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NOTE: This article or series has not been updated recently. As such, it may possibly contain some outdated information, and/or ideas and beliefs which I no longer embrace, or which have changed to some degree.



The purpose of this article is to standardize some of the words and phrases that I use throughout my writings to describe different personalities who are associated with Bible prophecy. In so doing, I hope to help you to avoid any confusion, and to facilitate your understanding regarding the different prophecy-related ideas and concepts which I write about in my articles. As the Apostle Paul wrote in two of his Epistles:

"Let all things be done decently and in order."


"That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,"


Please note that this glossary is based upon my current personal understanding of the Scriptures. While other writers may possibly agree with my definitions, or hold similar understandings, they may not be exactly the same as mine. Therefore, please consider the following list of terms to be a tool which should only be used while you are reading and endeavoring to understand my articles, and not those of other Christian writers.

As my time permits, I will continue to check and update all of the articles I have written to date, in order to make sure that the meanings and terms flow from one article to the next. Please be patient while I carry out this task, as it will require a considerable amount of time to accomplish it; many months in fact. If you are interested in acquiring a more in-depth understanding of the words and phrases that are listed below, allow me to encourage you to read all of my articles which are dedicated to the topic of prophecy.

Allow me to also mention here that I embrace what I refer to as an evolving theology. In other words, what I state below is not written in stone. As time passes, as world events occur, as leaders rise and fall, and as the Lord sees fit to enlighten me further, I may choose to update the information that is contained in this article, in order to reflect my current understanding of these prophetic terms. In fact, considering that this article was originally written almost fifteen years ago, this has already become necessary, being as some of the leaders who I originally mentioned here are already dead, and thus no longer possess any potential for being any of these prophetic figures.

1. THE BEAST

This term is found primarily in the Book of Revelation; although a variety of beasts -- or world powers -- are also described in the Book of Daniel. I believe that the Beast of the Apocalypse -- or Revelation -- may possibly be mentioned in the Book of Daniel as the "king of the north". In my view, this Beast, who is first mentioned in Revelation 11:7, and then becomes even more prominent in Revelation chapters thirteen through twenty, appears to represent a political and military figure -- along with his government -- who invades and conquers Israel, as well as other nations of the Middle East. Exactly how far his power extends is a matter of personal speculation and one's understanding of the Scriptures.

This Beast temporarily works in political and military unison with ten other nations in order to destroy the mysterious city which the Book of Revelation refers to as Babylon the Great. The Book of Daniel refers to these ten leaders as the Ten Toes, while the Book of Revelation refers to them as the Ten Horns. In addition to destroying Babylon the Great, the Beast also persecutes the Saints of the Most High, until it appears that he defeats them. This devilish leader also blasphemes God, and likewise implements a unique identification and commercial system which many Christians refer to as the Mark of the Beast, or the 666. This final point is revealed in the following verses:

"And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six."


Concerning the place of his origin, my research has led me to believe that he arises out of a region of the Middle East which in our modern times pertains to Syria, Iraq, Iran and Turkey. Historically speaking, this region has comprised part of the so-called Fertile Crescent. Revelation informs us that the Beast is destroyed by Jesus Christ during the Battle of Armageddon, and is then cast into the Lake of Fire.

2. THE FALSE PROPHET

Similar to the Beast, the term "False Prophet" is also found in the Book of Revelation. My current understanding is that the False Prophet refers to a prominent religious leader who is empowered by Satan in order to perform mighty wonders. Under his inspiration and direction, the Ten Horns -- who I believe may be Arab and Islamic nations -- are encouraged to join forces with and follow the Beast in his invasion and conquest of Israel. In other words, the Beast and the False Prophet work together as a team, with the False Prophet more or less serving as the Beast's public relations man. We find this discussed in Revelation chapter thirteen. My current belief is that the False Prophet may possibly originate in Iran. Similar to the Beast, he is likewise cast into the Lake of Fire following the Battle of Armageddon. Consider the following verses:

"And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet."


