Archive for Antichrist

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Antichrist, Peace Treaty, Part 1

Posted in Antichrist/Beast, Gospel, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 30, 2014 by paulthepoke

Daniel 9:26-27 “Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”

Compare two people mentioned in the original Hebrew, “Messiah” and “prince”. In the Hebrew, the term for “Messiah” is mashiyach. Per Strong’s Concordance it means: anointed, anointed one, of the Messiah, Messianic prince, of the king of Israel, of the high priest of Israel. This describes Jesus, He is a king and a priest of the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 7).

In the Hebrew, the term for “prince” is nagiyd. It means: leader, ruler, captain, or prince.

There is clearly a difference in prominence and prestige.

Messiah will be cut off… At the time of the writing of Daniel (approximately 606 BC to 539 BC), the idea of the Messiah being on the scene was prophetic. Messiah had yet to appear to Israel. Messiah Jesus Christ was 500-600 years away. This had to be confusing to readers, a Messiah who was going to be killed and have nothing to show.

This verse says the Messiah will be “cut off” or karath in the Hebrew. According to Strong’s Concordance karath means: to cut, cut off, cut down, cut off a body part, cut out, eliminate, or kill. Cut a covenant. This is exactly what Jesus did with His death on the cross. He was eliminated and killed at that time. With His death, He cut a blood covenant for the sins of the world.

the prince who is to come… Who are the people of this prince? In 70 AD, the Romans laid siege to Jerusalem and completely leveled the city. Many think the antichrist will come from a revived Roman Empire. In the western world, many assume this person will come from Europe. Look at a map of the Roman Empire. It is a large area of land. There is more to the Roman Empire than Italy. There is an eastern leg to the Roman Empire. The capital of the Roman Empire was moved to Constantinople, a city patterned after Rome. This eastern area included modern day Turkey, Syria, and Iraq.

romanempire117ad

This geographic area also provides for the antichrist being Jewish. Early church writers including Irenaeus and Hippolytus looked to a Jewish antichrist and backed their positions with Scripture (The Truth Behind Left Behind, Hitchcock and Ice).

There is another coming in the future of today’s time (November 2014) who will take Jerusalem again. Who is this guy going to be? Where will he come from?

will destroy the city and the sanctuary… The Hebrew grammar is clear. The false prince will be the agent of destruction and ruin Jerusalem. This verse also implies there will be a future Temple in Jerusalem. It is called the qodesh in the Hebrew. Translated, the “holy”. In the New Testament, Jesus confirms the “holy place” in Matthew 24:15 and Mark 13:14.

And its end will come with a flood… SUDDENLY! The Apostle Paul makes reference to the suddenness of the destruction in 1 Thessalonians 5:3 While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.

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White Horseman of the Apocalypse, Who Is It?

Posted in Gospel, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 23, 2014 by paulthepoke

Revelation 6:1-2 Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, “Come.” I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.

Who is the rider on the white horse? This is a source of controversy. Some say it is Jesus. Some say it is the antichrist. The verses above show there are two people involved. One is the Lamb. The second is the rider of the white horse. Notice, the rider of the white horse is obedient to the command of the Lamb. The Lamb says “come” and the rider on the white horse is on his way.

The Lamb is the One who opens the seals to all four riders of the colored horses. The seals are opened in Heaven. Revelation 6:3 When He (Lamb) broke the second seal…

Revelation 6:5 When He (Lamb) broke the third seal…

Revelation 6:7 When the Lamb broke the fourth seal…

The Lamb is in Heaven the entire time the seals are being broken. The Lamb is the One breaking the seals. The rider of the white horse is sent to Earth.

Who is the Lamb? Scripture says it is none other than Jesus. The point of Revelation 5 is defining Jesus as the Lamb. Revelation 5:12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” John the Baptist called Jesus the Lamb of God. John 1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

Jesus has been called the Lamb of God before the creation of the world. His death on the cross was planned before the Earth was formed. Believers in Christ were chosen before the world was made. Revelation 13:8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.

