''And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.''(Revelation 17:12-13)

Many prophecy students see the European Union as the prophesied kingdom of the Antichrist. The creation of the European Economic Community (EEC) started in 1957 with six nations:

Belgium

France

Germany

Italy

Luxembourg

Netherlands

Denmark, Great Britain, and Ireland joined in the early 1970s bringing the EEC to a total of 9 nations. When Greece joined the EEC in 1981, many Bible teachers concluded that the 10 kings of the Revived Roman Empire were in place to give their power to the beast. I have a video that was recorded when this was taking place. In this video some prophecy scholars claimed that the prophecy of the 10 kings was being fulfilled. But then came the unexpected. Portugal and Spain joined the EEC in 1986.Austria, Finland and Sweden joined the bloc in 1995.Thus,the EEC became a 15 nation bloc and the hope of prophecy scholars became invalid. The EEC then became known as the European Union (EU)

Today the European Union is a political and economic entity with 27 member states. Inside that entity is another entity called ''Western European Union'' (WEU).This political entity has 10 member states and a flag with 10 stars representing the 10 member states whereas the flag of the EU has 12 stars.

This raises a question: Are the 10 member states of the Western European Union the 10 kings prophesied in Revelation 17:12-13?

Many prophecy students believe that they are at least the infrastructure for the kingdom of the Antichrist. I also believed the same thing and even wrote about it in my article titled The Great Tribulation. But not long ago I was struck by a verse in Revelation 13 which states:

''And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as [the feet] of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.''(Revelation 13:2)

The beast of Revelation 13 is the same one of Revelation 17.The only difference is that in chapter 17 the angel explains to John what the 7 heads and 10 horns of the beast represent. But what are the implications of this beast being partly leopard, partly bear and partly lion?

We will try to answer this question in details in this article.

You might recall that 600 years prior to the writing of Revelation, Daniel saw four beasts that came out of the sea:

''In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters. Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it. And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it. After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.''(Daniel 7:1-8)

The angel then interprets the vision of the four beasts as four empires that would rise to govern the world and the Jewish people:

''I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things. These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.''(Daniel 7:16-17)

Most scholars identify these kings or kingdoms as follows:

First beast: Babylonian Empire from 586 B.C. to 539 B.C.

Second beast: Medo-Persian Empire from 539 B.C. to 331 B.C.

Third beast: Grecian Empire from 331 B.C to 63 B.C.

Fourth beast: Roman Empire phase 1 from 63 B.C. to 476 A.D.

Fourth beast: Roman Empire phase 2 - 10 kings that will arise from the Roman Empire.

Daniel's attention is directed to the fourth beast because of its dreadful appearance:

''Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet; And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.''(Daniel 7:19-20)

The angels then explains to Daniel:

''Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.''(Daniel 7:23-25)

Most scholars identify this fourth kingdom with the Roman Empire. The 10 horns that come up out of the beast are 10 kings that will rule from the area of the Roman Empire during the end times. Many see the fulfillment of this prophecy in the European Union. But is this what the text in Daniel is telling us in light of Revelation 13:1-2?

The beast that Daniel saw was the same beast that John saw 600 years after Daniel's vision. The only difference is that John was able to describe what the beast looked liked whereas Daniel could only describe it as a dreadful beast. In both visions the beast had 10 horns, but only John was able to describe the body and the 7 heads of this beast.

John described the beast as:

1 Like unto a leopard.

2 His feet were as the feet of a bear

3 Its mouth was as the mouth of a lion.

4 The beast had seven heads. It also had ten horns just like Daniel saw

This description shows that the beast will not only be a revived form of the Roman Empire, but a revived form of all the seven empires that ruled the world throughout history and we will explain why.

The fact that the beast was partly leopard, partly bear and partly lion shows that this beast will include characteristics of the Grecian Empire (Leopard),Persian Empire (bear) and Babylonian Empire (lion) as seen in Daniel 7.These characteristics must include the geographical areas ruled by the former empires because in Daniel 7 we read:

''I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.''(Daniel 7:11-12)

This passage first talks about the destruction of the fourth beast by Jesus Christ (Revelation 19).Although the other three beats lost their imperial dominion during the time of their rule, they had their lives prolonged for a season and a time. This means that they would survive as nations to be included in the formation of the last Gentile power which will be the kingdom of the Antichrist.

