I’m going to touch lightly on a number of subjects in this chapter but I’m not going to go into a lot of detail so this little book doesn’t turn into a big book. As I said in my introduction, I highly recommend that interested readers purchase the, “Understanding the Endtime: Level One” series from Endtime Ministries for very detailed information concerning most of these subjects.
Revival of the Holy
Roman Empire
Dan 2:31-45 is a long passage and I won’t quote it here, but I encourage you to read it. In it, Daniel interprets the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar. He saw an image that had a head of gold, breast and arms of silver, belly and thighs of brass, legs of iron, and feet of iron mixed with clay with ten toes of part iron and part clay. Each of these sections represents a world dominating power. Many nations have existed since that time, but the sections represent world domination (of the known world) as stated in Daniel 2:39.
Gold – Babylon
Babylon ruled until the Medes and the Persians conquered
Babylon in 539 BC.
Silver – Media-Persia
The Medes and Persians ruled until Alexander the Great
defeated them in 331 BC.
Brass – Greece
The Grecian empire lasted until the Romans defeated them in
197 BC.
Iron – Rome
The Roman empire lasted about 500 years until it decayed
from within and was overrun by barbarians around 300 AD.
Iron and Clay – Holy Roman Empire
The iron is mingled with clay because it’s a continuation of the Roman Empire
but was co-ruled by the religious leader; the Pope. The Holy Roman Empire was
founded when Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne in 800 AD and proclaimed him to be
the first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. The Holy Roman Empire has risen and
fallen many times since then and has always been ruled by both a religious
leader and a political leader. We still have a “Charlemagne prize” which was
awarded to Bill Clinton in 2000 and was awarded to Javier Solana in 2007. This
prize is awarded to the person who does the most for the reunification of
Europe.
The ten toes agree with the ten horns, or ten kingdoms we talked about in the “Modern nations in the Bible” chapter. Meaning there will be a ten nation, or ten state union in the end time that will produce and give power to the Antichrist. It's interesting that Russia has ten "states" today. It’s also interesting that the Western European Union, the military wing of the EU, is a group of ten nations that Javier Solana heads up. So far he does not meet all the requirements that would fulfill the prophecies concerning the Antichrist, but he could in the very near future.
Verse 44 predicts that, “in the days of these kings”, in the days of the Holy Roman Empire, will the God of heaven set up His kingdom which shall never be destroyed.
This is the same declaration as the one we saw in the
seventh trumpet: Rev 11:15 And the seventh
angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of
this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall
reign for ever and ever.
That means that the Holy Roman Empire will be the last world dominating power and will exist when Jesus returns to set up His kingdom.
New world order –
the coming one world government
The four beasts we discussed in the, “Modern nations in the bible” chapter become one beast.
Rev 13:1 And I stood
upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven
heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name
of blasphemy. 2 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.
The mouth of the lion is a true representation of the global language adopted as the universal language for the New World Order. Britain is the lion and English is the language of Britain.
You can’t really live in the world today and not know that the UN is fast becoming the government of the New World Order. We have a world bank, world court, world economics, world peace keeping force (world military), and a fast materializing world religion referred to as Interfaithism. Everything is falling into place for the Antichrist to take power after the devastation of the 6th trumpet. It is very likely that the Antichrist will be crowned “king” of the Holy Roman Empire by the reigning pope of that time, confirming the revival of Holy Roman Empire. He will wield the power of the UN, as well as the power of the ten state union that he arose from and will unite the world under the auspices of peace.
Interfaithism and
the coming one world religion
The Roman Catholic church is the self proclaimed “mother” of all churches. And this is actually true for most western faiths.
03 Sep 2000 (AP) VATICAN CITY (AP) - One of Pope John Paul II's closest aides has written to bishops worldwide declaring that the Catholic church is the “mother” of other Christian churches … In the document, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger told the bishops that it was incorrect to refer to Christian churches, ranging from Orthodox to Protestant, as “sister” churches of the Catholic church ... stating that the term “sister” puts them on an equal footing and they are not “sisters” but the Catholic church is the “mother”.
