The Last Days Rulers During the Great Tribulation

In the Book of Revelation, several key figures emerge who play pivotal roles during the end times:

• The Antichrist: A world leader who will proclaim himself as the only true God.
• The False Prophet: A religious figure who will compel everyone on earth to worship the Antichrist and accept his mark.
• The Great Whore: Symbolizing a corrupt, powerful city that serves as the center of the Antichrist’s government.
• The Red Dragon: Representing Satan, who empowers the Antichrist and the False Prophet.

A History of End-Times Beliefs

For over two thousand years, people from every generation have believed they were living in the last days. The Jewish people once awaited a Messiah who they believed would be a mighty military leader, saving them from Roman rule and establishing an earthly kingdom.

However, in 70 AD, the Jewish people revolted against Rome and suffered a catastrophic defeat. The Roman general Titus led a brutal campaign, destroying Jerusalem and killing over 600,000 Jews. Survivors, including Jewish Christians and Gentiles, were exiled.

In 313 AD, Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity, marking the beginning of the Catholic Church’s dominance, which lasted until the 16th century. During this time, Martin Luther’s protests against Catholic teachings sparked the Protestant Reformation. As a result, the Bible became more accessible, allowing ordinary people to read and interpret the scriptures. This led many to believe that the Catholic Church might be the end-times-beast government and that a future pope could become the Antichrist.

However, this belief has since been reconsidered. The Catholic Church is not the prophesied end-time beast government, nor is any pope destined to be the Antichrist.

The Rebirth of Israel: A Prophetic Shock

Before 1948, no Christian leader, pastor, or Bible scholar believed that the Jewish people would return to their homeland and reestablish Israel as a nation. When this happened, it took the religious world by surprise. Many pastors openly admitted that they had misinterpreted biblical prophecies.

The arrival of the antichrist and Satan’s great tribulation government could not unfold until Israel was a nation again because many prophecies involved Israel and Jerusalem.

According to prophecy, when the time is right, God will allow the Great Tribulation to begin, giving Satan 42 months to unleash his rebellion against God and His people and the takeover of the world.

Prophecies of Daniel: The Rise of the Antichrist

The Bible clearly outlines the events leading up to the Great Tribulation and the rise of a global, satanic government. In Daniel chapters 8 and 11, we are told that a “man of sin” will emerge from the land of Persia. In 1935, the nation of Persia changed its name to Iran.

When Daniel received these visions, he was living in what is now modern-day Iran. He saw a vision of a ram standing in Persia that grew powerful and caused great turmoil. Eventually, a Western power would attack and defeat this ram. Before the Antichrist can rise to power the current government in Iran will have to be removed from power.

After the ram’s defeat, the Western power does not keep the land for itself but divides it for the sake of peace. Over time, the Antichrist rises, crushing any leaders who oppose him. With Satan’s assistance, the Antichrist will eventually invade Jerusalem, set up an image of himself in the temple, and demand global worship. His beast government will dominate for 42 months until Jesus Christ returns, destroys the Antichrist and his False Prophet, and locks Satan away for a thousand years.

The True Battle: Spiritual Warfare for Jerusalem

The end of the world revolves around Satan’s final attempt to seize the Holy Land, to be worshipped as the only God, and to annihilate God’s chosen people. Humanity finds itself in the midst of an invisible spiritual battle between God and Satan, involving fallen angels and heavenly beings. While this conflict is not fully visible to us now, it will become evident when the Great Tribulation begins.

Why Does Satan Desire Jerusalem?

Why does Satan covet Jerusalem so deeply? The answer lies in the city’s spiritual significance. Jerusalem is the epicenter of God’s covenant with His people, the place where He chose to dwell, and the future site of Christ’s return. By taking control of Jerusalem, Satan believes he can thwart God’s plan and claim the worship and authority he has always desired.

God once cherished a land, declaring it holy, and entrusted it to His chosen people. However, in the end times, He refers to this land as the adulterous wife, and in the Book of Ezekiel, Jerusalem is depicted as the great harlot.

  Your ancestry and birth were in the land of the Canaanites; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. On the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to make you clean, nor were you rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloth. No one looked at you with pity or had compassion enough to do any of these things for you. Rather, you were thrown out into the open field, for on the day you were born you were despised. “‘Then I passed by and saw you kicking about in your blood, and as you lay there in your blood I said to you, “Live! I made you grow like a plant in the field. You grew and developed and entered puberty. Your breasts had formed and your hair had grown, yet you were stark naked.“‘Later I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your naked body. I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you, declared the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine.“‘I bathed you with water and washed the blood from you and put ointments on you.  I clothed you with an embroidered dress and put sandals of fine leather on you. I dressed you in fine linen and covered you with costly garments.  I adorned you with jewelry: I put bracelets on your arms and a necklace around your neck,  and I put a ring on your nose, earrings on your ears and a beautiful crown on your head.  So you were adorned with gold and silver; your clothes were of fine linen and costly fabric and embroidered cloth. Your food was honey, olive oil and the finest flour. You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen. And your fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty, because the splendor I had given you made your beauty perfect, declares the Sovereign Lord.  (Ezekiel :16)

How Satan Takes Over Jerusalem: It Begins with a Peace Deal

In the future, a major conflict is expected to erupt, resulting in widespread devastation, including the destruction of the city of Jerusalem. Despite this chaos, a peace agreement will be established with Israel, but this deal will be short-lived. The Antichrist, empowered by Satan, will break the treaty, setting the stage for a dramatic takeover.

