From Hell to World Leader

In his famous vision he received from God while he was in exile from Rome on the island of Patmos, the apostle John recorded an amazing prophecy that has baffled biblical experts for centuries; that the leader of an end-time world government will be someone who “once was, now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction.” (Revelation 17:8)

Just what did John mean? Or, more precisely, just what did the angel who dictated that prophecy to John mean? We know that in the historical biblical lexicon, the Abyss is a synonym for hell. Did the angel who spoke to John literally mean that the coming world ruler, who the Bible identifies as the Antichrist will be someone who will rise from the pit of hell? Yes and no. If we study John’s vision and his prophecies that are recorded in the Revelation, it becomes evident that the coming Antichrist will not be someone who literally comes up from the hell, but rather the spirit of a wicked and long-dead ruler who will be released from the Abyss and will be allowed to possess this man at some point in his life.

But when and how could such an incredible event occur? And who will be the spirit that will possess the coming world leader? John revealed that one of the leaders of the coming global government “seemed to have had a fatal wound, but that the fatal wound had been healed.” (Revelation 13:3) John didn’t say that this leader will recover from a grave, life-threatening wound; he revealed that this man will suffer a mortal wound; be declared legally dead and then he will rise from the dead. After this man returns to life, John wrote: “The whole world was astonished and followed the beast.” (Revelation 13:3) Clearly, after this man rises from the dead, the world will declare his return to life a miracle and will worship him as a deity. In fact, many biblically illiterate Christians will believe this man to be Jesus Christ when he rises from the dead, not realizing who he really is.

This world leader will probably be assassinated via a plot devised among three of the coming 10 world leaders who the Antichrist will depose from power once he returns from the dead. (Daniel 7:24) But what spirit of an ancient, wicked ruler will possess this man when he returns to life? Though the mystery deepens, we can learn that he will very likely be one of two ancient rulers; Alexander the Great, who ruled over the ancient Greek Empire from 336 to 323 B.C. or Antiochus Epiphanes, who ruled over the Seleucid Dynasty from 175 to 164 B.C. What is significant about Alexander the Great? He invaded ancient Persia in 331 B.C. which opened the door to Europe and brought the influence of the Gentiles and their culture into the ancient Middle East.

But even more importantly, 666 years after Alexander’s invasion of Persia, Roman Emperor Constantine established the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. What is significant about the Council of Nicaea? It became the spiritual foundation for the Roman Catholic Church, that will, according to the Revelation, become partners with the coming world government. (Revelation 17) Under our current solar calendar that is 365 days per year (366 days every fourth or leap year) 666 years would bring us to 335 A.D. But the ancient world followed a 360 day solar calendar which subtracts 10 years. Thus the significance of the number 666 simply cannot be diminished; it represents the prophetic political-spiritual link between the rise of pagan Gentile Europe and the Roman Catholic Church. And this prophetic link will form the foundation and partnership for the coming global government.

But who was Antiochus Epiphanes? He was an extremely wicked ruler who considered himself to be a god incarnate. In fact, he declared himself “God Manifest, Bearer of Victory” on the Tetradrachm which was a silver coin minted by the ancient Greeks that was worth about four drachmas. But more importantly, Epiphanes was a violent narcissist and an egomaniac who demanded to be worshipped as a god. Epiphanes invaded Jerusalem in about 167 B.C. and ordered his soldiers to massacre as many Jews as they could without showing any mercy even to infants, children and the elderly. Estimates range from 80,000 deaths during a violent, three-day massacre to another 40,000 Jews that were taken captive and sold into slavery.

Epiphanes then took control of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem and declared an end to the daily animal sacrifices mandated by the Mosaic Law. Epiphanes had the temple rededicated to the Greek god Zeus and desecrated its sanctuary by sacrificing pigs on its altar. And the wicked ruler outlawed all Jewish religious practices and executed anyone who was even suspected of observing the Mosaic Law. Furthermore, Epiphanes ordered the Jews in Jerusalem and in the surrounding territories controlled by the Seleucids to adopt Greek religious customs and worship Zeus. Those who refused were executed.

What makes Epiphanes a prime candidate for the evil spirit that will possess the Antichrist are the similarities between this ancient wicked ruler and the coming Antichrist. The ancient Hebrew prophet Daniel, who lived approximately 2,600 years ago, recorded this revelation from the arch-angel Gabriel concerning what the Antichrist will do when he signs a seven-year peace treaty with Israel and assumes control over a rebuilt Jewish Temple: “In the middle of the seven he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.” (Daniel 9:27)

Will Epiphanes be the wicked spirit that is allowed to come up from hell and possess the Antichrist? Biblical prophecy makes no mention of who this wicked spirit will be, but considering that this evil ruler had already been dead for a considerable length of time when John recorded the Revelation (90-100 A.D.) and considering the striking similarities between Epiphanes and Daniel’s description of the Antichrist’s desecration of the temple, the ancient Seleucid ruler seems a good possibility to be the spirit that will possess the Antichrist. The 666-year prophetic link between Alexander the Great and the Council of Nicaea certainly helps us to “calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666.” (Revelation 13:18) Antiochus Epiphanes certainly fits in that description; in fact, his name also contains 18 letters that divides into three sixes or 666.

It’s important for Christians to pay close attention to biblical prophecy concerning the end times that we are now in. In conjunction with the rise of a world government will be a counterfeit religious revival that will be based upon supernatural events that will deceive multitudes. This revival, which currently seems remote and unlikely in a world where Islam and militant atheism are vying for control, is going to happen.

And when it begins, millions will be drawn into its seductive trap which will eventually lead many to the Antichrist. The apostle Paul warned: “The coming of the lawless one (Antichrist) will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.” (2Thessalonians 2:9-12)

Don’t be drawn into this seductive trap. Pray unceasingly; study the scriptures and know God’s will. And when evil comes, you’ll be able to recognize it and resist it.