(22 Dec 2024) One “industry” that has thrived for centuries within the realm of Bible prophecy is on-going speculation as to who currently might be the Antichrist.
The Protestant churches pointed to the Pope as the man. More recently, guesses have included King Charles III of the UK, former US president Obama, and even Trump.
However, a cornerstone of the Signpost interpretation of end-time prophecy requires the Antichrist be from the realm of Islam (ref. Dan. 2:40, and DR Ch. 1), and ethnically be likely a Syrian (ref. Dan. 9:26, and DR Ch. 2).
Therefore, any guess involving anyone outside of Islam, and not a Syrian or at least an Arab, in my opinion is way off. They are looking in the wrong places for the wrong people. For example, Obama may be a Muslim, but ethnically he is half Kenyan and half European—not a Syrian or an Arab.
But those of us who know the Four Signposts, and thus are looking for the emerging king during the Fourth Signpost, are going to be a lot closer to the actual target in guesses that might be made.
And I see no reason why we can’t keep an open eye and speculate about people we see in the news in the Middle East, as long as such activity doesn’t take away from our sharing the Gospel with others.
From both Bible passages in general about the Antichrist, and from the Signpost interpretation of Scripture, what checklist can we use to possibly identify the Antichrist?
We believe we know he will be a Syrian-Arab, and so possibly from the region of Syria itself or possibly western Iraq or southeast Turkey.
We know he will be a military leader. We also know he will likely be a politician as well.
He will become king of the new northwest nation (made up of Turkey and Syria) that breaks up from the one great nation (Dan. 8:9 “grew in power to the south and to the east”; Dan. 7:24 “he will subdue three kings”; DR, Ch. 12).
He will have a “fierce countenance”—whether naturally, or from injury, or from being possessed, we don’t know.
From this earlier post, he might be born in the 1970’s (and possibly the 1980’s).
Islamic eschatology says he (their “Mahdi”) will be named Mohammad.
A Candidate?
When looking at al-Golani, the leader of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) who conquered most of Syria in only two weeks and ousted Assad, several features about the man are good or fair matches to the man who might be the Antichrist.
The leader of HTS, known as Abu Mohammad al-Golani (or, Julani), was born as Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa in 1982, in the Golan Heights.
The commander of HTS and de facto leader of Syria, Abu Mohammad al-Golani. As a Muslim and Syrian-Arab leader, he is a proper candidate for the future Antichrist/Mahdi.
He is a Syrian-Arab by blood, and originated from Syrian territory. That most-important box is checked. His birth year is more recent than my speculation in this post.
He was radicalized by the Second Intifada against Israel. In other words, fighting against Israel won his allegiance to anti-Israel forces.
At the age of 21 in 2003, he moved to Iraq and joined al-Qaeda, fighting against US forces from 2003-2006. Interestingly, this would make him a soldier fighting against the force of Daniel 7:4 that raised the lion and changed its mind, all as part of the First Signpost. Of course the man to be Antichrist could be involved in every earlier Signpost at lower political and military levels.
Al-Golani moved back to Syria after his release from US prison in 2011. There he helped build up the Syrian chapter of al-Qaeda, eventually forming HTS.
Interestingly, a top aide of the leader of ISIS met with al-Golani. He reported about Golani:
“He is a cunning person; two-faced; adores himself; does not care about the religion of his soldiers; is willing to sacrifice their blood in order to make a name for himself in the media; glows when he hears his name mentioned on satellite channels.”
Hmm. I’d say that quote checks many boxes. Of course, this might match any Islamist leader with a big ego, but take note of the following from the quote above.
He is cunning (Dan. 8:23, “master of intrigue”; Dan. 11:32 “with flattery he will corrupt”).
He adores himself (2 Thess. 2:4, “will exalt himself over everything that is called God”).
He does not care about the religion of his soldiers (2 Thess. 2:4, “he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God” [i.e., casts Islam aside]).
He is willing to sacrifice his soldiers (Dan. 8:24, “will cause astounding devastation”).
