The current situation in the Middle East seems to be pointing to the very prophecies of the Bible concerning this region as the center of end time political turmoil. Since the Beast From the East web site is dedicated to proclaim that the kingdom of the Antichrist will be centered in the Middle East, not the European Union as expected by most prophecy students, a few influential nations of the Middle East are being watched by some of the contributors to the web site as possible candidates for the nation where the Antichrist will come from.
The current cry of Israel for peace with her neighbors have changed the political landscape of the Middle East in recent months. Syria which has been one of Israel's greatest enemies has proposing to sign a peace agreement with Israel. This is causing some prophecy students to watch Syrian closely because many see Syria as the nation of the Antichrist since Antiouchus Epiphanes who was a type of the Antichrist came from Syria. (he actually was a Greek). They also point to the King of the North in Daniel 11 and the Assyrian in Isaiah 10 as references to a Syrian Antichrist.
The other possible candidate for the nation of the Antichrist is Turkey. This is due to the fact that Turkey has been positioning itself as a peace mediator between Israel and Syria. Turkey seems to be getting tired of being rejected by European leaders as the Turkish nation attempts to become a member of the European Union and is looking toward becoming a player in Middle East political affairs. Those who believe Turkey will be the nation of the Antichrist will point to Gog of Magog in Ezekiel 38.
This view argues that Magog is not a reference to Russia as widely taught, but another reference to the Antichrist from a different angle. The argument is that Magog is a reference to the region of Asia minor and the Caucasus and not to Russia proper. This is supported by the fact that Gog is not only of the land of Magog, but also the prince of Meshech and Tubal which are ancient tribes located in modern day Turkey.
Another reason many see that Gog is another reference to the Antichrist is the fact that God says in Ezekiel 38:17 that he had already mentioned Gog in old times through his servants the prophets of Israel that He would bring Gog against them. We do not find another reference to Gog in any of the prophets but many references to the Antichrist.
There are other possible references to the Antichrist as the prince of Tyre in Ezekiel 28 who claims to be god just as the Antichrist and as Pharaoh the king of Egypt in Ezekiel 29:3. There is also a reference to the Antichrist as the king of Babylon in Isaiah 14:4 and as the Assyrian in Isaiah 10,14,30 and 31 and Micah 5.
As we begin to look at these passages as references to the Antichrist, great confusion and even supposed contradiction begin to emerge, after all, how can the Antichrist be all of those at the same time? Why hasn't God chosen one single title to refer to this coming wicked leader so our lives would be much easier in trying to identify the nation where the man of sin will come from?
We will try to give a plausible answer to these questions and show we believe God made clear which nation and people the Antichrist comes from and why he gets many different titles given by God through the prophets.
There are more references to the Antichrist as an Assyrian than any other.
This fact alone should not be used to determine that he will be an Assyrian but there are other things associated with the title Assyrian that point to him as literally an Assyrian. In Micah 5 we read about the man that would be born in Bethlehem whose origins are from eternity past. In Micah 5:5 we read that this man who is Jesus Christ will be the peace of Israel when the Assyrian comes against their land. Then in verse 5 we read:
''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.'' (Micah 5:6)
Note that Jesus will deliver Israel from the Assyrian when he comes against them. In the beginning of the verse we read that the leaders of verse 5 will destroy the land of Assyria with the sword and the prophets connects the land of Assyria with the land of Nimrod. This should not go unnoticed because it specifically points to a specific geographic location. It is true that the Assyrian empire encompassed what is today Syria, Iraq, parts of Eastern Turkey, Armenia, Egypt and Jordan, but these are merely extensions of the empire, not the land of Assyria itself. To find out where the land of Assyria and Nimrod were, we have to go back to Genesis 10 where we read:
''And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD. And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah (Genesis 19:8-11)
Note that the beginning of Nimrod's kingdom was Babel (Babylon) in Shinar, modern Iraq and out of that land of Shinar went forth Asshur (Hebrew for Assyria) where Nimrod builded Nineveh. When examining a map of this region, we immediately notice that this was located East of the Euphrates River, next to the Tigris River.
