Unleashing the Beast

54 / U NLEASHING THE B EAST

Be not afraid of the Assyrian; he shall smite thee with the rod, and shall lift up his staff against thee after the manner of Egypt. For yet a little while, and the indignation shall cease, and mine anger in their destruction. And it shall come to pass in that day that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing (Isaiah 10:24-27). In that day also he shall come even to thee from Assyria, and from the fortified cities, and from the fortress even to the river, and from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain (Micah 7:12). To summarize, the Antichrist will rise from ancient Assyria—an area consisting of Lebanon, Syria and Iraq, and once the stronghold of the Babylonian Empire. Taking a small remnant of people, he will become great (see Daniel 11:23). He appears in the name of peace and signs a 7-year agreement with many nations, including Israel (Daniel 9:27). This agreement is called a covenant. In the middle of the seven years, he will break the agreement, invade Northern Africa and seize Egypt, Lybia, and Ethiopia (Daniel 11:43). He will engage weapons of mass destruction to destroy many and, through fear, 10 nations will yield to his total authority: