The Rise of the Antichrist: The Ten Kings Who Give Him Power

Is the world ready for the Antichrist? Exactly how do we move from our current world to one where he is the unopposed ruler?

We are going to pick back up in Daniel 11 where we left off.

His rise will not be dramatic. He will not come in as a conquering king. Instead, he comes in peacefully. He does not obtain the kingdom through military victory, but by flattery. And though he obtains the kingdom, he is not seen as its rightful ruler. Hence, he is not given the honor of being called such.

This could mean that he may be viewed as a placeholder or an emergency leader. He may even be an outside diplomatic leader from another nation who is given authority. But in some way, shape, or form, he will rule without being considered the rightful ruler.

Now we have to ask another question from this verse: from whom does he obtain the kingdom, and whom does he flatter in order to do it?

The Ten Kings

In history, Antiochus IV serves as a template for the Antichrist. We have discussed him quite a bit throughout this unit. He was not the Antichrist, but God often gives us patterns through history. As I have said many times, history repeats itself for a reason.

When Antiochus IV came to power, he did so by flattering the Romans. They were the ones with authority in the region. They were the ones who decided who would be in charge. This serves as a mirror for how the actual Antichrist will come to power—not by the will of the people of the nation, but by the Gentile authority in the region.

Remember that Daniel tells us the Antichrist does not come only from the kingdom of the north, which was part of the third world empire. He also comes from the fourth kingdom on the earth, which is the Roman Empire. This empire now encompasses the Gentile nations worldwide.

The Bible tells us exactly what the world is going to look like when he comes.

In previous studies, we have already established that Rome was the fourth kingdom, and that while it no longer exists in name, it still exists in the form of many nations worldwide. So when Scripture speaks of ten kings arising, it is referring to Gentile rulers.

What is interesting is that it also says they have received no kingdom as yet. Instead, they receive power as kings for a short time. This tells us they are not necessarily rulers over nations in the traditional sense, such as presidents or monarchs. They are rulers with authority, however.

This opens the door to the possibility that they may be part of a diplomatic or governing body—perhaps members of a council or board that holds authority over nations. This is only a potential scenario that fits the text. But whatever the case, they are given authority before the Antichrist appears, because we are told that he comes after them.

These are the individuals from whom he will obtain the kingdom through flattery. These are the ones who will place him in authority.

We are told that he will subdue three of the ten. But it is important that we do not inject our own assumptions into what that means. He may have them removed, he may begin with them hostile toward him and later win them over, or he may do something else entirely. But all ten of these kings will ultimately grant him their power and authority.

By these ten, he will fulfill the prophecy that he will come from both the fourth kingdom and the third. He will be in league with these ten kings.

The Hebrew word for “league” here is berith, often translated “covenant.” It is important to remember that just because the word covenant is used, it does not necessarily refer to the covenant that the Antichrist breaks later. In fact, the language here points to a covenant with the ten kings, not with Israel. But we will talk about the covenant in a future study.

The text tells us that they will be “overflown from before him.” In this case, the grammar points us to the ten kings and the nation he will rule over as the ones being overflown. If they are the ones overflown, then the prince of the covenant must be among them. That leads us to the conclusion that the prince of the covenant is the one who established the alliance with him.

Through a combination of talk of peace, flattery, and deception, he will be able to take power while being supported by only a few key people. He is not going to roar onto the world stage. He comes in quietly, almost unnoticed.

Daniel tells us that this man does not immediately go against Israel. In fact, as we will learn later, he makes peace with them. The first thing he does is create policy to increase the prosperity of his own nation.

He comes in like a savior. He comes as a man of peace and kindness, bringing economic prosperity. He shifts wealth from the wealthiest places and spreads it to the less fortunate. He does exactly what people have always wanted—taking the surplus of the rich and improving the lives of the poor through his policies.

Yet while he is doing this, he is secretly plotting how he will take control of other places. He “forecasts his devices”—positioning his military strength in key locations—while no one is paying attention.

This is the beginning of how he comes to power. In short, he is placed—not as a king, but as a temporary ruler—by ten other temporary rulers from Gentile nations.

He does not immediately go to war. He comes as a peaceful man who appears to be looking out for his people while flattering others. No one would suspect him to be the vile person Daniel spoke of.

But the nation he rules is not a world power yet. It is a small and weak nation. His goal is to become a power capable of affecting the world—but that will take time. Before he comes against Israel, he must turn his people from a small and weak nation into a powerhouse.

In the next study, we will examine the Antichrist himself. We will learn what withholds him now. I’ll also let you know exactly where he comes from.

Continue To Unit 7:16 – The Antichrist Before the Tribulation: His Identity, Origin, and the One Who Withholds OR

Return To Christianity 101 Unit 7 – The Latter Days – A Detailed Look