“And I (John) stood upon the sand of the sea (the Mediterranean) , and saw a beast (the anti-christ) rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast (the anti-christ) which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon (devil) gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. AND I SAW ONE OF THE HEADS AS IT WERE WOUNDED TO DEATH; AND HIS DEADLY WOUND WAS HEALED: AND ALL THE WORLD WONDERED AFTER THE BEAST (capitals mine).”

Revelation 13:1-3

There are a number of prophecies in the Bible which allude to the fact that during the Tribulation period (the 70th week of Daniel, also known to be the final 7 years prior to Jesus Christ’s Return at Armageddon), the anti-christ will be “…wounded to death” but his “…deadly wound was healed”. The entire world will wonder how this could be. How can someone, other than Jesus, be killed and then “healed” and brought back to life? That is simple! By Satan’s deception and by mimicking the death and resurrection of Jesus!

Of course if you understand the Holy Trinity of God, the Father; Jesus Christ, the only begotten son of God; and, the Holy Spirit talked about in the Bible, then the unholy “trinity” of Satan, the anti-christ and the False Prophet is easier to understand. The Great Deceiver Satan, must mimic the Holy Trinity in such a way people will wonder if the “unholy” trinity is, in fact, who the Bible proclaims. When the anti-christ is mortally wounded and then comes back to life, it will be a false imitation of Jesus Christ’s death on the cross for the Redemption of our sins and His Rising from the dead after 3 days. But, it will convince many the anti-christ, and not Jesus, is the true Messiah!

Let’s go back a bit. Do you remember what God told the serpent (Satan) in Genesis 3:15 in the Garden of Eden?

“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heel.”

Amazing! Here God told Satan he would have “animosity” between himself and the “woman” (Israel). But more than, that there would be long term battles between his seed (the anti-christ) and her seed (the Jews, from whence Jesus came). And, most importantly, Satan’s head would be bruised while Jesus’s heel would be bruised. It sounds an awful lot like Satan’s seed (the anti-christ) will have his head mortally wounded, while Jesus was crucified on the cross by having his hands AND feet nailed to the cross and then came back to life in Redemption of our sins.

As I was writing this article, I was struck with a possible scenario that could perhaps answer the question, “Who killed the anti-christ and how could he then have come back to life?” Since Satan will attempt to mimic the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ in order to deceive the people of the world what else could he do more effectively than to convince them the anti-christ is, in fact, their savior and should therefore be worshiped than to mimic the actual death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ?

What we do know is this:

There will be Two Prophets (who many believe will be Moses and Elijah) sent by God in the Last Days to witness to the world for 3 1/2 years during the FIRST half of the Tribulation:

“And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days (1,260 days or 3 1/2 years), clothed in sackcloth.”

Revelation 11:3

The anti-christ will reign for 42 months but his reign instead will be at the END of the 7 year Tribulation period! After that he will then be defeated and thrown with the false prophet into hell by Jesus at His Return at Armageddon. Note, this happens at the very END of the Tribulation period:

“And there was given unto him (the anti-christ) a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power given unto him to continue forty and two months.”

Revelation 13:5

“And the beast (the anti-christ) was taken (by Jesus at Armageddon), and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had the mark of the beast, and them that worshiped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake burning with brimstone (hell).”

Revelation 19:20

During their time, the two Witnesses will have the ability to perform many miracles and will be given the authority by God to kill anyone that attempts to kill them:

“And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, AS OFTEN AS THEY WILL (capitals mine).”

Revelation 11:5-6

They ultimately will be allowed to be killed at the end of the 42 months when their testimony to God is complete and their unburied bodies will then lay in the streets of Jerusalem for 3 1/2 days.

“And their dead bodies shall be in the streets of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified (Jerusalem). And they of all the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.”

Revelation 11:8-9

While the two Witnesses’ dead bodies are seen by the entire world for three and a half days (absolutely impossible until just a few decades ago before  the advent of satellite TV and the internet) the population of the world will party! The people will be so glad these two, who caused it to not rain for three and a half years and who brought forth plagues whenever they wished, have finally been killed! In fact, the people will be so happy they will exchange gifts in commemoration of the two Witnesses’ death:

“And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.” 

Revelation 11:10

But, the two Witnesses will then rise from the dead after 3 1/2 days for the whole world to see and they will then ascend to Heaven:

 “And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.”

