by Tim Buck | Apr 14, 2025 | Anti-Christ, Daniel's Prophecies, Empires, Israel, Turkey
Studies in Daniel, Revealing Todays Secrets
This is my overview about this much-debated topic from our 3-year study of Daniel’s prophesies at Focus on the End Times.
Europe or Middle East?
For quite some time, it was believed and taught that Antichrist would emerge from a revived Roman Empire. I was taught this view in seminary and had no reason to doubt it until I dug deeper into the prophesies of Daniel.
One of the main reasons for accepting the ‘revived Roman Empire’ theory is because Rome follows Greece in the historical sequence of empires. This leads to the false assumption that the 4th empire in Daniel chapters two and seven must be Rome.
But that assumption is not accurate based on the details in the text and over the last few decades, the revived Roman Empire theory has been reconsidered and is increasingly rejected by Bible scholars.
The rise to prominence of the Islamic countries like Turkey, Syria, Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia in the middle of the 20th century, along with Israel’s rebirth as a nation in 1948, has cast increasing doubt on the “European Antichrist” theory.
Daniel Chapter 8, which prophesies the rise and fall of the Greek Empire (330-63 B.C.) is crucial.
Which Empire?
Much of Daniel’s prophecy in chapters two and seven is taken up with the sequence of the three Gentile Empires relevant to Israel who are Babylon (lion), Persia (bear) and Greece (leopard).
So here’s a quick question. In all of Daniel’s prophecies, which of these three empires would you think is the most prophetically important in the book of Daniel?
By far, the most frequent empire discussed in Daniel is the Grecian Empire where it appears in chapters 2, 7, 8, and 11. Following the death of Alexander the Great, who had no legitimate heir, his empire was divided among his four generals.
The largest of the four regions which covered Turkey, Israel, Syria, Iraq, Iran and to the border of India was given to General Seleucus. Many years later this region came under the Seleucid king and tyrant Antiochus Epiphanes IV (175-164 B.C.) who became one of Israel’s greatest persecutors.
Alexander’s empire was divided into four territories. The above map shows the largest territory, the Seleucid Empire which gave rise to the forerunner of Antichrist, Antiochus IV Epiphanes. The geographical territory of the Seleucid Empire was a composite of the Grecian Empire plus the Persian and Babylonian Empires.
Below is the same territory as we see it today that is described in Revelation 13:2 as the “Beast” which will give rise to Antichrist.
Antiochus, Forerunner of Antichrist
Antiochus’ oppression of Israel is laid out in Daniel 8:9-14 and 23-25 and again in Daniel 11:21-35. Among his atrocities, Antiochus blasphemed God, forbid the Jews from worshipping God, outlawed Judaism and circumcision, proclaimed himself God (“Epiphanes” means “God Manifest” or “God is Present”), desecrated Israel’s Temple and murdered multitudes of Jews.
In essence, Antiochus committed atrocities against the Jews that are stunningly parallel to the actions of Antichrist. Bible scholars agree that Antiochus Epiphanes is a forerunner, a foreshadow, or a “type” of Antichrist. To make sure we get that message God refers to both men as the “little horn” (Dan. 7:8; 8:9). Not because their statures are little but to highlight that one is a template for the other.
And in another clue for the location of Antichrist’s empire, Daniel 11 refers to both men as the “King of the North” (11:15, 40). Notice the geographical description does not say he’s the “King of the West” which would be necessary if it was pointing to Europe and a revived Roman Empire. Since the land of Israel is central in biblical geography, the north means north of Israel. The north of Israel is the greater Middle East not Italy or the Vatican!
Follow God’s Template
Antiochus Epiphanes rose from the Middle East, not Europe. If God designed Antiochus to purposely be the template for Antichrist in Scripture, the pattern dictates that Antichrist will follow in Antiochus’ footsteps and emerge from the same region of the world. And that’s precisely what Revelation 13 shows us.
