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Particulars of Christianity:
314 End Times Prophecy (Eschatology)

Prophetic Symbols:
Several Possible Scenarios (Part 3)

Prophetic Symbols: Several Possible Scenarios (Part 1)
Prophetic Symbols: Several Possible Scenarios (Part 2)
Prophetic Symbols: Several Possible Scenarios (Part 3)

Articles 7-12
Articles 13-18
Articles 19-25
Articles 26-29

Who are the 10 kings and where does the antichrist come from?

I. E.U., Europe Union - The primary evidence for this scenario is as follows.

A.) Daniel 9:26 says, "the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary."

Since the Romans besieged the city of Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple in 70 AD, many believe that the antichrist is the prince that shall come and that since the Romans were a European empire, the antichrist and his empire will also be European.

B.) 10 kings will give their kingdoms to the beast (Revelation 17:12-13, 17).

There are more than 10 nations in the European Union and the 10 most prominent could be the 10 horns.

II. United Nations (10 global economic regions) - The primary evidence for this scenario is as follows.

A.) 10 kings will give their kingdoms to the beast (Revelation 17:12-13, 17).

Some people say that the United Nations has divided the world into 10 economic regions and that those 10 regions will one day be formalized into political regions and the political rulers over them will be the 10 horns.

B.) Revelation speaks of the "whole world," and "all the world," being deceived by and following after the beast. It also speaks of the beast, saying "power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations" (Revelation 12:9, 13:3, 7, 16:14.)

The U.N. has power over all nations and is set up to be a government for the whole world.

(NOTE: This Prophetic Symbols study series, including all of the specific content contained in the section below under the heading "III. 10 Arab Nations/Kurdistan," was ritten in 2002 and has been online on this website since December of 2002. It is based on research and bible study that was conducted starting in late 2001 and throughout 2002.)

III. 10 Arab nations / Kurdistan (the antichrist arises to power in Kurdistan and is possibly a Kurd) - The primary evidence for this scenario is as follows.

The Antichrist is described as or associated with a "little horn," which arises after and among ten horns, which are associated with the (Byzantine) Roman Empire. This "little horn" is diverse from these ten horns and somehow subdues three of them.

According to our prophetic symbol legend a horn is a smaller kingdom or nation that arises out of an empire and/or the king or leader of that nation. The Antichrist's depiction as a "little horn" that grows up after/among 10 horns that grow up out of the Eastern Roman/Byzantine empire and subdues three of them (Daniel 7:8,20,24, 8:9,22-23) means that the Antichrist will arise in conjunction with a smaller nation that comes out of the Eastern Roman/Byzantine empire. This smaller nation will arise or be established after ten other nations that also come from Eastern Rome/Byzantium. Either by its establishment or soon thereafter this smaller nation will subdue, pluck up, or possibly conquer three of the first ten nations. And finally this little nation will be diverse from the other 10 nations. The Kurds and their country of Kurdistan seem to fit well with this depiction as we will confirm by looking at several news articles.

According to washingtonpost.com the Kurds are "a non-Arabic people" and "most adhere to the Sunni Muslim faith." This would explain how the "little horn" is diverse from the other ten horns if the other ten nations are Arabic countries.

The Post also reports that "the 1920 Treaty of Sevres, which created the modern states of Iraq, Syria and Kuwait, was to have included the possibility of a Kurdish state in the region." Additionally, in "1920" "after World War I, when the Ottoman Empire is carved up, the Kurds" were "promised independence by the Treaty of Sevres." And in "1923" the "Turkish leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk" rejected "the treaty, and Turkish forces put down Kurdish uprisings in the 1920s and 1930s."

From this we see that though many of the modern nations of the Middle East were established in the 20th century after WWI, Kurdistan was not. If Kurdistan is ever established as a nation it will certainly arise after and yet among these other nations that were established in the 20th century.

Furthermore, the Washington Post also states that "during the early 20th century, Kurds began to consider the concept of nationalism, a notion introduced by the British amid the division of traditional Kurdistan among neighboring countries." But, though the Kurdish people seek an independent nation, they have so far been unable to achieve this goal though they are recognized internationally as a distinct people group with a recognized homeland with distinct territorial boundaries.

The Washington Post confirms that "after the overthrow of the Turkish monarchy by Kemal Ataturk, Turkey, Iran and Iraq each agreed not to recognize an independent Kurdish state." According to washingtonpost.com, following the Turkish suppression of the Kurdish uprising "the Kurdish struggle lies dormant for decades."