This area is located approximately 250 miles Northwest of Baghdad in Iraq. I mention this because many see the Assyrian as a reference to the Antichrist coming from the general area of the Assyrian empire, but it seems very clear to me that the prophet Micah was very specific about the geographic location when referring to the Antichrist as an Assyrian. He said he must be associated with the land of Nimrod which was Nineveh in Asshur in the land of Shinar , a broad designation applied to Mesopotamia.
Below is a map of the Assyrian empire in the 9th century BC. Note that Assyria and its capital Nineveh are East of the Euphrates next to the Tigris River. Also note Babylon in the Southern portion of the Map. Though the empire extended as far West as Turkey later in history, the heart of Assyria remains in the Tigris region known as the Nineveh Plains of Iraq to this day where many Assyrians live.
Turkey and Syria are West of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers and neither ancient nor modern Syria occupied the are of the Tigris River. This area is today under the Iraqi government and interestingly enough it is the home of many Assyrians, the indigenous people of Iraq. It is amazing to me that the Assyrians were able to maintain their national identity without a homeland for 2600 years since Nabuchadnezzar king of Babylon conquered the Assyrian empire.
The Assyrians of Iraq have been struggling for many years to have an independent state of their own in Iraq but Middle East politics for whatever reason just won't allow them to have their own autonomous country. Could it be possible that this is prophetically significant? I suspect it is for because in Daniel 11 we read the following:
''And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honor of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.'' (Daniel 11:21)
Note that a vile person who will stand up shall not be given the honor of the kingdom. In other words, he will not be given the authority to rule his own piece of land or have his own independent state. Note also that he comes peaceably to obtain the kingdom by flatteries or fine promises as the Stong's concordance defines it.
Could it be that this passage is talking about a future Assyrian political leader who will not be given the authority to have his own independent country but who offers peace and fine promises in the Middle East. Well, the Assyrians are just a minority in the region and who will listen to them anyway you might ask? Look what the following verses say:
''And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant. And after the league [made] with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people. (Daniel 11:22-23)
Note that he shall overflow and confront militarily those who oppose him. He shall work deceitfully with a small people we read in the last sentence. Could it be that the Assyrian minority are this small people the text is referring to? The widely held view which I also believed is that this passage starting in verse 21 through verse 35 is describing the career of Antiochus Epiphanes whereas verses 36 through 45 are describing the career of the future Antichrist.
When paying close attention to the passage we notice that verse 36 does not change subjects but continues to describe the actions of the person talked about in verses 21-35. The entire passage appears to be talking about the Antichrist alone, not about two different personalities.
I say all the above to say this: Turkey and Syria today have the honor of ruling their kingdoms and they are not small peoples as mentioned in the text. The Assyrians on the other hand are a small people who do not have the honor of ruling their kingdom.
The text in Daniel 11:21 specifically says that this coming ruler shall not be given the honor of the kingdom spontaneously but will have to engage in military action to obtain it. The Antichrist is also typified by a little horn who rises among 10 other great horns. The little horn expression refers to him a an insignificant leader of an insignificant country.
Turkey and Syria cannot be called insignificant nations since they currently are the most influential nations in the Middle East alongside Iran as far as Israel which is the center of the prophetic scenario is concerned. This is another clue which leads me to watch the Assyrians in Iraq and not Turkey and Syria.
Many other passages point to the Antichrist as an Assyrian. In Isaiah 14 we read about the future restoration of Israel and the passage says that the Jews will sing a proverb against the king of Babylon in Isaiah 14:4 who is empowered by Lucifer in verses 12-15. The following verses continue to describe this king and without the change of subject in the text he is called the Assyrian whom God shall destroy in his mountains in verse 25.