If this is the case, (and for many other reasons space won’t allow for here), Antichrist will be a native of the Middle East not Europe. And since the entire Middle East is an Islamic stronghold today we can conclude Antichrist must be a religious Muslim, not a Catholic or any other type of Christian.
Three Empires Become One
Daniel 7 provides more support for the Middle Eastern, Islamic empire of Antichrist. In Daniel Chapter 7 the three great Gentile empires of Babylon, Persia and Greece are described as beasts and their sequence is given as follows.
Babylon (“Lion” – 7:4) first came and conquered and captured Israel. Persia (“Bear” – 7:5) then captured the Babylonian Empire and the Grecian Empire (“Leopard” – 7:6), under Alexander the Great, conquered the Persian Empire. Very clearly, these historic empires are three separate, Middle Eastern empires with each successive empire capturing the one before it.
When Antichrist’s Empire is presented in Revelation 13 as the “beast,” the passage tells us precisely where Antichrist’s Empire will be located. Whereas we saw them as three empires in Daniel 7, the same 3 Middle Eastern empires now combine their territories to form one empire in Revelation 13. This means that the composite geographic boundaries of the Babylonian, Persian and Grecian empires is what will make up the boundary for Antichrist’s empire.
Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard (Greece), his feet were like the feet of a bear (Persia), and his mouth like the mouth of a lion (Babylonian). The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority.
Revelation 13:2
Since this passage puts Antichrist’s empire fully in the Muslim controlled Middle East, how can Bible teachers say it’s a Roman Empire with Antichrist emerging from Europe?
Scripture cannot be in conflict with itself because God is the author.
The evidence for Antichrist coming from the Middle East and therefore being an Islamic leader is not based on an isolated passage but comes from the wealth of four different chapters in Daniel in concert with Revelation 13 which overwhelmingly show that Antichrist and his final empire of ten kings rises from the Middle East not Europe, America or anywhere else!
Conclusion
In summary, God provides a forerunner that’s as good as the best military intelligence available, in order for Israel to have clarity for where to look for the enemy during the Tribulation period.
Getting the location right and that Antichrist will rise from the north of Israel (Middle East) and not to the west of Israel (Europe) will be crucial to saving many lives.
There are clear indications that Antichrist will arise from the Middle East, from a country to the north of Israel. Some of his titles point in this direction, the Assyrian ( Isa. 10:12-14) and the King of the North (Dan. 11:36-45) and the Northern army (Joel 2:20).
How will the Jewish people living in the Tribulation recognize Antichrist? They will recognize him when an Islamic leader rises in the Middle East, north of Israel, and takes control of the newly formed Islamic Caliphate and then confirms a 7-Year peace agreement with Israel.
When that occurs, alert watchers in Israel will recognize Antichrist for who he is and realize they have entered Daniel’s 70th week, the final seven years, and many will come to believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Messiah.
by Tim Buck | Jan 16, 2024 | Covid-19, Daniel's Prophecies, Empires, Satan
Five Essentials,
Getting It Right!
1/16/24 By Tim Buck
Fotet.org
We’ve waited eight years to teach this important topic!
The vital teaching you’ll hear in the upcoming class pushes back on many of the most popular prophecy themes today. It’s an urgent call to stop listening to the wrong people about what to anticipate for the coming government of Antichrist.
A false message is being preached these days and unfortunately, that’s the only message being heard.
But what does the Bible really say about the makeup of Antichrist’s empire? Pull up a seat and listen closely as you ponder these issues!
1. Satan’s Kingdom
One of the major themes of Daniel and Revelation is how Satan has attempted to use seven successive, anti-Semitic empires to annihilate the chosen people in his attempt to overturn the plans of God.
What we find is that the empire-model Satan designed for this purpose was never a global empire. It was a kingdom that was large, but not worldwide. The strategy was for his kingdoms to dominate a geographical region big enough to control the Middle East and all the land of Israel, but not the whole earth.
