The Beast and the Antichrist
Nicolas Simon
Table of Contents
The Beast and the Antichrist
Introduction
The truths recovered by early brethren, so-called, have had a profound impact on conservative Bible scholarship—although little acknowledged today. While the name of J. N. Darby is often associated with these teachings, they did not originate with him. Indeed, if their origin had been anything other than the Word of God, then they would be of no interest to us. Darby’s name may be attached to them only in the sense that he was a prolific teacher and writer who promulgated and defended these truths.
The eschatology taught by Darby and others attracted the attention of many, especially in North America. Eschatology is occupied with the end times. These are important teachings, and this pamphlet will be devoted to a specific aspect of it. Nevertheless, there is also an unhealthy occupation with the subject. The future of this world holds a very natural, and all too human fascination. Apocalyptic themes are represented by a whole genre of literature and film—indeed, they are part of a very broad spectrum of world and religious views. As Christians, we are only interested in what the Word of God has to say on such matters, and, more importantly, why it tells us of these things. To sensationalize these teachings is to make merchandise of them (2 Cor. 2:17 JND). Popular references to Christian eschatology offer a terribly distorted view of the truth, and, worse yet, they correspond to that very sensationalization that appeals to the natural man.
As Christians the Lord has permitted us a glimpse into what He is going to do. “Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of My Father I have made known unto you” (John 15:15). We are given to know both our hope and the nature of the judgments that will fall upon this world. Our hope is truly a happy one: “Awaiting the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13 JnD). And as for the judgments that are coming, we are to be kept from them: “I also will keep thee out of the hour of trial, which is about to come upon the whole habitable world, to try them that dwell upon the earth” (Rev. 3:10 JND).
In this pamphlet, I wish to consider two individuals—the Beast and the Antichrist—whose identities are frequently misrepresented and confused. One hears, for example, these titles used interchangeably. They are, however, separate, and distinct persons with diverse backgrounds. I wish to examine, in the light of Scripture, the appearance of these individuals and the role they will play. It will be necessary to lay some groundwork before we do that, but only an outline can be given; excellent books have been devoted to a fuller examination of the broader subject.
The Times of the Gentiles
In understanding prophecy, and in particular the subject before us, one must be familiar with the book of Daniel, Matthew chapters 24 and 25, Luke 21, and the book of Revelation, especially chapters 12, 13, and 17. These give us details covering that period referred to by our Lord Jesus Christ as the times of the gentiles. “Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled” (Luke 21:24). Many other Scriptures come into play as well and nothing can be interpreted in isolation: “Knowing this first, that the scope of no prophecy of scripture is had from its own particular interpretation” (2 Pet. 1:20 JND). We do not have the liberty of taking the Scriptures and applying them to world events as it may suit our fancy.
One must also keep in mind that the church itself is not the subject of Old Testament prophecy. The church was, as the Apostle Paul tells us more than once, a “mystery, which was kept secret since the world began” (Rom. 16:24). Indeed, the present church period is treated as a parenthesis by the prophets, the details of which are passed over. The church is heavenly, whereas the prophets are concerned with this earth. The church is not waiting for, nor looking for, the fulfillment of prophetic events. Israel, on the other hand, if she is to be restored (and God will restore her), the gentile nations presently occupying her lands, and those who exercise control and influence over the region, must be judged.
The book of Daniel is our key to understanding the times of the gentiles—and that is no accident; nothing in the Word of God ever is. The final days of Judah’s history following the death of king Josiah spanned little more than 22 years. During this period four kings reigned: Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah. These were tumultuous times for that remnant of a once glorious nation. Jehoahaz was deposed by Pharaoh, king of Egypt, while the final three were vassals of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. God had executed His sentence of lo ammi, not My people, upon Israel (Hosea 1:9). God’s government in this earth had been transferred to Nebuchadnezzar, a gentile ruler. “Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory” (Dan. 2:37). Daniel, a prince from the house of Judah (Dan. 1:3, 6), was taken captive in the days of Jehoiakim. He would have been young at the time—no doubt in his early teens. Daniel spent the remainder of his life (more than 70 years) in the court of the kings of Babylon and Persia. As such, his prophecies are occupied with the gentile nations. Consistent with this—and it is quite a remarkable statement in itself—the book of Daniel, chapters two through seven, are written in Aramaic, the language of the Babylonian court, and not Hebrew. The gentile monarchs were addressed by God in their own language.
The book of Daniel gives us an outline of this period of gentile rule. It takes us from the captivity of Judah to the Son of Man coming in power and great glory to establish His universal kingdom. The outline is presented to us in various forms beginning with Nebuchadnezzar’s great image. We know the story well (Dan. 2). Nebuchadnezzar saw in a dream a tremendous statue of a man. The head was of fine gold, the breast and arms of silver, the belly and thighs of brass, the legs of iron, and the feet, partly of iron and partly of clay (Dan. 2:32-33). The image stood until a stone, cut out without hands, smote the feet. The whole, at that point, comes tumbling down and the iron, clay, brass, silver, and gold are smashed to smithereens, “like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them” (Dan. 2:35). The stone, on the other hand, becomes a great mountain and fills the whole earth.
Daniel gives the interpretation to Nebuchadnezzar. “Thou art this head of gold. After thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise” (Dan. 2:38-40). We know from both the historic events recorded in the book of Daniel, and from secular history, the identity of the second kingdom—the Medes and Persians. Initially led by the Medes, the Persians came to dominate with the reign of Cyrus the Great and the establishment of the Achaemenid empire. We also know the identity of the third kingdom—there is nothing uncertain about it. Alexander the Great had conquered most of the Achaemenid empire by 330 BC. The fourfold partitioning of Alexander’s kingdom and its ultimate conquest by Rome, the fourth kingdom, are also attested to by secular history—details of which are prophetically given in later chapters of Daniel.
