Yup. That’s a great example of the similitude I noted.
When the real deal shows up, though, expect a hand-in-glove fit for every descriptive element in every single verse.
Antichrist will meet all of the following criteria:
He will rise from among ten leaders of the Fourth Beast, which will be the fourth of four great kingdoms. Eleventh, he will depose three predecessors. He will be little, which could mean physically small, or young, or it could be figurative; indicating inexperience or obscure origin. He will be brash and boastful. He will be a zealous anti-evangelist speaking out continually and vehemently against YHVH. He will wear down the saints; possibly meaning both in number (by turning some from faith, or taking their lives), and in capacity to answer his multitudinous accusations and lies about them. He will intend to change the “times” and “the law”. He will war against the saints and prevail for “time, times, and half a time.” YHVH will judge, and this ruler’s dominance will fade, then meet a sudden, final end.
One or more Popes may match some of these descriptors; none match all. None were The Antichrist; The Man of Sin.
But look yet further, and consider the Fourth Beast, itself. For Daniel describes it as “dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.”
You can stack every single abuse that has emanated out of every branch and twig of the Roman Catholic root, and you will not build a heap of horror to match the violence, persecution, and destruction of even one of the monumentally wicked rulers of Earth in the all the centuries since Daniel.
Hitler: all told, 42 million victims. Includes his atrocities, plus 28M civilian, and 14M military casualties in the European Theater of his war.
Stalin: most diligent researchers now agree between 20 and 30 million victims.
Mao: between 45 and 58 million victims.
None of the kingdoms led by these men were “the Fourth Best,” and aside their heaped up victims, the bloodshed of all Catholicism sits utterly overwhelmed.
Finally, at the end of the reign of the Eleventh Horn, the Fourth Beast is killed and utterly destroyed in the fire.
Rome hasn’t been on fire since Nero, and there are plenty of Catholics around to prove it wasn’t roasted to a crisp at any point during the ensuing years.
So, like I noted, “similitude” can be drawn between the Antichrist and some of the abuses of Rome, but “exactitude”; sameness in all things? No. Not even close.
He will rise from among ten leaders of the Fourth Beast, which will be the fourth of four great kingdoms.
Rome and its 10 Divisions The ten horns on the exceedingly dreadful beast represent ten kings. They are 1. Alemani (Germany), the 2. Franks (France), 3. Burgundians (Switzerland), the 4.Suevi (Portugal), the 5. Anglo-Saxons (Britian), the 6. Visigoths (Spain), The 7. Lombards (Italy), the 8. Vandals, 9. Ostrogoths, and 10. Heruli. The last three (the Vandals, Ostrogoths, and the Heruli) were destroyed by the Pope of Rome because they refused to become "Christians". The armies of Emperor Justinian, in cooperation with the Pope, thrust the Ostrogoths out of the city of Rome. They became extinct. In 538 AD the Pope took possession of the city after the Emperor decreed that the pope should be the head of all the Christian churches.
Eleventh, he will depose three predecessors.
Little Horn uproots Three of the ten horns on the terrible beast.
1. Vandals, 2. Ostrogoths, and 3. Heruli, did not believe in the Trinity, in 538 Emperor Justinian, in cooperation with the Pope, thrust the Ostrogoths out of the city of Rome. They have become extinct. In 538 AD the Pope took possession of the city after the Emperor decreed that he should be the head of all the Christian churches.
He will be little, which could mean physically small, or young, or it could be figurative; indicating inexperience or obscure origin.
Compared with other horns the little horn was diverse, or different, it was "STOUT" or great. It exercised more than political power. Its attention to religious issues characterizes this power as a combined religious and political system.
He will be brash and boastful. He will be a zealous anti-evangelist speaking out continually and vehemently against YHVH.
Someone or something that sets themselves up to replace YHWH is just that.
Antichrist doesn't appear in the Tanach. It appears in the NT.
1 John 4
2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
antichrist from the Greek
500 antichristos an-tee'-khris-tos from 473 and 5547; an opponent of the Messiah:--antichrist.
1) the adversary of the Messiah
anti from the Greek
473 anti an-tee' a primary particle; opposite, i.e. instead or because of (rarely in addition to):--for, in the room of. Often used in composition to denote contrast, requital, substitution, correspondence, etc.