The Antichrist will use deceptive tactics and perform false miracles, through his false prophet he will manipulate and deceive the world. With Satan’s assistance, he will seize control of Jerusalem through violence. Following his conquest, he’ll establish an image of himself in the temple, demanding that all people bow down and worship it. However, those who know the true God will refuse to bow to this idol.

This event marks the beginning of a severe persecution, as the Antichrist unleashes a brutal campaign against the faithful in Jerusalem. This is the “abomination of desolation” prophesied by both Daniel and Jesus. It is the precise moment that signals the start of the Great Tribulation—a time of intense suffering unlike any the world has ever seen.

When you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (who so reads, let him understand:)Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house: Neither let him, who is in the field, return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, nor on the sabbath day:  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 24:15-21)

And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that makes desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days (Daniel 12:11)

A Closer Look at Satan’s Government

The Red Dragon: Symbolizing Satan

In the context of end-time prophecy, the Red Dragon represents Satan himself. He is depicted as the source of evil and the primary adversary against God’s plan.

The Beast rising from the sea symbolizes Satan’s end-time tribulation government. It signifies a powerful, oppressive regime that gains control during the Great Tribulation, a time of severe trials and chaos on Earth.

The Ten Horns: The Kings Aligned with the Antichrist

The ten horns represent ten kings who will align themselves with the Antichrist. These rulers will have temporary authority, reigning for a brief period (“one hour”), and will join the Antichrist in the final battle at Armageddon. However, their rule will be short-lived, as they will ultimately be defeated by Jesus Christ.

The Ten Crowns: Authority Given to the Kings

The ten crowns signify the power and authority given to these ten kings. They pledge their allegiance to the Antichrist, supporting his agenda and joining him in his campaign against God.

The Seven Heads: Symbolizing Seven Mountains

Jerusalem sits on mountains

“I have installed my king upon Zion, my holy mountain.” (Psalm 2:6)

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. (Psalm 48:1)

 At that time gifts will be brought to the Lord Almighty from a people tall and smooth-skinned, from a people feared far and wide, an aggressive nation of strange speech, whose land is divided by rivers—the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion, the place of the Name of the Lord Almighty. (Isaiah 18:7)

 This is what the Lord says: “I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City, and the mountain of the Lord Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain.” (Zechariah 8:3)

Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in mount Moriah  (2 Chronicles 3:1 )

According to the scriptures, the seven heads of the beast are seven mountains, and the woman sitting on them is a city:

“Here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits.”
“The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.” (Revelation 17:9, 18)

The Fatal Wound: The Destruction of Jerusalem

“I saw one of its heads as if it had been mortally wounded, but the deadly wound was healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast.”
“He deceived those who dwell on the earth by the signs he was granted to do, telling them to make an image to the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived.” (Revelation 13:3, 14)

The “fatal wound” is often misinterpreted as an injury to a man. However, the scriptures suggest that this wound refers to the destruction of a city – Jerusalem. The city receives a “wound by a sword,” indicating devastation through war. Yet, it is resurrected, mirroring the rise of the antichrist, who will deceive many by reviving what seemed lost.

As the city is restored, the antichrist, empowered by Satan, will lead the world astray:

• Many will believe the holy city is irreparably destroyed, but the antichrist’s apparent miracle of resurrection will astonish the world.
• Governments and nations will submit to this new power, and the beast will demand worship and allegiance through the mark of the beast.

The scriptures warn of a great falling away from the faith, as many Christians will be deceived by the miracles performed by the beast.

The Identity of the Great City: Mystery Babylon

The Book of Revelation identifies the great city as Mystery Babylon, a symbolic representation of the city’s spiritual corruption:

“And on her forehead was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”

Jerusalem is depicted as the city that “sits on many waters,” symbolizing its influence over nations. It is also described as being “drunk with the blood of God’s holy people,” underscoring its historical persecution of prophets and saints

“The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages.”

“The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.” (Revelation 17:5, 6, 15, 18)

The Death of the Two Witnesses

The connection to Jerusalem is further emphasized through the prophecy of the two witnesses:

“When they have finished their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them. Their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.” (Revelation 11:7-8:)

This passage indicates that the “great city” is Jerusalem, where Jesus was crucified.

The Judgment and Destruction of the Great City

The final judgment of the city aligns with the events of Armageddon, where Satan and his allied 10 kings are defeated in only one hour

“Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.’” (Revelation 18:10)

“The light of a lamp shall not shine in you anymore, and the voice of bridegroom and bride shall not be heard in you anymore. For your merchants were the great men of the earth, for by your sorcery all the nations were deceived. And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth.” (Revelation 18:23-24)

The destruction of this city is swift and decisive, marking the end of its influence and power.

Conclusion: A Call for Discernment

The scriptural evidence points towards Jerusalem as the “Mystery Babylon,” the city built on seven mountains. The popular narrative of the beast’s head being a political figure is inconsistent with the biblical description that identifies the heads as mountains. When the prophesied destruction and miraculous restoration of Jerusalem occur including the false miracles through demonic magic the world is going to be deceived including Christians. Only God’s elect will understand the truth during this global deception.

“For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” (Matthew 24:24)