There is a distinct science of
nomenclature, a system of names, in the Word of God. Probably
every name in Scripture has either a historic, a symbolic, or
a spiritual significance. The names are inseparably bound up
with the narrative, and it frequently happens that the
meaning of a proper noun is a key to an important passage.
Names are not employed by the Holy Spirit in a loose and
careless manner - of course not! - but with definite design.
A variety of names for the same individual are not given in
order to prevent monotonous repetition, but because the
significance of each separate appellation is best fitted to
express what is recorded in any given instance.
"Devil" and "Satan" are not synonyms, nor
are they used at haphazard, but with Divine discrimination.
Upon the meaning of names found in Holy Writ rests a whole
scheme of interpretation; even the order in which names occur
is not fortuitous but designed, and constitutes a part of
each lesson taught, or each truth presented.
There is here a wide field
opened for study, a field which few have made serious effort
to explore. It is strange that it has been so neglected, for
again and again the Holy Spirit calls attention to the
importane and meaning of names. In the first book of the
Bible we find that children and places were given meaningful
names, which called to remembrance incidents, experiences,
characteristics of interest and importance. Examples are
given where names changed to harmonize with a change in the
person, place, experience, or situation where it occurred.
Abram and Sarai will at once occur to mind. For a place, take
Luz, which was changed to Bethel! - "House of God"
- because by reason of a vision he received there it became
that to Jacob. Jacob's name is changed to Israel; and in
the New Testament an example is furnished in Simeon being
re-named Peter. In Heb. 7:1,2 the Holy Spirit calls attention
to the significance of the names Melchizedik and Salem
(Jerusalem). These are sufficient to show the importance of
this line of study.
Names are used in Scripture
with marvelous discrimination, and it was this fact which
first demonstrated to the writer, the verbal inspiration of
Scripture. The precision with which names are used in the
Bible is especially noticeable in connection with the Divine
titles. The names Elohim and Jehovah are found on the pages
of the Old Testament several thousand times, but they are
never used loosely or interchangeably. Over three hundred
names and titles are given to the Lord Jesus Christ, and each
has its own distinctive significance and to substitute any
other for the one used would destroy the beauty and
perfections of every passage where they are found.
Names are employed to express
character; titles are used to denote relationships. It is
only as we make a careful study of the various and numerous
names and titles of the Lord Jesus Christ, that we are in a
position to appreciate His infinite excellencies and the
manifold relationships which He sustains. From an opposite
standpoint the same is equally true of the Antichrist. As we
pay careful attention to the different names and titles which
are given to him, we then discover what a marvelously
complete delineation the Holy Spirit has furnished us with of
the person, the character, and career of this monster of
wickedness. It is unfortunate that the great variety of names
bestowed upon him has led some brethren to the conclusion
that they must belong to separate persons, and has caused
them to apportion these out to different individuals; only
confusion can result from this. There is almost as much
ground to make the Devil and Satan different persons, as
there is to regard (as some do) the Beast and the Antichrist
as separate entities. That the Devil and Satan are names
belonging to the same person, and that the Beast and the
Antichrist is the selfsame individual, is proven by the fact
that identically the same characteristics under each is found
belonging to the one as to the other. Instead of apportioning
these names to different persons, we must see that they
denominate the same individual, only in different
relationships, or as giving us various phases of his
character.
An old writer has said the
name Devil is most suggestive of his character. If
"d" is taken away, evil is left. If
"e" is taken away vile is left. If
"v" is taken away ill is left. And if
"i" is taken away and the next letter be aspirated,
it tells of hell. It is equally true of the
Antichrist: his names reveal his character, expose his
vileness, and forecast his career and doom.
The names and titles given to
the Antichrist are far more numerous than is commonly
supposed. We propose to give as complete a list as possible,
and offer a few comments on their significations. We shall
not expatiate on them at equal length, for that is not
necessary; instead, we shall say the most on those cognomens
which are of the greater importance, or, which because of
their ambiguity call for a more detailed elucidation.