In Isaiah 30:27-31 we read that the Lord will come down with burning anger to destroy the nations and Isaiah specifically says that the Assyrian will be destroyed by voice of the Lord. It is interesting to note that Paul in 2 Thessalonians also says that the Antichrist will be destroyed by the mouth of the Lord and in Revelation 19 Jesus destroys the beast with the sword that comes out his mouth. Is all of that a coincidence or were Paul and John referring back to Isaiah 30:27-31 when writing about the Antichrist?
Now that we have plausibly established that the Antichrist will be literally an Assyrian to rise in the region of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in Northern Iraq, how can he be an Assyrian and yet be Gog of Magog which most likely is a reference to Turkey, not Russia, the King of Babylon (Iraq), Pharaoh king of Egypt, the Prince of Tyre which is a reference to a region within modern day Lebanon etc? The only plausible answer I found goes as follows:
In Daniel 11 36: 45 we read that the Antichrist will start a military campaign to conquer the Middle East. In verses 25 through 30 we see the king of the south (Egypt) coming against him. As he goes to fight Egypt, ships of Chittim (Western alliances) will come against him causing him to be furious and go against Israel and have indignation against the holy covenant, a reference to his placing the abomination of desolation mentioned in verse 31.
The interesting thing is that we see the West attacking him. The ships of Chittim refer to Western forces coming against the Antichrist. This verse totally destroys the theory that teaches the Antichrist will come from Europe and that his kingdom will be the European Union.
In verse 40 we read:
And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.(Daniel 11:40)
In this passage we read that again Egypt as the king of the south will come against him. A king of the north will attack him with chariots, horseman and ships. As he is attacked militarily, the last sentence says will will enter these attacking countries and pass over them. It appears that there are two kings of the North, the Antichrist being one of them since he was already referred to as being from the North is the previous verses.
Another king of the North shows up in verse 40 to attack the Antichrist. This could be a reference to Turkey coming against the Antichrist with many of ships coming down the Mediterranean Sea to stop him from conquering the Middle East. It could also refer to Syria.
It is really hard to determine which one it is since both nations were under the Seleucid dynasty of the Grecian empire which is the focus of Daniel 11 and which come back in the end times to play the final role. We know from Daniel 7 that the Antichrist conquers three of the ten horns of the beast which is a reference to three nations being conquered by him militarily and that is why we see so much conflict in Daniel 11:40-45.
As the Antichrist conquers Turkey, he then brings Turkey under his political dominion. That will cause him to become Gog of the land of Magog, for he will be ruling the entire region of Turkey after it's conquered by him. As far as becoming Pharaoh king of Egypt we read:
''He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians [shall be] at his steps.'' (Daniel 11:42-43)
Note that Egypt is conquered by him. This will cause him to rule over Egypt and carry the title of Pharaoh king of Egypt. In the next sentence we see the Lybians and the Ethiopians under him after he conquers Egypt. These two nations are mentioned as part of the Gog and Magog confederacy to attack Israel according to Ezekiel 38:5.
Like most prophecy students, I also wrote about Russia invading Israel but I myself am beginning to doubt this theory and see Gog of Magog as another reference to the Antichrist. We often argue that the confederacy of Ezekiel only mentions a few nations by name whereas the Antichrist brings ''all nations'' against Israel. This is not entirely true because after naming the major players of this invasion against Israel, Ezekiel says:
''Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: [and] many people with thee.'' (Ezekiel 38:6)
Note the that after naming Gomer and Togarmah, Ezekiel also says that there are '' many people'' with thee (Gog). Versions other than the KJV translate '' many peoples'' or ''many nations'' with you. This shows that Ezekiel just did not name all of the nations involved but just a few, so the argument that Ezekiel 38 mentions specific nations and that the Antichrist brings ''all nations'' against Israel does not stand. God could be giving Ezekiel a prophecy about the Antichrist attacking Israel from a different angle and perspective since he lived during a different time than other prophets.
The Antichrist becomes the king of Babylon as Iraq surrenders to his power, after all, he already lives in Northern Iraq. We read in Revelation 18 that Babylon will be the political and economic capital of his kingdom. Lebanon does not hesitate to give him the power to rule over the Lebanese and as he rules over Lebanon, he becomes the prince of Tyre which was and is a city located in Lebanon.
