Daniel 8:23-25 “And in the latter time of their kingdom, When the transgressors have reached their fullness, A king shall arise, having fierce features, who understands sinister schemes. (24) His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; He shall destroy fearfully, and shall prosper and thrive; He shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people. (25) "Through his cunning He shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule; and he shall exalt himself in his heart. He shall destroy many in their prosperity. He shall even rise against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without human means”.
In this section we want to discuss the anti-Christ’s ruthlessness and his access to supernatural power. In the above quoted passage of scripture the angel Gabriel provides us with numerous insights into the person of the anti-Christ. Gabriel tells us in this passage that the anti-Christ will have fierce features and understand sinister schemes. So what does that mean? The amplified bible translation of this passage refers to the anti-Christ being insolent and skilled in intrigue and cunning. The anti-Christ’s insolence comes from the fact that as a hybrid angelic being; he views himself as being superior to men and therefore treats them as such. This passage also tells us that the anti-Christ will exalt himself in his heart. In other words he will be extremely arrogant and proud. The anti-Christ’s skill in intrigue and cunning is born from the fact that because he is part angel, he has direct communication with Satan’s demons who reveal men’s secrets to him, thus enabling him to manipulate men to do his bidding. Gabriel goes on in this passage to talk about the anti-Christ’s supernatural abilities, for he tells us that his power shall be mighty but not by his own power. We have already seen that when he was first on the earth that because of their supernatural abilities, the anti-Christ and his siblings were classified as giants and mighty men of renown. Nevertheless in this passage Gabriel alludes to the anti-Christ having access to a source of power far greater than his own. The apostle John confirms that truth by revealing that the source of power made available to the anti-Christ will be provided by the devil himself (Revelation 13:2). And so we can understand why Gabriel speaks about the anti-Christ’s power as being mighty; because outside of God’s kingdom, there is no greater source of power than that which the devil wields. One example of the anti-Christ’s supernatural power would be his ability to call fire down from heaven (Revelation 13:13). Gabriel then tells us that the anti-Christ shall destroy fearfully, and shall prosper and thrive. So what does that mean? It simply means that any who tries standing up against him will be ruthlessly destroyed, thus ensuring that his rule remains unquestioned and absolute. Gabriel then goes on to tell us that the anti-Christ will destroy the mighty and also the holy people. And so we see that there are two main categories of people which the anti-Christ will target for destruction. The first category are those who are considered to be mighty in the earth, i.e. powerful leaders who have great influence. Any such leaders attempting to oppose his rule in any way will be ruthlessly destroyed. The second category are the Jews and the saints. Because these two categories of people are considered to be God’s people, the anti-Christ will make every effort to exterminate them from the earth. We will discuss this point in more detail in a later section. Gabriel then goes on to say that through his cunning the anti-Christ will cause deceit to prosper under his rule. This simply means that as a master manipulator, he will deceive multitudes into submitting to his authority. Gabriel then tells us that the anti-Christ will destroy many in their prosperity or while they are at peace. So what does that mean? It means that the anti-Christ will deceitfully lull his adversaries into a false sense of peace and security, and when they no longer feel threatened by him he will suddenly destroy them. We will see an example of this in a later section when we discuss the anti-Christ’s dealing with the nation of Israel. Gabriel then tells us that the anti-Christ will even rise against the Prince of princes, but he will be broken without human means. This will come to pass when the anti-Christ stands against and is subsequently destroyed by the Lord Jesus Christ at the battle of Armageddon.
Daniel 7:23-24 "Thus he said: 'The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all other kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, Trample it and break it in pieces. (24) The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom. And another shall rise after them; He shall be different from the first ones, and shall subdue three kings.”
In this section we want to discuss the anti-Christ’s use of Muslim eschatology to enable him to rule over the fourth kingdom. In the above quoted passage of scripture the angel gives us further insight into the person of the anti-Christ. In this passage the angel describes ten kings arising from the fourth kingdom in the last days, referring to the leaders of the ten Islamic states which we discussed in a previous section. The angel then goes on to tell us that another king, referring to the anti-Christ, shall arise after them and that he will be different from the first ten. We then see in this passage that the anti-Christ will subdue three of the ten kings; a point which we will discuss in more detail in a later section. Nevertheless the important truth revealed in this passage is that the anti-Christ will be different to the first ten leaders. So why is that important? The reason is because his uniqueness will enable him to ascend to a position of authority over the ten Islamic state leaders.
Revelation 17:12-13 "The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. (13) These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast.”
In the above quoted passage of scripture the angel teaches us that the ten leaders will be of one mind and they will give their power and authority to the anti-Christ. So the question is asked, how will it be possible for the anti-Christ to come out of nowhere and persuade these ten heads of state to deliver their power and authority over to him? The answer lies in the fact that the angel tells us in the previous passage that the anti-Christ will be different from the other leaders. So what will the difference between them be? The difference is that whereas the ten leaders will be secular heads of state, the anti-Christ will emerge as a religious leader of the Muslim faith. More specifically, the anti-Christ will claim to be the Muslim saviour called the al-Mahdi (the guided one), who according to Islamic eschatology, is believed to appear in the end times to rid the world of evil and injustice and lead the Muslims to rule the entire world[1]. Scripture teaches us that the devil will give the anti-Christ his throne and great authority (Revelation 13:2), which means that the anti-Christ’s authority will exceed that of the ten Islamic heads of state. And so we see that the devil will ensure that, as their saviour, the al-Mahdi will enjoy overwhelming support among the populace of the Islamic states, including their leaders who will therefore deliver their power and authority over to him. As an aside, the fact that the anti-Christ will masquerade as the Muslim saviour also explains why he will be determined to rule from God’s temple in Jerusalem (2 Thessalonians 2:4).
Michael E.B. Maher
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahdi
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