The details concerning Rome are rather remarkable. The two legs are consistent with history; Rome divided into eastern and western empires. The Byzantine Empire (in the east) fell to the Ottomans in 1453. In the West, Rome fragmented without any new kingdom rising in its place. Indeed, modern Europe grew out of the remnants of the Roman Empire. Although Rome’s power as a political head waned, Rome’s domination as a religious authority grew. It was Pope Leo III who crowned Charlemagne as the Emperor of the Romans in 800 AD. This power may have declined in the present day, but it will rise once again. As to the ten toes, these are also important, but their significance is not developed in this first vision.
As to the final kingdom, what does it correspond to? “In the days of these kings shall the God of the heavens set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the sovereignty thereof shall not be left to another people: it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, but itself shall stand for ever” (Dan. 2:44). Some argue that the final kingdom is Christ and the church, but we cannot accept this. It represents a fundamental misunderstanding of the church—its very nature and place in this world. The church is not a kingdom, and Jesus is not the king of the church. The church is the Body of Christ, the House of God, and the Bride of Christ (other figures are also used), but the church is never styled as a kingdom. She will reign with Christ from heaven, but that is quite a different matter and remains future (Rev. 5:10 JND; Rev. 20:6). It would be out of character for the bride to reign while the king is refused.
Some may ask what of the Kingdom of God? Are we not part of it? The kingdom of God is, quite simply, that sphere where God’s rule is owned—it has an important moral significance. It is broad in its application both in time and in character. Depending on context, it may be limited to those who are His: “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). Alternatively, it may include empty profession—those who acknowledge God’s authority without truly submitting to it (Luke 13:18-19). The church falls within this sphere, but she is not synonymous with it. A related term, the kingdom of heaven, is unique to the book of Matthew, although, the principle of it is also found in the Psalms and the book of Daniel. The kingdom of heaven is still God’s kingdom in this earth—it is not a heavenly kingdom. It describes the present character of His kingdom. God’s throne is not yet established on this earth, even so, God reigns from the heavens. “The Lord hath prepared His throne in the heavens; and His kingdom ruleth over all” (Psa. 103:19). God has not abdicated His throne and, although we do not see Him openly reigning, we know that “The Most High ruleth over the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will ... the heavens do rule” (Dan. 4:25-26 JND). Knowing that Israel would reject Christ as their king, Matthew uses the kingdom of heaven in preference to the kingdom of God. The terms may be interchangeable in some contexts but not all. Luke, for example, uses the kingdom of God in the same contexts where Matthew uses the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 13:31; Luke 13:18, etc.)—the kingdom of heaven is still God’s kingdom. Matthew, however, carefully uses the kingdom of God in just a few specific instances. “But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you” (Matt. 12:28). The kingdom of God had come to Israel in the person of their Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ—this is especially Matthew’s pronouncement. It would have been nonsensical to have said that the kingdom of heaven was come. When Christ’s throne is established in this earth (an event still future) the kingdom of heaven will give way to “The kingdom of the world of our Lord and of His Christ” (Rev. 11:15 JND). This is the stone cut out without hands, the stone which the builders rejected, which will grow into a great mountain that will fill the whole earth (Dan. 2:36). Nebuchadnezzar’s vision spans, therefore, the entire gentile history: from his day, through present time, until the reign of Christ over this earth.
Many have argued that Luke 21 speaks of the fall of Jerusalem under the Romans, and that it marks the end of these prophetic events. It is true that Luke is, at first, occupied with the near-term devastation of Jerusalem—in contrast to Matthew 24. In Luke the disciples specifically ask concerning the destruction of the temple (Luke 21:5-7). This occurred in 70AD. In Matthew the question is different: “What shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (Matt. 24:3). That being said, Luke does not stop with the destruction of Jerusalem under Titus. This is common with prophecy. Present circumstances are used to introduce future events—a famine in the days of Joel (Joel 1:4), an earthquake in the time of Amos (Amos 1:1), and so forth. It has been the great mistake of many Bible interpreters to ignore this pattern and to see fulfillment of prophecy in the circumstances of the day. Luke writes: “Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled” (Luke 21:24). Titus may have destroyed Jerusalem, but that did not mark the end of Gentile domination under Rome. Luke goes on to speak of “The Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory” (vs. 27), and “Know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand” (vs. 31). Luke takes us to the end times and to the establishment of Christ’s kingdom in this world just as Matthew does.
Four Beasts
In the seventh chapter of Daniel, we have further visions; these are seen by Daniel himself. They bear important similarities to Nebuchadnezzar’s dream but add additional details, particularly as to the fourth kingdom. Daniel witnessed four great beasts arising out of the wind-tossed sea. The first was like a lion with eagle’s wings, the second like a bear, the third like a leopard with four wings and four heads. The fourth beast was diverse from the previous three and no animal likeness is given. It was “dreadful and terrible, and exceeding strong; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and broke in pieces, and stamped the rest with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns” (Dan. 7:7).
Our understanding of these beasts is not left to our imagination: “These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, that shall arise out of the earth” (Dan. 7:17). There is no need to introduce any interpretation other than that already given. These are the same four kingdoms found in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. Babylon is likened unto a lion with the wings of an eagle. It has been said that a beast spends its days looking down—they cannot look up. Remarkably, we read that the lion was “made to stand upon two feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it” (Dan. 7:4). Nebuchadnezzar descended into madness and behaved as a beast, eating grass as an ox, until he knew that the Most High ruled over the kingdom of men (Dan. 4:25-26). With Nebuchadnezzar’s understanding restored, he lifts his eyes to the heavens and thanks and praises the Most High (Dan. 4:34). This divine acknowledgement is not repeated by the other beasts. The Medes and Persians were more brutish and are likened to a bear. The third kingdom had the swiftness of a leopard with wings but divides into four heads. The Grecian conquests of Alexander were divided upon his death (after much infighting) between four generals resulting in the Hellenistic kingdoms of Ptolemaic, Seleucid, Antigonid, and Attalid (see also Dan. 8:8; 11:2-3). The fourth beast, the Roman Empire, is like a machine devouring all before it in its strength. Although these beasts are presented in a picture, we shouldn’t suppose they describe a static image. There is a time aspect with each. The Grecian Empire did not begin with four heads—that occurred after Alexander’s death.
