The Antichrist Part 3

The Church will be able to identify the Antichrist

This study on the Antichrist is lengthy, so it has been divided up into three blogs. As the blog is aimed at covering the scriptures related to the Antichrist and enabling believers to be able to identify the Antichrist on his rise to power, not completing all three blogs will severely limit the individual’s knowledge on the subject and their ability to identify the “man of sin.”

The index below will assist the reader in identifying the topics covered in the three separate blogs:

Index

Part 1 The Church will be able to identify the Antichrist

Introduction
Mystery Religion
The identity of the Antichrist
Putting the pieces together
The Antichrist must be Jewish
The Antichrist will worship the Queen of Heaven
His name will have significance

Part 2 The Church will be able to identify the Antichrist continued

The Antichrist will be of African descent
The Queen of Sheba
Menelik
How did Judaism come to Ethiopia?
Other criteria required by the Jews for their Messiah
The significance of the Ark for the Jews
The nationality of the Antichrist
The Antichrist will be the Muslim Mahdi

Part 3 The Church will be able to identify the Antichrist Continued

The links between Catholics and Islam
The spirit of Nimrod is the spirit of the Antichrist
Biblical types of the Antichrist
The number of his name is 666
Summary of the Antichrist – A checklist
Conclusion

The Antichrist will be the Muslim Mahdi

Islam has its messiah figure anointed by Allah to be leader, the Mahdi, which means “the awaited One” or “The Lord of The Age.” He is referred to as the 12^th Imam (the last Caliph) by Shi’ite Muslims. The million-dollar question is: Will the Muslim expectation of their Mahdi match the biblical Antichrist? For the Antichrist to become a world ruler and unite world religions into one faith, he must first lay claim to being the Jewish Messiah and the Mahdi. This blog will look at the evidence that will contribute to the acceptance by Muslims of the Antichrist as their Mahdi.

The Quran is not a new revelation. The Islamic faith developed from Judaism and Christianity. Mohammed lived in Mecca, a cosmopolitan city, and in his travels as a trader he would have heard end-time stories from both Jews and Christians, which he incorporated into his new religion. So it is of no surprise that there are parallels in end-times belief between the Bible and Islamic scriptures. To analyse the end-times beliefs of Muslims, however, is not an easy task as there is very little end-times prophecy in the Quran. Most of the literature on end times can be found in the Hadiths, which are a written record of oral traditions, a compilation of what Mohammed was supposed to have said and done, which were written down by Muslim scholars some 150 to 200 years after his death. An example of this is a quote recorded in the Hadith of Mohammed referring to the Mahdi: “The world will not come to an end until the Arabs are ruled by a man from my family whose name is the same as mine and whose father’s name is the same as my father’s.“ (Sunan Abi Dawud: 11:370).

A number of end-times analysts reject the idea that the Antichrist will be accepted as the Mahdi by the Muslim world on the grounds that the two main Islamic groups have contradictory views on the Mahdi. The Sunni’s believe in a Mahdi that is yet to come, and the Shi’ites believe he has already been and will reappear at the appropriate time as the 12th Imam. So, these end-times analysts believe that the two groups are irreconcilable, stating that the Sunnis will reject the Shi’ites’ 12^th Imam and the Shi’ites will reject the Sunni Mahdi. What these critics forget is that Satan is the father of lies, the power behind all false religions and he will be able to give dreams and visions, perform signs and wonders, conjure up evidence and do whatever is necessary to confirm his messiah as the true Muslim Mahdi.

There are other factors from the legends of the Shi’ite imam that Satan will be able to use to convince the Shi’ites that the Antichrist is their Mahdi. The Shi’ites believe that the mother of the Mahdi was a black woman of Nubian origin (an area neighbouring Ethiopia) and that she had a vision of Mary and Fatima who convinced her to convert to Islam (1). This has remarkable significance for a man claiming to be the Messiah/Mahdi, who has a black Ethiopian mother and is using Mary, the queen of heaven as a means to unite world religions.

There is also the understanding by Muslims that the Mahdi/Imam will fulfil certain major criteria. Fulfilment of these criteria by the Antichrist will unify the Muslims. Below is the link between expectations of Muslims for their Mahdi and the Antichrist.

The attributes of the Mahdi/12^th Imam that resemble the Antichrist:

