The Antichrist

The Anti-Christ

Some of the most difficult issues we face with the Biblical prophecies are the times when the events are “decreed” rather than conditionally based on human response to the prophecy (ex: repenting of a declared sin, being forgiven and being restored to right relationship with God). In the case of the Anti-Christ, God has determined that the old issues between Himself, Satan (Lucifer) and the fallen angels will finally play out to conclusion one last time. The plain truth of the matter is that those people left behind after the removal of the Christian Church will just be “along for the ride”. No amount of positive directed intention, hoping, praying, consciousness raising, meditation or other wishful thinking will have any effect whatsoever. For reasons that make sense to God alone, these events will indeed play out one last time exactly as He has planned. Get that part straight in your mind.

The main problem for the people left behind is the fact that the Anti-Christ (aka… Abaddon the Destroyer) is so mad at God the Father for elevating human beings to Eternal Family status above the status of the angels like himself (and his friends) that as far as he is concerned, all of earthly humanity could be destroyed with ZERO survivors and he would be perfectly happy about it. Chew on that notion for a while. The Anti-Christ and his old pal Lucifer will do anything and everything they can to lie, cheat, steal and deceive people out of their spiritual membership rights in God’s Eternal Family. They turned their backs on that status a long time ago when God told them that they would be reduced in heavenly rank below the humans. They attempted to pervert God’s plan for humanity by sexually polluting humanity (Genesis 6:1 – 8). When they realized what they had done, those fallen angels petitioned for forgiveness but they were turned down (according to Enoch). At that point Abaddon the Destroyer ran amok on a wild murderous rampage. He was so out of control that he had to be locked away in the abyss.

As the children of those unions between fallen angels and humans began to spread around the earth, the level of sin and violence reached such a crescendo that God had to clean house and wipe most of them away. The Wormwood brown dwarf star was the instrument of that house cleaning. Noah and his family were among the very few survivors left. And now all these millennia later, those old issues between God the Father, Satan (Lucifer) and Abaddon the Destroyer will finally be resolved. Humanity gets caught in the crossfire. If you are one of those who are left behind after the removal of the Christian Church then these events will impinge on your life personally and directly as the governments of the world turn against their own citizens on the Satanic side of the issue. About the best you can do is to get comfortable with the decree. Those old issues will finally be resolved. That much is guaranteed. The decisions you will face because of the decree will not be easy but at least you can know what is about to happen.

Daniel 9:24 ¶ Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy place.  the transgression of Satan, the fallen angels in general and Abaddon the Destroyer in particular

9:25 "So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.

9:26 "Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.

9:27 "And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate."

Daniel 11:36 ¶ “Then the king will do as he pleases, and he will exalt and magnify himself above every god, and will speak monstrous things against the God of gods; and he will prosper until the indignation is finished, for that which is decreed will be done.

The Anti-Christ… aka… “the Beast” revealed, 2012

(from The Millennium Prophecy)

REV 13:1 And the dragon stood on the sand of the seashore.

¶ Then I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names.

The sea here refers to all the gentile nations of the world…all the nations except Israel. The ten horns would be the ten administrators of the ten administrative zones of the international socialist New World Order. The future Anti-Christ (beast) will start out as one of the administrators in the New World Order.

Dan 7:7 “After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed, and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.

Dan 7:8 “While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth uttering great boasts.

Dan 7:19 “Then I desired to know the exact meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its claws of bronze, and which devoured, crushed, and trampled down the remainder with its feet,

Dan 7:20 and the meaning of the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, and before which three of them fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth uttering great boasts, and which was larger in appearance than its associates.

Dan 7:21 “I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them

Dan 7:23 ¶ “Thus he said: ‘The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms, and it will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it.

Dan 7:24 ‘As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings.

Dan 7:25 ‘And he will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.

REV 13:2 And the beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority.

Pay particular attention to that second sentence in verse 2 above. Many commentators have written that Satan wants praise and worship from human people. As it turns out, that is not actually true. Here in this verse one of the puzzle pieces about Satan’s real motivation is revealed. See more comments about this issue following verse 13:8 below.

