BBP: 8 Recognizing the Rising Antichrist

Chapter 8

Recognizing the Rising Antichrist

The leader of a minor country but famous & admired worldwide

Contents

A) Unbiblical and unreliable ways to identify the Antichrist

B) The Antichrist’s initial emergence as a leader of a small country (Dan 7:8)

C) The Antichrist will come from the land of Magog (Ezek 38:2)

D) The growing emergence of the Antichrist as a world-famous person (Rev 13:3-4)

E) A remarkable modern example of a man matching the biblical attributes of the Rising Antichrist Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Primary Points

• Suggestions that Nero, Hitler, Putin, or popes could have been the Antichrist were not biblical.
• Many other ways Christians attempt to identify the Antichrist are unbiblical or unreliable, including his number 666.
• This chapter addresses the recognizable biblical characteristics of the Antichrist before his Resurrection.
• It seems the Antichrist will initially emerge as the leader of a relatively minor country in the vicinity of Russia.
• It seems the Antichrist will emerge further as a very famous and admired person who will be recognized world-wide when he is killed and resurrected.
• Volodymyr Zelenskyy is the first person in all of Church history to fulfill the three primary biblical attributes of the Rising Antichrist.

A) Unbiblical & unreliable ways to identify the Antichrist

As noted in the previous chapter, the Rising Antichrist describes him when he will initially emerge in the world. Fortunately, the prophetic Scriptures reveal some attributes about him. These can enable us to make a preliminary identification of who the Antichrist may be. If such a person is miraculously resurrected, then they would be undeniably confirmed to be the Antichrist. But what are some biblical characteristics of the Antichrist before his Resurrection? This will be the topic of this chapter. But first, unbiblical, unreliable, but popular criteria will be discussed first.

A.1) The unbiblical guesses of Nero, Hitler, Putin, and popes

In this chapter a suggestion for a modern man who could turn out to be the Antichrist will be defended from Scripture. A common response to such a thing is something like, “People throughout Church history have claimed a certain person was the Antichrist, and they were all wrong.” This implies that any modern suggestion will likely be wrong as well. But this entire line of reasoning is false.

Popular suggestions for who could be the Antichrist have included Nero in the 1^st century, Hitler in the 20^th century, and Putin in the 21^st century. None of these candidates should have been suggested or considered by any Christian. None of these claims were biblical. Why is that? Because the Rising Antichrist will be the most admired and loved man in the entire pagan world. In their day, Nero, Hitler, and Putin have been the most hated men in the entire world. They could have never become the world’s beloved Antichrist. It has always been an unbiblical mistake to believe the most hated, scary, and evil person in the world could be the Antichrist.

During the Protestant Reformation it was common to teach that the Roman Catholic popes were the Antichrist. This too was an unbiblical claim. As explained in section C below, the Bible teaches that the Antichrist will emerge from the land of Magog (Ezek 38:2). Today this would include Russia and countries south of Russia. None of the popes during the Protestant Reformation came from the land of Magog. Most of them came from Italy, and one was from the Netherlands. Still, we can note that at least the Reformers believed in a literal and physical Antichrist, contrary to many today.

The sections below will present three primary attributes of the Rising Antichrist. Not a single person in all of Church history (or even human history) has fulfilled those attributes until the man who will be suggested below.

A.2) Popular but insufficient ways to identify the Antichrist (Dan 8:23; 2 Thess 2:3-4)

There have been many ideas about how the Antichrist will be identified. As noted previously, the topic of the Antichrist has been greatly neglected in scholarly theology. But there have been numerous speculations about his identity in popular theology. But all of these are insufficient to confidently recognize the Antichrist.

For example, there are several things said of the Antichrist in Scripture that will not be adequate to recognize him. He is described in Daniel as a king of bold face (8:23 ESV). Other versions translate the Aramaic here as referring to his character as insolent (NASB, CSB) which means “cocky boldness.” ^[1] Perhaps such characteristics could be identified in a person, but do we really want to put any confidence in such a prediction? Of course not. The same text predicts the Antichrist will be one who understands riddles (ESV). That is equally useless in identifying him.