He will descend from Mohammed: With a Jewish mother from the line of David the Antichrist will be able to have an Arab father who is a descendant of the prophet Mohammed.
He will unite and reform the Muslims: One of the criteria of the Jews for their Messiah is that he unites Jews and brings them back to the worship of Jehovah. This will also occur in the Arab nations, with the different Islamic sects being unified under the rule of the Antichrist. Both groups will become united in their belief that their Messiah/Mahdi has finally appeared and brought peace to a region that has had so much conflict for so long.
He will suddenly appear at the end of time in Mecca: A journey to Mecca for talks, as part of the planning for the seven-year peace treaty between the Arabs and the Jews, will be a simple thing for the Antichrist to arrange.
He will rule from Jerusalem for seven years: This is the time period predicted in Daniel 9:24-27 for the length of the Tribulation. The Catholic Church has always wanted control of Jerusalem and there is little doubt that the Antichrist will make Jerusalem his capital after the treaty is signed. Jerusalem is the ideal location as a holy site for both Arabs and Jews.
He will eradicate all tyranny and oppression and bring in a time of peace: This fulfils the biblical requirements for the Antichrist “confirming a covenant with many” in Daniel 9:27. This “covenant” will be between the Arabs and the Jews which will finally bring ‘peace’ to the region.
He will reveal the location of the Ark of the Covenant: Satan knows the true location of the lost Ark, so for him to guide the Antichrist to it will be a simple thing. If the Ark is in Ethiopia, as many people believe, the Antichrist, being of Ethiopian descent, will be a major asset in his ability to secure possession of the Ark from the Ethiopians, who have guarded it jealously for many years. The finding of the Ark and restoring it to its rightful place in Jerusalem will not only fulfil an expectation of the Arab world, but will convince the Jews of his anointed position as their Messiah. At the start of the exile of the Jews to Babylon, the Ark of the Covenant disappeared and has never been found. The “Holy of Holies” in the post-exile Temple was left completely empty, and it was said that the reappearance of the Ark would be the sign that precedes the end of days (2 Maccabees 2:4-8).
From the Ark he will produce the true scriptures: This criterion is an open-ended invitation for the Antichrist to produce any document he wants to back his position as Messiah/Mahdi. The Antichrist may well use this belief to produce “scriptures” that link world religions to the queen of heaven.
Some will deny the accuracy of the true scriptures and be beheaded: This expectation is carried out by the false prophet on those who do not worship the image of the Antichrist, which is recorded in Rev. 13:14-15. No doubt this fulfilment of the criteria required for the Mahdi will encourage any undecided Arabs to quickly change their minds and accept the mark of the beast.
The world will love him: This matches the description of the Antichrist in Revelation 13:3 “The whole world was astonished and followed the beast.” The world will be amazed at this charismatic character and he will be greatly loved and admired for his achievements.
He will receive guidance, knowledge, and supernatural powers from ‘Allah’: Many will assume the miracles that he performs through the power given him by Satan (Rev. 13:4), are gifts from God. The Muslims will, therefore, also assume his directions and instructions are also from Allah.
Jesus is a messenger who will help the Mahdi: Jesus (Isa), according to Islam, did not die on the cross. In fact, they believe that he never experienced death. He is also, according to Islam, not the son of God but merely a prophet. The false prophet (the second beast of Rev. 13) will assume the role of “helper” of the Antichrist. He will be a prophet who points to the Antichrist as the long-awaited Messiah/Mahdi. Revelation 13:14 states that the second beast is given power by the first beast to deceive the inhabitants of the earth. The False Prophet will be seen as another Jesus.
He will have many close friends, including Elijah: This also alludes to the False Prophet, as in Revelation 13:13 he is able to bring fire down from heaven, a miracle performed by Elijah (2 Kings 1:10). This feat by him will also be confirmation for the Jews that he is Elijah, and also be further confirmation for them that the Antichrist is their long-awaited Messiah. As Elijah did not die but was taken up to be with God in a chariot of fire (2 Kings 2:11), and according to the Quran Jesus did not die, the Muslim world could see the False Prophet as the third manifestation of the same man.
He will be charismatic: A trait also attributed to the Antichrist by his ability to bring about a peace treaty to end Middle East conflict.
He will fill the world with peace and justice: The Antichrist will bring about three and a half years of peace after the signing of the peace treaty between Arab nations and Israel (Dan. 9:27).
He will be rich: Becoming the Pope will make the Antichrist the richest man in the world, possessing greater material riches “than any other single institution, corporation, bank, giant trust, government or state of the whole globe” (2). For the Antichrist to use some of the vast financial resources of the Vatican for philanthropic purposes will prove not only his great wealth, but cement him in the hearts of the world as a charitable leader to be greatly admired. This could be a reason why Satan has had the Catholic Church hoard so much wealth for so many centuries, in contradiction to scripture. It will enable the Antichrist to fund any cause that will further his ambition.

Many may question how the Muslims will accept the idea of following the queen of heaven. The Antichrist has to convince the Islamic world to accept that the counterfeit Mary rules in heaven with Allah. As we have already discussed, the spiritual strongholds of the queen of heaven still exist around the world, including the Middle East. Islam holds Mary in High esteem, the Qur’an in Surah 3.042 says “Behold! The angels said: ‘O Mary! Allah hath chosen thee and purified thee – chosen thee above the women of all nations.’” (emphasis added). Mary is already within the Qur’an the mother above all mothers.

The Qur’an also says that Mary and her son are for a “sign” (Surahs 21:91-93; 41:53 & 54:1-2) and that Muslims the world over will be given signs that they will recognise before the end of the world. Visions of Mary will be the key to uniting Islam with the Roman Catholic Church. As recorded in the blog on Mary Worship, there has been a growing number of apparitions of Mary. The genesis of this for Islam was the vision of Mary over Fatima in Spain on 13 October, 1917. Fatima was the favourite daughter of Mohammed and she is considered second only to Mary among women in heaven. So, the appearance of Mary over Fatima, a town named after Mohammed’s daughter, was an important sign for the unification of Islam with Catholicism. The fact that this is a belief firmly held by the Catholic Church is confirmed by the following quotes from leading Catholics:

“Before the second coming of Christ, Mary must, more than ever, shine… in order to bring unbelievers into the Catholic faith… Mary will extend the reign of Christ over the heathens and Mohammedans…” “Saint” Mary a 17^th-century Catholic mystic (3).
“Missionaries… among the Muslims will be successful in the measures that they preach Our Lady of Fatima.” Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen (1895-1979) (4).
“… [Islam]… will eventually be converted to Christianity…through a summoning of the Muslims to a veneration of the Mother of God.” Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen (1895-1979) (5).

The Catholic Mary is often depicted with 12 stars around her head and standing on a crescent moon. This is taken from Revelation 12, where a woman gives birth to a child that a dragon seeks to devour. The Catholics say this is a description of Mary giving birth to Jesus and Satan seeks to destroy the baby. The crescent moon is the symbol of Islam and the 12 stars represent the 12 tribes of Israel. The Catholic Mary will be seen as the very symbol of the peace treaty between the Arabs and the Jews.