All this military conquest brings 10 nations of the Middle East under his power as seen in Daniel 7:23-25 and Revelation 17:11-13. The 10 horns upon the head of the beast in Revelation 13 and Daniel 7 are 10 nations that come under his rule.
As he becomes the leader of all those nations, he also receives the biblical titles ascribed to him thus making him Gog of Magog, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the Prince of Tyre, the King of Babylon but all those titles do not stop him from being an Assyrian who will rise within the Mesopotamian region of the Tigris River called the Nineveh Plains of Northern Iraq where many Assyrians live today.
A map of the Assyrian empire reveals that during its greatest extent Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and portions of Turkey were all under the dominion of the Assyrians. Could it be that this will be the case again in the future? The book of Revelation seems to point to Assyria as the kingdom that received a deadly would but lived.
As Assyria rises to power, it will once again bring under its power the entire Middle East region that once was under its dominion and even more. Read more about this ins our article titled: Assyria: The Nation of the Antichrist.
A problem with this whole Assyrian view should be addressed here.
It is my belief that the Antichrist will be a Muslim. The Assyrians of Iraq are orthodox Christians, not Muslim. Now I will get into some speculation of my own and try to connect an Assyrian Antichrist with Islam but I will use some prophetic passages to give some support to my own speculation.
Today almost everyone who knows a little bit about Bible prophecy knows about the famous Arab confederacy set to destroy Israel mentioned in Psalm 83. The Psalm says:
1 O God, do not keep silent;
be not quiet, O God, be not still.
2 See how your enemies are astir,
how your foes rear their heads.
3 With cunning they conspire against your people;
they plot against those you cherish.
4 "Come," they say, "let us destroy them as a nation,
that the name of Israel be remembered no more."
5 With one mind they plot together;
they form an alliance against you-
6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
of Moab and the Hagrites,
7 Gebal, ] Ammon and Amalek,
Philistia, with the people of Tyre.
8 Even Assyria has joined them
to lend strength to the descendants of Lot.(Psalm 83:1-8) NIV
In this Psalm we find that some Middle Eastern peoples addressed by their ancient tribal names form a confederacy to destroy Israel. In modern terms these peoples are:
“Edom, Moab, Gebal, Ammon”— Jordan
“Ishmaelites, Hagrites”— Saudi Arabia peninsula
“Tyre”— Lebanon
“Philistia”— Gaza
All these nations are Muslims. What many don't pay attention to is the fact that Assyria is joining them in verse 8 to lend strength to the children of Lot. The children of Lot are Moab and Ammon who gave birth the the people who inhabited the region of modern day Jordan. It is believed that many Arab Jordanians became the Palestinians refugees.
If this is the case, Psalm 83 is predicting that Assyria will Join the Arab world to support the Palestinian cause against Israel. Many say that Assyria is Psalm 83:8 is a reference to the general region of Syrian and Iraq, but the Hebrew word Asshur refers not only to the nation of Assyria, but also to Assyrian ethnicity, therefore, if the Psalmist went out of his way to say that the Assyrians will join the Arabs, he must have been referring to the Assyrian people, not just to the geographic region dominated by the Assyrian empire.
It is interesting to note that the Psalmist also says:
''9Do unto them as unto the Midianites; as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the brook of Kison:
10Which perished at Endor: they became as dung for the earth.
11Make their nobles like Oreb, and like Zeeb: yea, all their princes as Zebah, and as Zalmunna:
12Who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession.(Psalm 83:9-12)
Here the Psalmist is referring back to Judges 8 where Gideon fought Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of the Midianites. In Judges 8: we read:
''So Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Rise yourself, and kill us; for as a man is, so is his strength.” So Gideon arose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the crescent ornaments that were on their camels’ necks.''(Judges 8:21) NKJV
The Psalmist is asking God to do to the Psalm 83 Arab confederacy what Gideon did to Zeba and Zalmunna. Note that after killing Zebah and Zalmunna, Gideon took way the crescent ornaments that were on their camel's necks. It is interesting to note that the crescent is also the symbol and ornament of the Islamic religion which is the vehicle by which the Arabs are uniting against Israel. Is that a coincidence? Only God knows.