"And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone."


"And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."


3. MOSHIACH or MOSHIACH BEN DAVID

The term "Moshiach" or "Moshiach ben David" means "Messiah", or "Messiah son of David". It refers to the long-awaited "messiah" of the Ultra-Orthodox Jews, who two thousand years ago rejected the Messiahship of Jesus Christ. As I point out in "The Kings of the North and the South", the Orthodox Jews are convinced that this person will be a direct descendant of King David, who himself was a member of the tribe of Judah. In other words, according to Orthodox Jewish beliefs, Moshiach ben David will result from the physical seed of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He will be recognized as being a great political, military and spiritual leader of Israel, similar to King David of old. According to my understanding, and as I explain in the article entitled "Who Hindered the Antichrist?", this false messiah was destroyed by the brightness of the Lord's Coming, as we see by the following verse:

"And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:"


4. FALSE MESSIAH

While "False Messiah" is not a Biblical term, the phrase "false christs" is used in Jesus' warning that is found in Matthew chapter twenty-four and Mark chapter thirteen, as we see here:

"For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."


"For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect."


While over the centuries there have been -- and still are today -- many false Christs and false prophets in the world, the term "false messiah" is generally used in reference to one specific spiritual leader. In my view, the False Messiah and the aforementioned False Prophet may not necessarily be the same individual. As such, in my articles, I use the term "false messiah" to refer to Moshiach, or Moshiach ben David; -- the imitation "savior" of the Orthodox Jews -- while I use the term "False Prophet" to refer to the aforementioned false Islamic prophet who works with and supports the Beast.

5. SON OF PERDITION

Originally, the term "son of perdition" was used by Jesus to describe His betrayer -- Judas Iscariot -- as we see by the following verse:

"While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled."


However, this phrase is also found in the second chapter of the Apostle Paul's second Epistle to the Thessalonians, as we see by the following two verses:

"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; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God . . . Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness."


As you can see, the phrase "son of perdition" refers to the false messiah who sits in the Jewish Temple, and who through many satanic signs and lying wonders, convinces the Jews that he is in fact their "messiah", and "God" in the flesh. As the Apostle Paul clearly informs us, God purposely allows this strong delusion to occur because the majority of Jews have rejected Jesus Christ as their one and only true Messiah. I am also reminded of this verse:

"I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not."


6. PRINCE OF THE COVENANT

The term "prince of the covenant is found in the eleventh chapter of the prophecies of Daniel, as we see by the following verse:

"And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant."


The truth of the matter is that I have personally struggled with properly understanding the last half of Daniel chapter eleven for many years; decades in fact. While I have offered my personal speculations in times past, I must confess that I am still not certain who this individual is. All that is certain is that he appears to be directly involved with the covenant that is made with the deceptive king of the north.

While some people have claimed that this phrase is actually referring to Jesus, and the covenant that He made with His Father -- meaning that Jesus agreed to die for the sins of the world -- personally, given what the surrounding verses say, I am not convinced that this is the proper meaning of the verse. The Hebrew word that is actually used in this verse is "beriyth". According to the Brown, Driver, Briggs, Gesenius Hebrew Aramaic English Lexicon, it refers to a covenant, alliance, treaty, league, agreement or pledge. If we consider what the following verses say, it appears that this covenant some kind of political or military alliance or treaty which occurs between the king of the north and the king of the south. Thus, the "prince of the covenant" seems to be the architect of this alliance or treaty, who falls before the king of the north.

7. KING OF THE SOUTH

While I have made certain speculations in the past regarding who this "king of the south" may be, as I point out in the article "The Kings of the North and the South", all I am prepared to say at this current time is that based upon my personal research, the "king of the south" appears to be the leader of Egypt. Certain other non-KJV Bibles in fact state "Egypt" in the Bible text, and not "south".