However, the woman in Revelation 12 is not Mary. The correct interpretation of this scripture is that the woman is the nation of Israel. The woman is depicted with the sun, moon, and stars, which is how Joseph in his dream saw his family. His father was symbolised as the sun, his mother as the moon and his 11 brothers and himself as stars (Gen. 37:9). Revelation 12 is confirming that the nation Israel produced the Messiah, using the symbolism of Joseph’s dream. Verse 6 has the woman fleeing into the desert to avoid the persecution of the dragon. The Catholics have difficulty explaining how Mary fits into this scripture.

The Antichrist as head of the ecumenical church will bring peace to the Middle East as prophesied by Daniel, and through this achievement, he will be recognised by the Jews as their Messiah, and the Muslim world as the Mahdi. In succeeding at uniting the world’s three monotheistic faiths, the Antichrist will have no problem being accepted by eastern religions as a “Christ” figure.

_{(1) Moezzi, Amir. Islam in Iran vii. The Concept of Mahdi in Twelver Shi’ism. Encyclopaedia Iranica. pp. 136–143}

_{(2) Manhattan, Avro. The Vatican Billions. Chick Publications, 1983.}

_{(3) Daniels, David W. Babylon Religion. Chick Publications, 2006}

_{(4) Daniels, David W. Babylon Religion. Chick Publications, 2006}

_{(5) Daniels, David W. Babylon Religion. Chick Publications, 2006}

THE LINKS BETWEEN CATHOLICISM AND ISLAM

Besides the obvious similarities between Islam and Catholicism, that they both believe that there is a one true God who is the final judge of all, there are links between the two faiths that are not as well known:

Prayers: The prayers of the two faiths have many similarities; they both say repetitive rote prayers as a form of duty rather than having an intimate conversation with their god. The Muslims will say their prayers, a requirement to avoid punishment for neglecting the responsibility. Catholics will repeat the rosary chanting 16 “Our Father’s” and 153 “Hail Marys.” The rosary is associated with discipline meted out as a self-punishment by the priest at the confessional.
Prayer beads: Prayer beads have pagan origins and both faiths have adopted the tradition of “thumbing beads” as a form of prayer.
Pilgrimages: Both Catholics and Muslims regard pilgrimages as a duty and as a way of obtaining favour from their god. For Muslims a sacred duty is the Hadj, a journey to Mecca that must be completed at least once in their lifetime, and is one of the five pillars of Islam.For the Catholics, a pilgrimage can be to the Vatican, Jerusalem or one of the many hundreds of shrines to Mary around the world. The pilgrimage is associated with devoutness and religious purification. As both faiths have a doctrine of works for salvation, pilgrimages are a means of “earning points” for entry into heaven.
Death in religious battle honoured: Because of the repeated acts of suicide bombings in the world today, it has become well known that Muslims believe that martyrdom for a religious cause earns entry into paradise. Death in a holy war (Jihad) is an automatic pass to heaven for the Muslim. What is not well known is that the Catholic Church also used the incentive of an automatic pass to heaven to encourage men to fight in the Crusades. A full pardon from purgatory was granted for those who died in battle for the liberation of the Holy Land from the Muslims.
Veneration of Mary: The most dominant link between the two faiths, and the link the Antichrist will use to unify the two beliefs, is the veneration of Mary. We have already discussed how Mary has come to replace Jesus in the Catholic Church as their saviour. Few know that she is also highly esteemed in the Quran and is the most revered woman of the Muslim faith, even more so than Mohammed’s favourite daughter Fatima. A chapter in the Quran called the Surah Maryam is named after Mary. The Quran states, regarding Mary, that “Allah has chosen thee; he has made thee exempt from all stain.” Muslims believe that Mohammed, on entry into heaven, chose Mary as his first wife. It is also no coincidence that the most important apparition of Mary occurred at a town in Spain named after Fatima, Mohammed’s favourite daughter. This links the two faiths to Mary. Pope John Paul II had the statue of Mary moved from Fatima in Spain to the Vatican, and it was before this statue that he gave thanks to Mary for saving his life from the assassin’s bullet. There have been many apparitions of Mary around the world. The most famous ones are the appearances at Fatima in Spain, Lourdes in France, Medjugorje in Bosnia, and Guadalupe in Mexico. Recently there has been a vast increase in the number of Mary apparitions being reported in the Muslim world. The dominant theme of her message is that all religions worship the same god and it is man who is causing the problem. In saying this, the Catholic Mary is opening her arms to all faiths and identifying Catholicism as the End-Time, unifying, false religion. As was indicated in the blog on Mary, Ashtoreth the Phoenician and Canaan moon god is an alter-ego of the original queen of heaven, Semiramis. The Catholic Mary – another alter ego of Semiramis – is often depicted either standing on a crescent moon or with a crescent moon on her forehead. The symbol of Islam is the crescent moon. This was the symbol of the worship of the moon god in Arabian culture and elsewhere throughout the Middle East. The strong symbolic link of Mary to the moon god and the symbol of the crescent moon cannot be ignored.

