OVERWHELMING EVIDENCE FOR A LIMITED BEAST KINGDOM AS OPPOSED TO A ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT.

There are only a few places in Scripture that give any indication to the world wide influence of the anti-Christ, however, when the entire collection of Scriptures is considered the actual size of his kingdom shrinks considerably. When considering the size of his kingdom we must keep in mind the differences between the Tribulation and the Wrath of God.

The Tribulation is the wrath of Satan and the turmoil of the anti-Christ that lasts for only the second half of the seven year peace accord that is brokered by the anti-Christ with Israel. Whether we include the entire seven years of the accord or not, the result is the same; the kingdom of the beast does not reach world wide proportions until after the Tribulation and the Rapture of all believers is complete. It is not until the end of the Wrath of God, after the frog like evil spirits come out of the mouths of the dragon, the beast and the false prophet as recorded in Revelation 16.13, to draw the armies of the world to Armageddon in expectation of the return of Jesus with His saints, that we have any indication of a cooperation between the nations of the world. Revelation 16:14 indicates that kings from all over the world will send troops for the final battle of God’s judgment when Jesus returns to rule. The fact that there are kings that still have control of their own armies, and that it will take the motivation of deceiving spirits before they send troops to Armageddon tells us that the anti-Christ is not king or ruler of the entire earth.

Below are just a few of the many proofs that the world will be divided and the beast kingdom will be limited.