1. THE ANTICHRIST
"Who is a liar but he
that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is
Antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son" (1
John 2:22). This name introduces to us one of the most solemn
and foreboding subjects in the Word of God. It brings before
us one of the persons in the Trinity of Evil. At every point
he is the antithesis of Christ. The word
"Antichrist" has a double significance. Its primary
meaning is one who is opposed to Christ; but its secondary
meaning is one who is instead of Christ. Let not this
be thought strange, for it accords with the two stages in his
career. At first he will pose as the true Christ,
masquerading in the livery of religion. But, later, he will
throw off his disguise, stand forth in his true character,
and set himself up as one who is against God and His
Christ.
Not only does
anti-christ denote the antagonist of Christ, but it tells
of one who is instead of Christ. The word signifies another
Christ, a pro-Christ, an alter christus, a pretender
to the name of Christ. He will seem to be and will set
himself up as the true Christ. He will be the Devil's
counterfeit. Just as the Devil is an Anti-theos - not
only the adversary of God, but the usurper of the
place and prerogatives of God, demanding worship; so the Son
of Perdition will be anti-christ - not only the
antagonist and opponent of Christ, but His reval: assuming
the very position and prerogatives of Christ; passing himself
off as the rightful claimant to all the rights and honors of
the Son of God.
2. THE MAN OF SIN, THE SON OF PERDITION.
"Let no man deceive you
by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come
a falling away first, and that Man of Sin be revealed,
the Son of Perdition" (2 Thess. 2:3). This double
appellation is probably the most awful, the most important,
and the most revealing title given to the Antichrist in all
the Bible. It diagnoses his personality and exposes his awful
character. It tells us he will be possessed of a twofold
nature: he will be a man, and yet more than a man. He will be
Satan's parody of the God-Man. He will be an incarnation
of the Devil. The world today is talking of and looking for
the Super-man. This is exactly what the Antichrist will be.
He will be the Serpent's masterpiece.
"That Man of Sin".
What a frightful name! The sin of man will culminate in the
Man of Sin. The Christ of God was sinless; the Christ of
Satan will not only be sinful, but the Man of Sin. "Man
of Sin" intimates that he will be the living and active
embodiment of every form and character of evil. "Man of
Sin" signifies that he will be sin itself personified.
"Man of Sin" denotes there will be no lengths of
wickedness to which he will not go, no forms of evil to which
he will be a stranger, no depths of corruption that he will
not bottom.
"The Son of
Perdition". And again we are forced to exclaim, what a
frightful name! Not only a human degenerate, but the
offspring of the Dragon. Not only the worst of human kind,
but the incarnation of the Devil. Not only the most depraved
of all sinners, but an emanation from the Pit itself.
"Son of Perdition" denotes that he will be the
culmination and consummation of satanic craft and power. All
the evil, malignity, cunning, and power of the Serpent will
be embodied in this terrible monster.
3. THE LAWLESS ONE.
"And then shall be
revealed the Lawless One, whom the Lord Jesus shall
slay with the breath of His mouth, and bring to nought by the
manifestation of His coming" (2 Thess. 2:8 R. V.). This
is another name of the Antichrist which makes manifest his
awful character. Each of his names exhibits him as the
antithesis of the true Christ. The Lord Jesus was the
Righteous One; the Man of Sin will be the Lawless One. The
Lord Jesus was "made under the law" (Gal. 4:4); the
Antichrist will oppose all law, being a law unto himself.
When the Saviour entered this world, He came saying, "Lo
I come to do Thy will, O God" (Heb. 10:9); but of the
Antichrist it is written "And the king shall do
according to his will" (Dan. 11:36). The
Antichrist will set himself up in direct opposition to all
authority, both Divine and human.
