PTNews
P r o p h e tic Truth in the N e w s
June 2025
Published monthly by Mike Wingfield Ministries
All Bible references are from the KJV
(Examining Current Events in the Light of Bible Prophecy)
P.O. Box 67, Boones Mill, VA 24065
The Reign of the Antichrist
By Mike Wingfield
World events, especially in the Middle East, indicate the biblical time of the end is at hand. If this is true, the political career of the Antichrist is about to begin. Anyone who has a good biblical working knowledge of the end times, knows that at the center of the events during the last seven years on earth will be an evil and ruthless man called the Antichrist.
The Lord is sovereign over all His creation. This truth is illustrated by the fact that the steps of the Antichrist have been preordained and revealed in the Scriptures thousands of years ago. The prophets of the Old Testament, apostles of the New Testament, and the Lord Jesus spoke frequently about the precise actions of this evil monster who will walk the face of the earth in the last days. It is as if the Lord is sending a loud warning to this generation of the last days concerning this evil man and his kingdom of darkness. In this newsletter, we will focus upon the reign of the Antichrist.
His Preparation Before the Rapture
The focus of the saints of God since the church began in 30 A.D. has been the imminent Rapture of the church. Based upon the teaching of Jesus and His apostles in the first century, they understood that the Rapture would take place before the Antichrist would step onto the stage of history. They knew that following the Rapture, the world would enter a very dangerous and deadly period of time called the Tribulation. While speaking about the Antichrist in His Olivet Discourse, Jesus said,“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened” (Matthew 24:21-22).
Near the end of the first century, the Apostle John was anticipating the Rapture, and the subsequent Tribulation. Therefore, he wrote, “Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time” (1 John 2:18).
Jesus warned that the last days would produce many false christs and prophets (Matthew 24:24). These statements by Jesus and John indicate that no one knew when the Antichrist would appear. Jesus had made it clear that no one, not even the angels, knew when the Rapture would take place (Matthew 24:36). That means that Satan also does not know when the Lord will come for His church. Therefore, Satan’s scheme to produce the Antichrist to oppose God requires him to have someone ready in every generation. Satan must have an evil candidate ready to assume the role of the Antichrist at a moment’s notice. This seems to be the point of the Apostle John in 1 John 2:18.
Approximately 40 years before the Apostle John wrote the previous statements in 1 John, the Apostle Paul spoke of the initial appearance of the Antichrist (2 Thessalonians 2:3-10). The Spirit of God revealed to Paul that the coming of the Antichrist would be proceeded by “a falling away first, and that man of sin [Antichrist] be revealed” (2 Thessalonians 2:3). While there has been a spirit of apostasy in the church for 19 centuries, the end of the Church Age will be a time of great departure from biblical teaching. A major and growing part of this departure from biblical preaching and teaching has been the absence of proclaiming the prophetic truth. The result is that most professing believers who attend church regularly are ignorant of any truth concerning the Antichrist and the end-time events. It is no wonder that Jesus spoke of the deception of the elect in the time of the end (Matthew 24:24)!
Paul also taught that the Antichrist could not come until the restraining work of the Holy Spirit through the church would be removed in the Rapture (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7). As God’s light, the church is a restraining influence of spiritual darkness in the world.
It is apparent that as the church departs from the Lord, its restraining influence will be greatly diminished. As the professing church becomes more like the world, its light will grow increasingly dim. We are now living in the days of “a form of godliness” as mentioned in 2 Timothy 3:1-5. At some point, only known to God, the true remnant of believers will be caught away in the Rapture and a great spiritual darkness will descend upon the earth. Concerning this time of spiritual darkness, Isaiah wrote, “For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people” (Isaiah 60:2). In this darkness, Satan’s Antichrist will flourish and masterfully deceive the world. This darkness will envelop the globe and claim the lives of billions of people.
In this time of departure from truth, the Antichrist will appear. He is standing in the shadows, ready to seize the moment. He is being prepared in obscurity. He will take the public stage before the Rapture, or shortly afterwards. He, like Jesus, will begin His God-ordained assignment and dramatically leap from complete obscurity.