1. The seals of the heavenly book of revelation. The first seal of the heavenly book of revelation shows the arrival of the anti-Christ as a ruler and a warrior. Seals 2-5 show the effects of his time as a ruler and warrior coupled with the effects of those other things that come together to make the Great Tribulation. One quarter of mankind will be killed as a result of the cumulative effects of the different elements of the Great Tribulation. There is no indication that the anti-Christ is ruling over all the earth or even beyond his ten nation base, but the death toll is great regardless. We conclude from the first five seals that the anti-Christ is making war and adding to the over all death toll, however, the second seal indicates that men will be killing one another, but not necessarily in service to the anti-Christ. There could, and more than likely will be multiple wars with multiple motivating factors during the end just like with WW2. While Hitler was taking over Europe and killing Jews, the Japanese were attempting to take over Southeast Asia, in part to ensure that they had an ample supply of raw materials for their manufacturing base. At the same time Russia was willing to remain out of the conflict in Europe because of a deal with Germany that allowed them to expand their own territorial holdings into Poland. This leads us into the next thought.
2. Perplexities of nations. Luke 21:25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring. The distress of nations is caused in part by the military advances of the anti-Christ. This distress is also a result of the anti-Christ claiming to be God while overthrowing nations that surround the ten nation base of the anti-Christ. The Bible never tells us that the anti-christ solves all of the worlds complex political problems as many suggest. To the contrary, we can see that through making war he will exacerbate problems to the point that one-quarter of mankind will die through various means. The plagues and famine that are a part of the first couple of seals is another reminder that the anti-Christ has no power to solve problems.
3. Ten nations. Revelation 17:12-14 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. In Revelation 17 and in Daniel 7 we see the ten nations of the beast mentioned before the final return of Jesus. Those ten nations will be joined together as one confederate league of nations before the anti-Christ rises to power, and then submit unto him even as he overthrows three of those nations, presumably because of their rejection of him as supreme leader. Daniel 7:7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. 8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. 9 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.
4. Only the ten nations and the beast are shown making war against the Lamb of God and being subdued by Him in these settings. This does not happen during the Tribulation as the anti-Christ makes war against Christians and Jews within the borders of his kingdom and as he attempts to broaden his borders, He is finally subdued by the Lamb at the end of the Wrath of God when Jesus returns with His saints at Armageddon to destroy the armies of the beast. During the Tribulation the beast and the ten nations alone are shown making war, not only against the Jews and Christians, (Jews in Matthew 24 and Luke 2, Christians in Daniel 7:21,25 and Revelation 6:9-11 and 13:7), he will bring destruction to much of the earth. Revelation 6:78 and Daniel 7:23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
5. In Revelation 16 there are three deceiving spirits that go out into the world just before the Battle of Armageddon to gather armies from other nations. If the anti-Christ controlled a one world government at that time he would not have to send out these deceiving spirits, he would simply give a command to his subordinates to come. In order to keep things in perspective we have to recall that the Battle of Armageddon does not occur until the very end of the seven year Wrath of God, which does not even begin until after the seven year tribulation, the second half being the Great Tribulation. The Church is raptured at the end of the Tribulation, but before the Wrath of God. Revelation 16:13-14 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
6. Even before the Tribulation begins, the ten nations gather under the auspices of one called Gog. Gog could be a particular nation like Turkey or Russia, or the ruler of a nation, but is more likely the name of the spirit being that controls the ten nations from the spirit world. Although the attack launched by this group against Israel meets with failure on its’ first attempt, the verses from Daniel 7 above tell us that their purpose, or at least the outcome of their alliance, is that they devour and brake in pieces, and stamp the residue. Ezekiel 38 and 39 make it clear that thier purpose is to destroy Israel and to plunder it.
7. Jesus tells us that if the Tribulation is not shortened it would result in the elimination of all mankind. Matthew 24:22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. As we saw from the first five seals of the book, at least one-quarter of all mankind will die during the Tribulation with no signs that it would stop at that. God has reserved the right to punish those who cause tribulation on the earth. He enforces that right when He puts a stop to the Tribulation and starts pouring wrath upon those who cause it. After the Church is removed and the Wrath of God begins, many more will be destroyed by the Wrath of God. A combination of world war and regional conflicts, coupled with the other plagues of the first five seals are what cause the death toll during the Tribulation. The killing of Christians is not enough to account for one-quarter of slain humans with an eventual kill rate of 100% of all mankind if left unchecked. We do have to remember that Jesus is also coming for those who are alive and remain. Those who are alive and remain to the end of the Tribulation will include the 144,000 right under the nose of the anti-Christ, and Christians world wide who are far removed from the ten nation kingdom of the beast.
8. In the Book of Daniel, he always showed four kingdoms in the Middle East that surrounded and controlled Israel. He always jumped from the Greek Empire to the final empire of the beast. The reason for this was to outline the area that the ten nations would occupy, the former Greek/Middle East Empire. When John spoke of these nations as the seven mountains with kings, he disqualified Rome as being a part of the beast empire when he said that five are fallen (Egypt, Syria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece), one is (Rome) and one is yet to come (the beast empire). Rome spread into much of Europe beyond the borders of Greece, making it too broad and with too many nations to be the ten nation kingdom of the beast.
9. Daniel 8 makes it clear that the nations who fell under the domain of Alexander the Great would make up the beast kingdom when he said in verse 23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. When it says “their kingdom” it disregards the division of the Greek Empire into four parts after Alexanders death, and draws the entire group back together for the final beast kingdom. The prophecy of Daniel 8 is repeatedly tied to the end times and the anti-Christ by the wording of the prophecy. Also, the termination of the daily sacrifice for 2300 days has not yet been fulfilled in the past. It is a future event. In Daniel 9:27 we learn again that it is the anti-Christ who terminates the sacrifice. In Daniel 12:11-12 we learn that 1335 days of no sacrifice will occur during the Tribulation. The final 965 days will occur during the Wrath of God.
