Why Trump Can't Be the Antichrist - Part 1

 

Dennis Edwards

Recently, I have been confronted by different people with the idea that Trump could be the Antichrist. In the following article, I want to go over the reasons why, according to Bible prophecy, Trump cannot be the Antichrist. First, I want to look at the prophecies showing where the Antichrist will come from. Second, we will look at the characteristics of the Antichrist, and third, what he will be responsible of performing. If we have a good understanding of these prophecies we will not be so easily “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine,” Ephesians 4:14.

According to Bible Prophecy, where does the Antichrist come from?

In the book of Daniel, we find the prophecy which gives the possible location of the Antichrist’s origin. We will go to Daniel 8 to look at the first clue.

In Daniel 8, the Lord is giving a vision to Daniel about the breaking up of the future Grecian Empire. First, we see a Ram standing alongside a river, a Ram with two horns, with one horn higher than the other and the higher horn came up last. The Ram signifies the Medio-Persia empire. Darius the Mede led the conquest against Babylon; however, Cyrus the Persian became the main ruler.

Daniel 8:4 “I saw the Ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great.”

In the vision, Daniel is seeing the Medio-Persian empire in all its power.

Daniel 8:5 “And as I was considering, behold, a he Goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the Goat had a notable horn between his eyes.”

The Lord was showing Daniel the events of the future. The he Goat represented none other than the Grecian empire and the notable horn, Alexander the Great.

Daniel 8:6 “And he came to the Ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power.”

We see Alexander attacking the Medio-Persian forces.

Daniel 8:7 “And I saw him come close unto the Ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the Ram, and broke his two horns: and there was no power in the Ram to stand before him: and there was none that could deliver the Ram out of his hand.”

Alexander may have been moved with revenge as it was believed that the Persian Empire was responsible for the death of his father, who had been assassinated by one of his own security guards.

Alexander performed an amazing military victory with his hugely outnumbered forces and captured the Persian leadership in a rapid and decisive victory.

Daniel 8:8 “Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.”

Alexander’s kingdom spread further eastward even into India. However, his radical ideas to intermarry with the nations they conquered, didn’t sit well with all his soldiers, many who were from Greece and longed to return to their families and homeland.

Alexander died in Babylon at 32 years of age after a ten-year conquest of the east. We don’t know if he died from poisoning as some think, or from Typhoid or some other sickness. His body was supposedly slow in decomposing.

As Alexander didn’t divide the kingdom before his death, his generals divided it afterwards and at times ended up fighting between themselves for control of different areas.

Alexander’s mother, wife and son are ordered killed by Cassander one of Alexander’s generals. The names of the four generals most often cited as the ones which divided up Alexander’s empire are these: Ptolemy, Antigonus, Lysimachus and Seleucus. 

A simple way to remember the land areas that Alexander’s Kingdom was eventually divided into is the phrase: EAT - Greece. Each letter of E-A-T stands for a different country: Egypt, Assryria, Turkey and then Greece.

In history, the names of the kingdoms that developed were the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, the Seleucid Empire in the east including Syria and going eastward and encompassing Iraq and Iran, the Macedonia Kingdom around Greece and the Kingdom of Antigonus/Lysimachus which is mostly present-day Turkey.

Antigonus originally controlled Asia Minor, and Lysimachus controlled present day European Turkey and parts of Bulgaria and northeaster Greece. After a while, Antigonus, at 81 years of age, was killed in battle and Lysimachus gained control of Antigonus’ territory. Antigonus’s son Demetrius later became ruler of Grecian section of the empire.

From What Country Will the Antichrist Come?

Daniel 8:9 And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land.

If we follow a literal interpretation of the above prophecy then the little horn, the Antichrist, will arise from one of the four land partitions of the former Grecian Empire. What were the four general land areas? E-A-T Greece, or Egypt, Assyria, Turkey and Greece.

Assyria could contain both the area of present-day Syria and part of Iraq and Iran. Of these four land areas, Turkey has the most advanced and the largest military. It also has formed an alliance with Russia and Iran to share surveillance information amongst themselves. Syria at present has a former IS commander as President, but is not militarily strong. Egypt is the poorest of the three Muslim nations, dependent on financial aid from USA, which also helps keep her on “friendly” terms with Israel. Greece is the least likely candidate as a poor southern European nation.

