Why Trump Can't Be the Antichrist Part 2

 Dennis Edwards 

To go back to Part 1

Now we will read an excerpt from GotQuestions.org

Does the Bible say anything about Russia in relation to the end times?

With Russia back in the news in a big way, many people are wondering if recent events in eastern Europe have anything to do with end-times prophecy—and, if so, how? Much of the discussion has to do with an ancient prophecy from Ezekiel: 

“The word of the Lord came to me: ‘Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshek and Tubal; prophesy against him and say: “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshek and Tubal”’” (Ezekiel 38:1–3). 

The identities of “Gog,” “Magog,” “Meshek,” and “Tubal” are the key to fully understanding the prophecy.

Gog is a person. Whoever Gog is, he is from the land of Magog and is the leader of Tubal and Meshek (some translations add “Rosh” to the list) and a confederacy of other nations: Persia, Cush, Put, Gomer, and Beth Togarmah (Ezekiel 38:5–6). And, whoever he is, he will have plans to “attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people,” viz., Israel (verses 11, 14, and 18). But, regardless of Gog’s plans, the Lord God is against him and will defeat him soundly (Ezekiel 38:4, 19–23; 39:3–5).

Magog is a land “in the far north,” from Israel’s point of view (Ezekiel 38:15; 39:2). Most Bible commentators interpret “Magog” as Russia—and, indeed, Russia is straight north of Israel, all the way up to the Arctic Circle. According to this view, “Rosh” is a reference to Russia, “Meshek” is either Moscow or the people north of the Black Sea (the area of southern Russia and Ukraine), and “Tubal,” which is always listed with Meshek in Scripture, is identified as a city in Siberia or an area in central Turkey.

Others see “Magog” as a general term used in Ezekiel’s day to identify barbarians living near the Black and Caspian Seas. Regardless of the exact locations of Magog, Tubal, and Meshek, there is no doubt that the general area includes portions of Russia and the former Soviet Union, and possibly some Arab countries.

So, yes, the Bible does mention Russia, although not by that name, in connection with the end times. Ezekiel 38—39 definitely refer to a nation coming from northern Asia to attack Israel. After the Cold War, Russia lost its superpower status, making the fulfilment of Ezekiel’s prophecy seem unlikely in some people’s eyes.

However, recent events have shown that Russia is gaining strength, and many believe that the invasion of Ukraine is just a first step in Russia’s plan to restore its dominance in that hemisphere. It is also interesting to note that, in the Soviet era, Moscow was solidly aligned with several Muslim countries in opposition to Israel. Since the breakup of the Soviet Union, Russia has continued to make overtures to the Muslim world.

According to the Bible, there will come a time when Russia, in alliance with several other countries, will amass a huge army against Israel, with a view to plunder the Jews’ land. The nations aligned with Russia for this military endeavor are Persia (modern-day Iran), Put (modern-day Libya), Cush (modern-day Sudan), Gomer (part of modern-day Turkey), and Beth Togarmah (Armenia). 

Most of these nations are currently militant Islamic states with an express hatred of Israel. Ezekiel says that, when the aggressors move against Israel, a few other nations (“Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish”) will remonstrate, as will “all her villages”—possibly colonies (Ezekiel 38:13). 

Sheba and Dedan are associated with areas of northern Africa.

 (Dennis: From my research I have found them referring to Saudi Arabia. This would make more sense since today the Saudi’s are close friends with USA and have recently made a security agreement with Israel under Trumps’ Abrahamic Accord.) 

Tarshish could be a reference to Spain (which colonized much of South America), Britain (which colonized the United States), or somewhere in eastern Africa.

(Dennis: I believe that Tarshish most likely refers to Great Britain, whose “young lions” would include Canada, Australia, and even USA which broke away in 1776. Tarshish was a place where Israel received tin. Spain may have been the first place where Israel obtained its tin. However, later, Great Britain may have been the source of their tin mining. At the present, USA, Canada, Australia, and Great Britain are strongly pro-Israel and tend to be anti-Russian, and therefore, fit the prophecy quite nicely. The prophecy says, “and the merchants of Tarshish, and all the young lions thereof,” shall object to the Antichrist invasion.) 

The objections to Magog’s aggression will fall on deaf ears, however, and the invasion will continue.

Some commentators believe this war is one of the events leading up to beginning of the tribulation. Others believe it will occur close to the midpoint of the tribulation, since Israel will be “dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates” (Ezekiel 38:11)—in other words, Israel will feel secure at that time, possibly because of the covenant they have signed with the Antichrist (Daniel 9:27). Either way, this battle is distinct from the Battle of Armageddon, which occurs at the end of the tribulation.

(Dennis: There seems to be various invasions of Israel in the end-time scenario, or times when the Antichrist goes to Jerusalem. 

The first time is at the beginning of the last seven years, perhaps as part of the peace-keeping force in protection of the Palestinians in Gaza, and to internationalize Mount Moriah where the present-day Mosque of Omar exists, and where a future Israeli Temple is hoped to be built. The Jewish people want to perform ritual sacrifices once again and build a Third temple on the temple mount. 

The second time the Antichrist is seen invading Jerusalem is at the beginning of the great tribulation which takes place at the midst of the week, of half way through the seven-year pact period. Jesus mentioned the Daniel prophecies concerning "the abomination in the holy place" in his discourse about the time of the end. 

The third and final time the Antichrist invades Jerusalem is during  or at the end of the wrath of God, that seventy-five day period after the rapture when God pours out His judgment on the Antichrist and his followers and the unbelieving nations, and Christ takes control of the world for the glorious Millennium period.)

God promises to destroy Gog’s army: “I will execute judgment on him with plague and bloodshed; I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulphur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him” (Ezekiel 38:22). The bodies of the fallen army of Magog will be buried, but it will take over seven months to complete the macabre task (Ezekiel 39:12, 14). This supernatural judgment will have the effect of preserving Israel and turning many hearts to God: 

(Dennis: According to Zechariah 13:8-9, only one-third of Israel will be saved, perhaps as many as 2.4 million people.) 

“And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 38:23). Many will be saved during the tribulation (Revelation 7), and the fulfilment of Ezekiel 38—39 will be one means by which God will bring people to a knowledge of Himself.

There is much we do not know for certain about Ezekiel’s prophecy, including the timing of these events. However, it is clear that Russia will be involved and will in fact lead an end-times league of nations to seize Israel’s land. The prophet Ezekiel comforts Israel in much the same way as Moses had centuries ago: 

“The LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory” (Deuteronomy 20:4). 

End of section from Got Questions. https://www.gotquestions.org/Russia-end-times.html

Dennis: If we consider Gog to be the Antichrist, who Christ will destroy with the brightness of His coming and cast into the lake of fire for a thousand years with the False prophet, then we see the prophecy in Ezekiel seems to indicate that the Antichrist comes out of Russia.

So far, we have seen that there exists prophecy indicating that the Antichrist will come out of one of the land areas of the divided Grecian Empire: Egypt, Assyria, Turkey, or Greece. We have seen from Ezekiel 38-39 that it seems the Antichrist is Gog and comes out of the far north of Israel which some consider Russia.

Can we confirm that Daniel 8 is talking about the Antichrist? We need to read further in the chapter.

Daniel 8:10-11 “And it (the little horn, the Antichrist) waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. And a host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered.”

Here we see verses about the “little horn” being against the daily sacrifice and “casting down the place of his sanctuary.” The “his” seems to be referring back to the “prince of the host,” which could be referring to Jesus, who is the Prince of Peace, according to Isaiah 9:6. 

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulders: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."

Could the casting down of his sanctuary be referring to the same event Apostle Paul mentions in 2 Thessalonians 2:4, where the Antichrist, called the son of perdition, “opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God and that is worshipped, so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God?”

In Matthew 24:15 & 21, Jesus Himself had given the major or ultimate sign of His coming when He said, “When you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whosoever reads, let him understand:) …For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor shall be.”

It's in Daniel 9:27 that we learn that it is in the midst, or middle of the last seven-year period, when the Antichrist shall break the covenant or international pact. He had at first helped to implement or strengthen the pact, but eventually he will stop the daily sacrifice, and place the abomination that makes desolate.

 Daniel 9:27 “And he shall confirm (or strengthen or enforce) the covenant with many for one week (seven-year period): and in the midst of the week (half way through the seven-year period), 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 11:29-30a confirms the above scenario further saying, “At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the south; but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter (the Scriptures seem to indicate the Antichrist forces will go to Jerusalem three times). For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: 

Chittim is modern day Cyprus. A Google search tells us that “Neither the US nor Russia maintains a permanent naval base on Cyprus. However, both nations have utilized Cypriot military facilities for temporary purposes. The US has a presence at the Andreas Papandreou air base, including a Marine contingent and V-22 Osprey transport aircraft, and has used ports and airports in Cyprus for humanitarian and support operations. Russia has been allowed to use Limassol for refueling and the Andreas Papandreou air base for humanitarian missions. Cyprus is not a member of NATO.”

However, Great Britain has two independently controlled military stations on the island of Cyprus which are shown in the map below.

You can read more about these bases at the following link. As America is closely aligned to Great Britain, we can see how those ships from Chittem are pro-Western and Anti-Russia forces, which fits in nicely with the prophecy.

Daniel 11:30b-31"therefore, he (the Antichrist) shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so, shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant.  And arms shall stand on his (the Antichrist’s) part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that makes desolate.”

We see therefore that Daniel 8 is giving more information on the subject that Jesus mentioned was the key to understanding the sign of His coming, that is, the breaking of the covenant, the stopping of the daily sacrifice, and the placing of the abomination of desolations. It’s in Daniel 8:13-14 that we find more vital information,

Daniel 8:13-14 “Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spoke, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.”

I have gone over the significance of the numerology of days that we find in the prophecy in another article you can find HERE.

We know God is talking about the time of the end because the angel Gabriel is sent to specifically repeat that fact to Daniel various times.

Daniel 8:17b “Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision.”

Daniel 8:19b “Behold, I will make you know what shall be in the last end of indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be."

Further on in the chapter the angel interprets the events happening after the breaking up Alexander’s kingdom.

Daniel 8:22-23 “Now that (Alexander, the he goat) being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation (Egypt, Assyria, Turkey, Greece), but not in his (Alexander’s) power. 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.

Here we see “when the transgressors are come to the full.” In the Old Testament we have read that the children of Israel had to spend 400 years in Egypt while the transgressions of the Canaanites came to a full. God would wait until He was justified in punishing them, which He did through the hands of the Israeli nation when they conquered the land, Genesis 15:16.

Jesus Himself has said that at the time of the end, “Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold,” Matthew 24:12. Apostle Paul describes the last days as “perilous times,” with “evil men and seducers waxing worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived,” 2 Timothy 3:1 & 13.

If the events in Daniel 8 concerning the little horn, who we have considered the Antichrist, have already been fulfilled by Antiochus IV Epiphanes who ruled the Seleucid Kingdom from 175 to 164 BC,  as some claim, why did Jesus connect those events with His second coming and the rapture or gathering together of His church? 

Why did the early church fathers also consider these events futuristic if they were fulfilled by the Romans during the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD? (See the following link for my article of the Church Fathers. HERE) Prophecy can have intermediate fulfilment, or partial fulfilment, before it's final fulfilment.

Let's read what Jesus said in His Mount Olivet discourse about His future return.

Matthew 24:29-31. Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Did you note that Jesus said the tribes of the earth would mourn at seeing Him come in the clouds. Could it be it is at that point that one-third of the Jewish nation, the promised remnant, find salvation and come to faith in Christ as we have seen in the prophecies of Zechariah?

We have two more verses in Daniel 8 that talk about the Antichrist.

Daniel 8:24 “And his (the Antichrist’s) 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 holy people.”

We see here that the Antichrist will have mighty military power, perhaps atomic power, or artificial intelligent power, and or demonic power, that will give him power over the nations, including Israel and USA.

If he has mighty military power, he most likely would not be a British King, or a Pope of Rome, or a French President. Besides that, none of those locations were part of the division of the Grecian Empire.

Daniel 8:25 “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; he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.”

Apostle Paul warned when talking about the time of the end, “For when they shall say ‘Peace and safety,’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.” 1 Thessalonians 5:3. 

The Antichrist may use strategies of peace to gain control. Some believe the famous “Holy Covenant” of Daniel 9:27 may involve a peace pact concerning statehood for the Palestinian and the allowing for the Jewish people to begin sacrificial worship on the temple mount, which may be considered “the sanctuary” in the Daniel prophecies. 

Bible teacher Nelson Walters believes that the last seven-years started last October 3^rd with the signing of the Pact for the Future by many nations within the United Nations. 

In one section of the Pact, there may be a call for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestine situation. President Trump, though a staunch ally of Israel, has also mentioned the need to solve the Palestinian problem and is said to have told Netanyahu that if he doesn’t solve the problem, America will have to step in and do it for him. Trump has recently received lucrative investments from Middle Eastern Muslim nations who, also, may be pushing Trump to solve the Palestinian question or lose his Muslim friends’ financial investment.

In the next section, we will speculate on how the Antichrist can come out of one of the four nations that have developed from the break up of Alexander's Empire, and come out of Russia, at the same time. End of Part 2. Part 3 coming soon.