In the prophetic countdown of end-of-the-world events, it is God’s intention that we warn the world of impending events in an accurate and credible way. The purpose of the prophetic word is to get people to believe the gospel and turn to God. That’s the reason why He wants us to be in a position to know what the future holds and proclaim it ahead of time so that our hearers will have no alternative but to believe. However, the Lord is well aware of the effects of foretelling an event that turns out not to be true. In view of this, He wants to make sure that those whom He commissions to preach the gospel are thoroughly informed in the scriptures in general and the prophecies in particular.
In His attempt to instruct His people in the interpretation of prophecy, the Lord has supplied us with all the necessary tools in His word so that we need not err in our prognoses on last-day events. One of the most effective tools that is given to us in the Bible is the principle of proleptic prophecy. Proleptic prophecies are predictions that have more than one application. You will find examples of prophecies with dual or multiple applications in Matthew 24 and Joel 2. In these predictions you will find that they were fulfilled in a limited way in a past dispensation with the promise of a wider fulfillment in the end-time.
There are a great amount of speculations and differences of opinion on the subject of the Antichrist of Bible prophecy. When I examine some of the different arguments I do not get the idea that the arguments are following any particular logic. Most of what I read in articles and watch on videos are just flippant conclusions that are arrived at by observing current events. This is not a good way to interpret prophecy. When you arrive at your conclusions in this way, you are no longer making the Bible your guide but events. When it comes to solving Bible prophecies, you must allow the scriptures alone to provide all the solutions.
The historical profile of the Antichrist in Daniel 7
When I think about fulfilled prophecies that can help us better understand end-of-the-world predictions, the countdown of end-time events in Daniel 7 immediately comes to mind. I am referring to the fourth kingdom in general and the little horn in particular. In Daniel 7, it is said that after the fourth kingdom is divided, the little horn king will emerge. This prophecy was fulfilled in the sixth century when the Roman kingdom has made a transition from pagan to papal rule. And it is believed by many Bible historians that as a direct result of the rise of the medieval Papacy a new religious culture was established and strange doctrines were introduced.
The specifications of this little horn power that are laid down in Daniel 7 are very interesting in terms of how they relate to the activities of the papal administration during the early centuries. Here you will see that they are confined to verses 24 and 25:
1. He subdues three kingdoms
2. He blasphemes the name of the Most High
3. He persecutes the saints of the Most High
4. He is to oppress the saints for time, times and dividing of time
As we closely observe the countdown of end-of-the-world events in this chapter you will be fascinated by the resemblance of these specifications to what obtains during the Dark Ages.
Three kingdoms were overthrown
History has recorded that in 476AD the Roman Empire was divided in to ten independent territories. These territories were captured by barbarian nations as a result of the Gothic invasion. But some time after the Papacy came to prominence, three of the ten barbarian nations were not prepared to assent to her dogmas. As a result they were attacked and overthrown, and thus the Bishop of Rome gains full ascendancy in all religious matters and world affairs.
The name of God was blasphemed
The most glaring evidence of blasphemous activities during the Dark Ages is the act of mortal man taking upon himself titles which belongs only to God. For instance, the popes were once addressed as Lord God the Pope, and proclaimed as the God of heaven, earth, and of lower regions. In addition, the people were taught to purchase indulgence certificates and confess their sins to the priests in order to have their sins forgiven instead of going to God in prayer.
The persecution of the saints
During this period of papal supremacy, there were many Christians who were not prepared to conform to the doctrines of the Roman Church. It was their view that the Church has compromise her faith by forming alliances with secular powers. As a result of remaining true to the apostolic tradition, they were considered heretics and, hence, a crusade was waged against them. Some of these brethren who were persecuted are the Waldenses, the Albigenses, the Heugenots, and the Hussites. Among the manifold methods of inflicting cruelty on heretics, the true saints of God were burnt at the stakes, thrown to hungry lions, tied to horses, and abandoned in dungeons to die of starvation.
The saints were oppressed for more than a thousand years
Time times and dividing of time is another way of saying three and a half years (time=1yr, times=2yrs, half a time=1/2yr). By Jewish reckoning, it’s 1260 days. Many theologians believe that this 1260-day period must be reckoned on the basis of the day-for-a-year principle in Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:6. This is precisely in agreement with the notion that the Papacy was officially in ascendancy in 538AD and lost her sovereign power in 1798 when the pope was deposed as head of state in the aftermath of the French Revolution.
While we can acknowledge the above scenario as a fulfillment of Daniel’s countdown of events in relation to the little horn, we cannot fail to see the clear connection to the end of the world. Therefore, we can expect to see a more fulsome fulfillment of the Antichrist prophecy of Daniel 7 in the last days. Because the Bible does not make any difference between the medieval and the end-time fulfillment of this prophecy, we can hardly remove the city of Rome from within its cross hairs. After all, Rome is supposed to be the fourth and final world kingdom just prior to the Second Coming. Therefore, there is no doubt as to where the Antichrist will come from.