Jesus lived for 30 years before he came to John the Baptist and was introduced to the people by him, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). The only facts we have about Jesus during His obscure years are recorded in Luke 2:41-52. During His first 30 years on earth, Jesus never performed a miracle. He waited for the beginning of His earthly ministry as ordained by His Father in heaven. Even so, as a counterfeit of our Lord, the Antichrist will wait for the time of his appearing as ordained by the plans of our eternal, sovereign Lord.
His Covenant with Israel will begin the Tribulation
The Tribulation will not immediately begin with the Rapture of the church. It will start with an event that will be in view by the overwhelming majority of people on earth. The Tribulation of seven years will begin with the signing of a false peace covenant between Israel and many leaders in the Middle East.
A ccording to Daniel, “the prince that shall come” (Daniel 9:26) “shall confirm the covenant with many for one [group of seven years]” (Daniel 9:27). The Antichrist will be instrumental in bringing a temporary cessation of the ongoing war between Israel and the Muslim Arabs. Using masterful deceit, he will pretend to be a friend of Israel and guarantee its security. It is believed that he will lure the Israelis into this trap by giving them permission to build their temple on the ancient Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
The Bible says the Antichrist will “confirm” this peace covenant (Daniel 9:27). The Hebrew word translated “confirm” means “to strengthen that which is weak.” This treaty will be “with many” (Daniel 9:27). In the context of the Bible, it seems that the Antichrist’s actions will be preceded by 10 contemporary kings who have made peace with Israel (Daniel 7:24; Revelation 17:12-14). This causes us to wonder if the current Abraham Accords is the working fulfillment of this prophecy. The ongoing efforts to orchestrate peace between Israel and the Arabs are pointing to the great moment when Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmon will join the kings who have agreed to establish economic and commercial trade with Israel. This agreement would also signal their legitimacy of the modern Jewish State of Israel.
Isaiah 28:14-22 speaks of a peace covenant that Israel will make with its enemies during the time of the Tribulation. This passage shows that the secular leaders of Israel (verses 14, 22) will make a covenant with those who deceptively lie as they establish an agreement with Israel (verse 15). Israel will be duped into signing this agreement as they crave peace and desperately seek to avoid a major war (verse 18). This agreement will be opposed by the Israelis who have the Messianic hope (verse 16). This agreement will ultimately fail and bring sheer terror to Israel (verses 19-20).
He will Establish a Global Government during the First Half of the Tribulation
After his introduction to the world by establishing a peace covenant with Israel, the Antichrist will aspire to use his influence and power to take control of all nations and to establish his own global kingdom.
The Antichrist will believe that his god of military might (Daniel 11:38) has called him to declare war on the nations bring them into submission to his religion and god. Therefore, he will display himself on a white horse and declare that his god has given him a crown and called him to conquer the world (Revelation 6:2). His followers will blindly answer his call to war and kill one-fourth of the world’s population.
Their march across the nations will bring sheer carnage. The world will experience agricultural collapse, economic crises, mass destruction, and the proliferation of many diseases (Revelation 6:3-8). Daniel 7:23 says the Antichrist and his forces will “devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.” We are seeing foretastes of this now. This is what the ISIS forces did in Iraq and Syria. It is what Hamas did in southern Israel on October 7, 2023. It appears that the Islamic forces of the Antichrist will follow these examples on a global scale at the beginning of the Tribulation.
The Antichrist’s hellish march across the world will originate from his headquarters in the Middle East. His ambitions and actions fit the ambitious dreams of many Islamic leaders who have attempted to force their religion and way of life upon the nations since the founding of Islam 13 centuries ago. They continue to slaughter Jews and behead believers in Jesus as they have done for centuries. That is why I view Revelation 6:1-8 as the beginning of the final global Islamic Jihad.
This should send a chill down our spines! It is imperative that we sound the warning to all who will listen to the prophetic Word of God. The evidence of the approaching Tribulation is clear, and it is knocking on our door. Just as in the days of Noah, the world thinks we are crazy and that all of this will never happen.