10. The prophecies always point us to the Middle East, whether during the Tribulation or the Wrath of God. During the Wrath of God one-third of mankind and the earth will be targeted above all the rest as the trumpets of wrath are sounded. Revelation 8:7-12. The vials parallel the trumpets but give additional information which cumulatively draws us to the Middle East. Vial 1 of Revelation 16:2 is released on those who have the mark of the beast. Vial 2 in verse 3 is poured on the sea, presumably those bodies of water that surround the Middle East. Vial 5 is poured on the seat of the beast, or his center of power­his capitol city. We Know that he will reign from Babylon and the temple of God in Jerusalem. He will likely spend much time in Babylon since the two witnesses will occupy the temple during the middle portion of the Wrath of God. The sixth vial in verse 12 dries up the Euphrates River where Babylon will be located. The dried riverbed provides free passage for the kings of the east as they move toward Israel for the Battle of Armageddon. The kings of the east would include Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan who are part of the ten nation alliance. Beyond that are India, China, Mongolia, the bulk of Russia and many South East Asian nations which were not previously united with the beast, not being a part of the ten nation alliance.
11. Ezekiel 38 names the ten nations like this. 1 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, 3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: 4 And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: 5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: 6 Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee. 7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them. Persia represents at least the lions share of the Middle east stretching into Afghanistan and Pakistan. Ethiopia and Libya represent themselves and possibly a wider section of North Africa. All the rest represents Turkey, and possibly Russia and other smaller nations to the North. The purpose of this alliance is to destroy Israel.
12. Daniel 11 shows a resumption in the end times of the historical conflict between the king of the north­Syria, and the king of the south­Egypt, after the anti-Christ comes to power. When we arrive at verse 40 we begin to see a regional conflict as opposed to global control for the anti-Christ. The anti-Christ is making war and overrunning nations, including Egypt. Once again Libya and Ethiopia are mentioned, which paints a dire picture for them, but allows for the possibility that other North African nations do not align with the Anti-Christ.
13. In Revelation 13 We see the world worshipping the beast, however, there are different types of worship. What is described can be a fearful and awestruck wonderment as opposed to knee bending adoration. Most of the world will fall into the first category. For those who reside within the kingdom of the beast, a hatred for the Jews and all other infidels who do not believe as they do bring them to a genuine appreciation for the anti-Christ as he leads them on a killing rampage. 3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. 4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. In verse 15 we learn that the false prophet orders the execution of all who refuse to bow to the beast. This guarantees that all who live within the borders of the ten nation empire either show piety to the beast or die, and as the borders spread wider through war, mass executions will occur for those who refuse to bow the knee. 15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
14. The beast will make war against Christians through what ever means are available to him. A one world government is not one of those means. 7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. Power over tongues and nations does not mean that he reigns as supreme leader. Hitler had considerable power over the entire world as long as he was exporting war to those nations around him. You did not have to be in Europe to feel the effects of the war and wonder if he would continue beyond Europe and the Eastern Hemisphere. People all over the world were wondering out loud, Who is like Hitler? and Who is able to make war with him?” He was on center stage, and just like the anti-Christ, he had influence over the lives of people in far flung regions of the world. After the false prophet gives the decree to receive the mark of the beast, it will be etched or burnt into the right hand or forehead of all of his kingdom subjects, all those that he conquers and all those who want to dock in the ports of the great city of trade called Babylon. Beyond that, fearful people all over the world may decide to mark themselves in an effort to show their allegiance to the beast just in case he does conquer the world. 16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
15. The literal description of the port city of Babylon in Revelation 18 is one more indication of the limited scope of the beast kingdom. The beast is empowered by Satan, and as such he will be able to draw a good portion of the wealth of the world through his kingdom. It is through that wealth that he will be able to finance his war machine, and it is through that wealth that he will be able to export the mark of the beast with some level of success into other parts of the world. During the Tribulation, the Church will still be here to warn people that the gospel that has been preached to all the world has not changed at all. If they receive the mark they will die not at the hands of the beast, but at the hands of God Almighty when He releases His wrath. That will provide some level of deterrence as Christians refuse the mark and many others fear it.
16. There is no indication that the beast continues to expand his kingdom after the Wrath of God begins. To the contrary, all indications are that he is stopped dead in his tracks after the rapture of the Church. A combination of fear and self preservation will likely be the norm for most inhabitants of the earth for most of the time of God’s wrath. It is not until the very end of the seven year Wrath of God that the three frog like evil spirits go out into all the earth to gather armies from other nations to participate in the ill-conceived plan of defending “their turf” when Jesus returns at Armageddon to establish the only one world government of the end times. This final act of desperation is not presented as a one world government, but rather, a cooperation between nations who are desperately hoping to defeat Jesus when He returns.

There are no doubt other indications of the limited nature of the ten nation kingdom of the beast. This is just a quick list.

Currently Islam dominates the nations which the Bible points to as the future kingdom of the beast. Their desire to eliminate Israel from the map and Jews from the planet, along with a rejection of Christianity will lead to the ten nation alliance that will eventually submit to the Muslim version of Jesus, the son of Mary, who is to return in order to lead them against Jews and other infidels.