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Meet the Antichrist

Part Two

Continued from Part One

....They will ALL be deceived!

The Person of Antichrist:

Next, we turn our attention to the man himself. As mentioned above, there are those who teach that the Antichrist is not an individual human being but a system, a government or other organized body of controls. A helpful rule of thumb when studying the prophecies is, "If it makes sense literally, take it literally." One reason so many people believe the prophecies are so confusing is the myriad of additions some people make to explain them. For instance, the United States is NOWHERE mention in ANY biblical prophecy, however as Americans some people want it to be, so the twist the prophecies and try to force interpretations. More on this later. However when the prophecies are taken literally they are generally fairly clear.

None of the prophecies speak of the Antichrist as a system, government, etc. When the prophecies concerning the coming Antichrist are read literally, they make perfect sense. The references are always to an individual person of great power and influence. We have seen people like him before in history, although none has achieved his zenith nor fulfilled the requisite prophecies. When thinking of the Son of Perdition, we are reminded of Adolf Hitler, of Alexander the Great, of Attila the Hun and other historic conquerors and rulers. However such figures were mere shadows of the coming Dijal, the Antichrist.

Our Thessalonians text tells us specifically "...that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 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, showing himself that he is God…" Every reference is to an individual man not to a "system of things." It is vital that we understand this. Just as the Third Reich was centered on Adolf Hitler, so too the Fourth Reich will be centered on this Son of Perdition.

Where will the Antichrist come from? What do we know about him as a person? The prophecies give us some insight into this question.

For anyone to be accepted as the Jewish Moshiach he must be Semitic, a descendant of Abraham, David, Jesse and others. The messianic prophecies are very clear on this point. For instance:

Isaiah 11:1: And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.
9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.
11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
13 The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.
14 But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them.
15 And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod.
16 And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.

We can understand therefore that since the Rex Mundi is to be accepted as Moshiach by the Jews, he must be a Semitic Jew. In other words, while it is true and important to understand that Judaism is a religion not a race, the "Little Horn" must be a physical descendant as well as a spiritual descendant. Would Jews ever accept a Gentile as their Moshiach? Of course not! The "stem of Jesse" will obviously have to be Jewish if he is to be accepted. Indeed he will have to at least appear to fulfill the requisite messianic prophecies. Understanding these prophecies from a traditional Jewish perspective will therefore yield a lot of key information about him.

The Hebrew Bible does not predict a virgin birth, a sacrificial death, a resurrection from the dead and so on. Such teachings were added by the Vatican created Nicene Christian denominations for their own purposes. Essentially:

The moshiach will be a great political leader descended from King David (Jeremiah 23:5). The moshiach is often referred to as "moshiach ben David" (moshiach, son of David). He will be well-versed in Jewish law, and observant of its commandments (Isaiah 11:2-5). He will be a charismatic leader, inspiring others to follow his example. He will be a great military leader, who will win battles for Israel. He will be a great judge, who makes righteous decisions (Jeremiah 33:15). But above all, he will be a human being, not a god, demi-god or other supernatural being (Source: Judaism 101).

Bethlehem is "David's city" and many believe its reference as the birthplace of Moshiach merely points to that. I do not therefore see his birth in Bethlehem as an absolute certainty, although as I say above it could well be that the Leader was born there. He must however be a descendant of King David.

It is taught by some Jewish scholars that in every generation a person is born with the potential to be the Moshiach. If the time is right for the Messianic age within that person's lifetime, if the conditions for his arrival are right, then that person will be the Moshiach. What can bring in the true Moshiach?

Although some scholars believed that G-d has set aside a specific date for the coming of the moshiach, most authority suggests that the conduct of mankind will determine the time of the moshiach's coming. In general, it is believed that the moshiach will come in a time when he is most needed (because the world is so sinful), or in a time when he is most deserved (because the world is so good). For example, each of the following has been suggested as the time when the moshiach will come:

• if Israel repented a single day;
• if Israel observed a single Shabbat properly;
• if Israel observed two Shabbats in a row properly;
• in a generation that is totally innocent or totally guilty;
• in a generation that loses hope;
• in a generation where children are totally disrespectful towards their parents and elders;

But if that person dies before he completes the mission of Moshiach, then that person was not the Moshiach.