The pattern of using regional empires, not global empires, will continue with the empire of Antichrist.
2. Hyperbolic Language
We learn in Daniel that global-like descriptions are used (hyperbole) to describe the size and extent of Satan’s empires. This tricky style language makes these Satanic empires appear to be world-wide empires when they are only regional empires in size.
The pattern of over-stating the size of Satan’s empires in Daniel continues in Revelation for the empire of Antichrist whose domain, like the previous empires, is limited, not worldwide.
3. Revived Empire
The popular notion that Antichrist and his coming empire will rise from Europe, in the form of a revived Roman Empire, is misleading and unfortunate as it has led millions of prophecy students away from Daniel and Revelation’s geographical path of a coming Middle Eastern Empire.
The result is a lack of clarity about what drives the evil nature of the coming empire and what exactly it will look like and a complete disregard for the Islamic nature of Antichrist’s empire which is like forcing a square peg in a round hole.
Only an understanding of the Islamic link to end-time prophecy will bring consistency to interpreting Daniel and Revelation. Without that connection, it’s pure guesswork which is why we see so much confusion on this crucial topic.
4. Globalism
Contrary to what most Bible prophecy books, podcasters and teachers predict, the world is trending away from Globalism, not towards it.
5. COVID Conspiracy
A culture of conspiracy among prophecy teachers and books in contemporary America has mistakenly connected the COVID-19 nightmare as the “first-stage” in a supposed “Global Reset” toward building a coming one-world government . This notion is inaccurate and stems from a misidentification of Antichrist’s Islamic Empire, and assuming it to be a typical, western-style empire.
by Tim Buck | Apr 11, 2023 | Anti-Christ, Daniel's Prophecies, Empires, Tim's Articles
Daniel 8, The Villain
Who Dominates The Drama!
April 11, 2022 by Tim Buck
Fotet.org
Daniel 8 describes the prophet Daniel’s second vision about the future and once again shows us how empires play such an important role in Bible prophecy. The prophecy of Daniel could easily be described as God’s book of Kingdoms.
In His infinite wisdom, God uses pagan empires as His teaching tool to reveal His future plans and to weave in the story of Antichrist.
In fact, the entire end-times drama cannot be properly understood without understanding the role of the correct empire who brings forth the little horn. For that reason, Yahweh not only provided careful scriptural descriptions, but in chapter 8 he gives us a remarkable historical antecedent as well.
Ram and Goat
This time, instead of the same four empires that appeared in chapters 2 and 7 (Babylon, Persia, Greece and Islam), Daniel sees a ram and a goat depicting just the two empires of Persia and Greece.
In doing so, we see the search for Antichrist narrowing from four empires down to two. After the Rapture, Antichrist will emerge from the territory of one of these two empires! Before the Rapture we know precisely where our attention should be fixed!
While many prophecy teachers often get confused about where to look for Antichrist today, God, through the prophet Daniel, goes to great lengths to make sure we would know precisely where and when the final tyrant will appear.
This time, instead of seeing the “little horn” of Antichrist like we saw in chapter 7, Daniel 8 reveals a new “little horn” with the remarkable story of the forerunner of Antichrist, a character known as Antiochus IV Epiphanes.
During the 400-year intertestamental period, there arose in the latter stages of the Greek kingdom a Gentile ruler named Antiochus IV. History records much about this despicable and villainous ruler, but more remarkable is the prophetic anticipation of Antichrist.
Proto-Type
The evil and rogue king of the Seleucid Empire comes charging on the scene accomplishing all the wicked acts of Antichrist. By presenting us with his cruel persecution of the Jews and his desecration of Israel’s temple, Antiochus emerges as the most accurate proto-type of Antichrist in the Scriptures.
The two men are so similar that when reading about Antiochus in Daniel chapters 8 and 11, you might as well assume you’re also reading about Antichrist. Therefore, the story of Antiochus gives prophecy students another layer of insight about Antichrist that’s rarely consulted. And what a story it is as these 6 verses show:
Dan. 8:10-12
10 And it [Little Horn = Antiochus IV] grew up to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the ground and trampled them. 11 He even exalted himself
as high as the Prince of the host; and by him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down.