The Vatican is the world’s biggest promoter of interfaithism, promoting the idea that all religions worship the same God and pushing a worldwide unity of religion.
The beast of the New World Order (Rev 13:1-2) has two meanings. It’s the one world government and its ruler, but it is also part of an explanation for the coming one world religion.
Rev 13:3 … and all
the world wondered after the beast. 4 And they worshipped the dragon which
gave power unto the beast: and they
worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to
make war with him?
All the world will worship the Antichrist. Chapter 17 of the book of Revelation tells us who the end time religious leader is.
Rev 17:1 And there
came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me,
saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great
whore that sitteth upon many waters:
She’s a woman and she sits on many waters. Verse 15 explains that the waters are: peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
15 And he saith unto
me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and
multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
What religious organization today has the widest variety of peoples, and nations, and tongues?
3 So he carried me
away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet
coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
The woman sat on the beast. This is the combined one world government beast, ruled by the Antichrist, of Daniel and Revelation 13. The false prophet (the end time religious leader) will ride on the power wielded by the Antichrist and will rule with him.
4 And the woman was
arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones
and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness
of her fornication:
She was wearing purple and scarlet. What religious organization wears purple and scarlet? The Catholic leadership; cardinals, archbishops, and bishops wear purple and scarlet.
5 And upon her
forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS
AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
She is the mother of harlots. God has always used a woman to symbolize the church. In II Corinthians 11:2 God’s true church is symbolized as a woman, a virgin. False churches are symbolized as harlots. The woman is depicted as a “great whore” in verse 1. Being the mother of harlots means her “daughter” churches are harlots (false churches).
9 And here is the
mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman
sitteth.
The seven heads that the woman is sitting on are seven mountains. Interesting, that the Vatican is in Rome; which is called the City of Seven Hills. The Catholic Encyclopedia states: "It is within the city of Rome, called the city of seven hills, that the entire area of Vatican State proper is now confined" (The Catholic Encyclopedia, Thomas Nelson, 1976, s.v. "Rome"). The Vatican is virtually sitting on seven mountains.
18 And the woman
which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the
earth.
What city reigns over the “kings of the earth”? How does the Catholic church “conquer” a nation? She turns the nation Catholic. And the Roman Catholic church believes that she has the right to guide the political thinking of any and all of her members. The Vatican is really the only city that can be said to reign over the kings of the earth.
6 And I saw the woman
drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of
Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
An estimated 68 million Christians have been put to death over the years for refusing to bow to the false doctrine of the Roman Catholic church.
I must say at this point, that I have nothing personal against Catholics in any way. I have Catholic friends and I love them very much. Jesus loves all people and anyone can be saved. Anyone! I’m simply pointing out what the scriptures say and what it appears to mean based on the knowledge we have today. It sure appears that the Roman Catholic church will be the leader of the one world religion predicted in the bible. Read more
The Antichrist and
the False Prophet
Since the prophecies concerning the end time are all coming to pass now, it is certain that the Antichrist and the False Prophet are alive on the earth at this very moment. Both of them are undoubtedly in power right now or very near the reigns of power. We probably already know the names of these men, but just don’t know who they are yet.
The bible tells us that we will be able to identify the Antichrist when the time is ripe. That day shall not come until that man of sin be revealed.
2 Thess 2:3 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;
There are fifty-three specific prophecies concerning the Antichrist in the books of Daniel, Revelation and II Thessalonians alone. We will discuss a few of these in order to develop a profile whereby this man can be identified when we see him rise to power.
The Antichrist is
definitely a man
Dan 7:21 I beheld,
and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; 22 Until
the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High;
and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. 23 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. 24 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. 25 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.
Some say that the Antichrist will be a system, not a man. This passage alone is enough to prove that he is definitely a man. He shall subdue three kings. He shall speak great words against the most High. He shall wear out the saints of the most High and will make war against the saints. He is definitely a man. He will be the ruler of the one world government.