1 Peter 1:20a For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world…

Ephesians 1:4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love…

The rider of the white horse has a bow, but no arrows. The modern day equivalent would be having a gun but no bullets. Think of the symbolism of the white horse and the bow. He is a man of peace who gives conquest without war. We know initially in the tribulation there is no bloodshed because that comes with the next horseman in Revelation 6:3, the red horse. The wars and rumors of wars will initially be avoided. He will probably win the Nobel Peace Prize.

There is a hint in the type of crown the rider wears in Revelation 6:2. The rider of the white horse wears one crown. In the original Greek, the term is stephanos. Per Strong’s Concordance it is defined as: a mark of royal or (in general) exalted rank, the wreath or garland which was given as a prize to victors in public games, that which is an ornament and honor to one.

Compare this to the crowns (plural, as compared to single crown) worn by Christ in Revelation 19:12b …and on His head are many diadems. In the original Greek, the term is diadema. Per Strong’s Concordance it is defined as: the kingly ornament for the head, the crown. This type of crown is for a king.

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The Antichrist

Posted in Antichrist/Beast, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , , on November 16, 2014 by paulthepoke

The term Antichrist is penned by one author in the Bible, John. 1 John 2:18 Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. In the original Greek, the word for antichrist is antichristos. Per Strong’s Concordance it is defined as the adversary of the Messiah.

John’s language regarding the antichrist is straight forward and not complicated. 1 John 2:22 Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.

The spirit of the antichrist is at work today (November 2014) and has been the case since the first century. This is hard to deny or argue when one looks at the condition of the world today. 1 John 4:3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.

In general, the issue is deception. There are and will be those who deny that Jesus lived in bodily form on Earth. People deny the physical reality of Christ. 2 John 1:7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. John is talking about false teachers.

It makes sense the antichrist will be a liar. He is under the authority of Satan. Here is what Jesus had to say about Satan. The context of these verses is Jesus talking to some Jewish folks. John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

The antichrist is a counterfeit to the real deal, Jesus. Hitchcock and Ice provide a comparison and overview in their book. Jesus is the truth; the antichrist is the lie. Christ is the Holy One; the antichrist is the lawless one. Jesus is a man of sorrows; His counterpart is a man of sins. Jesus is the Son of God; the antichrist is the son of destruction. Christ cleansed the Temple; the antichrist will desecrate the Temple. Jesus is the Lamb of God; the antichrist is the beast (The Truth Behind Left Behind by Mark Hitchcock and Thomas Ice).

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Trend Update: Famine/Ebola, October 2014

Posted in Pestilence, Prophecy, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , , on October 22, 2014 by paulthepoke

Revelation 6:8 I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.

This is the fourth horseman of the Apocalypse. As of October 2014, we are not into the Revelation seals. Currently, we are not the Tribulation. The antichrist has not been revealed. He is the first of the four horsemen. There is no international man on the scene who is a peace broker (Revelation 6:2). There is no Middle East peace treaty. There is no Jewish Temple.

Ebola is making major headlines all over the globe. Another outcome of Ebola is an emerging famine. Estimates have hundreds of thousands of people at risk for starvation and malnutrition.

Kanayo Nwanze, president of the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development, said up to 40 per cent of farms have been abandoned in the worst-affected areas of Sierra Leone. Food shortages in Senegal and other countries in West Africa have occurred because regional trade has been disrupted. People are losing their income as fields, markets and goods are inaccessible. Citizens are being pushed further into poverty. People are afraid to go to the market. People are afraid to go and farm their land. There is less local food in markets. Food is becoming more expensive. Cost of food has increased from 30-150% pending the area. In these areas of West Africa, food was already hard to come by. The Ebola crisis has eliminated years of progress after the area had been struck by civil wars.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/ebola-outbreak-famine-approaches-toadd-to-west-africas-torment-9799944.html

Here is the order of events per Revelation 6 and the four horseman of the Apocalypse:

1) Antichrist revealed

2) War

3) Food prices inflate

4) More death by war, famine, disease, and animals

End result of the four horseman of the Apocalypse: a fourth, one quarter, 25% of the population will be affected. The math says approximately 1.8 billion (1,800,000,000) people will perish.

Daniel 12:4 “But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase.”

