What is the Nationality of the Antichrist?

WHAT IS THE NATIONALITY OF THE ANTICHRIST?

Part 1

April 5, 2002

We will eventually get around to proving the answer to this question in future parts of this update series.

We begin this series with a prophecy written more than 700 years before Christ fulfilled it in his final days.

Micah 5:1 – Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek.

“NOW GATHER THYSELF IN TROOPS, O DAUGHTER OF TROOPS:”

There are few cities on this planet that can compare with Israel on the number of times she has been conquered over and over again in history, many times being retaken by those troops once driven out. Truly, Jerusalem has earned the title of “Daughter of troops.” This Scripture speaks of a particular time in her long history, a day during the Feast of Passover, a day when three sets of troops were in the city. The Roman Governor, who ruled from Caesarea (Pontius Pilate) had, in order to put down any rebellion that might arise at this feast, brought his Roman troops to Jerusalem, and quartered them in the Fortress Antonia, which was attached to the northwestern corner of the Temple Mount, and from which troops could overlook all the Temple courtyards from its highest level. The King of Israel, Herod, had brought his troops with him for Passover, and they were quartered in Herod’s Fortress Palace on the western side of Jerusalem, where some of its base may be seen today. The High Priest was also allowed to maintain a small contingency of Jewish troops to protect him from harm, and they could be sent to arrest religious offenders. They were found around him at public assemblies.

“THEY SHALL SMITE THE JUDGE OF ISRAEL WITH A ROD UPON THE CHEEK.”

This prophecy of Micah was fulfilled during the last Passover Jesus attended. It was fulfilled from the time the first troops arrested him to take him to the High Priest until he was placed on the cross. During this time Jesus was exchanged back and forth between the High Priest, Herod, and Pontius Pilate. On these occasions he was beaten on the head above his neck many times with rods (reeds), and struck over and over again by the hands of the troops. You will find all this recorded in the latter chapters of the four Gospels. Jesus was sent by His Father to be the judge of Israel, but they rejected him as their judge, and judged him instead, finding him guilty of the false charge of blasphemy again God. The middle portion of this verse gives God the Father’s reaction to their rejection of His only begotten Son.

“HE HATH LAID SIEGE AGAINST US:”

Micah was an Israelite. So the “us” refers primarily to Israel. God has laid “siege” (judgment) against Israel for almost 2000 years because they rejected the one He sent to judge them. There has never been a race descended from one man (Jacob) that has ever passed through such persecution, unbelievable horror, and terrifying torture, as has been experienced by the nation of Israel, the most horrifying of all being experienced at the hands of the Nazi SS during WW2. The current siege is the constant threat of terrorism by Hizbollah, the Islamic Jihad, Hamas, and Fatah splinter groups.

Israel still has a final siege of terror to endure for rejecting her judge. After experiencing what appears to be an end of her suffering when what seems to be peace comes to her land, she will suddenly be viciously attacked from the north in a lightning Jihad involving 10 Arab nations. This will be her final travail before her Messiah, Jesus Christ returns to reign over her.

I Thessalonians 5:3,4 – For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. [4] But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.

Zechariah 12:2 – 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.

But after Israel’s final travail, this will be the fate of those who laid siege against her.

Zechariah 14:12 – And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.

In future parts, Lord willing, I will keep expositing in the fifth chapter of Micah until we know the nationality of the antichrist.

PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 63

WHAT IS THE NATIONALITY OF THE ANTICHRIST?

Part 2

April 12, 2002

Micah 5:2 – But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

This is one of the most beloved verses in Scripture concerning the birth of Israel’s Messiah, Jesus Christ. It has been put on display Christmas after Christmas, and preached vividly during that season from millions of pulpits. By the time it was fulfilled by Christ’s birth in Bethlehem, traditional teachings concerning the Messiah’s birth had replaced God’s account, and it is truly sad that Herod had to ask where he would be born, and perhaps even sadder that the scribes had to look it up. Some traditional teachings, by the time that Christ arrived, taught that Messiah the Prince would be born of royalty, or perhaps by the wife of the High Priest, or at least of wealthy parents who had great influence. Traditional teachings had completely departed from those verses found in the 53rd Chapter of Isaiah. He was not expected to be a suffering servant, but rather a great conqueror that would fight and destroy Israel’s enemies in battle after battle until Israel reigned supreme. Some traditional teaching suggested he might be born in the great city of Jerusalem. But when he came only a handful knew who he was, a man child whose Father was God, born of a virgin from the dirty little town of Nazareth, laying in a manger outside the inn in a cave in the small city of Bethlehem. Many “traditional” teachings of today will also cause most of the world to receive the man of sin, the antichrist, as the true Christ.