Likewise, the Apostle Paul said the Antichrist will be fully revealed (apakalyphthē ^[2]) when he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God (2 Thess 2:3-4). But Antichrist’s Claim to be God will not occur until 3.5 years after the Antichrist’s Religious Covenant is implemented (cf. Dan 9:27). Therefore, an identification of the Antichrist at such an advanced stage of Endtime events will not be helpful in initially recognizing him. Surely, his identity will be revealed to Christians a significant time before his Claim to be God. This is why the Greek Paul used means fully revealed.

When Paul says the Antichrist will be fully revealed in his Claim to be God, he seems to be primarily referring to the nation of Israel who will have been completely deceived by the Antichrist into making a covenant with him (Dan 9:27). When he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God (2 Thess 2:4 NIV), then the Antichrist will be fully revealed to the nation of Israel.

But the Last Generation Church will know Antichrist’s identity far sooner than the unbelieving Jews. As argued in future chapters, the Antichrist’s Resurrection will occur at least 3.5 years before Antichrist’s Claim to be God. Therefore, because of Antichrist’s Resurrection, Christians will know at least 3.5 years before Antichrist’s Claim to be God, who the Antichrist is.

There are other popular suggestions about how the Antichrist can first be identified. For example, some have tried to identify the Antichrist through his ancestry, race, religion, or even sexuality. As early as Hippolytus (ca. A.D. 200) some have thought he would be a Jew. Others have thought he will be a Syrian. Some have speculated He will be a Muslim. Others have confidently claimed he will be celibate or a homosexual. ^[3] Again, there is not enough clear Scripture on such speculations to give them any value.

A.3) The obscurity of the number of Antichrist’s name 666

Perhaps the most well-known identification of the Antichrist is the number of his name which will be 666 (Rev 13:17-18). In Revelation we read of the False Prophet:

It also forced all people, great and small, rich, and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666. (Rev 13:16-18 NIV)

This is probably the best known statement in all of Revelation. It’s meaning has intrigued both Christians and pagans since its first publication in the Early Church. Simply, John is saying that the number of Antichrist’s name will be 666. What does this mean?

In ancient times the Greeks introduced the practice of assigning a numerical value to letters of the Greek alphabet. As early as the Church Father Irenaeus (c. A.D. 180), Christians have attempted to interpret John’s description of the Antichrist in this way. For example, if the Greek spelling of Nero Caesar (Neron Kaisar) is transliterated into Hebrew (nrwn qsr), the numerical equivalent is 666. ^[4] This caused a lot of discussion in the Early Church.

But this kind of sophisticated and even manipulated calculation can produce many different names. Irenaeus said himself:

Although we are certain of the number of the name of Antichrist, yet we should not come to rash conclusions about the name itself, because this number is capable of being fitted to many names. ^[5]

The flexible nature of such an identification was used by Roman Catholics in the 1500’s to claim Martin Luther was the Antichrist. Indeed, NT scholar F.F. Bruce notes: “Luther is another name which with just a little ingenuity and resolve can yield the sum of 666.” ^[6] Accordingly, the 19th century Irish theologian George Salmon wrote:

There are three rules by the help of which I believe an ingenious man could find the required sum [of 666] in any given name. First, if the proper name by itself will not yield it, add a title; secondly, if the sum cannot be found in Greek, try Hebrew, or even Latin; thirdly, do not be too particular about the spelling. ^[7]

Therefore, in spite of all the attention on John’s prophecy that the number of the beast will be the number 666, it is doubtful this will be valuable in initially identifying the Antichrist. At best, it may help to confirm his identity after other events make his identity clear. For example, it is possible that the Rising Antichrist will change his name after his Resurrection. But at that point, we will not need the number of his name to confirm his identity.

Finally, it is doubtful that identifying the Antichrist was John’s primary reason for revealing the number of the beast at all. The text quoted above shows that John’s purpose was to describe what the mark … of the beast would look like on the right hands or … foreheads of pagans who receive it. Therefore, John’s purpose for revealing the number of the beast is clearly explained in the context. It is to enable Endtime saints to recognize the mark they will need to refuse.