The fourth and final beast has peculiar characteristics, and it seems to have been revealed to Daniel in a separate vision. “After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast” (Dan. 7:7). Daniel recounts its strength and conquests and then adds: “it had ten horns” (Dan. 7:7). The Roman beast does not begin with ten horns; these are ten kings who will arise out of it (Dan. 7:24). Of these horns we learn that three are supplanted by a little horn: “In this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.” (Dan. 7:8). This horn “was more imposing than its fellows” (Dan. 7:20 JND). These details are essential to the subject before us. The interpretation is given by Daniel. “The ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings” (Dan. 7:24). We learn further details as to the conduct and duration of this little horn: “He shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time” (Dan. 7:25).
In the book of Revelation, the Apostle John sees a vision whose similarity to Daniel’s goes beyond a mere resemblance. “I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?” (Rev. 13:1-4). We see in these verses a beast that has characteristics in common with the first three beasts of Daniel 7—the swiftness of a leopard, the brutality of a bear, and the strength of a lion. It also has ten horns, as did Daniel’s fourth beast. Indeed, there is no reason to believe that this is any beast other than the fourth beast of Daniel 7—the Roman Empire. We have another detail revealed here: there are seven heads. These are explained in chapter 17, a chapter we will shortly turn to. But where is this beast now? If the Roman Empire has met its demise, then these prophecies have had their fulfillment. Nebuchadnezzar’s image, however, takes us all the way to the reign of Christ; no kingdoms of men are mentioned after Rome. Daniel 7 confirms this; the final beast is brought to His end by the establishment of a kingdom under the authority of the Most High (Dan. 7:26-27). These verses in Revelation 13 give us our answer. One of the heads was wounded to death, but the deadly wound was healed. This improbable revival of the Roman Empire, in a form never before seen, will cause great wonderment.
Turning now to Revelation chapter 17—although Rome’s political power waned, Rome’s domination as a religious authority grew—an influence which continues to this day. The seventeenth chapter shows us the relationship between the religious and political powers. It paints a vivid picture. “A woman sitting upon a scarlet beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns” (Rev. 17:3 JnD). This is the beast we are familiar with, the revived Roman Empire, but who is the woman? Upon her forehead a name is written: “Mystery, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth” (Rev. 17:5). A woman is used in the Scriptures as a picture of moral and religious corruption (Prov. 2:16-19; Matt. 13:33, etc.). What is her connection to Babylon? Babylon was founded by Nimrod, a hero of the postdiluvial world (Gen. 10:8-10). He celebrated his prowess over man and beast in the face of Jehovah. It was at Babylon that men started building a tower: “Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” (Gen. 11:4). It was the pride of man seeking a center and a name without God and coalescing together. Babylon ultimately became known for her idol worship, pride, cruelty, and the occult (Isa. 46-47). This mystical Babylon is at the root of the harlots’ seductive lies—it is a religious system of man’s making. The last verse of Revelation 17, however, gives us her present identity: “The woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth” (Rev. 17:18). She is Rome, the seat of Papal authority, whose blessing the rulers of the western world have long sought.
The woman rides the beast and is instrumental in its rise to power, for we read of the beast “that it was, and is not, and shall be present” (Rev. 17:8 JND)—speaking of its demise, absence, and future revival. Moreover, we now have an explanation of the seven heads. “The seven heads are seven mountains, whereon the woman sits. And there are seven kings: five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes he must remain only a little while. And the beast that was and is not, he also is an eighth, and is of the seven, and goes into destruction” (Rev. 17:9-11). The seven heads are a double figure—the first of seven mountains, the second of seven kings. Five of the kings are fallen, the sixth existed at the time of John’s vision, the seventh remains to be revealed. These kings represent a succession of Roman political powers in their various forms. In the time of John, the Roman Republic had given way to the Roman Empire, its last form before its fall. Rome’s power will revive in a new form—a confederacy of ten rulers as represented by the ten horns (vs. 12). The confederacy’s rule will be brief as it will yield all authority to one who initially shares power with them (vs. 13). This individual is called the Beast—sometimes called the personal beast to distinguish him from the system of which he is head. The woman, having been used to political advantage, is now cast off: “The ten horns which thou sawest, and the Beast, these shall hate the harlot, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and shall burn her with fire” (Rev. 17:16). This will be one of the last collective acts of the confederacy before the Beast assumes dictatorial power. The confederacy will, undoubtedly, be an unwieldy power-sharing arrangement fractured from the very beginning. The feet of Nebuchadnezzar’s image were of iron and clay; materials that do not mingle (Dan. 2:33). The feet terminate in ten toes—the final form of this kingdom before the Beast takes power.
The Beast is, therefore, the individual who will be the last head of the revived Roman empire. He is the political head of a gentile power. He is called the Beast because he represents the final and most monstruous form of Daniel’s fourth beast. He is the little horn of Daniel 7, with “Eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things” (Dan. 7:8). The Beast’s power is satanic, for he will ascend from the abyss (Rev. 17:8). Revelation 13 says of him: “The dragon gave to it his power, and his throne, and great authority ... And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months” (Rev. 13:2, 5). The duration of the Beast’s dominion is clearly given—forty-two months, or three and a half years, or, as Daniel puts it, “a time and times and a half time” (Dan. 7:25 JND). The rule of the Beast will conclude the times of the gentiles. It ends when the Son of Man returns with the clouds of heaven to establish His reign (Dan. 7:13). The Beast’s end is destruction (Rev. 17:8). We read of his demise in Revelation: “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. 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” (Rev. 19:19-20).
