The Prince to Come

The Prince to Come

by Greg Alston

The Time of His Appearing

"And after sixty-two weeks, Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood and till the end of the war desolations are determined."

- Daniel 9:26

Daniel 9:27 and 2 Thessalonians 2:3,7 tell us that the coming world leader (aka the "Antichrist," the "Assyrian," the "Son of Perdition," the "Man of Sin" and the "Beast") will come upon the world scene at the start of the seven-year Tribulation. This happens after the formation of a world government comprised of 10 nations in Eastern Europe and the Middle East:

"The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all other kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, trample it and break it in pieces. The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom. And another shall rise after them; he shall be different from the first ones, and shall subdue three kings."

- Daniel 7:23,24

The Antichrist appears at the start, not the middle of the Tribulation Week. Although notable developments concerning him occur at the middle of the Tribulation, they do not negate the reality of his presence during the first 3-1/2 years (Daniel 9:27, Revelation 6:2).

In Daniel 7:8 we are told that he plucks up three horns by the root. This imagery is later interpreted by the angel Gabriel as representing three of the ten nations that will be overthrown by Antichrist (Daniel 8:23-24). As a mortal man, he co-rules with the ten kings for the first 3-1/2 years of the Tribulation Week (Revelation 17:12). This is the seventh world empire, prophetically known as the "revived Roman Empire." After 3-1/2 years, these ten will surrender their authority, allowing him to unilaterally rule the world until the end of the Tribulation Week (Revelation 17:13; 13:4-7). In addition to this power consolidation, several other key events take place at the middle of the Tribulation, in the following sequence:

3. He is raised to life through the power (or magic) of Satan (Revelation 17:8b, KJV).

4. After coming back to life, he a) destroys Mystery Babylon (for competing for his worship - Revelation 17:16-18); b) he breaks his covenant with Israel (Isaiah 28:18); and c) he defiles the Temple on Mt. Moriah (2 Thessalonians 2:4).

These events do not indicate that Antichrist's initial appearance will be at the middle of the Tribulation. This belief comes from a narrow interpretation of Revelation 13:1, where John mentions the beast for the first time at mid-trib. 2 Thessalonians 2 refers to the "man of sin," another term for the "beast," the "little horn" and the "prince to come" - all of whom make their appearance at the onset of the Tribulation Week. Determining the time of his initial appearance is integral to knowing that the Rapture is pre-tribulational. Since his appearance starts the Tribulation Week (Daniel 9:27), the Rapture must precede his appearance (2 Thessalonians 2:6,7).

Having established the "time of his appearance," let us now explore the "place of his origin." There has been much unbiblical postulating regarding this question. It has been said that he will come from Western Europe, Spain, Russia and, of late, even the United States! The Bible is not silent regarding the geographic origin of the coming world leader. As previously mentioned, Daniel 7:8 tells us that he will come up from among the future ten nation alliance of Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Europe (including Eastern Europe and the Middle East) lies within the geographic borders of Ancient Rome, the original location of the 10 horns of Daniel 2:40-42; 7:24. Some assert that the ten horns represent the ten international regions partitioned by the United Nations. I find this untenable because of the geographic restrictions found in Daniel 2 and 7 and because these "regions" do not represent national sovereigns, which are required for a "kingdom".

Daniel 7:24 also tells us that he cannot come to power (be revealed) until after this ten nation alliance is in place. Daniel 7:8 clearly teaches: "I considered the horns (ten), and behold, there came up among them another horn (eleven), a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots; and behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things." This scripture quite clearly indicates that the ten nation federation must be in place before the identity of the Antichrist can be known.

Although his personal identity cannot be ascertained before the coalescing of ten particular nations, the place of his origin can be. In Daniel 8:21 we read: "The shaggy goat is the king of Greece, and the large horn between his eyes is the first king." The large horn between his eyes is the first king of ancient Greece - Alexander the Great, whose nickname was the "Goat" (also the national emblem of Greece). The angel Gabriel predicted that Alexander's empire would be divided into four sections after his death (8:22). History reveals this is exactly what happened! His four generals divided the kingdom into four parts: Seleucus assumed leadership of Syria, Ptolemy over Egypt, Cassander over Greece and Lysimachus over Turkey. Gabriel then goes on to tell us in verse 23 of chapter 8 that "the king" (meaning the last day’s Antichrist) will arise from one of these countries that lie within the boundaries of ancient Greece. Ancient Greece, of course, is in Eastern Europe; it encompassed the four countries mentioned above, i.e., Turkey, Egypt, Syria and Greece. Perhaps three of these will be plucked up by the little horn. He will come from Turkey, Egypt, Syria or Greece. The Scriptures, then, reduce our geographic scope to the Eastern Europe/Middle East area.

On the basis of the following scriptures, I believe the "prince who is to come" (Daniel 9:26) will be from Syria:

"...The destruction decreed shall overflow with righteousness. For the Lord God of hosts will make a determined end in the midst of all the land. Therefore thus says the Lord God of hosts: 'O My people, who dwell in Zion, do not be afraid of the Assyrian. He shall strike you with a rod and lift up his staff against you, in the manner of Egypt. For yet a very little while and the indignation (Tribulation) will cease, as will my anger in their destruction.' And the Lord of hosts will stir up a scourge for him like the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb; as His rod was on the sea, so will He lift it up in the manner of Egypt. It shall come to pass in that day that his (the Assyrian's) burden will be taken away from your shoulder, and his yoke from your neck and the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil."