As we consider the long list of influential Jews in history, we find many who were beneficial and many who were detrimental to the common good of humanity, as with all other peoples. The racial and religious identity of this coming leader in no way impugns the Jewish people, rather it confirms that the Jews are the central players in the affairs of God and humanity. The Jews are the Chosen People for this purpose by God Almighty.

Human history is the ongoing saga of God's dealings with the people of Israel.

From whence will this Jewish leader arise? To answer this question we must understand one of the older sources of biblical prophecy, the Book of Daniel.

Daniel 1:1: In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.
2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand.

Around the year 606 BCE Daniel, whose name means 'God is my judge,' was brought into Babylon (modern day Baghdad) as a prisoner along with other Jews. He was a very gifted person. His captors recognized this trait in him and in time Daniel became one of the three highest-ranking officers of the Medo-Persian Empire (Daniel 5:29, 6:1-3). He lived in Babylon until at least 530 BCE. Besides being politically astute, Daniel was also a Jew of great religious conviction and the book bearing his name is one of the two most important prophetic books in the Bible, the other being the Book of Revelation revealed to John the Apostle by Master Y'shua (Rev. 1:1).

Daniel reveals the divine prophecies clearly. In his words we witness the rise and fall of several kingdoms. We also see the ascension and eventual ruin of the Antichrist and the ultimate victory of the Moshiach and Israel over the fallen world. We also gain insight into the restoration of the earth to God's original design (Paradise Lost to Paradise Restored). In Daniel we discover how through the Israel the nations of the earth are to be blessed as promised way back at Genesis 12:3. Understanding Daniel is therefore essential if one would understand the near-future history coming into existence before our very eyes.

This destruction of ancient Israel at the hands of King Nebuchadnezzar marked the last time that Israel would exist as a sovereign nation until, "the End of Days."

Following their return to Eretz Israel from Babylon, Israel remained a territory of other nations. At the time of Master Y'shua, Israel was a Roman province known as Judea. The Romans renamed Judea "Palestine" after the Philistines in an attempt to erase the Jews from history. It was not until 1948 CE that Israel regained its national sovereignty in the God Given Jewish Homeland. It was not until 1967 that they returned to Zion, Jerusalem, as an independent nation. This event was crucial to the prophetic time table. Until this took place the Rex Mundi or Antichrist could arise.

Our current topic is the identity of the Antichrist and Daniel has a lot to offer us on this topic. King Nebuchadnezzar was a visionary who placed great stock in his dreams. God uses these dreams to reveal important secrets and the more one studies this book the more one discovers about HaShem's Plan of the Ages, including information about the last earthly ruler and his global kingdom.

It is noted in the second verse of the Book of Daniel that God empowered this warrior king (Nebuchadnezzar) to defeat the nation of Israel and to take many of its citizens into captivity. As stated before, Israel is the specially chosen people of God as well as the nation bearing that name. Through a series of covenants, the Jewish people were selected by God as tools through which He will bless the earth and realize his plans for the planet.

This service has included many difficult situations and hardships through the years that individual Jews would doubtless have preferred to avoid! As the humble milkman Tevye says in Fiddler on the Roof, "I know, I know we are the chosen people. But once in a while, can't you choose someone else?" The Babylonian captivity was doubtless such a time when many Jews could have related to Tevye's sentiments, however essential elements of Judaism were developed during this period and the importance and lasting consequences of the Babylonian captivity can't be overstated.

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Daniel's Great Image

One night the king had an especially troubling dream that none of his sages could interpret for him. The dream and its meaning were revealed to Daniel however by the knowledge of the God of Israel:

Daniel 2:31 Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible.
32 This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass,
33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.
34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces.
35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
36 This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.
37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.
39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.
41 And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.
42 And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.
43 And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.
44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

The interpretation of this important dream is provided by Daniel himself and so we don't have to interpret it.

Daniel tells us directly that the image the king beheld represents worldly kingdoms that would appear on earth in his future. In verse 37 we learn that King Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom of Babylon is the head of the image. Babylon ruled much of the known world at the time of Daniel.

Following Nebuchadnezzar's death, Babylon was replaced by two weaker kingdoms. The second of these, Greece, would rule the earth. Then a fourth kingdom would arise. This one would be strong as iron and would subdue all others it encountered. In the presence of this mighty kingdom, none would be able to stand during its reign. As Daniel foretold, this kingdom eventually fell beneath its own weight into ten separate kingdoms, signified as the 'toes' of the image in the dream. These ten successors would wield power and authority, but not like its predecessor. They would mingle with the peoples of the world and one another but be unable to form a lasting political alliance until the End of Days when they would regain their former Roman glory. Once reunited, the might of the fourth kingdom would again rule the world.

Daniel tells us that "...in the days of those [ten] kings" the God of heaven will establish a kingdom that will never be destroyed! This is the Theocracy of the coming Moshiach. Unlike all the kingdoms that came before it, this kingdom will be established by direct and unmistakable Divine intervention and it will never be destroyed. This is the Kingdom of HaShem and His Moshiach.

At the time when the Moshiach comes and destroys the reunified "Ten Toes" Europe and most of the world will be under the central authority of the "Little Horn" or Antichrist. We'll get into this below in some detail.

We are speaking here of literal earthly governments according to Daniel. These are not symbols or metaphors. The four kingdoms were literal governments that ruled the earth. They are in our history books. The "ten toes" that came to be after the collapse of the Rome are historic nations, literal governments ruled by the Merovingian Royal family lineage. These ten kingdoms are now coming together with other nations as the European Union. Its all completely literal and it is all coming to pass before our eyes.

First of these four kingdoms was King Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon. Following his decline the Medo-Persian Empire arose in which Daniel achieved great power and fame. This empire fell before the might Greece and Alexander the Great, which in turn fell to the mighty Roman Empire that ruled the world as none before it. These are the four kingdoms described by Daniel. The Roman Empire eventually collapsed into the ten main nations of Europe and these nations, allowing for political intrigue and so on, continue to exist to our present day.

There are those who inaccurately teach that these four kingdom represent currently existing nations. An example of this false doctrine can be found here. Such interpretations ignore the context of the prophecies and mislead many people who causing others to question whether it is even possible to accurately understand these things. When we follow the principle, "If it makes sense literally, take it literally" there is no such confusion.

We need to identify the final government, the kingdom that will never fall once established. As the dawning of that final kingdom will mark the end of the Kingdom of the Little Horn or Antichrist, this determination will tell us a lot.

King Nebuchadnezzar was deeply troubled by Daniel's interpretation of his dream. He fell on his face before Daniel and acknowledged that "…Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret. The king promoted Daniel to a position of some importance and sought more of his wisdom.

The king's pride caused him to have a giant idol made like the one in his dream and he ordered all the people to worship it. As the following events are not directly related to our study, we'll by pass them here with the reminder of Daniel's faith and willingness to die for his loyalty to HaShem, and of God's protection of him and his associates.

We have thus far seen much in the text of Daniel, but still many questions remain, especially concerning the kingdom that God is to establish following the formation of the European states.

Daniel has much more understanding to impart! Several years pass. King Nebuchadnezzar, as foreseen by Daniel (4:4-37) losses everything, including his mind for a time, and is replaced by Darius the Mede, king of the Medo-Persians (the second world power of the dream).

As Daniel's account continues Political intrigue keeps everything interesting and then, in the first year of Belshazzar, Daniel has a dream that clarifies the identity of the four kingdoms and gives us insight even more into the coming of the Antichrist.

Daniel 7:1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.
2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.
3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.

This will become clearer as we go along. Please bear with me. Like the Book of Revelation, much of Daniel is parenthetical, going topic by topic rather than sequentially. For now, these four "great beasts" are the same four kingdoms we saw previously in King Nebuchadnezzar's dream. The four winds of heavens (traditionally depicted as human or angel, bird, cow and lion) show the working out of the will of God in the affairs of humanity (the great sea). We are told that the beasts are the mighty Gentile powers that will rule the earth during the period of this prophecy.

With the fall of Judah to King Nebuchadnezzar (II Chron. 36:1-21) in 606 BCE, a period began that is referred to as "the Times of the Gentiles."