8. KING OF THE NORTH

While I have made certain speculations in the past regarding who this "king of the north" may be, as I point out in the article "The Kings of the North and the South", all I am prepared to say at this current time is that based upon my personal research, the "king of the north" appears to be the leader of Syria. Certain other non-KJV Bibles in fact state "Syria" in the Bible text, and not "north".

9. ANTICHRIST

I am currently convinced that the term Antichrist most appropriately applies to the Jewish false messiah. I do not believe that the Beast and the Antichrist refer to the same person. In my view, the Beast refers to a political/military foreigner who invades Israel, while the Antichrist is a Jewish-born political and spiritual leader. Not only is the Antichrist against Jesus Christ, but he seeks to convince many in Israel that he is in fact Christ returned to the Earth, or possibly Jesus Christ come to the Earth for the first time, in total contradiction to traditional Christian interpretation of the Scriptures. The term "antichrist" is introduced to us in the Epistles of John, as we see by the following verses:

"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."


"Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son."


"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."


"For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist."


As you can see, the overall meaning of the word "antichrist" is anyone -- or any spirit -- who denies that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came in the flesh in order to redeem the world of sin. You will notice that John specifically states that even during his time, the spirit of antichrist, and many deceivers -- or antichrists -- were already in the world. Exactly who were the primary culprits who denied the Divinity of Christ? Who were the ones who repeatedly fought against Jesus, and then attempted to pervert the doctrines of the Early Church? As you may already know, the Scriptures provide us with a startlingly clear answer to my questions. Please consider what Jesus said to the unbelieving Jews of His day:

"Ye [speaking to the Jewish leadership] are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."


"And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom [the Jews who falsely claim to be God's "Chosen People"] shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."


". . . Did ye [speaking to the unbelieving Jews] never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected [meaning the Jews rejecting Jesus], the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, [from the Jews] and given to a nation [God's new born-again Christian nation] bringing forth the fruits thereof. [meaning the fruits of true repentance]"


"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves."


"Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves."


On quite a few occasions in his writings -- and also during his travels -- the Apostle Paul likewise made harsh comments regarding his unbelieving Jewish brethren, and he warned the Christian brethren to beware of them and their very divisive nature. Consider the following example verses:

"Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them."


"Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them."


"In whom the god of this world [Satan] hath blinded the minds of them [the Jews] which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."


"But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him . . . For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works . . . Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;"


"I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed."


"And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:"


"Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision."


"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;"


"If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself."


"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;"


"But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain. A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject; Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself."


The Apostle Peter likewise warned the flocks of the Early Christian Church to beware of their divisive, antichrist Jewish brethren who would attempt to sow confusion amongst the brethren by planting false doctrines, and by denying the very Lord who purchased them with His own Blood on the Cross:

"But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of."


As I explain in other articles, it is a Scriptural fact that the first Apostles and Disciples who joined the Early Church during the mid-First Century were of Jewish origin. It was not until after the Apostle Peter had received his revelation in the tenth chapter of the Book of Acts, and also until the beginning of the Apostle Paul's ministry, that it became very clear that Salvation was meant for both Jew and Gentile alike.

As the previous Scriptures clearly demonstrate, the false brethren and antichrists who were mentioned by Peter, John and Paul were Christ-hating Jews who were still under the bondage of the Mosaic Law. These legalistic deceivers entered the flocks of God feigning to be disciples, in order to cause division, and to force circumcision and other aspects of the Mosaic Law upon the new Disciples. This is precisely who Paul is talking about when he warns the brethren to "beware of the concision".

Likewise, when Paul writes "Beware of dogs", all he is really doing is teaching the very same thing that Jesus also taught regarding the unbelieving Jews who rejected Him, as we can determine by the following verse. Please remember that in the Gospels, Jesus sent the Apostles to be a witness to the house of Israel. Therefore, we can only assume that the "dogs" and "swine" who He mentions in this verse are unbelieving Jews:

"Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you."


As we all know, that is exactly what the unbelieving Jews did to Jesus. They tore Him apart on the Cross; just as they tore apart Stephen when they stoned him to death like ravenous, blood-thirsty dogs in the Book of Acts. Of course, Stephen was just the first to be martyred. Others would follow later.