Nevertheless, it is doubtful that God revealed the number of the beast as a primary or clear way to identify the Antichrist. ^[8] Instead, we will discuss biblical attributes of the Rising Antichrist that are more clear.

B) The Antichrist’s initial emergence as a leader of a small country Dan 7:8

Several stages of the Antichrist’s emergence seem to be described in Daniel 7 where we read:

As I was thinking about the ten horns [the 10-nation Endtime Coalition], there was another one, a little horn [the Rising Antichrist]. It was rising up [cliq: “ascending”] among the ten horns and three of them were uprooted by it. And there were eyes in this horn, like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great and boastful things. (v. 8 ^[9])

The reference to a little horn seems to describe the very first appearance of the Antichrist on Earth. This will be discussed further in this section. His rising up (cliq: “ascending”) seems to depict the Antichrist’s growing prominence in the world as the Rising Antichrist. This will be discussed in section C. The Antichrist having a mouth speaking great and boastful things probably refers to Antichrist’s Claim to be God after his Resurrection (cf. 2 Thess 2:4).

It would seem we learn a few things about the initial emergence of the Antichrist here. First, the Rising Antichrist will not be a member of the 10-nation Endtime Coalition. He will be another one … rising up among the ten horns after they are established, but not be one of them.

Second, the Antichrist will emerge as a leader of some country. In Daniel, horns are … kings (7:24; cf. 8:20). The Antichrist will begin as the political head of some nation. The Antichrist will not initially appear as a false religious leader, but rather as a political leader.

Third, as a little horn, the Antichrist’s home country will be rather insignificant in the world. Some might suggest the label of little horn could refer to a minor official in a powerful country. But a horn in prophetic Scripture refers to a king or ruler of some nation or empire. The reason the Rising Antichrist is described as a little horn is because of the nature of his home nation, not his position in that nation.

He is described later in Daniel as another horn, which started small ^[10] but grew in power … until … it took away the daily sacrifice from the LORD, and his sanctuary was thrown down (Dan 8:9-11 NIV). Accordingly, OT scholar E. J. Young noted here, “The meaning then is that from small beginnings the horn grew to great power.” ^[11] The Antichrist will first emerge in the world as a little horn who will start small as probably the leader of a small or relatively minor country.

C) The Antichrist will come from the land of Magog Ezek 38:2

What relatively minor country will the Antichrist initially be the leader of? Some have suggested he will come from Europe. ^[12] Accordingly, the popular Left Behind Series of fiction books portray the Antichrist as coming out of Romania and becoming the leader of the United Nations. On the other hand, the Antichrist’s close association with Antiochus Epiphanes, who originated from Syria, suggests to some that he may initially arise from there. ^[13] Others have said he will come from Israel.

All of these views ignore the clear biblical evidence that the Antichrist will emerge from Magog. As discussed previously (ch. 5, sec. B), the following prophecy is about the Battle of Armageddon. We read:

The word of the LORD came to me: Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshek and Tubal; prophesy against him and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshek and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army—your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords. (Ezek 38:1-4, 8 NASB ^[14])

Revelation 16 is clear that the Antichrist will be leading the armies in this Battle at Armageddon (v. 16, cf. v. 14; 19:11-21). Therefore, Gog in the Ezekiel text is another biblical name for the Antichrist. ^[15] The prophecy states that he will be of the land of Magog, or from Magog. OT scholar Daniel Block correctly interprets this when he writes: “Gog’s homeland is identified simply as the land of Magog.” ^[16] As also explained previously, Magog refers to the ancient Scythian Empire:

The Cambridge History of Early Inner Asia lists the following modern countries as belonging to ancient Scythia (Magog): Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan. Therefore, Magog today is located in Russia and several nations in its vicinity. (ch. 5, sec. B.1)

What can we deduce from these Scriptures? It would seem the Antichrist will start small as a little horn (Dan 7:8; 8:9) in a relatively minor country of Magog (Ezek 38:2). Therefore, as a little horn he will not begin as the leader of Russia. Rather, he will begin as the leader of one of the relatively minor nations in the vicinity of Russia.