What about the seven heads?

In Revelation 17: we read:

''The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.''(Revelation 17:9-11)

Most scholars identify the seven heads who are seven kings with the seven empires that ruled from the beginning of history. The order of these empires is:(Click each country name to see a map of the area ruled by their respective kingdoms)

1 Egypt

2 Assyria

3 Babylon

4 Medo-Persia

5 Greece

These are the five that had fallen when the angel was explaining the meaning of the seven heads to John.

6 Rome

This is the one that was (is) when John was receiving the vision.

7 Ottoman

This is the one that had to continue for a short time. The Roman Empire split in two section known as East and West. The Western Roman Empire lasted until 476 A.D. The Eastern Roman Empire lasted until about 1453 A.D, when it finally fell to the Islamic Caliphate of the Ottoman Turks. The seventh kingdom that would continue for a short space would be the Ottoman empire. The Ottoman Empire bowed out of the First World War with the signing of the Armistice of Mudros on October 30th, 1918. This was followed 13 days later with the occupation of Istanbul. Under the terms of the Treaty of Sèvres, the Ottoman Empire lost its Middle Eastern territories which became mandates of Britain and France.

The seven heads of the beast also show us that the beast of Daniel 7 and Revelation 13 will include characteristics of the 7 kingdoms that ruled the world throughout history. That being the case, this kingdom will not only have Babylonian, Persian, Grecian, and Roman characteristics, but also Ottoman, Egyptian and Assyrian as well. All of this shows us that the kingdom of the Antichrist will not be confined to Europe alone, but will include all the geographical areas ruled by all of these kingdoms of the past, not just Rome. These areas include all of the European continent, parts of northern Africa, Egypt ,Asia Minor where modern day Turkey is located, the Middle East, Mesopotamia which goes from Northern Iraq Southeasterly to the Persian Gulf ,the near East reaching all the way to the Indus River ,the border between India and Pakistan, and former Soviet states like Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, etc. The map below illustrates the area represented by the symbolism of Revelation 13:1-2.It could be that the 10 kings of the empire of the beast will be 10 political divisions within the blue portion of the map below.

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Doesn't  Revelation 17:11 also say that the beast will be an eighth king?

''And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.''(Revelation 17:9-11)

The beast (Antichrist) will be the eight kingdom, but he will also be of the seven. This means that the Antichrist will come form a resurrected kingdom of the past which will not be in existence during the time of the 10 ruling kings. Except Assyria, all the former kingdom still exist in the form of nations as follows:

Egyptian empire as Egypt

Babylonian empire as Iraq

Medo-Persian empire as Iran and Kurdistan

Grecian empire as Greece, Syria and other Middle Eastern sectors of the Seleucid dynasty

Roman empire as Europe for the most part

Ottoman Empire as Turkey

The eighth that is of the seven which does not exist today as a sovereign nation is Assyria. Does the Bible say that Assyria will be resurrected?

In Revelation 13 we read:

''And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.''(Revelation 13:3)

One of the heads of the beast which represents a kingdom according to Revelation 17:9 is seen in Revelation 13:3 as it were wounded to death, but this deadly wound was healed. This healing process must take place during the Tribulation period because according to the context, Revelation 13 is talking about the mid point of the Tribulation when the whole world will wonder after the beast after its head that had been wounded to death is healed. Some interpret this passage as the death of the Antichrist and his coming back to life after being assassinated during his reign. We even mention that interpretation in our article titled The Great Tribulation as a position taken by some prophecy students, but it does not seem that this is what the text might be referring to. Others say that the head that was wounded to death and was healed represents the death and resurrection of the Roman Empire. Rome never really died, it was divided into national states which then became Europe. On the other hand, Assyria ceased to exist even as a nation. Most likely, the head that was wounded to death but was healed  refers to the resurrection of the kingdom where the Antichrist will come from which in this case would be the Assyrian kingdom.

But what about the statue seen by king Nabuchednezzar in Daniel 2?

Some may object this view by saying that the statue of metal of Daniel 2 shown that the legs of iron which is a reference to Rome does not include the other empires as we see in Revelation 13.

