A New Candidate for Antichrist Has Appeared on the World Stage
A true confirmed identification of the Antichrist is not likely to be possible on this side of the Rapture, but this hasn’t stopped endless speculation on the matter, ranging from the ridiculous to the possible. Even so, someone sooner or later is bound to be correct. The Antichrist’s rise to power during the Tribulation period need not start after the rapture. It is logical to assume that the beginning of his career on the world stage will have its beginnings well before the termination of the age of Grace.
At risk of being yet another speculator, I believe an event that occurred today (Sunday, October 15, 2017) bears at least noteworthy interest.
Austria has just elected a new chancellor. At 31 years of age, he is not only the youngest leader ever elected in Austria, but he is the youngest head of state in the world. His name is Sebastian Kurz. His interest in politics began at the age of 10, and he has spent the last four years as Austria’s foreign minister. He and his country played host to the negotiations with Iran last year under the Obama administration, which brought young Kurz some rapid recognition by foreign powers.
A couple of interesting facts about him, when compared alongside the biblical framework of the Antichrist, are worth noting and give ample reason to keep an eye on this new public figure and his burgeoning career.
1) Kurz was born in Vienna, Austria. His first name, Sebastian comes from the Latin Sebastianus meaning “from Sebastia” which is now Sivas in Turkey. Both Vienna and Sebastia were once part of the Roman Empire. In fact Vienna was originally founded by the Romans as a military camp, and the Sivas province was part of the Eastern Leg of the Roman Empire. So both his name and his birthplace are from the Roman Empire, having representation from both legs of that ancient empire of iron.
The prophet Daniel records what the Angel Gabriel revealed to him about the ruler who will set up an “abomination that causes desolation” in Daniel 9:26 he states: “…The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary…” As many watchers of prophecy know – the people who destroyed the city and sanctuary were none other than the Romans in 70AD, therefore the antichrist will have lineage connected to Rome. He will be “of that people”.
2) The name “Kurz” means short in height (although Kurz himself appears to be at least six feet tall, probably about 6’ 2”).
In Daniel 7:8, it is recorded: “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…” Currently, Austria is a small player on the world scene, so coupled with the name “Kurz” – could this be the future “little horn”?
3) Some of Kurz’s supporters refer to him, at least metaphorically, as a “messiah”. 1,2
4) In a speech to the UN last year as foreign minister, his opening words were: “…I belong to a generation which was born into a globalized world. For us, globalization is not a threat; it is a fact of life.” Then he proceeded to quote former secretary general of the UN, Kofi Annan: “Arguing against globalization is like arguing against the laws of gravity”. 3
The Antichrist, whoever he turns out to be, will practically be by definition, a globalist. In order to fulfill the prophecy given in Revelation 13, it’s almost a prerequisite for the job:
Revelation 13:16-17 “It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.”
5) And finally, although this is completely non-biblical, it does add further intrigue and curiosity: In the Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, the Antichrist, Nicolai Carpathia and his girlfriend Hattie Durham bear descriptions which could almost match Sebastian Kurz and his girlfriend Suzanne Their. In fact, even the 2 actors who portrayed Carpathia and Durham in the movie, Left Behind, bear a resemblance to Kurz and Their. Taking this just a bit further – the President of the United States is portrayed in the book as being brash and quick-tempered, a character not much unlike Donald Trump today.
What does this all mean? Well, it’s still way too early to start pronouncing Sebastian Kurz as the future Antichrist. All I mean to do with this article, my first submission to Rapture Ready, is to call some attention to the facts above and to watch. Watch carefully the career of Mr. Kurz and see where it leads. If he continues his meteoric rise on the world stage as he has in Austria, then the time will have come and the first horseman may actually be getting saddled up and ready to ride! This can only mean we have very little time to get the gospel message out before all hell breaks loose on planet earth.
I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest. –Revelation 6:2
Sources:
3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIGfHRbhSU8
Author: Jeffrey Scanga 10/15/2017
Contact: Scanga@aol.com