jewish Antichrist - I’ve learned a lot from Chris White’s
work presenting the idea of both a Jewish Antichrist, deceiving Israel
into believing he is their long-awaited Messiah through the apparent
fulfillment of several prophecies their paradigm is expecting. Somewhat
separately, yet it fits together quite well, is the idea that the 10
kingdoms are around the Mediterranean region, where the fourth kingdom
would generally be viewed as the middle east. So far these views seem
to hold the most legitimacy in my understanding.
Revived Roman Kingdom |
Roman Antichrist - This is the more traditionally and widely accepted
view that looks at Daniel 2 as historical each of those 5 kingdoms through
history followed each other. Since the legs of iron and and feet of
iron and clay have a common material, then the Antichrist kingdom must
flow from Rome and be reborn somehow as a revived Roman kingdom. This
then necessitates the Antichrist coming from that kingdom and ruling
it.
Islamic Kingdom |
Islamic Antichrist - This view looks at the Antichrist as coming
out of Islam and so the kingdom would be as well. There are several
prophecies in Islam that seem to be similar yet 180 degrees out of phase
with the Bible as well as other features that have developed this theory
over the years.
“Be not overcome
of evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:21
Watchman Bible Study | 2005 - 2023
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work herein is archived under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in reviewing the included information for personal use, non-profit research and educational purposes only. Ref.