12 Because of transgression, an army was given over to the horn to oppose the daily sacrifices; and he cast truth down to the ground. He did all this and prospered.
Dan. 8:23-25
A king shall arise, having fierce features, who understands sinister schemes. 24 His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power [demonic]; he shall destroy fearfully and shall prosper and thrive; He shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people. 25 “Through his cunning he shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule; And he shall exalt himself in his heart. He shall destroy many in their prosperity. He shall even rise against the Prince of princes; But he shall be broken without human means.
Are these verses talking about Antiochus or Antichrist?
by Tim Buck | Apr 19, 2021 | Anti-Christ, Beast, Daniel's Prophecies, Empires, Islam, Prophecy, Tim's Articles, Tribulation
When The Beast Arrives
The most common term for the Empire of Antichrist in the book of Revelation is “beast” where it appears some 36 times. Revelation picks up the term from Daniel 7 where the prophet Daniel uses it to portray the Gentile empires that would follow Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian Empire.
Thus far in our studies of the Empire of Antichrist we have determined that the precise identity of the beast is the revived Ottoman Caliphate that fulfills Revelation 17:9-11 as Satan’s 8th and final empire.
What will the beast be like?
When the Caliphate returns after being dormant for 100 years, it may best be described as “ISIS on Steroids” except this time around, when the Jihad conquering begins in the Tribulation, the Ottoman Islamic State will be led by the unholy trinity of Satan, Antichrist and the False Prophet not Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self proclaimed leader of the ISIS Caliphate.
The UNHOLY TRINITY is described as follows,
13 And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs; 14 for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty.
Revelation 16:13-14
According to Daniel and Revelation the beast is unstoppable! Antichrist and his forces who will be powered by the enemy become so overwhelming they never experience defeat until crushed by Jesus at His Second Coming.
During the unstoppable wars in the Tribulation, the Ottoman Caliphate’s methodology will not have changed since its barbaric 500 year rule from 1453 to 1922.
The Ottoman rule began with genocide against the Romans in 1453 when they slaughtered 10’s of 1,000’s in it’s conquest of Constantinople and the Ottoman rule ended with genocide of the 1-million Armenian’s in the waning days of WWI. The Islamic Caliphate was purely satanic then and will be 7 times worse in the Tribulation!
The horrors the world will soon face is beyond comprehension as Antichrist assaults one nation after another beginning in the Middle East using hatred, enmity, rape, servitude, ethnic cleansing, jihad and genocide.
Islam is NOT the “religion of peace” as Obama/Biden and George Bush would falsely have us believe. That’s a sad attempt to cover the bloodshed commanded by the Quran.
Revelation 17 coins the religious system of Islam as the “MOTHER OF HARLOTS” which is released under the sovereignty of God to set up mankind’s judgment and fulfill Jesus’ prophecy in Mt. 24:21 of the worst period in history.
As a reminder of it’s evil nature, we see all these features prominently displayed in the genocide taking place in Africa today.
While much of the church thinks Antichrist is a man of peace who will rise from Europe, the spirit of Antichrist is already here on full display in the theatres like the Middle East and North Africa. And it’s not pretty.
On March 24, scores of people were massacred or forced to flee during an Islamic terror attack in the city of Palma, Mozambique, near a major gas plant in the Cabo Delgado province. Pictured: Internally displaced people from Palma gather in the Sports Center in the city of Pemba to receive humanitarian aid on April 2, 2021. (Photo by Alfredo Zuniga/AFP via Getty Images)
Imagine the nightmare when millions of similar events detailed below, break out daily, during the reckless reign of the Beast.
