Will the Antichrist rule the entire world?
A common belief about the Antichrist is that he will rule the entire world. A majority of Christians think that he will bring the world together into a one-world government. This is something that I have believed for many years. You can probably guess that I was quite shocked when writer Joel Richardson made the claim that the Antichrist will not rule the whole world. The idea that the Antichrist will not have authority over all nations goes against what the church has accepted for a long time. In this article, I want to examine the arguments made in favor of a limited Antichristian empire to see whether or not the claim is true. Will it hold up? Let’s find out.
The Antichrist’s Kingdom is primarily a ten-nation confederacy
Let’s start with a look at a detail that the Bible makes often: the Antichrist’s kingdom is primarily a ten-nation alliance. This appears in different places in Scripture. First, Daniel 2:41-44, the dream Nebuchadnezzar’s statue, teaches that the statue has ten toes. The ten toes are said to be ten kings that are overthrown at Christ’s second coming. The ten kings make a return in Daniel 7:7, 20-24. In this chapter, the ten kings, called ten horns, are said to come from the fourth kingdom, just as the ten toes of Daniel 2 extend out of the fourth section of the statue. Out from among the ten kings comes an eleventh, identified as the Antichrist.
The ten horns return in Revelation 13:1 and 17:12-14. In the latter, they are said to give their authority and power to the beast. These passages all seem to indicate that the backbone of the Antichrist’s power will come from these ten nations. This, of course, does not mean that only ten nations will fight for the Antichrist. These ten nations will be the most powerful of his allies and will form the foundation for his conquests.[1]
The military conquests of the Antichrist
Scripture also indicates that the Antichrist will partake in some military conquests. Daniel 11:39 tells us that he will attack the mightiest fortresses. It is possible that the mightiest fortresses are the strongest nations that exist during the time of the Antichrist (will America be one of them?). A couple verses later (11:41) Daniel says that the Antichrist will invade Israel. Verses 40-43 tell us that Edom, Moab, and Amman (modern-day Jordan) are delivered from his hand and submit to him. However, he does invade and conquer Egypt, Nubia (Sudan), and Libya. It also says that he will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood (indicating that these invasions are sudden and swift).
Daniel 11:44 says that the Antichrist will hear of news and rumors from the north and east that will alarm him. If the Antichrist is controlling the entire world then why would he be alarmed? Why would he be invading other countries? Richardson believes that this is likely a military response against the Antichrist.[2] As a side note, it is interesting that three specific nations are mentioned that are conquered, Egypt, Sudan, and Libya. Daniel 7:8, 20 say that three of the ten kings will be conquered and humiliated by the Antichrist. This may indicate that Egypt, Sudan, and Libya may be three of the ten kings.
Wars till the end
The next argument used in favor of a limited empire is Daniel 9:26. This verse teaches that there will be war until the end (the Second Coming of Christ). How can there be war until the end if the Antichrist is ruling over every single nation? It is possible that this verse may only indicate that there will be war against Israel until the end. Although this is possible, remember what I wrote above about the Antichrist waging wars against other countries (and the rumors from the north and east).
In regards to all of this information Richardson notes, “Simply stated, a king with absolute, universal authority is not at war. The presence of wars establishes the fact that the Antichrist does not control every nation, but that there are resisting governments. He does not control their militaries. This is proof of the Antichrist’s limited authority right up to the end.”[3]
Hyperbole in Scripture
Richardson moves on to argue that Scripture uses a common literary device known as hyperbole.[4] Simply stated, hyperbole is an exaggeration that is used for emphasis. Examples in our culture today would be saying that a child weighs a ton. Obviously, the child does not actually weigh two thousand pounds. The person picking the child up is exaggerating to make the point that the child is heavy. Middle Eastern culture loves to use hyperbole, as does the Bible.