But as noted above, the Antichrist’s home country will not be a member of the 10-nation Endtime Coalition. This may help us further identify this country in Magog. Arguments were made previously that the SCO is a very good candidate to become the 10-nation Endtime Coalition (cf. ch. 6). If this is true, then it would seem the Antichrist will come from ancient Magog, but not from a nation currently in the SCO.

It was also previously explained that the following countries are both minor countries in ancient Magog and will be members of the SCO by 2024:

• Kazakhstan
• Kyrgyzstan
• Tajikistan
• Uzbekistan
• Belarus

That leaves the following relatively minor countries to be both in ancient Magog, but not currently a prospective member of the SCO, and therefore a better candidate to be the home country of the Rising Antichrist:

Good candidates for the home country of the Rising Antichrist if the SCO is the 10-nation Endtime Coalition

• Ukraine
• Moldova
• Georgia
• Turkmenistan
• Afghanistan

Indeed, if the Rising Antichrist were the leader of one of these countries, he would be a rather obscure and little horn from Magog. In addition, if the SCO becomes the 10-nation Endtime Coalition, then he would not be leading an SCO member nation, as is indicated in biblical prophecy (cf. Dan 7:8).

D) The growing emergence of the Antichrist as a world-famous person Rev 13:8

Again, it seems the Antichrist will initially start small as a little horn in Magog (Dan 7:8; 8:9; Ezek 38:2). This would seem to refer to one of the relatively minor countries in the vicinity of Russia. But eventually, this little horn will become the most worshipped and powerful person on Earth. Scripture predicts: All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life (Rev 13:8 NIV). How does the Antichrist rise from a little horn to being worshipped and reigning over the entire pagan world?

The event that will propel his worship the most will be his Resurrection. Revelation tells us that the beast will be fatally wounded and then come back to life (Rev 13:14 NLT). Then the whole earth will be amazed and follow after the beast (Rev 13:3 NASB). Notice here that every single unbeliever living on the Earth will be amazed at this man’s resurrection and will immediately follow him as their political leader and worship him as their spiritual and religious leader! How could this happen to the leader of a minor country in the world?

It would seem that even before his death and resurrection, the Rising Antichrist will be among the most famous and recognized people in the world. This seems necessary for his resurrection to have the impact it will have. It is doubtful that the death and resurrection of an obscure person, who is little known or recognized in the world, would have this kind of worldwide effect. How would the entire world know the resurrected man was the same one who was killed, if they did not know his face beforehand?

For example, the longest serving prime minister in Japanese history, Shinzo Abe, was assassinated in July of 2022. Did you notice? Would you have known what he looked like? And if undeniable proof were given to the world that Abe had been resurrected from the dead would the whole earth and all inhabitants of the earth immediately follow after him and worship a man that the world did not even know? Probably not. Certainly, such a response is more likely if the person is someone already famous and greatly admired all over the world. It will only be because the Rising Antichrist will be famous worldwide, that the Resurrected Antichrist will immediately be worshipped by all the people who belong to this world.

E) A remarkable modern example of a man matching the biblical attributes of the Rising Antichrist Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Above, we have identified four biblical and rather extraordinary attributes of the Rising Antichrist. These will enable us to recognize a reasonable candidate to become the Resurrected and confirmed Antichrist. In fact, for the first time in human history, there is a man who matches the above predictions about the Rising Antichrist.

Let us summarize the biblical data above on the Rising Antichrist. The clearest biblical attributes are these:

1) He will start small as a little horn (Dan 7:8; 8:9) and the leader of a relatively minor country.

2) He will come from the land of Magog (Ezek 38:2) which is the modern country of Russia and nations in its vicinity.

3) The Rising Antichrist’s home country will not be a member of the 10-nation Endtime Coalition (cf. Dan 7:8, 24). If this turns out to be the SCO, then it is likely he will come from one of the minor nations in ancient Magog, but which are not currently prospective members of the SCO. These would include: Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan.

4) Even though he will be the leader of one of these minor countries in Magog (Ezek 38:2), he will become very famous and admired in the whole world because when he is killed and resurrected the whole earth and all inhabitants of the earth will be amazed and immediately follow after him and worship him (Rev 13:3, 8 NASB).

Initially, it could be difficult to imagine how the leader of a relatively insignificant nation in the territory of ancient Magog could become so famous, admired, and influential in the world. How many leaders of minor countries in Magog can you even name? Do you know who is currently leading the countries of Afghanistan, Moldova, Georgia, or Turkmenistan? Probably not.

But there is a leader of a relatively minor country in Magog that has become one of the most admired, influential, and famous people in the whole world. He is the leader of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In fact, he fits the biblical data discussed above so well, it might be supposed that there was an intentional leading up to this point. On the contrary, Daniel 7:8, 24; 8:9, 24; Ezekiel 38:2, and Revelation 13:3, 8 are the clearest passages of Scripture we have about the emergence of the Rising Antichrist. Therefore, there are very good reasons that are worthy of serious consideration to suggest that Zelenskyy could eventually be confirmed as the Antichrist.

First, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has risen as a little horn (Dan 7:8) and leader of a relatively minor country. Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, most people in the world did not even know where Ukraine was, or who Zelenskyy was. It has ranked quite low in terms of economic or political power in the world.

Secondly, Zelenskyy was born in Magog, specifically Kryvyy Rih, Ukraine. As noted above, Ukraine is located within the limits of the ancient Scythian Empire and Magog. Therefore, Zelenskyy is a little horn that has emerged from the land of Magog (Ezek 38:2).

Third, it was noted above that the Rising Antichrist’s home country will not be a member of the 10-nation Endtime Coalition (cf. Dan 7:8, 24). If the SCO turns out to be the Coalition, then this fits Ukraine. ^[17] Because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it will probably never voluntarily join anything Russia is a leading member of. This would include the SCO if it becomes the 10-nation Endtime Coalition. This is why Ukraine has formally applied to join both the European Union and NATO, which are economic and military challengers to the SCO.

Fourth, Volodymyr Zelenskyy is very unique. Of course, he has extraordinary charisma and public appeal. If you watch any interviews of him, you will probably find him to be a very likeable person. For example, David Letterman recently interviewed him in Ukraine for Netflix, and he came off as the kind of guy you would like to have as a friend. ^[18] He is such a likeable person that even Christians will not want to believe he is the Antichrist. But that will probably be true of whoever the Antichrist turns out to be.

Immediately after Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine, one reporter wrote of Zelenskyy’s persuasiveness:

He reportedly changed the global response to Russia’s aggression this week in five minutes. Some world leaders were reportedly hesitant to impose steep sanctions on Russia on Thursday night, after the first day of the country’s war on Ukraine. But after meeting with Zelensky by videoconference and hearing him deliver a five-minute, emotional appeal for aid, they changed course. ^[19]

And because of Zelenskyy’s “five-minute appeal” those “hesitant world leaders” not only decided to “impose steep sanctions on Russia,” but eventually give him many billions of dollars’ worth of military and humanitarian aid. And that kind of influence over world leaders has continued to grow. According to one report, over 40 different countries have contributed a total of over $180 billion to support Ukraine. ^[20] That kind of world-wide response to one man is unprecedented in human history.

Those who know Zelenskyy claim he has high moral standards. One of his senior advisers has said, “I’ve always thought he is a person who has a profound sense of right and wrong.” ^[21] However, “In responding to a petition demanding equal rights for same-sex couples, Zelenskyy echoed the view that family does not depend on sex and asked the Prime Minister of Ukraine to review partnerships for same-sex couples.” ^[22]

Zelenskyy was born a Russian Jew. As noted above, it was believed in the early Church that the Antichrist would be a Jew. However, this seems based on the difficulty of correctly translating and interpreting some obscure statements in Daniel. ^[23] However, the fact that Zelenskyy is a Jew would certainly help Israel accept him as their Messiah as biblical prophecy indicates (cf. ch. 13, sec. C)

Zelenskyy’s opinion about God was stated in an interview where he said: “Of course, I believe in God. But I speak with him only in those moments which are personal for me.” ^[24]

Zelenskyy became the president of Ukraine in a very odd way. For several years he played the role of the President of Ukraine in a very popular TV show. When he campaigned for the real job, he defeated an incumbent with 73% of the vote, even though he had never held any government position before. That is truly an extraordinary way to ascend to political power. It certainly fits the biblical prediction that the Antichrist will succeed in everything he does (Dan 8:24).

Finally, Zelenskyy is, of course, very famous and greatly admired all over the world. This is especially true in Europe and Israel. Because of Russia’s shocking invasion of Ukraine, and Zelenskyy’s remarkable leadership in the war, he has become perhaps the most admired and famous person in the world.

Zelenskyy has had the great privilege of being invited by numerous countries to address their legislative assemblies, including the United States, Canada, Israel, Japan, the UK, the EU, NATO, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Finland, Norway, Romania, Poland, and Australia. One recent headline read: “Zelenskyy Dominates the G-7 Summit” of the richest countries in the world. One resource remarked:

Zelenskyy has gained worldwide recognition as the wartime leader of Ukraine during the Russian invasion. Historian Andrew Roberts has compared him to Winston Churchill. Harvard Political Review said that Zelenskyy “has harnessed the power of social media to become history’s first truly online wartime leader, bypassing traditional gatekeepers as he uses the internet to reach out to the people.” He has been described as a national hero or a “global hero” by many commentators, including publications such as The Hill, Deutsche Welle, Der Spiegel and USA Today. ^[25]

In America, Zelenskyy was described in The Atlantic “as having [given] the world a Jewish Hero.” ^[26] A Pew Research Center poll found that 72% of Americans would have confidence in Zelenskyy’s handling of international affairs, even though he has only been the leader of a relatively minor country for a short period of time. ^[27]

In 2022 Zelenskyy received some of America’s highest awards including the Ronald Reagan Freedom Award, the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage, and the Philadelphia Liberty Medal. ^[28] One recent headline read: “Volodymyr Zelenskyy Wins the 2022 TIME Magazine Reader Poll for the Most Influential Person in the World.” ^[29] A short time later, another headline appeared: “Volodymyr Zelenskyy is TIME’s 2022 Person of the Year.” In the magazine’s explanation for the award, it said:

This year’s choice was the most clear-cut in memory. Whether the battle for Ukraine fills one with hope or with fear, Volodymyr Zelensky galvanized the world in a way we haven’t seen in decades… daily speeches delivered remotely to the likes of houses of Parliament and the World Bank, and the Grammy Awards, Ukraine’s President was everywhere. His information offensive shifted the geopolitical system, setting off a wave of action that swept the globe.

In a world that had come to be defined by its divisiveness, there was a coming together around this cause, around this country [Ukraine] that some outside it might not be able to find on a map. At the U.N., 141 countries condemned the invasion… The former entertainer understood innately that attention is the planet’s most valuable currency and all but cornered the global market. He did this through meticulous image-building and repetition in his message…

Zelensky’s command of the weapons of the digital age meant that business leaders and politicians everywhere were forced to take notice and take a stand, whether they liked it or not…

For proving that courage can be as contagious as fear, for stirring people and nations to come together in defense of freedom, for reminding the world of the fragility of … peace—Volodymyr Zelensky [is] TIME’s 2022 Person of the Year. ^[30]

If such a global hero were killed, the entire world would be shocked and devasted. And this is a very real possibility. One resource relates on this topic:

According to Ukrainian government officials and news sources, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has survived a number of assassination and kidnapping attempts by Russian or pro-Russian agents during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine… In early March 2022, the head of Ukraine’s National Security Council, Oleksiy Danilov, said that Zelenskyy had survived three assassination attempts in one week. ^[31]

The fact that Zelenskyy has not already been killed seems to be a possible indication of supernatural protection. But what if a future assassination attempt is successful? And then what if Zelenskyy fulfills the prophecy of the beast who was fatally wounded then miraculously came back to life (Rev 13:14)? Volodymyr Zelenskyy would uniquely be recognized by most of the world and undeniably confirmed to be the prophesied Antichrist.