He was sent by His Father “to be ruler in Israel,” but Israel rejected him as both judge (Micah 5:1) and ruler, and they were without excuse, for all the prophets from Moses to Malachi had foretold of His “goings forth,” which had been from of old, from everlasting. His characteristics, His goings forth, His life, His purpose, and His death had been clearly revealed by God’s word before His Living Word arrived in sinless flesh. The following Scriptures reveal this truth. Had they studied His word and believed it they could have recognized Him.

Deuteronomy 18:18,19 – I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. [19] And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.

Isaiah 53:6 – All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Malachi 3:1 – Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.

John the Baptist was the messenger God sent before Christ the Messiah, and Jesus was the messenger of the covenant made to the seed of Abraham and David. He came quickly to the temple after His temptation in the wilderness to cleanse it to be a house of prayer, not a den of thieves. And, at the final Passover, when He came again to cleanse it, He found the same den of spiritual and physical thieves saturating it with ungodliness. That is why He cried from the Mount of Olives before His arrest: [37] O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! [38] Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. [39] For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. (Matthew 23:37,38)

PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 64

April 19, 2002

What is the Nationality of the Antichrist?

Part 3

Micah 5:3 – Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.

“Therefore” is a conclusion to Micah 5:1,2 that explains why the Messiah of Israel gave “them up.” Because they beat him and rejected him as their judge, they came under judgment because they would not let him judge them. God’s judgment has been on them for some two thousand years. Without their God to deliver them, they have become the most persecuted, prosecuted, and rejected people on this earth. The Nazi burning, torturing, and butchering of some six million Jews was beyond belief. And yet I love them tenaciously. Why? Because their Messiah, who forgave them on the cross, is alive in me, and in the near future he will return to be their Messiah, their God with them. The word “until,” in the second phrase of this verse, makes the point that he has not forsaken them forever, but only “until” they have passed through the final judgment for having judged him, which consists of the last 1260 days of travail in the tribulation period. Christ will come forth at his Second Advent as the Lion of Judah to rule over the remnant of Israel that survives the tribulation period, and will bring a remnant of his brethren with him. In verse three he rejected them with “therefore,” then told them they would suffer travail “until” he came back to the earth and “then,” that is, at his Second Advent, all of the remnant of his “brethren” would return to live on the same planet with him.

Matthew 23:38,39 – Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. [39] For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Revelation 1:7 – Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

Zechariah 13:8,9 – And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. [9] 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 on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God.

Zechariah 14:5 – And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.

Hebrews 2:11 – For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,

Romans 11:5 – Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

Romans 2:29 – But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 65

WHAT IS THE NATIONALITY OF THE ANTICHRIST?

Part 4

April 26, 2002

Micah 5:1-3 – Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek. [2] But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. [3] Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.

These three verses, previously exposited in detail in Parts 1 through 3, were written more than 700 years before the birth of Christ. And yet they present Bethlehem as Christ’s birthplace, Christ’s rejection as ruler over Israel, Christ’s last Passover in Jerusalem, the daughter of troops, Christ’s beatings above the neck by the troops of Pontius Pilate, Herod, and the High Priest, Christ’s rejection as judge of Israel, the Father’s siege against Israel because of Israel’s rejection of the Son, which has lasted some 2000 years, Christ’s temporary rejection of Israel, Christ’s return as Messiah after Israel’s travail, and the return of those Christ calls brethren. Micah 5:4 deals with what happens after Christ returns for 1000 Years to rule an eternal kingdom that phases into the final heaven age when the present earth and heavens pass away.

Micah 5:4 – And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.

The Scriptures that follow graphically portray the prediction and fulfillment of this verse so precisely that no comment on my part is necessary for them to be understood by the reader. The context of the three verses preceding it leave little doubt as to whom it refers, or the time of its occurrence as the millennium.

Luke 1:30-33 – And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. [31] And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. [32] He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: [33] And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Philippians 2:8-11 – And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. [9] Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: [10] That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; [11] And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Matthew 28:18 – And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

Colossians 2:9,10 – For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. [10] And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

Daniel 7:13-15 – I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. [14] And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

Revelation 11:15 – And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 66 ON MICAH 5

WHAT IS THE NATIONALITY OF THE ANTICHRIST?

Part 5

May 3, 2003

Micah 5:1-4 – Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek. [2] But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. [3] Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. [4] And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.

These verses, exposited in Parts 1 through 4, were written more than 700 years before the birth of Christ. And yet they present: Bethlehem as His birthplace, His rejection as ruler over Israel, His last Passover in the daughter of troops Jerusalem, His head beatings by the troops of Pontius Pilate, Herod, and the High Priest, His rejection as the judge of Israel, His Father’s siege against Israel because of their rejection of the Son (which has lasted some 2000 years), Christ’s temporary rejection of Israel, His Second Advent as Messiah after Israel’s travail of 1260 days in the Negev Wilderness, at which time His brethren will return with Him to the nation of Israel, and the first 1000 years of His eternal kingdom, which phases into the final heaven age when the present earth and heavens pass away.

Micah 5:5 – And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.

Now, in verse 5, we find that “this man” will himself “be the peace” because He personally brings it in by Himself when he returns to be “great unto the ends of the earth” for 1000 years. “This man” who brings “the peace” of a thousand years is, of course, Jesus Christ. He is the primary contextual subject from verses 1 through 5. What happens to motivate His return to bring in the millennial reign is the movement of the Assyrian into the land of Israel. It is the final defeat and destruction of “the Assyrian” that will mark Christ’s Second Advent, and the beginning of His millennial reign.

When Micah wrote his prophecies the Assyrians had already driven into the northern Kingdom of Israel, and all that remained of Israel proper was its southern Kingdom of Judah. So what were the borders of the land of Assyria when Micah wrote the fifth chapter of his book? The borders of the Assyrian territory stretched northward from roughly where Ramallah is located in the West Bank to the present day southern border of Turkey, and eastward to the Mediterranean Sea to establish its western limits, then westward across the Euphrates River to the Tigris River north of modern Baghdad in Iraq. Technically, I suppose one might be able to say this future “Assyrian” might come out of southern Turkey, northern Iraq, or Lebanon, but since modern day Syria occupies some 85% of the area covered by the Assyrian empire at the time of Micah’s writings, I am persuaded the Assyrian antichrist will come out of Syria. The possible argument that Micah 5:5 was fulfilled during the old Assyrian invasion of Micah’s day, is thwarted by the context pattern of the four verses before it all still being unfulfilled at the time they were written, and then being linked contextually to verse 5 by “this man,” and “the peace.” Additionally, this argument is smashed by the verse that follows it.

Micah 5:6 – And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders.

From the time of Micah’s writings to the present day, Israel has never “wasted the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof.” I will exposit specifically on both these locations in Prophecy Update Number 67, Lord willing.

The “Assyrian” of Micah 5:5 is not a European, an American, a Russian, an Eskimo, an Aborigine, an Ethiopian, or a platypus. He is an Assyrian, who becomes chief prince of the land where the descendants of Meshech and Tubal were dwelling when Ezekiel wrote his prophecies. I will elaborate on this in future updates, Lord willing. The expression involving “seven shepherds and eight principal men” is most assuredly an oft used Hebrew idiom. It was the Hebrew manner of expressing “more than enough.” Seven is the Hebrew word for “complete,” implying “enough,” and when “eight” is added to it, the expression means “more than enough.” When the Assyrian comes into Israel, and treads within its borders north of Beersheba for 1260 days, then Jesus will return to restore peace for 1000 years on this planet. Christ’s Second Advent is accompanied by some 5/6 of the Assyrian’s armies being destroyed by the brightness of His coming. His destruction of the Assyrian and his false prophet will make whatever force Israel is able to muster up in the Negev for the battle of Armageddon “more than enough.”

When the Assyrian sets on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, as the willful King of the North preparing to launch his final attack on Israel at the battle of Armageddon, he will be beyond all help by men and Satan.

Ezekiel 38:14-16 – Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord God; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it? [15] And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army: [16] And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.