He wants to make a name for himself (Dan. 8:25, “will consider himself superior”).
He “glows” when he hears his name (Dan. 11:36, “he will exalt and magnify himself”).
It’s not a bad résumé for a man who might apply for the job of Antichrist.
He also swept through city after city, conquering Syria in only two weeks. This reminds me of Daniel 11:40: “He will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood.”
This article also talks of al-Golani having no intention of confronting Israel. But this is simply the way Islam has worked since its beginning—they will fight when they are ready. Al-Golani echoed this sentiment by simply saying, “Syria is not ready for war.” The Antichrist will be ready to go against Israel only when he has all of the Islamic Realm united under his command (Ez. 38:1-8).
Conclusion
We, as watchers of the Four Signposts, can speculate who might be Antichrist as well or better than the next prophecy watcher who doesn’t know the Signposts. And a good candidate could very well be al-Golani. He checks many boxes and is a better candidate than say, Obama, the Pope, or King Charles III.
Its very likely al-Golani is not the man, and we will see many candidates come and go in the months and years ahead. But al-Golani checks many boxes.
We should keep our eyes open.
Does somebody in the Middle East catch your attention?
Categories: In The News, Islamic Antichrist, Signpost #4: New Islamic Empire
THE FOUR SIGNPOSTS 
He seems like a good candidate. If nothing else his character qualities add correlate with scripture. In any case I remain convinced that the man of perdition hails from the Islamic world e.g. Northern Syria / Southern Turkey. One thing seems certain, current events and shifting alliances in the Arab world are moving into place in accordance with Ezekiel 38.
Maranatha.
In Luke 10:18, in the Hebrew language, Jesus says, “I beheld Satan as Barack…..falling” and afterwards says “kings and Prophets have desired to hear what you just hear” AND “this will be hidden from the (so-called) wise and prudent, but revealed to babes AND the Jesus has His most joyous moment of His entire ministry as “He High Fives” His disciples who are puzzled as what He just said. FULL STOP — BARACK OBAMA IS THE ANTICHRIST!!!!
He is a Muslim and He is different from the other Middle East kings since he is a Western UN sponsored “peace broker”
JK,
You’ve pushed this idea before. You have taken a single word in a foreign language (Greek) – and just because it sounds like “Obama” phonetically – and said this shows “Obama” is the Antichrist. However, you completely ignore all the passages of Scripture telling us where and how to look for the Antichrist, sweep them aside, and pin your attention to the twist of a single foreign word. It’s interpretations like this that muddy the waters for everyone else.
Amen Mark. JK is 100% incorrect. Luke isn’t even written in Hebrew of course, that claim does does nothing to edify with proper dividing of the Word of God.
I think the worst problem with Obama as a candidate is that he’s getting too old. He’d be in his seventies or older by the time the Fourth Signpost would occur. By that time, he might be the way Biden is now. That doesn’t exactly sound like someone who would inspire hundreds of thousands of jihadists (or more) to follow him.
“But those of us who know the Four Signposts, and thus are looking for the emerging king during the Fourth Signpost, are going to be a lot closer to the actual target in guesses that might be made.
“And I see no reason why we can’t keep an open eye and speculate about people we see in the news in the Middle East, as long as such activit y doesn’t take away from our sharing the Gospel with others.”
Mark, I absolutley agree with you on the above. Based on all the detailed descriptions of the man of lawlessness given in Scripture, we should be paying attention to individuals like al-Golani, without necessarily playing a “pin the tail on the anti-Christ” game, because we could be wrong, but we should be paying attention. Furthermore, based on what the Scriptures tell us about this man, we should also be able to rule out certain individuals. I remember, for example, when Henry Kissinger was a popular candidate!
Daniel also describes the AC as a “little horn”. Do you agree that al-Golani could also fit that moniker?