Master Y'shua refers to this calculation at Luke 21:24:

And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

This has been fulfilled as of 1948/1967.

During the Times of the Gentiles, there is no Kingdom of God on the earth, political affairs are in the hands of secular Gentile powers and the people of God, the Jews, are homeless. 606 BCE and the fall of Israel is therefore a critical date in world history.

The texts are clear that the image seen by Nebuchadnezzar and these four beasts seen by Daniel represent these Gentile powers that will rule the earth until the end of the Times of the Gentiles and the coming of the Moshiach. Please remember that we read previously that the Moshiach will not come to power until the Antichrist is revealed (II Thess. Chapter 2). According to Daniel and other biblical prophets the Jews will be subject to the Gentile powers until the Times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. We are therefore gleaning important insight into the divine timetable. More on this as we continue.

The Four Beasts

7:4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.

This again is the kingdom of Babylon (compare 2:37, 38). Babylon, like a mighty lion was voracious in its conquests. The world had never before seen such awesome power and political might and yet this empire, personified by its infamous leader King Nebuchadnezzar, was crushed by the hand of the God of Israel. The king was lifted up into the heavens in his assumed glory only to have his wings clipped as he was forced to realize his own mortality and weaknesses before the God who determines the affairs of the world. As he was warned, "They shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. Whomsoever God willed was no longer King Nebuchadnezzar.

7:5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.

This second kingdom is again Medo-Persia (compare 2:39; 8:20). This kingdom was composed or empowered by three separate peoples, the Medes, the Persians and the Babylonians. "They" ordered it to devour much flesh, such as Lydia, Babylonia, Egypt and others. This is the royal "they" and refers to God (compare Gen. 1:26, "Let Us…") showing that God still rules in the affairs of the earth.

7:6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.

Again, here we find Greece (compare 2:2:39; 8:21, 22; 10:20; 11:2, 4). The military forces of Alexander the Great were powerful and for a time unstoppable. Their real strength came through their speed and agility however. They were like leopards that pounced without notice and overcame their enemies.

7:7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.

Here enters the Roman Empire, an empire like none other in history (compare 2:40-43; 7:7, 23, 24; 9:26). This unstoppable beast conquered the world and ruled with an iron fist.

7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.

And here we meet the Antichrist, the Little Horn.

As the Roman Empire crumbled into the ten primary nations of Europe (and the Germanic Holy Roman Empire) the fourth and final world kingdom disintegrated just as Daniel foretold. No single nation has ruled the planet since that time as supreme. And yet Rome didn't really end! Rome itself continues to exist today as Vatican City and the Holy Roman See, the smallest nation on earth (evidence if needed). Moreover, Rome continues to exist as the nations of Europa and their offspring known as the European Union. More importantly for our purposes, Rome continues in the form of the Merovingian and Illuminati Elite bloodlines who has been directing the course of world events since the days of Knights Templar and even before.

The "ten toes" or "ten horns" are now reuniting and soon the "Little Horn" will emerge from within Europa to lead the EU, the New World Order and the New Secular Age as the Rex Mundi or global ruler.

The United States of America

At first it seems a curious thing but the United States is not mentioned in any biblical prophecy!

Why is this so? It clearly is the case and ethnocentric Americans don't like it at all!

This fact is why some teachers attempt to twist the prophecies in order to find a place to insert the US even though the Bible is mute on our existence and on our participation in the End Time events.

So, why aren't we included? Certainly as one the world's most influential super powers the US would be in the middle of these events as they unfold! How could such events occur without US leadership or even participation? Many Americans believe that, "If there is to be an Antichrist surely he should come from the US! As should the Messiah who will defeat him!" Our national ego is fragile and at times foolish!

Does the clear absence of the United States in the prophecies disprove the accuracy of the prophets? Is the US included as part the EU? We did begin in Europa after all. Will the US rake possession of the EU at some point, thereby becoming the New Roman Empire? Theories abound. Where are we?

We are nowhere, prophetically speaking.

