Eschatology in the Book of Daniel - The Antichrist

Introduction

The Antichrist has always been an interesting subject for many people. Who is he? What will he do? When will he appear? The Book of Daniel has some interesting insight into this character we know as the Antichrist. It gives a prophetical view into the future events that will take place during the 7 years of tribulation when Antichrist will reign upon the earth, and it does this by using a real historical person to illustrate how devastating the Antichrist will be.

Daniel has several prophetic visions of a certain vile man who will fulfill these things both in the near future (in the form of a man named Antiochus Epiphanes) and in the distant future (in the Antichrist)

It helps to think of A.E. as the “preview trailer” while Antichrist is the “feature film”

When we look at some of the things Antiochus Epiphanes does to the people of Israel, it is not difficult to see why he is a “picture” or a “foreshadowing” of the Ultimate Wicked One who is yet to come, the Antichrist.

I. Who is the Antichrist?

The word “Anti” can mean both “against” and “instead of”

He is a future world leader who will rise to power during the time of Tribulation upon the earth.

He will arise to power using flattery (Daniel 11:21).

The final world ruler will be both a counterfeit Christ and an enemy of Christ

His appearance is spoken of in Revelation 13:1–10.

Daniel 8:23-26 gives a glimpse into who the Antichrist is and what he will be like

“A king of fierce countenance” = Antichrist will be known for his cruel brutality

“Understanding dark sentences” = The Antichrist will be known for his flattery and smooth tongue.

“his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power” = The Antichrist will be empowered by Satan and allowed by God

“Shall prosper” = The Antichrist will appear to be a total success until God comes and topples his kingdom

“Shall destroy the mighty and the holy people” = Antichrist will not only destroy his enemies, but will also harshly persecute God’s people

“he shall cause craft (deceit) to prosper” = The Antichrist’s rule will be marked by deceit (2 Thess 2:9-10)

“he shall magnify himself in his heart” Antichrist will think of himself as God and thus set himself up as God (2 Thess 2:4)

“he shall also stand up against the prince of princes” Antichrist will hate God and His people, which is why he will persecute them so severely

“he shall be broken without hand” No mere man will defeat the Antichrist, it is only the coming of Christ that will eventually defeat him

He will be a man of remarkable knowledge and skill in planning his exploits

He will be a man skilled in using words and able to promote himself so that people follow him

He will blaspheme God and ultimately convince the unbelieving world that he is a god (2 Thess 2:1-12)

He will be the ruler of the world and will not only control the economy and religion, but will also seek to change the times and the laws (Daniel 7:25)

II. What Will the Antichrist Do?

He will seemingly unite the world under the guise of “peace” and will sign a 7 year treaty with Israel. But exactly 3 1/2 years into the peace treaty, he will break it and will attack and persecute the Jewish people relentlessly. (Daniel 9:27)

He will speak blasphemous words against God (Daniel 7:25)

He will “wear out” the Saints (Daniel 7:25)

This means to harass continually so that life becomes a wretched existence. This is much worse than just a one time heroic decision of martyrdom. This is a breaking of the spirit and the will to live.

He will murder other rulers and persecute the people of God (specifically Israel) (Daniel 8:10)

He will command worship to be towards himself and not God (Daniel 8:11)

He will put a stop to temple sacrifices in Jersualem (Daniel 8:11)

He will desecrate the Temple (Daniel 8:11)

He will oppose God and yet seem to prosper for a little while (Daniel 8:12)

This passage in Daniel 8 is specifically talking about Antiochus Epiphanes, but he is a picture or a type of the future Antichrist, because much of what he did will also be done by the future world leader known as the Antichrist

In December of 186 BC he seized Jerusalem on a Sabbath day (knowing that it was a sacred day of rest and no one would be prepared for it). He then set up an idol of Zeus inside the Temple of God and desecrated the Temple by sacrificing a pig and sprinkling its blood and juices in the sanctuary (the pig was a ceremonially unclean animal, so once this was done, the entire Temple was desecrated and it was unable to be used to worship God anymore.

It is said that by the end of his reign, Antiochus Epiphanes killed over 80,000 Jews, Imprisoned 40,000, and sold into slavery another 40,000.

If you and I would have been alive during the time of Antiochus Epiphanes’ reign, we may have thought that he WAS indeed the Antichrist!

At the 3 1/2 year mark of the Tribulation. The Antichrist will break his peace treaty with Israel and will desecrate the Temple and set himself on the throne of David. This is known in Scripture as “the Abomination of Desolation”.

The Temple will remain desecrated for 2,300 days (Daniel 8:13-14).

The literal translation is 2,300 “morning and evenings” since 2 sacrifices per day were made, this probably means 1,150 full days, which is 3 1/2 years.

III. How Will His Reign End?

Daniel 7:26-27. When Christ returns at the end of the 7 years of Tribulation, He will lead a final battle against Satan, Antichrist, and his armies and will ultimately defeat him

Revelation 19:11-21.

The Lord Jesus Christ will return as this Rider on the White Horse. He will come as a Judge and as a Conqueror!

We as His followers will come with Him (v.14) ready to go to war with Satan, the Antichrist, and his armies

Satan and the Antichrist will gather their armies for one final war with Christ (v.19)

Satan and the Antichrist will be thrown into the Lake of Fire (v. 20)

Once this happens, then we will reign with Christ upon the Earth for 1,000 years in what the Bible calls the Millennium.

Daniel 7:18 “18 But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.”

Conclusion

God wants us to be informed about the Antichrist, but he does not wish for us to be obsessive in trying to figure out WHO the Antichrist is. Because in reality, if you are saved, you will never know who he is, for he will not make his appearance until after the Rapture, where all of His saints will be gone.

Daniel 8:27. God wants us to know these things to make us more about God’s business.

It is my personal belief that Satan has always had an Antichrist “ready to go” because he does not know when these events will take place. So in theory, the Antichrist could be alive right now

What we can take away from this is that while the Antichrist is a fearful and powerful figure, he is not stronger than our God, and he will be overthrown when Christ returns. In the coming weeks, we will look at WHY God will allow all these things to come to pass. God doesnt just do things to do them, He has a purpose and a plan behind them, and we will see by the end of our study just WHY God has this plan for our world.