It is understandable if the reader remains skeptical of the conclusions above. Admittedly, as of this writing the author cannot find anyone on the Internet who is suggesting Zelenskyy could be the Antichrist, except Russian Orthodox leaders who are supporting Putin’s war in Ukraine.

But this is a fact: No one in human history has ever fulfilled the three primary attributes of the Rising Antichrist derived above from Daniel and Revelation. Volodymyr Zelenskyy is very uniquely the world-famous, greatly admired, powerfully persuasive, and extraordinarily influential leader of a relatively minor country in ancient Magog. If the SCO turns out to be the 10-nation Endtime Coalition, then Zelenskyy would fulfill 4 biblical attributes of the Rising Antichrist.

It seems that because of a lack of careful Bible study, Christians do not realize how unique and extraordinary Zelenskyy really is in light of biblical prophecy. Given what Volodymyr Zelenskyy has already accomplished, it is suggested there is a 60% probability that he will turn out to be the predicted Antichrist. Therefore, Christians should be obeying Christ’s command to “Watch!” (Mark 13:37) and monitor Zelenkyy’s life for further confirmation.

For example, if he continues to succeed in everything he does (Dan 8:24), including being completely victorious over the Russian invasion of his country, then this would seem to increase the probability that Volodymyr Zelenskyy will turn out to be the Antichrist. This will be discussed further in the next chapter.

1. Webster’s. ↑

2. Fully reflects the Greek word apakalyphthē which means, “to cause something to be fully known” (BDAG, underlining added). It should be distinguished from something simply being revealed. ↑

3. For more on the claim that the Antichrist will be a Jew, celibate, or a homosexual see Additional Studies on the Endtimes, ch. 14. ↑

4. For an explanation of this calculation see “Nero as the Antichrist” online at https://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/gladiators/nero.html ↑

5. Irenaeus, Against Heresies, V.30.3. ↑

6. F.F. Bruce, “Antichrist in the Early Church” in A Mind for What Matters: Collected Essays of F. F. Bruce (Eerdmans, 1990), 196. ↑

7. George Salmon, Historical Introduction to the Study of the Books of the New Testament (London, 1889]), 233. ↑

8. Walvoord writes another suggestion about the meaning of the beast’s mark:

   Endless speculation has also risen over the number 666, describing the beast out of the sea in Revelation 13:18. The most natural and simple explanation of this number, however, is that the beast is characterized by the number six, just falling short of the number seven, and signifying that he is only a man after all. Possibly the threefold occurrence of the number six is in vague imitation of the Trinity, formed by his association with the devil and the false prophet. (Rev, loc. 460-463) ↑

9. As I was thinking about the ten horns, there was another one, a little horn. It was rising up among the ten horns and three of them were uprooted by it. And there were eyes in this horn, like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great and boastful things.

   The suggested translation basically reflects the NIV. Thinking translates the Aramaic sekal which means “consider, contemplate” (NASEC). The NLT looking is less accurate.

   Rising up translates the Aramaic cliq which means “ascend” (NASEC).

   Eyes in this horn is the literal text (cf. NASB text note). ↑

10. The literal Aramaic in Dan 8:9 is expressed in the NASB: Out of one of them [the Greek Empire] came forth a rather small horn [from Syria] which grew exceedingly great. Most clearly this refers to Antiochus Ephiphanes in the 2^nd century B.C. But vs. 10-11 quickly identify this prophecy as also applying to the future fulfillment of the Antichrist.

    Therefore, the text confirms the Antichrist will also begin small. The NASB implies what the NIV reflects more clearly: Out of one of them came another horn, which started small but grew in power.

