Truly beastly: Antichrist’s actions & fall

Now that I’ve discussed the Antichrist’s origins and who helps him gain power, I will highlight what he will accomplish as he exercises leadership over the One World Government. The bulk of his actions are prophesied in Daniel and Revelation.

Before the beast steps onto the world stage, the building of the new temple in Jerusalem has to happen with its daily sacrifices under a covenant that is established with Israel. Until then, the identity of the Antichrist and his accomplishments are a ways off and any end time events are just the “beginning of sorrows” as Jesus said.

Here are highlights about his actions, not necessarily in chronological order:

■ During his first year in power as king of the north he will “forecast his devices against the strong holds,” [Daniel 11:22] to war against his opposers.  One of his enemies is the king of the south, “And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the south shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand,” [Daniel 11:25].  So the king of the south will not stand and is one of the three kingdoms of the 10 kingdoms from the Roman Empire that will fall.  This king of the south is Egypt and those in alliance with Egypt, possibly an Islamic/African contingent.

“And both of these kings’ hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed,” [Daniel 11:27].  The two kings will have diplomatic talks to end the war, but they will lie to each other when the agreement is made.  The beast returns to his kingdom with the spoils of war, will set his crosshairs on the “holy covenant” with Israel [Daniel 11:28, 30] and set future plans against the kingdom of the south [Daniel 11:29].

■ Then Antichrist shall “have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant. And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate. And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits,” [Daniel 11: 30-32].  So “by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of the sanctuary was cast down.  And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered,” [Daniel 8:11-12].

Daniel 12:11 tells us there are 1,290 days (3 1/2 years)  from the halt of daily sacrifices in the temple to the setting of the abomination of desolation.  This is the first half of the great tribulation period.  The total amount of time for the period where the sacrifices are halted, the abomination of desolation is erected, and the host is “trodden under foot” of the Antichrist is 2,390 days (6 years)[Daniel 8:13-14].  So the first year of the seven year tribulation, Antichrist is warring to solidify his power while making plans to stop the sacrifices.

During the first half of the tribulation period, God will raise up his two witnesses to preach in Jerusalem for 1,260 days (3 1/2 years), according to Revelation 11.  Toward the end of their 3 1/2 year preaching campaign, the beast will kill them close to the time of his abomination of desolation.  The two witnesses along with the 144,000 Messianic Jews during this first 3 1/2 years are the ones who know their God, shall be strong and do exploits.  They have godly understanding and will instruct many people with the gospel in spite of them being slaughtered, tortured, and taken captive [Daniel 11:32-35].

■ The beast will have another showdown with the king of the south and will annihilate him [Daniel 11:40].  He will also overthrow countries in the “glorious land,” the lands which were promised to Israel.  The present borders of Israel are just a small part of what was promised.  Among the nations that will fall in this war will be Egypt, Libya, and Ethiopia [Daniel 11:41-43].

■ After conquering these southern lands, he will hear news that will disturb him from the north (Russia) and from the east (possibly from the lands of Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and/or others).  He will war against them and defeat them [Daniel 11:44].  At this point he will have conquered all three of the 10 kingdoms from the Roman Empire he was prophesied to conquer.  This will be toward the end of the first 3 1/2 years of the tribulation.  During this period he will also be killed and revived [Rev. 13:3, 14].

■ The people will worship Satan and the beast with their praises of “Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?” [Rev. 13: 4].

■ Antichrist will build a palace on Mt. Zion as part of his abomination of desolation project [Daniel 11:45]. 

■ The beast will be “a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences. …he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.  And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many…” [Daniel 8:23-25].  The crafts that will prosper will be the occultic arts, warcraft, and spycraft.

He will war against the tribulation saints and prevail against them [Daniel 7:21].  “And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time,” [Daniel 7:25, see also Rev. 13:5-7].  For a time (1 year) and times (2 years) and the dividing of time (1/2 year), for a total of 3 1/2 years, he will win against the tribulation saints.  This is the second half of the tribulation, since “the holy city shall they [the Gentiles] tread under foot forty and two months,” [Revelation 11:2].

“And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.  Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.  Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain,” [Daniel 11:36-39].  This shows just how self-absorbed he will be.  The fact that he does not regard the desire of women may mean he will be homosexual.

■ When he sets up his abomination of desolation [2 Thess. 2:4-12], the false prophet, the Antichrist’s spokesperson, will command everyone to worship the beast and his image or die.  The false prophet will, like Jannes and Jambres in Pharoah’s court, work supernatural signs and wonders to deceive the people.  He will also cause the image of Antichrist to speak [Rev. 13:11-15].

■ The beast will set up his decree that no one can buy, sell, or trade goods without the mark of the beast, or his name, or the number of his name 666 in their right hand or forehead [Rev. 13:16-18].

■ Antichrist and his 10 kings come together to raise an army for the annihilation of Israel [Ezekiel 38-39; Rev. 16:12-14, 16; 17:12-14; 19:19-21]

¹¹And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. ¹²His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. ¹³And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. ¹⁴And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. ¹⁵And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. ¹⁶And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. …

²⁰And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. ²¹And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh. [Rev. 19]

Here is the patience and the faith of the saints to the glory of God!

–posted by Harry A. Gaylord–