Anti-Semitism: Both the Catholic Church and Islam share a long history of anti-Semitism, and of slaughtering Jews.
Fasting: Both Catholicism and Islam require compulsory fasting.
Salvation is by works: Both the Roman Catholic Church and Islam have a doctrine of works, where salvation is based on a complicated system of rules and regulations the individual must follow. Both religions deny salvation by faith alone. This means there is no assurance of salvation, and followers can never be sure they have done enough to gain access to heaven. The doctrine of works ties the individual to the organisations, as they believe that leaving the religion will result in eternal damnation.
Paganism: Both religions have doctrines based on paganism. The pagan aspects of Catholicism have already been covered in the blog Paganism in the Roman Catholic Church. Regarding paganism within Islam, Wikipedia’s explanation on the pagan origins of Islam is that “Islam is a monotheistic bastardisation of the pre-Islamic polytheistic religion followed by the inhabitants of 7^th century Arabia. Its pagan heritage is clearly evident.” (1). In Mecca prior to the time of Mohammed, Hubal the moon god was the Lord of the Kabba and a dominant god in the pantheon of gods. Hubal eventually became known as al-iah, which was the generic reference meaning “the god” in Arabic. Over time the name was shortened to Allah. The most common symbol of pagan moon worship was the crescent moon, and so it is not surprising that Islam has the crescent moon as it dominant symbol. After his conquest of Mecca, Muhammad kept almost all the rituals of the pagan worship by the Arabs at the Kabba and adapted the practices to fit his new monotheistic religion. The pagan practices and veneration of the Kabba stone have been retained by Islam. The black stone is built into the Kabba, and the Muslim pilgrims perform an anti-clockwise ritual procession around the Kabba, whereas in pre-Islamic times pagans performed the same circular walk around the Kabba to please the moon god. The pilgrims to Mecca wear white robes which are the same type as those used by the pagans. Pagans, on circling the Kabba, called out the names of their pagan gods, while today Muslims circling the Kabba will call out the name of Allah. Also, the Pagans would run between the nearby hills, and Muhammad, in the Quran, instructs Muslims to do the same. Other practices such as praying five times a day towards Mecca and the Hajj (pilgrimage) were practiced by pagans and adopted without change into Islam.

No Atonement: Both Islam and Catholicism deny the Biblical view of the Atonement. They are both works-based doctrines. According to the Roman Catholic Church the work of Jesus on the cross merely opened the door to purgatory, so people at death must go to purgatory to have their sins cleansed. The time spent in purgatory will depend on how good a Catholic they were in life, as obedience to the traditions of the church is rewarded with less time in purgatory. The Muslims have to obey the rules and regulations of Islam and they never know if they have ever done enough to enter paradise. That will only be revealed on Judgement day.
Holy Capitals: Both religions have a “holy” headquarters which are the centre of their faiths. For the Roman Catholic, it is the Vatican in which the Pope resides, and for the Muslim it is Mecca, where the sacred Kabba stone is situated.
State in union with religion: Both religions believe in the union of the state with the religion, which requires that the state must ensure that the nation obeys the religious laws.
Force is justified: Roman Catholics, with the crusades, conquistadors and inquisitions, have used force to ensure the spread of Roman Catholicism and to ensure that it remained the dominant religion. The Muslims have also successfully used force to spread Islam, with Muslim hordes conquering the Middle East and North Africa for Allah. In Islam a “jihad” is a holy war against unbelievers. Mohammed clearly taught and practiced the ideal that force is an acceptable tool in extending the realm of Islam.
They worship the same god: Roman Catholicism recognises Allah as the God of the Bible. In 1985, Pope John Paul II declared to an enraptured audience of thousands of Muslim youths, “Christians and Muslims, we have many things in common as believers and as human beings… We believe in the same God, the one and only God, the living God…” (2). An action by Pope John Paul II that confirms this statement occurred in 2004. While the Pope was visiting Iraq he was presented a copy of the Quran, and on receiving the copy he lifted it to his lips and kissed it. Likewise, Pope Francis has declared that the “Koran and the Bible are the same” (July 24, 2015). There are also, as previously mentioned, the many apparitions of Mary around the world reinforcing the ideology that Catholics and Muslims serve the same god.
Dress code for women: There is little to distinguish between the extremely conservative dress codes for Muslim women and that which nuns are required to wear in the Roman Catholic Church.

The deception: Both Pope John Paul II and the apparitions of Mary have emphasised a broad road to salvation, stating that Catholics and Muslims worship the same god. The Apostle Paul warned the Corinthian Church of the deceptive power behind false doctrines, that have an appearance of goodness, “for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14). The idea that all men can come to a knowledge of God through their own special uninhibited way may sound marvellous and like the true doctrine of a god of love. But it is a cunning lie designed by Satan to see man condemned to a separation from God, as this belief has discounted the sacrificial work of Jesus. The recognition of God’s wonderful provision for our sins, with Jesus dying in our stead, is the only way of salvation. Any miracle or apparition that leads away from God’s grace through Jesus, is a doctrine of demons (1 Tim. 4:1-2), and will eventually lead to a one-world false religion that rejects the salvation of Jesus.

Unfortunately, people, and especially Christians in the charismatic movement, are not testing the spirit against scripture and are drawn to the fake miracles and apparitions which they see as powerful evidence of the truth. When you reject the truth you believe a lie.

What, then, are the implications? There is a clear connection between the Catholic Church and the Muslim faith which cannot be ignored. Islam and Catholicism are two of the most dominant religions in the world today, with 56 countries having a majority Muslim population and 49 countries having a majority of Catholics in their population. With the common links between the two religions, the spiritual deception of the Antichrist will be able to unify the two religions. He will thus have an enormous power base in which to influence world affairs and dominate world opinion.

_{(1) Pagan Origins of Islam: http://wikiislam.net/wiki/The_Pagan_Origins_of_Islam (15/03/13)}

_{(2) Catholicism & Islam: Ties that Bind. http://www.reachingcatholics.org (15/03/13)}

THE SPIRIT OF NIMROD IS THE SPIRIT OF THE ANTICHRIST

In Revelation 17 the angel explains to John that “the beast, which you saw, once was, now is not and will come up out of the abyss and go to his destruction.” (17:8). The beast that John saw “once was” in the form of Nimrod who was, with his wife Semiramis, the instigator of the one-world government and one-world religion, which they formed in rebellion against God. Nimrod lived before the time of Abraham, so he would have died long before John wrote the book of Revelation in AD 95. Therefore, “now is not” was a very appropriate description of Nimrod at that time.

