The Jews’ great enemies that have for the years since the nation’s birth into modern times threatened to exterminate them will meet their end on the mountains of Israel. God, Himself, will annihilate the Gog-Magog juggernaut as it storms southward. The prophet Ezekiel foretells their fate in no uncertain terms.

Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.

Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God.

And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the Lord.

So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel.

Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord God; this is the day whereof I have spoken.

And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years:

So that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests; for they shall burn the weapons with fire: and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord God.

And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The valley of Hamon-gog.

And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land.

Yea, all the people of the land shall bury them; and it shall be to them a renown the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord God.

And they shall sever out men of continual employment, passing through the land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search.

And the passengers that pass through the land, when any seeth a man’s bone, then shall he set up a sign by it, till the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamon-gog. (Ezekiel 39:4–15)

Continuing the scenario of developments as Antichrist strengthens his grip on power, he will see his opportunity to accomplish his master’s all-consuming desire. Satan wants to conquer Jerusalem and, in particular, set his earthly throne of authority upon the very spot where the Holy of Holies and the Ark of the Covenant sat in ancient times.

The European leader is hailed by his hordes of Western-alliance sycophants as the greatest of all conquerors in history while he and they watch the elimination of all but one-sixth of the forces of the Gog-Magog coalition. He, we can imagine, lifts his head in pride and accepts the adulation of all those under his rule. They believe he has somehow, through supernatural means, seen to the destruction of the Middle East belligerents. He hasn’t had to lift a finger, yet their antagonists to their east who might have one day caused their deaths in war were destroyed by an all-consuming power that even their nuclear weaponry couldn’t have matched.

The great leader has by this time undoubtedly been adorned by his ten-kings consortium with the mantle of an emperor with godlike powers. He will do nothing to assuage their thinking. He will “magnify himself,” as Daniel predicts:

And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. 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. (Daniel 8:23–25)

This man, more dynamic in magnetic personality and oratory than any to ever live will, in fact, come under powers that will make him like a god in the eyes of those who witness his dramatic rise. By this time, he will have been given a supernatural promotion by a religious prelate who, as we have seen, will have propagandist abilities that will far exceed even those of Adolf Hitler’s partner in the Third Reich, Josef Goebbels. This “holy” man—who some believe might be a pope—will lead the way in attributing to him powers that no other humans have achieved. The second beast—the False Prophet—will himself perform great “miracles” and “wonders” so that they will fool and confound anyone who doesn’t have spiritual understanding at that time.

There will be those who have accepted Christ as Savior, and their numbers will grow exponentially. Both the Antichrist and his False Prophet sidekick will hunt down and have murdered all who won’t accept the system of tyranny the Fourth Reich will require.

Apparently, the Führer of the Fourth Reich won’t be loved by everyone. He will supposedly be the victim of an assassination. Prophecy says he’ll be injured with a fatal wound (read Revelation 13). This will likely be a matter of the unholy trinity of Satan, Antichrist, and the False Prophet faking a deadly blow to the great leader’s head.

Only Christ has the keys to death and life. So this must be a fake death, because there will be a resurrection from the “deadly head wound,” and Antichrist will live again in the eyes of all who witness the supposed miracle. People will from that point “wonder after the beast who had the deadly wound and did live” (Revelation 13:3).

The “resurrected” man will then take up the greatest manhunt in all of history. He will try to make everyone within his sphere of authority take a number and mark on their forehead or right hand. If they don’t comply, they will likely die, either through beheading or starvation from resisting the 666 system of buying and selling.

Following the Gog-Magog defeat, Antichrist, now probably indwelt by Satan himself, will march in front of his massive Western-alliance forces. They will go to Jerusalem, where Satan will, having been cast out of the heavenly sphere along with his wicked angel cohorts, cause his Antichrist host to do his bidding.

And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.…

Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. (Revelation 12:7–9, 12)

Satan’s prime directive will be to go into the Temple that was constructed shortly after the covenant guaranteeing the Jews security and the right to worship on Mt. Moriah. Lucifer’s hatred has long burned at the core of his rebellion. The Jewish Temple has continued to be in his crosshairs for destruction.

The act of bringing disgrace upon the Temple has historical precedence. In 168 BC, Greek king, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, invaded Jerusalem and captured the city. He forced his way into the Jewish temple, erected a statue of the Greek god Zeus, and sacrificed a pig on the altar of incense. This provoked a revolt in Judea as the Jews fought to remove Antiochus’ sacrilege from the temple. Such desecration is prophetically scheduled to happen once again during the middle of the Tribulation.

Daniel foretold this moment and Jesus further described this blasphemous act:

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. (Daniel 9:27)

Antichrist will go into the Temple at the three and one-half year point of Daniel’s seventieth week. He will desecrate the Temple by causing the Jews’ worship and sacrifices to cease, and by carrying out other blasphemy in the Temple. Jesus said further of this horrendous act:

When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.

And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. (Matthew 24:15–21)

Final Solution

This is the hellish moment Satan and his man of sin have been awaiting for millennia. And, yes we say that correctly, because Antichrist himself is said to arise from the bottomless pit. He has been waiting for this time of incarnation, the prophecy seems to indicate.

It is fair to conjecture whether this beast might be an offspring of a sexual union in the time of Genesis chapter 6 when the “sons of God” came to the “daughters of men,” cohabited, and produced offspring. These angelic-human half -breeds are called nephilim and are believed by many Bible scholars and students to be the result of the first rebellion in Heaven when a third of the angels followed Lucifer in his fall.

The possibility is made stronger by considering two facts the Bible gives about the Antichrist. He, like Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, is said to be the “son of perdition.” Judas was said to have gone “to his own place” upon, apparently, killing himself. Additionally, he is described to have been “lost from the beginning,” apparently meaning that he never had a chance to be redeemed by the blood of Christ as have all human beings.

Secondly, the beast (Antichrist) is summarily thrown in the Lake of Fire, without standing before the great white throne judgment. Every human will get his or her time in that supreme heavenly court. The Antichrist gets no such turn before that final judgment. Neither, incidentally, will the second beast (False Prophet) be given an appearance before that final court. Both are thrown directly into the Lake of Fire, as will be the devil and his angels. This makes us think that the Antichrist and False Prophet might indeed be supernatural minions rather than human.

The Final Solution will begin with the full fury of Satan pursuing all of the House of Israel. His whole purpose will be to murder every last son and daughter of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Like Hitler, he will round them up and kill them by the millions. Jesus said the following:

And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. (Matthew 24:22)

Many Jews and millions of others will die as the result of the genocidal rage. But, God will preserve a third of the Jewish race along with many Gentiles who accept Christ during this holocaust.

Antichrist’s Final Solution will fall short, as did Hitler’s.

A reference to the Antichrist in the Temple is first found in 2 Thessalonians 2:4, the first place in Scripture where we are told specifically that the Antichrist directly sits in the Temple declaring that he is God:

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.

There is no mention of Antichrist desecrating the Third Temple in the Book of Revelation. However, all the wrath and judgment John was given by Christ Himself will begin to come upon the world of rebels from that desecration. Jesus says, again, that it will be the worst time of history, and that if not for God’s intervention, no flesh would be saved.

Whereas the confirming of the covenant of Daniel 9:26 sets in motion Daniel’s seventieth week, the last seven years of human history that precede Christ’s Second Advent (Revelation 19:11), the desecration of the Temple sets in motion the time of Jacob’s trouble (Jeremiah 30:7). This will be the last half of the Tribulation period. Jesus called this Great Tribulation. This is the when Antichrist’s Final Solution gets into full genocide mode. (We’ll examine in future chapters the judgments and wrath that flow from this midpoint of Daniel’s seventieth week of seven years.)

