Is the Antichrist the coming prince who will Confirm a Covenant?
In the near future, a leader of a group of nations will confirm a covenant between Israel. And then, the worst seven years of human history will begin. This is not good news, just the facts as recorded in the scriptures. But, before that deal unfolds, we will likely see an effort to bring peace between Arab nations and Israel.
Oh, wait! That’s what we are seeing right now.
Yes, but be patient. As the Lord told his disciples, “The end is not yet.” The earthquakes and rumors of war were precursors and not the actual end of things. Jesus made it clear. There are signs we should look for. Don’t be alarmed by the countless, ‘false alarms’ by those who are simply misinformed regarding these topics.
Important Note:
There is a huge misunderstanding regarding this truth. Currently, there are peace negotiations going on between Israel and many Arab nations. None of these are connected to the so-called Antichrist figure of the last days. The current peace efforts are a necessary precursor to the infamous “peace deal” with the Antichrist. The “dividing of the land” and the ravaging of the Jewish nation will happen after these initial peace efforts produce some temporary results.
If you know your Bible, you may have thought that the story about Noah and the flood was bad. Well, you’re right, it was bad. Only eight people remained after that disaster. I believe that story is true, but I am in the minority view with that belief. Even a large number of Christians don’t believe that story. But the Lord kept bringing it to us throughout the scriptures, so He believes it happened. I’m always going to trust God rather than the beliefs of men. A large number of Christians don’t even read or study their Bible regularly. That’s not meant as an insult. It’s a loving rebuke and challenge. If you’re a Christian and not reading the Word, you better start — now.
Author’s Note:
This article serves as an introduction to an expanded study of a key verse found in chapter nine of Daniel. We’re now focusing on the twenty-seventh verse.
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There’s a storm coming.
Actually, a series of storms are coming. That story about Noah’s flood is a strong warning. In it, we learn that God means what he says. Our bad actions will incur consequences. As individuals, cultures, or nations, we must give an account to God for what we have done with the lives he has granted to us. That loss of life in the flood was historic for sure. But another epic storm is coming. It will be a flood of warring nations rather than water. In the future, no one knows when the world will become engulfed in another World War.
A future covenant between Israel and many nations will get confirmed. And when it does, then the great apocalypse will begin.
Daniel 9:27 English Standard Version
And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week, he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.
Tragic human losses
In addition to the story of the flood, you would also be right to remember the tragic loss of life in the previous World Wars. The first World War brought unheard-of conflict and death. The League of Nations was established in order to prevent a repeat of such calamity. It didn’t work because a man named Hitler decided he wanted to rule the world. It’s impossible to know how many human lives were lost but the estimates are shocking.
The loss of life in World War I is estimated at around 40 million souls.
During the Second World War, the loss of human lives rose to an estimated 60-118 million people. What’s numbing about the estimate is nearly 60 million they are unsure about.
Wars and plagues
The Bubonic Plague had three different phases in which millions of people died from its curse. Historians name the three phases of the plague the Justinian Plague, the Black Death, and the Modern Plague. In the Black Death alone, approximately 60 percent of the population of Europe died. The loss of life in World War Two was only around 3-4 percent of the world population. Consider what 60 percent must have been like for Europe.
And of course, the scourge of Communism was a horrific blight on humanity. It still is. In Russia, during the ‘Great Terror’ and also in China’s Maoist Revolution, the total loss of life was well over 100 million. But who’s counting, it’s just people right?
Daniel 9:27 New American Standard Bible
“And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”
The apocalypse is Good News
But I will repeat myself. An agreement between Israel and many nations will take place. Once the deal is signed, get ready. The worst seven years of earth’s history will follow.
And now for the good news. Even though the apocalypse is on the horizon, we should be aware that the word apocalypse isn’t as bad as it sounds. The word can send a tremble through a crowd but that’s only because most people don’t understand the true meaning of the word. Most people equate it with zombies, nuclear fallout, and stinking corpses. But the word comes from a Greek word that refers to the unveiling or uncovering of something or someone that is unseen or unknown.
The last book of the Bible is the Book of Revelation. Some Bible translations use the title, ‘Apocalypse.’ But it means the unveiling. That’s how the word apocalypse (unveiling) became associated with terror, dead bodies, and untold numbers of human lives lost. But the Good News is that the end to the tragedies is near. The time of the Revelation of Jesus Christ is near. He will return so he can fix this mess. The apocalypse isn’t the bad part of the end. It’s the good part when Jesus comes on the scene and fixes the mess we have made with the planet he created for us.
Humanity doesn’t need an apocalypse to cause human suffering. We’ve managed to accomplish that with no help from the four horsemen of the apocalypse.
Daniel 9:27 King James Bible
And 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, even until the consummation and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
The peace deal and the confirmed Covenant
As I write this article an important event is approaching. The Trump administration is about to ‘reveal’ a hidden peace deal. The peace deal has been in the planning and discussion phases for the last two-plus years. This revelation of the Trump peace deal will come and go without the confirming event that is mentioned in Daniel chapter nine. So I write this article knowing with confidence that probably years will pass before the prophetic fulfillment described in Daniel’s prophecy. It could even be decades. I can almost hear the groans from Christians who insist we are mere minutes away from the rapture. That’s just not the case.
Trump and the covenant deal
But in the near term, there will be a lot of crazed hysteria about this Trump deal. Many people will say that Donald Trump is the Antichrist. Others will say this is the peace deal of Daniel nine. Every military move that Russia makes in the next few weeks will be scrutinized for proof that the war of Gog and Magog is about to begin. Rumors about Iran will get people suggesting they will soon get nuked by the United States. But these prophecy events are years away from the time of this writing. The Trump peace plan will lay important groundwork for future prophecies.
Take a look at the verse again. Do you see the word ‘many’ in the verse? That’s a key component a lot of people misinterpret. The many nations that Daniel writes about are a future coalition of nations. There will be ten nations that will come to an agreement with Israel. I suspect a lot more than ten will be interested in the deal, but Daniel specified ten nations, toes, and heads.
But there’s more
In other articles, I’ll dive deeper into this. It’s very important. But those ten nations will not be rooted in Europe as many people believe. They will be in the Middle East and northern Africa. Just as the Bible indicates.
To be continued…
In the next article of this series, I’ll take a closer look at the coming prince who will confirm the agreement between Israel and many nations. We’ll also consider the gap in time between the weeks of years in Daniel’s prophecy. There is obviously a gap, and we’ll look at the argument for why there is one.
For nearly two thousand years, the identity of the Antichrist has stirred debate and intrigue. So who is he and where will he come from? But most importantly, what do the scriptures say?
Explore some ideas that developed during the first two centuries of the church. This book highlights the scriptural search of one of those early disciples as he went In Search of the Antichrist.
Read the words of the early church father Hippolytus.
Let me know what you think.