The interpretation of Daniel 2 would be as follows:

Head of gold - Babylonian Empire

Breast and arms of silver-Medo Persian Empire

Belly and thighs of brass-Grecian Empire

Legs of iron- Roman Empire phase 1

Feet of iron and clay- Roman Empire phase 2

Those who use Daniel 2 to say that the last kingdom to rule on earth will be confined to the Roman Empire alone fail to see a very important point:

''Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.'' (Daniel 2:34-35)

Notice that although the stone smote the image upon his feet which would be the last stage of Gentile kingdom, the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold were  destroyed together when the stone smote the image.

The interpretation is given to Daniel as:

''And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.''(Daniel 2:44-45)

Although the ten kings represented by the 10 toes of the feet of the image are the ones to be destroyed by God, the stone which represents Christ destroyed the Iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold simultaneously. This means that the 10 kings will be an amalgamation of all the metals of the image combined together into the last stage of Gentile political power. That being said, the 10 toes of the image do not represent a single kingdom such as Rome ruling in the end times, but the last stage of all the kingdoms of the Gentiles united into one single empire in  the least days.

Some may object this by saying that the Egyptian and Assyrian empires were not included in the image seen by king Nebuchednezzar as in the beast of Revelation13.How can we solve this problem?

In Daniel 2,we see man's perspective from the time of the Babylonian Empire to the time of the last form of Gentile rule. In Revelation 13,we see God's perspective from the beginning of history when Egypt was the first world dominating power all the way to the end of history when all the empires that ruled throughout history will be joined into one single kingdom to be used by the Antichrist. That does not mean that they will enjoy this union because in Daniel we read:

''And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.''(Daniel 2:42-43)

Daniel sees clay as an element that brings weakness to this strong kingdom of iron. He then explains that the clay represents division among the peoples (seed of men) of these kingdom. These peoples will not cleave one to another even as iron cannot be mixed with clay. We might speculate what will cause the people not to cleave one to another during the days of this kingdom. The one thing that divides peoples who could even be united politically is religion. Could it be that religion is what is being represented by the clay? If this view is correct, this kingdom will include ''Christian'' Europe, Islamic Middle East, and Jewish Israel which will be the center stage of the Great Tribulation, for Satan's main reason for this last days kingdom will be the destruction of the Jewish nation.

But doesn't Daniel 8 say that the Antichrist will come out of the remnants of the Grecian Empire?

After the death of  Alexander the Great, the Grecian empire was divided between his four generals. This division was as follows:

1 - Asia Minor and Thrace: Lysimachus

2 - Macedonia & Greece: Cassander

3 - Syria & Babylon: Seleucus

4 - Egypt, Arabia & Palestine: Ptolemy

According to Daniel, the little horn who represents not only Antiochus IV Epiphanes, but also the Antichrist came out of the Seleucid dinasty of the Grecian Empire:

''And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power. And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practice, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people(the Jews) 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: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes (Jesus Christ); but he shall be broken without hand.''(Daniel 8:21-25)

Notice that a king of fierce countinence shall stand up “in the latter time of their kingdom” after the division of the Grecian Empire. Many see the fulfillment of this prophecy in the person of Antiochus Epiphanes who also was a type of the coming Antichrist. But the passage could be talking about the Antichrist and not about Antiochus Epiphanes. Antiochus came from the region known as Syria. The Antichrist cannot come from Syria because in Daniel 11:40-45 he will be fighting against the king of the North, namely Syria. The Seleucid empire went as far as India to the East and Assyria was one of the kingdoms that came under the rule of the Seleucid dynasty. See Assyria within the yellow circle on the map of the Seleucid dynasty below.

In Daniel 11:21-35 we read about the career of Antiochus Epiphanes. When we get to Daniel 11: 36,the passage still seems to be talking about Antiochus, but the rest of Daniel 11 and all of chapter 12 talks about the future period of the Great Tribulation. How can we fix this problem? Most scholars suggest that the king of Daniel 11:21-35 is a foreshadowing of the king of Daniel 11:36-45.That being the case, the two kings are not the same person, therefore it is unlikely that they will be from the same region of the Seleucid dynasty.

