upgraded March 3, 2010
Since Israel's rebirth in 1948, the Arab oil producing countries have essentially refused to recognize the right of Israel to exist as a nation. The Arab nations have attacked Israel continuously since 1948, in an attempt to destroy Israel as a nation. Israel has continued to exist because of Israel's military power, and the current threat of Israel's nuclear power. On every occasion that the Arab nations have attacked Israel, the Arab nations have suffered a humiliating defeat. At the beginning of the Seven Year "covenant" Period, the Antichrist was forced to negotiate with Israel, because Israel will remain a military and nuclear power until the time that the peace agreement is formally signed. In developing his coalition of power, the Antichrist does not personally want to recognize Israel as a nation, but is forced to, because of Israel's military and nuclear power. The Seven Year "covenant" will necessitate an agreement among Arab oil producing countries, to allow the re-establishment of, "sacrifice and offering" - Daniel 9:27, by the Jewish people. The Antichrist will be forced to recognize Israel as a nation, and will allow the Jewish people to practice their religion by re-establishing "sacrifice and offering".
The group of nations that agree to the "covenant" that allows the re-establishment of "sacrifice and offering" by the Jewish people, is a coalition of seven "Judeo-Christian" world leaders or kings, allied with the False Prophet (Pope); and ten Arab/Muslim countries, allied with the Antichrist.
Revelation 12:3 (NIV) Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads.
Revelation 13:1 (NIV) And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.
Revelation 17:3 (NIV) Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a desert. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns.
Daniel 7:19-22 (NIV) "Then I wanted to know the true meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others and most terrifying, with its iron teeth and bronze claws--the beast that crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. 20 I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell--the horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully. 21 As I watched, this horn was waging war against the saints and defeating them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom.
We are given the definition of "horns", and "heads", by the Holy Word of God:
Daniel 7:24 (NIV) The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings.
Revelation 17:12-13 (NIV) "The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but who for one hour will receive authority as kings along with the beast. 13 They have one purpose and will give their power and authority to the beast.
Revelation 17:9-11 (NIV) "This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. 10 They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for a little while. 11 The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction.
The "seven heads" and "ten horns", are kings or countries that will be involved in the empire of the Antichrist. The "seven heads" and "ten horns" are always referred to, as two separate parts of the whole. The "seven heads" will be represented by "Judeo-Christian" kings or countries, allied with the False Prophet (Pope). The Roman Catholic Church is headquartered in the Vatican, located in Rome, Italy. Rome sits on "seven hills". The "ten horns" are Islamic kings or countries allied with the Antichrist. The reason that the "seven heads" and "ten horns" are always referenced as two individual parts of the whole, is that the "seven heads" and "ten horns" will never fully blend into a single unit. In Daniel 2:31-45 printed below, Nebuchadnezzar's dream also reveals the division of two individual parts of the whole, within the kingdom of the Antichrist; reflected by the fact that the Antichrist's kingdom is represented as, "feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay".
Daniel 2:31-45 (NIV) "You looked, O king, and there before you stood a large statue--an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance. 32 The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. 34 While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were broken to pieces at the same time and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth. 36 "This was the dream, and now we will interpret it to the king. 37 You, O king, are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory; 38 in your hands he has placed mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds of the air. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold. 39 "After you, another kingdom will rise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. 40 Finally, there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron--for iron breaks and smashes everything--and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others. 41 Just as you saw that the feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron, so this will be a divided kingdom; yet it will have some of the strength of iron in it, even as you saw iron mixed with clay. 42 As the toes were partly iron and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 And just as you saw the iron mixed with baked clay, so the people will be a mixture and will not remain united, any more than iron mixes with clay. 44 "In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. 45 This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands--a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces. "The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and the interpretation is trustworthy."
The four ancient world empires of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome were created militarily. Historically, whoever controlled the world's military, controlled the world. Today, whoever controls the world's oil, controls the world. Today, with some maneuvering, O. P. E. C. could control the world. After negotiating the "covenant" that will allow the re-establishment of "sacrifice and offering", the Antichrist will start his rise to complete world leadership, by gaining control of a large percentage of the world's oil. This will catapult the Antichrist to world power, as he cripples and extorts the world financially. Once the Antichrist gains a large percentage of the world's oil, the Antichrist will control the world. From that point, the Antichrist will direct a One World Government, that will include the "Mark of the Beast":
Revelation 13:16-18 (NIV) He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, 17 so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. 18 This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666.
In knowing that the Antichrist will be the King of Syria, it becomes evident that the King of Syria is, "the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell--the horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully" - Daniel 7:20. It is now completely apparent who the three countries are, that represent the "three horns" who will fall to the King of Syria, and become a part of the kingdom of the Antichrist:
Daniel 8:9 (NIV) Out of one of them came another horn, which started small but grew in power to the south and to the east and toward the Beautiful Land.
The Beautiful Land is of course Israel.
Saudi Arabia, a Moslem country, is located due south of Syria. It is a huge oil producer, member of O. P. E. C., and must certainly be included in any coalition that would control the oil of the world. Saudi Arabia will be in the kingdom of the Antichrist. The Saudi royal family recognizes how tenuous their control is over Saudi Arabia, and they are nervously placing "golden parachutes" all around the globe in anticipation of potentially losing their country. The Saudi royal family will lose their country. The current disturbance in Yemen will not go away until Saudi Arabia is controlled by Syria.
Iraq, a Moslem country, is located due east of Syria. Iraq is also a huge oil producing country, member of O. P. E. C., and will also be included in the kingdom of the Antichrist. The undisputed fact that Syria controls the insurgency in Iraq, portends that Syria will gain control of Iraq, as soon as the "peace agreement" is formally signed, and the coalition troops leave Iraq.
Lebanon is the only country that is directly "toward the Beautiful Land" from Syria, and has already fallen to the King of Syria. The territorial empire of the Antichrist is already forming, evidenced by the fall of Lebanon to the King of Syria.
The coalition of Saudi Arabia and Iraq, is adequate to completely cripple the world when the Antichrist rations oil to the world. Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Lebanon, are the three horns that will fall to the King of Syria.
Daniel 7:8 (NIV) "While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth that spoke boastfully.
Daniel 7:20 (NIV) I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell--the horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully.
Daniel 7:24 (NIV) The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings.
Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Iran, combined with Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, and the Sinai Peninsula, is the area described as being actual historic Syria by the martyred Antun Saada, of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party. It is the present goal of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party to bring these independent countries back together into the Syrian State.
The Antichrist will also gain control of the Moslem countries of Egypt, Libya, and Sudan (the "Nubians" live in the country of Sudan, which contains the Nubian Desert).
Daniel 11:42-43 (NIV) He will extend his power over many countries; Egypt will not escape. 43 He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, with the Libyans and Nubians in submission.
The Antichrist will NOT control the Moslem country of Jordan (Edom, Moab, and Ammon is the country of Jordan), which has made a treaty and peace with Israel. Jordan is protected by God, because Jordan contains Petra. Petra is the place that has been prepared by God, for the Jewish people to flee to, after the Antichrist sets himself up in the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, "proclaiming himself to be God" - 2 Thessalonians 2:4.
Daniel 11:41 (NIV) He will also invade the Beautiful Land. Many countries will fall, but Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon will be delivered from his hand.
Though Egypt has a treaty with Israel, Egypt has maintained an adversarial "peace."