The Beast Making Process…

How a Human Politician Is Transformed into the Anti-Christ in 2012

REV 13:3 I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and “his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast;

Rev 17:8 “The beast that you saw was and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and to go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth will wonder, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come.

Rev 17:9 “Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits,

Rev 17:10 and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while.

Rev 17:11 “And the beast which was and is not, is himself also an eighth, and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction.

Rev 17:12 “And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings, who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast for one hour.

Rev 17:13 “These have one purpose and they give their power and authority to the beast.

According to Bishop Polycarp of Smyrna in the first century, the Apostle John believed that the Anti-Christ would also be a Jew. John did not include that information in the written Revelation but he did relay that detail to Polycarp. At the very least, a “Beastly” Jewish world dictator is not something that can be discounted. God often ties the threads of history together this way and He may certainly do it again. The socialist New World Order movement is heavily Jewish behind the scenes so anything is possible. It would stand to reason that when the NWO has finally taken control, they will install their insider Jewish people as presidents or area administrators for the ten administrative zones. That may not hold true for China and Japan but probably will for the other administrative zones. But it could very easily be the case that eight of the ten administrators are indeed Jewish.

Three of the administrators from this group (of ten) are assassinated (Rev 13:1, Dan 7:8, 20, and 24) in a coup d’état. Abaddon is allowed to resurrect the dead body of one of these area administrators and live in that body for the next 3½ years. Remember, the only dead body you will have to worry about is the one that comes back to life. He is “the Beast”… the Anti-Christ (Rev 13:3). The two politicians that stay dead are just two dead politicians. The seven heads are the seven surviving administrators after the coup d’état. In the end it doesn’t matter which one of the men it is whose soul gets replaced as long as he a leader of an administrative region. When the administrator’s body is resuscitated the soul of the man is not there any more. The “man” that everyone thought they knew will be gone and the fallen angel Abaddon (the Destroyer) will be the new persona (consciousness) living in that body… Rev 17:11. Anyway, don’t worry about the politicians who stay dead. They won’t bother anybody. Worry about the one that comes back to life. He comes back to life as “the Beast”. He is the Anti-Christ. He will have the body, the voice and the memories of that normal human man but he will have the soul or consciousness of a fallen angel... a psycho-spiritual "hybrid"... thus the use of the term "Beast" in The Revelation... something we have never seen before in Earth history. And during his life as a fallen angel he was a very evil fallen angel. In fact, he was so badly out of control that he had to be imprisoned. He will be a "Beast" in more ways than one. So St. John's use of the word "Beast"is very descriptive.

Zechariah 11:17 “Woe to the worthless shepherd Who leaves the flock! A sword will be on his arm And on his right eye! His arm will be totally withered, And his right eye will be blind.”

There appears to be some neurological damage left over from the assassination that Abaddon cannot repair and he must live in a body that has a limp arm (similar to the damage caused by a stroke) and with the right eye permanently blind. Some teachers claim that Satan and/or the Beast are not capable of performing a resurrection of the dead and that only Christ or God the Father can do such a thing. Their reasoning is based on the phrase “as if it had been slain” in verse 13:3. In my opinion, that teaching is incorrect. Here the Revelation (13:3, 12, 14 and then later in 17:11) shows that a politician is indeed killed… his fatal wound… has come to life… and a spirit other than that of the human man is allowed to resurrect the dead politician’s body and live there for 3½ years. For that exchange of souls to occur the politician will have to be “dead enough” for the soul of the politician (the human man) to depart his body. Then Abaddon the fallen angel can come back in his place. I define a body without a soul or a spirit living in it as a “dead” body. We can quibble about the requirements for brain activity, respiration, pulse or bodily function whatever… but if the spirit of the man is gone from his body and some other spirit is allowed to come in and take over, then at some point you would have to say that the “man” was “dead”… biologically. It may only be a minute, an hour or a few seconds afterwards that Abaddon revives the dead body but it has to be long enough for the spirit of the man to “depart”. Once the soul of the man is gone Abaddon can climb inside and take over. Quibble if you like but the human politician dies first. Once Abaddon inhabits and resuscitates the body of the politician you have the real Anti-Christ. Until then he is just another politician. The spirit of the fallen angel, Abaddon/Apollyon (the Destroyer), replaces of the soul of the man. Because he is the most repugnant, violent and destructive of all the fallen angels, the use of the term “Beast” makes a certain amount of sense. After the “resuscitation” (via the switch of souls) you can no longer describe him as a “normal man”… bodily appearances notwithstanding. Something non-human will be living in there. The human consciousness will be replaced with a fallen angel consciousness. He will have access to all the memories of the human man he replaces because his consciousness will be operating through the physical brain of the revived politician’s body but it will definitely be a different “him”. And he will NOT be a nice person.

