(A Darker Engagement: How the Antichrist Will Present Himself to Israel)
The Antichrist will never sign a “peace treaty” with Israel. That idea has circulated for many decades, and it fits with how contemporary politics work, but the Bible paints a far darker reality, as I understand it. Daniel and Revelation describe him not as a smiling negotiator but as a fierce, blasphemous ruler whose very presence demands obedience.
A Fierce Ruler from the Beginning
Daniel 8:23 says he will arise as “a king having fierce countenance, who understands sinister schemes.” This is not the profile of a gentle mediator. From the beginning, he will carry a fierceness and intensity that casts a shadow forward to his blasphemous and genocidal career.
Zechariah 11:16 gives a glimpse into that character: “For behold, I am going to raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for those being annihilated, seek the young, heal the broken, or sustain the one standing, but will consume the flesh of the fat sheep and tear off their hoofs.” This passage reveals the kind of shepherd he will be. His concern will never be for Israel’s good but for his own power and gain.
The Covenant of Strength
Scripture indicates that the Antichrist’s first direct engagement with Israel, the event that begins the Tribulation, is his making a firm covenant with them for seven years. Daniel 9:27 states that he will “make a firm covenant with the many for one week.” The Hebrew word carries the sense of enforcing or imposing by strength. Taken grammatically and literally, this covenant cannot be a political agreement between equals. It is a decree imposed by a superior authority.
This is where the popular interpretation of a “peace treaty” falls short. Israel will not be flattered or convinced into a covenant. They will be commanded. The Antichrist comes as a powerful Roman ruler who compels Israel to return to covenant worship, rebuilding the Temple, and resuming sacrifices under his demand.
The Apostasy of Israel’s Leaders
The tragedy is that Israel’s leaders will embrace him. Paul warned in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 that the day of the Lord will not come “unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.” As Mondo Gonzalez from Prophecy Watchers has shown, apostasia here is best understood as rebellion. Since the church has been raptured, this rebellion points to Israel’s leadership formally rejecting Christ again by receiving the man of lawlessness in His place.
Jesus foretold this very moment in John 5:43: “I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him.” The covenant of Daniel 9:27 is that act of rebellion.
His Motive from the Start
Why does this Roman ruler demand Israel’s covenant worship? Because his ultimate goal is both self-deification and the destruction of Israel. To achieve this, he must deceive them. At the beginning of the Tribulation, he is already strong as head of the revived Roman federation, yet he has not secured the global authority to reveal his true intent. He therefore cloaks his ambition under a seven-year covenant, commanding the rebuilding of the Temple and the return of sacrifices. This convinces Israel that he is the defender of their ancient religious rites, while in reality, he is buying himself time. By the midpoint, once he has risen to global rule, he will abolish the sacrifices, desecrate the Temple, and declare himself to be God (2 Thessalonians 2:4).
The Dark Reversal
History will repeat itself. Two thousand years ago, Israel was in the land under Roman power. The Temple stood, sacrifices were offered, and the leaders, hardened in unbelief, cried out, “We have no king but Caesar” (John 19:15). In the coming Tribulation, Israel will once again stand in her land, again under Roman authority, again led by apostate leaders, again embracing a foreign ruler instead of the true Messiah.
The difference is that this ruler will exalt himself above every god. Only in the fire of tribulation will their pride be broken, just as Daniel 12:7 says that the power of the holy people will be shattered. As the Lord declares in Hosea 5:15, “I will go away and return to My place until they acknowledge their guilt and seek My face; in their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.” At last, Israel will recognize the true Messiah, looking upon the One whom they pierced (Zechariah 12:10).
Closing thought: It is comforting to see how God, in His wisdom, is placing Israel back into the same circumstances she faced two thousand years ago, giving her a second chance. History will come full circle, but this time it will end in redemption. God knows exactly what it will take to bring His chosen nation to repentance, and in the end, they will behold their true Messiah. If He is so merciful and patient with Israel after centuries of unbelief, then we can be assured of the blessings He has promised to all who believe in His Son and walk with Him today.
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About the Author
Alexander Major is a nonprofit leader and graduate of Southern California Seminary, a dispensational school located on the campus of Shadow Mountain Community Church, pastored by Dr. David Jeremiah. He can be reached at [email protected].
The post How the Antichrist Will Present Himself to Israel :: By Alexander Major appeared first on Rapture Ready.
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