However, from Ezekiel 38-39 it seems the Antichrist will come from a location farther north and both Turkey and Iran will assist him in his invasion of Israel. Some theologians have speculated that the Antichrist will somehow fulfil both the prophecy of Daniel 8 and Ezekiel 38 and 39. Exactly how, we don’t know at this time, but we will present a speculation a bit further along.

Here's an excerpt from a Christian blogger from Australia.  

Which Nations Will Invade Israel?

The key consideration is the content of Ezekiel 38 and 39. What features of these chapters indicate the timing of the invasion, its participants, and location? All agree that the nation of Israel is one of the participants, being the one invaded, and Ezekiel’s messages have focused on the possession of the land, which points to the location as the Promised Land, Judea and Samaria. Not all agree on the identity of Gog and Magog, but most agree that Gog is a title for the ruler of Magog, not a personal name, even though a person is in view. Knowing the identity of Magog helps work out the context of the battle.

Magog occurs in the Old Testament on four occasions (Genesis 10:2; 1 Chronicles 1:5; Ezekiel 38:2; 39:6). It identifies a descendant of Japheth in the table of nations, which scholars trace to the ancient Scythians. These tribes lived in the region north of the Black Sea and some consider their territory stretched from Ukraine to Siberia. Further, Ezekiel describes Gog as “the prince of Rosh” (38:2, NASB), which also suggests a location in Russia, although the use of “Rosh” is debated. Thomas Ice argues for “Rosh” being a noun labelling a nation, as against an adjective describing “prince” (“chief prince,” ESV). Hebrew grammar supports this usage and, as a noun, it can be traced to “Tiras” in Genesis 10:2, adding more support for a Russian identity. It thus appears that this invasion includes an army from the north of Israel composed of modern Russians.

Two other participants are named in this group, Meshech and Tubal, both of which are included in the table of nations in Genesis 10. Scholars agree that Meshech refers to the location of modern Turkey, southeast of the Black Sea. Tubal is always grouped with Meshech and his descendants also occupy modern Turkey. Modern Turkey is increasingly dominated by Islam, moving further away from ties to Europe. It seems that Turkey also participates in this invasion of Israel, joining with the Russian contingent. 

Added to these are “Persia, Cush, and Put” (Ezekiel 38:5), as well as “Gomer and all his hordes” and “Beth-togarmah” (38:6). Persia is clearly modern Iran, another Islamic nation, whose name was changed to Iran in recent times. Cush and Put are more difficult to identify, as is Beth-togarmah. Scholars consider Cush is the nation of northern Sudan, an Islamic one, and Put is Libya, another Islamic (mainly Sunni) nation, and possibly includes Algeria and Tunisia because the ancient borders extended west beyond modern Libya. Gomer’s descendants inhabit the west-central region of Turkey, joining with Meshech and Tubal. Beth-togarmah literally means “house of Togarmah,” who is identified as a son of Gomer in the table of nations (Genesis 10:3). This is another participant located in Turkey.

In total, the invading armies include Russia and Turkey from the north, Sudan/Libya (possibly including Algeria and Tunisia) from the south and west, and Iran from the east. Consequently, sometime in the future, an enormous military force surrounds Israel, which is far beyond their capacity to defeat. God alone can deliver them from annihilation, which Ezekiel reveals He does (38:17–23; 39:1–6). https://www.foi.org/2021/12/10/the-battle-of-gog-and-magog/ End of Section from Australian Blogger.

Dennis: I would like to add here, that one aspect of the invasion of Israel rarely mentioned is the prophecy in Zechariah about the same event. Let us look at the verses.

Zechariah 12:2-3 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.

Just as we see in Ezekiel 38-39, the Antichrist and his forces will come against Israel in the last days. God will supernatural defend Jerusalem.

Zechariah 12:9-10 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

God defends them only because they have had a great repentance and have come to faith in their Saviour and ours, Jesus Christ. As He returns to gather His children in the rapture event, the Jewish people will see Him in the clouds and repent from their unbelief and find salvation in Christ. They will not be raptured with those that believed, but God will now step in and defend them from the Antichrist forces seeking to destroy them.

Zechariah 13:8-9 tell us how many Jewish people will die before the repentance of the nation.

“And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, says the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call upon my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord (Jesus) is my God.”

About 7.2 million Jewish people presently live in the nation Israel. That means that approximately 4.8 million Jews could be killed in the invasion of Israel in the last days, if our interpretation is correct. 2.4 million Jewish people, the remnant, would be those left that would come to Christ during that difficult period of their history and be supernaturally saved as indicated in other verses.

Jeremiah 30:7 & 11 “Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it…For I am with you, says the Lord, to save you though I make a full end of all the nations whither I have scattered you: yet will I not make a fill end of you: but I will correct you in measure, and I will not leave you altogether unpunished.”

In Zechariah 14:1-3 “Behold, the day of the Lord comes, and your spoil shall be divided in the midst of you. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the woman ravished; ….Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations as when He fought in the day of battle.”

The Antichrist forces shall attack and invade Jerusalem. Finally, at the end of the tribulation of those days, when Christ shall come in the clouds to rescue His elect, part of the Jewish nation, possibly some 2.4 million people, will repent when they see Him in the clouds. It will be too late to be included in the rapture, but not too late for God in intervene and stand up for the newly converted Jewish remnant.

At first, God will use the Antichrist forces to chastise Israel for her sins against the Palestinian people and other nations of the world, and for her unbelief. Then after two-thirds of the Jewish nation have been killed in the war, one-third will find faith, "when they look on Him who they had pierced," in other words, when they see Jesus coming in the clouds to rescue His elect from the four corners of the earth. At that point they shall mourn, as one mourns at the death of his only son. They shall come to faith and say, “The Lord Jesus is our God,” The Lord will reply, “These are now My people.” Too late to be included in the rapture, but not too late for God to defend them as He did in days of old.

In Ezekiel 38 we read,

Ezekiel 38:18 “And it shall come to pass at that same time when Gog (the Antichrist) shall come against the land of Israel, says the Lord God, that my fury (anger) shall come up in My face.”

At first God has used the Antichrist forces to chastise Israel and the disobedient church for their sins. It will be a time of great tribulation lasting 1,260 days, 42 months, or 3 ½ years, the second half of the last seven-year period.

As God chastises the nations and the church and the unbelieving Jewish people, some come to Christ. Those that come to Christ before the rapture shall be gathered together with the saints when the angels go forth. However, many of the Jewish people will not be saved until the they see Jesus coming in the clouds of heaven. Two-thirds of the Jewish nation shall die during the wars of the Antichrist. One-third shall repent and find salvation when they see Jesus in the air with the heavenly host.

Ezekiel 38:19-23 “ For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel;  So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.

“And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord God: every man's sword shall be against his brother. And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Thus, will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the Lord.”

The above last verses from Ezekiel 38 anticipate what takes place in Ezekiel 39 and the destruction of the Antichrist forces in Israel.

Ezekiel 39:2 “And I will turn you back, and leave but a sixth part of you, and will cause you to come up from the north parts, and will bring you upon the mountains of Israel: and I will smite your bows out of your hands, and will cause your arrows to fall out of your right hand. You shall fall upon the mountains of Israel, you, and all your bands, and the people that is with you: I will give you unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. You shall fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, says the Lord God.”

Could it be that only one-sixth of the Antichrist’s forces will live through the horrendous battle? Could it indeed be the famous Battle of Armageddon?

During the wrath of God of Revelation 16 that occurs after the rapture of the believing saints, God dries up the river Euphrates that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. Iran or Persia is mentioned in Ezekiel as a participant and is east of the Euphrates. Therefore, the drying up of the river will facilitate Iran’s participation in the ground war against Israel, and or, any other Eastern nations.

The drying up of the Euphrates leads to the Battle of Armageddon, the last event of the wrath of God. The wrath is that 75-day period between the rapture and the beginning of the Millennium. It is during the wrath of God that the Antichrist forces will be judged and the remnant of Israel, that one-third of the nation who have come to Christ at seeing the rapture event, will be rescued out of the Antichrist’s hand. End of Part 1. To go to Part 2.