 Daniel 7:20"...look was more stout than
his fellows." (KJV)
"...larger in appearance than its associates"
(NASB)
"...looked more imposing than the others." (NIV)
"...looked greater than the others." (AMP)
"...was more terrifying than any of the others." (TEV) |
The
most compelling of Daniel's clues regarding how the Antichrist will look is that
he will have a distinctly large, stout, terrifying, and/or more imposing physique than other
politicians. While few would disagree that Schwarzenegger meets this
criteria, along with countless others, there are a few reasons to at least give
him higher marks than others.
For one, the text of Daniel's description narrows
the field of comparison to his associates or peers: The man won't just be
exceptionally strong in appearance, he will be MORE SO than his associates.
While this points most directly to the narrow group of ten
conspirators/political leaders he will rise up amongst, the fact that Arnold
would stand out exactly as Daniel described amongst about any group of
politicians of any time speaks volumes. Of course, he wouldn't even be
considered merely as a bodybuilder and movie star, but as governor of the
most populous state in the union, he moves straight to the top of the list -- a
subordinate political leader ("little horn") who is bigger and stronger than any
and all other politicians with a lot of ambition and upside potential.
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 "My body is like breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I don't
think about it, I just have it." - Arnold Schwarzenegger
"Don't think of him as a Republican. Think of him as the man I love, and if
that doesn't work, think of him as the man who can crush you." -
Wife, Maria Shriver,
when she introduced Arnold to uncle, Senator Ted Kennedy
"When a man
walks in front of a mirror, he sees Arnold Schwarzenegger." - Dr. Joyce
Brothers 1995
"...maybe it's
a sign of the Schwarzeneggerization of society" - November 1990 Newsweek
article on male pectoral implants
"Arnold Schwarzenegger is the name we give to a collection
of ideas which has spread in our culture over the last 30 years....both [his] name and the idea, has been used as an adjective, a
metaphor, an adverb, and a simile for those trying to talk about things big,
expensive, powerful, violent, tough, and successful. He is quite simply an
easy-to-use reference point or perfect example, the prototype that is
immediately understood and recognized. What he points to is a model of behavior
that values persistence, force, self-determination, physical strength, power,
positive action, uniqueness, and destruction." (From July 2003 essay by
anthropologists and UCLA fellows Louise Krasniewicz and Michael Blitz titled
Why
Arnold Matters @ http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/ioa/arnold/arnoldwebpages/whyarnold.html.)
According to a
poll on the question, "In a hundred years, how do you think Arnold will
best be remembered?" found on Schwarzenegger.com (as of 10/16/04), there was a virtual tie between
bodybuilder, action star, and hero (in order, approximately 31% each) in
response The other two choices, politician and
businessman, trailed way behind at 6% and 2%, respectively. We'll monitor
this poll and report any notable changes in voting patterns.
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Also, as a specific and unusually framed identifying
mark, it is apparent that this man won't just be a large man, he will be known
as a large and strong man. By comparison, he would seem to carry a
reputation similar to the ancient Philistine giant, Goliath, who to this day is
a metaphor for people of great size and strength (as well as the Antichrist
himself). Another biblical type and example would be King Saul of ancient
Israel, who, though inwardly a wolf, was the perfect image of the warrior king
sought by the Israelites of that day.
There are plenty of politicians who would be
considered exceptionally big (e.g. former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura,
Israeli Prime Minister Sharon, U.S. Undersecretary of State Dick Armitage,
etc.), but none actually known as big and strong in any measure comparable to
Arnold Schwarzenegger's worldwide reputation. In fact, he is not only
known as an exceptionally large and strong man, his name is an international
icon for physical strength, a modern day Goliath. (See
Arnold Metaphors for examples.)
Although renowned worldwide by his first name alone (having captured the
domain from the pig on the old sitcom "Green Acres"), Arnold is known first
in the role in which he first found international fame -- as a bodybuilder -- even though he
hasn't competed for decades. According to Wikipedia,
"His
well-developed physique revolutionized the sport, earned him the moniker "The
Austrian Oak" and won him the titles of Junior Mr. Europe, Mr. World, Mr.
Universe (five times) and Mr. Olympia (seven times). He is considered one of the
most important figures in the history of bodybuilding, and his legacy in the
sport is commemorated in the Arnold Classic annual bodybuilding competition.
"Schwarzenegger has remained a prominent face in the bodybuilding sport long
after his retirement, presiding over numerous contests and awards shows. For
many years he wrote a monthly column for the Bodybuilding magazines Muscle &
Fitness and
Flex. Shortly after being elected Governor, he was appointed executive
editor of both magazines, in a largely symbolic capacity. The magazines agreed
to donate $250,000 a year to the Governor's various physical fitness
initiatives."
Further indication of how his unusually "stout" or "imposing" physique
continued to be a large part of his claim to fame long after his bodybuilding
career ended with what was actually his first political position, Chairman of
the President's Council on Physical Fitness, which he was duly appointed to by
none other than George H.W. Bush, father of the current president, in 1990.
Of course, one can hardly disassociate his mega-success as an actor from his
uniquely strong looking physique, either, but the fact is that "Arnold" is so well known for his virtual superhuman stature that it
hardly bears further discussion here. The point stands on its own: He is a rising political star who is known first and foremost as a
uniquely muscular man who is notably "more stout" or "imposing" in his
appearance than almost all other human beings and, all the more, any other
politicians in view at this time.
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