JOEL RICHARDSON: FALSE TEACHING THAT THE ANTICHRIST WILL BE KILLED

(9) End Time Talks 16 Will the Antichrist be Killed or Cast Alive into the Lake of Fire? - YouTube

Joel Richardson has recently brought out a subsequent video defending his view that the Antichrist is killed as against thrown alive into the lake of fire. He cites various scriptures in order to prove his assumption, but his eisegesis falls flat on its face. Richardson's so called "proof texts" are a very poor attempt to make to make his Gog/Antichrist theory work, and his gross misrepresentation of the scriptures is extremely troubling. 

He shall come to his end

And he shall pitch his palatial tents between the sea and the glorious holy mountain. Yet he shall come to his end, with none to help him. At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. (Daniel 11:45-12:1 cf. Matthew 24:21). 

Daniel 11:40-45 describes the Antichrist's conquest of the surrounding nations when the tents of his armies are pitched either in, or close to, Jerusalem. These events precede the abomination of desolation event at the mid point of the 70th week and the subsequent great tribulation.. "he shall come to his end" may refer to the apparent "deadly wound" from which the Antichrist recovers. (Revelation 13:3). Richardson's alleged proof text regarding the death of the Antichrist at this point in the chronology does not fit the timeline of Armageddon which occurs at the end of the 70th week. 

Habakkuk 3 - Crush his head from thigh to neck

You went out for the salvation of your people, for the salvation of your anointed. You crushed the head of the house of the wicked, laying him bare from thigh to neck. Selah. (Habakkuk 3:13).

The wording "crush the head" is found in Genesis 3:15 and refers to the serpent aka Satan. Pharaoh/Egypt is mentioned in the commentaries, possibly as a past partial fulfillment. It confirms that Jesus will strike the head of the house of the wicked. The meaning of the Hebrew words do not signify that the Antichrist is killed. 

You struck מָחַ֤צְתָּ (ma·chatz·ta) 4272: to smite through, wound severely, shatter a prim. root
the head רֹּאשׁ֙ (rosh) 7218: head a prim. root
of the house מִבֵּ֣ית (mib·beit) 1004: a house a prim. root
of the evil רָשָׁ֔ע (ra·sha,) 7563: wicked, criminal from an unused word
To lay him open עָרֹ֛ות (a·ro·vt) 6168: to be naked or bare a prim. root
from thigh יְסֹ֥וד (ye·so·vd) 3247: foundation, base from yasad
to neck. צַוָּ֖אר (tzav·var) 6677: neck, back of neck from an unused word  {1}

Gill: "There seems to be a double metaphor in the words, expressing the utter ruin and destruction of antichrist and his party; who, being compared to a building, will be demolished, and razed to the very foundation; that will be dug up, and laid bare, and no trace of an edifice to be seen any more; and, being compared to a human body, will be plunged into such distresses and calamities, as to be as it were up to the neck in them, from whence there is no escape and deliverance. Some understand this of the princes of this head, or of his friends, and those of his family that are nearest to him, as the neck is to the head; or of the whole body of the people under him, of which he will be deprived; and so be as a head without a body, and who cannot long survive them. Selah"  {2} 

Is this the man? 

Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, who made the world like a desert and overthrew its cities, who did not let his prisoners go home?’ (Isaiah 14:16-17).

Richardson's claim that "the man" in Isaiah 14:16 refers to the Antichrist is unreliable. Isaiah 14:1-22 is a taunt against the king of Babylon (with allusions to Lucifer.) (Isaiah 14:3). But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit. (Isaiah 14:9,11,15). The King of Babylon is compared with Lucifer, the Morning Star, whose pride and ambition led to his downfall from heaven. According to the Old Testament, Sheol/Hades is a temporary place where souls are kept as they await the final resurrection. The lake of fire Revelation 19:20 and 20:10,14-15, is the final hell, the place of eternal punishment, both for apostate angels and wicked human beings. (Matthew 25:41). The scriptures are unequivocal, the destination of the Antichrist (the beast) is the Lake of Fire, not Sheol. (Revelation 19:20).

Consume - anaireó

 

..whom the Lord shall consume (anaireó) with the breath of his mouth. (2 Thessalonians 2:8). The meaning of anaireó is - to take up, take away, make an end. {3} anaireó frequently does mean kill or slay, but not always. (e.g. Acts 7:21 and Hebrews 10:9). The definitive Greek word for kill is apokteino as in Matthew 10:28 Mark 12:5 etc. {4} 

Working on the hermeneutic principle that we should always interpret unclear passages in the light of clear passages, Revelation 20:20 is the clearest verse.

Further Evidence 

In Revelation 20:10 we read that the Antichrist and the false prophet are in the lake of fire when Satan suffers the same fate and joins them after a thousand years. If we take Revelation 20 chronologically, which I think we should, we find that the dead (sinful humanity), are judged at the great white throne judgement after Satan is thrown into the lake of fire. The Antichrist and the false prophet are not judged along with the rest of humanity at the great white throne judgement. This indicates that their particular fate differs from that of the dead. Sinful humanity suffer the second death after they are judged, whereas the Antichrist and the false prophet are fast tracked to the lake of fire without being previously killed or judged. 

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11-14).

1. Habakkuk 3:13 Lexicon: You went forth for the salvation of Your people, For the salvation of Your anointed. You struck the head of the house of the evil To lay him open from thigh to neck. Selah. (biblehub.com)
2. Habakkuk 3:13 - Meaning and Commentary on Bible Verse (biblestudytools.com)
3. Strong's Greek: 337. ἀναιρέω (anaireó) -- to take up, take away, make an end (biblehub.com)
4. Apokteino Meaning in Bible - New Testament Greek Lexicon - New American Standard (biblestudytools.com)