- After a mosque leaders’ wife embraced Christianity, and as a form of “retribution,” the imam ordered the rape of three Christian girls related to a local pastor…. — Morning Star News, March 11, 2021, Uganda.
- “Intercourse with a girl below the age of 16 is statutory rape in Pakistan, but in most cases a falsified conversion certificate and Islamic marriage certificate influence police to pardon kidnappers.” — Morning Star News, March 12, 2012, Pakistan.
- On March 20, a court “changed a sentence of life imprisonment to the death penalty for a Christian convicted of sending a blasphemous text message in 2011″…. Such petitions are “seen often as a service to Islam and as jihad or holy war against blasphemers.” according to the report. — Union of Catholic Asian News, March 29, 2021, Pakistan.
- “Muslims demand to make capital punishment the only penalty for blasphemy”…. The courts increasingly seem to be complying. — Union of Catholic Asian News, March 29, 2021, Pakistan.
- “That night, our village was attacked…. I was at home with my four children. We tried to escape to the woods, but they took my eldest son and beheaded him. We couldn’t do anything because we would be killed too.” — Save the Children, March 16, 2021, Mozambique.
- “In one of the worst attacks last year, the jihadists turned a village soccer field into an execution ground where they beheaded more than 50 people in three days of savage violence.” — Barnabas Fund, March 30, 2021, Mozambique.
So Why Study the Empire of Antichrist? What Difference Does it Make? 3 Reasons Why!
Why it is Beneficial to study the meanings behind the 7 “beast images” and the Empire of Antichrist and the various heads and 10 horns found throughout Scripture?
We offer at least three reasons why it is beneficial to study the meanings and discover the proper interpretations of the main players in the end times and their geo-political trends for today.
First, these images give Bible-studying Christians an ability to accurately determine the “season” of the age in which we are living in right now.
For example, were Jews to study Daniel and accept the book of Revelation also as inspired Scripture, they would not be so blind to the coming holocaust of the Tribulation spoken about so vividly in Daniel.
The Jewish people are living on the verge of imminent disaster but an understanding of what the Word says of the last days may be all it takes for some to accept Jesus as their Messiah.
And an understanding of these topics better prepares the Christian to identify the “prophetic season.”
Second, a proper understanding of the beasts provides a bulwark against deception.
God’s clash with Antichrist and the beast is the major theme in the Book of Revelation and the beast’s blasphemous religious system led by the Quran and the enforcement of Sharia is its driving force.
Believers around the world need to wake up to the fact that Islam is also the most dangerous threat to the church today. One only needs to travel to the Middle East and North Africa to see for themselves. Where are all the Christians? Where are Christianity’s historic cultural sights? The slaughter is increasing!
The Last Days are characterized as deceptive and as a trap, and expressly so the last-day ruler and the Dragon (Satan). This time is truly treacherous. Our enemy is the father of lies and deception (John 8:44).
“The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie.”
2 Thessalonians 2:9
We are convinced that those deception times are already upon us today. Is Christendom ready? Are you?
And Third, not only is Turkey and the 10 kings relevant to our time today, but also Satan’s 7 Empires.
The visions of the world’s 7 empires apply to us today. How so?
All 7 of them, along with the 10 kings, will be in existence and on the world scene during the Last Days when Christ returns. That means they are here now and already rising to their destiny to become part of the beast. The prophet Daniel says that it will be,
“In the time of those kings, that the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed”
Daniel 2:44
This gives us all the more reason to sit up and be “on watch” of the movements surrounding Turkey, Syria. Iraq, Iran and Israel and the rapidly developing events of the Middle East before it becomes the “missile-east” in the Tribulation!
These are the days when our generation should be plugged in and watching as never before. Knowing and understanding the aspects of the Beast Empire gives believers stability in the last days.
God knew the relevance of Turkey, and how the accompanying geo-political events surrounding it’s rise would become front and center before the Rapture.
And the Lord knew the church would need discernment for interpreting the developing events to avoid confusion. So the Lord graciously gave us His prophetic Word to point us in the right direction.
