I have pondered this too. How all this will unfold. My view leans towards him claiming to be a god, not the Christ. (2 Thess) When he arrives, he has to weasel his way into control. Peaceful flatteries, then he shows his true nature. We know he heals the wound, but it isn’t a snap your fingers event if he has to work his way in.
I wondered what scenario he will bring to join all the different beliefs into one accord. How would he unite the Muslims with any other belief? Or will they battle him too? Twisting scripture won’t work for all since not all believe it in the first place. Only 31% of the world claim to be Christian.
It is hard to find a church that teaches the true word anymore so turning them to someone else, to me, isn’t going to be very hard for him. Many already think God’s laws are unfair and outdated.
Sometimes I relate it to Satan after the millennium. A while ago someone said he will fool the people again as to who he is. I believe we will know who he is, 1000 years in the pit. Too me, the deception is going to be that if they join him again, this time he can defeat God’s army and they won’t have to live by God’s laws anymore. After the 1000 years of the iron rod, the unruly will buy into anything to be able to live like we see the world becoming today. That pesky 1/3 just doesn’t want to conform.