Note: See also the comments following Rev 13:15 and following Daniel 9:27.

REV 13:4 they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?”

REV 13:5 There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him.

REV 13:6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven.

Rev 9:11 They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon.

When Satan tried to challenge God in regard to who really was the “Most” High, he ignited a rebellion in heaven (Revelation 12:4; Jude 1:6; Isaiah 14:12-15; Isaiah 24:21, 22; Ezekiel 28:12-19). God allowed the angels free will choice just like He grants that right to human beings. Abaddon and one third of the other angels sided with Lucifer in his challenge of God’s decision to elevate humans above the angels in the power pecking order. On the face of it, it seemed absurd… stupid puny humans ruling over powerful intelligent angels. But God the Father could see the sin in Lucifer’s soul. Lucifer fell right into the trap. Once those angels had all made their choices, God removed the rebellious angels from their “first estate/domain” service positions in heaven. Evidently Abaddon didn’t like the verdict that God handed down and he went on an angry rampage. Because he was so badly out of control, God confined him in the “bottomless pit” or “the abyss” here on Earth. The abyss is a special holding cell somewhere deep in the bowels of the Earth from which even spirits cannot escape. Abaddon has been prisoner in the abyss since his rampage days. As a former angel or maybe even an archangel like Satan, Abaddon would remember those other angels in heaven with whom he used to serve. As you can see he is still pretty angry with God the Father and with the other angels who stayed in God’s service. His attitude toward God has not changed much after ages of imprisonment in the abyss (verse 5 and 6 above) although he has had plenty of time to think about his offence against the Father.

Daniel 7:7 “After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed, and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.  New World Order… socialist one world government

Dan 7:9 ¶ “I kept looking Until thrones were set up, And the Ancient of Days took His seat; His vesture was like white snow, And the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne was ablaze with flames, Its wheels were a burning fire.

It looks like “hot wheels”  were invented a long time ago. The throne ablaze with flames signifies God’s wrath. You could say His anger is starting to “heat things up”.

Dan 7:10 “A river of fire was flowing And coming out from before Him; Thousands upon thousands were attending Him, And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him; The court sat, And the books were opened.

Dan 7:11 “Then I kept looking because of the sound of the boastful words which the horn was speaking; I kept looking until the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire.

At the Battle of Armageddon the Beast loses and is sent straight to the lake of fire.

Dan 7:12 “As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time.

The “rest of the beasts” would be the other 7 politicians who survive the coup and surrender their authority (ie. their regional autonomy) to the fallen angel Beast-man. Later on they have a part in destroying the religious capital of the Beast. God arranges for them to survive and live on into the Millennial Kingdom.

Dan 7:13 ¶ “I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him.

Dan 7:14 “And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations, and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.

Dan 7:15 “As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed within me, and the visions in my mind kept alarming me.

Dan 7:16 “I approached one of those who were standing by and began asking him the exact meaning of all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things:

Dan 7:17 ‘These great beasts, which are four in number, are four kings who will arise from the earth.

Dan 7:18 ‘But the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come.’

Dan 7:20 and the meaning of the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, and before which three of them fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth uttering great boasts, and which was larger in appearance than its associates.

Dan 7:21 “I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them

Dan 7:22 until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom.

Dan 7:24 ‘As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings.

Verses 19 to 24 strongly suggest a very nasty worldwide socialist revolution some time during the 2009 - 2012 time frame. After the dust settles, the international socialists divide the world into ten New World Order administrative regions (verse 24). But they are not prepared for the “bait and switch” tactic that Satan pulls on them. Instead of a puppet David to head up the N.W.O. organization at the top Satan makes a different arrangement.

