The Antichrist: The False Messiah and End Times Deception
The Antichrist
The Thessalonian church believed the tribulation had already begun, and considering the immense persecution they were experiencing, it is not surprising they thought so. However, Paul corrected them, saying, “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” (2 Thessalonians 2:3, NKJV).[i] The man of sin is also called “the lawless one.” Jesus said, “Because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12). While the world has seemingly been increasing in lawlessness, Jesus also said, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14).
Lawlessness, the love of many growing cold, and the falling away are all inferential signs of the end times, and so is the message of the Gospel being preached in every nation. Still, none of these alter the course of human dissolution. Humanity is not evolving into a more perfect species. We are deteriorating into an irreversible condition of worldwide rebellion and evil. And because of this, many will become disillusioned and fall away from God. Still, the end is not yet.
Arguably, some Christians today, having seen a growing number of Christians falling away from their faith, especially throughout Europe and North America, are saying the same thing as the Thessalonian church. However, one prediction has not come to fruition. The son of perdition, the lawless one, generally called the Antichrist, has not yet been revealed, nor has he come to power.[ii]
Found only in the epistles of John, the word Antichrist comes from two Greek words: Christos, meaning Christ or “anointed one,” and anti, meaning “against.”[iii] The Antichrist is the one who resists God and stands against His anointed.[iv] He is also called “the beast,” the little horn, the man of sin, the wicked one, the willful king, and the foolish shepherd.[v] The Antichrist is the seed of Satan, the dragon and the devil, and the one coming in the last days who will be embodied as the person of the Antichrist, described as the beast in Revelation.[vi] His spirit is already present in the world, speaking out against and resisting the church and the works of the Holy Spirit. Satan has always had earthly representatives throughout the ages. For example, in the proverb concerning the king of Babylon, we read, “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!” (Isaiah 14:12). Hitler is considered an Antichrist. However, the end times person of the Antichrist is yet to come.
Many theologians have speculated on the identity of the Antichrist, and the details surrounding his kingdom described in Daniel and Revelation are obscure. The church's pervasive view about the Antichrist is that he will most likely be a Gentile, possibly of Italian origins and a descendant of the Roman empire. This view comes from an interpretation of the Book of Daniel, where he sees four beasts representing four successive Gentile kingdoms that will rule over Israel, the last being the Roman Empire.[vii] While the Roman Empire fell in A.D. 476, some theologians believe it will be revived during the tribulation period, calling it “the revived Roman Empire.”[viii] They correlate this revived empire with the fourth beast, which has ten horns and a “little horn,” symbolizing the Antichrist. Daniel sees the Son of Man coming during the time of the fourth beast to judge the nations.[ix]
A less popular view is that the Antichrist will be a Gentile of Babylonian origin, a remnant of the Roman Empire that spread as far east as modern-day Iraq. Still, others speculate the Antichrist could be an Assyrian or come from modern-day Turkey, taken from a reference in the book of Daniel to the “king of the north.” While his origins remain a mystery, we know the Antichrist will be an actual person. And like Judas Iscariot, he will not become this person until Satan himself enters him.
Given that the prophecies concerning the Antichrist were given to the Jewish people, we must understand his relationship and prophetic fulfillment with the nation of Israel. The Antichrist will arise from another land and present himself intriguingly and uniquely to the Jewish people, even appealing to them as a governing ruler or possibly their long-awaited Messiah. However, we know the Antichrist will be a false leader, a vial king, who will deceive Israel and the nations with signs and wonders, causing much destruction. It says, “While returning to his land with great riches, his heart shall be moved against the holy covenant; so he shall do damage and return to his own land” (Daniel 11:28). While the church embraces Jesus as the anointed Son of God and King of the world, much of Israel is still looking for the rightful heir to David’s throne.[x]
To Israel, the Messiah is not expected to be God incarnate. They believe he will be a man, born in the flesh, anointed by God to be Israel’s king. The word “Messiah” (Moshiach) means anointed one. Most rabbis recognize from scripture that the Messiah will be the rightful king of Israel and God’s representative on the earth. He must be of the lineage of King David. Otherwise, the Messianic prophesies would be false. The evidence of his Messiahship is established by his subduing and making peace with Israel’s surrounding enemies and by establishing universal peace.[xi] In other words, he will initially be recognized as a man of peace.
