The Origins of the Apocalyptic Beast
Where will the Antichrist Emerge from?
The Antichrist will be an Assyrian. From various Old Testament scriptures, the Bible reveals that the Antichrist will be an Assyrian who rules over an Assyrian kingdom. Daniel 9:26 describes the end times antichrist as “the prince who is to come” and tells us that people from his ethnic group would destroy Jerusalem and the temple.
Assyria was located in the northern part of Mesopotamia, which corresponds to most parts of modern-day Iraq as well as parts of Iran, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey.
Most Ancient enemies of Israel have emerged from the same geographical regions. These regions are ruled by territorial principalities that spiritually affect the people that live in those particular regions. Most of the regions where Israel’s ancient enemies lived, coincide with the same regions where Israel’s present enemies live today. The people living in these regions have always operated under an Antichrist/Antisemitic spirit. Their main goal has been to oppose, enslave or wipe Israel out of the face of the earth.
The Beast from the Sea
Revelation 13 describes a beast that emerges from the Sea. This beast has ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. This beast receives his power and his throne and great authority from the dragon. And we also know that one of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound has been healed.
The seven heads on the beast from the sea represent seven empires (or 'mountains') dominating the Middle East, each of which is controlled by a ‘harlot religion’.
I believe this harlot religion is Islam. Islam also happens to be the predominant religion practiced in most of the nations surrounding Israel. Islam is characterized by being a bloodthirsty religion, who’s main goal is the global establishment of a Caliphate; with the ideal of continuous Holy War (Jihad) and continuous expansion of the realms of Islam until they covered the whole world.
I believe the harlot woman described in Revelation 17:6, who gets drunk with the blood of the saints, represents the “bride” of satan. Satan’s harlot bride is empowered by the blood thirsty spirit of Islam, and she will wage “holy war” (Jihad) against the pure and holy bride of Christ.
“I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly astonished.” Rev. 17:6
Going back to the heads/empires of the dragon, we see that five of these empires existed long ago (Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia and Greece), one was still in existence when John received this revelation (Rome), and one empire was to come in John’s future (the Islamic Caliphate that existed from the seventh century right through to the early twentieth century). I believe Islam is the beast’s head that appeared “as if it had been mortally wounded, but his deadly wound was healed” (Revelation 13:3).
Further in Revelation 17:11 we see that the whole beast from the sea itself represents an eighth entity, which is effectively a reborn version of one of the original seven, and I maintain that this refers to a re-born Caliphate“ and I give you the Caliphate of the Islamic State.
Let’s take a close look at Revelation 17:7-11 since this passage explains clearly the mystery of the woman and of the beast she rides, which has the seven heads and ten horns
Revelation 17:8-11 “The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and yet will come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast,
*because it once was, now is not, and yet will come.
9 “This calls for a mind with wisdom.
*The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. 10 They are also seven kings.
*Five have fallen,
*one is,
*the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for only a little while.
*11 The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction.”
-Who are those hills and those kings? They are principalities, spiritual rulers of the air that operate through earthly rulers.
-Five of those have fallen:
1.Egypt (fallen)
2.Assyrian (fallen)
3.Babylonian (fallen)
4.Medo-Persian (fallen)
5.Greek (fallen)
-One is:
6.Roman (this was the present empire that was subduing Israel at the time John received the description of the Beast in Revelation 17. Therefore it was the kingdom “who is”.)
-The other has not yet come:
7.Ottoman (the Ottoman Empire came to subdue Israel after the Roman. This is the one that had not come yet at the time John received the Revelation. Also it only lasted a little while, but it will revive again.)
The rise of the Ottoman Empire is a period of history that started with the emergence of the Ottoman principality in c.1299, and ended c.1453. The Ottoman Empire disintegrated and was partitioned after its defeat in World War I. The empire had already been in decline for centuries, struggling to maintain a bloated bureaucracy.
Much has been written about Erdogan’s attempts to “resurrect” the Ottoman Empire or to style himself a sultan. Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is working hard on both domestic and international fronts to advance his grand design of reviving an Islamic caliphate under his rule. It is now no secret that he sees himself as the rightful heir of the former Ottoman caliphate which was abolished in 1924 by the founder of modern Turkey Mustafa Kamal Ataturk.
Who is the Beast?
The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction. The Ottoman Empire was the 7th. That is “the beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction.”
The 8th king who belongs to the 7th is the Ottoman Empire revived. A caliphate. Which is the establishment of a religious-political system of governance in Islam in which the territories of the Islamic empire and the people within were ruled by a supreme leader called Caliph. This leader will be considered Al Mahdi. It is the Islamic messiah, who according to Islamic eschatology is supposed to annihilate Jews and Christian infidels in order to take over the world.
Gog and Magog, The Chief Prince of Meshech and Tubal
Now let’s look at the prophecy in Ezekiel 38 that describes the Antichrist and his allies coming into Israel to invade and destroy Jerusalem.
Ezek 38:2-3 “Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, 3 And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.”
Ezekiel 38: 14-17 “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On that day, when my people Israel are living in safety, will you not take notice of it? 15 You will come from your place in the far north, you and many nations with you, all of them riding on horses, a great horde, a mighty army. 16 You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land. In days to come, Gog, I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me when I am proved holy through you before their eyes. 17 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: You are the one I spoke of in former days by my servants the prophets of Israel. At that time they prophesied for years that I would bring you against them.
According to these scriptures the Antichrist is described as Gog, Magog is the Land, and he is the prince of Meshek and Tubal. Interestingly enough Gog and Magog or Yajuj and Majuj are a pair of names that appear in the Bible and the Quran, variously ascribed to individuals, tribes, or lands. However, in the Bible Gog and Magog are Antichrist figures that will be judged by God; but in Islam Gog and Magog are Messianic figures sent by Allah to conquer Islam’s enemies.
On the other hand, Meshech (also spelled Meshek) and Tubal were sons of Japheth, one of the three sons of Noah who survived the flood with him. Meshech (whose name means “long, tall, or drawn out by force”) is the sixth son of Japheth. The land of Meshech is closely associated with that of Tubal, especially in a prophecy of Ezekiel. Most reference books, following Flavius Josephus, identify Tubal in Ezekiel's time as an area that is now in Turkey. According to Archibald Sayce, Meshech can be identified with Muska, a name appearing in Assyrian inscriptions, and generally believed to refer to the Mushki. Most reference books since Flavius Josephus generally identify Meshech in Ezekiel's time as an area in modern Turkey.
It is important to note that according to Ezekiel 38:5, Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya will also be allies during this invasion. They will come to support Gog and his troops with shields and helmets.
However despite all the efforts of Israel’s ancient enemies to destroy them and overcome them, God will show his greatness and holiness as he defeats them. He will send plague and sword against them. He will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulfur on Gog and on his troops and on the many nations with him. And he will make Himself known in the sight of many nations. On the mountains of Israel Gog, his troops and all the nations that will support him will fall; and he will be given as food to the birds and to the wild animals. This victory will serve to make known God’s holy name among the people of Israel, and so the nations will know that Jesus is the Holy One in Israel.
Ezekiel 38:21-23 “I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Sovereign Lord. Every man’s sword will be against his brother. 22 I will execute judgment on him with plague and bloodshed; I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him. 23 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 39:1-8 “Son of man, prophesy against Gog and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshek and Tubal. 2 I will turn you around and drag you along. I will bring you from the far north and send you against the mountains of Israel. 3 Then I will strike your bow from your left hand and make your arrows drop from your right hand. 4 On the mountains of Israel you will fall, you and all your troops and the nations with you. I will give you as food to all kinds of carrion birds and to the wild animals. 5 You will fall in the open field, for I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord. 6 I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in safety in the coastlands, and they will know that I am the Lord.7 “‘I will make known my holy name among my people Israel. I will no longer let my holy name be profaned, and the nations will know that I the Lord am the Holy One in Israel. 8 It is coming! It will surely take place, declares the Sovereign Lord. This is the day I have spoken of.”