Dan 7:25 ‘And he will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.  For 3 ½ years

Dan 7:26 ‘But the court will sit for judgment, and his dominion will be taken away, annihilated and destroyed forever.

Dan 7:27 ‘Then the sovereignty, the dominion, and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.’  Christ’s kingdom will probably include other sectors of space (under the whole heaven)… not just the ground under the blue skies of Earth’s atmosphere. It is not limited to jurisdiction on Earth alone/only. If Paul’s comments in Colossians 1:16 and 3:2 have relevance here, we may have to enlarge our concept of how far His domain will extend. Earth may be His temporary Millennial physical “residence” but it is not necessarily His permanent “home”. His permanent “home” is by our Heavenly Father’s side. Otherwise, Daniel 7:27 (above) would not make sense with its reference to “an everlasting kingdom”. 1000 years of Millennial Kingdom on an Earth that is going to be destroyed is hardly an everlasting/eternal kingdom/dominion… 2Peter 3:10.

Dan 7:28 “At this point the revelation ended. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts were greatly alarming me and my face grew pale, but I kept the matter to myself.”

REV 13:7 ¶ It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him.

Satan is the one giving his throne and world wide political authority to the Beast.

REV 13:8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.

The separation of the believers from the non-believers (13:8, 10) is one of the important themes of the Book of Revelation.

The Abomination of Desolation in the New Jewish Temple… 2012

REV 13:14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life.

Note: “and has come to life”…  … In other words, he really was “dead”… for a while.

REV 13:15 And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed.

Dan 9:27 “And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”

One of the politicians who is particularly instrumental in putting together the Middle East Peace Treaty between Israel, the Palestinian factions and the other signatory nations (Spring/Summer, 2009) may very well be the man who is later transformed into the Anti-Christ via assassination and resurrection. For 3½ years the treaty holds up. Then “in the middle of the week”… after 3½ years… he is assassinated. His body is resurrected and becomes the temporary earthly home for Abaddon (the Destroyer). In short order Abaddon wants to take God’s place in the Jewish temple in Jerusalem… “the abomination of desolation”. Of the hundreds of temples Abaddon would have to choose from he knows which one represents the real true God. He doesn’t bother with the others, only the temple in Jerusalem. He may not like God very much but at least he knows who the real God of this Universe is and which people are actually tied in with God’s interests on Earth. So watch the Middle East Peace Treaty process carefully.

Dan 11:29 ¶ “At the appointed time he will return and come into the South, but this last time it will not turn out the way it did before.

Dan 11:30 “For ships of Kittim will come against him; therefore he will be disheartened and will return and become enraged at the holy covenant and take action; so he will come back and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant.

Military ships based at or deploying from the island of Cyprus (Kittim) come out against the Beast and force him to retreat back into Israel for a while. Daniel 11:31 seems to indicate that this somehow triggers the Abomination of Desolation… the Beast setting up an idol of himself in the temple in Jerusalem.

Dan 11:31 “Forces from him will arise, desecrate the sanctuary fortress, and do away with the regular sacrifice. And they will set up the abomination of desolation.

Dan 11:32 “By smooth words he will turn to godlessness those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will display strength and take action.

Dan 11:33 “Those who have insight among the people will give understanding to the many; yet they will fall by sword and by flame, by captivity and by plunder for many days.

Dan 11:34 “Now when they fall they will be granted a little help, and many will join with them in hypocrisy.

Dan 11:35 “Some of those who have insight will fall, in order to refine, purge and make them pure until the end time; because it is still to come at the appointed time.

There is a division inside the nation of Israel in terms of how they respond to the Beast. Some Jewish leaders accept him and others know that he is a fraud and is not to be worshipped. Some Jews really believe in God. Others do not… kind of like the rest of humanity.

Dan 11:36 ¶ “Then the king will do as he pleases, and he will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will speak monstrous things against the God of gods; and he will prosper until the indignation is finished, for that which is decreed will be done.

Dan 11:37 “And he will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the desire of women, nor will he show regard for any other god; for he will magnify himself above them all.

