Europe—Antichrist’s Incubator

Satan’s assault on the Western world is ramping up exponentially while the end of the Church Age (Age of Grace) draws near. Western Europe is in ferment, with the streets in the major cities exploding in violence that reminds us how times are like they were in the days of Noah, as Jesus said about the end of the age.

Daniel the prophet said that out of the heart of Europe would come a “false peacemaker” who will at some point declare himself to be God.

“And after threescore 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; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate” (Daniel 9: 26-27).

The “prince that shall come” is, of course, Antichrist, who will, for a short time, rule over almost all of the world from within a tyrannical regime the likes of which have never been seen. We can know the virulence of this future era by considering the prophecy from the lips of our Lord.

“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:21).

Jesus said it would be the most violent, most terrible time in all of human history. But He, in His resurrected and ascended position, gave the Apostle John the prophecy about the coming purveyor of false peace who will deceive most of the world at first.

The prophetic Scripture that speaks most specifically to this coming prince is one most students of Bible prophecy are thoroughly familiar with:

“And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer” (Revelation 6:1-2).

We are given the picture of the first of the four horses of the Apocalypse as they carry their riders across the last seven years of human history just before Christ’s Second Coming back to Earth. This is the Tribulation.

The first rider on that spectacular white steed is none other than Antichrist. As the prophecy says, he will come forth conquering everything and everyone in his path.

Most scholars and students from the fundamentalist camp who are of the premillennial, pre-Trib view of Bible prophecy believe the bow in this vision-depiction indicates this “prince” will come in on a peace platform. He has a bow but displays no arrows.

This is exactly the image Daniel was given to prophesy:

“And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many” (Dan 8:25 a, b).

I believe the world is now witnessing the beginning of conditions developing that will bring forth that son of perdition, that prince that shall come who will deceive and enslave all who accept his mark-and-numbering system of Revelation chapter 13.

Europe, the very part of the world out of which Daniel said that prince will come, is experiencing an ever-increasing upheaval that looks to be uncontrollable. And, despite the destructive, dangerous buildup toward total chaos, a surreal sense of detachment from the reality of the dangers involved pervades.

France’s streets burned, shops were looted and stripped bare, and a historic town hall collapsed under arson. Yet the most striking images from Saturday night were not the fires. They were the people who carried on as if nothing was happening. One woman jogged straight through thick black smoke past a burning barricade, treating the chaos like an outdoor treadmill session. Groups of French boomers kept dancing while buildings were torched around them, and a tour guide was filmed continuing her routine for visitors, smiling and pointing out landmarks while flames literally engulfed the city right in front of tourists. … meanwhile! French President Macron joins a Celine Dion concert. (“This Is Perhaps the Most Dystopian Thing Ever,” Steve Martin, via Modernity News S, ZeroHedge, October 20, 2026)

And France is but one European nation that’s experiencing the build toward uncontrollable destruction and violence. Indeed, it is as if modern Europe is acting as an incubator for the man of sin (Antichrist).

My great friend Jan Markell, with her podcast partner Michell Bachman, presented an in-depth program on Europe’s preparation for the coming Antichrist recently. Here is a link to that discussion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsQ77YUjnSU&t=362s

There will at some point come a mighty cry for peace and safety—a call for a man to come forth and save Europe and the world from utter destruction.

He will look like a great peacemaker and one who can reestablish order, which will no doubt have been all but destroyed. He will even promise prosperity, as Daniel’s prophecy indicates. He will “cause craft to prosper.”

However, he “will destroy many” through his conquests, his “peace-making,” and his “causing craft to prosper.”

This man on the white horse will be wearing a mask for sure, and his motives and intentions will be nothing like those of my childhood hero, the Lone Ranger on his white horse who wore a mask for noble reasons.

Antichrist’s mask will camouflage, for a time, the greatest deception ever perpetrated on humanity.

World conditions will make most everyone take the bait — hook, line, and sinker.

We see the beginnings of such preparation for Antichrist’s coming on the scene here in America. The midterm elections will perhaps foreshadow just how much evil, progressive invasiveness Satan has perpetrated within our own country.

This all means, of course, that Christ’s call to believers in the Rapture must be near indeed.

While we are reminded to keep looking up for our redemption that is drawing near, as recorded in Luke 21:28, let us remember to go forth with the gospel, informing all people everywhere of how to accept God’s saving grace.

“That if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and will believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).

–Terry

Wtjames1@swbell.net

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The Battle Inside Today’s Churches

I was intrigued by a recent Prophecy News Watch article titled: “The Battle for Israel Is Now Being Fought Inside the Church.” Of course, the mainline denominations have become increasingly anti-Israel. This isn’t surprising given that for centuries they have accepted the tenets of Replacement Theology, believing that God long ago rejected the Jewish people.