As I briefly mentioned a moment ago, because the stubborn, unbelieving Jews did not truly accept or recognize faith in the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ as being the only requirement for one to receive forgiveness and inherit Eternal Life, they were trying to mix Grace with their own self-righteous works. Through their misguided actions, they were basically saying that the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ was not enough. They had to help Him save them, by continuing to observe the Sabbath and other feast days; by adhering to specific dietary laws; by being circumcised; by offering certain sacrifices; and by doing other things which were mandated by the Mosaic Law. It was these outdated doctrines and traditions which they tried to force on the new Christian Disciples.

While these misguided liars, deceivers and legalists claimed to be true Jews, even after His triumphant return to Heaven, the Lord still wanted to make it very clear exactly what He thinks of these Jewish false brethren. Thus, when Jesus sent His Angel to the Apostle John, so that John could receive the Book of Revelation, consider what He says regarding the false legalistic Jews who claim to be true Jews:

"I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan."


"Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee."


Sadly, as I clearly explain in such articles as "Welcome to Greater Israel, USA!", even though almost two thousand years have passed since those historic events occurred, very little has changed, and most modern Jews are just as antichrist as their ancient ancestors. Tragically, it appears that a large segment of the modern Christian Church in the United States has not taken any heed to the firm warnings which were issued by Jesus, Peter, John and Paul. Rather than resist and fight against Jewish legalism, many churches have in fact embraced it. What deception! Even on my Facebook timeline I have been forced to fight against these legalistic deceptions which have invaded our online Christian fellowship.

In conclusion, by way of the previous Scriptures, we can see that while the word "antichrist" can generally be used as a descriptive term for anyone who rejects Jesus Christ, it also becomes clear that during the early years of the First Century Church, it was used primarily to describe Christ-rejecting Jews who attacked and murdered Jesus, and then persecuted His Apostles and Disciples wherever they went to preach the Good News of the Kingdom; that is, the Gospel. Thus, in my view, it is very appropriate that the word "antichrist" should be applied to the Orthodox Jews' long-anticipated false messiah, Moshiach ben David. If this man truly arrives on the world stage, he will be the final revelation of the ungodly spirit of antichrist which has already taken over the world. Not only will this man be against Christ, but as we have already seen, he will convince the deceived Jews that he is their messiah.

With these thoughts, I will bring this article to a close. It is my hope that you have found it informative, enlightening, and I pray that it has been a blessing in your life as well. If you have an account with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or with any other social network, I would really appreciate if you'd take the time to click or tap on the corresponding link that is found on this page. Thanks so much, and may God bless you abundantly!

For additional information and further study, you may want to refer to the list of reading resources below which were either mentioned in this article, or which are related to some of the topics which were discussed in this article. They are likewise located on the Bill's Bible Basics web server. To read these articles, simply click or tap on any link you see below.

666: More Proof of the Coming System
666: The Patience of the Saints
Abomination of Desolation: Explained!
From Armageddon to the New Earth
Greater Works Than These Shall He Do . . . and Satan Too
In the Ages to Come
Jesus Christ's Return: Have We Been Deceived?
Leviathan: An Ancient Dragon of the Sea?
Mondex and the Mark of the Beast
Obamacare and the Mark of the Beast: Fact or Fiction?
Precursors to the 666 and the Mark of the Beast
Who is Babylon the Great?
Robot Wars and Skynet: Is Sci-Fi Becoming Our Reality?
Satan: His Origin, Purpose And Future
Satan: King of Tyrus, King of Empires
The Beast and the Three Broken Horns
The Fruits of Disobedience
The Great Tribulation and the Rapture
The Kings of the North and the South
Tradition or Truth? Old Wine or New Wine?
VeriChip, Somark and Microsoft Unmasked!
Welcome to Greater Israel, USA!
When Was Satan Cast Out of Heaven?
Who Hindered the Antichrist?

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