However, the demonic power that was behind the rebellion of Nimrod against God (the mystery of iniquity), is rising up in these last days and be the power that propels the Antichrist to being the leader of a future one-world government and religion. In the blog on Mary worship, a comparison was made between Semiramis and queen Jezebel, and it was shown how the spirit that was behind Semiramis becoming the master planner behind the formation of the Babylonian religion, was the same spirit Jezebel yielded to, in her enforcing the Babylonian teachings into the Kingdom of Israel’s society. Nimrod was also a part of the genesis of the Mystery of iniquity and this rebellious spirit has also not lain dormant through history waiting for the rise of the Antichrist. Nimrod was not the first man to rebel against God, but he was the first to openly blaspheme God, arrogantly placing himself on the same level as God, and leading mankind in a false religion. Therefore just as Satan was the force behind Nimrod’s rebellion, so too will the rise of the Antichrist as the beast be through the direction and empowerment of Satan. The spirit of Rebellion with which Satan imbued Nimrod – a pre-Christ, antichrist spirit – has, like the spirit of Semiramis, been passed on to others. Men, because of this spirit, have in turn become antichrist figures. However, it will be only the Antichrist who will be able to exceed the evil of Nimrod in succeeding to establish a one-world government, one-world economy and a one-world religion.

Just as God used Sargon and Nebuchadnezzar – kings over the land of Nimrod who were empowered by the mystery of iniquity – as tools of His judgement upon the Jews, so too will God use the Antichrist, the Pontifex Maximus from spiritual Babylon, the city of Rome, as His tool to create conditions on earth that will bring the judgement of God upon mankind.

In the table below is a list that shows the links between Nimrod and the Antichrist, and which gives credence to the Antichrist being the continuation of the beast that “once was” in Revelation 17:8.

NIMROD	ANTICHRIST
The name Nimrod means Rebel.	The Antichrist is also a rebel; Paul refers to him as the “lawless one” in 2 Thess. 2:8.
Nimrod is repeatedly described as being mighty (Gen. 10:8-9; 1 Chron. 1:10). He was an imposing figure; his rebellion against God was a major accomplishment by Satan.	The Antichrist will have a mighty influence on the world. He will be an imposing figure; his rebellion against God will be a major accomplishment by Satan.
Nimrod unifies man into a one-world government, under his authority (Gen. 10:10; 11:4-6).	The Antichrist unifies man into a one-world government, under his authority, Daniel refers to him as a King (Dan. 11:36).
Nimrod was Black, the son of Cush, who was the father of the Ethiopians (Gen. 10:8; 1 Chron. 1:10).	The Antichrist will be black, with a link to David through the “black Jews” of Ethiopia.
Nimrod was a hunter of men, seeking to dominate and control them (Gen. 10:9)	The Antichrist will be a hunter of men, seeking to dominate and control them (Rev. 13:4&7).
Nimrod was an arrogant man, inheriting the sin of his “father,” Satan – Pride (Gen. 10:9; 1 Chron. 1:10).	The Antichrist will be an extremely arrogant man who will inherit the sin of his “father,” Satan – Pride (Dan. 7:20).
Nimrod was a contemptible person who, being filled with a hatred of God, sought to deceive mankind.	The Antichrist will be a contemptible person (Dan. 11:21) who, being filled with a hatred of God, will seek to deceive mankind and persecute believers (Rev. 13:5-8).
Nimrod was greatly used and empowered by Satan in his rebellion against God; he was a son of perdition.	The Antichrist is called the son of perdition by Paul in 2 Thess. 2:3 (KJV), and will be greatly used and empowered by Satan.
Nimrod organised a revolt against Jehovah (Gen. 11:1-9).	The Antichrist will organise a revolt against God (Dan. 11:37-39).
Nimrod lived in the city of Babylon (Gen. 10:10)	The Antichrist will live in Mystery Babylon – Rome (Rev. 17:3-9; Isa. 14:4).
Nimrod lived in Mesopotamia, the area of modern Syria/Iraq – “the land of Nimrod,” which becomes the centre of rebellion against God.	The Antichrist will live in the area of Syria/Iraq (Dan. 8:8-9), before eventually moving to Rome (Rev. 17:3-9), which is the centre of rebellion against God in the modern age.
The mystery of iniquity started with Nimrod – Man’s complete rebellion against God militarily, politically, financially and spiritually.	The mystery of iniquity (2 Thes. 2:7) will reach its peak during the tribulation, with the Antichrist leading a complete rebellion against God.
Nimrod brought a false peace to mankind (Gen. 11:1-9)	The Antichrist will “confirm a covenant with many for one week (Daniel 9:27),” which will introduce a time of false peace.
Nimrod started a one-world religion (Genesis 10:10; 11:4-6).	The Antichrist will require the world to worship the whore of Babylon (Dan. 11:38; Rev.17:3-8).
Nimrod was therefore a self-proclaimed king, high priest, and messianic figure.	The Antichrist will be a king, a high priest, and a messianic figure (Dan. 11:36; Rev. 17:3-8).
Nimrod was a mighty warrior and great military leader, (Gen. 10:8; 1 Chron. 1:10).	The Antichrist will be a great military leader (Dan. 11:39-44; Rev. 13:4-5; 19:19).
Nimrod’s religion becomes dominated by the worship of the queen of heaven, Semiramis.	The Antichrist’s religion will be dominated by the worship of the queen of heaven, Mary (Dan. 11:38; Rev. 17:3-8).
Nimrod’s religion holds the ideology that man can become god, and Nimrod was considered a god.	The Antichrist will call himself god, and erect a statue of himself in the Temple. (Dan. 9:27; Rev. 13:14-15; 2 Thess. 2:4).
Nimrod was referred to as “the god that came from the sea” – arriving in Mesopotamia sailing up the Persian gulf by boat.	The Antichrist is referred to as “a beast coming out of the sea” in Revelation 13:1.
God came down to earth to judge the people of Babylon (Gen. 11:7).	Jesus will descend from heaven to earth to judge the people of the world (Rev. 19:11-21).
Nimrod meets an early end.	The Antichrist is doomed to destruction (2 Thess. 2:3; Rev. 19:20).

BIBLICAL TYPES OF THE ANTICHRIST

Just as Jesus was typified by many Old Testament characters such as Isaac, Joseph, Moses and David, so too has the Antichrist. The types and shadows of the Antichrist in scripture are extremely useful tools in discerning his character and actions. We have seen that Nimrod and the Antichrist are clearly linked, and that the link reveals a large amount of information regarding the identity of the Antichrist. The study of Antiochus Epiphanes as a historical type of the Antichrist also revealed much information regarding his future character and actions; it is therefore a worthwhile exercise to look at some other Biblical types of the Antichrist and use that information to reinforce our study on the person and identity of “the man of sin.”

Just as the spirit of Elijah has manifested in men through time, so has the spirit of Nimrod. Examples of men in scripture who have in some way displayed the spirit of Nimrod are: Pharaoh, Goliath, Absalom, Nebuchadnezzar and Herod. An analysis of these men’s lives as recorded in the Bible reveals evidence of their antichrist spirit:

Pharaoh:

Filled with pride and arrogance.
Hatred of the Jews.
He was worshipped as a god.
He relied on sorcery.
He received numerous judgements because of a hard heart.

Goliath:

Filled with pride and arrogance.
Hatred of the Jews.
Had military power, but was killed by David, a type of Jesus.
Blasphemed the God of Israel.

Absalom:

Filled with pride and arrogance.
Replaced the king in the minds of the people, leading many astray.
Went to war against the king, with the aim of usurping his crown.
He is humiliated in defeat.

Nebuchadnezzar:

Filled with pride and arrogance.
He erected an idol of a man that was to be worshipped by all.
He was worshipped as a god.
He made war against the Jews.

Herod the Great:

Filled with pride and arrogance.
Deceptive.
Politically astute and manipulative.
Ordered the death of innocents (the children under two in Bethlehem).
Killed by God because of rebellious pride.

Jesus was a man of power who behaved as a man of peace. In exact contradistinction to this, as revealed through typology of scripture, the Antichrist will represent himself as a man of peace, but will be a man of demonic power and treachery.

THE NUMBER OF HIS NAME… IS 666

Many numbers in scripture have a spiritual meaning and significance. Biblical numerics are a wonderful confirmation of doctrine, with the Bible being totally consistent right the way through in the use of numbers. So, Bible numerics are a further authentication that the divine hand was behind its authorship.

Some principles of using Bible numerics are:

The first mention of the number in scripture generally covers its spiritual meaning, for example: seven days of creation – seven is God’s seal, the perfect number, the number of completeness. Man is created on the sixth day, one short of the perfect number, so six, represents incompleteness or imperfection.
The numerical significance is consistent throughout the Bible.
The spiritual significance of a number is not always stated and may be hidden or veiled. The significance comes through the repeated use of that number in context throughout scripture. For example, the number forty is continually associated with a time of probation or testing.
Numbers 1-13 are the main numbers with spiritual significance and multiples of these numbers carry the same meaning, only highlighting the truth symbolized by them.
Bible numerics must not be confused with numerology which is Satan’s counterfeit and is the occult belief that numbers have magical significance.

Hebrew and Greek, the two major languages used in the authorship of scripture, (the other being Aramaic) are the only true alphanumeric languages, which means that every single letter in their alphabet also has numeric value. Only these two languages therefore may be used in Biblical gematria (the numerical value of words or names). Archaeology has shown evidence that in ancient history people could be referred to by a number representing their name, so the practice was quite common. Gematria may be used in scripture to give special meaning or significance to that person. For example, the Hebrew gematria for Balaam is 666, a man who knew God, but chose his love of money and his life as a shaman ahead of a relationship with God. He was the epitome of a fallen worldly man. In the New Covenant, the Greek gematria for the name of Jesus (Iesous) is a total of 888, with eight having the significance in scripture of resurrection and new beginning. The repetition of the number three times highlights and emphasizes the special significance of that number, Jesus is “the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25), who brought about a New Covenant.

SUMMARY OF THE ANTICHRIST – A CHECK-LIST:

To be identified as the Antichrist the individual concerned must meet the following criteria: –

No.	CRITERIA	√
1	He must be Jewish (Gen. 49:8-10; Jer. 23:5).
2	He will be a Falasha (Black) Jew (Gen. 10:8; 1Chron. 1:10).
3	He will have a genealogical link to Mohammed.
4	He will originate from the area within Alexander the Great’s empire. Probably part of western Iran, Iraq, or Syria (Dan. 8:8-9).
5	He will be filled with pride and arrogance.
6	He will rise up within the Roman Catholic Church to become the Pope (Rev. 17).
7	His name as Pope will have significance to Old Testament scriptures pointing to the Messiah, such as Oliver I.
8	As the Pope he will become the head of the apostate church. The World Council of Churches will recognise the leadership of the Antichrist and elect him to the head of their ecumenical movement.
9	He will worship the queen of heaven, the Catholic Mary (Dan. 11:38; Rev. 17:3-10).
10	He will have the fanatical support of the head of the Order of Jesuits, the Black Pope, who will perform “miracles” as evidence that the Antichrist is the true Messiah (Rev. 13:12-15).
11	He will speak blasphemous things about God, Jesus and the Saints of God (Dan. 7:25; Rev. 13:1-3).
12	He will become the political ruler of a confederation of nations in Europe, with Rome as its capital (Dan. 7:7-8).
13	In his development of the Apostate Church and the New World Order, the Antichrist will “change times and laws” (Dan. 7:25). His major changes to establish a one-world government will include attacks against Judeo-Christian morality.
14	As a man without integrity, in his rise to world dominance the Antichrist will manipulate man’s sinful nature by utilising man’s greed and lust for power to promote his will. As a master manipulator he will know man’s weaknesses, using corruption, bribery, fraud, extortion and deception to control them (Dan. 11:32; 2 John 7; 2Thess. 2:10).
15	He will have great oratorial abilities and leadership skills, which will enable him to persuade and influence many people (Rev. 13:5;Dan. 7:20).
16	He will be an expert in world religion and diplomacy (Dan. 7:8 & 20).
17	Hewill be the seed of Satan (Gen. 3:15), who will use all of Satan’s powers to achieve his goals. He will, therefore, be a skilled practitioner of the occult, performing signs and wonders. “The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs, and wonders.” (2 Thess. 2:9).
18	He will be a brilliant military strategist who will have the military means at his disposal to enforce the peace treaty he negotiates (Dan. 11:39-40; Rev. 6:1-2).