To this day, however, the Kurds still seek an independent state. Indeed, this is one of the chief concerns of Turkey and many Iraqi ex-patriots who are even now working with the United States on a post-Saddam Hussein Iraqi government.

These countries seek assurance that the Kurds will not be allowed to bring their nationalist desire for independence to fruition and that they be prevented from establishing an independent Kurdistan in the aftermath of Saddam's removal from power, which has served to contain their agenda. This apprehension is easily understood when viewed in the context of history as reported in the Washington Post article. These three countries, Turkey, Iraq, and Iran have agreed to prevent an independent Kurdish state from ever being founded, yet the British and Americans have both encouraged and aided in the endeavor to establish Kurdistan.

NOTE: By clicking here, you can view 6 maps of Kurdistan from various sources including: 1.) A map showing the borders as proposed by the 1920 Treaty of Sevres 2.) Areas of Kurdish Political Operation in 1998 3.) Borders demands by Kurds including 1945 U.N. Petition by Kurds to the first session of the U.N. 4.) A map of Kurdistan provided by the Washington Post 5.) A map of Kurdistan overlaying existing states provided by www.humanrights.de and 6.) A map of Kurdistan provided by kurdistan.org.

NOTE 2: You can also compare these maps to the land area where Magog is located. Lexicon 1 and Lexicon 2 are two screen-captured images showing the exact same description of Magog's location from blueletterbible.org and Online Bible software. On both Lexicons, note the highlighted section which states that Magog is thought to be located somewhere "between Cappadocia and Media." Then, compare the maps of Kurdistan provided above to this map of ancient regions from Hammond Medallion World Atlas showing that the most if not all of the area between Cappadocia and Media lies within Kurdish territory. Please also visit our Historic Maps Section.

Additionally, washingtonpost.com confirms that the "Kurds have tried to set up independent states in Iran, Iraq and Turkey." As we have seen, Kurdistan lies chiefly within the territorial boundaries of these three nations, all of which were established by the Treaty of Sevres, which also called for a Kurdish state. This explains their devoted efforts to prevent the establishment of a Kurdish state.

Amazingly, the Washington Post also denotes that in "1991" "after [the] Persian Gulf War, northern Iraq's Kurdish area comes under international protection." Since that time "The United States has tried to create a safe haven for the Kurds within Iraq by imposing a 'no-fly' zone north of the 36th parallel."

Therefore since the Gulf War the Kurds, under the protective cover of U.S. and British fighter planes, have largely enjoyed territorial autonomy in northern Iraq, which has served to both foster their nationalist goals for an independent Kurdistan and give them the opportunity to become competent in self-government and to develop civil infrastructure. All of this has further fueled the fears of regional powers who recognize that the idea of a Kurdish state has as much potential for actualization now as it ever did.

Furthermore, time.com, a CNN company, confirms these facts as laid out by washingtonpost.com. Time.com reports that "the Kurds" are "a people who were denied a state in the redrawing of the maps at the end of World War I." And that "the Kurds were promised their own state in the 1920 Treaty of Sevres, which carved up the Ottoman Empire after its defeat in World War I." Time.com describes Kurdish territory as falling within "southeastern Turkey, northern Iraq, Iran and parts of Syria."

Additionally, when speaking of the Kurdish people the news service states that "large numbers migrated across Europe (there are as many as half a million in Germany alone) and also into the former Soviet Union." Yet at present "despite decrying their treatment at the hands of the Turks and Iraqis, the Kurds are far from unified."

With all of this in view it is easy to see how the right person at the right time (perhaps a post-Saddam Iraq) might sweep into power in this small nation, unify its forces, and enable them to finally establish a Kurdish state, usurping the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of at least three previously existing Middle Eastern nations - Turkey, Iraq, and Iran.

A third source cool.mb.ca confirms the diverseness of the Kurds from the Arab nations of the Middle East and their territorial threat to three specific nations saying "the Kurds are people of Indo-European origin who live mainly in the mountains and uplands where Turkey, Iraq, and Iran meet."

The Kurds themselves have written much on these matters. On the website http://members.aol.com/KHilfsvere/Kurds.html" in an article entitled "The Kurdish Question - Its History And Present Situation" by Kemal Burkay we are told that "Kurdish is a member of the Indo-European family of languages; like Persian, Afghan, and Beluchi, it is one of the Iranian languages." Thus, we again see the distinction between the Kurds and their Arabic neighbors. Again Burkay writes ""Kurdish is unrelated to the Arabic or Turkish languages."