Before closing on this subject, it is necessary to dispel a popular misconception—that the ten-nation confederacy will encompass all the nations of the world. The expression, one world order, is frequently employed. Anything presently seen as promoting such an order is condemned as being a precursor to the beast. Scripture precludes any thought of such a worldwide dominion until Christ returns. Man’s present efforts to achieve peace and unity, while futile and misguided, are not the beast. The revived Roman empire, Daniel’s final beast, will be just that—it will correspond to the Roman Empire in its greatest extent, or perhaps encompass those peoples originally within its borders. Other countries and alliances will independently coexist with the beast. Russia never was, and never will be, a part of the revived Roman empire, but she will have ties to the Middle East: “Set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him ... Persia, Cush, and Phut with them” (Ezek. 38:2, 5). The nations of the Middle East will also have their own alliance: “For they have consulted together with one heart: they have made an alliance together against thee. The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagarites; Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia, with the inhabitants of Tyre; Asshur also is joined with them: they are an arm to the sons of Lot” (Psa. 83:5-8). They will derive their strength and confidence from Russia, but they are an alliance in their own right. As to the countries of the far east, they, too, will have no part in the empire of the beast. Little is said of these nations, but they will also come under the scrutiny and judgment of God. Some have felt that “the kings from the rising of the sun” (Rev. 16:12 JnD) may refer to the far east, but it is more generally accepted that it does not. This we do know, however, when God recalls His people Israel from the countries to which they have been dispersed, it will include China: “Behold, these shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim” (Isa. 49:12). It is evident that Scripture does not anticipate the dominion of the Beast encompassing the globe.
Seventy Weeks
Earlier we observed that chapters two through seven of Daniel are in Aramaic. The return to Hebrew in the eighth is not arbitrary—there is a change in subject. Israel and her relationship with the gentile powers is now the central theme of the prophecy.
A notable timeline is to be found at the end of chapter nine. “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy” (Dan. 9:20). These weeks concern Jerusalem and Daniel’s people, Israel. The word used for week simply means a period of seven—it is not limited to a week of days. The 70 weeks are divided into two—69 weeks and one week. An explanation of the 69 weeks is given: “From the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks” (Dan. 9:26). The verse is quite explicit: 69 weeks (7 + 62) would pass between Nehemiah’s return to rebuild Jerusalem (Neh. 2) and the Lord Jesus Christ. If we interpret a week as seven years, this comes to 483 years. The 20th year of Artaxerxes (Neh. 2:1) corresponds to 455BC, which, in turn, puts 483 years at 29AD. There is uncertainty as to the exact year of Christ’s birth, but modern sources place it around 4BC. The 69 weeks would, therefore, correspond to the time of Christ’s crucifixion. “After the sixty-two weeks shall Messiah be cut off” (Dan. 9:26). If 69 weeks takes us up to the death of Christ, what then of the last week? Seventy weeks have been determined upon Israel and it ends with the righteousness of the ages and the anointing of the most Holy. Although some say the present Christian era answers to this, we must, for the same reasons given earlier, reject this interpretation. If the present day corresponds to the “righteousness of the ages” (vs. 24 JND) then we must (as most of Christendom has) reduce this expression to something quite insipid and meaningless. Who could claim that righteousness reigns today? No, this is what we find in Revelation 20—with the Beast and Antichrist in the lake of fire, and Satan bound for a thousand years, Christ will reign with a visible display of His authority; it will be a reign of righteousness (Isa. 32:1; Rev. 20:4). There is, evidently, a gap between the 69th and 70th weeks. With the crucifixion of Jesus, and the national rejection of the testimony of the Holy Spirit as to a risen Christ, Israel’s history has been placed on hold—the times of refreshing did not come (Luke 24:21; Acts 1:6-7; 3:19; 7:51). Meanwhile, the times of the gentiles dominate, and Christ is gathering for Himself a heavenly bride—not an earthly people to take Israel’s place.
The final week is described in the last two verses of Daniel 9. “The people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary ... he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate” (Dan. 9:26-27). A coming prince is mentioned, but before he appears the people of his kingdom would destroy Jerusalem and the sanctuary. Jerusalem was sacked by Titus in 70AD and then again by Hadrian circa 135AD—at which time it was erased from the Roman maps. This identifies the people of the prince—they are the Romans. This Roman prince, one whose rise to power remains future, will make a covenant with a revived (albeit apostate) Israel for one week. This is the final week of seven years—and it occurs immediately before the anointing of the most Holy.
During the first half of the final week (3½ years) temple worship will have been restored, but “in the midst of the week he [the prince] shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease” (vs. 27). We have already established what will occur during those final seven years—we’ve even noted a major event in the middle of that week; the ascent to power of a despotic prince, the Beast. Revisiting Daniel 7, we read that he (the Beast) “shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time” (Dan. 7:25). This corresponds exactly to what we find in Daniel 9. Temple worship will be cut off, and, worse yet, an abomination will be established—a false god and idol (Deut. 29:17; 1 Kings 11:5). For the faithful Jew living in that day, this will be a terrible time. Little wonder that Matthew writes: “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains” (Matt. 24:15-16).
The Antichrist
More than 150 years ago J. N. Darby wrote: It has been taken for granted among those who expect a personal Antichrist, that he is the civil head of the Roman empire. This I question. Without doubting in the least that there will be such a blasphemous Gentile power, it seems to me that the Antichrist is another power, of which the Scriptures are even more full; the vessel of evil, religious energy, rather than that of evil public government. At least, two such manifestations of power we find in Revelation 13, for the second is a beast, as well as the first; that is, there is a second temporal power co-existent with the public imperial power, which has the throne of Satan. Confusion as to the identity of the Antichrist continues unto this day.
The antichrist appears by name in John’s epistles: “Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time” (1 John 2:18). It is evident from this verse that many will come in the character of an antichrist, but also, there will be one who is the Antichrist. The word itself has two meanings. The Greek prefix anti can either mean something which takes the place of another, or, that which stands in opposition to. The word, antichrist, is used in the Scriptures in both senses.
John’s second epistle exhorts the elect lady to refuse those who do not hold orthodox teachings concerning Christ: “For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist” (2 John 1:7). Gnosticism was a system which, among its many errors, denied the humanity of Christ. Gnostics also taught that Jesus was merely an emanation from the fullness—the totality of God’s powers. Paul refuted these false teachers, using their own words against them: “In Him all the fulness of the Godhead was pleased to dwell” (Col. 1:19 JND). Gnosticism and its teachers stood in opposition to the Christ—they were antichrists.
