I believe there will be a magnificent predecessor to the Antichrist who will conquer and unite the Middle East (Daniel 11:13-19) who could come from Iraq or Syria. After he suddenly dies or disappears, his weak successor (Daniel 11:20) will be followed by the Antichrist himself, who will take control stealthily (Daniel 11:21) and make a peace treaty under which he will consolidate his power (Daniel 11:23-24).

I believe most Christians will have been certain that the magnificent predecessor to the Antichrist was the Antichrist himself, so that when he suddenly disappears from the scene they will be left bewildered and more easily open to deception.

The war of the magnificent predecessor (Daniel 11:13-19) and its aftermath of famines and epidemics (Revelation 6:4-8) may be "the beginning of sorrows" spoken of by Christ (Matthew 24:7-8), after which comes great deceptions and apostasy (Matthew 24:11-12), all leading up to the rising up of the Antichrist and the abomination of desolation (Matthew 24:15, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).