The Antichrist Identity: Part 1

I am going to post the following document in 3 parts to kind of break it up a little bit, as it is a long and, at times, tedious read. However, I think it is an invaluable document to read, as it is a very in-depth look at the Antichrist's identity, through historical and Biblical perspective.

Remember that this is not Gospel truth. It is a thorough, and I believe, accurate, study of the Antichrist's identity, but it is NOT inspired truth from God.

The Antichrist Identity
A Publication of Vision Re‐Visited
http://www.visionrevisited.com/

THE ANTICHRIST IDENTITY: PART 3

“MAKING SENSE OF THE COMING ANTICHRIST SYSTEM
FROM A MODERN DAY AND BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE”

UNDERSTANDING THE ANTICHRIST FROM A BIBLICAL AND WORLD GOVERNMENT AGENDA PERSPECTIVE

1 THE LINEAGE OF THE ANTICHRIST: BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE 3

2 THE LINEAGE OF THE ANTICHRIST: THE EARLY CHURCH   FATHERS

3 THE LINEAGE OF THE ANTICHRIST: THE MEROVINGIAN ASPECT

4 THE LINEAGE OF THE ANTICHRIST: THE ISLAMIC VIEW

INTRODUCTION

In the report “The Historical Progression of the Antichrist” a significant amount of material was spent on understanding how the debate regarding the Antichrist has evolved since the time of Christ and this then helped to set the context for addressing “Apostles of the New World Order” where you viewed the increasing exposure on Barack Obama, Prince Charles of Wales and Javier Solana and the arguments that justify their specific involvement with contributing to facilitating the coming New World Order. At this stage it is necessary to fall back on a biblical perspective with a strong biblical context to help provide a line of differentiation as to which biblical factors are non negotiable and embedded requirements regarding the identity of the one whom will ultimately take full global control of the coming new world order system. An appraisal of scriptures that relates to the Antichrist shows that they fall into three categories.

General Application:

Firstly there are scriptures which refer to Antichrist in a generic sense where antichrist can be a title attributed to any individual who is seeking to replace Christ or is opposed to Christ.

“Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time” I John 2:18

“Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. I John 2:22

In its true sense this could be applied to any individual, religion or system that denies that Jesus is the Christos or the spoken word. This would apply to atheistic, humanistic and heretical groups who believe that Jesus was just a man, or a created being and not the God Man. The world Christ comes from the greek word Christos which means the “spoken word”. The other application of antichrist in this general sense are to those who deny the relationship between the Father and Son and thus could lend itself in its broader sense to religions like Islam which deny biblical relationships of Jesus Christ with God the Father and thus rob the Godhead of one its most intrinsic virtues.

Specific Application:

Nature of the Antichrist:

Secondly there are those scriptures which refer to the antichrist as a specific individual with colorful imagery and symbolism and as such it is impossible to interpret such scriptures in isolation in reference to the identity of the Antichrist without a process of assumption shaped by ones eschatological position and historical frame of reference. The scriptures do not so much reveal the identity of the Antichrist but rather provide a description of his nature and human characteristics.

“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

“Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceedingly 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

“Let no man deceive you by any means; for that day shall not come, except there come a falling way first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteh 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.” II Thessalonians 2:3‐4

“And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.” Revelation 6:2

“For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until hee be taken out of the way. 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. Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders”
II Thessalonians 2:7‐9

It is this category which more than any has led to an abundance of interpretations and conjectures regarding the identity of the antichrist because it is so easy to take the imagery and numbers mentioned in these passages and apply them to specific events of any era depending on whether one believes that
prophecy regarding the Antichrist was fulfilled in the past or yet for the future.

However the general theme is that these scriptures are entirely focused on his personhood. Any attempt to take these scriptures in isolation and use them as justification to identify an individual as the Antichrist is simply a case of mistaken interpretation and over exaggeration of scripture to fit ones hunch.

Specific Application:

Identity of the Antichrist:

It is once we evaluate the third category of scriptures that make reference to this coming world leader that we then uncover specific characteristics that help
to provide clarity regarding this individual. These category of scriptures can be further categorized as below.

• His Lineage
 • His Empire

If the bible makes specific references which identify the lineage of the Antichrist then this will become a significant factor in understanding the world government agenda. Additional factors of consideration will also include moving below a “surface level” understanding of end time prophecy and delving deep into a full understanding of the historical construct and requirement for global government which the Antichrist will head, which directly ties in with end time prophecy in offering a significant level of
additional detail regarding the importance of bloodline and lineage in the antichrist identity debate.

1. THE LINEAGE OF THE ANTICHRIST: BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE

In John 5:43 we see a reference to the lineage of the Antichrist where Jesus speaks on his own rejection by the Jewish people.

“I come in my Fathers name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive” John 5:43

The reason that this scripture is linked to genus is because in the greek there are four words translated “another” in english. Two of the most popular greek words are “allos” which signifies “another” of the same kind or genus. See Matthew 10:23, 13:24, 26:71 etc. The second, “heteros” means “another” of a totally different kind. See Mark 16:12, Like 14:31, Acts 7:18, Romans 7:23. In John 5:43 the word “another” used by Jesus was “allos” not “heteros”.

Christ, the son of David has presented himself to Israel, but they rejected him and so another from the line of David would come to them and they would
receive him. If the Antichrist was to be a gentile then Jesus would have used the word “heteros”. This initial scripture sets a precedent regarding the lineage debate.

Arthur Pink, one of the most incredible authors on the Antichrist and a giant in his day says “Study of scripture indicates that the antichrist will be of jewish descent, although his government position and sphere of control will not limit him to Israel or the Jewish people.”

A second reference is seen in Daniel 11 where the initial part of the chapter (Daniel 11:1‐35) is set on the historical rivalry between the Syrian (Ptolemic) led by Antiochus IV Epiphanes and the Egyptian (Selucid) dynasties with Israel trapped in the middle between these two great kingdoms. When the chapter reaches Daniel 11:36 we shift from what was fulfilled in the Ptolemies and the Selucids to what will be fulfilled in the Antichrist, the final world dictator.

Daniel was told that this revelation pertained to the latter days (Daniel 10:14), and Daniel 11:36 begins to look more towards this final world dictator, who is a "last days Antiochus Epiphanes."

We know that everything about this prophecy was not fulfilled during the career of Antiochus Epiphanes. Jesus specifically said the real abomination of desolation was still in the future (Matthew 24:15) because some believe that the abomination of desolation was fulfilled by Epiphanes own abomination in the jewish temple. The Apostle Paul paraphrased Daniel 11:36 in reference to the coming Antichrist:

“Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.“ (2 Thessalonians 2:3‐4)

Antiochus Epiphanes is important, but mostly as a historical preview of the Antichrist. This is why so much space is given to describing the career of one evil man ‐ because he prefigures the ultimate evil man. Antiochus Epiphanes is the "trailer" released well before the Antichrist, who is like the "feature."

“And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished; for that is determined shall be done. Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.” Daniel 11:36‐37

Based on this, some Bible scholars believe that the Antichrist will be of Jewish descent (“fathers here is in reference to the old patriarchs of the old testament) and perhaps will also be a homosexual (“because of his lack of desire for women). These things may not be popularly known about the man, but they may be true nonetheless.

2. THE LINEAGE OF THE ANTICHRIST: VIEW OF THE EARLY CHURCH FATHERS

Some of the earliest expounders of the Antichrist, Irenaeus and Hippolytus of the second century, taught that Antichrist would be a Jew. Hippolytus, a disciple of Irenaeus, wrote extensively on the Antichrist. Hippolytus believed that Antichrist would be a Jewish false messiah whose coming is still some time in the future. Additionally Origen, Chrysostom, Jerome, and likely Augustine all continued the early church tradition that the Antichrist was to be of Jewish descent.

Hippolytus says,

"[W]e find it written regarding Antichrist . . . ‘Dan is a lion’s whelp, and he shall leap from Bashan’ [Deut. 33:22]. But that no one may err by supposing that this is said of the Savior, let him attend carefully to the matter. Dan, he says, is a lion’s whelp. And in naming the tribe of Dan, he declared clearly the tribe from which Antichrist is destined to spring. For as Christ springs from the tribe of Judah, so Antichrist is to spring from the tribe of Dan. And that the case stands thus, we see also from the words of Jacob:

‘Let Dan be a serpent, lying upon the ground, biting the horse’s heel’ [Gen. 49:17].

What then is meant by the serpent but Antichrist, that deceiver who is
mentioned in Genesis [Gen. 3:1], who deceived Eve and supplanted Adam? . .

It is therefore common knowledge that this is a view that has permeated centuries from the time of Christ both amongst believers and non believers; the tradition of a Jewish Antichrist, who would likely be of the tribe of Dan, was reinforced throughout the middle ages.

3. THE LINEAGE OF THE ANTICHRIST: THE MEROVINGIAN ASPECT

It is important to note that the whole Merovingian debate which we have seen in regards to Charlemagne, Otis and Karl Van Habsburg, King Juan Carlos and Prince Charles of Wales have all been based on the premise that these individuals are descendants of Jesus Christ and are thus of the lineage of King David and descendants from the tribes of Israel.

In “The Psychic Bloodline of the Royal Family” by John Dale, a special emphasis is made on the tribe of Dan which was prophesied to be the black sheep of the nation of Israel which would bite the other tribes of Israel.

Dale documented the fact that British royals have engaged in occult, "paranormal" practices such as spiritualism (using mediums, through séances, to speak to the dead), faith healing, magic, homeopathic and other "alternative" medicines, and the like, since the time of Queen Victoria. Through a certain form of genetic transmission, and through the recent influence of such royal family figures as Lord "Dickie" Mountbatten, these "psychic" proclivities were passed on to Prince Charles, who, according to Dale, "must be congratulated for displaying the guts to speak out where others have remained silent."

Dale showed that this practice of the occult by royalty is very much part of the mythos purveyed by the would‐be inhabitants of Mount Olympus. He cited the view of one practitioner of spiritualism, the late King Paul of Greece, the uncle of Prince Philip, that spiritualism is a positive practice, in the tradition of
"the famed Delphic Oracle of Greece."

The ultimate point then becomes that Prince Charles is only the latest, in a long and noble (literally) tradition. According to Dale The tribe of Dan had the snake and the eagle as its two logos and left its calling card all over Europe as it migrated west in the names of many places. The tribe of Dan ruled the Greeks, the Roman Empire, the Austro‐Hungarian empire and many others which used the eagle as its logo.

“The Merovingians, who plan to rule the world from their future throne at Jerusalem, claim to come from the tribe of Judah through Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene. However, the weight of evidence indicates that they descended from the tribe of Dan.

Although Scripture states that Samson was ‘of the family of the Danites’ [Judges 13:2], Yair Davidy of Brit‐Am Israel claims that his lineage includes the Messianic tribe of Judah: ‘Samson the superman hero came from the Tribe of Dan but his mother was from Judah. Samson, in some respects, was considered a forerunner of the Messiah who will come from Judah but his mother, according to the Midrash will be of the Tribe of Dan.’

Again this view shares a common denominator with that of the early church fathers Irenaeus and Hippolytus who also believed that the Antichrist would come from the lineage of Dan. The train of Christians, past and present, who ascribe credibility to the “Tribe of Dan theory” and to the Jewish identity of the future Antichrist, cannot be surpassed by the elaborate renditions of Arthur W. Pink, who, interestingly enough is a bit tepid relative to Dan’s connection to a Jewish Antichrist:

“But if this pseudo Christ succeeds in palming himself off on the Jews as their true Messiah he must be a Jew, for it is unthinkable that they would be deceived by any Gentile . . . it was the common belief among Christians during the first four centuries A.D., that the Antichrist would come from the tribe of Dan. Whether this will be the case or no, we do not know. Gen. 49:17,18 may have ultimate reference to this Son of Perdition. Certainly Dan is the most mysterious of all the twelve tribes.”

