The first three Gentile kingdoms arose SUCCESSIVELY in
the PAST (Daniel 2:39), but will reappear TOGETHER with the fourth Gentile kingdom in the
FUTURE and then be destroyed ALL TOGETHER by Israel's Messiah (Daniel 2:34-35,43-44)
Antichrist arises from ONE of the FOUR divisions of the
Greek empire (Daniel 8:8-9)
Antichrist, "Vile Person" (Daniel 11:21),
emerges from the rivalry between the "King of the South" and the "King of the North" (Daniel 11:5-20)
Out of the four-fold division of the Greek empire (Daniel 8:8 cf.Daniel 11:4) emerge two prominent divisions, i.e. the "King of the North"
and the "King of the South" (Daniel 11:5-6) as represented by the "thighs of brass" (Daniel 2:32,39)
in the "Great Image" (Daniel 2:31)
The directions "North" and "South"
are relative to the "Pleasant Land" (Daniel 8:9) also known as the "Glorious Land" (Daniel 11:16),
i.e. Israel
The "King of the South" is Egypt (Daniel 11:7-9),
i.e. Israel's southern neighbor
The "King of the North" is Assyria, i.e. Israel's
northern neighbor - Israel is called the "third part" between Assyria and Egypt (Isaiah 19:23-25)
The time associated with the "thighs of brass"
is the time of warfare between the southern Egyptian royal line of Ptolemy (Soter) and the northern Assyrian royal
line of Seleucus (Nicator) over the land between them (Israel) - a rivalry which extended from the death of Alexander
the Great until Rome's conquest of BOTH kingdoms in the first century BC
Israel did NOT recognize her "time of visitation"
and so she has been laid waste by her enemies (Luke 19:43-44) and her "house has been left desolate" awaiting the time
when she shall say "blessed is He that cometh in the Name of the Lord" (Matthew 23:38-39)
In the meantime (last 2000 years), "blindness in
part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in" (Romans 11:25) - after which time "there shall come out of Zion the Deliverer,
and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob" (Romans 11:26)
After the "catching up (Rapture)" (I Thessalonians 4:16-17)
of the "Church, which is His Body" (Ephesians 1:22-23) - the warfare between the "King of the North" and the "King
of the South" will be resumed (Daniel 11:5-20) as represented by the extension of the "legs of iron" from
the "thighs of brass" (Daniel 2:32-33)
Thus, the Gentile "dispensation of grace" (Ephesians 3:1,2)
concerning "THE MYSTERY" (Ephesians 3:3,6) sits between the PROPHESIED third "brass" kingdom (Daniel 2:39)
and the PROPHESIED fourth "iron" kingdom (Daniel 2:40)
The prophesied warfare between the "King of the North"
and the "King of the South" (Daniel 11:5-20) is what will give rise to the "vile person", i.e. Antichrist
(Daniel 11:21)
The "King of the North" will be greater than
the "King of South" (Daniel 11:5-6) and as Antichrist will be ultimately victorious over the "King
of the South" (Daniel 11:40-44 cf.Daniel 8:23-24),
but will finally be destroyed by Israel's Messiah (Daniel 11:45) - "he shall be broken without hand" by "the Prince
of Princes" (Daniel 8:25)
In Israel's time of "tribulation" (Revelation 1:9),
i.e. "the Day of the Lord" (Revelation 1:10), there will be "seven kings" (Revelation 17:9-10) of whom Antichrist will be the 6th king and who will be briefly deposed
by the 7th king and then will come back as the 8th king (Revelation 17:10-11)