Thus far we have established that a powerful man will appear on the world political stage and cause almost the entire world to follow him. He will do this by means of his supernatural powers which he will utilize to deceive the nations. He will have another man join him as a powerful religious ally. This man is called the False Prophet. Together they will broker a peace deal between the Jews and the Arab nations that surround them.
At present, the Muslim people are awaiting the emergence of their own prophet who is called the 12th Imam or Mahdi. Several hundred years ago the Mahdi, as a boy of about 12, went into hiding and disappeared into a deep well. But soon, they believe, he will emerge from this well to lead Islam in a series of military victories over of her enemies.
The Jews also are awaiting the coming of their true Messiah. For they do not believe Jesus was the promised Messiah. So we have two powerful communities both waiting for a charismatic leader to arise and lead them to both victory and peace.
And in the book of Revelation it is prophesied that two powerful men will indeed arise in the future. The Antichrist and the False Prophet. They will go forth as peace makers and will broker a deal between the Jews and the Arabs. This is the key to world peace. For, without peace in the Middle East, there can be no world peace.
Could it be that this man, who is coming in the stead of Christ, and who will declare “I am Christ,” will be acceptable to the Jews as the real Messiah? And by the same token, the False Prophet, who is to rise from the earth, could it be that he will promote himself as the long awaited Mahdi, and will deceive the Muslim faithful into believing that it is he?
The parallels are intriguing. All the more so when you realize that the President of Iran, for instance, regularly speaks of the coming nearness of the Mahdi and even predicted that he might emerge last March! And the situation between Israel and surrounding Arab nations is looking more perilous with each passing day.
You might wonder how it is that the writings of Islam, such as the Koran, have prophetic writings at all as we Christians in the West do not believe that they are inspired by the one true God. Indeed you might further contemplate how it is that these prophecies of Islam are so near to the prophecies contained in the book of Revelation in regard to the coming of these two future powerful leaders. But when you research how it was that Mohammad received his revelations it becomes clear who it was that provided the dictation for the Koran etc.
For we are told that there appeared to Mohammad a bright angel dressed in white and declared to him that he was to be a prophet to the Arab people and that he was to faithfully record all the words of this messenger from God. When we hear this immediately light bulbs go on in our heads and we remember that it was the serpent that beguiled Eve through his subtlety , and no marvel,
“…for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:3, 14).
Now, the devil knows the Scriptures better than you and me. Remember he was able to quote verbatim from the Psalms when he was endeavoring to get Jesus to throw himself off the pinnacle of the Temple in Jerusalem. He plucked out a verse and quoted “It is written.” Of course he was quoting out of context but that is another day’s work.
The point is, the devil knows the book of Revelation back ways and upside down. And why wouldn’t he? After all, it deals with his demise and eternal damnation. So he would need to know it thoroughly in order to try to subvert it in any way he could so as to avert his final outcome. So as master counterfeiter and as an angel of light, his prophecies will closely mirror the truth of the Scriptures and at the same time fit his own plans to deceive the world and cause the complete destruction of man.
Incidentally, the Antichrist is often called the man of perdition which means destruction. The names given to him in Revelation 9 are Abaddon and Apollyon and we are told these mean “destruction” or “the destroyer.” And later we are told that “he goes to his destruction.” This sounds like he himself is going to be destroyed. But it means that he goes out to destroy the world. And he almost succeeds for by the end of the Apocalypse circa two-thirds of the population of the world are dead.
So two men will arise on the world’s political stage and will be acceptable to both the Muslim and Jewish peoples. But what of the rest of earth’s populace? Well if this coming Messiah will be welcomed by God’s chosen people, the Jews, it is not a large step to see that he will also be adored by the rest of “Christendom.” Who am I referring to? Well take me as being reared a Catholic in Ireland. We are considered a Christian country. But it is nominal Christianity. For Catholics in this country know very little of Christ or of his teachings.
Neither do Irish people know of His saving grace, the Second Coming or who he really is. Proclaiming Catholics in this country as being true Christians is like me saying, I am a motor mechanic but I don’t know how to change the oil in your car! In short, I knew little of Jesus or the Word or the truths of Scripture until I had an epiphany as a 24 year old. The same is true, by and large, of all the one billion or so Catholics all over the world. We know a lot about the traditions of the Church and the various rites and rituals that it teaches, but know nothing of the real message of the Lord. It was ever thus. The blind leading the blind.
The same goes for the rest of the so-called Christian churches, both Protestant and otherwise. They teach the traditions of men and ignore the precepts of God. They are Christian in mere name but not in word or practice. So when the imitation Messiah arrives claiming to be Christ, and exhibiting signs, miracles and wonders, here is another billion or more which will swallow his deception hook, line and sinker.
The coming Antichrist will be a great orator. Listen to what Daniel 7:8 says of him, referred to here as “a little horn.”
“While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it.
This horn had eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth that spoke boastfully.” (NIV)
The KJV says; “…and a mouth speaking great things.”
He will be the most powerful and charismatic political leader ever to take office. Clarence Larkin in his book, Dispensational Truths says of this man;
“He will be a composite man. One who embraces in his character the abilities of Nebuchadnezzar, Alexander the Great and Caesar Augustus. He will have the marvelous gift of attracting unregenerate men. And the irresistible fascination of his personality, his versatile attainments, superhuman wisdom, great administrative and executive ability, along with his powers as a consummate flatterer, a brilliant diplomatist, a superb strategist, will make him the most conspicuous and prominent of men. All these gifts will be conferred on him by Satan, whose tool he will be.”
I bet he will be better looking than Sean Connery, Elvis and George Clooney put together and the women will love him. He will be able to charm the birds off a tree.
But who is this man and from whence does he come? Is he a human who is now being groomed by Satan to step into the limelight in a short time when his moment arrives? Have we seen him on TV and is he known to us? A well known politician from the EU or a rising star in US politics perhaps? Or an Arab prince who is Oxford educated and speaks 9 languages fluently and has oil wealth beyond our wildest dreams?
No. He is none of these. For who he is and where he abides is clearly given in plain speech in scripture. And he will not be seen by any human eye until after the “falling away.”
Patrick Heron is bestselling author of Apocalypse Soon and The Nephilim and the Pyramid of the Apocalypse.