The Antichrist’s Supposed Seven-year Reign
Back to 1The Bible’s Greatest Prophecies Unlocked!
With the Bible teaching about antichrist made clear, let’s return to the idea that the phrase “one week” in Daniel 9:27 refers to the final seven years, or supposed seven “prophetic days,” before Christ returns. The prophetic understanding of rapture theorists is false! Let’s first examine the verse: “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…”
This verse actually refers to the “abomination of desolation” (Dan. 12:11), when occupying armies end the Jews’ daily sacrifice at the Temple. (This is covered later. The prophesied coming abomination of desolation is much bigger—and much more crucial to understand—than you think.) This passage also addresses the final week of the 70 weeks prophecy and shows Jesus Christ would be cut off in the middle of the “week,” after the 3½ “days”—actually 3½ years—of His earthly ministry and mission. The antichrist—and therefore any supposed 7-year reign by him 2,000 years later—is not the subject of this verse! There is simply no prophesied “7-year reign” of the antichrist that supposedly begins when he signs a “treaty” with the Middle-Eastern nation of Israel. The Beast (a final antichrist) will not suddenly throw off his cloak to reveal his true colours halfway through his “reign,” thus ushering in the 3½ year Great Tribulation and Day of the Lord (which indeed are biblical periods totalling 3½ years, as we have seen and will later conclusively prove in a crucial, fuller context).
Consider. It should not be surprising that those who teach the doctrines of antichrist cannot even correctly discern when Jesus Christ is the subject of a passage!
Daniel’s amazing prophecy in chapter 9 in fact reveals the exact year that the Messiah would begin His ministry, and how long it would last. It points to one major event that He would fulfil—His sacrifice!—as the beginning step in God’s Plan of Salvation. It further shows that the final segment of this prophecy is yet to be fulfilled! While somewhat technical, this series of events, when studied carefully, can be understood for the inspiring—and truly fascinating—fulfillment of prophecy that it is! But this is not our subject here.
The “Rapture”—Antichrist Connection
While the “rapture” falsehood is systematically disproven in its own later chapter, it is necessary here to examine its connection to the doctrine of antichrist. This false teaching purports that only those who are “saved,” “born again,” and have “accepted Jesus in their hearts” will be secretly whisked away without warning—regardless of where they are or what they are doing—to the safety of heaven. This supposed event, signaled by the sudden vanishing of millions “whooshed off to heaven,” it is said, will “shock the world.”
All “unbelievers” remain to suffer the Great Tribulation. The antichrist will rule those who are “left behind,” who missed out on their chance to be “vacuumed” into heaven at Christ’s so-called secret second coming. All believers are thought to escape the antichrist by going to heaven. The rapture theory also states that the antichrist will allow the Jews to build a temple in Jerusalem, which, 3½ years into this tragically mistimed “tribulation,” he will turn on and destroy.
At the end of this period of turmoil, Christ will return—supposedly in effect now His third coming—but this “third” time He will bring final defeat to the antichrist and his forces.
Why is this teaching so dangerous?
When you come later to understand the rapture “theology,” you will realize that those who believe in a secret rapture will escape nothing because God nowhere promises this kind of protection! Put another way, the very means by which millions hope to escape the coming final antichrist does not exist—leaving them among the most obvious candidates for deception!
Ripe for Deception
Understand. The spirit of antichrist already blankets the world as mankind continues to rely on itself to bring world peace, justice and prosperity—while at the same time denying the power of Christ and rejecting His help and rule in their lives.
As the end of Satan’s reign draws near, the power of his spirit will culminate in the rise of two men—the Beast and False Prophet. Neither will be the antichrist, but both will embody and represent the ultimate spirit or attitude of antichrist!
More religious deceivers will arrive throughout Christendom. Some will perform miracles. One, the final mesmerizing False Prophet, will use great miracles (Rev. 13:13-14) to lead the world to worship the Beast (recall Revelation 16:13; 19:20)! We saw their deception will be so seductive, so persuasive, so widespread, and so great, that this evil tandem will even deceive mankind into fighting Jesus Christ at His Second Coming. (So say Revelation 13:4; 16:9, 13-16 and 17:13-14.)
When the Beast and the eastern hordes gather at Armageddon, the False Prophet will feverishly work his final miracles to delude the masses. The “battle” will be one-sided. Christ and the resurrected, spirit-born saints will destroy this army right where it stands, before it can even think about fighting. Read Zechariah 14:1-3.
The whole world is foretold in Revelation 16:14 to sell out to these antichrists, and only Christ’s “little flock”—His true Church—the one you have come in contact with—will not be deceived, and will be protected.
Like players on a stage, personalities are quietly moving into position. The seeds of events that will stagger all nations have been planted—they will soon sprout!
Therefore, the first big order of concern is…