You may recall an older article on the four beasts of Daniel 7 and that the fourth beast was the antichrist. We’re told he’s dreadful and terrible. He will make all the people of the world feel a range of emotions anywhere from fear to absolute terror.

He is strong exceedingly, strong in every sense of the word, mentally, physically, and spiritually. In all these aspects, he is strong exceedingly, to a degree well beyond any of the other beasts.

Then Daniel told us he has great iron teeth, because it’s with his mouth that he’ll devour and break in pieces other kingdoms. He need only say the word and that kingdom will be gone.

Not only that, he will stomp the residue with the feet of it. He will keep on stomping that nation until it has been fully annihilated. He will keep stomping to the point where you wouldn’t even know that nation ever existed. I suspect this description of him stamping the residue with the feet of it is primarily about his assault on Israel. He will seek their annihilation to such a degree the world wouldn’t know they ever existed. All his fury and all his might will be directed at God’s people. We’re talking about power that can lay waste to nations of people who won’t yield to him.

Then Daniel tells us that this fourth beast will be diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. He’s diverse in that he’ll be more terrifying, more ferocious, more deadly, and more powerful than all the beasts that came before him. Rev. 13 also shows us He is a more exceedingly powerful amalgamation of all the previous beasts.

Finally, we learned the source of his power and strength. The dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. All his power, all his abilities, all his strength, all his dominion and authority is personally given to him from Satan himself.

Now we’re going to talk about the Rise of the Antichrist. When exactly does this rise of the antichrist happen? Before the Tribulation or during the first half of the Tribulation? Plus, what exactly will the antichrist be doing over the course of the first three and a half years of the Tribulation?

The Antichrist

Dan 7:15 I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. Dan 7:16 I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things.

So Daniel is standing on a shoreline watching these amazing visions. He wants the interpretation. So he asks one of a number of people standing with him. Who are these other people? Who is this man he spoke to? We’re not told. I suspect this may be Gabriel. So this man (or angel) says to him:

Dan 7:17 These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth. Dan 7:18 But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever. Dan 7:19 Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet;

Daniel recounts what we already know about the fourth beast but adds one new detail. He has nails of brass. What does that mean? In Scripture, brass is also characterized for its strength. We can find in Job 40:18, bones as strong as pieces of brass. Twice in Scripture the Lord’s feet are described as polished brass (Dan. 10:6, Rev. 1:15). Ezek. 22:18,20 highlights how brass can be fused to other elements. Brass was also coined for money in the Roman Empire (Matt. 10:9, Mark 12:41). All of this to say that nails of brass on this beast of prey denote its wealth, strength, and ability to shred its victims to pieces with extreme cruelty.

Dan 7:19 Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet; Dan 7:20 And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows. Dan 7:21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; Dan 7:22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. Dan 7:23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. Dan 7:24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. Dan 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. Dan 7:26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. Dan 7:27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. Dan 7:28 Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.

Ironically enough, there are ten verses in the Bible that references the ten horns, all of which are about the antichrist kingdom, all of which reinforce all the same thoughts we read here in Daniel 7.

But I think he’s talking about 11 horns in total. Ten horns are ten rulers of other nations; plus, there is an 11^th horn, who is the antichrist himself. This man would say in Dan 7:20 And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up… He would also say in Dan 7:24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them… We’re looking at 11 horns in total. Ten horns are ten rulers of other nations; plus, an 11^th horn, who is the antichrist himself.

Let’s first cover the new details we learned about the antichrist before we dive into the ten horns. He is the head of the other ten horns. He rises after the ten kings rise. He has a mouth that spake very great things, which was emphasized before in vs. 8. We’re also told in Dan 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High. Additionally, we find in Dan 11:36 And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. In the description of the beast in Rev 13:5 we’re told that there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies. The great and marvelous things he speaks – he has an incredible ability to communicate. He is incredibly persuasive. Plus, he isn’t going to be saying nice things about God. It’s marvelous or great things in the sense of extraordinary whoppers of lies about God.

The biggest, most outrageous lies one could dream up will be said about Christ and the Father. We’ve seen that oftentimes, the bigger the lie, the easier it’ll be for unbelievers to buy into it. What also makes his lies whoppers is that he exalts himself above God. Even Paul would tell us in 2Th 2:4 that the antichrist opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped… which mirrors the boasting of Lucifer himself in Isa. 14.

We’re also told of the antichrist in vs. 20 that he has a look that was more stout than his fellows, which is the only description we’re given of his actual appearance. He has a look about him that is more stout than the others. Stout: he looks strong, firm, proud, bold, confident, valiant, brave, large, in the sense of just physically imposing. He has a look that inspires confidence in him.

Then we’re given some amazing passages. Look again at Dan 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High (the persecution of the saints will be exhausting because the antichrist will be relentless about wiping them off the face of the Earth and then Daniel writes that he’ll), think to change times and laws. What did he mean by that? I don’t think he’ll change time, singular, like changing the numbers on clocks but he’ll be changing times, plural, which could mean designated times, appointed times, like holidays. No more Christmas. No more Easter. The world will be forced to follow new antichrist holidays likely designed to just glorify him.

Of course, he’ll be changing laws, too. Everyone on the Earth must conform to the universal laws of the antichrist kingdom. Let’s read vs. 25 again. And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. What does that mean, “and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time”? It means essentially that God is allowing the antichrist kingdom to exist for 3 ½ years.

You might recall in Rev. 12:14, when the people escape into the mountains during the Abomination of Desolation, we learn that the people will be nourished in the mountains for “a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.”

I’ll just quote Pastor Jordan from his commentary on Daniel: “The woman is Israel (in verse 13 which brought forth the man child). A ‘time’ is one. ‘Times’ is two. One and two is three. Time, times and a half time is three and a half. That is three and a half years. Look back at Revelation 12:6, ‘And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.’ Twelve hundred sixty days. Twelve hundred sixty days is forty-two months of thirty days each (which is the prophetic month) which equals three and a half years. So when you read the expression in the Bible of ‘time, times and a half time’ you are talking about a three and a half year period of time. That three-and-a-half-year period of time is spoken of in Daniel 7, the last half of the tribulation.”

Then we read in Dan 7:26 But the judgment shall sit (God allowing the antichrist kingdom to reign is His judgment upon an unbelieving Israel and His judgment shall sit, His judgment shall remain in force until the appointed time. Then Daniel writes), and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end (we’ll cover this in a bit, but people will also play a large role in bringing down the antichrist kingdom). Dan 7:27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. Notice the Lord’s view of His kingdom on Earth. He views the kingdom as the people’s kingdom given to the saints of the most High. The kingdom is a gift of love to all believers of all ages!

The Ten Horns

What are the facts that we’re told about the ten horns?

We first learned that the ten horns… were in his head. This doesn’t mean he’s imagining the ten horns. The horns are in or on his head because this represents the antichrist as the head of the other ten horns.

The man explains in vs. 24 that the ten horns… are ten kings. Who exactly will be these ten kings? We’re not told but some have pointed to Psalm 83, which speaks of ten kings who have come together in a confederation against Israel. Check this out. Psa 83:5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee: Psa 83:6 The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes; Psa 83:7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre; Psa 83:8 Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah.

We have ten kings here. Edom, Ishmaelites, Moab, Hagarenes, Gebal, Ammon, Amalek; Philistines, Tyre, and Assur. Is it possible that the nations that now exist over those ancient territories could be the ten kings who come into an alliance with the antichrist? I’d say anything is possible.

So what would those nations be today? I pulled up old maps of those old territories and compared them to Google maps. Today, those nations would be Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Turkey, Iran, and maybe Armenia. It’s hard to tell in some cases, but Psalm 83 speaks of all these old kings and territories that all surround the nation of Israel today. I may be off with one or two of those nations, but the idea that those ten kings would be from nations that surround Israel makes perfect sense to me. By taking over all the nations that surround Israel, the antichrist would appear to be giving back to Israel all her promised land, which would again give weight in Israel to the idea that he just might be the Messiah.

Plus, there’s another parallel worth sharing. Just as this confederation in Psa. 83 is a secret conspiracy against the Jews, so too, the antichrist’s alliance with the ten horns is also a secret conspiracy against the Jews, because the end game for all of them is the annihilation of the Jews, which begins at the Abomination of Desolation.

We’re told in Dan 7:24 that the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise. Notice he says the ten horns out of this kingdom. That phraseology is why we’ve been describing the power structure of the antichrist kingdom as being built upon an alliance with ten other nations. The ten horns are out of this kingdom, the antichrist kingdom. The power structure of the antichrist’s global kingdom that will devour the earth was first built upon an alliance with ten other rulers.

These ten kings will rise before the antichrist. We just pointed out Dan 7:24 which said And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them… These ten kings will rise before the antichrist.

So, when exactly do these ten kings rise if they rise before the antichrist? Could they rise at the end of the age of grace? I don’t think so because the rise of the ten kings is part of prophesy.

Will they rise in a gap before the Rapture? Or rise at the beginning of the tribulation? I think either is possible, but I’m inclined to think that the rise of the ten kings takes place at the beginning of the tribulation, and the antichrist over the course of the first 3 ½ years will build that alliance. He also subdues the three kings, and it’s when his alliance has been cemented and he’s earned global adoration for defeating the two witnesses that his kingdom is ready to devour the earth. Then he carries out the Abomination of Desolation.

So at the beginning of the Tribulation, the antichrist is just a little horn, a horn of small beginnings, but at the same time he is still the beast. He is fully the antichrist. I would suggest that the Rise of the Antichrist takes place over the first 3 ½ years.

We know that with the rise of the antichrist, three of those horns will fall. The antichrist will defeat three nations. We’re told in Dan 7:20 And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell… Notice he says, before whom three fell… The three nations fell before the person of the antichrist. He personally brought about the fall of those three nations. You might remember what was said in Dan 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots… Notice here that the three horns were plucked, pulled up by the roots, when the antichrist is still just a little horn. Vs. 8 tells us that the three horns are plucked up by the little horn. This, to me, would suggest that over the course of the first 3 ½ years, the antichrist rises from just a little horn in the beginning to king of the world at the midway point. Him conquering those three horns is what elevates his stature and his rise to even greater prominence on the world stage.

Also, we’re told in Dan 7:24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. It would appear, considering everything, that the antichrist builds an alliance with ten kings early in the Tribulation. Everything starts with a ten-king alliance because vs. 24 told us, the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings. The alliance begins with ten horns.

But three rebel against them, and the antichrist responds by subduing them. We’re not told how he subdues them, probably through war, leading armies that were lent to him from the other seven heads, but this is a victory of the antichrist over three nations. Then he takes over their thrones. Who are those three nations? I’ll bet you money they’re nations that border Israel: Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, or maybe even the State of Palestine. That theory would also coincide nicely with Psa. 83. Only God knows.

But if the ten kings are middle eastern nations, the most surprising thing to me is that ONLY three nations rebel. But I suspect that the antichrist defeating those three nations, who are surely enemies of Israel, will help in part to win over Israel in convincing them he’s their Messiah because how many prophecies talk about the Messiah delivering Israel from all her enemies?

Plus, this is why I think the first horseman of the apocalypse, the rider of the white horse is the antichrist because he went forth conquering, and to conquer (Rev. 6:2). Additionally, the antichrist conquering those three nations is why he is also often described in Revelation as having seven heads, ten horns, and seven crowns. After he defeats the three nations, there are now only seven heads and seven other crowns still in a firm political alliance with him, but the antichrist still has ten horns, because he defeated those other three rebel nations and rules over them. He is still, by all intents and purposes, head over all ten of those nations.

There is more that is said about the seven kings, ten horns, and ten crowns in Rev. 17 talking about the Great Harlot, the great capital city of the antichrist, Babylon, the Mother of Harlots, which we’ll cover later. Needless to say, the seven kings will grow to despise the whore of Babylon. At the end of Rev. 17, those seven kings turn on the antichrist. They will make that city desolate. They will eat her flesh and help burn that city to the ground. Remember how we read Dan 7:26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. In large part, it’s the uprising of the people led by the seven heads that help bring him down, that will take away his dominion, and it will bedestroyed unto the end.

This means that even in the Tribulation, even with the support of Satan himself with miracles, signs, and wonders, nobody wants to be under a fascist, totalitarian, dystopian nightmare.

This is also a great irony. Just as the antichrist made desolate Jerusalem at the Abomination of Desolation, so too, his own seven heads will make desolate the capital city of the antichrist kingdom. Just as we have in the antichrist the ultimate betrayal of a Jew to his own people, so too, we have with the seven heads the ultimate betrayal of a king’s closest allies. That’s perfect irony. Perfect justice. That’s practically Shakespearian. Just as there’s no honor among thieves, there’s no honor among totalitarians.