Revelation 12:6 –And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

Daniel 11:45 – And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.

II Thessalonians 2:8 – And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

Revelation 19:19-21 – And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. [20] And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. [21] And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

Ezekiel 38:22 to 39:2 – 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. [23] 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. [1] Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: [2] And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:

Micah 5:5,6 – And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men. [6] And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders.

PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 67 ON MICAH 5

What is the Nationality of the Antichrist?

Part 6

May 10, 2002

I have established, in previous updates, that “this man” of verse 5 is “the peace” himself because he ends the earthly reign of “the Assyrian” at the battle of Armageddon, and then brings in “the peace” that lasts for 1000 years on this present planet. It is only Jesus Christ himself who has the power to bring such a thing to pass.

I believe verse 6 to be one of the most interesting verses in the Scriptures that have yet to be fulfilled. Why am I so certain it has never been fulfilled? Because Israel has not wasted the land of Assyria with the sword, or the land of Nimrod in its entrances thereof, since Micah wrote these prophecies! At the time he wrote the borders of the expanding Assyrian Empire covered all of modern day Israel north of Ramallah, all of modern Syria, all of modern Lebanon, and all of modern Iraq north of Baghdad. The historical settling of this area between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers after the flood in Noah’s day is of great value in the interpretation of Micah 5:6.

Genesis 10:1,6,8,22 – Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood. [6] And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan. [8] And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. [22] The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram.

Assyria apparently derived its name from Asshur, the son of Shem. Later in time Asshur was worshipped as the chief God of the Assyrians. Asshur went into the northern area of the fertile plain lying between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, and his descendants that settled it were eventually called Assyrians. It is certain that Israel never wasted this area. Nimrod was the grandson of Ham through Cush. He founded a great kingdom between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, south of the area of Asshur’s descendants, that extended south to the Persian Gulf. The “entrances” into it from the east, which is the direction the Israelis would come to “waste” it, were the shallow sections of the Euphrates River that could be waded to gain entrance. The Euphrates was, and is, perhaps the greatest carrier of top water silt on this planet. The rapid descent gradient of its waters in the steep mountains of Turkey was able to sustain an enormous quantity of erosion debris cut off the mountain slopes, but when the water came onto the flat plains of modern day Iraq its speed was abruptly lowered, and the silt deposition rapidly built up lees across the Euphrates, making it possible for some areas to be waded. The long series of dams currently stretching from Turkey, through Syria, and into Iraq have helped to regulate the flow and silt deposition of the Euphrates, but at the time of Micah’s writings there would have been a plurality of wading entrances into the land of Nimrod across the Euphrates.

Now, why have I gone into such detail as to the locations of Assyria and the land of Nimrod? Because when Israel comes up out of the Negev at the battle of Armageddon, after having been confined there by the Assyrian for 1260 days, it will conquer a specified amount of territory to its north and east.

Revelation 12:6 – And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

Malachi 4:1 – For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

Zechariah 12:6-9 – In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem. [7] The Lord also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah. [8] In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord before them. [9] And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

Zechariah 14:9 – And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one.

Israel will claim all the land from the River of Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates River, with a northern latitudinal border extending to Hamath (Hama) in Syria, and a southern border extending to Kadesh in the Sinai. And all this is not by accident, but by design and promise, for it was God’s ancient land grant promise to Abraham and to Israel. Its periphery is laid out in Genesis and Ezekiel. Its northern limits were to extend to the latitude of Hamath (Hama) in Syria, and its southern limits to the latitude of Kadesh. Its longitudinal limits to the west were to extend to the Mediterranean Sea and the River of Egypt, and its eastern longitudinal limits were to extend to the “entrances thereof” of the Euphrates River. This is the area of Micah 5:6 that Israel will “waste,” and then claim for a thousand years.

Genesis 15:18 – In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

Ezekiel 47:17,19 – And the border from the sea shall be Hazar-enan, the border of Damascus, and the north northward, and the border of Hamath. And this is the north side. [19] And the south side southward, from Tamar even to the waters of strife in Kadesh, the river to the great sea. And this is the south side southward.

After Christ has himself, by himself, defeated the Assyrian at the battle of Armageddon to bring in “the peace” of a thousand years, then Israel will roar north out of the Negev to mop up what is left of a demoralized army that is fleeing north. Israel will take Jerusalem back, then drive north, northeast, and east to claim all the land west of the Euphrates River.