He will confirm the
covenant with many for seven years
Dan 9:27 And he shall
confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he
shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading
of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that
determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
In this Old Testament verbiage, a week means a “week of years”, or seven years. The confirmation of the covenant is this: there will be an international agreement to confirm the status of Jerusalem and the permanent borders of Israel. These things are being fought over right now with the Palestinians. The Antichrist will confirm the covenant along with many others. It may be hard to identify him at that time. In the midst of this “week” (three and one half years in), the Antichrist will cause the animal sacrifices being performed in the rebuilt temple to cease, and will cause the “abomination of desolation” by either claiming to be God or acting in the place of God. That is when we will definitely know who he is.
The Antichrist will
arise among a union of ten kings
Dan 7:24 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.
We’ve talked about this in previous chapters. We see that he will arise out of a union of ten nations. And he will uproot, or subdue, three kings (states or nations).
Rev 17:12 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. 13 These have one mind, and
shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
The ten kings will give their power and strength to the Antichrist.
When we see a man rise among a ten-nation union subduing three kings (the leaders of states or nations), watch closely and know that the time is near!
His kingdom will be
the revived Holy Roman Empire
As discussed in other areas of this book, he will likely be crowned king of the Holy Roman Empire by the reigning Pope.
The Antichrist will
use peace as a weapon
Dan 8:25 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; but he shall be broken without hand.
He will most likely rise from the horror of World War 3, the sixth trumpet, and will use peace to gain his power and control over the world. By peace he shall destroy many. In his arrogance, he will stand up to Jesus Christ at the seventh trumpet, but he will not win, of course.
He will claim to be
God
2 Thess 2:4 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.
This event is the “abomination of desolation”. Three and one half years after the confirmation of the covenant, he will sit in the rebuilt temple of Jerusalem and claim to be God. Most believe that he will claim to be all god’s and all messiahs. He will probably claim to be the god of Islam, Buddhism, etc. When you see this happen, you will know without a doubt that he is the Antichrist.
He will be regarded
as brilliant
Daniel 7:8 says that he will have a mouth speaking great things. Daniel 8:23 describes him as “understanding dark sentences”.
He will persecute
God’s people
Rev 13:7 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.
Dan 7:21 I beheld,
and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;
God’s people will be persecuted. Since Satan is behind all of this, it’s not surprising. Power is given to him over all nations...
The number of his
name will be 666
Rev 13:18 Here is
wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is
the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
We don’t have any idea at this time what this will mean, but it will become clear when the time comes.
He will be promoted
by a miracle-working religious partner
He will most likely be crowned “king” of the Holy Roman Empire by the reigning Roman Catholic pope. This man will be a false prophet and will get his power from the devil himself. He will pull fire from the sky and perform miracles to deceive the people of the world. Many people will be awed and deceived by this power. Please don’t be one of them! This man will definitely not be a man of God; he will be this false prophet!
It is almost a certainty that a Roman Catholic pope will be the religious leader that crowns the Antichrist leader of the Holy Roman Empire and rules with him during the Great Tribulation predicted in Revelation.
A religious leader will work side by side with the Antichrist; called the false prophet.
Rev 13:11 And I
beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a
lamb, and he spake as a dragon. 12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first
beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship
the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13 And he doeth great wonders,
so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles
which he had power to do in the sight of the beast;
The false prophet will most likely come from the end time religious leader, the Roman Catholic church. He looks like a lamb (like Jesus) but speaks as a dragon (the devil). It’s very likely going to be the 112th pope (counting from the 11th century on, not the original pope). The pope today, in the first quarter of 2006, is the 111th pope. The Catholics have a prophecy of their own that is not biblical; but is very interesting, from Saint Malachi back in the 11th century. This prophecy says that the 112th pope will be the last pope and that he will be an evil pope, and that Rome will be destroyed during this pope’s reign. Revelation also tells us that Rome will be destroyed at the time of the battle of Armageddon. Interesting? Read more