Although the United States has, since the apparent fall of the Soviet Union, come close to achieving the status of sole global ruler, it has never made it. The US has always had to contend with other powers for this position such as Communist China, Russia, the Muslim Ummah and other global competitors. Since 1913 when the United States surrendered control of its currency to the Bavarian Illuminati and the House of Rothschild via the Federal Reserve Bank, it is arguable that it even exists as an independent power at all. The United States was destroyed by the Creature from Jekyll Island.

The Creature from Jekyll Island in 1910

This is an audio recording that will explain EXACTLY how and why the Federal Reserve System was created and how it managed to destroy the independence of the United States and merge it into Bavaria Illuminati under the auspices of what today know as the Bilderberg group.

Permit me to issue and control the money of the nation and I care not who makes its laws.

— Mayer Amsched Rothchild, a prominent European banker in the eighteenth century

Now as the world is fast approaching the End of the Age it is the emerging Roman Empire, known currently as the European Union, that will dominate and decimate the world and set the course of global events. Simply stated, Rome is again taking center stage although the time has not yet quite matured for their return to global domination.

The United States is now in the process of being replaced by the North American Union, a union of the US, Canada and Mexico. The documents making this so have already been signed in Waco Texas. The plan is, once the NAU is established it will be merged with the EU. Similar economic unions are being established in Asia, South America and elsewhere. The creation of these economic unions is the goal of a plan known as the Novus Ordo Mundi, the New World Order. In time the plan is to unite all of these diverse unions into the EU. When this takes place the Novus Ordo Seclorum, the New Secular Age, will be born. The Novus Ordo Seclorum will be the government from which the Rex Mundi will reign the planet.

For more information on this, watch this video and study the offerings of Alex Jones and similar Info Warriors.

The North American Union

The European Union

The European Union has not yet managed to merge into a single political entity, as Daniel foresaw at 2:43, however where others have failed, the ten Merovingian Illuminati Elite Houses will succeed under the administration of the Rex Mundi.

As the great leader enters the world stage political unrest will abound. He will be opposed by various factions and three of the rulers will fall before him. Exactly how this will play out is not clear. We do know however that within the Illuminati Elite and their underlings there is political wrangling. For instance the Rothschild and Rockefeller houses are often at odds. The Federal Reserve was created, in part, to shift Rockefeller power into the hands of the House of Rothschild. The Dijal however will be an accomplished politician who will establish his place as the head of the Illuminati although three houses or kings will "fall" during his rise to power. Much of this will probably take place behind closed doors.

Once again we find that while the language is in some respects symbolic, its message is clear. As with Nebuchadnezzar, Alexander the Great, Adolf Hitler and other glorified national heads, the Rex Mundi will rule his subjects as sovereign lord and master. The Antichrist will come to power from within the European Union and from there advance his global empire, by whatever name. This empire will be the Fourth Reich, the Roman Empire reborn.

Daniel 7:8 also tells us that the leader will "have eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things." Much of what the Rex Mundi will accomplish will be achieved through diplomacy and personal charisma. Unlike his predecessors, this leader will not rely on military might but on reason, on diplomacy and the enactment of various treaties.

Returning now to II Thessalonians chapter 2 this is further clarified as we read:

8 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:
9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

The world stage must be set before the Antichrist can ascend his Bilderberg throne. Setting up these conditions is the task of the lesser antichrists and their minions throughout history as described at the outset of this study. In our generation their work is finally coming to fruition, the stage is now ready for the players to appear.

We have discussed the necessity of the 'falling away' taking place prior to the revelation of the Antichrist. As we have seen, this 'falling away' is the severing of the Nicean Christian Church from the Tree of Israel. Israel is the KEY.

The Restoration of Israel

When we think of Israel, we tend to think of the nation bearing that name, however Israel is also the Chosen People themselves, the Jews. Much as the term Church properly applies to the followers of Jesus rather than to the buildings where Christians meet, so too Israel has this double meaning.

Although the nations of Judah and Israel fell long ago before the onslaught of the first global kingdom, people Israel have never ceased to exist. Even in the Diaspora, they have remained the people of God and it is to the Jews that the Church owes everything. Due to the "Laodicean" state of contemporary Christianity however, the Church is being cut off from that Tree as the prophets foretold.