1) over against, opposite to, before
2) for, instead of, in place of (something)
a) instead of
b) for
c) for that, because
d) wherefore, for this cause
The antichrist is an:
Messiah from the Hebrew
4899 mashiyach maw-shee'-akh from the root of 4886;
anointed; usually a consecrated person (as a king, priest, or saint);
specifically, the Messiah:--anointed, Messiah.
1) anointed, anointed one
a) of the Messiah, Messianic prince
b) of the king of Israel
c) of the high priest of Israel
d) of Cyrus
e) of the patriarchs as anointed kings
Now Christ from the Greek
5547 Christos khris-tos' from the root 5548;
anointed, i.e. the Messiah, an epithet of Jesus:--Christ.
Christ = "anointed"
1) Christ was the Messiah, the Son of God
2) anointed
Notice what IS MISSING? In the Greek, there are no other options given.
1 John 2
18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.
The antichrist and other antichrists were already around when John wrote his epistle.
John makes perfectly clear that MANY antichrists had gone out FROM THEM (early believers) teaching false doctrine regarding Yehoshua. These "antichrists," or usurpers of the true Messiah, were promoting doctrines that presented a Christ that was in place of or instead of the TRUE Messiah. They were teaching a "replacement" Messiah.
1 John 4
6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
The "spirit of antichrist" is equated to a "spirit of error". The antichrist represents an error - false teaching - that was (and IS) being spread.
Antichrist = erroneous doctrine. Antichrist primarily represents a set of false teachings, not simply some future possible world religious/political figure, or something inserted under the skin. Those accepting the error promoted by the "spirit of error" or "spirit of antichrist" are unintentional victims of the spirit of antichrist.
So, the "antichrist" was (and is) a doctrine or set of doctrines that oppose the truth concerning The Messiah. This set of doctrines was already being spread in the latter part of the first century as false teachers betrayed the truth and went out promoting teachings that were (and are) in opposition to the TRUE Messiah.
He will wear down the saints; possibly meaning both in number (by turning some from faith, or taking their lives), and in capacity to answer his multitudinous accusations and lies about them.
Rome/Emperor/Pope did persecute them. The war of 70 AD.
He will intend to change the “times” and “the law”.
Already shown that one.
(Obedience is the test of true love for G-d. Adam and Eve disobeyed, and were kicked out of the Garden. Abraham obeyed and it was counted unto him as righteousness)26 Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse;
(G-d gives you us a choice)27 A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day:
from the Greek
5480 charagma khar'-ag-mah from the same as 5482; a scratch or etching, i.e. stamp (as a badge of servitude), or scupltured figure (statue):--graven, mark.
1) a stamp, an imprinted mark
a) of the mark stamped on the forehead or the right hand as the badge of the followers of the Antichrist
b) the mark branded upon horses
2) thing carved, sculpture, graven work
a) of idolatrous images
The New Strong's Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words defines charagma as:
charagma, a scratch or etching, i.e. stamp (as a badge of servitude), or sculptured figure (statue):- graven, mark.
The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament states the following with regard to this Greek word:
charagma [mark, stamp]
Marking is common in antiquity (cf. slaves, and the branding of devotees with the marks of deities).
The Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains gives insight into the meaning of charagma when it states:
A strictly literal translation of ‘the mark of the beast’ might imply ‘a picture of the beast’ or ‘a mark made by the beast.’ A more satisfactory indication of the relationship between ‘mark’ and ‘beast’ would be ‘a mark showing one’s relationship to the beast’ or ‘a mark of loyalty to the beast’ or ‘a mark of the party of the beast.’ The mark is almost certainly a symbolic stamp or sign and is not to be taken literally as many blindly claim. This mark will be SYMBOLICALLY placed on - OR INSIDE - the forehead and/or right hand. The mark historically symbolizes servitude or allegiance to the one from whom the mark is received. The mark symbolizes the relationship existing between those that decide to receive it and the Beast (or his agents) from whom it is received. It shows the recipients of the mark to be loyal to the Beast and among his willful followers. The harlot of Revelation 17:5, historically and almost universally accepted as representing Rome and the evil Babylonian mystery religion that has continuously opposed the true faith, "bears on her forehead the mark of her true nature in a mysterious allusion to Babylon." One cannot "receive" something unless they "accept" it, which implies willingness. Thus, the mark is not forced, though there may be various levels of persuasion used. Ultimately, those that receive the mark do so of their own free will. In short, it is a spiritual mark, which exposes the hearts and minds of those receiving it. It shows to whom they willingly give their allegiance.