The following are excerpts from one of Israel’s most famous rabbis—Maimonides. His writings bring a startling revelation and clarity about the Jewish people's expectations concerning their long-awaited Messiah and similarities with the Antichrist. We are reminded that Satan is the great imitator to deceive many. We read, in part:
“If a king shall arise from the House of David who delves deeply in the study of the Torah and observes its mitzvot like David, his ancestor; if he, by his personal excellence within the realm of Torah, will compel all of Israel to walk in the way of the Torah, and reinforce the breaches in its observance among the entire Jewish people; and if he will fight the wars of God, thus removing all obstacles to Torah observance in the world at large, we may, with assurance, consider him the Messiah. If he succeeds in the above... builds the Beit Hamikdash (Temple) on its site, and gathers in the dispersed remnant of Israel, he is definitely the Messiah. At this stage, when it becomes possible to observe the Torah and its mitzvot in their totality, the era of the Messiah will have actually begun [Laws of Kings and Wars 11:4].”
“Because the king who will arise from the seed of David will possess more wisdom than Solomon and will be a great prophet, approaching Moses, our teacher, he will teach the whole of the Jewish people and instruct them in the way of God; and all nations will come to hear him, as it is said, And at the end of days it shall come to pass that the Mount of the Lord's house shall be established as the top of the mountains (Micah 4:1; Isaiah 2:2) [Mishneh Torah, Hilkhot Teshuvah 9:8-10].”
“The king Messiah will arise and restore the kingdom of David to its former state and original sovereignty. He will rebuild the sanctuary and gather the dispersed of Israel. All the ancient laws will be reinstituted in his days; sacrifices will again be offered; the sabbatical and jubilee years will again be observed in accordance with the commandments set forth in the Torah [Laws of Kings and Wars 11:1].”
“His [the Messiah's] name will be great and fill the earth to its uttermost bounds. It will be a greater name than that of King Solomon and mightier. The nations will make peace with him and lands will obey him by reason of his great rectitude and the wonders that will come to light by his means. Any one that rises up against him God will destroy and make him fall into his hand [Introduction to Helek].”
The prophecies concerning the Antichrist in Daniel are obscure. Chapter nine speaks of a prince to come who will make a covenant with Israel and many nations. We read, “And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined. Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate” (Daniel 9:26-27). It is one of the most crucial prophecies in Daniel. Jesus even referred to it, correlating the one-week covenant directly with the seventieth week of Daniel, the seven-year tribulation.
In chapter eleven, Daniel expounds on this vial king who arises in the last days, saying he takes away the daily sacrifices and places the abomination of desolation in the Temple. We read, “In his place shall arise a vile person, to whom they will not give the honor of royalty; but he shall come in peaceably, and seize the kingdom by intrigue” (Daniel 11:21); “Forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation” (Daniel 11:31).
Daniel does not refer to this man as the rightful king of Israel. Instead, Daniel speaks of him as a vile person, saying, “He shall enter peaceably, even into the richest places of the province; and he shall do what his fathers have not done, nor his forefathers: he shall disperse among them the plunder, spoil, and riches; and he shall devise his plans against the strongholds, but only for a time” (Daniel 11:24). Notice that this man enters peaceably into the land of Israel, but then seizes it by intrigue, meaning he will offer something to the Jewish people they have long been desiring, namely, peace with their enemies. The rabbis also want the Temple rebuilt in Jerusalem and the daily sacrifices to resume, for the Law of Moses to be fulfilled, and for Israel to be restored to its theocracy.
However, peace will not come unless Israel’s enemies are subdued first. We read, “At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon. He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape.” (Daniel 11:40-42). The Antichrist will succeed in doing what no other leader has been able to accomplish. Chiefly to conquer Israel’s enemies and establish a covenant of peace with her surrounding nations for seven years. In response, the Jewish people will be influenced by this leader and give him some degree of authority to govern them.[xii] While the Jewish people today are not looking for someone to deliver them from their bondage of sin, they are waiting for a savior to redeem them from the hands of their enemies and to usher in world peace.