If you miss the rapture, and you survive to the time of the return of Jesus at the end of the Tribulation, you will experience the following prophetic fulfilment:

No.	CRITERIA
1	He will bring about seven years of peace in the Middle East, with the signing of a ’peace’ treaty between the Arabs and the Jews (Dan. 9:27).
2	He will arrange for the Ark of the Covenant to be returned to the Temple.
3	World religions will unite under the ecumenical banner with the worship of the queen of heaven being the unifying factor (Rev. 17:1-13).
4	As head of the ecumenical church, he will move his capital from Rome to Jerusalem.
5	After three and a half years as the messiah and religious leader of the one-world religion, he will cast aside the queen of heaven and proclaim himself to be God (Rev. 17:16). Making Jerusalem the capital of his new religion, he will erect a statue of himself in the Temple and demand that it is worshipped (Dan. 9:27; Matt. 24:15; Rev. 13:14-15).
6	He will kill the two witnesses (Revelation 11:7).
7	Those who follow the Antichrist will take the mark of the beast on their right hand or on their forehead (Rev. 13:16). The basic human right to privacy will be overthrown by the False Prophet, who will force people to take the mark of the beast. All financial transactions will be public knowledge; all electronic communications will be monitored, and cameras will observe every move.
8	The Antichrist will carry out his persecution of the Saints of God (Rev. 13:7). Identification of Saints will be made easier by their refusal to take the mark of the beast.
9	The Antichrist will be a brilliant military strategist who will not hesitate to use all the military means at his disposal to force nations to comply with his totalitarian New World Order (Dan. 11:44; Rev. 13:4-5)
10	The Antichrist will be responsible for a conflict that will escalate to where the armies of the world will gather together at a place called Armageddon (Rev. 16:14&16)
11	The Lord shall consume him with the breath of his lips, and with the brightness of his coming (2 Thess. 2:8). The Antichrist, along with the false prophet, are cast alive into the lake of fire (Rev. 19:20).

A criterion of the Antichrist that many see as the most significant identifying factor is found in Revelation 13:3. This scripture prophesies that one of the seven heads of the beast which rises out of the sea, will recover from a fatal head wound. This is interpreted by some to indicate that the Antichrist will be assassinated, but is then miraculously resurrected by Satan, and confirming the Antichrist’s messianic status.

The reason that this apparently critical information is not included as a criterion identifying the Antichrist, is that Satan has limited powers and he cannot create, so he will be unable to restore an assassinated Antichrist back to life. Only God has the infinite power of creation. To bring someone back from the dead is a resurrection to new life, an act of creation. The resurrection of the dead as evidence of the power of God is used throughout scripture (1 Kings 17:21-24; 2 Kings 4:32-37; Matt. 9:18-26; Luke 7:11-17; John 11:38-44).

Some analysts of prophecy say that Revelation 13:3 was fulfilled in 1798 when the Pope (Pius VI) was taken into captivity by the French Government. During the French campaign against Spain the horrors of the inquisition were exposed, motivating Napoleon to remove him from his position of authority. When Napoleon came to power, he ordered the inquisitions to stop its tortures but the order was not obeyed until two regiments of the Grand Army were fired upon from a Catholic fortress eight kilometres outside Madrid. The French forces attacked the citadel and overpowered the fortress. The colonel in charge found hidden beneath the fortress a prison and torture chamber with many horrendous torture implements. The prisoners who were suffering the tortures of the inquisition were between 14 and 70 years of age, and were found chained and naked. They were then clothed and released and the citadel demolished with explosives. The inquisition was stopped and the Pope was removed from power.

A proclamation was read in Rome on February 15, 1798 informing the people that the Pope would no longer perform any function. Napoleon intended that there would never be another Pope, and there would be no successor. However, in 1801 Napoleon relented and signed a treaty with a new Pope. The Pope was dead but now he was once more alive, and the whole world marvelled.

The explanation of the reinstating of the Pope by Napoleon is a credible explanation, but it does leave a number of questions unanswered. For example, if the position of Pope is one of the heads of Revelation 13:1, what do the other six heads represent? Unfortunately, no explanation is given.

To be able to better discern Revelation 13:3, an analysis of the symbolism of the Beast needs to be made. To complete this analysis accurately, a study of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the statue of a man (Dan. 2:31-45) and Daniel’s dream of four beasts (Dan. 7:1-8) must be done. Both dreams reveal the Empires that will dominate the Middle East from the time of Daniel onwards: Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece and Rome (see the table below).