4. THE BEAST.
"And when they shall have
finished their testimony the Beast that ascendeth out
of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall
overcome them, and kill them" (Rev. 11:7). This is
another name which reveals the terrible nature and character
of the Antichrist and which places him in sharp antithesis
from the true Christ. "The Beast" is the title by
which he is most frequently designated in the Revelation:
there are at least thirty references to him under this name
in the last book of the Bible. The Greek word signifies a
wild beast. This name "the Beast" contrasts the
Antichrist from the true Christ as "the Lamb"; and
it is a significant fact that by far the great majority of
passages where the Lord Jesus is so designated are also found
here in the Apocalypse. The "Lamb" is the Saviour
of sinners; the "Beast" is the persecutor and
slayer of the saints. The "Lamb" calls attention to
the gentleness of Christ; the "Beast" tells of the
ferocity of the Antichrist. The "Lamb" reveals
Christ as the "harmless" One (Heb. 7:26); the
"Beast" manifests the Antichrist as the cruel and
heartless one. Under the Law lambs were ceremonially clean
and used in sacrifice, but beasts were unclean and unfit for
sacrifices.
It is a point of interest to
note that there is one other very striking contrast between
the persons in the Holy Trinity, and the persons in the
trinity of evil. At our Lord's baptism the Holy Spirit
descended upon Him in the form of a dove, and the first
mention of the Holy Spirit in Scripture represents Him as
"brooding" like a dove over the waters which
covered the pre-Adamic earth (Gen. 1:2). How remarkable are
those symbols - a "Lamb" and a "Dove"! A
Dove, not a hawk or an eagle. The gentle, harmless, cooing
"dove". Over against this the Devil is termed
"the Dragon". What a contrast - the Dove and the
Lamb, the Dragon and the Beast!
5. THE BLOODY AND DECEITFUL MAN.
"Thou shalt destroy them
that speak leasing: the Lord will abhor the Bloody and
Deceitful Man" (Psa. 5:6). The Psalm from which this
verse is quoted contains a prayer of the godly Jewish
remnant, offered during the Tribulation period. In proof of
this assertion observe that in v. 2 God is owned and
addressed as "King". In v. 7 intimation is given
that the Temple has been rebuild in Jerusalem, for turning
away from it when it has been defiled by "the
Abomination of Desolation", the remnant say, "But
as for me I will come into Thy house in the multitude
of Thy mercy: and in Thy fear will I worship toward
Thy Holy Temple". While in v. 10 we find them
praying for the destruction of their enemies, which is
parallel with Rev. 6:10. It is during that time the faithful
remnant will exclaim, "Thou shalt destroy them that
speak leasing: the Lord will abhor the Bloody and Deceitful
Man".
The Bloody and Deceitful Man
views the Antichrist in relation to the Jews. In the earlier
stages of his public career he poses as their friend and
benefactor. He recognizes their rights as a separate State
and appears anxious to protect their autonomy. He makes a
formal covenant with them (Dan. 9:27) and their peace and
security seem assured. But a few years later he comes out in
his true character. His fair speeches and professions of
friendship are seen to be false. He breaks his covenant (Psa.
55:20) and turns upon the Jews in fury. Their benefactor is
now their worst enemy. The protector of their interests now
aims to cut them off from being a nation in the earth (Psa.
83:4). Thus is he rightfully denominated by them "the
Bloody and Deceitful Man".
6. THE WICKED ONE.
"The Wicked (One) in his
pride doth persecute the poor: the Wicked (One), through the
pride of his countenance, will not seek after God" (Psa.
10:2,4). This entire Psalm is about the Wicked One. The
opening verse gives the key to its dispensational scope. It
contains the cry of the Jewish remnant during the Tribulation
period, here denominated "Times of Trouble" (cf.
Jer. 30:7). So desperate is the situation of the true Israel,
it seems as though Jehovah must have deserted them -
"Why standeth Thou afar off, O Lord? Why hidest Thou
Thyself in times of trouble? (v. 1). Then follows a
remarkably full description of their arch-enemy, the Wicked
One. His pride (v. 2), his depravity: "He abhorreth the
Lord" (v. 3 margin); his blasphemy: "All his
thoughts are, There is no God" (v. 4 margin); his
grievous ways, (v. 5); his consuming egotism, (v. 6); his
deceitfulness, (v. 7); his treachery, (v. 8); his cruelty,
(vv. 9,10); his complacent pride, (v. 11), is each described.
