And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. (Revelation 6:1, 2)
The breaking of the first seal reveals a white horse and rider. The rider is the antichrist and he will come on the scene at the very beginning of the tribulation period as a man of peace. When war seems to be on the verge of breaking out, he will sway the nations with his charisma, savvy and political charm. His only mission will be to fix the world of its problems and set himself up as the god of this world. In order to accomplish this he will go forth conquering and taking some nations by force. No one will be able to stand in his way and all who oppose him will be crushed. He will kill many in the name of peace that his kingdom may be established. Of course, he will fail miserably. For peace will only be established when Jesus sets up His earthly kingdom.
The first thing that will take place will be a formation of the Revived Roman Empire. He will begin by controlling a ten-nation block, in which three nations he will take by force. Grant Jeffrey, author of Armageddon Appointment With Destiny sees it as somewhat of a military takeover.
“That after these ten nations have formed a ten-nation “Roman confederacy”, then the “little horn,” the new leader of Western Europe (the Antichrist), will seize three of the nations by force. Then the other seven nations apparently will submit and join him.”
This league of nations will be formed and in place before the signing of the seven-year peace agreement with Israel. This alliance will be very successful both economically and politically. Many believe the European Union will be this powerful bloc of nations.
Although the Antichrist will be a powerful ruler, he will still have to answer to another potent endtime nation known as Mystery Babylon. I believe this nation to be modern day America. Later on in the tribulation period the Antichrist will challenge their power. This will be discussed in length in later chapters.
Meanwhile, the Antichrist will revive this empire to its former glory and eventually wage war against the Lord at the end of the tribulation period.