Those who aren’t paying attention miss this connection and walk blindly through the end times and therefore will find themselves more vulnerable to deception.
by Tim Buck | Mar 6, 2017 | Blog, Empires, News, Prophecy, Satan
They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for a while.
The above scripture indicates that Satan plans to take down Israel by raising up seven pagan empires to do his evil work. Since the time Egypt held Israel captive up until the Second Coming, there will be anunbroken chain of Anti-Semitic empires to do Satan’s bidding. The book of Daniel mentions four of these empires – Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Islam.
Seven Dragon Heads
We don’t learn that there are seven empires until we first read about them in Revelation 12 where the seven empires are depicted as 
the seven dragon heads of Satan. Satan is symbolically portrayed in Revelation 12 as a great red dragon. From Revelation, we have to backtrack to identify who each of the empires are.
Seven Dragon Heads portray Satan’s Seven Empires
And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon (Satan), having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.Revelation 12:3
Hatred For Israel
The imagery of Revelation 12 shows Satan as the architect of these diabolical empires and the power behind them. The one unifying 
factor of all seven empires is their opposition to Israel. They are unrelenting in their quest to assault and destroy the chosen people.
Each time they try, God intervenes and supernaturally snatches them from the mouth of the dragon! Combined together, these empires have fought to destroy Israel for 4000 years. They have relentlessly sought to capture and control the promised land, the holy city Jerusalem and Israel’s holy temple.
8th Empire Rising
The coming empire will be no different as they seek the blood of the saints and Israel during the 7-year Tribulation. As predicted in Daniel and Revelation, Islam is rising up again today. Throughout most major cities and countries, around the globe, Islam is making its presence known.
The force of Satan’s power is blowing Islam’s sails to the forefront in our generation as he reconstructs his final empire. At least six times, the future empire is referred to as one that previously existed (Rev. 13:3, 12, 14). It is also referred to as the beast (Rev. 13:1-8), the 8th empire (Rev. 17:11) the empire of Antichrist and the beast coming up from the abyss (Rev. 11:7; 17:8).
Turkey’s “Head-Wound” is Healing – 2023
Today, the Islamic Caliphate’s head wound is healing as Turkey, the former head of the Ottoman Empire, Islam’s last Caliphate, makes it’s comeback for the first time since being beheaded and dismantled by the Western Allies in WWI.
Under the influence of Turkey’s dominant President, Recep Tayyip Erdgan, the country has its sights set on 2023! The leaders of Turkey’s Islamic revolution would like to see a full Islamic recovery by 2023 to mark the celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the break-up of the Ottoman empire. When there recovery is complete, the world will never recover! The 2023 benchmark may be what’s being described here in Revelation 13,
The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast. 4 People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?
by Tim Buck | Feb 21, 2017 | Blog, Daniel's Prophecies, Empires, News
Would it surprise you to learn that Satan has fought against God’s plans primarily through seven pagan empires and that the rise and fall of these empires are chronicled in scripture? They are the seven empires Satan has used to persecute Israel throughout its history. Scripture also foretells that one of these seven empires will return in the end times as Satan’s final empire and will be ruled over by Antichrist.
This means that no less than seven world empires are chronicled in scripture to rule the world for Satan. Six of these are historic empires and named in scripture. The last one can be identified by studying history and prophecy about the end times.
Where are the Empires?
Seven successive empires rule over Israel all the way from Egypt until God establishes the Millennial Kingdom. The seven historical empires are Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome and Islam. This last one will appear in two phases: Islamic Empire ending with the Ottoman Empire (“Phase I”) and the re-emergent Islamic Empire of the 10-King Caliphate (“Phase II”).
This perspective derives from a careful study of Daniel 2 and 7 along with Revelation 12, 13 and 17. These five chapters profile the “Times of the Gentiles” when the Gentile (pagan) empires rule Israel as prophesied by Jesus (Lk. 21:24),
They (Israel) will fall by the sword and be taken as prisoners to all nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
Four Empires in Daniel
We are introduced to four of the empires in the book of Daniel when the prophet Daniel reveals the details of King Nebuchadnezzar’s 
dream in chapter two. In the dream, the king sees a massive metallic statue that portrays four of Satan’s empires from Babylon to Islam.
The four kingdoms can be identified as: Babylon (head of gold), Persia (breast and arms of silver), Greece (belly and thighs of bronze), and Islam (iron legs) – with the fourth one (Islam) having a second phase as ten toes mixed with iron and clay that will re-emerge in the “last days.”
The picture of the divided 10-toe empire (Dan. 2:40-44) graphically portrays the Sunni-Shiite division within Islam that is fighting for supremacy in the Middle East today.
Daniel provides a surprising amount of detail concerning both Greece and Islam. Both Chapters 7 and 11 highlight the life of the forerunner of Antichrist (Syrian King Antiochus – 165 BC) and Daniel 11 contains the longest description in the Bible about the wars, atrocities and activities of Antichrist.
Dual Purpose Prophecy
It turns out that the great image in Daniel’s second chapter has a dual-prophetic purpose and application. It’s end time application is 
mentioned in Daniel 2:28 where Daniel says,
“There is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the end of days.”
In addition to portraying four historical empires, the image also stands for Satan’s 8th and final empire. According to Revelation 13:1-2, the same four empires comprise Satan’s final empire,
And the beast which I saw was like a leopard (Greece), and his feet were like those of a bear (Persia), and his mouth like the mouth of a lion (Babylon). And the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority.
Where will Antichrist come from?
This animal imagery that portrays the empires comes from Daniel 7:4-6. The modern empires depicted therefore, that make up the final empire, include the regions of Turkey/Syria, Iraq, and Iran. The final empire will cover all the territory of these 3 former empires and will be ruled by the (10-toes) 10-King Caliphate. Nowhere in the Bible have these figurative identities ever been changed.
Lion = Iraq
Bear = Iran
Leopard = Turkey/Syria
So when we read about a beast in Revelation with these same names, we have every reason to believe the Lord is pointing us to watch the offspring of those empires as the same location for the coming beast empire. Did you get that?
The empire of Antichrist will rise from these empires!
Iranian Shiite Crescent
The maps reveal that the revived Islamic Caliphate will include a significant block of Shiite Islamic countries. The Shiite countries will be 
able to compete with the Sunni block of Muslim nations like Turkey and become a major force within the 10-King Caliphate. This is what is prophesied in Daniel 2:40-44 which describes the Caliphate being a bad mix, partially weak and partially strong. It appears from the above map and from Revelation 13:2, that the Shiite block will have major sway in the coming Caliphate.
There is a good possibility that four of the 10 Kings could be from the Shiite nations of Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Iran. These nations seem to be well on their way of fitting into the end time beast empire of the Antichrist.
Shiite Mahdi – Islam’s Messiah
The strong Shiite presence within the Caliphate leaves the door open, for at least the possibility, that Antichrist could be the awaited Shiite messiah known as the Mahdi. According to Islamic tradition, the Mahdi will appear in the end times and lead Muslims to rule the world. He will be a great leader who arrives in a time of chaos to lead the Islamic Caliphate against the Jewish people and Christianity. His exploits are eerily similar to the one we know as Antichrist.
Iran, the strongest and most militant Shiite nation has designed their nuclear program and expansionist policies solely on the hope of the coming Mahdi. As such, Iran continues to gain traction as they seek to build out their “Shia Crescent” and combine the region under their wing.
Conclusion
The nations are now lining up like Satan has dialed them up on the phone and gave them instructions to begin to take their rightful places in his empire. Just as seen in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, the final empire is beginning to appear right before our eyes. Nebuchadnezzar’s 2500 year old metallic image that Daniel revealed to him is an exact portrait of Satan’s final empire.
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