The Lord Jesus, however, while present here on earth, forewarned: “Many shall come in My name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many” (Matt. 24:5). Jesus also said: “I am come in My Father's name, and ye receive Me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive” (John 5:43). This is the Antichrist—he doesn’t merely oppose the person of the Christ, but he is one who supplants the true, and claims the name of Christ, the Messiah, for himself. Antichrist will, therefore, be a religious figure intimately connected with the Jewish people.
The promise of the Messiah, the Anointed One, who would redeem Israel is found throughout the prophecies of the Old Testament. Nowhere are those prophecies more complete than in the book of Isaiah. “Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever” (Isa. 9:6-7). His voice is heard throughout the Psalms. In the second Psalm, He is named: “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against His Anointed [Messiah]” (Psalm 2:2). The Jews, at the time of Christ’s first coming, were not ignorant of these prophecies: “When he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes ... he demanded of them where Christ [Messiah] should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet” (Matt. 2:4-5). Although rejected as the Christ (Isa. 49:7; Isa. 53), He will return as Son of Man to fulfil the promises of the Old Testament (Dan. 7:13; Matt. 26:64). A faithful remnant from among the tribes of Israel will be saved. “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob ... For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance” (Rom. 11:25-26, 29). Nevertheless, before that day there will be a time of trouble, Jacob’s trouble, such as has never been witnessed in this earth (Jer. 30:6-9). “Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matt. 24:7). The faithful will be persecuted and martyred for the Word of God and the testimony which they hold (Rev. 6:9-10). Conversely, “many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many” (Matt. 24:11). These false prophets will be received by the apostate masses—an unbelieving people who will seek a deliverer for Israel from among men. Into this void the Antichrist will step, a pretender to the throne of Israel.
The Antichrist is vividly described in Revelation 13. “I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon” (Rev. 13:11). Whereas the Beast arises out of the sea—political turmoil among the western nations—this second and distinct beast rises out of the earth. He appears as a lamb but speaks as a dragon. The Lord Jesus, the true Lamb of God (John 1:29), was heavenly and could say: “He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth” (John 3:31). The Antichrist gives voice to the dragon, another name for Satan (Rev. 12:9). The Beast will be promoted by the Antichrist as a guarantor of peace, and he will cause “the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast” (Rev. 13:12). As we earlier read in Daniel, an apostate Israel will make a covenant with the Roman beast and will look to him as their protector. But it is a false hope as Isaiah tells us: “Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves” (Isa. 28:15).
Alexander the Great’s empire was divided into four heads upon his death (Dan. 7:6; see also Dan. 8:8; Dan. 11:2-4). The eleventh chapter of Daniel gives us a detailed history of two of those heads—the king of the north (the Seleucid Empire) and the king of the south (the Ptolemaic Empire). With Israel the focus of Daniel in these latter chapters, the points of the compass are relative to that land—one king is to its north, and the other to its south. The first part of the chapter, although future in Daniel’s day, now represents history. In these verses we have the various alliances and conflicts which occurred between these two nations—with Israel in the crossfire. At verse 36, however, the chapter takes up with a new king. We know he is neither the king of the north nor the king of the south for he is the foe of both: “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” (Dan. 11:40). Things are now future, for it is the time of the end. The king of the north will pass through the land of Israel and continue down into Egypt, the realm of the king of the South. “He shall enter also into the glorious land ... He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape” (Dan. 11:41-42).
Although these kings—and especially the king of the north—are important actors in the end times, they are not within the scope of our present inquiry. Instead, we must turn back and consider the identity of this king in the land of Israel. Verse 36 describes him in detail: “The king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all” (Dan. 11:36-37). This king in Israel is evidently Jewish, for he will not regard the God of his fathers. To secure reward—security in the land—he will divide it (Dan. 11:39). He will exalt himself above God, indeed, above every god. This is none other than the Antichrist.
Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians gives us further detail—the language used by the Apostle recalls that of Daniel. “The man of sin ... the son of perdition; who opposes and exalts himself on high against all called God, or object of veneration; so that he himself sits down in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God” (2 Thess. 2:3-4 JND). The Antichrist is also called the man of sin and that Wicked or lawless one (2 Thess. 2:8). These names are frequently employed in the Psalms. “The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thought” (Psa. 10:4). The prophetic nature of the Psalms has, historically, been overlooked. And yet, many of them give voice to the faithful remnant suffering under the hand of the antichrist. “Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man” (Psa. 71:4).
In the nineteenth chapter of Revelation, we learn of the Antichrist’s end and another of his titles: “The Beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them” (Rev. 19:20). The Lord Jesus was the true Prophet promised long before: “I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put My words in His mouth” (Deut. 18:18; see also Acts 3:22-24). In every respect, the Antichrist usurps Christ’s place to form a trinity of evil: the Antichrist, the Beast, and the Dragon.
The Antichrist is prefigured in Saul, Israel’s first king. The people, having rejected Jehovah, demanded of Samuel a king: “They have not rejected thee, but they have rejected Me [Jehovah], that I should not reign over them” (1 Sam. 8:7). Israel at the time was in a sorry state. The priesthood was in tatters and corruption was rampant. Israel’s enemies had the upper hand, and they lorded their dominion over them (1 Sam. 11:1-2). Saul was to be Israel’s deliverer but failed in every way. He was a choice man and a king to satisfy the people: “There was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he” (1 Sam. 9:2). Notably, Saul reigned during the time of David’s rejection, but his demise ultimately led to the establishment of David as king, a man of God’s choosing: “I have provided Me a king” (1 Sam. 16:1). At the close of Saul’s history, we see him turning to the occult for help. History has a way of repeating itself. With Christ’s rejection, an apostate nation will accept a king energized by Satan.
When searching out references to the Antichrist, it is helpful to recognize his various names and titles. In Zechariah, for example, he is called the worthless shepherd: “Woe to the worthless shepherd that leaveth the flock! The sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye; his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye utterly darkened” (Zech. 11:17 JND). As the usurper, these names frequently answer to the promises to Israel and the rightful titles of the true Messiah. At other times, they speak to his character: the wicked, the bloody and deceitful man, the cruel man, or the mighty man.