Deuteronomy 1:28 is a good place to start. Here it is mentioned that the walls of Canaanite cities reached up to the heavens. Did the city walls literally reach up into outer space? Of course not, the point is that the walls are high. We find another perfect example of hyperbole in Genesis 15:5 says that Abraham’s descendants will be as numerous as the stars in the sky. There are trillions and trillions of stars in the universe. There have not been that many descendants of Abraham throughout history. One could argue that God was referring only to the stars that one could count in the sky. However, to the naked eye, one can only see a maximum of a couple thousand stars at once in the sky. Abraham’s descendants have numbered more than this as well. The point of Genesis 15 is not to be literal. The point was that Abraham, a man who at that time had no sons, was going to have children that would one day multiply into nations.
It is quite clear that Scripture uses hyperbole. Please note, however, that I am not saying that every single time the words all or every are used in the Bible they are to be taken in a non-literal way. We must study each passage in its context to see whether or not it should be taken literally. In either case, as we are going to see, the Bible uses hyperbole often when it describes the extent of pagan empires.
The Whole Earth
Many look at Daniel 7:23 as proof that the Antichrist will rule the whole world. The phrase “the whole earth” here is the Aramaic kol ‘ara’ which is referring to a large, but limited area. Gleason L. Archer notes:
“The whole earth (kol ‘ara’) refers, not to all known parts of the inhabited earth, but rather (as in general OT usage) to the entire territory of the Near and Middle East that in any way relates to the Holy Land. The word ‘ara’ (and its equivalent eres) does not necessarily mean globe in the sense of ‘the entire inhabited globe’ but – depending on context [emphasis mine] – might mean a single country (eres yisra elis ‘the land of Israel) or a larger geographical unit, such as ‘territory’ or ‘region.’”[5]
There are many places in Scripture where “the whole earth” is used for pagan empires. For example, Daniel 2:39 says that Alexander the Great’s empire would rule “the whole earth.” Obviously, Alexander did not conquer the entire globe. Some may want to argue that he ruled the entire known world, but this is not true. Alexander did not conquer all of India, Central Asia, Europe, North Africa (except Egypt), Arabia, or Africa south of Egypt. All of these places were well known during the life of Alexander. Daniel 8:5 also refers to Alexander the Great. In this chapter, Greece is symbolized as a goat that crossed “the whole earth” in order to conquer Persia. Alexander only crossed the Middle East to get his hands on Persia.
A couple other passages referring to the whole world include:
- Luke 2:1 says, “In those days, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.” The word “Roman” does not appear in the original text. It is added by the NIV translators to clarify that it was not the whole globe. Rome did not rule over the entire world or even the known world.
- Ezra 1:2 records Cyrus, king of Persia as saying, “The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth…” Cyrus did not conquer every kingdom. He never came close. He never ruled over Egypt (one of the most important nations in the world at that time), Greece, India, or Rome.[6]
What about Revelation 13?
The number one passage in Scripture that leads Christians to believe that the Antichrist will rule a one-world government is Revelation 13:7-8: “And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast – all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb …”“
We must remember from all the passages above that there will be wars and resisting nations. So, how does one reconcile Revelation 13 with everything else that we know? Daniel 5:19 is a good place to look. It says concerning Nebuchadnezzar that “…all the peoples and nations and men of every language dreaded and feared him.” Revelation uses the Greek words laon, phyle, glossa, and ethnos; the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) uses laos, phule, and glossa. Daniel and revelation are conveying the same idea using the same words. Richardson notes:
If we interpret Daniel’s passage without acknowledging its use of hyperbole, we would be forced to conclude that King Nebuchadnezzar was literally feared by every human on the earth. But he was not even heard of by every single person in every part of the entire planet, let alone greatly feared by them. So based on our knowledge of history and common sense, we acknowledge the use of hyperbole in this passage too. Likewise, Revelation 13:7-8 does not mean every last person on the earth worships the beast, but instead, a multitude from numerous nations and people groups.”[7]
It is also worth noting that Revelation 13:4: “Men worshipped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshipped the beast and asked, ‘Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?’” This seems to imply that some people are waging a war against the Antichrist. However, many people come to notice that it is a fruitless war. The Antichrist is so powerful and brutal that many question whether a war against him can be won.