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The “beasts” of the earth—in human terms—have killed millions of people through their satanically driven regimes. These, however, will pale by comparison to the genocide that will take place under Antichrist’s beastly reign, especially during the second half of the Tribulation. Here is look at the number of deaths attributed to some of the previous beasts of history:

Although dictators and despots have been around since the days of Noah (Nimrod, et al), the twentieth century saw more enslavement, torture and death under “beast” rulers than all the previous centuries combined. People who have accomplished much on this earth in business, sports, agriculture and other endeavors are sometimes inducted into a “Hall of Fame” for outstanding achievement in their chosen field. If recognition was given to the many evil “beast” rulers that have lived on the planet, and they were voted into a “Hall of Shame,” some of the top candidates, who have tortured, maimed and killed the most people in the world include:

• • MAO ZEDONG, China (1949–76), Regime: Communist, Victims: Over 60 million
  • JOSEPH STALIN, Soviet Union (1929–53), Regime: Communist, Victims: c. 40 million
  • ADOLF HITLER, Germany (1933–45), Regime: Nazi dictatorship, Victims: c. 30 million
  • KING LEOPOLD II, Belgium (1886–1908), Regime: Colonial Empire in Congo, Victims: 8 million
  • HIDEKI TOJO, Japan (1941–45), Regime: Military dictatorship, Victims: 5 million
  • ISMAIL E. PASHA, Ottoman Turkey (1915–20), Regime: Military dictatorship, Victims: 2 million
  • POL POT, Cambodia (1975–79), Regime: Communist (Khmer Rouge), Victims: At least 1.7 million
  • KIM ILSUNG, North Korea (1948–94), Regime: Communist, Victims: At least 1.6 million
  • SADDAM HUSSEIN, Iraq (1979–2003), Regime: Ba’ath Party dictatorship, Victims: 600,000
  • JOSIP BROZ TITO, Yugoslavia (1945–80), Regime: Communist, Victims: 570,000^[i]

It’s no wonder that Jesus warned all Jews who are in the area to flee for their lives when they see this man claiming to be God while sitting in a throne-like position in the Temple. This will be the ultimate act of blasphemy.

The man of sin will have his False Prophet erect an image to him—an object all will be forced to bow down before and worship or be killed. He will speak great, swelling words against the God of gods, the true God of Heaven. He will no doubt sprinkle swine blood to desecrate the inner sanctum of the Temple and the altar, as Antiochus did millennia earlier.

Dr. John Walvoord wrote the following:

The Blasphemous Character of the Beast as World Ruler (Revelation 13:5–6)

13:5–6 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.

The evil character of the world ruler of that day is shown in his boasting and blasphemy. A similar description of the same character is given in Daniel 7:8, 11, 25. His authority continues for forty-two months, again the familiar three and one-half years of the great tribulation. It is probable that the person who heads the revived Roman Empire comes into power before the beginning of the entire seven-year period of Daniel 9:27, and as such enters into covenant with the Jewish people. His role as world ruler over all nations, however, does not begin until the time of the great tribulation. From that point, he continues forty-two months until the second coming of Christ terminates his reign. It is evident that blasphemy is not an incidental feature of his kingdom but one of its main features, and he is described in verse 6 as blaspheming against God, against the name of God, and against the Tabernacle of God, as well as against them that dwell in heaven. As Satan’s mouthpiece he utters the ultimate in unbelief and irreverence in relation to God. If the king of Daniel 11:36–45 is the same individual, as some believe, he does so in total disregard of any god because he magnifies himself above all (Dan. 11:37).

The Universal Dominion of the Beast (13:7)

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.