Dan 11:38 “But instead he will honor a god of fortresses, a god whom his fathers did not know; he will honor him with gold, silver, costly stones, and treasures.

Dan 11:39 “And he will take action against the strongest of fortresses with the help of a foreign god; he will give great honor to those who acknowledge him, and he will cause them to rule over the many, and will parcel out land for a price.

Zechariah 13:8 “And it will come about in all the land,” Declares the Lord, “That two parts in it will be cut off and perish; But the third will be left in it.

Matthew 24:15 ¶ “Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),

Matt 24:16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains;

Matt 24:17 let him who is on the housetop not go down to get the things out that are in his house;

Matt 24:18 and let him who is in the field not turn back to get his cloak.

Matt 24:19 “But woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babes in those days!

Matt 24:20 “But pray that your flight may not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath;

Mark 13:14 ¶ “But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.

Mark 13:15 “the one who is on the housetop must not go down, or go in to get anything out of his house;

Mark 13:16 and the one who is in the field must not turn back to get his coat.

Mark 13:17 “But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!

Mark 13:18 “But pray that it may not happen in the winter.

Luke 21:20 ¶ “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near.

Luke 21:21 “Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those who are in the midst of the city must leave, and those who are in the country must not enter the city;

Luke 21:22 because these are days of vengeance, so that all things which are written will be fulfilled.

Luke 21:23 “Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land and wrath to this people;

Luke 21:24 and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

Also see Luke 17:20 - 37

2 Thessalonians 2:1 Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together to Him,  i.e. The rapture of the Christian Church… here

the Apostle Paul refers to the Rapture along with other events of the end times… that happen in the Tribulation. Paul did not spend much time with the Thessalonians but he did cover a lot of Christian teaching with them while he was there. After Paul left other “teachers” came to town with the bad news that Christ had already come back for the real

Church and the Thessalonian believers were left behind. Paul shredded that false teaching in very short order in this second letter to the Thessalonian Church.

2Thess 2:2 that you may not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.

The “day of the Lord” refers to the Bowls of Wrath judgments (Rev 16) and the Battle of Armageddon (Rev 19). The “day of the Lord” comes after the Anti-Christ is revealed. Verses like 2 Thess 2:2, 3  make a lot more sense if there is a sequential ordering of the events in the Revelation.

2Thess 2:3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,

See Rev 9:11 about Abaddon, the Destroyer…. aka… The Beast.

2Thess 2:4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.  The abomination of desolation.

2Thess 2:5 Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things?

2Thess 2:6 And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he may be revealed.

2Thess 2:7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. there may be a “sentry angel” guarding the abyss door

2Thess 2:8 And then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming;

2Thess 2:9 that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders,

2Thess 2:10 and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.

2Thess 2:11 And for this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they might believe what is false,

2Thess 2:12 in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.

In 2 Thessalonians 2, Paul makes it clear that the event referred to as “the day of the Lord” has to take place after the Anti-Christ is revealed and the Abomination of Desolation has taken place. Verses 2, 3 and 4 make that placement explicit… no blanks are left to be filled in. That’s why I think the “day of the Lord” is the 7 Bowls of Wrath (starting in December, 2012) and the Battle of Armageddon (Spring or Summer 2016) rather than the whole time period of the Tribulation. Since the Beast is not actually “formed” and politically empowered (revealed vs. 8) until 2012 before the middle of the Tribulation, the entire 7 year time period of the Tribulation cannot be included as “the day of the Lord”.

1Timothy 4:1 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,

1Tim 4:2 by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron,

REV 17:7 And the angel said to me, “Why do you wonder? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.

The seven heads would be the seven surviving administrators and ten horns would be the ten administrative sections of the New World Order.

Dan 11:36 ¶ “Then the king will do as he pleases, and he will exalt and magnify himself above every god, and will speak monstrous things against the God of gods; and he will prosper until the indignation is finished, for that which is decreed will be done.

Dan 11:37 “And he will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the desire of women, nor will he show regard for any other god; for he will magnify himself above them all.

Dan 11:38 “But instead he will honor a god of fortresses, a god whom his fathers did not know; he will honor him with gold, silver, costly stones, and treasures.