And Daniel 11:21-23:
“21 And in his place a despised person will stand, to whom the splendor of the kingdom has not been given, but he will come in a time of ease and take hold of the kingdom by intrigue. 22 But the overflowing [aj]might will be flooded away before him and broken, and also the prince of the covenant. 23 And after an alliance is made with him, he will [ak]practice deception, and he will go up and gain power with a small force of people.”
Mark:
“It’s not a bad résumé for a man who might apply for the job of Antichrist.” I have been using that phrase for years and wish I had copyrighted it. Too late. I’ve always said that Clinton, Obama and others were not the Anti-Christ, but not because they didn’t apply for the job.
I thought you’d be interested in a British journalist commentary on why the Syrian Army collapsed so quickly. The British commentator had been in almost daily contact with a Christian Syrian Army officer during the collapse.
A Syrian Soldier explains why he deserted.
MB,
An interesting way of putting it, summarizing my post –
“We should be paying attention to individuals like al-Golani, without necessarily playing a “pin the tail on the anti-Christ” game, because we could be wrong, but we should be paying attention.”
It has been pin the tail on the AC up to now with folks like Kissinger receiving the tail. With our knowledge of the Signposts and the coming Muslim Syrian AC we need to totally watch.
Regarding Daniel 11:21-23, as well as the little horn in Daniel 7 and 8, all that doesn’t tell us where or how to look – it tells us what he will do. I would think just about any Islamist jihadist (including al-Golani) who has risen in the ranks to be the top commander would be capable of the things the things Bible says he will do.
Another box that al-Golani would have to tick (in order to be the Antichrist) is that he would have to be—though a Syrian Muslim (I agree)—also ancestrally of the Tribe of Dan. We simply don’t know yet; but his family comes from generally the right geographic region for it.
Yet another indispensable box is that his name must calculate to 666.
We did the calculation on December 21. “We” is These Final Days ministries. (You can find us on Facebook.)
So, what does it even mean that man’s name should calculate to the number 666? There are countless stabs at interpretations. Lots of people past and present use the Gematria, which is the Hebrew method of calculation. (Fair enough, right?)
Others—dating all the way back to the First Century—say the number was actually 616, not 666. Using 616, they could say that the Antichrist was Nero, and everything’s already happened…but only if we use the weird Latin grammatical case for his name, “Neron.” Etcetera, etcetera. Kinda hopeless.
But Irenaeus—as with so many things pertaining to End Times prophecy—hands us the key on a silver platter. Remember: Irenaeus was the direct disciple of Polycarp, who was the direct disciple of none other than John, Jesus’s beloved Disciple, who penned Revelation on the Isle of Patmos. Irenaeus in his Against Heresies (written in 180 AD) verifies all of this *explicitly.*
Irenaeus also says explicitly and emphatically that the number of the name of the Antichrist is NOT 616, but 666 (the 616 claim is not new: was known even in 180 AD)…AND that the correct method of calculation is NOT the Hebrew Gematria, but “the Greek method,” which is called isopsephy. In fact, the Greek word used in Revelation for “calculation” when talking about calculating 666 has the same root word as the Greek word “isopsephy.” Irenaeus kind of spikes the ball by namedropping on these points, like so: “those men who saw John face to face bearing their testimony to it.” (Yes: THAT JOHN.)
Irenaeus also gives us three names that we’re therefore able to use as calibration tools to make sure we’re doing our isopsephy correctly. The three names he gives are Evanthas (Greek ΕΥΑΝΘΑΣ), Lateinos (ΛΑΤΕΙΝΟΣ), and Teitan (ΤΕΙΤΑΝ), which should all yield 666 if we’re doing our isopsephy as Irenaaus did.
The way to do isopsephy is incredibly simple. Read this (link) to see for yourself, and even do the calculating for yourself: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isopsephy. No special skills required, nor very much time AT ALL. If you try it, you will be surprised.
Using the method given there, all three of Irenaeus’s test names yield 666 reliably. So, now the obvious question: do any of al-Golani’s names yield 666? We have several to choose from. His nom de guerre was Abu Mohammad al-Julani or Golani (nom de guerre literally means, “name of war”—a pseudonym one adopts to keep one’s identity secret during war). We could try any of those names. His REAL name is Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa. We could try those, too.