Isaiah refers elsewhere to Antichrist as the Assyrian (31:8), as does the prophet Micah (5:5,6). These scriptures provide compelling evidence that he will arise from the area in or around modern Syria - one of the four divisions of the ancient Grecian Empire. In verse 34 of the same chapter (Isaiah 10), God refers to Antichrist as "Lebanon". Lebanon (on Israel's northern border) is adjacent to and owned by Syria. This is the area that God says the Antichrist will come from (Ezekiel 31:3).

Verses 24-26 of Daniel 8 further describe this little horn, the subject of verses 9-14 of the same chapter. The Scripture places this individual in "the time of the end" (verse 17) and during the "Indignation" (Tribulation), verse 19. Because this time is still in our future, the prophecies of Daniel 8 could not possibly have been fulfilled by anyone in our past. Some scholars maintain that Antiochus Epiphanes of Syria fulfilled the passages in Daniel 8. However, Gabriel nullifies this interpretation by specifying the time of the fulfillment of this vision, "the time of the end." Epiphanes the Great desecrated the temple in 165 B.C., thus failing the time period requirement of Daniel 8:17,19. Besides this anachronism, Epiphanes never rose against Jesus Christ, the "Prince of princes" (Daniel 8:25), thus disqualifying him as the antitype of Daniel 8:21f.

The little horn of chapter 7 is the same as that of chapter 8. Chapter 8 simply tells us what part of revived Rome he will come from. After the little horn conquers three of the ten horns, he will co-rule the ten nation alliance for the first 3-1/2 years. Eventually he will preside over the revived Grecian empire - that is why he is described as a "Leopard" in Revelation 13:2, “The Beast (Antichrist) was like a leopard..." Daniel 7:6 states that the leopard is the country divided into four sections. In short, the little horn of Daniel 7 co-rules revived Rome for the first 3-1/2 years; then, as the little horn of Daniel 8, he consolidates power and unilaterally rules revived Greece for the last 3-1/2 years (Revelation 17:12-17). This occurs because the kingdom of clay and iron (Daniel 2:43) can no longer hold together, so the clay yields to the iron. The result is the kingdom of Antichrist (aka revived Greece).

This explains Revelation 17:10: "There are seven kings (kingdoms). Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come." This refers to world kingdoms of various periods in history: the first being Egypt, the second Assyria, the third Babylon, the fourth Medo-Persia and the fifth Greece - thus accounting for the five that had fallen in John the Apostle's day (when this vision was received). The sixth power at that time was Ancient Rome ("one is") and the other "to come" will be the seventh, represented by the 10 horns on the Beast of Revelation 17.

Notice carefully verse 8a of Revelation 17, where we are told the Beast "was" (in John's past), and "is not" (in his present), "yet will ascend..." If the Beast (the coming Antichrist) was in John's past, it must have been one of the "five that had fallen" (verse 10), i.e., Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia or Greece. In light of Daniel 7:6; 8:21 and Revelation 13:2, the future, "ascending" kingdom of Revelation 17:8 must be Greece. Joel 3:6 and Zechariah 9:13,14 support this conclusion. They imply that Greece will once again be in power at the time of the end. Thus ancient Greece is revived as the Beast kingdom in the last days.

The Beast kingdom of Revelation 17:8 is not revived Rome (the seventh). Revived Rome is merely one of seven heads upon the Beast. The Beast is a composite of all the kingdoms, making him a separate, eighth kingdom (v.11). He is also separate and distinct from the 10 kings within revived Rome (v.12). In addition to being an eighth entity, distinct in himself, the Beast is also representative of more than a man, as indicated above. The beast is both a king (man) and a kingdom (nation). Revelation 17:8a is referring to the kingdom of Greece (and the angelic prince of Grecia - Daniel 10:20), while the latter part of the verse refers to the man who will rule revived Greece: "...was, and is not, and yet is" (KJV). The last half of verse 8 is describing the Antichrist killed by the sword (Revelation 13:14) and brought back to life, while Revelation 17:8a describes Greece which "was, is not and will come." The "Beast" is both a king and a kingdom.

Verse 11 of Revelation 17 says, "The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth..." This tells us that there will be an eighth - an eighth king and an eighth kingdom. Verse 11 reveals that this "eighth" is one of the "seven." On the basis of the scriptures previously given, I believe that of those seven kingdoms, the fifth (Greece) is the one referred to. Greece is the leopard of Revelation 13:2 - the eighth and final kingdom of this world system. But who is the eighth "King"? He is the resurrected man of Revelation 17:8b - "he was (little horn of first 3-1/2 years), and is not (killed in battle at mid-trib) and yet is" (brought back to life by the magic or power of Satan – Revelation 13:3). Before his death and resurrection, he was "the seventh".

Please recall that Daniel referred to this eighth king as the "little horn" (8:9). The little horn is first mentioned in Daniel 7 when he overthrows three countries at the start of the Tribulation Week. He then co-rules the seventh kingdom, revived Rome, for 3-1/2 years. When the little horn is again mentioned in Daniel 8, it is in the context of revived Greece (8:21) - the eighth kingdom. We find therein an astounding revelation. The seventh king of Revelation 17:11 is the little horn of Daniel 7, co-ruling revived Rome as a fully mortal man. The eighth king of Revelation 17:11 is the little horn of Daniel 8, embodied by Satan, during the last half of the Tribulation. He is the Beast leader of the eighth kingdom - revived Greece. The seventh of Revelation 17:11 is the little horn of Daniel seven; the eighth of Revelation 17:11 is the little horn of Daniel eight.