Dan 11:39 “And he will take action against the strongest of fortresses with the help of a foreign god; he will give great honor to those who acknowledge him, and he will cause them to rule over the many, and will parcel out land for a price.

The Nature of “the Beast”

REV 17:8 ¶ “The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come.

As a fallen angel, Abaddon “was” … i.e. … used to be out and about; and “is not”… now (in pre-Tribulation days) he is confined in the abyss or bottomless pit; and “is about to come up out of the abyss”… be let out of the abyss by Satan (the fallen angel with the keys to the abyss; see Rev 9:1 – 11; and 11:7); “and go to destruction”… be thrown into the lake of fire (Rev 19:20, 20:10, 20:14).

REV 17:9 “Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits,

REV 17:10 “and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while.

1.) Assyria, 2.) Babylon, 3.) Media, 4.) Persia, 5.) Greece, 6.) Rome, 7.) New World Order/ Babylon

REV 17:11 “The beast which was and is not, is himself also an eighth and is one of the seven, and he goes to destruction.

Some writers think the reference to seven mountains could be talking about Rome, which is known for being a city set on seven hills. But the seven mountains (17:9) are used to indicate seven prominent kingdoms in history as well as their kings (17:10)… a view across time/history future. At the time John writes down the Revelation five of the kingdoms have already faded into history. One kingdom is operational during John’s time (Rome) and one kingdom (“10 something”) has not yet arrived which will be the basis of the Beast’s empire. Verse 17:11 is the key verse to understanding the nature of “the Beast” or the Anti-Christ. The only way that the verse could be true is if there is a switch of souls within the body of the political leader who is assassinated. He dies as a man but is resurrected as “the Beast”. That way he can be one of the seven (kingdoms) and also an eighth…. “is himself also an eighth”… is himself (soul) “an eighth”. He reigns for 3½ years and is thrown into the Lake of Fire after the Battle of Armageddon. See notes following Rev 13:1, 13:3 and 13:6.

Rev 9:1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him.  God gives the key to the abyss to Satan

Rev 9:2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit.

Rev 9:11 They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon.

down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.

Dan 7:8 “While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth uttering great boasts.

The Beast comes to power by subduing three of the ten leaders of the European Economic Union… “three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it”… conquered (or assassinated)… forcibly. The rest of the heads of state (area administrators) decide to cast their lots in with the Beast rather than face possible execution like their three deposed comrades. Abaddon is a rough opponent.

Daniel 11 (below) is a panoramic chapter of prophecy. It literally spans over 2500 years. From verse 6 to verse 20 it seems to be referring to Antiochus Epiphanes but starting with verse 21 there is a shift in time and person reference to the Tribulation era time zone. We could place this chapter under Rev 13:15 above but the ending of the activities of the Beast in the Battle of Armageddon can also place it here. By putting both sets of descriptions together the combined information fills in a good deal of the background on the person and the political regime of the Beast.

Dan 11:21 “And in his place a despicable person will arise, on whom the honor of kingship has not been conferred, but he will come in a time of tranquility and seize the kingdom by intrigue.

Dan 11:22 “And the overflowing forces will be flooded away before him and shattered, and also the prince of the covenant.

Dan 11:23 “And after an alliance is made with him he will practice deception, and he will go up and gain power with a small force of people.

Dan 11:24 “In a time of tranquility he will enter the richest parts of the realm, and he will accomplish what his fathers never did, nor his ancestors; he will distribute plunder, booty, and possessions among them, and he will devise his schemes against strongholds, but only for a time.

Dan 11:25 “And he will stir up his strength and courage against the king of the South with a large army; so the king of the South will mobilize an extremely large and mighty army for war; but he will not stand, for schemes will be devised against him.

In this chapter of Daniel, the King of the South seems to be the ruler of Egypt. Back during the days after the death of Alexander the Great, that would have been Ptolemy I.

Dan 11:26 “And those who eat his choice food will destroy him, and his army will overflow, but many will fall down slain.

Dan 11:27 “As for both kings, their hearts will be intent on evil, and they will speak lies to each other at the same table; but it will not succeed, for the end is still to come at the appointed time.

Dan 11:28 “Then he will return to his land with much plunder; but his heart will be set against the holy covenant, and he will take action and then return to his own land.