Even as the falling away continues there is another prophetically significant move occurring. This one is the calling of the Jews from exile back to the Holy Land. Even as the Christian branches are being severed, the Jewish ones are beginning to 'bud and bring forth fruit.'

Master Y'shua here offers us added insight into this:

Matthew 24:32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Here in the 24th chapter of Matthew the Master presents his most powerful overview of the prophetic calendar. He points to the "fig tree" Israel as a key to the fulfillment of the prophecies. Israel fell to the Babylonians in circa 606 BCE and never again existed as a sovereign nation (except arguably for a brief period under the Maccabees). The topic of this Matthew 24 presentation is the fulfillment of all things and the eventual restoration of God's intention for the earth:

And as he [Master Y'shua] sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the [age]?

Master Y'shua points to the restitution of Israel as the cardinal sign that the end of the Gentile Age (the "Times of the Gentiles") has arrived.

The 'branch' began sprouting and was yet tender to use Paul's Romans 11 analogy, and began putting forth new leaves on Friday May 14, 1948. Master Y'shua places this as a critical point when he says, "Verily I say unto you, This generation [the generation that beholds this event] shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled…" We can therefore safely look to the generation of 1948 as our guidepost for the end of the Times of the Gentiles (Luke 21:24).

The prophets are clear that the Antichrist will rise at the conclusion of these Gentile Times as the last ruler of the age.

Before considering Matthew 24 in more detail, let's return to Daniel where additional light is shed on the return of Israel to their homeland.

King Nebuchadnezzar had another dream. In it he again gives information about the coming kingdoms of the world. Unlike his earlier dream (that we have discussed above), this one has a double meaning. This dream literally came true in his own life as we will see, but it also had a second, greater meaning as I believe will be obvious from the text.

In this dream, the imagery of a great tree is used to represent the Babylonian Empire and its ruler Nebuchadnezzar. This tree also represents the physical kingdom of God on earth that Nebuchadnezzar was allowed to 'chop down' in 606 BCE. This is the same tree referred to by Master Y'shua in Matthew 24 where he spoke of its putting forth new leaves and again sprouting at the End of Days. Here's the dream as related in Daniel:

4 I Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in mine house, and flourishing in my palace:
5 I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me.
6 Therefore made I a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known unto me the interpretation of the dream.
7 Then came in the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers: and I told the dream before them; but they did not make known unto me the interpretation thereof.
8 But at the last Daniel came in before me, whose name was Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods: and before him I told the dream, saying,
9 O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and the interpretation thereof.
10 Thus were the visions of mine head in my bed; I saw, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and the height thereof was great.
11 The tree grew, and was strong, and the height thereof reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth:
12 The leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all: the beasts of the field had shadow under it, and the fowls of the heaven dwelt in the boughs thereof, and all flesh was fed of it.
13 I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven;
14 He cried aloud, and said thus, Hew down the tree, and cut off his branches, shake off his leaves, and scatter his fruit: let the beasts get away from under it, and the fowls from his branches:
15 Nevertheless leave the stump of his roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth:
16 Let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given unto him: and let seven times pass over him.
17 This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.
18 This dream I king Nebuchadnezzar have seen. Now thou, O Belteshazzar, declare the interpretation thereof, forasmuch as all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known unto me the interpretation: but thou art able; for the spirit of the holy gods is in thee.
19 Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonied for one hour, and his thoughts troubled him. The king spake, and said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream, or the interpretation thereof, trouble thee. Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, the dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine enemies.
20 The tree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth;
21 Whose leaves were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all; under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and upon whose branches the fowls of the heaven had their habitation:
22 It is thou, O king, that art grown and become strong: for thy greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven, and thy dominion to the end of the earth.
23 And whereas the king saw a watcher and an holy one coming down from heaven, and saying, Hew the tree down, and destroy it; yet leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him;
24 This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the most High, which is come upon my lord the king:
25 That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.
26 And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots; thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule.
27 Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity.
28 All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar.

Master Y'shua warned that, "...When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet..." and so we know that this will be a specific event one could witness rather than metaphor or esoteric symbolism.

The Abomination of Desolation

Continued In Part Three

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