The Olivet Discourse
Although we have considered various aspects of the Olivet discourse, there is value in examining its overall structure, especially as found in Matthew 24 and 25. In this portion we have the Christian’s calling and hope, and it is quite distinct from the future of Jew and gentile.
As touched upon earlier, for many Christians the present age answers to the millennial reign of Christ—that 1000-year reign we noted earlier, and the righteousness of the ages which Daniel anticipates. The gospel message, it will be said, is filling this world just as the leaven permeated the three measures of meal (Matt. 13:33). Quite the opposite is true. The parable of the leaven, consistent with those which precede it in Matthew 13, describes the present working of evil, and especially in the character of religious corruption (1 Cor. 5:6-7; Gal. 5:9). Scripture teaches that Christendom has become a great house admitting all kinds of evil (2 Tim. 2:20), and that men are building a great edifice of wood, hay, and stubble soon to be burned up (1 Cor. 2:12-13). She is headed towards apostasy (as seen in Jude), and God will ultimately disown that empty shell of profession (Rev. 3:16). The western nations, once blessed by the enlightenment of Christianity, are descending into the grossest of moral darkness; the professing church is following right behind (and in some respects, leading the way). If the Old Testament prophecies have been fulfilled in Christ and the church, one must water down the truth to make it fit present circumstances—indeed, the very gospel message itself must be spiritualized and moralized.
Jesus begins His discourse in chapter 25 by answering the disciples query concerning “the sign of [His] coming and the completion of the age” (Matt. 24:3 JnD). The Jews were ignorant of the suffering Christ (1 Pet. 1:11; Isa. 53), and even the disciples looked for the restoration of Israel and an ushering in of the kingdom (Luke 24:21; Acts 1:6). What they hear, instead, is: “For many shall come in My name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet” (Matt. 24:5-6). The Lord then describes the events which will unfold during the final week of Daniel—the first half of which is called the beginning of sorrows (Matt. 24:8), while the second half is a time of great tribulation (Matt. 24:21). At verse 44, Jesus concludes His first narrative with: “Be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh.”
The Lord then turns, as it were, and addresses His disciples. “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? ... If that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of” (Matt. 24:48-49). The subject is no longer Israel but our service in the household of faith. Sadly, this parable depicts the general tenor of Christendom throughout much of its history, never more evident than during the Dark Ages. The house of God became a violent place, and the citadels of Christianity were filled with faithless and wicked men. The Lord’s return was relegated to a place of insignificance or replaced by a spiritual theophany.
Chapter 25 continues with the Lord’s new theme: ten virgins, five wise and five foolish, go forth to meet the bridegroom. As the bridegroom tarries, they all slumber and sleep. At midnight the sleeping virgins are awakened by the cry “Behold, the Bridegroom; go forth to meet Him” (Matt. 25:6 JND). We know the story; those who do not have oil in their lamps are shut out from the marriage. The foolish virgins are not a sub-class of Christian—although they may have lived a pure life they are not saved. The oil typifies the Holy Spirit, and “if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His” (Rom. 8:9). Jesus makes it very clear: “Verily I say unto you, I know you not” (Matt. 25:12). In both this and the previous parable, the Lord is seen as delaying His coming or tarrying. Neither refer to events during Daniel’s final week—a well-defined period of seven years. Rather, grace lingers: “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9).
The expectation Jesus left with His disciples was His return for them—not to be on earth with them, but so they might be with Him in the Father’s house. “In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:2-3). This is the blessed hope of the Christian—deliverance from this world and its judgment, and to be with Christ. “Ye turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to await His Son from the heavens, whom He raised from among the dead, Jesus, our deliverer from the coming wrath” (1 Thess. 1:9-10 JND). If God presently views us as seated in the heavenlies in Christ (Eph. 2:6), why would our final destiny be this earth? Our future is to be with Christ in the heavenlies. Paul spells out the details of our gathering together to Him in the first epistle to the Thessalonians—the earliest written: “The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up [raptured] together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:16-17). Far from being an obscure doctrine, this catching away, known as the rapture, was taught to new believers.
Returning now to the Olivet discourse, following the parable of the ten virgins we have another similitude of the kingdom of heaven: “For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods” (Matt. 25:14). The parable concludes with: “After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them” (vs. 19). Nowhere, between Matthew 24 verse 43 and verse 30 of the next chapter, do we have the coming of the Son of Man spoken of—the pledge with which Jesus concludes his first narrative concerning Israel (Matt. 24:44). It is not until verse 31 of chapter 25 do we return to this subject: “When the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory” (Matt. 25:31). It now ceases to be the Bridegroom and the Lord of those servants, but, rather, we have the King judging the nations here on earth (vss. 32-34). The nations will be judged according to their treatment of His brethren, Israel (vs. 40). The church is no longer present on earth—she went “in with Him to the marriage: and the door was shut” (Matt. 25:10). Revelation pulls back the veil of heaven and we are permitted, with the Apostle John, to see events there. “The marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready” (Rev. 19:7). The bride will be presented “as a chaste [pure] virgin to Christ” (2 Cor. 11:2).
Pretribulation Rapture
Will the rapture take place before, during, or after the events of Matthew 24—that is to say, Daniel’s seventieth week? This is especially relevant given our subject. Will we, as Christians, ever live under the oppression of the Beast or the Antichrist? If we understand that Daniel’s seventy weeks are “determined upon thy people [Israel] and upon thy holy city [Jerusalem]” (Dan. 7:24), and that the break between the first 69 weeks and the final week encompasses the present day, and that the rapture concludes this break in Israel’s history, then the answer to the question is immediately apparent. The church is not present on earth during any portion of that final week.