Dan 11:29 ¶ “At the appointed time he will return and come into the South, but this last time it will not turn out the way it did before.

My best guess is that the political leader comes back on this campaign as “the Beast”

Dan 11:30 “For ships of Kittim will come against him; therefore he will be disheartened, and will return and become enraged at the holy covenant and take action; so he will come back and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant.

Kittim was the old name for the island of Cyprus.

Dan 11:31 “And forces from him will arise, desecrate the sanctuary fortress, and do away with the regular sacrifice. And they will set up the abomination of desolation.

The abomination of desolation (Daniel 11:31) refers to the desecration done by Antiochus Epiphanes as well as the Beast in 2012 but is very strongly suggestive of the Beast… “they will set up the abomination of desolation”. That sounds like the set up of the idol of the Beast in the newly constructed temple in Jerusalem.

Dan 11:32 “And by smooth words he will turn to godlessness those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will display strength and take action.

Dan 11:33 “And those who have insight among the people will give understanding to the many; yet they will fall by sword and by flame, by captivity and by plunder, for many days.

Dan 11:34 “Now when they fall they will be granted a little help, and many will join with them in hypocrisy.

Dan 11:35 “And some of those who have insight will fall, in order to refine, purge, and make them pure, until the end time; because it is still to come at the appointed time.

Dan 11:37 “And he will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the desire of women, nor will he show regard for any other god; for he will magnify himself above them all.

Dan 11:38 “But instead he will honor a god of fortresses, a god whom his fathers did not know; he will honor him with gold, silver, costly stones, and treasures.

Dan 12:1 “Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued.

Verse 12:1 refers to the Wormwood / Bowls of Wrath judgments that fall on Earth in December, 2012 and January, 2013 just after the 3½ year midpoint of the Tribulation.

Dan 12:2 “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.

Dan 12:3 “And those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

Dan 12:4 “But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase.”

With jet airlines, computers, scientific advances and Internet, verse 12:4 describes our modern age pretty accurately.

Dan 12:5 ¶ Then I, Daniel, looked and behold, two others were standing, one on this bank of the river, and the other on that bank of the river.

Dan 12:6 And one said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long will it be until the end of these wonders?”

Dan 12:7 And I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time; and as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed.

The on-going fight between the Beast’s regime on one side and the Jews and Tribulation saints (those who “hold to the testimony of Jesus”) on the other side continues throughout the 3½ year reign of the Beast. Just when it looks like he has won the battle to subdue God’s people, he loses the Battle of Armageddon. Then Christ cleans house and sets up the Millennial Kingdom.

Dan 12:8 As for me, I heard but could not understand; so I said, “My lord, what will be the outcome of these events?”

Actually, the answer to this question is verse 12:13 below. Also note how Daniel asks exactly the correct question but the answer that is given to him is veiled so that he may not really

have understood the full meaning of what he is told. Other prophets got other parts of the story but no one prophet got it all. By aggregating the various prophecies, the additional information helps to fill out the picture.

Dan 12:9 And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time.

Throughout the Church Age writers have commented on how hard it has been to understand the Book of Revelation and these Old Testament prophecies. As we get closer to that time period, they should make more and more sense… at least I hope so.

Dan 12:10 “Many will be purged, purified and refined; but the wicked will act wickedly, and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand.

Dan 12:11 “And from the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.

Once again: 365 x 3½ = 1277½ days. The 1290 days is 12 more days than the 3½ years worth of days but still pretty close. That might be to allow the preparations for the Battle of Armageddon. It takes a while to get all the troops moved into position. The Battle per se doesn’t take very long once things get started. In a few minutes it’s all over and Christ wins big time! Then verse 12 below indicates the time it takes the Lord to bring judgment to the evil survivors, initial healing to the Earth’s ecology and set up his Millennial Kingdom… about 45 days.

Dan 12:12 “How blessed is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1,335 days!

The Lord doesn’t waste time getting things rolling in the right direction with His new government.

Dan 12:13 “But as for you, go your way to the end; then you will enter into rest and rise again for your allotted portion at the end of the age.”

Again, see the previous comments following Rev 12:6.