“All the Nations”
There are other verses that seem to imply that the Antichrist will rule over “all the nations” of the world. For example, Joel 3:2 says that God will bring all the nations to Israel for judgment. Zechariah 14:2 says, “I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem…” Do these verses prove that “all the nations” will be under the control of the Antichrist?
First off, we need to remember everything we have talked about in this article: 1) that wars and resisting nations will exist during the Tribulation; and 2) the use of hyperbole. Secondly, we need to take a look at these verses:
- Joel 3:11-12: “Come quickly, all you nations from every side, and assemble there.”
- Zechariah 12:2, 6 say, “I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem.”
- Zechariah 14:14 also mentions the “surrounding nations.”
These passages give us the greater context of the first two mentioned above. It is not literally every nation in the world, but the “surrounding nations/peoples” that are brought to Jerusalem. What nations surround Israel? Of course, it is Middle Eastern and North African countries.[8]
Will the Antichrist rule a One-World Government?
I have written a series on the biblical evidence for an Islamic Antichrist, and the evidence presented here conforms to that thesis. The evidence presented by Richardson is, in my opinion, quite strong (although I admit that I am not dogmatic on this issue). This would point us to the fact that the Antichrist’s kingdom will be primarily Middle Eastern and North African, with a few places outside this region (see map).
Some people believe that the world will eventually be carved up into different “unions.” For example, we currently have a European Union. Many envision that we will one day have a North American Union, a South American Union, an East Asian Union, etc. If the Antichrist would come to power during a period such as this, than it is possible that he would be the ruler of an Islamic Union, that is, an Islamic Caliphate (see map). He will then invade and attempt to conquer the rest of the world.
What do you think? Do you believe that Richardson’s arguments show that the Antichrist will not rule the entire world? Leave a comment below or on our Facebook page.
[1] Joel Richardson. Mideast Beast (New York: WND Books, 2012).
[2] Richardson, 39.
[3] Ibid., 39.
[4] Ibid., 40-41.
[5] Gleason L. Archer. The Expositors Bible Commentary, vol. 7, Daniel – Minor Prophets (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1985). 93. Quoted in Richardson, 42.
[6] Richardson, 42-44.
[7] Ibid., 44-45.
[8] Ibid., 45-47.
John T.
Thank you Matt for your article here. I began looking into this very subject after reading Revelation 17:15-18, which states that it is Antichrist along with the ten kings, that hate and destroy Babylon [the harlot] with fire. I had always thought Babylon was destroyed in some supernatural way…apparently it is the beast regime carrying out God’s purposes that destroys Babylon. It seems quite obvious that Babylon does not follow in lock-step with the Antichrist, but rather functions as a hindrance…thus also supporting the claim that Antichrist will not rule the entire world.
Matt McClellan
You’re welcome John. I appreciate the good comment.
josh
The very fact that children will be born in the Millennium shows you that sinners will enter the millennium. If God would allow people to be born in sin during that time, why would he kill every sinner on earth? And the fact that after the battle of Armageddon the resurrected saints and earthly missionaries will be preaching the gospel and taking over parts of the earth until the whole earth is brought to subjection of Christ. 1 Cor 15:24-28 and Eph 1:10; Rev 20:7-10 says there will be enemies during the millennium.
If all this is true then it cannot be possible for the Antichrist to take over the world because then people have to choose Christ or the mark. If sinners are still here in the millennium then it is clear that the only way they could get here is by not choosing Christ and not receiving the mark.If you choose the mark you are doomed. Unless God keeps everyone that chose the mark alive into the millennium to be the new earthly demons that are inevitably going to go to hell anyway.