To suppose that the church must pass, even partially, through this hour of unprecedented trial, represents a serious misunderstanding of the church and her true character. We have been made “fit for sharing the portion of the saints in light” (Col. 1:12 JnD). Even now, God “hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6). Christ will present the church to Himself as His spotless bride (Eph. 5:26). It is true that suffering is presently part and parcel of the Christian’s lot. “The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20). Having rejected Christ, this world will also reject His people. To the degree we reflect Christ, we will indeed suffer persecution. “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12). There are, of course, other trials that come our way as well—and there is surely a need in them (1 Pet. 1:6). But the suffering we presently experience is very different from the hour of terrible trial which is coming to test those who dwell upon this earth. And to suppose that this trial is necessary for the bride’s preparation, is repugnant. Jeremiah refers to this period as the time of Jacob’s trouble (Jer. 30:7), and with good reason, for it concerns Israel and this earth—not God’s heavenly people. Not once do we read of this trial in connection with the church, except to say that we will be delivered from it. “Jesus, our deliverer from the coming wrath” (1 Thess. 1:10 JND).
There are many other indications in the Word of God that the church will be raptured before this trial, perhaps none more explicit than: “Because thou hast kept the word of My patience, I also will keep thee out of the hour of trial, which is about to come upon the whole habitable world, to try them that dwell upon the earth” (Rev. 3:10 JND). We first note that the Christian is never called an earth dweller; he or she is a citizen of heaven (Phil. 3:18-20). Revelation, on the other hand, is full of references to those who dwell upon the earth. Secondly, this verse refers to a specific hour of trial—not our characteristic sufferings. Thirdly, we must rule out the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus as being the fulfillment of this verse. The scope is much broader than Jerusalem or even Palestine—it takes in the whole world. Furthermore, everything points to Revelation’s late date of writing—John’s exile to Patmos, and the notable decline in the professing church. Revelation was written after 70AD, and this trial was a distinct and future thing. Finally, many other scriptures point to such a trial immediately prior to the establishment of Christ’s kingdom—something we still await. “Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory” (Luke 21:26-27).
Revelation, chapters two and three, outline for us the present Christian era: “the things which are” (Rev. 1:19). At chapter four John is caught up to heaven: “Come up hither” (Rev. 4:1). He is then shown “the things which shall be hereafter” (Rev. 1:19). From this point forward, the bride of Christ, the true church of God, is not found on earth. John is typical of the family of God—he is caught up to heaven. Furthermore, all figures, representative of past and present saints, are heavenly from chapter four onward. Chapter six of Revelation introduces the seal judgments; these are providential in character and correspond to those events described by our Lord in the first part of Matthew 24: wars, violence, natural disasters, famine, and pandemics. Some believe that the church will be present on earth during the beginning of sorrows; Revelation shows us otherwise. The children of God (including the Old Testament saints) are in heaven and are represented by the twenty-four elders of chapter five—they were caught up in the rapture (Heb. 11:39-40). In no way should this be interpreted to mean that we will be spared from wars, violence, natural disasters, and so forth. These have been experienced by Christians throughout history. Nevertheless, although horrific things have certainly occurred, they will pale in comparison to the scope and intensity of this coming trial. When Revelation speaks of Israel, it means just that and not the church of God. In chapter 19 we find the Lamb’s wife in heaven, along with those called unto the marriage supper—the friends of the bridegroom (Rev. 19:1-10; John 3:29). There is no indication that the bride has come through great trial as we find in the next chapter with the martyrs of the tribulation period: “I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads” (Rev. 20:4).
The Thessalonian saints were troubled by the persecution they were experiencing (2 Thess. 2:4). False teachers were erroneously claiming that the day of the Lord had come—that their trials and persecution were an indication of this. This deception even included a forged letter, as from the Apostle Paul. Paul responds very clearly: “Now we beg you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, nor troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter, as if it were by us, as that the day of the Lord is present” (2 Thess. 2:1-2 JnD). Our gathering together to the Lord Jesus Christ, the rapture, must precede the day of the Lord. Furthermore, as the chapter goes on to develop, there is a restraint which must be removed before the lawless one, the Antichrist, can be revealed: “The mystery of lawlessness already works; only there is He who restrains now until He be gone, and then the lawless one shall be revealed” (2 Thess. 2:7-8 JND). Christians do not restrain the development of evil—although many vainly attempt to do so. Rather, it is the presence on earth of the Holy Spirit. Only a Divine Person can restrain the power of Satan. With the rapture, the church will be removed from the scene and with it the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:22). An empty shell of profession will remain after the rapture which will take the place of the true church. This will be accompanied by a general apostasy. All of this must precede the revelation of the Antichrist: “Let not any one deceive you in any manner, because it will not be unless the apostasy have first come, and the man of sin have been revealed” (2 Thess. 2:3 JnD).
Many have used the example of Noah as a metaphor for the preservation of the church through the tribulation, but they overlook Enoch. “Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him” (Gen. 5:24). This is the promise which we have been given—to be translated out of this earthly scene to be found where, even now, we are placed in Christ. “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son” (Col. 1:13).
When the Lord returns to this earth He will be accompanied by His saints: “The coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints” (1 Thess. 3:13; see also: Jude 14, Rev. 19:14). If we are going to accompany Him, then we must have been caught up to be with Him. Further texts and examples could be given—the answer to our question isn’t vague. By seeing the church as the new Israel of God, and by not distinguishing between God’s earthly and heavenly people, the church has become mired in the world and has been robbed of her true and blessed hope.
The Christian’s Response
The book of Revelation opens in a rather remarkable way—with the promise of blessing. “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand” (Rev. 1:3). It may well be asked: How do we keep the things which are written therein? Certainly, chapters two and three have exhortations of a practical nature, but surely the scope of our keeping goes beyond that. On the other hand, to suppose that we are to involve ourselves in world events—to move things towards a prophetic fulfillment—would be a serious error. I suggest that the sense of this verse is quite the opposite. An event from the life of Daniel is helpful in illustrating the meaning.