    Walvoord agrees with this description of Antichrist’s beginning, stating: “The horn, small in the beginning, grows ‘exceedingly great’” (Dan, 185). Young writes on the Hebrew word mitstseirah “little” used here:

    The Hebrew is very difficult. As it stands it can probably best be translated, there went forth one horn from (the state of being) little… The meaning then is that from small beginnings the horn grew to great power. (170) ↑

11. Young, 170. ↑

12. The belief that the Antichrist will come from Europe is based on the belief he will come from the geographical location and scope of the ancient Roman Empire. The disconnect between the Roman Empire and the Antichrist’s Beast Empire was previously discussed in ch. 4, sec. C.4. ↑

13. For more on Antichrist’s close association with Antiochus Epiphanes see Additional Studies on the Endtimes, ch. 3. ↑

14. The prophecy adds that Gog will be the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal (Ezek 38:2 NASB). It is suggested this reflects more of the Wrathful Antichrist after he is ruling large portions of the world. For arguments supporting the NASB translation prince of Rosh (Ezek 38:2, 3) see BBP ch. 5, sec. B.2 and the endnotes there. ↑

15. There seems to be surprisingly little discussion in Christian scholarly resources that make the connection between the Antichrist and Gog. One small reference is Block in his commentary on Ezekiel. He writes of Revelation 19:17-21: “Although the passage [in Revelation 16] never mentions Gog by name, the beast certainly represents him” (491). Likewise, MacArthur is willing to make one small statement: “In Ezekiel 38–39, the name Gog describes the final Antichrist” (Rev, 241). ↑

16. Block, 433, underlining added. Likewise, K&D comment here:

    Gog of the land of Magog, is an abbreviated expression for “Gog from the land of Magog;” and אֶרֶץ is not to be taken in connection with פָּנֶיךָ שִׂים, as the local object (“toward Gog, to the land of Magog”), as Ewald and Hävernick would render it; since it would be very difficult in that case to explain the fact that גֹּוג is afterwards resumed in the apposition וגו׳ נָשִׂיא.

    That the Antichrist will originate from the land of Magog is supported by descriptions of him coming from the north for the Battle of Armageddon or to attack Endtime Babylon (cf. Ezek 39:2; Dan 8:9; 11:40; Joel 2:20; Jer 50:2-3, 9, 41-42, 51:47-48). ↑

17. It is admitted that neither Moldova nor Georgia is likely to join the SCO either, as their relationships with Russia are rather hostile. See

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moldova%E2%80%93Russia_relations.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_%E2%80%93Russia_relations

    Afghanistan already has “Observer” status in the SCO. Regarding Turkmenistan:

    Turkmenistan has previously declared itself a permanently neutral country, which was recognized by a resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, thus precluding its membership in the SCO. However, Turkmenistan head of state has been attending SCO summits since 2007 as a guest attendee.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_Cooperation_Organisation ↑

18. For Letterman’s interview with Zelenskyy, see online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liooTXAF5Xo ↑

19. This quote and much of the information here comes from an article entitled “18 Things to Know About Ukraine’s Jewish President Volodymyr Zelenskyy” by Philissa Cramer, in March of 2022. See online at https://www.heyalma.com/18-things-to-know-about-ukraines-jewish-president-volodymyr-Zelenskyy ↑

20. https://www.ifw-kiel.de/topics/war-against-ukraine/ukraine-support-tracker/ ↑

21. Ibid. ↑

22. Online at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volodymyr_Zelenskyy

    ↑

23. For the question of whether biblical prophecy predicts the Antichrist will be a Jew, see Additional Studies on the Endtimes ch. 14 “Will the Antichrist be a Jew, Celibate, or Homosexual?” ↑

24. Cramer. ↑

25. Wikipedia. ↑

26. Ibid. ↑

27. Ibid. ↑

28. Ibid. ↑

29. Online at https://time.com/6177642/2022-time100-reader-poll-winner-volodymyr-Zelenskyy ↑

30. https://time.com/person-of-the-year-2022-volodymyr-zelensky-ukraine-choice / ↑

31. See more on Zelenskyy assassination attempts here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_attempts_on_Volodymyr_Zelenskyy#cite_ref-9

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