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Bloodline of the Antichrist: Where Does He Come From?

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Bloodline of the Antichrist: Who is he? Where does he come from? What is his nationality? The Bible gives tantalizing clues to his identity.

Bloodline of the Antichrist
https://prophecywatchers.com/bloodline-of-the-antichrist/

(All verses are from the New American Standard Bible 1915 unless otherwise specified.)

The Bible gives tantalizing clues to his identity.

Old Testament
  • Daniel 7 associates him with the concluding world empire, pictured as the “fourth beast.” His close tie with this final power structure gives him a Gentile background yet we know that latter-day citizens of the House of David will accept him as the messiah. (Prophecy Watchers Magazine – June 2022)
    • After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth uttering great boasts. (Daniel 7:7-8)
    • The four beasts represent the four nations identified in the vision of the colossus in Daniel chapter 2 (Holman Study Bible Daniel Chapter 7 Notes – Michael Rydelnik, Moody Bible Institute, D. Miss., Trinity Evangelical Divinity School)
      • The lion with eagle’s wings represents the Babylonian Empire
      • The bear with three ribs in its mouth represents the Medo-Persian Empire and its three main conquests.
      • The leopard represents the Greek Empire. Its four wings refer to the great speed of Alexander’s conquests and its four heads represent the four principle sections of the empire: Greece and Macedonia, Thrace and Asia Minor, Syria and Babylon, and Egypt and Israel.
      • The terrifying fourth beast represents the Roman Empire. It was more powerful and had longer dominion than the previous three.
New Testament
  • 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 calls him the “man of sin,” and suggests that he will hold sway over the world. (Prophecy Watchers Magazine – June 2022)
    • Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. (NKJV)
  • It is in Revelation 13 that his power over the people is seen in some detail. (Prophecy Watchers Magazine – June 2022)
    • I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast; they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?” (Revelation 13:3-4)
    • It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain. (Revelation 13:7-8)

Daniel 11 and the Seleucid Dynasty

  • Perhaps the most telling evidence of the antichrist’s identity is to be found in the complex history given in Daniel 11 which covers the legacy of Alexander the Great – king of Macedon (Greece) from 336 B.C. to 323 B.C. – and his successors. (Prophecy Watchers Magazine – June 2022)
    • Upon the untimely death of Alexander at 33, his conquered territories were divided among four of his generals—Cassander, Lysimachus, Ptolemy, and Seleucid. (Daniel 11:3-4)
      • And a mighty king will arise, and he will rule with great authority and do as he pleases. But as soon as he has arisen, his kingdom will be broken up and parceled out toward the four points of the compass, though not to his own descendants, nor according to his authority which he wielded, for his sovereignty will be uprooted and given to others besides them.
      • Greece and Macedonia went to Cassander
      • Thrace and Asia Minor went to Lysimachus
  • Seleucus and Ptolemy are the two generals whose dynasties are detailed in Daniel 11. Both these families were Greeks and had descended through the royal houses of the Grecian empire.
bloodline of the antichrist
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en

Ptolemaic dynasty – house of Ptolemaic — Egypt and Israel

The Seleucus dynasty, which begins in Daniel 11:5 is the most important.

https://biblehub.com/topical/s/seleucus.htm

From the Seleucids Came Antiochus

(Prophecy Watchers Magazine – June 2022).

  • Seleucus I – died in 281 B.C.
    • Stratonice of Syria, daughter of king Demetrius Poliorcetes, wife of Seleucus I.
    • Antiochus I, her stepson, was deeply enamoured of her
    • In order to save the life of his son (which was supposedly endangered by the violence of his passion), Seleucus I gave up Stratonice in marriage to Antiochus I in 294 BC
    • Antiochus I Soter became sole ruler of Coele-Syria
    • Antiochus II reigned from 261 B.C to 246B.C.
      • Married his sister Stratonike to Demetrios II son of Antigonos Gonatas King of the Antigonid dynasty OR
        Stratonike /Stratonice, daughter of Antiochos II, married to Ariarathes (III), son of Ariamnes, king of Cappadocia
  • Seleucus II Callinus called “glorious victor” came to power in 247 B.C. as foretold in Daniel 11: 6-9
    • Antiochus III – “The Great” second son
      • Exploits predicted by Daniel in Daniel 11:15-18Antiochis, daughter of Antiochos III, married to Ariarathes IV, king of Cappadocia — bore two daughters and a single son, named Mithridates who eventually proved to be a stronger ally to Rome than to the Seleucids.Gave his sister Antiochis (same name as his daughter) in marriage to Xerxes of Armenia.