4. THE LINEAGE OF THE ANTICHRIST: THE ISLAMIC VIEW

An interesting reference point is that even the religion of Islam teaches that the end time antichrist will be a Jew. This is not to make any claim that Islamic teachings provide additional justification considering their expected anti‐semitic belief system, however it is of interest that they believe that the last days antichrist will be a Jew considering some of the parallels between biblical and Islamic eschatology. Great detail to the campaign against the final Antichrist (i.e., Dajjal) is given in numerous Islamic teachings known as the Hadith. Hadith is composed of isnad (writings of people who rely on memory of what Muhammed taught) and the matn which are the sayings or deeds of Muhammad.

The major signs of the muslim faith is that there is a coming Muslim Antichrist (Ad‐Dajjal) and the return of the Muslim Jesus (Al‐Madhi). In arabic, Al‐Madhi means “The Guided One”.

The term is also sometimes referred to by Shia Muslims as “The Lord of The Age” and “The Awaited One”. However the coming of the Madhi is a central crowning element of Islamic end time literature.

Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani, chairman of the Islamic Supreme Council of America says, “The coming of Madhi is established doctrine for both Sunni and Shia Muslims, and indeed for all humanity”
The term “Madhi” is used in an Islamic context in that he will come to restore the purity of the faith and create a just social order in which Islamic revelation will become the standard for globally.

The Madhi is believed to be a future muslim world leader who will not only
rule over the Islamic world, but also the non Muslim world in the establishment of an Islamic order. The Mahdi will be a descendant of Fatimah (one of Mohammed’s wives) and will take his name as Mohammed bin Abdullah. The hadith indicates that the Madhi will lead an Islamic alliance with black banners from Khorasan and Central Asia. Kohrasan is known in modern day language as Iran.

“Jews are waiting for the Messiah, Christians are waiting for Jesus, and Muslims are waiting for both the Madhi and Jesus. All religions describe them as men coming to save the world”

According to hadith, The Mahdi will be a great military, political and spiritual leader who will unite Islam under one Caliphate and conquer many countries. He will attack and defeat Israel. The war will result in the slaughtering of the Jews and the reclaiming of Jerusalem as the capital of Islam and the location of the Madhi’s eartly rule of Sharia law. Their flags will be erected on the Temple Mount when they reach the Dome of the Rock (Eela)

“Armies carrying black flags will come from Khorasan. No power will be able to stop them and they will finally reach Eela (Baitul Maqdas in Jerusalem) where they will erect their flags.”

The Madhi will also guide all to Antioch in Syria where a major finding will unveil lost manuscripts from the Old Testament which will confirm Islam as the right religion and will be used to help in the mass conversion of Jews and Christians.

The timing of the Madhi’s reign according to the Hadith provides a fascinating link to the debate on the lineage of the antichrist. The belief is that the Madhi’s rise to power will arise at a time when a final peace agreement is arranged between the Arabs and the Romans (Romans in reference to the Christian Western Nations).

It is also believed that the peace agreement will be mediated by a Jew from the line of Aaron. Such a descendant would be a Cohanim and within Judaism only the Cohanim are allowed to officiate priestly duties within the Jewish Temple.

“Rasulullah (Muhammad) said: “There will be four peace agreements between you and the Romans (Christians). The fourth agreement will be mediated through a person who will be from the progeny of Hadrat Haroon (Honrorable Aaron – Moses brother) and will be upheld for seven years.”

The second primary character that dominates Islamic eschatology is a man whose full title is Dajjal, (The Liar/Deceiver). Usually just referred to as the Dajjal, he is a bizarre character whose description and story seem far more fantastic than either the Mahdi (Muslim Jesus). There are numerous hadith that
contain descriptions of the Dajjal. Here we will just touch on the most common of these traditions to give an overview of just who this mysterious and strange person is according to Islamic literature.

“For Muslims, an Antichrist figure called the Dajjal will be a Jew who will lead an all‐encompassing war against Islam, which will culminate in the return of Jesus (as a Muslim prophet), the Kaaba, or Sacred Rock in Mecca, transporting itself to Jerusalem, and final judgment in the valley just below the Noble Sanctuary.”

“The Holy Prophet Muhammad(p) has prophesied about several events that will occur just before the advent of the day of judgment. Among these, Muhammad(p) has foretold the return of Jesus(p), which will materialize when a one eyed claimant to divinity (Antichrist) will attempt to misguide the humanity into worshipping him. Messiah (Jesus) will descend from the heavens in Damascus, pray behind Imam Mahdi, pursue and kill the Antichrist (Dajjal), destroy the savage and unbelieving armies of Gog and Magog, and bring peace and brotherhood to the world. Christians will recognize the truth and accept him only as a Messenger of God; the religion of God (Islam) will justly rule the world.

The Dajjal is described as being a deceiver who will have miraculous powers and who will temporarily hold power over the whole earth. The Prophet was warning us that in the last days there would be someone who would deceive all of humanity. The Dajjal will possess power over this world. Thus, Muslims must be careful not to have the love of the world in their hearts so they won’t leave their religion and follow him. He will be able to heal the sick by wiping his hand on them, like Jesus did, but with this deceit the Dajjal will lead people down the path to hell. Thus the Dajjal is the false Messiah, or Anti‐Christ (Massih ad‐Dajjal).

He will pretend to be the Messiah, and deceive people by showing them amazing powers.  Possibly the most frequently quoted reference to the Dajjal is that he is blind in one eye. The Hadith however, are contradictory regarding which eye is blind:

Allah's Messenger made a mention of Dajjal in the presence of the people and said: Allah is not one‐eyed and behold that Dajjal is blind of the right eye and his eye would be like a floating grape. Allah's Messenger said: Dajjal is blind of left eye with thick hair and there would be a garden and fire with him and his fire would be a garden and his garden would be fire.

Sheikh Kabbani describes some of the Dajjal’s miraculous powers:

The Dajjal will have powers of the devil. He will terrorize the Muslims into following him, converting them into unbelief. He will conceal the truth and bring forth falsehood. The prophet said that the Dajjal will have the power to show the image of one’s dead ancestors on his hand, like a television screen. The relative will say, “Oh my son! This man is correct. I am in Paradise because I was good and I believed in him.” In reality that relative is in hell. If the relative says, “Believe in this man, I am in hell because I didn’t believe,” one must say to the Dajjal, “No, he is in Paradise. This is false.”

The Prophet said: the Dajjal will say to a Bedouin Arab, “what will you think if I bring your father and mother back to life for you? Will you bear witness that I am your lord? The Bedouin will say, “Yes.” So two devils will assume the appearance of his father and mother, and say, “O my son, follow him for he is your lord…”

The above tradition shows that the Dajjal’s deceptive signs will be for the purpose of leading people into believing that the Dajjal is actually their “lord”. Muslim scholars universally have concluded that the Dajjal will claim to be divine. According to the very well known Muslim scholar, Abu Ameenah Bilal
Phillips, the Dajjal, “will claim to be God”.

While there are no specific traditions that state such directly, as a result of the fact that the Dajjal is, according to Islamic tradition, the false Jewish Messiah
who claims to be God, most Muslims have deduced that the Dajjal will thus claim to be Jesus Christ by name.

Based on various Islamic traditions, Muslims believe that the Dajjal will be Jewish. The title of a book by Muslim author Matloob Ahmed Qasmi, “Emergence of the Dajjal, the Jewish King” couldn’t make this point more clearly. Imam Sheikh Ibrahim Madhi of the Palestinian Authority articulated the Islamic perspective regarding the expectation of the Jewish people quite well in one of his sermons:

“The Jews await the false Jewish messiah, while we await, with Allah's help… the Mahdi and Jesus, peace be upon him. Jesus's pure hands will murder the false Jewish messiah. Where? In the city of Lod, in Palestine. Palestine will be, as it was in the past, a graveyard for the invaders.”

For further reading on Islamic end time prophecy see recommended masterpieces from a Christian perspective in the “The Last of The Giants: Lifting the Veil on Islam and the End Times” by George Otis and David Aikman and “Antichrist – Islam’s Awaited Messiah” by Joel Richardson.