Larry
My friend, I wish I could have read your comment earlier. Hopefully, after 3 years you did more study on the subject. Just want to say a couple of things here. Please do NOT stop your study on Revelations. For the record, “NO” sinner will
enter into the Millennium. You see, that’s what the Tear & the Wheat was all about. The Tear (sinners) were destroyed and only the Wheat (believers) entered the Millennium period. With that said, men will still have there “free will” during this time, and unfortunately will sin during the Millennium. Also, the Antichrist will only rule 10 kingdoms by the middle of the week, and no more. He himself (the little horn) is from Syria. Don’t know what part of the country you are in, however, if you were close by I think that you would enjoy one of my presentations on Revelations. I live in Metairie La, just in case you are nearby and interested. I give them often. God bless, and I hope that you continue your hunger for His word no matter where you are.
Leslie
If the days are not shortened then no soul would be saved. I definitely believe the antichrist will conquer the whole world, but there will still be resistances from various corners of the earth. He will also make war with the saints and overcome them.
Linda
I have been studying this off & on as well. It is deserving of consideration aside from religious teaching. First off, the book of Revelation is written mainly to Israel (the saints), it is not written to believing Gentiles as most churches teach, though it is knowledge for all. Israel is to rule during the Millennium. The Anti-Christ wars against the true remanent of Israel. The nationality of the Anti-Christ has always been speculated. However, I do not see how it could be an Islamic leader. It will be someone that will “fool” Israelite leaders & government…maybe, perhaps a “christian religious” leader? Governments are so adamant about protecting Israel – however they miss the mark because it is not about protecting a “land” nor a human government. Anyways, I think God is pretty good at bringing his will to pass. :o) JMO
DarwinsMyth
“The saints” are ALL believers in Christ Jesus, just as “the elect” is ALL believers of Jesus Christ… they aren’t just gentiles or Jews. A dictionary should clear that up. At the beginning of Revelation, it says, it was written to his servants (Rev.1:1a), not just to the Jews or just to the gentiles. Don’t leave out the possibility that the Antichrist might be a Muslim whom might have a Jewish mother, and then, Israel just might accept him… after all, Jesus did say, another one will come in his own name, and him you will accept. People have accepted the most unlikely leaders since the beginning of time. You said, “God is pretty good at bringing his will to pass”? I strongly disagree with you there… because God is perfect in the fulfillment of His prophecies.
Linda
I concur, God is Perfect & Sovereign & brings His will to pass. Isaiah 55:11 This is what I meant by “pretty good”. :o) Meant wholeheartedly! Perhaps AC could be Muslim since they are also children of Abraham, however true Israel will not fall for this, though many likely would. Good point! Also, one has to rightly divide the Word. I believe Paul’s prison epistles (Ephesians, Philippians, Philemon, Colossians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus) apply to believers today (Christ’s Body), while the rest of the NT still applies to the Jews (Israel in a religious capacity) first. Revelations IS written to the “Jews” (yes, saints if you prefer). It precedes the promise of the New Covenant. Believers in Christ today thru Paul’s later gospels are Christ’s Body. Their destiny & resurrection is different in timing & promise. Happy studying!
sorry
There is no antichrist.
Daniel has nothing to do with our future and the Revelation is a hoax that throws all Scripture out of kilter.
This garbage is a good way to make a living off of gullible people, but it is all a lie.
What Jesus says in Matthew, Mark and Luke is the whole of the end times and he says nothing about any beast antichrist. What is going to happen according to Jesus is chaos. Instead of any NWO or limited NWO what will happen is that control will be stripped from the governments of the world and there will be great “perplexity” among the nations. No one will be governing much of anything.
But I do suggest you dive into the validity of the Revelation because that is the lynch pin. It is a hoax just as many of the so called church fathers were hoaxers.
So instead of looking for the beast you need to be looking for the sign of the coming of the Son.