As is anticipated in Daniel 7:23, where the beast devours “the whole earth,” here the worldwide extent of his power is indicated. The expression “it was given to him” refers to the satanic origin of his power. Acting as Satan’s tool, the beast is able to wage war against the saints throughout the entire globe and to overcome them. (Cf. Dan. 7:25; 9:27; 12:10; Rev. 7:9–17.) In the will of God, many believers in Christ among both Jews and Gentiles perish as martyrs during this awful time of trial, while others are preserved in spite of all the beast can do. The ultimate in worldwide authority is indicated in verse 7, in that “power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.” The dream of countless rulers in the past of conquering the entire world is here finally achieved by this last Gentile ruler.

The universal authority of the beast over the entire earth is stated specifically in the latter part of the verse. The word peoples should be inserted after the word kindred as in the best texts, making the verse read “power was given him over all kindreds, peoples, and tongues, and nations.” As the nouns are properly singular, the clause is better rendered “and authority was given to him over every tribe and people and tongue and nation.” Such authority was anticipated by Daniel (Dan. 7:23) where it is stated that the fourth beast “shall devour the whole earth, and tread it down, and break it in pieces.” The dream of world conquest achieved in part by the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Macedonian, and Roman empires is now for the first time realized completely and is the satanic counterfeit of Christ’s millennial reign permitted by God in this final display of the evil of Satan and wicked humanity.

The time of this universal sway is clearly indicated in verse 5 as being forty-two months, namely the last three and one-half years preceding the return of Christ. This period is otherwise described as the great tribulation. It is apparent, however, that as the period moves on to its end a gigantic world war is under way continuing to the time of the return of Christ. This war is in the form of a rebellion against the universal sway of the beast and comes at the very end of the tribulation time. A universal kingdom and a world war could not coexist, since one is the contradiction of the other.^[ii]

The man of sin will edict that all who don’t believe in him must be hunted down and eliminated. At this time, he will have invaded Jerusalem with an army (Joel 1:6; Daniel 11:31, 9:26). He’ll take over Jerusalem and Israel, occupy its territory, and set up headquarters, waging war against Christians and Jews, attempting with all his might to annihilate them (see Daniel 11:33–35, 12:10; Revelation 6:10–11; Jeremiah 50:33; Joel 1:6; Matthew 24:9; Mark 13:9–13). Only a third of the Israelites will survive. Zechariah 13:8 declares:

And it shall come to pass in all the land, says the Lord; two thirds in it shall be cut off and die; but one third shall be left in it.

At the same time, Antichrist and his association of kings will undertake to abolish all religions and their places of worship (Revelation 17). Also at this time, God will judge the great whore (Revelation 17). The Antichrist will not tolerate any religion other than the worship of and devotion to himself and his empire. Daniel 11:37 affirms that the Antichrist regards no man, and thus has no concern for human life or suffering.

The Antichrist will launch an all-out war against all believers in Jesus Christ, and many will be martyred. God permits Antichrist, indwelt by Satan, to prevail and to accomplish his aims for a time. But the Lord at the same moment has prepared a hiding place for the Jews, whom Jesus warns to flee once they see that the great leader is really the beast who wants to implement his Final Solution.

We believe the place of refuge to be Petra in the Jordanian desert, as stated in a previous chapter. While Antichrist forces pursue the fleeing Jews, much like Pharaoh’s armies pursued the Israelites in the Exodus from Egypt, God will supernaturally intercede.

The Serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood.

But the Earth helped the woman, and the earth opened up its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of its mouth.

And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Revelation 12:15–17)

There seems to be a supernatural opening of the earth that swallows the flood of military attackers. God will prevent Antichrist from inflicting any harm while the Jews and many Tribulation believers in Christ run to the place God has prepared to hide them.

Antichrist, meanwhile, will become more enraged and will increase the slaughter in a holocaust of bloodshed like never before seen in the annals of human history.

UP NEXT: The Image of the Beast Arrives

[i] Michael Hile, “Who and What Are the Beasts of the Bible?, raptureready.com.

[ii] Dr. John Walvoord, “Beast and the False Prophet,” https://walvoord.com/article/271.

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