Then the Remnant cry, "Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up
Thine hand: forget not the humble. Break Thou the arm of the
Wicked and Evil One" (vv. 12 and 15). The whole Psalm
should be carefully studied.
7. THE MAN OF THE EARTH.
"To judge the fatherless
and the oppressed, that the Man of the Earth may no
more oppress" (Psa. 10:18). The "Wicked One"
describes his character; the "Man of the Earth"
defines his position. The one speaks of his awful depths of
depravity; the other of his vast dominions. The sphere of his
operations will be no mere local one, He will become
World-emperor. He will be a king of kings and lord of lords,
(Rev. 13:7). When the true Christ appeared on earth Satan
offered Him "all the kingdoms of the world and the glory
of them" if He would fall down and worship him. When the
false Christ appears, this offer will be repeated, the
conditions will be met, and the tempting gift will be
bestowed (Rev. 13:2). In consequence of this he shall be
"the Man of the Earth"; just as later, Christ shall
be "King over all the earth" (Zech. 14:7).
8. THE MIGHTY MAN.
"Why boasteth thou
thyself in mischief, O Mighty Man" (Psa. 52:1).
This is another Psalm which is devoted to a description of
this fearful character. Here again we have mention of his
boastfulness (v. 1), his deceitfulness (v. 2), his depravity
(v. 3), his egotism (v. 4), his riches (v. 7). His doom is
also announced (v. 5). This title, the Mighty Man, refers to
his immense wealth and possessions, and the power which they
confer upon their possessor. It also points a striking
contrast: Christ was the Lowly Man, not having where to lay
His head; the Antichrist will be the Mighty Man, of whom it
is said, "Lo, this is the man that made not God his
strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and
strengthened himself in his substance" (:sa. 52:7).
9. THE ENEMY.
"Because of the voice of
the Enemy, because of the oppression of the Wicked:
for they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate
me" (Psa. 55:3). This is another title used of the
Antichrist in connection with Israel, a title which recurs
several times both in the Psalms and the Prophets. It points
a designed contrast from that Friend that
"sticketh closer than a brother". This Enemy of
Israel oppresses them sorely. His duplicity and treachery are
here referred to. Concerning him Israel shall exclaim,
"The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but
war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet
were they drawn swords" (Psa. 52:21). Let the student be
on the lookout for passages in the Old Testament which make
mention of the Enemy.
10. THE ADVERSARY.
"They said in their
hearts, Let us destroy them together: they have burned up all
the synagogues of God in the land. We see not our signs:
there is no more any profit: neither is there any among us
that knoweth how long. O God, how long shall the
Adversary reproach? Shall the Enemy blaspheme Thy name
forever?" (Psa. 74:8-10). This title occurs in several
important passages. In Isa. 59:19 we read, "So shall
they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and His glory
from the rising of the sun. When the Adversary shall come in
like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard
against him". Lam. 4:11,12 is another scripture which
obviously speaks of the End-time. "The Lord hath
accomplished His fury; He hath poured out His fierce anger,
and hath kindled a fire in Zion, and it hath devoured the
foundations thereof. The kings of the earth, and all the
inhabitants of the world, would not have believed that the
Adversary and the Enemy should have entered into the gates of
Jerusalem". In Amos 3:11 we read, "Therefore thus
saith the Lord God; an Adversary there shall be even round
about the land; and he shall bring down thy strength from
thee, and thy palaces shall be spoiled". This is a title
which intimates his satanic origin, for the Greek word for
Devil means adversary.
11. THE HEAD OVER MANY COUNTRIES.
"He shall judge among the
heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he
shall wound the Head over many countries" (Psa.