Using the symbolism of Daniel, Phillip Goodman gives an excellent interpretation of the seven heads of John’s beast of Revelation 13 (1). Goodman explains that the Beast of Revelation represents both king and kingdom, and that the template for interpreting John’s beast must be the four beasts of Daniel 7, specifically the third beast representing the Grecian Empire. The reason given by him is that the body of John’s beast is a conglomerate of Daniel’s beasts, which is clearly seen in John’s description, “the beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like a bear and a mouth like that of a lion” (Rev. 13:2).

The kingdom of the beast, with the Antichrist as the head of that kingdom, will embody all the characteristics of the four world empires that made those empires successful. The seven heads of John’s beast, then, are to be seen as the seven heads of the four beasts of Daniel 7, as seen in the table below:

Empire	Statue	4 Beasts	Heads of beasts
Babylon	Gold	the lion	one head
Media-Persia	Silver	the bear	one head
Greece	Bronze	the leopard	four heads
Rome	Iron	the beast	one head
Total			seven heads

The explanation for the four heads of the leopard is that the Grecian Empire established by Alexander was divided into four kingdoms by his generals after he died. Each head of the leopard represents a kingdom controlled by one of Alexander’s generals. Those four kingdoms are Greece, Turkey, Syria and Egypt. The seven heads of John’s beast, then, represent the seven kingdoms of Daniel’s four beasts, which are: Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, Turkey, Syria, Egypt, and Rome. Goodman points out that Daniel’s four-beast kingdoms have been combined into the unified beast of Revelation at the End Time.

It is the seventh head, representing Rome, that receives the fatal wound, which occurred with the collapse of the Roman Empire. The end-time empire of the Antichrist, being the revived Roman Empire, is the miraculous healing that causes the whole world to marvel. So it is not the Antichrist who miraculously recovers from a mortal wound, but Imperial Roman Empire. It is through this reborn Roman Empire that the Antichrist will come to rule over.

_{(1) The Identity of the 7 Heads and the 10 Horns on the Beast of Revelation13: focusonjerusalem.com /theidentityofthe7.htm (21/08/2013)}

CONCLUSION:

God gives us prophecy as evidence that He is the true all-knowing, omniscient God “declaring the end from the beginning” (Isa. 46:10a [KJV]). God also gives us the assurance that He is in control, that the circumstances around us, no matter how crazy they may seem, are the unfolding of God’s plan and purpose for the world, “My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure” (Isa. 46:10b [KJV]). Through prophecy, God has made it possible for us to easily identify the Antichrist on his rise to power, if we know the scriptures.

What are we to do with this knowledge that God has provided for us? The obvious answer is that we must tell others. Just as a watchman, by blowing a shofar (ram’s horn), sounded the warning of an approaching army from the walls of Jerusalem, so we will be able to sound a warning to the world around us of who the Antichrist is, and the dangers that lie ahead for those that follow him. So, just as the sounding of a shofar enabled the people of Jerusalem to prepare for battle and avoid the destruction by the invading army, so, too, will people be able to avoid becoming a part of the deception of the Antichrist. The greatest evangelical tool of these last days is eschatology.

God has also, through prophecy, allowed us to identify the apostate church as the Roman Catholic Church, the Whore of Revelation sitting on the Seven Hills of Rome (Rev. 17:9). The book of Revelation reveals that the Catholic Mary, their queen of heaven, is a pagan goddess who is an abomination to God, and that one of the greatest deceptions ever is that the Roman Catholic Church is Christian. What will God expect us to do with that knowledge?

The Church needs to be aware that the Roman Catholic Church has become the dominant force in the ecumenical movement. The 1948, ecumenical goal of a “One World, One Church” has become “One World, One Religion,” with the Catholic Church firmly leading the way. The true Church must recognise the dangers of associating with the ecumenical movement and its deceptive gospel of love, which embraces all faiths (eg. ‘Chrislam’). The believer needs to recognise the ecumenical movement as a tool of Satan, and resist their demonically inspired doctrine at every turn.
The Church needs to speak openly about End-Times prophecy and the deception of a one-world religion. Just as in the days of Noah, there is a judgement coming, and just as the building of the ark by Noah was ridiculed by many, so, too, will the warnings that the Roman Church is the “Whore of Babylon” and that a Pope will be the Antichrist, will come under derision and scorn. However difficult that may be, we must keep in mind that the “flood” is coming, the rise of the Antichrist to become the world ruler, through the Roman Catholic Church, will be a reality – only this time the judgement is not a decisive end, but a last opportunity to repent. Those individuals who harden their hearts to the warning they receive from Christians regarding the identity of the Antichrist and his schemes, will carry an understanding of prophetic scriptures with them into the Tribulation. They will come to recognise the signs of God’s impending judgement, a knowledge that will enable them to make a decision to repent and accept Jesus as their Lord and saviour. The Tribulation period is a time of God’s judgement on the world. God has given us warning of this, and in turn, we must alert those around us to the signs of the looming judgement.
We need to pray for our friends and loved ones in the Roman Catholic Church and witness to them, the truth of the Lordship of Jesus. Jesus is our one mediator, not Mary. Jesus is the Lord of our salvation, not Mary. In time, through prayer and God’s guidance we are going to have to inform our Roman Catholic friends and loved ones to obey God’s call to “come out of her,” (Rev. 18:4a), so that they do not receive any of her plagues (Rev. 18:4b).

The Church will be able to identify the Antichrist

Index

The Antichrist will be the Muslim Mahdi

The attributes of the Mahdi/12th Imam that resemble the Antichrist:

THE LINKS BETWEEN CATHOLICISM AND ISLAM

THE SPIRIT OF NIMROD IS THE SPIRIT OF THE ANTICHRIST

BIBLICAL TYPES OF THE ANTICHRIST

SUMMARY OF THE ANTICHRIST – A CHECK-LIST:

CONCLUSION:

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The attributes of the Mahdi/12^th Imam that resemble the Antichrist: