The Identity of the Antichrist

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15. THE ANTICHRIST The book of Daniel reveals the identity of the Antichrist and his persecution of God’s people. The prophecy of Daniel 2 traces the history of the world from Daniel’s time until the end of time: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, divided Rome. The vision in Daniel 7 covers the same time period and talks abo the same powers revealing more details and introducing the Antichrist figure.

1. What did John Say About the Coming of the Antichrist?

 1 John 2:18-22

John is the only author of the Bible who used the word antichrist. This word, antichristos in Greek, comes from two words, anti (opposite or instead) and Christos (Christ, the Messiah). It can be translated as one who is against Christ or one who put himself in the place of Christ.

John put the coming of the Antichrist in the future. He most probably studied the book of Daniel and understood the times in which the Antichrist would come.

He used the word antichrist in the plural speaking about false teachers who came out of the church and denied the incarnation of Jesus, teaching that Jesus did not have a human body but just appeared to have one.

John said that the antichrists went out from the church. These false teachers appeared to be Christian but they did not belong to Christ (see 2 Corinthians 11:13-15). John taught that these teachers were in a sense like the real Antichrist that would manifest himself in the future: a power that appeared to be Christian but in reality was opposed to Christ.

2. What Symbolic Elements are Employed in the Prophecy?

 Daniel 7:1-3 The prophecies are given in symbolic language. We let the Bible itself interpret these symbols.

 The 4 winds represent wars (see Jeremiah 49:36-37).

 The Great Sea is the Mediterranean Sea (see Joshua 1:3-4).

 The 4 beasts represent 4 kingdoms (the words king and kingdom are used as synonyms).

This symbol is explained in the prophecy itself (see Daniel 7:17,23). 2 15. The Antichrist – Menorah Mission School – 2018/2019  The 4 beasts are seen as coming out of the sea; the sea in Bible prophecy represents people and nations and multitudes (see Revelation 17:15). Daniel saw kingdoms, in the geographical area of the Mediterranean Sea, rising up from the nations and conquering other kingdoms through military power.

THE LION WITH EAGLES ’ WINGS : BABYLON  Daniel 7:4 In Daniel 2, Babylon was represented as the head of gold of the image: here it is represented as a lion with eagles’ wings. This was a symbol the Babylonians used. Even in the Bible Babylon is compared to a lion (see Jeremiah 4:6-7 and Jeremiah 50:17). The eagles’ wings represent swiftness in military conquests (see Lamentations 4:19 and Habakkuk 1:6-8).

THE BEAR : MEDO -PERSIA  Daniel 7:5 In Daniel 2, the Medo-Persian Empire was represented by the arms and the chest of silver of the image. Here it is represented as a bear raised on one side to signify that the Persians had a preeminent role.

The command was to devour much flesh, that means to conquer. The ribs in its mouth are what is left of the flesh eaten and therefore represent 3 major conquests: Babylon, Lydia and Egypt.

THE 4 HEADED AND 4 WINGED LEOPARD : GREECE  Daniel 7:6 In Daniel 2, Greece was represented by the belly and the thighs of bronze of the image. Here is represented by a leopard with 4 wings. The leopard is a fast animal and if wings represent swiftness, the 4 wings denote exceptional rapidity in conquests. Alexander the Great conquered vast kingdoms in a relatively short time.

The 4 heads represent the divisions of the empire: after Alexander’s death the territory of the kingdom was split in 4 kingdoms ruled by 4 generals of his army: Cassander, Lysimachus, Ptolemy and Seleucus.

THE TERRIBLE BEAST : ROME  Daniel 7:7,23 In Daniel 2, Rome was represented by the iron legs of the image. There is a clear link between the two prophecies: this dreadful beast has iron teeth.

Military power was the characteristic emphasized in Daniel 2: “And like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others” (Daniel 2:40). 15. The Antichrist – Menorah Mission School – 2018/2019 3 Here we find a similar description that Rome “was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet” (v. 7).

THE 10 HORNS ON THE BEAST : DIVIDED ROME  Daniel 7:7,24 In Daniel 2, divided Rome was represented by the feet or iron and clay of the image. There’s another clear link between the two prophecies: as the 10 feet represented 10 major barbarian tribes, this dreadful beast has 10 horns. These tribes became the modern nations of Europe: Alemanni, Anglo-Saxons, Franks, Burgundians, Visigoths, Suevi, Lombards, Vandals Ostrogoths and Heruli.

THE LITTLE HORN : THE ANTICHRIST  Daniel 7:8,19-25 The fourth beast and the little horn captured Daniel’s attention. Thus he asked for more details.

The little horn represents the Antichrist, a power at enmity with God. The word antichrist in Greek means to be against or in place of Christ. It is a power that attempts to usurp Christ’s authority.

We will list 10 characteristics of the little horn power:

1. A little kingdom: “there was another horn, a little one” (v. 8). Horns represent kings and kingdoms (see Daniel 7:24 and Daniel 8:22). It is a little horn: this means that this kingdom’s territory is small compared to the one of the previous kingdoms.

2. Comes out among the 10 horns: “I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them” (v. 8). The 10 horns represent the nations of Europe that came out of the barbarian tribes who invaded the Western Roman Empire. This means that the Antichrist power is located in the territory of the former Roman Empire.

3. Comes out after the 10 horns: “The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom.

And another shall rise after them” (v. 24). The Antichrist came out after the Roman Empire fell, which means after 476 AD.

4. Plucked out 3 horns: “…before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots” (v. 8); “…and shall subdue three kings” (v. 24). The Antichrist destroyed 3 of these 10 barbarian tribes.

5. Different from the 10 horns: “He shall be different from the first ones” (v. 24). This is a religio-political power: “He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High” (v. 25).

6. It has eyes and a mouth: “And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words” (v. 8). The previous kingdoms had their strength in military power and were represented by ferocious animals with muscles, teeth and nails. 4 15. The Antichrist – Menorah Mission School – 2018/2019 This power’s weapons are eyes and a mouth: it is a power that influences by its ability to foresee, control and by its words.

7. Words against God: “…and a mouth speaking pompous words” (v. 8); “He shall speak pompous words against the Most High” (v. 25). This power speaks against God. In the book of Revelation, the Antichrist is represented by a beast that “was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion” (Revelation 13:2). This beast also has 10 horns and comes out of the sea (see Revelation 13:1). There are evident connections with Daniel 7. This sea beast “was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies” (Revelation 13:5). Jesus was accused of blasphemy when He said He could forgive sins and when He made Himself like God (see Mark 2:5-7 and John 10:30,33). Jesus could rightfully say these things but nobody can claim to have the power to forgive sins or to be equal with God. The Antichrist claims these things.

8. Persecution: “and the same horn was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them” (v. 21); “He… shall persecute the saints of the Most High” (v. 25). The Antichrist persecutes God’s people.

9. Thinks to change times and law: “And shall intend to change times and law” (v. 25). The text does not speak about the laws of a kingdom but of God’s law. The Antichrist thinks that he has the authority to change the immutable law of God.

10. The duration of the dominion/persecution: “Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time” (v. 25). The expression “time” indicates a year (see Daniel 4:23). “And times” is a dual: it means two times. So the period of the Antichrist dominion is: 1 year + 2 years + ½ year = 3 ½ years.

AJewish year had 360 days: 3 ½ years = 1260 days = 42 months.

This same time period is found in the book of Revelation expressed in these different forms: 1260 days (see Revelation 12:6), 42 months (see Revelation 13:5) and 3 ½ years (see

Revelation 12:14). There is a principle in the time prophecies of Daniel and Revelation: a prophetic day represents a literal year (see Ezekiel 4:6). So, the Antichrist ruled and persecuted God’s people for 1260 years.

Before identifying the Antichrist let us consider this: in Daniel 2 we see that the fourth kingdom, Rome, wasn’t conquered but divided. It is interesting to notice that the iron that is in the legs, Rome, is still in the feet, that are part of iron and part of clay. This means that Rome will continue to exist until the end of time, but in a different form. 15. The Antichrist – Menorah Mission School – 2018/2019 5 In Daniel 7 we see that the Antichrist comes out of Rome, because Daniel saw the little horn on the head of the fourth beast. This beast will be destroyed at the second coming (see Daniel 7:11,26- 27): again, this means that Rome somehow will last until the end of the world.

There is only one power on this earth that fulfills all the characteristics of the little horn: the Papacy.

The Bible talks about an institution and does not condemn people who belong to the Roman Catholic Church. Here is how the Papacy meets each characteristic:

1. A little kingdom: the Vatican has always been a relatively small kingdom, which occupied part of central Italy.

2. Comes out among the 10 horns: Rome is obviously part of the former Roman Empire’s territory!

3. Comes out after the 10 horns: The Pope progressively gained religious and political prestige.

But the Papacy started ruling after the fall of the Western Roman Empire (476 AD).

4. Plucked out 3 horns: the Papacy wiped out 3 barbarian tribes: the Heruli (493 AD), the Vandals (534 AD) and the Ostrogoths (538 AD).

5. Different from the 10 horns: the Papacy is a political power (it rules over a monarchy) and a religious power as well.

6. It has eyes and a mouth: the Papacy never had a great army but always used its power of influence. For centuries the Pope’s words made kings tremble.

7. Words against God: in the Bible blasphemy is claiming to have the power to forgive sins and to be equal with God. Catholic sources declare: “This judicial authority will even include the power to forgive sin” (“The Catholic Encyclopaedia”, Vol. XII, article “Pope”, p. 265).

“The pope is not only the representative of Jesus Christ, but he is Jesus Christ Himself, hidden under the veil of flesh. Does the pope speak? It is Jesus Christ who speaks” (Pope Pius X when he was Archbishop of Venice, “The Catholic National”, July 1895).

Persecution: historians estimate that the Papacy killed between 50 and 100 million people.

Waldenses, Albigenses, Huguenots, Lutherans are just a few groups that were brutally persecuted because they refused to acknowledge the Pope’s authority but remained faithful to the Scriptures. “The Church of Rome has shed more innocent blood than any other institution that has ever existed” (W.E. Lecky, “Rise and influence of rationalism in Europe”, vol. II, p. 32).

8. Thinks to change times and law: The Papacy tried to change God’s law. In the Catechism version the second commandment has been suppressed and the tenth split in two. The fourth commandment, the Sabbath, was also changed. 6 15. The Antichrist – Menorah Mission School – 2018/2019 “The Pope is of so great authority and power that he can modify, explain, or interpret even divine laws…The Pope can modify divine law, since his power is not of man but of God” (Lucius Ferraris, “Prompta Bibliotheca”, vol. VI, p. 29).

“Question: Which is the Sabbath day? Answer: Saturday is the Sabbath day.

Question: Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?

Answer: “We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday” (“The Convert's Catechism of Catholic Doctrine”,

Peter Geiermann, St. Louis, B. Herder Book Co., 1957 ed., p. 50).

“The church is above the Bible, and this transference of Sabbath observance from Saturday to Sunday is proof positive of that fact” (“The Catholic Record”, London, Ontario, Canada, September 1st, 1923).

9. The duration of the dominion/persecution: the Papacy supremacy lasted 1260 as prophesied. The dominion of the Papacy began in 538 AD, after Belisarius drove the Ostrogoths out of Rome.

“The (Roman church-state’s) power became supreme in Christendom in 538 AD. Due to a letter of a Roman emperor Justinian, known as Justinian’s decree, which set up and acknowledged the bishop of Rome as the head of all churches. It gave (the Roman church- state) political power, civil power as well as ecclesiastical power. This letter became part of Justinian’s code, the fundamental law of the empire and that year Pope Vigilius ascended the throne under the military protection of Belisarius” (“The History of the Christian Church”, vol. III, p. 327).

The Dark Ages began, the darkest period of human history. What happened at the end of the 1260 years? The 1260 expired in 1798. The Bible prophesied what would happen to the Papacy in 1798: “And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded” (Revelation 13:3). Berthier, Napoleon’s general, entered in Rome in 1798, proclaimed a Roman Republic and took Pope Pius VI to France.

“When, in 1797, Pope Pius VI fell grievously ill, Napoleon gave orders that in the event of his death no successor should be elected to his office, and that the Papacy should be discontinued.

“But the Pope recovered. The peace was soon broken; Berthier entered Rome on the 10th February, 1798, and proclaimed a republic. The aged Pontiff refused to violate his oath by recognizing it, and was hurried from prison to prison in France… ‘ No wonder that half Europe though Napoleon’s veto would be obeyed, and that with the Pope the Papacy was dead” (Rev. Joseph Rickaby, English Jesuit, “The Modern Papacy” p. 1, London: Catholic Truth Society).