Revelation 11:11-12

While we know the anti-christ will be the one to sign the Peace Agreement with Israel and her Arab neighbors at the BEGINNING of the 7 year Tribulation period allowing for the rebuilding of the Holy Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount, he will also at that time begin to establish a one-world government in a peaceful way:

“And he (the anti-christ) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week (7 years): and in the midst of the week (after 3 1/2 years) he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it (the Temple) desolate, even until the consummation (Christ’s Return), and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”

Daniel 9:27

As we get to the bottom of the question “Who killed the anti-christ?” I believe the answer is told to us clearly in Revelation 11:7:

“And when they (the two Witnesses) shall have finished their testimony; the beast (anti-christ) that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.”

God commanded His two Witnesses to give His Testimony to the entire world for 3 1/2 years, during the FIRST half of the Tribulation. From Revelation 11:5-6 above we know that during that time period many will try to keep them from witnessing but they will be given the power to kill anyone that attempts to kill them. Doesn’t it then make logical sense if the anti-christ attempts to kill them, they will have the power to kill him? Remember, the anti-christ will be mortally wounded but will be brought back to life, making the world wonder in awe. In context of these verses from Scripture, he must quickly need to enter the rebuilt Jewish Temple in Jerusalem where the two Witnesses dead bodies laid in the streets and proclaim himself to be God and worshiped as God. Once he does that he will then reign on the earth for the next 3 1/2 years!

So, let me make one arguably debatable assumption based on these events. What if the anti-christ attempts to kill the two Witnesses and he himself is killed by them? Here you have a global leader who has just been killed after killing the two who have wreaked havoc on the entire world for 3 1/2 years. This is the same one who wrote the Peace Agreement between Israel and the Arabs. Obviously, he would be very well thought of by the world and it perhaps could make perfect sense to place his body to lay in state in the Temple, allowing it to be honored. Except, what would happen if he came back to life there?

“And they worshiped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months ( 3 1/2 years). And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.”

Revelation 13:4-6

This is the Abomination of Desolation which happens halfway through the Tribulation! People will wonder if the two Witnesses who are no longer there can’t overcome him, who can? The anti-christ will enter the rebuilt Jewish Temple in Jerusalem and proclaim he is God and will demand to be worshiped as God.

“Who  opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped: so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.”

2 Thessalonians 2:4

What if these Scriptures were aligned such a way the story might read like this?

The anti-christ will form a Peace Agreement between Israel and her Arab neighbors allowing for the final rebuilding of the 3rd Jewish Temple on the Holy Temple Mount in Jerusalem? The world would view him as a great global leader who finally resolved the problems in the mid East which have caused so many wars and discord for so many years. At about the same time the Peace Agreement is signed, God sends His two Witnesses into the world. They will have the ability to perform many miracles as a sign they are truly of God, and will proclaim His message of Grace and Salvation to the world. These two Witnesses, who have the ability to kill anyone who oppose them, will witness for 3 1/2 years during the first half of what we know is the time period called the Tribulation. Of course their Godly message goes against the will and plans of the anti-christ and they MAY be the ones to kill the anti-christ as he attempts to stop them from their reign of Biblical prophecy and evangelism!  For this “crime” of killing the anti-christ they will be allowed to be killed by the followers of the anti-christ and the entire world will witness their dead bodies lying in the streets of Jerusalem for 3 and one half days. Them finally being eliminated, perhaps for killing the beloved anti-christ, will cause partying around the world. After 3 1/2 days they will come back to life, stand up and ascend to Heaven while the whole world watches. Now, what if for those same three days and one days the anti-christ’s body has been laying in state in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and he suddenly rises from his mortal head wound? As the risen “lord” he would demand to be worshiped as God! This would be the Abomination of Desolation if done in the Holy Jewish Temple in Jerusalem! The world would definitely wonder after him and ask, “Who can stand up to him?”

Do you know the true beauty of all of this? Paul wrote in 2 Thessalonians 2:5-6, right after he discussed the Abomination of Desolation, “Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now you know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.” God  wants us to know His plan for the world! Of course my above scenario is only an assumption of one possible string of events listed in the Bible. However, what constantly reminds me of its potential plausibility is the very, very short time gap between the Two Witnesses death and their  “resurrection” and the anti-christ entering the Temple proclaiming to be God. Both occur AT the mid-point of the Tribulation AND both events happen in Jerusalem!

By reading the Bible we can see many, many prophecies occurring today right before our very eyes. These prophecies are happening in exactly the way we were told they would. Unfortunately, many people will not know nor believe God told us beforehand the things which will happen to those on the earth during the Tribulation. While we should be comforted in knowing the Truth of His Word, it is not enough for us to hold His Message in! We must do as we are all instructed to do and that is to “…therefore comfort one another with these words.”  Make sure others know what you know! Jesus’s Return is Coming Soon!

May God Bless you as we await His Return!