By Bill Salus
When determining the true
content of the false covenant of Daniel 9:27 it proves helpful to determine the
origin of the Antichrist. Will he be a Jew, Gentile, or a Supernatural being
like an Alien or Nephilim as some have recently proposed? Up until the time of
Abraham there were no Jews, all of mankind was Gentile. Abraham, the ancient
Hebrew patriarch, fathered the Jewish race through his son Isaac, grandson
Jacob, and great grandsons Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad,
Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin.
According to Deuteronomy 7:6 the
Lord formed this unique ethnicity from Abraham’s loins for His exclusive divine
purposes. One of which, we are informed in Exekiel 38:8 and 39:7, is to uphold
His holy name through; for the watchful eyes of the international community in
the latter years. Many eschatologists believe the prophecies of Ezekiel 38 & 39
are about to find final fulfillment, making current events involving Israel and
the Jewish people extremely important. If the Antichrist is Jewish, the content
of the false covenant might favor Israeli covenantal claims made to Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob. These claims include Promised Land extending into Gaza, the
West Bank, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia according to Genesis
15:18.
Additionally, the pages of the
false covenant might grant Israel the ability to build their third Jewish Temple
upon its former site in the world’s most controversial holy city of Jerusalem.
Presently, the preponderance of Muslims vehemently opposes this prospect,
claiming Jerusalem is Islam’s third holiest city behind Mecca and Medina in
Saudi Arabia. However, blueprints, Levite priests, and ceremonial religious
instruments for the construction and operation of this prophesied coming Temple
are already being assembled by several religious Jewish organizations.
Is the
Antichrist a Jew?
One of the best research works
addressing the subject of the origin of the Antichrist was performed by Dr.
David Reagan of Lamb and Lion Ministries. He questioned eleven end time’s
experts in a series of interviews, which aired on his Christ in Prophecy TV show
in May of 2009, regarding this topic. The manuscript for the segment addressing
whether or not the Antichrist is a Jew or Gentile can be obtained here:
In a nutshell the Reagan study
concluded with seven no’s to the Antichrist being a Jew, one yes, one could be,
one maybe, and one he will be a Jewish, Muslim. In Reagan’s closing summary, he
concurred with the seven who suggested the Antichrist will be a Gentile rather
than a Jew. Thus, there were eight out of twelve experts agreed upon the Gentile
descent of the coming apocalyptic world leader called the Antichrist.
Had I been among those
interviewed, I would have concurred with the eight favoring the Gentile
Antichrist. Additionally I would have added an argument to theirs given below:
The Gentile Antichrist Arguments
1. Antichrist will be a Gentile of
Roman origin. Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum brought this argument forward by quoting
Daniel 9:26-27. Similarly, I wrote an article called, “Does Daniel Debunk the
Assyrian Antichrist,” that agrees with his conclusion.
2. Antichrist will command
worldwide attention. Don McGee states, “For a Jew to be in that position
(commanding worldwide attention) would be a very, very long shot.” Don also
suggests the Antichrist will not be associated with Judaism, Islam, or any other
religion apart from the one he “institutes for himself.” This is determined by
Daniel 11:37.
3. A Jew won’t make treaties with
Jews. Ed Hindson points this out and goes on to remind us that the Antichrist
will be an unbeliever according to Daniel 11:37.
4. Antichrist will lead the final
great Gentile world empire. Dr. Mark Hitchcock firmly points this out. He
declares this would be “inconsistent for a Jew.” Hitchcock argues this keeps in
stride with “the other empires in Daniel 2 and Daniel 7, the leaders of those
were all Gentiles.”
5. The Antichrist prototype was
Antiochus Epiphanes, a Gentile. Dr. Mark Hitchcock aptly points this commonly
taught fact out. Epiphanes was the ruler of the Greek, Seleucid Empire that
oppressed the Jews between 171-164 BC.
6. The Antichrist rises out of the
Gentile world. Several of the experts interviewed, including Hitchcock, brought
forward the Revelation 13:1 argument, which identifies the Antichrist as the
“Beast” rising out of the “Sea.” The scholarly consensus is the Sea in
Revelation 13:1 represents the Gentile world.