Antiochus IV

  • Antiochus IV Epiphanes – succeeded his brother Seleucus IV Philopater in 175 B.C. – Daniel 11:20-21
    • His great power would not be his own but would have a satanic source.
  • “His power will be mighty, but not by his own power, (Daniel 8:24)
    • Stood up in the temple and declared that he was a god.
    • Seleucus III Soter (savior) mentioned in Daniel 11:10 reigned only two years.
    • Seleucus IV Philopater came to rule as described in Daniel 11:20.
      • Son of Antiochus the Great
      • Brother of the infamous Antiochus IV Epiphanes

From Antiochus to the Royal House of Rome

  • The Clear intention of Daniel 11 is to show that there is hardly a break between Antiochus IV Epiphanes who became the greatest historical archetype of the antichrist and the latter-day “king who shall do according to his will” (v.36).
  • Daniel seems to be telling us the Seleucid dynasty will continue into the latter days.
  • In 69 B.C. Lucullus of Rome awarded Antiochus XIII the rule over Syria.
  • In 63 B.C. Pompey came to Syria and commanded that from that time forward Syria would be a Roman province. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seleucid_dynasty
    • This effectively marks the end of the Seleucid dynasty and the beginning of Roman rule.
    • When Pompey appeared in Syria, Antiochus XIII. begged to be restored to his ancestral kingdom or what shred was left of it. Pompey refused and made Syria a Roman province. Antiochus Grypus had given his daughter in marriage to Mithradates, a king of Commagene, and the subsequent kings of Commagene claimed in consequence still to represent the Seleucid house after it had become extinct in the male line, and adopted Antiochus as the dynastic name. The kingdom was extinguished by Rome in 72. The son of the last king, Gaius Julius Antiochus Epiphanes Philopappus, served as a Roman suffect consul in 109 A.D. (no known children). https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/bri/s/seleucid-dynasty.html and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philopappos
  • By the time of Christ, the Seleucids had become intertwined with both the Herodians and the royal houses of Rome (disappeared into the family trees of the Romans).
    • “The Histories” of Tacitus mentions King Epiphanes, the son of Antiochus IV, King of Commagene. His official title was Antiochus Epiphanes. http://classics.mit.edu/Tacitus/histories.2.ii.html
      • This delay gave the Vitellianists time to retreat into some vineyards, which were obstructed by the interlacing layers of the vines, and close to which was a small wood. From this place they again ventured to emerge, slaughtering the foremost of the Praetorian cavalry. King Epiphanes was wounded, while he was zealously cheering on the troops for Otho.

https://www.worldhistory.org/Seleucid_Empire

Daniel 9:26 makes it quite clear that “the prince that will come,” is of Roman descent by way of the Seleucid dynasty. This appears to be the intent of the verse, and it is augmented by the Seleucid dynasty in Daniel 11. (Holman Study Bible Daniel Chapter 7 Notes – Michael Rydelnik, Moody Bible Institute, D. Miss., Trinity Evangelical Divinity School)

  • Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. (Daniel 9:26)
    • The prince who is to come probably is a reference to the future ruler described as the “little” horn in Daniel 7, also known as the beast or Antichrist. Daniel 7 clearly viewed this ruler as coming from the fourth major world power, or Rome, this prophecy predicts that the Romans would destroy Jerusalem, as they did in A.D. 70.
  • While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; (Daniel 7:8)
    • This little horn is a future world ruler whom Scripture also calls “the prince who is to come” (9:26); the king who “shall do according to his own will”(11:36); “the man of sin…the son of perdition” (2 Thessalonians 2:3); “the beast” (Revelation 13:1­10); and “Antichrist” (1 John 2:18).
    • “Thus he said: ‘The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it. (Daniel 7:23)
  • The fourth kingdom, in its future state, will devour the whole earth, indicating world domination.