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Trend Update: Mystery Babylon/Revelation, September 2014

Posted in Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on September 10, 2014 by paulthepoke

Revelation 17:9 Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits…

From a Western perspective, popular lines of conjecture are the following. The woman is a city. Revelation 17:18 The woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth. The city that sits on the seven mountains or hills is Rome. A revived Roman Empire will emerge in the end times. Some think the European Union is the end time’s empire. Others believe an apostate Catholic Church will lead the charge. Some conjecture a future leader of the European Union will be the antichrist. Others believe The Pope will be the antichrist. Rome will be the capital and the city that is Mystery Babylon.

But…Rome is not the only possibility. There are other port cities that are built on seven hills. Two other examples are Istanbul, Turkey (Constantinople) and Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Mecca is very curious. It is the home of the most religious site in Islam. However, the focus of this blog is the consideration of Istanbul.

I want to be perfectly clear. I am not stating Constantinople or modern day Istanbul is Mystery Babylon. I am encouraging people to consider this as a possibility. In light of the Israel and Hamas fighting, Turkey has offered to broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians. http://rudaw.net/english/opinion/28072014

News out of Istanbul, Turkey has recently claimed the city to be the future capital of a new Arab confederation of countries.  http://shoebat.com/2014/08/26/bombshell-antichrist-confederacy-announced-turkey

The political happenings in Istanbul, Turkey merit an attentive eye. Just watching…

People often forget the Roman Empire had an eastern leg which included modern day Turkey, Iraq, and Syria.

Istanbul is known as the City on the Seven Hills. The seven hills were located within the original walls of the city. Constantinople was founded on an already established city. The city was named by Constantine the Great of the Roman Empire. Constantine established the city in his namesake as the capital of the Roman Empire. The city was purposefully patterned after Rome. It was dedicated in May, 330 AD (Wikipedia).

Modern day Turkey was known as Asia Minor. Turkey is a land bridge between Asia and Europe. The area connects the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. The Golden Horn of Istanbul provides a spacious harbor.

Mystery Babylon is a port city. Revelation 18 confirms this city is a place of great exchange, cargoes, and trade. Ships, merchants, passengers, captains, and sailors are mentioned. Revelation 18:19 And they threw dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had ships at sea became rich by her wealth, for in one hour she has been laid waste!’

Be a watchman. Here is the mind which has wisdom…

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Trend Update, Revived Roman Empire, May 2014

Posted in Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 28, 2014 by paulthepoke

Memorial Day weekend proved to be an interesting time in the Holy Land. The Pope, Francis, visited the Middle East. There are many who think the Pope will be the Anti-Christ. The Roman Empire is being revived, so they say. Many have identified the Pope as the Anti-Christ. I would also encourage everyone to remember the Roman Empire had an eastern leg which included modern day Turkey, Iraq, and Syria.

The Pope had an interesting trip. He called for interfaith toleration and unity between the Muslims and the Jewish people. He visited the Muslim Dome on the Temple Mount and the Jewish Western Wall. He endorsed dividing the land and acknowledging a Palestinian state. With all due to respect to the pontiff, I would encourage him to read the Book of Joel. God says, “Do not divide My land.” This is not a good idea and not in accordance with God’s will.

The Pope has requested a peace meeting or summit next month (June 2014) at the Vatican between the Muslims and the Jews. I expect the Pope or somebody to invoke Father Abraham as a bridge to peace at some point in the future.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-8 Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming…

Scripture tells us the Anti-Christ will NOT be revealed until the resurrection of the dead believers in Christ and the living believers in Christ are raptured into the clouds to meet Jesus. There is a lot of debate about the word “apostasy”. It is the word apostasia in the Greek. The word is transliterated. It can mean the following in the original Greek: a falling away, defection, or apostasy. The word is used one other time in the New Testament.

The key to the passage is noted later in these verses with the restrainer. Many take this “restrainer” to be the Holy Spirit who is indwelled in Christians. The restrainer will be removed when Christians are snatched into the clouds at the rapture by Jesus. Then, the Anti-Christ will be revealed and present himself to the world.