Isaiah 66:15,16 – For, behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. [16] For by fire and by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh: and the slain of the Lord shall be many.

Zechariah 14:12-14 – And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth. [13] And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the Lord shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour. [14] And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance.

Micah 4:6,7 – In that day, saith the Lord, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted; [7] And I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the Lord shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever.

PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 68 ON MICAH 5

What is the Nationality of the Antichrist?

Part 7

May 17, 2002

Prophecy Update Number 67 closed by stating the following:

“Israel will claim all the land from the River of Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates River, with a northern latitudinal border extending to Hamath (Hama) in Syria, and a southern border extending to Kadesh in the Sinai. And all this is not by accident, but by design and promise, for it was God’s ancient land grant promise to Abraham and to Israel. Its periphery is laid out in Genesis and Ezekiel. Its northern limits were to extend to the latitude of Hamath (Hama) in Syria, and its southern limits to the latitude of Kadesh. Its longitudinal limits to the west were to extend to the Mediterranean Sea and to the River of Egypt, and its eastern longitudinal limits were to extend to the “entrances thereof” of the Euphrates River. This is the area of Micah 5:6 that Israel will “waste” and then claim for a thousand years. After Christ has himself (all by himself) defeated the Assyrian at the battle of Armageddon to being in “the peace” of a thousand years, then Israel will roar north out of the Negev to mop up what is left of a demoralized army that is fleeing north. Israel will first recover Jerusalem, then drive north, northeast, and east to claim all the land west of the Euphrates River.”

Micah 5:7 – And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the Lord, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men.

Just as man had no control over the elements of God that were responsible for the sudden arrival of moisture over a wide area of land, neither would man have any control over the sudden arrival of Israel spreading across the vast tract of land God had said He would one day give to Israel. She will exist as the most important nation on this planet in the midst of all the Gentile nations.

Micah 5:8 – And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.

When Israel’s Lion of Judah, the Messiah Jesus Christ, returns to free her from the bondage of the Assyrian, she will be the most powerful nation on this planet. All the other nations left on the earth will fear her for some 1000 years because of the awareness of the Second Advent of Christ, and His reigning on the throne of David in Jerusalem. Israel will be a Lion nation in the midst of sheep nations. The temple will be rebuilt after the Second Advent and then Christ, the Messianic Glory of God, will enter it to begin a reign that lasts forever: First, an earthly reign of 1000 years, which then laps over into a heavenly reign that lasts forever.

Ezekiel 43:4-7 – And the glory of the Lord came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east. [5] So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house. [6] And I heard him speaking unto me out of the house; and the man stood by me. [7] And he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoredom, nor by the carcases of their kings in their high places.

Micah 5:9 – Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off.

Israel will be the most powerful and feared nation that has ever existed on this earth. For some 1000 years no nation or nations shall dare to stand against her because of her God. All the Gentile nations will be required to send representatives to Jerusalem each year at the Feast of Tabernacles to worship the Messiah. If they fail to do so God will cause famine and plague in their land until they submit to His will.

Zechariah 14:16-19 – And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. [17] And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. [18] And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the Lord will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. [19] This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.

PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 69

What is the Nationality of the Antichrist?

Part 8

May 24, 2002

Micah 5:9 – Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off.

The event that will cause all nations to be under the hand of the authority of Israel is the Second Advent of her Messiah and, to a large extent, the devastating destruction He causes in the crust of the earth will result in the destruction of most of Israel’s enemies.

Revelation 16:16-18 – And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. [17] And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. [18] And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.

Ezekiel 38:18-20 + 39:2 – And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord God, that my fury shall come up in my face. [19] 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; [20] 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. [2] And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:

Micah 5:9 – Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off.

Although the Lord will do most of the destroying of the armies of the Gentiles, He will allow Israel to come out, mop up, and take over the land he promised to them through Abraham. The setting of the following Scriptures refer to the time during the final battle of Armageddon up to the Second Advent, and into the early stage of Christ’s millennial reign.

Zechariah 12:6-9 + 14:11 – In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem. [7] The Lord also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah. [8] In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord before them. [9] And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. [11] And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.

Zechariah 14:5,9 – And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. [9] And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one.