Antiochus IV Epiphanes As a type of the Antichrist

(Holman Study Bible Daniel Chapter 7 Notes – Michael Rydelnik, Moody Bible Institute, D. Miss., Trinity Evangelical Divinity School)

  • Antiochus (8:9) and Antichrist (7:8) are symbolized by horns that were “little” at the beginning.
  • Antiochus looked “fierce” (8:23); Antichrist will gave an imposing look (7:20).
  • Antiochus was a master of intrigue (8:23); the brilliance of Antichrist is suggested by the “eyes” of the horn (7:8, 20).
  • Antiochus had great power (8:24); Antichrist will have even greater power (11:39; 2 Thess. 2:9; Rev. 13:7-8).
  • Antiochus was energized by Satan (8:24), just as Antichrist will be empowered by Satan (2 Thess. 2:9; Rev. 13:2).
  • Antiochus destroyed thousands (8:25); Antichrist will destroy more (Rev. 13:15; 16:13-16).
  • Antiochus prospered for a short time (8:25); likewise with Antichrist (11:36; Rev. 13:7).
  • Antiochus persecuted the Jews (8:24), as will Antichrist (7:21,25; Rev. 12:13).
  • Antiochus was a deceiver (8:25); Antichrist will be a master deceiver (2 Thess. 2:9; Rev. 13:4, 14; 19:11).
  • Antiochus was proud (8:25); Antichrist will be a megalomaniac (7:8, 11, 20, 25; Rev. 13:5).
  • Antiochus blasphemed God (8:25); as will Antichrist (7:25; 11:36).
  • Antiochus was not killed by human hands (8:25); the Antichrist will not be either (2 Thess. 2:8; Rev. 19:19-20).

What happened to the remaining Seleucids, Ptolemys and Antigonids after the Romans conquered their respective realms?

The Last Ptolemies

The last Ptolemies were the sons of Cleopatra by Caesar and Mark Antony, this is, Caeaarion and Alexander Helios, Ptolemy Philadelphos and Cleopatra Selene. Caesarion was put to death by Octavian soon after the suicide of Cleopatra for obvious reasons regarding legitimacy as sons of Caesar; the fate of Alexander and Ptolemy is not so clear, as they were apparently spared by Octavian, at least for some time, but they were taken to Rome, where they could pose no threat, and the record on them becomes quiet after that.

Their sister, however, is easier to follow: Selene was married to king Juba of Nunidia and had a son, Ptolemy, who was king of Mauritania until he was executed on the orders of Caligula in 40 CE. His only daughter, Drusilla, married the syrian priest-king of Emessa, Sohaemus, extending through their offspring the blood of Ptolemy up until the late 2rd Century and merging with the aristocratic elite of the Empire. Some of their descendants, although the lines are, again, not too clear, would be queen Zenobia and the emperor Elagabalus.

The Last Seleucids

Tracking the last Seleukid is, as usual, a bit more difficult: the last half century of existence of the Kingdom is messed up by continuous dynastic conflicts and civil wars, and the very last scions of the family are particularly obscure due to lack of sources. The last recorded king was Philip II. He had been competing for the throne with his cousin, Antiochos XIII, until he was executed by Pompey in 64 BCE during his eastern campaigns, in an attempt of restoring order in Syria. When this proved unsuccessful, he also deposed Philip, who may have survived, although there are no clear evidence of it.

Some years later there appears in the ptolemaic court a certain Seleukos Kybiosactes, who some historians have identified with the elder brother of Antiochos XIII, Seleukos VII, who had ruled before him until Tigranes of Armenia conquered Syria. If we were to accept this, we should assume that Seleukos would’ve been deposed, either by Tigranes or by his brother, and exiled to Egypt, where he then reappeared as the husband of Berenice IV, sister of Cleopatra. Again, the evidence is way too thin, but seemingly this Kybiosactes could’ve been the same Seleukos; anyway, his was not a long journey either, as he was put to death by his wife in around 58 BCE. This Seleukos would have been the last recorded male member of the dynasty.

However, I think it’s worth mentioning that the Seleukids were not as closed dynastically as the Ptolemies: through Cleopatra Syra, daughter of Antiochos III, the Seleukid bloodline merged with the Ptolemaic one, and other marriages between Seleukid princesses and foreign monarchs resulted in the matrilineal continuation of the bloodline (not of the dynasty, though) through the royal families of Pontus, Capadoccia and Commagene, this one lasting for well over a century after the dissolution of the Seleukid Kingdom.

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/s7dr5c/what_happened_to_the_remaining_seleucids_ptolemys/?embed_host_url=https://christinegailgarcia.com/wp-admin/post.php

The Seleucid dynasty comes down to us in present day in certain European ruling dynasties. What is missing, is the genealogical connection between Antiochus IV, King of Commagene, and the dynasty of King Merovee (Prophecy Watchers Magazine – June 2022).

ONCE A SELEUCID, ALWAYS A SELEUCID: SELEUCID PRINCESSES AND THEIR NUPTIAL COURTS in Erskine, Llewellyn-Jones, and Wallace (eds), Hellenistic Court Society download to read

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