By Ken Blue
“And 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. Revelation 13:1.
As we witness the dismantling of the nations located in the revised Roman Empire, we should be aware that this turmoil is part of a process that will pave the way for the Antichrist. The masses are referred to as the sea in Scripture. They are “raging,” and coming apart and the citizens must be perplexed about what is happening. However, there is an unseen power behind it all for a final showdown.
“The Mediterranean Sea, because the nations under Antichrist surround it on 3 sides. Sea represents peoples in symbolic passages (Rev. 13:1; 17:1,15; Dan. 7:2-3,17).
Beast rise up out of the sea 13: He will be a man (Rev. 13:18. He will rise out of the sea of humanity (Rev. 13:1; Dan. 7:24; 9:27; 11:36-45. He will become ruler of the territory of the 7 kingdoms symbolized by the 7 heads (Rev. 13:1; 17:8-17. He will become ruler of the 10 kingdoms that are yet to be formed inside the old Roman Empire territory (Rev. 13:1; 17:8-17; Dan. 7:23-24”. —Dake’s Study Notes.
Keep your eye on those nations. You will see ten nations join is a loose alliance. These, perhaps, make a covenant of peace with Israel. Of the ten, a dominant leader will come out of Syria. He will destroy three of the ten nations. The remaining seven will give their kingdoms to him. He will later move his headquarters to Babylon.
He will be kept busy trying to maintain peace within his kingdom. Also, nations outside his kingdom, from the north and the south, will wage war with him. After defeating them, he will move his headquarters to Jerusalem where he will attempt the “final solution,” the annihilation of all Jews. That will be his fatal and final mistake.
Pastor Ken Blue was born in Boswell, Ark. In 1955 he accepted Christ as his Savior. He and his wife Joyce were married in 1955. They have 5 children. He graduated from Midwestern Baptist Bible College in 1969 and started the Open Door Baptist Church in Lynnwood, Wa. where he pastored for 39 years. Because of health issues (ALS) he was forced to resign as pastor. It is his desire to continue to be used of God to help pastors and believers through this ministry.
Are you referring to the dominant leader coming out of Syria as the antichrist? Is he not coming out of the Roman Empire?
Yes. Antichrist is Called The Assyrian Micah 5:5
Antichrist is called “The Assyrian,” for he will come from the territory Assyria ruled over in ancient times. For this same reason he can be called “the king of Babylon” (Isaiah 14), the Syrian (Daniel 11:35-45), the Roman “prince that shall come” (Daniel 9:26-27), and the Grecian (Zech. 9:13). He will come from the territory ruled by Assyria, Babylon, Greece, Syria, and Rome. In the days of Micah and Isaiah the Assyrians had the great empire of Bible lands, so the future Antichrist could rightly be termed “the Assyrian.” The fact of a latter-day fulfillment of Micah 5:3-15 confirms that whoever the Assyrian will be, he will fulfill these scriptures in the day that:
1. She which travails has brought forth the man-child and herself (Micah 5:2).
2. The remnant of Israel will be gathered to those that have already been gathered from the nations.
3. The Messiah will become great to the ends of the earth (Micah 5:4).
4. The Messiah will be the peace of Israel and preserve her (Micah 5:5).
5. Israel will be victorious over all her enemies (Micah 5:5-6).
6. The Messiah will deliver Israel from the Assyrian when he comes into their land (Micah 5:6).
7. The remnant of Jacob will be in the midst of many nations, like an all-powerful lion among sheep (Micah 5:7-8).
8. The enemies of Israel will be cut off (Micah 5:9).
9. The horses, chariots, and strongholds will be destroyed (Micah 5:10-11).
10. Witchcraft and image worship will be destroyed out of the land, and God’s vengeance will be executed upon the heathen (Micah 5:11-15).
The Assyrians in the days of Micah, Isaiah, and Hezekiah did not tread in the palaces of Judah, so this treading refers to that of the future Antichrist when he will take over all of Palestine, Jerusalem, and even the future Jewish temple at Jerusalem (Daniel 9:27; Daniel 11:40-45; Matthew 24:15; 2 Thes. 2:3-4; Rev. 11:1-2).Then, when Antichrist enters Palestine, shall we (Israel) “raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.” Just who these shepherds and principal men will be is not revealed, but in that day the prediction will be literally fulfilled
—Dake’s Topics