Mark Hitchcock - Russia Rising - Tracking the Bear in Bible Prophecy

• The king of the north (see Ezekiel 38; Daniel 11:40)

• The kings of the east (see Revelation 16:12)

The directional location of each of these powers is given in relation to Israel, which from God’s perspective is the center, or “navel,” of the earth (see Ezekiel 38:12, NASB). Pointing to these four power blocs of the end times, Bible prophecy scholar J. Dwight Pentecost says,

In studying the alignments of Gentile nations at the time of the tribulation period we find there will be: (1) a ten kingdom federation of nations that has become the final form of the fourth kingdom or the Roman empire under the leadership of the Beast [Antichrist] (Rev. 13:1-10); (2) a northern confederacy, Russia and her allies; (3) an eastern or Asiatic confederacy; and (4) a north African power. The movements of these four allied powers against Palestine [Israel] in the tribulation period are clearly stated in Scripture and constitute one of the major themes of prophecy. [1] J. Dwight Pentecost, Things to Come: A Study in Biblical Eschatology (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1964), 332.

The two main objectives of these four kings will be the same—dominate the world and destroy Israel. The common goals they seek will pit them against one another. The ultimate prize in this final game of thrones is the tiny land of Israel, which means all of this was set in motion by the rebirth of the modern state of Israel in 1948, as predicted in Ezekiel 37. The stage is being set for the rise of these kings.

Of course, the Bible doesn’t mention every nation on earth in the end times, so we can’t be sure exactly which nations will be part of these blocs. Also, it’s impossible to say that all nations will be part of one of these coalitions. But when the dust settles, these four will be key players according to Scripture.

The first king who will appear on the world scene is a leader often called the “king of the west,” although the Bible never gives him that designation. This title is fitting, however, because he will lead the reconstituted, revived, and reunited Roman empire or Western alliance of nations. The world knows him best as the Antichrist.

Daniel 2 and 7 reveal that a group of ten Western leaders will come to power sometime after the church is raptured to heaven. These ten leaders will serve as a kind of ruling committee or oligarchy over the Western confederacy of nations. In Daniel 2 they’re represented by the ten toes on the metallic image, while in Daniel 7 they’re pictured by ten horns on the fourth beast. They represent the final form of the Roman empire. I like to call them the “Group of Ten” or “G-10.” The European Union could be an embryonic form of this final alignment of nations or simply the first stage of some greater alliance of nations. Either way, the Bible is clear that when the end times arrive, these ten kings or leaders will have control over the Western nations.

At some point, one ruler—the final Antichrist—will emerge, and he will grab control over the reunited Roman empire. He is depicted by Daniel as a “small horn” that rises up among the ten horns (Daniel 7:8). With the rule of this leader, the revived Roman empire will mimic the historical Roman empire that transitioned from a republic to an empire—from the rule of a body of leaders to rule by one caesar. As the Antichrist seizes control of the Western federation, the Bible says he will consolidate and expand his power, ultimately ruling the entire world for the final three and a half years before the return of Christ.

The Western leader is the subject of more than one hundred Bible passages. The Bible paints a vivid portrait of this end-times dictator:

• He will be a Gentile, not a Jew (see Revelation 13:1). [2] Revelation 13:1 calls the Antichrist the “beast rising up out of the sea,” which pictures the Gentile nations—see Revelation 17:15.

• He will burst onto the world scene as a peacemaker, forging a seven-year agreement or peace treaty with Israel, solving (albeit temporarily) the Middle East crisis (see Daniel 9:27; Revelation 6:1-2). [3] Revelation 6:1-2 describes the Antichrist as a rider on a white horse—a false messiah—who brings a brief window of peace to the earth. We know he brings peace because the next rider (in Revelation 6:3-4) destroys that peace.

• He will break the seven-year treaty at its midpoint, double-crossing the Jewish people (see Daniel 9:27). At this point, his mask of moderation will come off.

• As the final great anti-Semite, he will unleash a reign of terror against the Jewish people (see Daniel 7:25).

• He will declare himself to be God and will demand worship (see Daniel 11:37; 2 Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation 13:4, 12). [4] Some today believe the Antichrist will be a Muslim, possibly even the Islamic Mahdi, but 2 Thessalonians 2:4 says the Antichrist will declare himself to be God. The central tenet of Islam is that there is one god, who is Allah. No practicing Muslim could take this step. The Islamic Mahdi could never do this.

• He will defile the rebuilt Jewish Temple in Jerusalem by establishing an image of himself in the Holy of Holies (see Matthew 24:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:4).

• He will have a lieutenant and propaganda minister known as the “false prophet” (see Revelation 13:11-15; 16:13-14; 19:20).

• He will force people to bear his “mark” to participate in the world economic system he establishes (see Revelation 13:16-18). He will control the one-world economic system of the end times.

The final king of the west is identified in Scripture by many different names and titles that shed light on his character and career:

• The small horn (see Daniel 7:8)

• A king, insolent and skilled in intrigue (see Daniel 8:23)

• The prince who is to come (see Daniel 9:26)

• The one who makes desolate (see Daniel 9:27)

• The king who does as he pleases (see Daniel 11:36-45)

• The man of destruction (see 2 Thessalonians 2:3)

• The man of lawlessness (see 2 Thessalonians 2:8)

• The Antichrist (see 1 John 2:18)

• The rider on the white horse (see Revelation 6:2)

• The beast out of the sea (see Revelation 13:1-2)

The Western king will be nothing short of a satanic masterpiece—a satanic superman.

Human history begins with the sin of man and ends with the man of sin.

Another end-times king will rise from North Africa, probably Egypt, and he is called the king of the south (see Daniel 11:40). Daniel 11:1-35a discusses the past kings of the south who ruled Egypt, but in Daniel 11:35b, the text jumps from the past to the future—from history to prophecy. The leap to the end times is signaled by the words, “until the time of the end, for the appointed time is still to come.” Daniel 11:40 also places these verses in an end-times setting—“at the time of the end.”

J. Dwight Pentecost identifies this last-days leader: “Evidently this King of the South is allied with the King of the North, for they simultaneously invade Palestine (Dan. 11:40). There is general agreement among interpreters that the King of the South has reference to Egypt, inasmuch as Egypt is frequently referred to as the land to the south in Scripture.” [5] Pentecost, Things to Come , 331–32. This alliance will probably include other nations from the area such as Libya and Sudan, referenced in Ezekiel 38, and possibly Algeria and Tunisia.

A North African alliance will be part of the end-times scenario. The king of the south will be in league with the king of the north. We will look at this alliance more in depth in chapter 4.