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Where might this seat be during the anti-Christ government?
The Bible’s eschatological, strategic plan calls for a short, potentially global reign of the anti-Christ (a strong man who will possess all the powers of satan), followed by the long promised Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ with all His first-resurrection, then immortal, saints from across the first 4 (of 6) ages on this current version of Earth. Paul refers to the anti-Christ:
And then [implied: after the next rapture] the lawless one will be revealed, whom The Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.
(2 Thessalonians 2:8. See also: Isaiah 11:4 and Revelation 19:15. Zechariah 14:5 gives us an idea, on a small scale (the 1st War of Gog and Magog) of what Revelation 19:15 might be like (Armageddon). For more, see: Revelation - Future Attacks in Israel.)
Though the strongman government of the anti-Christ is predicted (Daniel 7:8 and Revelation 13), the relatively short interval of his rule is omitted in the visionary dream King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had in Daniel 2. Daniel 2:44-45 skips from a reference to the remnants of the Roman Empire (i.e., the statue’s toes and feet of mixed iron and clay), to the Millennial Kingdom of Christ. Similarly, there is no clear reference to the anti-Christ’s government in Ezekiel 38 and 39. Rather, these chapters address:
(a) spiritual forces that will motivate the first War of Gog and Magog (See: Future Attacks in Israel), and
(b) all the troops who will fight in that war, and who be destroyed by this initial portion Christ’s invasion.
Yet, overlaying many other scripture references, affirms and confirms there will be an important role for a man, who will effectively be given powers by satan, just as Father God empowered His Son, Jesus, The Lord God. Mimicking Jesus, the anti-Christ will be ‘the son of satan’.
Moreover, Zechariah 12:9 reveals, after the war, Christ will ‘seek to destroy’ all the nations that deployed troops to fight in that war.
Since satan, operating through his chief demon, gog, will be the spirit behind (motivating) this government, it may help to review what The Bible reveals about satan from a geographic perspective. In Heaven, lucifer (now satan) became obsessed with replacing Jesus on The Throne of God. With a third of the Heaven’s angles, he organized a coup d’etat, pridefully declaring in his heart,
‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like The Most High.’ (Isaiah 14:13-14. Did you know there are clouds in Heaven? See: Your Heaven IQ (Series))
For this sin of gross wickedness, lucifer and his supporting angels were cast out of heaven, and became devils and demons on Earth. They were very likely present to witness the creation of Adam. If so, satan was likely ‘the god on Earth’ prior to Adam, lord over his demon crew!
Let’s juxtapose satan’s affinity for ‘the farthest sides of the north’ in Heaven, with The Lord’s personal declaration regarding the seat of wickedness from which the 1st War of Gog and Magog will be catalyzed on Earth.This war will signal the run-up to the final, significant act of the anti-Christ prior to his own destruction, noted in Revelation 19:11-21, the Armageddon War.
- [To Gog, perhaps satan’s top demon, The Lord declares…] I will turn you around, put hooks into your (spiritual) jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords. Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer and all its troops; the house of Togarmah from the far north and all its troops - many people are with you. (Ezekiel 38:4-6)
- Therefore, son of man [Ezekiel], prophesy and say to Gog, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On that day when My people Israel dwell safely, will you not know it? Then you will come from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army. You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. (Ezekiel 38:14-16)
- “And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal; and I will turn you around and lead you on, bringing you up from the far north, and bring you against the mountains of Israel. (Ezekiel 39:1-2) *
These references to satanic spirit(s) and to troops they will catalyze, are the clearest references to the likely geographic location of the seat of government of the man who will:
- Be possessed by the spiritual beast – satan, himself (Revelation 13)
- Speak pompous and blasphemous words against God and all things Godly (four references in Daniel 7, and four in Revelation 13)
Ezekiel's references to ‘the far north’ prompt the logical question, ‘North of what?!’
Though The Bible is quintessentially a spiritual book, the core of its geographic focus is obviously the land promised to Abraham and his descendants through Jacob, i.e., Israel. (Recall, ancient Israel and Judah only conquered a tiny slice of the massive amount of land The Lord promised to Abraham, and to his descendants through Jacob/Israel, land stretching from the Nile-to the-Euphrates rivers!) All the land in ‘the current far north’ of Israel is The Federation of Russia. Russia is now, not only the nation with currently the largest land mass, but it is aggressively seeking to conquer and control even more lands, as if being the largest nation is not enough.
From this account, satan’s seat of wickedness for his anti-Christ ruler is inferred to be within the land currently known as Russia, irrespective of whether the name of this land may change over time, as I perceive it may if The Millennial Reign is significantly delayed.
Alas, three times, Daniel 4 emphatically declares The Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it (i.e., lands and people over whom to rule) to whomever He will or chooses, and interestingly, one verse adds, ‘And [He] sets over it the lowest of men.’ (Daniel 4:17, 25, 32) Any cursory review of the history of world leaders clearly reveals the reference to lowest of men does not infer their humility! Quite the contrary, world leaders were largely already, or quickly became the most prideful among men! And in their increasing haughtiness, they were eventually cast down and defeated, typically because they failed to realize it was The Lord, not their clever military or political skills or the great wealth their nations accumulated, Who raised them to their lofty positions, in His strategic service. What might the phrase, ‘the lowest of men’, possibly indicate, spiritually?
What might be the impetus for this ‘lowest of men’, the anti-Christ, to come to power? (Think King Saul, Israel’s first king.)
I believe the answer to this question may well be a steadily growing proclivity across the world for strongmen governments, especially:
- As tribulation precursors multiply (e.g., the global climate crisis, uncontrollable lawlessness and migration, pestilence outbreaks, wars, etc.) and
- With the full onslaught of The Lord’s tribulation plagues on our God-rejecting world.
In the face of these mounting, worst-ever pressures, folks the world over will press for ‘somebody, ANYBODY’ to stop the carnage!!! When this occurs, it will be very easy for satan, the great Jesus mimicker, to exploit this context, and ‘give his kingdom seat to whomever he wills or chooses’. Count on it!
See: Europe: Iron-Clay Mix (Poem), for a quote from Paul-Henri Spaak, former Belgian Prime Minister and President of the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe nearly 50 years ago, reported in Europe in Prophecy.
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* See: Gog and Magog (Q&A) if you might believe Gog is a mere man, and not a motivating demon.