This passage also notes there will be a Jewish Temple. The Anti-Christ will present himself as being God in the temple. Currently, there is no Jewish Temple. But if we wake up one morning and there has been an agreement to rebuild the Temple…

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Isaiah 11:3b-4 Jesus, the Judge

Posted in Isaiah, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , on January 19, 2014 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 11:3b-4 And He will not judge by what His eyes see, nor make a decision by what His ears hear; but with righteousness He will judge the poor, and decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; and He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.

The He is Jesus. He will not rely on His senses, hearing and vision, to make determinations. Righteousness will be the determining factor. The Hebrew word for righteousness is “tsedeq”. It means what is just and right (Strong’s Concordance). It is fair and honest. It cannot be bought or bribed. It is equitable and has integrity. It does not care how much money somebody has.

…and with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked… In the Hebrew, the word for slay is muwth. It means to die, kill, or have one executed (Strong’s Concordance).

2 Thessalonians 2:8 Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming…

The lawless one is the Antichrist. In the Greek, the word for slay is anaireo. It means to take up, to lift up (from the ground), to take up for myself as mine, to take away, abolish, to put out of the way, or kill slay a man (definitions per Strong’s Concordance).

With this definition, the understanding would be Jesus is going to take the Antichrist as a possession and escort him to the Lake of Fire. Revelation 19:20-21 And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.

The Father is consistent with the expectation and intent of His Son throughout Scripture. Wickedness does not pay.

Psalm 2:9 “You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.”

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Isaiah 10:28-32 Assyrian Antichrist? Part 3

Posted in Isaiah, Prophecy with tags , , , , , on December 15, 2013 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 10:28 He has come against Aiath, he has passed through Migron; at Michmash he deposited his baggage.

Isaiah 10:29 They have gone through the pass, saying, “Geba will be our lodging place.” Ramah is terrified, and Gibeah of Saul has fled away.

Isaiah 10:28-32 describes an invasion of Judah from the north to the south. These verses describe the Assyrian advance toward Jerusalem. All the cities named are within a three-hour march of Jerusalem (Ryrie Study Notes).

The first town mentioned is Aiath. It has been translated Ai or Aija or Aiath or Hai per Strong’s Concordance. Its name means: heap of ruins. Ai is located approximately 15-20 miles due north of Jerusalem in the mountains. Ai is east of Bethel and beside Bethaven near Jericho.

Migron is the second town noted. Migron means: precipice.  Migron is located south of Ai and north of Jerusalem. I Samuel 14:2 describes it near Gibeah. Saul was staying in the outskirts of Gibeah under the pomegranate tree which is in Migron. Strong’s Concordance has Migron located north of Michmash.

The third town is Michmash. Its name means: hidden. It is located 7 miles northwest of Jerusalem. Supplies will be dropped in this town.

Geba or “hill” is located south of Michmash. Citizens of Ramah (hill) and Gibeah (hill) are sandwiched between the invading army from the north and the city of Jerusalem to the south. These places are approximately 5 miles from Jerusalem.

Isaiah 10:30-32 Cry aloud with your voice, O daughter of Gallim! Pay attention, Laishah and wretched Anathoth! Madmenah has fled. The inhabitants of Gebim have sought refuge. Yet today he will halt at Nob; He shakes his fist at the mountain of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem. 

Gallim (springs), Laishah (lion), Anathoth (answers to prayer), Madmenah (dunghill, how would you like to live in a town that means pile of poop?), Gebim (cisterns). These are all towns that lie just north of Jerusalem. They are located approximately 3-5 miles north of Jerusalem.

The Assyrian invader will be stopped at Nob. It means: high place.

Historically, there is debate if this invasion noted in Isaiah 10:28-32 has taken place. There were invasions in 735 BC, 713 BC, and 701 BC. But, there are discrepancies in time lines and approach to Jerusalem.  For example, historical records indicate Sennacherib approached Jerusalem from the southwest 701 BC. This invasion of Israel is from the north.

If this invasion has not yet taken place, is this a prelude of things to come? In today’s world, a leader from modern day northern Iraq/Syria would invade Israel from the north. He would get to within 3 to 5 miles north of Jerusalem before being turned away and executed.