Others say that the Antichrist will be of Roman origin because of a verse found in Daniel 9:

''and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof [shall be] with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.'' (Daniel 9:26 b)

The people of the prince that shall come who destroyed the city (Jerusalem) and the sanctuary (The Second Temple) were the Romans. Therefore, based on this verse, many conclude that the prince (Antichrist) will be of Roman origin. Some even believe he will be an Italian. The problem is that Rome in ancient times was an empire, not just a city. In fact ,some of the Roman legions were located in the areas known today as Syria, Lebanon, Northern Iraq, and Jordan. See map below. Therefore, it is possible that the Roman soldiers who were involved in the destruction of the Second Temple were of Arab, Assyrian and Edomite descent. See Assyria and the Arab areas like Edom and Syria within the red circles on the map of the Roman Empire below.

One might ask the question:

Will the Antichrist come from the Roman Empire, the Seleucid dynasty of the Grecian Empire, or from the Assyrian Empire since the Bible seems to give all three alternatives?

The answer is that he will come from a combination of all three because Assyria was under Seleucid and Roman rule during the days of these empires.

This raise another question?

Does the Bible says the Antichrist will be an Assyrian?

The Bible seems to indicate in some passages that the Antichrist will be an Assyrian:

''The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, [so] shall it stand: That I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders.''(Isaiah 14:24-25).

The13th and 14th chapters of Isaiah are about the future destruction of Babylon. In 14:4 the Antichrist is called the king of Babylon who will be empowered by Lucifer in verses 12 through 15.In verse 25 he is called the Assyrian. This suggests that the Antichrist besides being an Assyrian, he will also be the king  of Babylon which will be his economic capital is modern day Iraq.

In Isaiah 30 we read something very interesting:

''And the LORD shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of [his] anger, and [with] the flame of a devouring fire, [with] scattering, and tempes, and hailstones. For through the voice of the LORD shall the Assyrian be beaten down, [which] smote with a rod.''(Isaiah 30:30-31)

This verse says that the Assyrian will be destroyed by the voice of the Lord. Could it be that this is what Paul had in mind when he wrote?:

''Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God . . .And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:''(2 Thessalonians 2:3-4,8)

Here Paul says that the Antichrist will be destroyed by the spirit of the mouth of the Lord just as Isaiah wrote that by the voice of the Lord will the Assyrian be destroyed. Although Paul and Isaiah use different terms, the idea is the same. Some might say that Isaiah 30:30-31 refers to the destruction of the Assyrian by the Babylonians, but some verses of Isaiah 30 have eschatological implications, not just historical. See Isaiah 30:18-33.

Now that we have seen that the kingdom of the Antichrist will be a combination of all the kingdoms that ruled the world throughout history, we must now try to identify who or what the 10 kings of Revelation 17:11-13 will be.

These 10 kings must be 10 regional divisions within the geographical areas that were under the rule of the 7 heads of the beast which represent the 7 kingdoms that ruled the world, namely, the Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Medo Persian, Grecian, Roman, and Ottoman Empires. Here we see eight kingdoms, but remember that Assyria is the one that does not exist today and is represented by the head of the beast that received a fatal wound, but which will be healed during the Tribulation period. Since we cannot know for sure the identity of the 10 kings because they will only be known during the mid point of the Tribulation period when they give their power to the beast (Antichrist) according to Revelation 17:11-13,we will only speculate to give an example of how the ten fold division of the kingdom of the beast will be.

King # 1- Egypt

This king would be Egypt because Egypt was one of the ruling kingdoms of the past.

King # 2- Lebanon

The area where Lebanon is located was included in all of the 7 empires that ruled in history.

King # 3-Iraq

Iraq is represented by the Babylonian Empire

King # 4- Iran

Iran is represented by the Persian Empire

King # 5- Syria

Syria is represented by as one of the mains sectors of the Seleucid dynasty that came out of the Grecian Empire

King # 6- Italy

We will use Italy as an example to represent the Roman Empire but that might include more nations that came out of the Roman Empire

King # 7-Turkey

Turkey is represented by the Ottoman Empire

So far we have covered the nations that represent all of the kingdom that ruled throughout history. We still need 3 more kings for a total of 10.

King # 8- France

Since many nations came out of the Roman Empire, we will include France as the eighth king and we will do the same with kings #9 and #10.