110:6). The context here shows that it must be the Antichrist
which is in view. The Psalm opens by the Father inviting the
Son to sit at His right hand until His enemies shall be made
His footstool. Then follows the affirmation that Jehovah will
display His strength out of Jerusalem, and make His people
Israel willing in the day of His power. Then, following
Jehovah's oath that Christ is a Priest forever after the
order of Melchizedek (which contemplates the exercise of His
millennial and royal priesthood), we read, "The Lord at
thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of His
wrath. He shall judge among the heathen, He shall fill the
places with the dead bodies; He shall wound the Head over
many countries". The "Day of His wrath" is the
closing portion of the Tribulation period, and in the Day of
His wrath. He wounds this Head over many countries. The Head
over many countries refers to the Man of Sin as the Caesar of
the last world-empire, prior to the establishment of the
Messianic Kingdom.
12. THE VIOLENT MAN.
"Deliver me, O Lord, from
the Evil Man: preserve me from the Violent Man"
(Ps. 140:1). This is another Psalm which expresses the
plaintive supplications of the godly remnant in the
"time of Jacob's trouble". Three times over the
Antichrist is denominated the Violent Man. In v. 1 the
remnant pray to be delivered from him. In v. 4 the petition
is repeated. In v. 11 his doom is foretold. Cry is made for
God to take vengeance upon this bloody persecutor: "Let
the burning coals fall upon them: let them be cast into the
fire; into deep pits, that they rise not up again. Let not an
evil speaker be established in the earth: evil shall hunt the
Violent Man to overthrow him" (Psa. 140:10,11). The
Violent Man is a name which fully accords with his Beast-like
character. It tells of his ferocity and rapacity.
13. THE ASSYRIAN.
"O Assyrian, the
rod of Mine anger, and the staff in their hand in Mine
indignation...Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the
Lord hath performed His whole work upon mount Zion and on
Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the
King of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks"
(Isa. 10:5,12). We cannot here attempt an exposition of the
important passage in which these verses occur - that, in
subsequent chapters, we shall treat in detail of the
Antichrist in the Psalms, and the Antichrist in the Prophets
- suffice it now to point out that it treats of the End-time
(see vv. 12,20), and that the leading characteristics of the
Man of Sin can be clearly discerned in what is here said of
the Assyrian. Almost all pre-millennial students of prophecy
are agreed that "the King of Isa. 30:33 is the
Antichrist, and yet in the two verses which precede, this
"King" is identified with "the
Assyrian".
14. THE KING OF BABYLON.
"Thou shalt take up this
proverb against the King of Babylon, and say, How hath
the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!" (Isa.
14:4). We do not wish to anticipate what we shall discuss at
length in our future studies, enough now to state it is our
firm conviction that Scripture plainly teaches that there
will be another Babylon which will eclipse the importance and
glories of the one of the past, and that Babylon will be one
of the headquarters of the Antichrist. He will have three:
Jerusalem will be his religious headquarters, Rome his
political, and Babylon his commercial. For
those who desire to anticipate our future expositions, we
recommend them to make a minute study of Isa. 10,11,13,14;
Jer. 49:51; Zech. 5, and Rev. 18.
15. SON OF THE MORNING.
"How art thou fallen from
heaven O Lucifer, son of the Morning! How art thou cut
down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations"
(Isa. 14:12). "Lucifer is a Latin word which signifies
the "morning star". "All the ancient versions
and all the Rabbins make the word a noun denoting the
bright one, or, more specifically, bright star, or
according to the ancients more specifically still, the
Morning Star or harbinger of daylight" (Dr. J. A.
Alexander). This term "Lucifer" has been commonly
regarded as one of the names of Satan, and what is here said
of the Morning Star is viewed as describing his apostasy.
Against this interpretation we have nothing to say, except to
remark that we are satisfied it does not exhaust this
remarkable scripture. A detailed exposition must be reserved
for a later chapter. Sufficient now to point out that however
Isa. 14 may look back to the distant past when, through
pride, Satan fell from his original estate, it most evidently
looks forward to a coming day and gives another picture of
the Antichrist. In this same passage "Lucifer" is
termed "the Man that did make the earth to tremble"
(v. 16), and in his blasphemous boast "I will be like
the Most High" (v. 14), we have no difficulty in
identifying him with the Man of Sin of 2 Thess. 2:3,4. The
force of this particular title "Morning Star" is
seen by comparing it with Rev. 22:16, where we learn that
this is one of the titles of the God-man. The "Morning
Star" speaks of Christ coming to usher in the great Day
of rest for the earth. In blasphemous travesty of this Satan
will send forth the mock messiah to usher in a false
millennium.