Regarding the religion of the Kurds, Burkay also informs us that "in the various parts of Kurdistan, especially in the region where the borders of Turkey, Iran, and Irak meet and in Armenia, there are Kurdish Yezidi communities. In earlier times, the Yezidi faith was a widely shared religious orientation. Its roots go back to Zoroastrianism." Therefore, in addition to their ethnicity and language the Kurds are also to be distinguished from their Arab Muslims of the region in their religious practices (though most Kurds are Sunni Muslims as we read from an earlier article).

Burkay further states that "Kurds have played a significant role in the history of this region since its early epochs. A great deal of information on this can be found in numerous Greek, Roman, Arab, and Armenian sources. According to them, the Kurds founded several important states during the Islamic epoch between the tenth and thirteenth centuries, such as Shaddadiden, Marvaniden, and Ayyzbiden - as well as in the distant past. Sultan Salahaddin (Salah al-D”n), the founder of the Ayyzbid state, which included Egypt, Syria, and Kurdistan, played a particularly significant role in history."

As far as the population of the Kurds goes we can again see their regional significance and how an independent Kurdish state would impact the Middle East. According to Burkay's article "18 to 20 million Kurds live within the borders of Turkey," "8 to 10 million in Iran," "5 million in Iraq," and "1.5 million in Syria." From these numbers and their distribution we can see that should the Kurds ever manage to create their own state several countries would be greatly affected.

Finally http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/world/A0828382.html confirms the importance that the Kurdish people have in Middle Eastern history and its present by reporting that "Saladin, who gained fame during the Crusades, is perhaps the most famous of all Kurds." And that "despite their lack of political unity throughout history, the Kurds, as individuals and in small groups, have had a lasting impact on developments in SW Asia."

From Daniel 8 we know that the "little horn" of the Antichrist grows up out of one of the four kingdoms of Alexander the Great, the Grecian Empire. These four kingdoms were Egypt under Ptolemy, Western Turkey under Antigonus, Syria/Seleucia under Seleucus, and Thrace under Lysimachus (Daniel 8:8-9,22-24). Additionally, Daniel 11 informs us that the Antichrist and the "little horn" are associated with the Kings of the north. He stands up in the estate of the kings of the North as the successor to the Seleucid empire who were the Biblical kings of the north and whose kingdom was one of the four to arise out of the Grecian empire after the death of Alexander the Great (Daniel 11:6, Daniel 11:21-45). Unlike a European or Roman antichrist, Kurdistan is centered in this geographic region that was once ruled by the Seleucids.

Other Biblical passages confirm these details. According to the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel, the Antichrist is associated with the north, and the people of the north, or coming from the north (Jeremiah 46:10, Ezekiel 38:15, 39:2).

In Ezekiel 38-39 we see the Antichrist depicted as Gog of Magog. The territories that these chapters use to identify Gog of Magog are all related to the Eastern Roman/Byzantine Empire as well as to Turkey and/or Kurdistan. Gog and Magog are both in southeast Turkey or western Kurdistan. Also Gog is said to be the chief prince of Meshech, which is in Western Turkey and Tubal, which is in central Turkey (Ezekiel 38:2-3). (See historic maps of Kurdistan 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, excerpts 1 and 2 from Hebrew Lexicons, amap of Magog's probable location, and our Historic Maps Section for comparison.)

Additionally, Constantinople or Byzantium, the capitol of Eastern Rome/Byzantium became Istanbul, which is in modern day Turkey. All of these regional descriptions of the Antichrist's geo-political connections are significant since Kurdistan is centered about and falls into Central and Eastern Turkey where most of these areas from Ezekiel overlap or neighbor.

From Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel we know that the Antichrist is associated with Babylon or known as the king of Babylon (Isaiah 14:4, Ezekiel 30:10, 32:11). Babylon's territory is centered about Iraq. The country of Kurdistan falls right within the northern part of the geographic territory that was known as Babylonia.

Isaiah refers to him as the Assyrian, associated with the Assyrians. Assyria was in northern Iraq and perhaps partly fell into some of surrounding nations such as eastern Syria (Isaiah 14:25). The country of Kurdistan falls right within the geographic territory that was known as Assyria.