King # 9-Spain

King #10 - Germany

Keep in mind that this is just an example given. We cannot know the true identity of the 10 kings since they will be ruling during the days of the Tribulation

Now we have to mention the eleventh king because Daniel saw an eleventh horn come out of the Beast. In Daniel we read:

''And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows . . .And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.''(Daniel 7:20,24-25)

Daniel sees that the eleventh horn comes up and that 3 fall before him. The eleventh horn is the Antichrist who rises to power during the Tribulation and conquers 3 of the 10 kings. He also speaks great words (blasphemies) against God and wears out (persecutes) the saints of God who are the Jews. Now that we identified the Antichrist as the eleventh horn of Daniel 7:24 and as the seventh head of the beast which was wounded but was healed as the Assyrian kingdom, can we possibly identify the three kings that fell before him, that is, that will be conquered by him during the Tribulation period?

In Daniel we read:

''And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.''(Daniel 11:40-43)

Notice that two kings will be fighting against him during the time of the end (the Tribulation period).

The king of the south will push at him but will be conquered by him

This king would be Egypt

The king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind which he shall overflow and pass over

This king would be Syria

Syria and Egypt are identified as the kings of north and south throughout Daniel chapter 11,therefore they must be the same by the end of the chapter. This will be a conquest of the Middle East by the Antichrist. Notice that Egypt and other Middle Eastern nations are mentioned in the context such as Edom, Moab ,and Ammon. These represent modern day Jordan which will escape his military conquest.

So far we have identified two of the three kings that will be conquered by him. We still have a third king to identify. Remember that he will come from a resurrected Assyrian kingdom. There are many descendents of the Assyrian people in northern Iraq today. Could it be that he as an Assyrian  will conquer Iraq as the third king which is to be one of the three kings to fall before him?

It is interesting to note that he will become the king of Babylon according to Isaiah 14:4.In Isaiah 13 & 14 we read about the future destruction of Babylon which will take place during the end of the Great Tribulation (Revelation 18).In the beginning of Isaiah 14 we read:

''For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob. And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the LORD for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors. And it shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give thee (Israel) rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve, That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!''(Isaiah 14:1-4)

Notice that the beginning of the passage talks about the restoration of Israel when God sets up the Millennial kingdom of Christ. Then when Israel is restored and given rest, the Jews will take a proverb against the king of Babylon who is the Antichrist saying that he ceased as the oppressor of the Jews and that his golden city ceased to exist. This is a reference to the destruction of the Antichrist and Babylon, his future economic capital which will be in Iraq. Iraq's ruler seems to be the third king to be conquered by the Antichrist in his military conquest of the Middle East. We know that he will not stop there because according to Daniel 11:45 he will plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain. This is a reference to Israel and the Temple Mount where he will set up the Abomination of Desolation during the mid point of the Tribulation when he enters the newly rebuilt Jewish Temple in Jerusalem and claims that he is god. We also read that his military conquest will become world wide. In Revelation we read:

''And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.''(Revelation 13:7)

He will be given political authority over the entire world after his Middle East military conquest.

The fact that the Antichrist is depicted as a little horn means that he will be a leader with little political strength from a nation with little political and military significance in the region where he will come from. We have seen above that he will possibly be from a resurrected Assyrian kingdom. This raises a question:

Will Assyria become an independent nation sometime in the future?

The online encyclopedia Wikepedia has a lot of information on this subject. It states:

''The Assyrian independence (also known as the Assyrian Question) is a political movement and ideology that supports the creation of an Assyrian homeland for the Aramaic-speaking Christian Assyrian people in the Nineveh plains of Northern Iraq. The issue of Assyrian independence has been brought up many times throughout the course of history from the end of World War I to the present-day Iraq War. The Assyrian-inhabited area of Iraq is located in the Ninawa-Mosul region in Northern Iraq where the biblical Assyrian capital of Nineveh was located. This area is known as the "Assyrian Triangle."''

Read the entire article at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assyrian_independence

If Assyria becomes an independent nation in the future, it could very well fit the description of the little horn of Daniel 7:20-24.It is interesting to note that God himself mentions Assyria as an existing nation during the Millennium:

''In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians. In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land: Whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance.''(Isaiah 19:23-25)

For Assyria to enter the Millennium as a nation, it first must be reborn before the Millennium begins.