In chapter five of Daniel, we read of Belshazzar and his infamous feast. Amid their partying and mocking, the fingers of a man’s hand appear, writing upon the wall—MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. This filled the revelers with great fear, and the words were incomprehensible to their unbelief; neither the king nor his wise men could make any sense of them. Daniel was summoned, and the highest honors were promised should he make the interpretation known. “Thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom” (Dan. 5:16). And what is Daniel’s response? “Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another” (vs. 17). Like Paul before Felix, Daniel then “reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come” (Acts 24:25). The interpretation of the words was straight forward enough. “MENE: God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. TEKEL: Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. PERES: Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians” (vss. 26-28). The meaning was as clear to Daniel as the writing itself. Having seen the writing on the wall, Daniel wanted no part in the King’s honors or his kingdom—it had been judged. “In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old” (Dan. 5:30-31). What the chapter doesn’t tell us (but secular history does) is that this attack was not without forewarning. Although the city’s fall may have been unexpected (Isa. 47:11), Persia’s growing domination and military activity was well known to the king. Belshazzar chose to drown his difficulties in a drunken feast honoring the supremacy of the gods of Babylon. The king’s sense of security rested, doubtlessly, upon the impenetrable walls of the city. The attacking army, however, diverted the river Euphrates thereby permitting the soldiers to advance into the city through the river channel.
The parallels with the hedonistic world in which we live must not be lost upon us. Have we seen the writing on the wall? The prophecies of Daniel end with a closed book: “Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end” (Dan. 12:9). In distinct contrast, the book of Revelation finishes with an opened book: “Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand” (Rev. 22:10). God has revealed to His servants the things which must shortly come to pass (Rev. 1:1). If we heed the things written in the book of Revelation, it will exert a powerful, practical influence upon our lives. It will surely detach us from this world and all that would involve us in it. Conversely, it should attach us to Jesus Christ.
There is another expression, found in the introductory verses to the book of Revelation, which should likewise affect the way we view prophecy. “He sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant John: Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw” (vss. 1-2). The expression, the testimony of Jesus, occurs six times in this book. On the surface, it is not immediately clear whether this means the testimony from Jesus or the testimony concerning Jesus. Context, I believe, determines the sense. In the opening verses, it appears to be the former. Later, when John speaks of being “in the island called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus” (Rev. 1:9), it would seem to be the latter—John’s testimony concerning Jesus. It might reasonably be said that this testimony is both from Jesus Christ and concerns Jesus Christ. It is summarized in a later instance of the same expression: “For the spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus” (Rev. 19:10 JND). Another, who recently helped me with this subject, said: Whenever we read prophecy, we should remember that it is not merely an intellectual exercise or the gathering of facts, but rather always connected with the testimony of Jesus. God has before Him the honor and glory of His beloved Son, and we must remember that. God will glorify His Son in this world where He was rejected. All prophecy ultimately points to that end and when we speak of prophetic events, it should first and foremost be a testimony of Jesus.
John in his gospel says: “I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth” (John 15:15). The Revelation, however, rather strikingly uses servants, or bondmen, of Jesus Christ. “To shew unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass” (Rev. 1:1). This distance may be noted throughout the book. The title Almighty, by which God made Himself known to the patriarchs (Gen. 17:1), occurs nine times. Why is this? We must ever keep in mind that we, the church, are not the subject of prophecy. The book of Revelation addresses itself to a larger audience. Even though chapters two and three take up the church, it is in her outward profession and testimony here on earth. After the rapture, the book of Revelation will be of immense interest to God’s elect, the Jewish remnant. In that day they will preach the gospel of the kingdom (Matt. 14:14) and the everlasting gospel (Rev. 14:6) to Jew and gentile respectively. Today, we preach the gospel of the grace of God in all its fullness; it is our present testimony concerning Jesus Christ; grace characterizes this day. “As sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 5:21). Knowing the things we do, it should motivate us to preach the gospel. “Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2). Paul could say: “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men” (2 Cor. 5:11). Paul certainly reasoned of coming judgment, but it was the love of Christ which compelled him. As ambassadors for Christ, our message is one of reconciliation to God: “We entreat for Christ, Be reconciled to God” (2 Cor. 5:20 JND).
In the 1980’s I recall reading Christian literature which promoted Henry Kissinger as the Beast/Antichrist; later it was Mikhail Gorbachev—many have been put forward as candidates. In the 1960’s credit cards made the leap from the wallets of the rich and famous to the ordinary consumer. In 1974 the Bankcard was introduced in Australia and New Zealand as a general merchant credit card for the masses. Its symbol was a stylized “b” written in three colors—its similarity to 666, the mark of the Beast (Rev. 13:16-18), caught the attention of some. Soon it was pronounced that we would not be able to buy or sell without a bankcard. Today, whether for good or bad, many Christians carry credit cards. These types of speculation, especially when carried out in the public arena, do nothing to further the gospel. Every false alarm is counterproductive and will, undoubtably, be used to advance the agenda of Satan in a coming day. The rapture occurs before the general apostasy and the revelation of the Antichrist, and the Beast does not assume despotic power until the middle of Daniel’s last week—minimally three and a half years after the rapture. Although the Beast and Antichrist may be alive today, they will not be revealed, nor will they assume their satanic roles, until we are gone. Consequently, we, as Christians, need not fear the mark of the Beast, nor the events associated with the great tribulation. Likewise, whatever technology may be employed to implement the mark of the Beast—which may or may not presently exist—is not our concern.
Even though Satan is the prince of the power of the air, and man has yielded to him authority, both political and religious as the prince and god of this world (John 12:31; 2 Cor. 4:4), it is important that we understand that Satan does not presently dwell on this earth. He will be cast out of heaven into this earth in the middle of Daniel’s final week (Rev. 12:9-14). Knowing that his time is short, he will wreak havoc. Meanwhile, God is very much on His throne ordering all the affairs of men, setting up rulers and deposing them as He sees fit. This we can safely leave in His hands. Whatever freedoms we presently enjoy are through His mercies alone; they are not safeguarded by men—and when men act contrary to the ways of God, it should neither surprise nor alarm us.
As the world descends into an ever-growing darkness, we can be reassured by the presence of the morning star. The rising of that star in our hearts should be reflected in our outlook and walk—it is Christ as our object in a character suited to the times. “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts” (2 Pet. 1:19). “I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come ... He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all” (Rev. 22:16-17, 20-21).