A speculation of which Middle Eastern countries may be depicted in these prophecies that we have covered are as follows. Kurdistan may be the nation that is the little horn. The three horns or nations that are subdued may be Turkey, Iraq, and Iran. The remaining seven that are not subdued could be a Syria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Lebanon, perhaps Jordan (though there may be some Biblical indications that Jordan will escape the Antichrist's power), Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, or perhaps some of other former Soviet Republics of central Asia. Additionally, Egypt, Sudan, and Libya seem to be at the border of the Antichrist's empire (Daniel 11:43).

From these articles, which we have surveyed we can see that the Kurds and their potential homeland of Kurdistan may fit well with the prophesied eschatological picture in the following respects.

1. Kurdistan is a smaller nation and so could be the "little horn."
2. Kurdistan would be established well after and yet among the rest of the Middle Eastern states.
3. The Kurds are a distinct Middle Eastern people linguistically, ethnically, and in some ways by their religion.
4. Kurdistan, if established, would supplant and disrupt at least three countries, whose existence preceded it's own - Turkey, Iraq, and Iran.
5. The land area of Kurdistan falls within and fits with the land areas that are associated with the Antichrist including: Gog, Magog, Meshech, Tubal, Babylon, Assyria, and the Seleucid empire.
6. The Kurds and the Middle Eastern countries, which neighbor them are partially within the geographic territory of the Eastern Roman/Byzantine empire, from which the 10 horns and the "little horn" will arise. (And from the example of Greece in Daniel 8, we know that such horns can migrate away from an empires original power center.)
7. Kurdistan is geographically within the land area occupied by the Kings of the North, the Seleucid kings, who emerged as one of the four kingdoms, which arose out of Greece after the death of Alexander the Great, and which the Antichrist is said to be the leader of in the last days.

With all of this in mind perhaps it would be helpful to summarize how a real life scenario fulfilling end times prophecy might (and we stress might) unfold involving Kurdistan. Keep in mind that this scenario is meant only as a tool to aid those who seek to be watchful by providing them with another potentially viable series of events that could fit the Biblical depiction (in addition to those other, more prominent scenarios which are already widely discussed in the public forum). Again, we must emphasize that the purpose of this description is NOT to prophecy or proclaim with any level of certainty the events that are outline therein. That said, should a scenario involving Kurdistan's emergence transpire in near future, which resembles the following description, it would perhaps be a development that Christians should keep an eye on.

1. A Middle Eastern war erupts, which results in a power vacuum and/or political instability in the region (such as the current campaign spearheaded by the U.S. and Britain to remove Saddam Hussein from power). This might fit well with Daniel 11:22 which may very well describe such a removal of existing opposition prior to the emergence of the Antichrist.

2. During the occurrence of such a war or in its aftermath, an independent nation of Kurdistan is established by the Kurds. The establishment of this Kurdish state usurps territory from three of its neighboring states (such as Turkey, Iraq, and Iran) and results in a forfeiture of these nations' political superiority or a subversion of their own national sovereignty. This would resemble the Biblical depiction of the "little horn" subduing three of the ten horns, which were established prior to its existence (Daniel 7:24).

3. The newly formed Kurdish state comes to be controlled by a person who is not granted a position of leadership by the sanction of either the people of the region or by the United Nations and/or the western powers. Such a person may fit the description in Daniel 11:21, which states that the Antichrist will not be given the honor of the kingdom.

4. The leader of the Kurdish state secures an alliance of 10 other Middle Eastern states including the three countries, which were affected by the establishment of Kurdistan in the manner described above. This alliance could result from diplomacy or conquest. The alliance of nations acts in such a way or officially declares itself as a confederation of states resulting in the formation of a regional super-state, which claims regional dominance through among other things its military superiority. Such a scenario would correspond well to Daniel 7:24 where a smaller nation rises up after and among ten other nations and subdues three of them. Additionally, it would fit with Daniel 11:23, which speak of a league or covenant that is made as well as Revelation 13:3, which presents the revival of the (Eastern/Byzantine) Roman empire.

5. This regional super-state, attacks and destroys New York in accordance with the demands of the ten subordinates who ceded their national authority to the Antichrist and his newly reformed empire. This would fulfill the destruction of mystery Babylon by the ten kings as described in Revelation 17:16-17. This act of destruction could serve as an effective incentive to deceive the armies of the kings of the earth (the False Prophet's empire and the Antichrist's empire) to gather in the Middle East at the valley of Megiddo under the guise of fighting each other but with the real intention of turning their firepower against the soon returning Christ.