One thing that we must notice is the fact that except the European Union, all the other nations that came out of the kingdoms of the past are predominantly Muslims. This shows that the Antichrist will rule a kingdom that adheres to the Islamic religion for the most part. Islam's ultimate goal is the destruction of Israel. This points to the fact that the Antichrist will most likely be a Gentile Muslim who will rise to power in the Islamic world and bring the whole world under an Islamic Caliphate to persecute the holy people (the Jews),for we read in Daniel:

''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)

Notice that the above passage also says that he will think to change times and laws. This is exactly what an Islamic Caliphate will try to achieve. A Caliphate is a form of Islamic government which wants to bring the whole world under Islamic rule. One might ask:

How can the Antichrist be a Muslim if all of the  descendents of the Assyrian people are orthodox Christians?

At least one percent of the Assyrian people who live in northern Iraq and the Middle Eats are Muslims. The Iraqi government and the surrounding nations could very well impose some preconditions to allow the Assyrians to have an independent nation, and those preconditions would include a ''moderate'' Muslim president to be the leader of that nation. We speculated above that the clay seen in the vision of Daniel 2 could be a reference to religion:

''And as the toes of the feet (the 10 kings)were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.''(Daniel 2:42-43)

Some see the fallen angels of Genesis 6 in Daniel 2:40-44 as the ones who being mingled with the seed of men. The problem with this view is that the mix of Iron with clay makes the kingdom weak. If the passage was referring to fallen angels, the kingdom would have to be strong, not weak because the offspring of the fallen angels with the daughters of men were giants and the mighty man of old, that is, very strong men.

''There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.''(Genesis 6:4)

If they were the ones to cleave to the seed of men in Daniel 2,they would make the kingdom strong, not weak (partly broken) as we see in the passage.

''And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.

And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay''(Daniel 2:41-43)

''Strong'' in the passage is a reference to political power. This is seen in the other metals of the image, namely Gold, Silver and Brass.

''They shall mingle themselves with the seed of men''

Who are ''they'' ?

They are the 10 kings according to the context, and they are the ones represented by the iron. The strength of the iron is a reference to political power. You can see this in Daniel 7 where the fourth beast had teeth of ''iron''

''After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces''(Daniel 7:7)

This beast which had 10 horns is parallel with the 10 kings represented by the 10 toes of the image of Daniel 2.Notice that the iron teeth devourers and brakes in pieces. This is a reference to political dominion which is the case of the iron seen in the feet of the image. The iron cannot be a reference to fallen angels if you compare the iron of the image with the iron of the beast. Remember that the fourth beast is parallel with the feet of the image.

The area encompassed by the 10 kings of the kingdom of the beast adheres to the three greatest religions, namely Christianity in Europe, Judaism in Israel, and Islam in most of the Middle East. The fact that they (the 10 kings) shall not cleave one to another even as iron is not mixed with clay could be a reference to the clash between the different religious faiths of these 10 kings. Even though they are partly strong as iron due to their political unity, they will be partly broken due to their religious differences. This will lead to the formation of a one world religion promoted by the Antichrist and the false prophet which will cause the whole world to worship the beast who will claim to be god.

''And he (the false prophet) exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast (the Antichrist) , whose deadly wound was healed.''(Revelation 13:12)

Conclusion

First of all let me point out that all the information presented above is an alternate view of the kingdom of the Antichrist. Many see that the kingdom of the Antichrist will be a revived form of the Roman Empire and I do not reject that position. That is why the article was subtitled ''An Alternate View''. But I am well aware of the fact that the Bible also seems to indicate that the kingdom of the Antichrist might have  much wider proportions than just the European Union. I do not wish to claim to be right in presenting this view, but if this view happens to be correct ,the kingdom of the Antichrist will include all of the Islamic-Arab world with the Antichrist himself being the head of this Islamic kingdom which will become a global government under the leadership of the coming man of sin who will claim to be god.

''Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.''(2 Thessalonians 2:2-4)

God bless you!

Rodrigo Silva - 02/27/2008

Apologies from the ministry

We want to apologize for any spelling and grammatical errors in our writings. As you might have noticed, we are from Brazil and English is not our first language. We do everything by ourselves including the creation and editing of the web site from our computer at home since we do not have a hired web master. We do not have anybody available at the moment to help us correct the English for us since this ministry is run by one person alone. Thank you for your support and for taking the time to read our material.

Rodrigo Silva.

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