The article correctly described the premillennial beliefs of those it described as “evangelicals.” However, not everyone in this group sees Israel’s rebirth as a nation as the first step toward the Lord restoring the kingdom to the nation at His Second Coming.

Sadly, the battleground is no longer between mainline denominations and evangelicals, but it’s rather inside the walls of churches that profess to be Bible-believing.

The Roots of Antisemitism

Amillennial beliefs have surged in recent decades in churches that profess belief in Scripture’s inspiration and inerrancy. It’s not uncommon for statements of faith to include strong language affirming Scripture as God-breathed while also proclaiming an end-of-the-age Second Coming as the very next event on God’s prophetic calendar.

The most popular no-Israel belief of our day is that of Dominion Theology, which teaches that the church will change the world and bring millennial conditions to the world before Jesus’ return to Earth. The aforementioned Replacement Theology remains a close second in popularity among “evangelicals.” Those in the Covenant Theology camp believe it was always God’s intention for Israel to transition to the church.

The dismissal of Jesus’ thousand-year reign from Mount Zion, as common in all these variations of Amillennialism, has long been a breeding ground for antisemitism, and today is no different. Pastor and author Gary Hamrick described it this way in an article on Harbinger’s Daily.

We’re seeing pastors today who refuse to support Israel because they’ve been influenced by Replacement Theology’s faulty interpretation of Scripture, and there are terrible repercussions for giving place to this damaging theology.

When the church entertains the idea that God has somehow replaced His covenant with the Jewish people—it provides fuel for the fire of those who would do Israel harm.

Make no mistake—this is a spiritual battle. Satan incites antisemitism, and antisemitism is satanic. And no one bears more responsibility in the fight against antisemitism than the church.

It’s not that all those who ascribe to a no-Israel view of future Bible prophecy have ill feelings toward Israel or the Jewish people. They do not. However, there has been a cause-and-effect pattern throughout church history as the teaching that God has rejected Israel has provoked hatred of the Jews. As Pastor Hamrick stated, it’s “a spiritual battle,” and it’s behind today’s resurgence of antisemitism.

Why Does It Matter?

Sadly, the battle extends beyond just hostility toward Israel and the Jewish people. In many instances, amillennial beliefs chip away at Scripture’s authority in other areas far too important to ignore.

It’s no accident that churches’ mainline denominations, long steeped in Replacement Theology, are the most prone to acquiesce to the world’s woke agenda. If God’s Word doesn’t really mean what it says about Israel, then alternative views of other passages become more inviting and eventually accepted.

As if the tendency toward antisemitism and wokeness were not enough, the belief that God could turn His back on promises to Israel also erodes the foundation of salvation “by grace through faith” (Ephesians 2:1-10). If faithfulness to the Lord matters in God keeping His covenant promises to the Jewish nation, then is it not possible to extend the same reasoning to believers under the promises of the New Covenant?

I recently learned that a prominent advocate of Dominion Theology believed we are responsible for both being saved and remaining saved. That’s not grace, and it contradicts what Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:1-10. Besides that, such teaching creates a clear path to boasting about one’s salvation.

Another prominent advocate of another no-Israel view of Bible prophecy believes that Jesus’ death on the cross didn’t pay the penalty for our sins, but only made our salvation “possible.” Is that not light-years away from the Christian faith revealed throughout all of Scripture? And yet, he’s a revered author.

Granted, these are isolated examples and don’t reflect the views of most Amillennialists. On the other hand, Replacement Theology opens the door to elevating behavior over that of relying solely on God’s merciful and gracious provision for our salvation. If God can renege on His promises to Israel because of behavior, what does that say about our security as believers?

I wrote my latest book, Irrevocable: The Case for Israel (now available on the Westbow Press online store), to provide irrefutable evidence for Israel’s continuing place in Bible prophecy. In the process, however, I was awestruck by how God’s merciful dealings with Israel mirror His steadfast love to me and to all who trust Him as their Savior. Like Israel, we rely on God’s unfailing promises.

As I studied and wrote, the book became so much more than just compiling an abundance of evidence pointing to Israel’s future restoration as a kingdom. It also became a way to highlight the wonders of God’s unfailing love to His people, whether to the Jews or to us as New Testament saints.

The surging tide of antisemitism prompted me to start writing a book defending Israel’s place in Bible prophecy. In the end, it also became a way to proclaim God’s steadfast love.

-Jonathan

jonathanbrentner@yahoo.com