MidnightWatcher – Prophecy in Motion

Hi Frank, thank you for your comments.

Frank DiMora, “It is clear to us that the Antichrist won’t be using any symbol to point to Allah, or for that matter any other god.”

If this is true, as you contend, then Daniel 11:38 is wrong when it says that he will “honor the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honor with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.” How can he ‘magnify himself above every god’ yet ‘honor the God of forces’? These verses cannot contradict one another. Rather, they must harmonize. In Islam, every god is considered false — except for ‘Allah’, who is — according to Islam — a ‘god of forces’ (strong, strength – war).

Frank DiMora, “Even if you believe the Antichrist will be a Muslim the Word shows us he will not follow the ways of Islam. Muslim men usually follow their Dad’s god, (Allah), but in Daniel 11:38 we see that is not the case with the Antichrist.”

Daniel 11:38 says that he will honor “a god whom his fathers knew not”. Many Arabs/Muslims are descendants of Ishmael, whose father is Abraham. To not regard “the God of his fathers” means, in my opinion, that the Antichrist will not regard the true God of Abraham (and Ishmael, whom God took care of after he and Hagar were sent away). This describes perfectly the religion of Islam. (Interestingly, Daniel 2:41, which describes the End Times empire of Daniel’s vision, says that this kingdom will be “mixed” and uses the Aramaic word “arab” H6151). Also see here who the “people of the prince” (Daniel 9:26) are referring to. These are not Europeans.

Frank DiMora, “There is more proof than we need to know the Antichrist will not think about any other god except himself. There is no way I can see from the Word of God that shows me the Antichrist would use another god’s symbol to put on peoples foreheads or arms.”

Who, then, is the ‘god of forces’ that he will honor, and how would he honor this ‘god of forces’?

Frank DiMora, “Jesus makes it clear that the Antichrist’s mark will be in the skin not on top of it as we see the head dress of Allah being worn in the Middle East.”

Where does Jesus make this clear? I would recommend this article which explains, using Scripture, what the Mark of the Beast is and what it is not.

Frank DiMora, “Keep in mind that when the Antichrist arrives he will be friends to all people. The world will think the savior has come to fix the world’s mess.”

Where do you read this in Scripture?

Frank DiMora, “However, exactly 3 1/2 years into the 7 year tribulation period this evil man will turn on everyone, and that includes the Muslims.”

Where do you read this in Scripture?

Frank DiMora, “When it comes to the Antichrist he will consider himself as God and that is that.”

In your view, how will Antichrist do this? I believe that this offers the most plausible answer, from a Scriptural standpoint.

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It really is telling, if we set aside popular Christian fiction books on the End Times from writers such as Tim LaHaye or pop-theology positions from like-minded adherents, how many of their arguments are perforated with so many holes that we are virtually left with an empty barrel when examined in light of Scripture. Instead of developing an eschatological panorama based solely upon the Biblical text first, an eschatological panorama is developed within which the Biblical text is forced. Such a framework then prohibits the intended meaning of a passage from being understood properly. The Blessed Hope is a case in point, for example, which Paul describes in a very specific context:

Titus 1:2, 2:13, 3:7, “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began … Looking for that blessed hope, AND the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ… That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

Paul uses the word “hope” three times in his epistle — at the beginning when speaking about eternal life and then later while referring to that blessed hope, and then once more again near the end. Each time he is referring to the blessed hope of eternal life. This is actualized at Christ’s glorious appearing. What many have not considered is that the word for appearing here is “epiphaneia” (G2015) and when the “epiphaneia” of Christ happens:

2 Thess 2:8, “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness [epiphaneia G2015] of his coming”

According to Paul, the “epiphaneia” of Christ is post-tribulational. It is when Christ destroys ‘Antichrist’. If we are to believe that the “Blessed Hope” is actualized at the “epiphaneia” for those who are alive and remain, then we must therefore also believe that the Blessed Hope is found at His post-trib appearance when the elect are gathered. Unfortunately for the ‘Tim LaHayes’ of eschatology, that will not fit into a pre-trib ‘Left Behind’ framework, and a different interpretation is therefore forced upon the text that will.

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