Since there is no known genetic study that can confirm the descendants of David, in the words of Maimonides, “If [this king] succeeds in [fighting the wars of God, thus removing all obstacles to Torah observance in the world at large, and] builds the Beit Hamikdash (Temple) on its site, and gathers in the dispersed remnant of Israel, he is definitely the Messiah.” There are differing opinions in the rabbinic community about the Messiah. However, the majority believe he must come, or at least Elijah must come first before the Temple can be rebuilt in Jerusalem.
Yet, upon the decree by the Antichrist to rebuild the Temple and restore the daily sacrifices, and by making a covenant of peace with Israel and many nations, the Jewish people will be deceived into believing that a Messiah (not necessarily the Messiah) has indeed come. The rabbis generally believe that an anointed leader can be sent to Israel in every generation. While they acknowledge the prophecies concerning the one ultimate Messiah to come from the lineage of King David, they also believe there can be many Messiahs, many saviors that God will send to Israel before the final Messiah arrives. Hence, Jesus warned the Jewish people, saying, “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many” (Matthew 24:4-5).
We further read in Daniel that this false Messianic leader rules the nations from “the great city,” which is understandably Jerusalem. As it says, “The great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified” (Revelation 11:8). And he will build his palace in a location outside of Jerusalem, as it says, “He shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain” (Daniel 11:45). The land between the seas likely refers to the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean. The place between the holy mountain establishes this location west of the Temple Mount. Thus, it appears that Israel, under the leadership of the Antichrist, will have become a center of political, economic, and spiritual power at this time.[xiii] We read, “He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; also the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow at his heels” (Daniel 11:43).
The Antichrist will not only allow for the rebuilding of the Temple, but he will install an illegitimate priesthood deceived by a false prophet that will desecrate this sanctuary for seven years. In the middle of the covenant, the Antichrist will “Exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done. He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all” (Daniel 11:36-37).[xiv] The reference in this verse to “God of his fathers” suggests this man is a descendant of Abraham but not necessarily the progenitor of King David. Regardless, he follows the way of the Gentiles and does not worship the God of Israel.
Daniel says, “In their place he shall honor a god of fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things. Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory” (Daniel 11:38-39). A god of fortress implies a god of military strength and power, and given that it is a god that his fathers did not know, it means we are discerning the rise to power of a new god, a new kingdom, and one that has not been previously established. It is the kingdom of Satan, the final kingdom to rule Israel and the nations before Christ returns. We read, “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast [the Antichrist]” (Revelation 17:12). This verse affirms that the last kingdom will not be a revived Roman Empire, but a new and short-lived kingdom comprising a coalition of ten kings that unite with the Antichrist to rule the world from Jerusalem for one hour.
With this understanding, we can expect that Israel’s false leader during this period will initially deceive most, if not all, of Israel. He will appeal to the religious Orthodox Jews, allowing for the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem and resuming the daily sacrifices. He will also appeal to the secular Jews, making a seven-year covenant of peace with Israel’s surrounding nations. For more than three years, it will appear that the Jewish people have attained what they desired for centuries—unity and peace. To the Jewish people, the Messiah must unquestionably have come, or at least, his representative Elijah. Then, in a moment, everything collapses. In the middle of Israel’s seven-year covenant of peace, the Antichrist will defile the Temple and end the daily sacrifices.
When the Jewish people discover the true ambition of this false Messiah, that he desires to be worshiped like God, many will rebel against this man. They will also recognize that he is not King David's legitimate heir. Hence, they will not give him the honor of royalty.[xv] In turn, the Antichrist will bring his full wrath against the Jewish people who reject him.[xvi] He will persecute them for more than three years, as it says, “He shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many” (Daniel 11:44). Jesus warned His disciples, saying, “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath” (Matthew 24:15-19).
The clear implication in this verse is that these Jews are observant of the Law of Moses, and Jesus did not rebuke them for being so. Again, in Malachi, we read, “Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, Which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, With the statutes and judgments. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord” (Malachi 4:4-4-5). God will separate the wheat from the tares, letting them grow together until the final harvest when God will remove the wicked from His land and bring His sheep into His barn.[xvii] Those who fear God will be persecuted by their brethren, some aligning with the Antichrist as Jesus warned, “Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved” (Mark 13:12-13).
The rest of Israel will rejoice with the Antichrist and the nations and celebrate when God’s two witnesses are killed in Jerusalem.[xviii] We read, “Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits. And those of the people who understand shall instruct many; yet for many days they shall fall by sword and flame, by captivity and plundering” (Daniel 11:32-33). God will make a book of remembrance for those who fear the Lord and honor the Law of Moses, as it says, “Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, And the Lord listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the Lord And who meditate on His name. They shall be Mine, says the Lord of hosts, On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them As a man spares his own son who serves him” (Malachi 3:16-17).
This period of Israel’s future history will be convoluted, but the God of Israel will not compromise. He is the one true God of all creation, a jealous God who expects to be worshiped by every nation, especially Israel. With the rapture of the church at the beginning of the seven-year tribulation, the Jewish people who are not in Christ will be left alone for God’s hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.[xix] Israel’s surrounding enemies, primarily from the north but also from the south, will come against the Jewish people. But Israel will also be divided internally between those who fear the Lord and desire to obey God’s laws and statutes and those who choose to follow this vile king and the ways of the world. This internal and external strife with the nations will culminate in an end-time battle called “the War of Gog and Magog,” also called “the Battle of Armageddon,” where God brings all the nations against Jerusalem for judgment.[xx]
There is scholarly debate about the origins of Gog and which nation he descends from. In Ezekiel, Gog is said to be from the land of Magog.[xxi] The Hebrew accurately translates as “Gog of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.” Tubal, Meshech, and Magog are three of the seven sons of Japheth, the son of Noah, and Gog is a prince of Meshech and Tubal.[xxii] In Revelation, Satan deceives the inhabitants of Gog and Magog to rise against Jerusalem.[xxiii] We surmise that Gog is either a leader or a spiritual principality, a prince over the land of Magog that encompasses the earthly kingdoms of Meshech and Tubal.
There is considerable speculation about the nations that descended from Japheth. However, it is generally accepted that the sons of Japheth populated the Germanic, Slavic, Hellenistic, Mongolian, and East Asian nations. If the Antichrist is to descend from the north, it seems likely that the ten kingdoms associated with him would also come from northern countries in Europe, Asia, and Asia Minor. There is also a reference in Revelation to the rising of the “kings of the east,” so China and other East Asian countries might also be included in his coalition.
It is also conceivable that Gog and the Antichrist are the same person, leading a coalition of ten nations called Magog. Some of these nations are specifically called out in Ezekiel. They are Rosh (often considered Russia), Meshech, Tubal, Persia (modern-day Iran), Ethiopia, Libya, Gomer, and Togarmah. Those who fear the Lord will be persecuted by the Antichrist, even the Jewish people who follow him, will persecute their brethren, as it says, “I will call for a sword against Gog throughout all My mountains,” says the Lord God. Every man’s sword will be against his brother” (Ezekiel 38:21).
Ultimately, some will escape to a place in the wilderness prepared by the Lord, and the rest will endure God’s final hour of tribulation.[xxiv] The Antichrist and those who follow him will be destroyed when Jesus returns, as it says, “Yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him” (Daniel 11:45); “And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming” (2 Thessalonians 2:8). The sages affirm this by saying about this false Messianic leader, “The immediate results of this war [of Gog and Magog] will be disastrous: Messiah, son of Joseph, will be killed.[xxv] His death will be followed by a short period of great calamities. These tribulations shall be the final test for Israel.”[xxvi] But Israel shall be saved as Jeremiah declared: “Alas! For that day is great, So that none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, But he shall be saved out of it” (Jeremiah 30:7).
The False Prophet
The rabbis believe that God will raise a prophet who will speak for the Lord and reestablish the precise location of the third Temple. We read, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear” (Deuteronomy 18:15). The Jewish people are looking for Elijah and another prophet like Moses who will be sent to Israel. In the tribulation, God will send two witnesses (prophets) to Jerusalem: Elijah and one, like Moses, the mediator and witness of God’s Mosaic Covenant with Israel.
However, Satan is a liar and an imposter, and he will try to usurp the governing and priestly authority over Israel that rightly belongs to Jesus. Jesus warned us, saying, “False christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24:3). Satan will ultimately raise up a false governing ruler, the Antichrist, and another false prophet who will cooperate with a great deception of God’s chosen people, Israel. It is precisely why most end-time Biblical prophecies revolve around Israel, as Satan wants to establish his kingdom in the place where Jesus will rule and reign forever.
In the Book of Revelation, there is a reference to a dragon and two beasts. The dragon we know is Satan, who gives power to the first beast. The second beast, called the false prophet, causes the world to worship the first beast, the Antichrist. We read, “And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet” (Revelation 16:13).
While God’s two witnesses, wearing sackcloth, will be sent to Israel to bring them to repentance, the beast who ascends out of the bottomless pit will ultimately kill them. Those who dwell on the earth rejoice in their death.[xxvii] And the nations will worship the dragon and the beast, as it says, “So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” (Revelation 13:4). This paring of a king and prophet, as in a priest, imitates the royal theocratic order given to Israel, an unholy Trinity when you consider the spirit of the Antichrist already at work in the world. We can see a complete picture of Satan’s illegitimate restoration of David's royal house and Aaron's priestly lineage.
Jesus told His disciples, “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men” (Matthew 5:13). And He warned the Jewish people that if they continued to reject their true Messiah, they and their land would be overrun by the Gentile nations. The sages proclaimed a similar warning in saying, “If they [Israel] will not repent.., the Holy One, blessed be He, will set up a ruler over them, whose decrees shall be as cruel as Haman's, thus causing Israel to repent, and thereby bringing them back to the right path.”
In bringing Israel through the Great Tribulation, her most significant time of trial and testing, many shall be purified, made white, and refined. We read, “At that time Michael shall stand up, The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation, Even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, Every one who is found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine Like the brightness of the firmament, And those who turn many to righteousness Like the stars forever and ever” (Daniel 12:1-3).
For defiling God’s Temple and persecuting His people, the Antichrist and his false prophet, and all who worship the beast, will be destroyed when Jesus returns. It says, “I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone” (Revelation 19:19-20). All humanity has been warned not to worship the Antichrist and not to take the mark of the beast.
Mystery Babylon
In Revelation, we read, “I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. And on her forehead a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement” (Revelation 17:3-6). There are varying theological opinions about Mystery Babylon. Some believe that ancient Babylonia (/ˌbæbɪˈloʊniə/) will be reconstructed in the end times, while others consider the United States to be the revived modern-day Babylon.
The ancient Babylonian archeological site is situated in modern-day Iraq. It was excavated at the end of the 19th century by German Architect Robert Koldeway and is one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Babylon was a succession of various empires and dynasties spanning over a thousand years. Its boundaries changed with each new conquest, and a mixed group of people from a dozen nationalities inhabited its lands across Mesopotamia. The Neo-Babylonian or Second Babylonian Empire, also called the Chaldean Dynasty, was the last of the Mesopotamian empires to be ruled by native kings. The Persian Achaemenid Empire conquered it less than a century later, in 539 B.C.
The Prophet Isaiah lived during the Chaldeans' brief rule over Babylon. But his prophecies were partly for a future time—the Neo-Babylonian or Chaldean Dynasty period. During this Second Babylonian Empire, the Babylonians would invade Israel and destroy God’s Temple. Isaiah’s prophecies concerning Babylon and others in the Bible are mysteriously obscured. Theologians have struggled for centuries to understand their meaning and fulfillment, especially regarding the return of Christ. Isaiah prophesied that Babylon, the “golden city,” would fall and cease to exist. Indeed, it has, but not entirely, and undoubtedly not as prophesied, where Babylon’s judgments are compared to those of Sodom and Gomorrah. After seventy years of Babylonian captivity, by decree of the Persian king Darius, a remnant of the Jewish people peacefully returned to the land of Israel from 520-515 B.C. Unlike the Exodus from Egypt, Israel was not redeemed from Babylon through any Divine destruction of the Babylonian kingdom.[xxviii]
Ancient Babylon did fall to the Persian king Cyrus in 539 B.C. Their fall occurred one year before the end of the Jewish exile and two years before the construction of the second Temple in 537 B.C. If we incorrectly assume the Bible is a history book, then yes, God would have made Babylon a perpetual desolation immediately after Israel’s seventy years of exile in 538 B.C. However, the Bible is not a history book, nor was it written to give us a timeline that we can easily correlate with future events. The Bible declares God’s prophetic word—past, present, and future; part has been fulfilled, some is inferentially being fulfilled, but the entirety is yet to be fulfilled when Christ returns.
God’s word is clear. Yet, in a little while, Babylon’s time of judgment will come. When He finally destroys Mystery Babylon, the land over which the principality of Babylon has dominion will never be inhabited or settled again. Regarding God’s final judgment, it is unlikely He speaking in Isaiah and Jeremiah to one particular ethnos. Instead, the scriptures identify a diverse group of people under the dominion of a ruling principality (god or gods) from ancient Babylon.[xxix] This spirit has ruling authority over the Mesopotamian region of Assyria and Babylonia, and it has dominion over their predominant population group, namely the Assyrians, Israel’s greatest enemy, and their subgroup, the Chaldeans, who descended from the Assyrians. The Lord correlates this ruling Babylonian spiritual principality to the natural inhabitants under its dominion, calling it “the glory of kingdoms and the beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride.”[xxx] This principality has various emanations and even incarnations collectively called the “spirit of Babylon.”
If we examine this evil Babylonian principality, we discover it has masculine and feminine emanations. The male persona of Babylon is called Bel (/ˈbeɪl/; from Akkadian bēlu). His name is derived from an East Semitic form cognate of the Northwest Semitic Ba’al and means Lord or Master. The feminine emanation of Bel is Belit and means Lady or Mistress. During Biblical times, Israel was heavily involved with idolatry, principally the worship of Ba’al, Asherah, and Molek (Moloch). Asherah poles and trees were erected throughout Israel at sacred Canaanite sites to honor the Ugaritic (northern Syrian) mother goddess Asherah. Scholars believe that Asherah was the consort of Ba'al and Moloch, possibly an epithet for Ba’al.
All these ancient gods are interrelated, and some have male-female personifications. These personifications of the Babylonian principality are revealed in Jeremiah, where it reads, “Declare among the nations, Proclaim, and set up a standard; Proclaim—do not conceal it— Say, ‘Babylon is taken, Bel [male personification] is shamed. Merodach [Marduk—the patron god of Babylon] is broken in pieces; Her idols are humiliated, Her images are broken in pieces” (Jeremiah 50:2). Taking this understanding into Revelation, we recognize that the end-time manifestation of Ba’al will be the Antichrist. At the same time, the emanation of Belit will be the “great harlot” who sits over many nations. This spirit and the people who worship it will one day have a global dominion: a financial system controlling the whole earth. This system will manifest as “the mark” or the “name of the beast.” We read, “He [the Antichrist] causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name” (Revelation 13:16-17).
In his lamentation for Tyre (in modern-day Lebanon), Ezekiel describes a company of nations and kingdoms that attach themselves to a global commerce system connected with a demonic ruling authority. We read, “You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you. By the abundance of your trading You became filled with violence within, And you sinned; Therefore I cast you as a profane thing Out of the mountain of God; And I destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the fiery stones” (Ezekiel 28:14-16). If we continue reading Ezekiel, we find this mixed multitude mentions over thirty countries, some of whom we recognize today: Arabia, Cyprus, Damascus, Egypt, Libya, Persia, and Syria.[xxxi] Even Judah and Israel are part of this contingent, as are regions of Europe as far west as Tarshish.[xxxii]
Ezekiel declares God’s judgment against Tyre, which is remarkably similar to Revelation. He said, “When your wares went out by sea, You satisfied many people; You enriched the kings of the earth With your many luxury goods and your merchandise. But you are broken by the seas in the depths of the waters; Your merchandise and the entire company will fall in your midst. All the inhabitants of the isles will be astonished at you; Their kings will be greatly afraid, And their countenance will be troubled. The merchants among the peoples will hiss at you; You will become a horror, and be no more forever” (Ezekiel 27:33-36). Comparably, we read in Revelation: “The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning, standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come” (Revelation 18:9-10).
While Ezekiel correlates Satan’s merchant system to Tyre and Revelation correlates this system to Babylon, these verses are, in fact, not a reference to any one particular earthly dwelling. Satan’s end-time kingdom, Babylon, will encompass the whole earth. In a spiritual sense, Satan’s earthly kingdom, like God’s Kingdom, is a worldly city that belongs to Satan. It will manifest in the person of the Antichrist and his false prophet and within the men and women who worship him. For a short time, the Antichrist will seize control over Israel and Jerusalem, God’s holy city and His glorious land.
God warned Israel not to partake in Babylon, Satan’s evil kingdom, saying, “For Israel is not forsaken, nor Judah, By his God, the Lord of hosts, though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel. Flee from the midst of Babylon, and every one save his life! Do not be cut off in her iniquity, for this is the time of the Lord’s vengeance; He shall recompense her” (Jeremiah 51:5-6). In Revelation, we read, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her. In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow. Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her” (Revelation 18:4-8).
Satan’s kingdom will fall when Jesus returns on the Day of the Lord. Jesus will bring God’s final judgment against Babylon, and He will destroy all the gods of this fallen world and the multitude of people who worship them. There will be a cleansing harvest of the wicked from the earth. As Jesus said, “His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (Matthew 3:12). This verse also aligns with the words of Jeremiah, as we read, “For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘The daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor When it is time to thresh her; Yet a little while and the time of her harvest will come’” (Jeremiah 51:33).
But the Lord will have mercy on Israel and save a remnant of His people. Jesus declared, “Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn” (Matthew 13:30). Jesus will come and purify His land and sanctuary by fire, build a new Temple in Jerusalem, and establish His Kingdom there forever.
[i] All Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Bible (NKJV) unless otherwise noted, Thomas Nelson Inc., 1982.
[ii] 2 Thessalonians 2:3.
[iii] Duffield, Guy P. and Van Cleave, Nathaniel M. Foundations of Pentecostal Theology. Foursquare Media. 1910.
[iv] 1 John 2:18, 22, 4:3. 2 John 7.
[v] Revelation 13:1-4, 12-18, 15:2, 16:2, 17:8 19:19, 20:4, 10. Daniel 7:8, 8:9, 11:36-35. 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 8. Luke 22:42. Zechariah 11:15-17.
[vi] Revelation 11:7, 13:1.
[vii] Daniel 2:29-35.
[viii] Wikipedia. Succession of the Roman Empire.
[ix] Daniel 2:31-25, 7:8-14, 12:1-3. Mathew 24. Luke 21.
[x] Matthew 2:2.
[xi] Daniel 9:27.
[xii] Acts 1:6.
[xiii] Revelation 11:8.
[xiv] Revelation 13:5-6.
[xv] Daniel 11:21.
[xvi] Revelation 12.
[xvii] Matthew 13:30.
[xviii] Luke 11:46-51.
[xix] Revelation 3:10.
[xx] Ezekiel 38. Revelation 20:8.
[xxi] Ezekiel 38.
[xxii] Genesis 10:2. 1 Chronicles 1:5.
[xxiii] Revelation 20:7-10.
[xxiv] Revelation 12:6.
[xxv] Targum Yehonathan on Exodus 40:11, and on Zechariah 12:10 (manuscript-version in ed. A. Sperber); Agadat Mashiach; Pirkei Heichalot Rabaty (in version cited by Ramban, Sefer Hage'ulah, sha'ar IV; ed. Chavel, p. 291); and Rashi on Sukah 52a; identify the battle of Mashiach ben Yossef with the war of Gog and Magog.
[xxvi] Pirkei Heichalot Rabaty, ch. 39 (cited in Sefer Hage'ulah, sha'ar IV); Sefer Zerubavel; Agadat Mashiach (cited in Lekach Tov, ibid.). See R. Saadiah Gaon, Emunot Vede'ot VIII:ch. 5, adding Scriptural "prooftexts" or allusions for all details; and the lengthy responsum of R. Hai Gaon on the redemption, published in Otzar Hageonim on Sukah 52a, and in Midreshei Ge'ulah, ed. Y. Ibn Shemuel, p. 135ff. Cf. Rashi and Ibn Ezra on Zechariah 12:10; Ibn Ezra and Redak on Zechariah 13:7.
[xxvii] Revelation 11:3-10.
[xxviii] Exodus 7:3.
[xxix] Isaiah 21:9.
[xxx] Isaiah 13:19.
[xxxi] Ezekiel 27.
[xxxii] Ezekiel 27:12, 17.