The Moment of His Great Deception
Before the mid-point of the Tribulation, a very powerful satanic deception will occur. A few days before the middle of the Tribulation Period, two very significant developments will take place. First, the devil, who has been falsely accusing the people of God in heaven for thousands of years (Job 1:6; Revelation 12:10) will be cast down to earth (Revelation 12:10-13). As a result of him being barred from heaven, Satan will greatly intensify his war on the Jewish people (Revelation 12:13-17). Furthermore, the devil will take up residence in the body of the Antichrist to directly empower him for the last half of the Tribulation. Revelation 13 indicates that the devil will give the Antichrist great power and abilities to deceive the world and oppose God.
Immediately prior to Satan entering the Antichrist, the Scriptures indicate that this evil man will receive a fatal wound (Revelation 13:3, 14). His body will descend into hell (Revelation 11:7; 17:8). Then, the Lord will send “strong delusion” upon the wicked population of the world (2 Thessalonians 2:11). God will then allow the Antichrist to be resurrected. It is apparent that his resurrection will be immediately followed by his supernatural indwelling of Satan. As a result, the world will “wonder after the [Antichrist]” (Revelation 13:3, see also 17:8). The world will believe the lie of the Antichrist, who will proclaim himself to be God (2 Thessalonians 2:4). Revelation 13:8declares, “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him.” In addition to this attempt to mimic the resurrection of Jesus, the Lord will allow the devil to give power to the Antichrist and his false prophet to perform miracles (2 Thessalonians 2:9; Revelation 13:13). His resurrection and miracles will cause the world to be in total submission to him for 42 months (Revelation 13:5, 7).
From this moment until the end 42 months later, the Antichrist will not act as a wicked depraved man. He will be one who is indwelt and empowered by the authority of hell itself. Satan will direct his affairs and plans. The Antichrist will simply be the puppet of hell!
This should send a chill down our spines! It is imperative that we sound the warning to all who will listen to the prophetic Word of God. The evidence of the approaching Tribulation is clear, and it is knocking on our door.
He will Desecrate the Holy Place of the Jewish Temple
According to a multitude of Scriptures, many very significant developments will unfold at the exact midpoint of the Tribulation. As previously mentioned, the Antichrist will be killed, resurrected, and embodied by the devil. Satan will waste no time in his diabolical plot to oppose God. He will kill the two Jewish prophets who have ministered unopposed from Jerusalem over all the world (Revelation 11:1-7). His demonic partners will not allow the bodies of the two witnesses to be buried. They will let their bodies lie in the streets of Jerusalem to decompose for three and one-half days (Revelation 11:8-9). However, Satan’s plans to oppose God will backfire in his face. In the eyes of the entire world, probably by satellite broadcast, the world will witness the sudden supernatural resurrection of the two Jewish witnesses (Revelation 11:1-12).
D uring this same period, the Antichrist will enter the newly rebuilt Jewish temple in Jerusalem. He will order the cessation of sacrifices (Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15). He will then commit a horrific act of blasphemy. He will take a seat in the Holy of Holies of the Temple, declaring that he is the incarnation of God (2 Thessalonians 2:4). Perhaps a few days later he and the False prophet will erect an image of the Antichrist on the Temple Mount, forcing everyone to bow down and worship this AI type of robot that will move and speak like the Antichrist (Revelation 13:14-15).
He Finally takes Control of All Nations and Rules the World for 42 Months
After three and one-half years of war against the nations, the Antichrist will take political and religious control over all the world (Revelation 13:7). His control is the result of his supernatural authority from Satan. Satan will control the Antichrist through a powerful religion that is presented as the great harlot in Revelation 17-18. This religion will exert control over all the kings of the earth (Revelation 17:2). It will be centered in the Persian Gulf and is historically connected to the great Gentile kingdoms that persecuted and killed the Jewish people and believers in Jesus Christ (Revelation 17:5-11; 18:24). All facts in the biblical context point to the religion of Islam that controls the souls of those who oppose Jesus, His chosen people, and those who believe Jesus is the Son of God.
The people living at the mid-point of the Tribulation will be mesmerized by these apparent supernatural events. First, they will be in awe of the resurrection of the dead Antichrist. Second, they will be stunned by the murder of the two Jewish witness and their sudden visible supernatural resurrection. In addition to all of this, the world will be enthralled by the miracles of the Antichrist and False Prophet (Revelation 13-14). Furthermore, they will be fascinated by the life-like image of the Antichrist.