16. THE SPOILER.
"Let mine outcasts dwell
with thee, Moab; be thou a covert to them from the face of
the Spoiler: for the Extortioner is at an end, the
Spoiler ceaseth, the oppressors are consumed out of the
land. And in mercy shall the throne be established: and He
shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David,
judging, and seeking judgment, and hasting
righteousness" (Isa. 16:4,5). It will be observed that
the verse in which the Antichrist is spoken of as the Spoiler
comes immediately before the one where we read of the throne
being established, a reference, of course, to the setting up
of the Messianic Kingdom. These two things synchronize: the
destruction of Antichrist, and the beginning of the real
Messiah's reign; hence we read here "the Spoiler
ceaseth". A further reference to the Man of Sin under
this title of the Spoiler is found in Jer. 6:26: "O
daughter of My people, gird thee with sackcloth, and wallow
thyself in ashes: make thee mournings, as for an only son,
most bitter lamentation: for the Spoiler shall
suddenly come upon thee". This is another title which
views the Antichrist in connection with Israel. After the
return of many of the Jews to Palestine, and after their
rights have been owned by the Powers, and their security and
success seem assured; their enemy, filled with satanic
malice, will seek their extermination. "The
Spoiler" contrasts him with the Lord Jesus who is the
great Restorer (see Psa. 69:4).
17. THE NAIL.
"In that day, saith the
Lord of hosts, shall the Nail that is fastened in the
sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the
burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for the Lord hath
spoken it" (Isa. 22:25). The last ten verses of this
chapter should be read carefully. They furnish a striking
foreshadowment of the End-time. Shebna was holding some
office over (note "government" in v. 21) Israel.
Apparently he was a usurper. God announced that he should be
set aside in shame, and the man of His choice - Eliakim -
should take his place. These historical figures merge into
prophetic characters. In v. 22 we read that God says,
"And the key of the house of David will lay upon His
shoulder, so He shall open, and none shall shut; and He shall
shut, and none shall open". As we know from Rev. 3:7
this refers to none other than the Lord Jesus, and of Him it
is here said, "And I will fasten Him as a Nail in a sure
place; and He shall be for a glorious throne to His
father's house" (v. 23). Then, in the closing verse
of the chapter we read, "In that day, saith the Lord of
hosts, shall the Nail that is fastened in a sure place be
removed, and be cut down, and fall". Just as Eliakim
foreshadowed Christ, so Shebna pointed forward to the
Antichrist; and just as in v.23 we have a prophecy announcing
the establishment of Messiah's Kingdom, so in v. 25 we
have foretold the overthrow of the false messiah's
kingdom.
18. THE BRANCH OF THE TERRIBLE ONES.
"Thou shalt bring down
the noise of strangers, as the heat in a dry place; even the
heat with the shadow of a cloud; the Branch of the
terrible ones shall be brought low" (Isa. 25:5). The
first five verses of this chapter contemplate the Enemy's
stronghold - Babylon - and the remainder of the chapter
pictures the blessedness of the millennial era. In the fifth
verse the Antichrist's overthrow is announced: "The
Branch of the terrible ones shall be brought low". With
this should be compared Isa. 14:19, where of Lucifer it is
said, "Thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable
Branch". This points another contrast. The
"Branch" is one of the Messianic names:
"Behold, I will bring forth My Servant, the Branch"
(Zech. 3:8); "Behold the man whose name is the
Branch" (Zech. 6:12). By placing together Isa. 4:2 and
Isa. 14:19 the antithesis will be more evident. Of Christ it
is said, "The Branch of the Lord shall be beautiful
and glorious". Antichrist is called "an
abominable Branch": Christ is "the Branch of
the Lord"; Antichrist is "the Branch of
the terrible ones".