Each—if it yielded 666—would have its own merits: maybe his FAMILY name al-Sharaa or just Sharaa yields 666…or maybe one of the names he gave HIMSELF (his noms de guerre). I liked “Ahmed,” because it’s a name that’s really his, not made up for war, and uniquely his own, given to him by his mom (or dad), from birth. “Ahmed” (with an “e”) wasn’t yielding 666. But WOW—it gave 650. An allowable variation, “Ahmad” gave 646. SO CLOSE.
Then we remembered: there ARE no such names as “Ahmed” or “Ahmad.” Say them out loud, and—unless you’re Arabic-speaking, or otherwise have lots of friends with Muslim-Arabic names–you’ll pronounce both WITHOUT a phlegmy, throaty “kh” sound. Try it. See? But transliterated PROPERLY, al-Golani’s given name is properly AKHMED (if we follow most Western news outlets’ spelling) or AKHMAD. AKHMED doesn’t yield 666.
But one journalist, writing for PBS (a pretty scholarly source as news outlets go), who just happens to be Arab and living in Beirut, wrote the name “Ahmad” (with the “a”). We have since verified with a trustworthy friend in Lebanon that everyone in Lebanon seems to be pronouncing al-Golani’s name “Ahmad” (with the second-syllable “a”)—except, written phonetically, pronounced AKHMAD.
Here’s AKHMAD run through isopsephy:
ΑΚΧΜΑΔ
Α = 1
Κ = 20
Χ = 600
Μ = 40
Α = 1
Δ = 4
1 + 20 + 600 + 40 + 1 + 4 =
666
Regards,
These Final Days ministries (on Facebook)
Erin,
Good, thoughtful, answer including your gematria analysis.
However, regarding the mark and number 666 keep in mind it could still be anything. First of all, remember those who translated and taught that passage are all (or almost all) Roman AC supporters so their sight is slanted. One possible answer is that “666” written in the Greek script of the day would be chi-xi-stigma (not sigma but the older and not very used older letter, stigma), with all 3 letters having a line over it. It so happens that when you put those characters on their side, one sees the “bismallah” written in Arabic script (the xi with the line over it is “allah”, the chi is the crossed swords, and the stigma is the statement before “allah”. Coincidence? I’m leaning to it not.
I think it would be wild if John was told to write what he saw, and so seeing Arabic writing that would not appear or be invented for another 6 centuries, he noted that if you turn it sideways its perfect koine Greek.
What this means if true, is the mark’s number doesn’t depend on a person’s specific name. And the word “calculate” in the Greek really isn’t “calculate.” It’s used one other time in the NT in Luke in the passage considering the cost of a tower as an example of following Christ. In building a tower one needs to “consider” and “analyze” many factors, not just “calculation” of cost. Roman AC translators are so fixed on the number as the value between 665 and 667 that “calculate” seems natural.
And this touches on a larger subject. Be careful about the things you have learned over your the years following Christ. Many prophecy teachings are “off” or wrong, and so stop and think to yourself, why do I think that? Even after 25 years I still find teachings every now and then that I have to question myself – why do I believe this or that?
God bless!
There are more boxes that he has checked. Have you worked out the number of his name, 666? Check this out: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10161269916933867&set=gm.1304240550715947&idorvanity=626593468480662
You have to watch this class https://www.youtube.com/live/YMd-zY2cHlc
Sarah,
Looks good. I’ll try to reach out to him about his message and this Signpost message. Maybe you readers could do the same.
what about now? He killed around 1,000 Christian’s, woman & children…
Hi Camden,
We won’t know precisely who it is until the Fourth Signpost. However, what you point out – ongoing massacre of Christians and others – is very cnsistent with who the AC will be.
Daniel 8:9 seems to fit perfectly with revelation 13:2 1 head seleucid area.