With the world in awe of the Antichrist and his power, all people will be commanded to surrender their lives to the authority of this evil dictator. A powerful technology to control all the financial transactions of all the people on earth (Revelation 13:16-18) will be introduced and implemented. This technology will focus upon the use of the mathematical value attached to the name of the Antichrist- 666 (Revelation 13:18). Those who refuse to surrender to his authority will be captured and killed.
During the last half of the Tribulation, the Antichrist will unleash his murderous plot to destroy anyone who opposes him. The enemies of this religion and the Antichrist will be beheaded (Revelation 20:4). This is the current trademark of Islamic murderous jihad.
The last half of the Tribulation will be the most brutal and deadly period in the history of man. The wars of the Antichrist and the divine judgments of God will result in the death of billions of people. Speaking of the events of the last half of the Tribulation, Isaiah 24:6 declares, “Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.”
The reign of the Antichrist would render the world uninhabitable if it were not for divine intervention. While speaking of the atrocities of the Antichrist, Jesus said, “And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened” (Matthew 24:22). According to the prophetic Scriptures, a small remnant of Jews and Gentiles will survive the Tribulation and inhabit the kingdom of God on earth for 1,000 years. Therefore, the reign of the Antichrist and his deadly demonic kingdom must come to a sudden end by the hand of God. This will be the subject of our final newsletter on the Antichrist.
We can thank the Lord that those who are born again will not witness the reign of the Antichrist. We are not to be looking for the Antichrist. We are to be looking for Jesus Christ! Be ready for the shout that will take us out!
Christians Persecuted and Killed
As you read this newsletter, our brothers and sisters in Christ are being tormented and murdered by those who hate us and our Lord. Raymond Ibrahim, a prolific journalist on Christian suffering, recently wrote an extensive article for Gatestone Institute. In this article, he stated, “In 2024, around the world, 4,476 Christians — more than 12 a day on average — were ‘killed for faith related reasons.’ Another 4,744 Christians were arrested or illegally detained, and 7,679 churches and other Christian institutions were attacked, often destroyed.
“Overall, the global persecution of Christians has reached unprecedented levels. “More than 380 million Christians suffer high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith,” according to the World Watch List 2025.
“The top 13 of the 50 nations on the list are characterized by the worst form of persecution: “extreme.” They are: 1) North Korea, 2) Somalia, 3) Yemen, 4) Libya, 5) Sudan, 6) Eritrea, 7) Nigeria, 8) Pakistan, 9) Iran, 10) Afghanistan, 11) India, 12) Saudi Arabia, and 13) Myanmar.
“The form of persecution experienced ranges from assault, rape, imprisonment, or even murder on being identified as a Christian or attending (usually underground) churches” (Raymond Ibrahim, Gatestone Institute, May 11, 2025).
The War on Food
According to the prophetic Scriptures, there will be a growing problem with the food supply chain that will be needed to feed the global population in the future. Near the beginning of the Tribulation, a global shortage of food will be in place (Revelation 6:5-6).
We could be only a few months or years from this horrific development! The Bible states that this food shortage will materialize due to divine judgments that will cause radical climate change, such as drought and intense heat. The food supply will also be impacted by war, diseases, and the foolish actions of governments around the world.
We now have evil political leaders who are orchestrating a global food crisis by the tyrannical policies they are adopting to force us to accept their authority to establish a one-world government.
According to an article in Gatestone Institute, the World Economic Forum and their friends at the United Nations are formulating an agenda to stop the production of our food sources because they claim the growth of these food sources are causing dangerous greenhouse emissions that are threatening life on earth. Many opposing scientists have revealed that these claims are false and are only generated to deceive us into submission to these godless leaders.
“Animal-based foods, especially red meat, dairy, and farmed shrimp, are generally associated with the highest greenhouse gas emissions,” according to the UN. What to eat instead? The World Economic Forum has for years aggressively been advocating insects to be approved as a food ingredient for human consumption (Gatestone Institute, May 13, 2025).