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Isaiah 10:26-27 Assyrian Antichrist? Part 2

Posted in Isaiah, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , on December 8, 2013 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 10:26 The LORD of hosts will arouse a scourge against him like the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb; and His staff will be over the sea and He will lift it up the way He did in Egypt.

The Hebrew word for “scourge” is showt. It can be translated as a scourge or whip. Showt can also be meant as figurative language for national judgment (Strong’s Concordance). A modern day translation would be, Assyria and its leader are going to get a butt whippin’.

The whippin’ is going to be like the events documented in Judges. Judges 7:25 reminds us what happened. They captured the two leaders of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb, and they killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and they killed Zeeb at the wine press of Zeeb, while they pursued Midian; and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon from across the Jordan.

The best guess for the location of the Rock of Oreb is east of the Jordan River, south of the Sea of Galilee, and north of the west bank territory. Oreb’s meaning is a raven, a bird of prey. The Hebrew text makes it clear, these leaders are executed.

I take it the Assyrian is going to be killed and decapitated. For this reason, I do not think the Assyrian is the Antichrist. His fate is described here in Isaiah 10:26. The Antichrist is thrown alive in the Lake of Fire in Revelation 19:20. There are other arguments in support of this position, but that is a discussion for another day. I would encourage investigation of the issue from where does the Antichrist come.

God is reminding Assyria from Isaiah 10:24. You treated my people the way Egypt treated my people. Assyria oppressed Israel in bondage. God is going to treat Assyria the way he treated Egypt. God absolutely crushed and destroyed the Egyptian military with a wall of water. The reference is to Exodus 14:16 and God’s commandment to Moses. “As for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall go through the midst of the sea on dry land. Exodus 14:27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal state at daybreak, while the Egyptians were fleeing right into it; then the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. Israel will make it through these difficult times, Assyria will not.

Isaiah 10:27 So it will be in that day, that his burden will be removed from your shoulders and his yoke from your neck, and the yoke will be broken because of fatness.

The image is of an ox with a yoke on his shoulders pulling a plow and tilling a field. The yoke is the Assyrian. Israel is the ox. The yoke or the Assyrian will be shattered. There will be freedom and God’s abundant blessing.

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Isaiah 10:24-25 The Assyrian Antichrist?

Posted in Isaiah, Prophecy with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 24, 2013 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 10:24-25 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD of hosts, “O My people who dwell in Zion, do not fear the Assyrian who strikes you with the rod and lifts up his staff against you, the way Egypt did. For in a very little while My indignation against you will be spent and My anger will be directed to their destruction.”

God is calling out to the citizens of Zion or Jerusalem. Assyria’s treatment of the Jews is similar to the bondage Israel experienced in Egypt. Israel do not sweat it, God is going to take care of this guy and his people. God informs the people of Israel their judgment is almost over. When that has run its course, Assyria will be destroyed.

Another name for the Assyrian is Asshur. The genealogy traces back to Noah and his son Shem. Asshur is the second son of Shem (son of Noah). Genesis 10:22 The sons of Shem were Elam and Asshur and Arpachshad and Lud and Aram. After the flood, Asshur settled in what is modern day Iraq on the Tigris River. His city was located between modern day Baghdad and Mosul. Asshur was the first capital of Assyria (Holman Quicksource Bible Dictionary).

This geographical area has been home to conquering empires throughout history. It was home to the Assyrian Empire. It was home to the Seleucid Empire after the four way split of Alexander the Great’s Grecian Empire. This area was a part of the Eastern leg of the Roman Empire. The eastern leg eventually became the Byzantine Empire. The last empire in this region was the Ottoman until the 19th Century. (An Alternative View: The Return of Nimrod? Chuck Missler)

Who is the Assyrian? Some would argue he is the Antichrist. The Antichrist is destined to be thrown alive into the Lake of Fire in Revelation 19:20. I would argue the Assyrian is not the Antichrist. His fate is to be discussed in the next post. His destination is not the Lake of Fire. He will not be alive; he is going to die.

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