19. THE PROFANE AND WICKED PRINCE OF ISRAEL.
"And thou, profane
wicked Prince of Israel, whose day is come, when iniquity
shall have an end, thus saith the Lord God; remove the
diadem, and take off the crown; this shall not be the same;
exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high. I will
overturn, overturn, overturn it: and it shall be no more,
until He come whose right it is; and I will give it Him"
(Ezek. 21:25-27). The Profane and Wicked Prince of Israel
here can be none other than the Antichrist, for we are
expressly told that his day shall be when iniquity shall have
an end". The reference is, of course, to Israel's
"iniquity", and their iniquity shall end at the
appearing of the Messiah (see Dan. 9:24) when "He shall
be a priest upon His throne" (Zech. 6:13). "Here in
Ezekiel we see how the Son of Perdition shall ape the Christ
of God, for he, too, will be a priest-king: "Remove the
diadem" refers to the insignia of his priesthood (in
every other place in the O. T. where this occurs the Hebrew
word here translated "diadem" it is rendered
"mitre" - worn only by the high priest of Israel);
"take off the crown" is the symbol of his
kingship.
20. THE LITTLE HORN.
"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: and, behold, in this Horn were eyes
like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things"
(Dan. 7:8). For a full description of the Antichrist under
this title see Dan. 7:8-11, 21-26; 8:9-12, 23-25. We must
reserve our comments on these verses till a later chapter.
"Little Horn" refers to the lowly political
origin of the Antichrist, and describes him as he is before
he attains governmental supremacy.
21. THE PRINCE THAT SHALL COME.
"And after three score
and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for Himself:
and the people of the Prince that shall come shall
destroy the city and the sanctuary" (Dan. 9:26). This
title connects the Antichrist with the Roman Empire in its
final form, and presents him as the last of the Ceasars.
22. THE VILE PERSON.
"And in his estate shall
stand up a Vile Person, to whom they shall not give
the honor of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and
obtain the kingdom by flatteries" (Dan. 11:21). This
contrasts the Antichrist from "the Holy One of
Israel". His identity is established by noting what is
predicted of him.
23. THE WILFUL KING.
"And the King shall do
according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and
magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvelous
things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the
indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined
shall be done" (Dan. 11:36). The Antichrist will not
only be the High Priest of the world's religion, but he
will be King supreme at the head of its government.
24. THE IDOL SHEPHERD.
"For, lo, I will raise up
a Shepherd in the land, which shall not visit those that be
cut off, neither shall seek the young ones, nor heal that
that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he
shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in
pieces. Woe to the Idol Shepherd that leaveth the
flock! The sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right
eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall
be utterly darkened" (Zech. 11:16,17). This is in
evident contrast from the Good Shepherd who gave His life for
His sheep. The Idol Shepherd of deluded Israel will prove
himself the monster Desolator, who shall bring upon that
people the severest tribulations ever experiences by that
race.
25. THE ANGEL OF THE BOTTOMLESS PIT.
"And they had a king over
them, which is the Angel of the bottomless pit, whose
name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue
hath his name Apollyon" (Rev. 9:11). "Abaddon"
and "Apollyon" mean Destroyer. It is the
"Spoiler" of Isa. 16:4 rendered
"Destroyer" in Jer. 4:7. That his name is here
given in the Hebrew and the Greek shows that he will be
connected with both the Jews and the Gentiles.
Other names of the Antichrist
which the student may look up are, "The Rod of God's
anger" (Isa. 10:12); "The Unclean Spirit"
(Matt. 12:43); "The Lie" (2 Thess. 2:11); "A
Star" (Rev. 8:10 and 9:1); and "The Vine of the
Earth" (Rev. 14:18).
In our next chapter we shall
deal with the genius of the Antichrist, and point out the
many striking comparisons and contrasts between him and the
Christ of God. Let the student see how many points of
resemblance and opposition he can find.