The Antichrist's Actions During the Armageddon Campaign as Described in Daniel 11.45 and Revelation 13.14-15 (Doctrinal Bible Church in Huntsville, Alabama)

Doctrinal Bible Church

Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom

Wednesday April 3, 2024

Day of the Lord Series: The Antichrist’s Actions During the Armageddon Campaign as Described in Daniel 11:45 and Revelation 13:14-15

Lesson # 17

Daniel 11:40-45 presents a description of the Antichrist’s actions during the Armageddon campaign.

Daniel 11:40 “Now, during the end time, the king ruling the south will cause himself to go to war against him. Also, the king ruling the north will cause himself to storm against him with a military chariot group, with a cavalry as well as with a large armada of ships. However, despite this, he will wage attacks against countries so that he will overflow, yes, pass through like a flood. 41 “He will even wage an attack against the beautiful land. Indeed, many will be defeated. However, these will for their own benefit escape from his power: Edom as well as Moab and in addition the leadership of the citizens of Ammon. 42 Yes, he will exercise his power against countries with the Egyptian people by no means being able to escape. 43 He will even be in control over hidden treasures, namely their gold as well as their silver, indeed, over all Egypt’s valuable commodities. Also, the Libyans as well as the Cushites will be under his control. 44 However, reports from the east as well as the north will alarm him. Consequently, he will march out in a great rage in order to kill, yes, annihilate many. 45 He will even pitch his royal tents between the seas on the beautiful, holy Mountain. However, despite this, he will come to his end with absolutely no one will help him.” (Pastor’s translation)

Daniel 11:45 brings to an end the prophecy regarding the character and actions of the Antichrist during the last three and a half years of the seventieth week.

This verse contains two prophetic statements.

The first is that the Antichrist will pitch his royal tents between the seas on the beautiful holy mountain.

“The seas” is a reference to the Mediterranean and Dead Seas with the former located to the west of Jerusalem and the latter located to the east of this city.

“The beautiful holy Mountain” is a reference to the temple mount area in Jerusalem.

Though in Daniel’s day it was destroyed by war, it was still called beautiful by Daniel since it is the place in which the Messiah would be crucified and would die as a substitute for all of sinful humanity.

It is also the place in which He will reign over all the earth for a thousand years.

This first prophetic statement in Daniel 11:45 is an ascensive clause meaning that this statement is shocking to the angel and repulsive to him since God who has chosen this city to be the capital city of Israel and place from which His Son will rule during His millennial reign.

When the Antichrist is occupying Jerusalem, he will be displaying himself as God by sitting on the Ark of the Covenant between the cherubs in the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem which Gabriel prophesied about in Daniel 9:27.

Also the false prophet will lead the world in worshipping the image of the Antichrist during the last three and a half years of the seventieth week.

The apostle Paul also refers to the Antichrist’s desecrating the temple and declaring himself God and demanding the worship of the world.

Paul’s statement in 2 Thessalonians 2:4 that Antichrist will “take his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as God” is a reference to the statement in Daniel 9:27, “on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate.”

The statement in 2 Thessalonians 2:4 also corresponds to the second prophetic statement in Daniel 11:36 that a unique will exalt and magnify himself above every god.

Revelation 13:14-15 also mentions Antichrist exalting himself as God and receiving the worship of the world as such while occupying Jerusalem.

Revelation 13:1 And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. 2 The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was astonished and followed the beast. (NIV84)

This statement refers to the restoration of the Roman Empire and not the Antichrist since John is speaking in the context of the ten horns that represent the Revived Roman Empire.

Revelation 13:4 Men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?” 5 The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. (NIV84)

The “forty-two months” refers to the last three and a half years of Daniel’s Seventieth Week and corresponds with the “for a time (one year), times (two years), and a half time (six months)” in Daniel 7:25 and the “one thousand two hundred and sixty days” in Revelation 12:6 and the “forty-two months” in Revelation 11:2.

Revelation 13:6 He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. 7 He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. 8 All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world. 9 He who has an ear, let him hear. 10 If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints. 11 Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. 12 He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. (NIV84)

This second beast is called in Revelation 16:13, 19:20 and 20:10 “the false prophet” and will be a religious leader as indicated in that he is depicted as a lamb with two horns.

The horns speak of power and the lamb is a religious symbol, a symbol of sacrifice, so this beast is a religious figure and as a lamb is also symbolical of a mild, lamb-like manner, so this second beast will adopt a mild lamb-like appearance, but he will be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. (Maybe the Pope)

Revelation 13:13 And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men. 14 Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. (NIV84)

This passage teaches that the second beast, i.e. the false prophet will promote the worship of the first beast, which refers to the Antichrist and not the Revived Roman Empire since the first beast is said to have “had a wound of the sword and has come to life,” which refers to surviving a fatal wound from an act of violence.

Rome was never destroyed by the sword, i.e. militarily but rather disintegrated from division and deterioration from within, thus indicating that Antichrist will survive an assassination attempt.

Revelation 13:15 He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. 16 He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, 17 so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. 18 This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666. (NIV84)

To enforce the worship of the beast and to make life impossible without his worship, men cannot buy or sell without the mark of the beast.

Consequently, millions of believers will be killed because they do not have the mark and refuse to receive it or because they starve to death since they cannot buy or sell.

Some will survive, however, by living off the land or because other believers who have food share with those who do not (cf. Matt. 24:15-25 and 25:31-40).

To receive the mark of the beast is tantamount to the worship of the beast, and rejection of Jesus Christ (cf. 13:8; 17:8; 14:9-12; 15:2; 16:2; 19:20; 20:4).

Revelation 13:17 say that the mark is his number, which is defined in verse 18 as 666 and is one of the options for the mark, either his name or his number and will be the means by which believers in the Tribulation period will identify the beast.

This will not be just a number or identification mark on a plastic card but rather it will be on the person himself and symbolic of the fact that he is only a man and not God as he claims to be.

Now, the second prophetic statement contained in Daniel 11:45 is a concessive clause meaning that despite the Antichrist occupying Jerusalem and the temple where he displays himself as God, he will meet his demise with absolutely no one to help him.

The Word of God teaches that Jesus Christ at His Second Advent will kill the Antichrist and have him thrown alive into the Lake of Fire after his death.