In Daniel 11 we already saw that the Antichrist rises and is not given the honor of the kingdom. We also saw that he comes with a small people. Combing this passage with others we were able to plausibly conclude that they fit the Assyrian people of today. In the same passage of Daniel we read:
''He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the desire of women, nor will he show regard for any {other} god; for he will magnify himself above {them} all. "But instead he will honor a god of fortresses, a god whom his fathers did not know; he will honor {him} with gold, silver, costly stones and treasures.'' (Daniel 11:37:38) NASB
Here we see that he shall not regard the gods (plural) of his ancestors. This could include ancient Assyrian gods and the current God of the Assyrians who is Jehovah, the God of the Bible, Jesus Christ. Daniel continues to inform us that the Antichrist will honor a god whom his fathers did not know.
Could it be that in the near future a very prominent Assyrian politician in Iraq will give up Christianity and convert to Islam, thus honoring Allah, a god whom his fathers did not know? As I said, this is pure speculation of my own, but since anything is possible these days with Christians converting to Islam, Muslims converting to Christianity, I do not think it is too far fetched to conclude that some Assyrians in Iraq can convert to Islam which is the predominant religion of that region.
One last thing I want to mention here to support the Assyrian Antichrist is this: Daniel 9:26 says that the Antichrist will be of the people that destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple in 70 AD. This prophecy was fulfilled when the Roman army destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple under Titus Vespasian.
Many historical accounts tell us that the soldiers who were involved in the destruction were of the Roman legions 5,10,12 and 15 which came from the Syrian province of the Roman empire which recruited locals to be members of their garrisons, therefore most of the Roman soldiers were Syrians.
The Syrians of the first century were not the Syrians of today. The Assyrians were referred to as Syrians by the Greeks and the Romans during the first century. That is because the term Syria came to be used interchangeably with Assyria by the Greeks. According to Greek and Roman historians such as Herodotus, Strabo, Justinus, and others state:
''the term Syrian means nothing more than Assyrian. In the 1st century BC Strabo wrote: "When those who have written histories about the Syrian empire say that the Medes were overthrown by the Persians and the Syrians by the Medes, they mean by the Syrian people, none other than those whom built the royal palaces in Babylon and Ninus; and of these Syrians, Ninus was the man who founded Nineveh, in Assyria. (H.L. Jones Translation of "Geography of Strabo"', New York 1916, Vol. VIII p.195)
Conclusion
We have seen in this article that the Antichrist carries many titles which at first appear to be contradictory. As we harmonize Scriptures, we find that as the Antichrist conquers certain Middle Eastern nations, he becomes the ruler of those nations and receives the titles which are ascribed to him by God in the Bible. We must realize that those titles are given to him by God and as he appears on the political scene, people should not expect CNN and Fox News reporters to address him, as the ''Assyrian'', nor as ''Gog of Magog'', nor as ''Pharaoh king of Egypt'' and so on. He will be addressed either as Prime Minister, Governor, President or whatever he may be with his personal name following those political attributes. These biblical titles give us God's perspective of his nature, not men's. I also personally believe it is a bit to early for him to appear on the scene for many reasons. We all make the mistake of fitting current evens into biblical prophecy and for that matter we should be careful in only watching Turkey and Syria alone which currently have been pushing for peace in the Middle East and not the Assyrians in Iraq. We plausibly concluded that the Antichrist will come with a small people from the Tigris River region of Nineveh in Iraq, will not have the right to rule his own land as a sovereign country and will do so by offering peace with flatteries and by starting to take military action against those who do not allow him to have the honor of the kingdom. Syria and Turkey do not fit these descriptions since they already have a sovereign nation and a great and strong, not a small people as is the case with the Antichrist.
God bless you!
Rodrigo Silva
10/10/08
