Unleashing the Beast

46 / U NLEASHING THE B EAST

however, desire peace with their enemies. A Muslim, regardless of his ethnic nationality, who demanded peace with Israel and produced it would be hailed as a hero by both Jews and Gentiles throughout the world. Anytime it looks as though someone is capable of bringing peace to the region, it is suggested that this is the messiah. After the 1993 peace accords were signed in Washington, one Jewish rabbi was so hopeful that he even hailed Yasser Arafat as the promised messiah! H E W ILL R ISE F ROM THE M IDDLE E AST The Antichrist will sign a treaty for seven years and break it in the middle of the seven years (Daniel 9:27). When he breaks the covenant after 42 months, his true identity will be revealed (2 Thessalonians 2:1-6). People have offered wild conjectures about the area from where the Antichrist will arise. The top guesses are New York City, Rome and Brussels. Again, the Bible is clear about the region of the world from which this man will rise. According to Daniel and his key to understanding his prophecies, there are only four possible regions from which the Antichrist could arise. Daniel 2, 7 and 8 give us insight into the fourth kingdom that will rule the earth. Most scholars agree that the fourth beast of Daniel's vision is none other than the Roman Empire. According to Daniel, this empire (Rome) would be divided into two parts, which historically happened when Constantine divided the Roman empire and built a city in Turkey called