7. The Jews will never accept the
Antichrist as their Messiah. Dr. Reagan makes this statement in his closing
arguments. He qualifies this by stating “In fact we are specifically told that
when the Antichrist reveals himself in the middle of the Tribulation and claims
to be god the Jews will be horrified and will totally reject him causing him to
turn on them in fury and launch an attempt to annihilate them.” He goes on to
distinguish between the possibility that the Antichrist may become the
‘Political Savior” of the Jews, but never their “Spiritual Savior.”
8. The Jews will never be offered
the “Mark of the Beast.” This point was not brought up in the Reagan interviews;
however, Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum makes this important point elsewhere in his
teachings available though Ariel Ministries. This fact also identifies the
Antichrist as a Gentile. One can safely conclude that if the Antichrist was a
Jew, the Jews would be among the recipients of the benefits of his cashless Mark
of the Beast program alluded to in Revelation 13:14-18.
The
Antichrist Seeks Jewish Genocide Making Him a Gentile
Although the arguments above
strongly suggest the Antichrist will be a Gentile, the one not listed that I
believe most compelling is that he orchestrates the final genocidal campaign
against the Jewish Race. Zechariah 13:8 points out the Antichrist will be
responsible for the deaths of two-thirds of the Jewish population in the land of
Israel during the Tribulation period. Many scholars suggest that totals several
million more than were killed by Hitler during the Holocaust.
The repeated Gentile genocidal
attempts targeted at the Jews remain atop the list of humanities worst
historical crimes against the will of God. The Egyptians, Persians, Romans, and
Germans all attempted to destroy the Jewish Race. Deuteronomy 32:10 and
Zechariah 2:8 identify the Jews as the “apple of God’s eye.” The destruction of
the Jews is the scheming of Satan and the Antichrist is his seed according to
Genesis 3:15 and Revelation 13:4.
The plan of Satan is to prove
God is a promise breaker, a liar, with a flawed covenant making character. If
Satan can accomplish this he justifies his and his fallen angelic cohorts'
rebellious campaign against God and His perfect divine will. Satan has clearly
evidenced throughout human history that his modus operandi is to discredit God
by killing Abraham’s Jewish descendants.
In Genesis 13:15, 22:17 and
elsewhere God promised Abraham descendants forever. If there are no more Jews,
then God is in breach of His covenant with Abraham. Furthermore, the promise of
eternal security for all believers, justified by the similar faith of Abraham
can be questioned. (Romans 4 and Galatians 3)
Therefore the Antichrist will be
a Gentile; otherwise Satan must also execute him alongside his Jewish brethren.
I’ve often wondered why Satan, supposedly so cunning, decided to even have a
“seed.” Had he not, he could have discredited God right out the Genesis 3:15
garden gate. The Lord prophesied the coming of Satan’s seed and the bruising of
Messiah’s heel by that seed. Should no satanic seed come, then the God of the
Bible would be an obvious liar for prophesying such a future fictitious event.
To the contrary, the satanic seed is coming and may be birthed already.
The Jewish
Antichrist Arguments
The arguments for the Antichrist
being a Jew can be found in the Reagan project referenced above. There are a few
who believe that John 5:43 and Daniel 11:37 point to the Antichrist being a Jew.
However, the Reagan study evidences that the arguments for a Gentile Antichrist
far outweigh those of a Jewish Antichrist.
The
Supernatural Alien (Nephilim) Antichrist Argument
Interestingly, there are some
scholars suggesting since the Antichrist is the “seed of Satan,” who according
to II Thessalonians 2:9-10 rises to power supernaturally, that he might not be
human at all. They, suggest Christ’s prophecy in Matthew 24:37 and Luke 17:26
comparing the end time’s to the “days of Noah,” should be taken literally.
Genesis 6:4 informs us that
there were unnatural offspring called the Nephilim, inhabiting the earth during
the days of Noah. If this relatively new argument has merit it adds an
interesting twist to what the true content of the false covenant may be.