Christian de Fauville
Be careful with your belief that Revelation is a hoax.
There is a terrible warning about this book received by Apostle John when a prisoner in Patmos:
Rev 22:18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
Even if you don’t like the content or might think is frightening or too strange or whatever reason, you should be careful for your own sake.
Christian de Fauville
I don’t think we should scratch our head about finding if the Beast (the Antichrist) will be a Jew, a Muslim or someone else. This is irrelevant. One thing is for sure:
1) he will get his power from Satan and be helped by the false prophet (might be the Mahdi or the Pope, that’s also of no interest).
2) he will impose the mark on “all” mankind – probably “all ” is indeed a hyperbole
3) Rev.13:7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them.
4) Mat.24:31 And he (Jesus) shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
And Mat. 24:22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.
Point 4) means that though the Beast is said to control the “whole” world and impose the mark in order to buy and sell, -which means anyone not taking the mark will starve to death if not already put to death by the image given the power to kill- still they will remain saints who did not take the mark but were still alive to be gathered by the angels while Jesus will shorten the days. That would mean indeed that the Beast will not actually control the “whole world, all nations and tongues” and it might indeed be a hyperbole.
To notice also for people believing in pre-trib rapture that Mathew 24:31 is preceded by the following verses:
Mat. 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Concerning the possibility that the Beast might be a Muslim, the following verse might indeed give us a clue:
Re 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw * the souls of them that were beheaded * for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
The ‘beheaded’ are put in connection with the beast, his image and the mark.
And ‘beheading’ is the brand mark of muslims. Even when a victim was killed in combat, they will still behead him/her as a part of some kind of ritual. Therefore the Beast might indeed be a product of Islam.
The ultimate truth
It will be a dual system
Islamic Caliphate + a Western marxist led dictator with Pope (Peace and love)
Those who don’t accept the peace and love message and take the Mark of the beast (accepting a new economic order and allegiance to the new world system) will be branded as “Extremist” and forcibly relocated to Islamic nations, where the Muslims will do the beheading.
In simple words, the Western Antichrist will “outsource” the beheading to the Muslims. It makes logical sense, as many Western nations have become tired of Islamic radicalism and extremism, the Antichrist emerges to clean society of such elements, and promote Islamophobia, which in turn will see Muslims angry and setting up their own revived ottoman empire. However Western nations are not barbaric enough to do the killings /beheading of their own people. So someone else will be hired to do all the dirty work.
Both will be operating under the spirit of antichrist
Far Eastern nations will not come under it, as china and kings of the east will be angry to both Muslims and Western Antichrist, the kings of the east lead a final battle led by China against the Western Antichrist
King of the North – Russia will destroy Kings of the South (ottoman empire revived).
John H
We have a tendency to look at this from our present platform. Fast forward 200 years and take another look. What might it be then? Google: What would happen if an 1859 Carrington event happened today? Change the world change the outcome. Revelation will become a playbook when it happens. Then, we will understand it well. Jeremiah 30:24 last line: “In the latter days you will understand this.”
Dina Fernandez
Thank you for sharing that with us. I indeed believe , out of studying the Scriptures carefully, that mainly the islamic caliphate will only be around the nations that surround Israel. However, because we now have muslims in every nation, he will have authority and influence in every nation, and nations will have to resist this evil ruler. Exactly what you said in your article is true. He will have military armies fighting him. And of course Israel will be his focal point, with the intention of conquering Jerusalem to enthrone himself there. But thank God he will fail.
St8kout
Well, he doesn’t really conquer Jerusalem. In fact, he makes a 7 year peace treaty with Israel and allows rebuilding their Temple. But halfway through the 7 years he turns on Israel by entering the Temple and proclaiming himself to be God. When this “Abomination of Desolation” (Matt 24:15) occurs, God says, “Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains” (Matt 24:16). This is also when God begins pouring out His wrath with the bowl judgements.