The Glory of God pt 3

Lets talk about fire.

Just so everyone knows, I think that the preachers who have sermons on fire and revival and God coming like a fire and this is the glory are completely polluting the Church. To say that God's glory is likened to fire is a complete abomination. Teaching people to pray that they would be filled with fire is absolutely killing the Spirit. Why do I say such things?

Fire is a topic in the Scriptures. It doesn't need to be ignored. It is misrepresented. When the Hebrews would think of fire, they would think of fire. When most charismatic preachers and laymen hear the word "fire," they think of some sort of emotional-hype-ooey-gooey-amazing-fall-over-because-of-the-immense-tangible-glory-of-God-OH-MY-GOD-I-CAN'T-EVEN-BREATH-BECAUSE-I'M-LAUGHING-SO-HARD-shaking-my-head-like-a-fish-flopping-out-of-water-no-self-control-over-my-muscles-but-don't-let-it-stop-because-it-feels-sssoooo-goooood kind of manifestation.

Since when has being set on fire meant a delight? Since when has burning alive meant that we are going to just smile and put our hands up and have that "holy posture" while we praise Jesus silently? Since when has fire meant that our bodies jerk backwards uncontrollably?

I hate the "fire" movement.

Now that I've got that out in the open, lets talk about fire.

What are some of the purposes of fire? It keeps a person warm. It purifies. It can be harnessed for landscaping purposes (like a controlled burning of a field that it might grow back more abundantly). It gives light. You can use it to cook food. You can steam bend wood over a fire. It softens tar and pitch. It repels predators and pesky insects. We've even developed smoke signals for communication. 

These are the kinds of things that the Hebrews would have been thinking when they use fire as a symbol. When it says that God is an all-consuming fire, it has this kind of connotation. He is light. He warms the soul in the cold and harsh dark world. He is pure and purifies. This is what we need to think of. Everywhere that I can see the word fire in the Scriptures, it seems to have these kinds of contexts.

I have never seen in the Scripture where fire (by itself) is used as a symbol of emotion or spirituality. There are idioms. One of them is "his nose is on fire." This saying is found in the Hebrew. It means that someone is angry. But notice that the emphasis isn't the fire, it is the nose. When fire is emphasized, it can mean passion, but always means purity. When God comes, He purifies and purges. When the Messiah comes, He will purify and purge (according to Malachi 3). Well, Jesus did speak of this purifying. He did come like a refiner's fire and a fuller's soap. He will come again in the same way - this time to purge the world of sin once and for all by killing the antichrist and throwing Satan into the "lake of fire."

Which is another reference, right? What about all of the symbols that we instantly think of with fire? We think of passion, yes. But we also think of fire and brimstone. What about hell? Is hell just a place where we get purified and then go to heaven?

Here is where fire can (and probably should) be used as a symbol. Even if it is literal, does it indicate something like purgatory?

Well lets address this intellectually.

The body will die. We all know that. What about the soul? Well, the Hebrew ideology of soul is the whole being of someone. There is obviously this carcass that is dead without the "soul" of the man, but that really isn't the Hebrew concept of a soul. A soul deals with the whole of a person. We would look at it as body, soul, and spirit - all of it. The whole person is the nephesh (soul). 

But there is the idea that there is something beyond our body. We do have a spirit. We do have some sort of a link to the spiritual realm that doesn't "die." Our New Testaments record that Jesus spoke of fearing the One who can "kill body and soul in Hell."

All of this to point out that the body might die, but then the soul goes on. What happens after death? This life seems to be a dressing room for eternity. What we do in this life - the things we sow onto our souls - will form and shape the people we will be in the next life. If you live this life full of hatred and racism, what will happen when you come into contact with the One who is love? If you live this life full of deception and manipulation and lying to people, what will happen when you come in contact with the One who is Truth? Just think about it.

Is Gandhi in hell? 

What would happen if Gandhi met Jesus? 

If Gandhi said that famous line, "I enjoy you, Jesus, I just didn't like you Christians," do you think that Jesus will reply kindly? Do you think that Jesus would be like, "Yeah, my wife is a whore." Do you really think that if Gandhi faces Jesus in eternity that he will be able to bear it? Or is it more likely that even Gandhi, with all of his hope for peace and his religious devotion, will shrink back in everlasting shame that he would profess that he liked "our Christ," and yet refused to follow Him?

Is this making sense?

Hell isn't simply a place where there is fire. Fire isn't a passion. Fire isn't hype. Fire isn't emotion. Fire describes a purification. But how do we get purified? We bear our own shame. We confess to a brother our weaknesses. We humble ourselves and open ourselves to admitting our shortcomings. We also embrace others knowing that the weaknesses they struggle with are nothing that we aren't capable of committing. We embrace them, and we love them, and we struggle with them to overcome together.

That is going through the fire. Fire purifies, because fire shows the dross. All of the impurities are exposed. Nothing is hidden. Silver can look pure until it is melted down. Suddenly all of the dirt and dross that we couldn't see rises to the surface. This is painful. It is exposing. We must bear this.

If we do not bear our shame here in this life, then we will bear it for eternity. If we do not open our lives for others to see our imperfections, then we will enter into the next age with the same defects. What will you do then? Will you repent when you're at the judgement seat? By that point it is too late.

There is a real sense in which Zechariah 2:5 can be interpreted as "we must pass through the flames of heaven to enter into the glory of heaven." There must be a suffering before there is a glory. If we are unwilling to bear our suffering, and bear the shame of our sin before our brothers and sisters, then we will never find freedom. I have a hard time in viewing people as people. That is something that I need others to know so that when I start speaking or acting in a way that displays that, they can come along side of me and lovingly point it out.

I need community. In 2 Corinthians 3:18, we see that the glory of God is beheld in each other's faces. This is what moves us from image to image, glory to glory. I need community where the fire of God can be reflected in the face of my brother or sister, and they can purify my soul.

This is what fire is all about. If we pray for the fire of God, we are praying for exposure. We are praying for purity - but purity of what kind? Maybe a better way to ask is: purity as a result of what? We must bear the shame and the suffering. Otherwise we are weak Christians. This is not a good weakness where we can say, "Where I am weak, He is strong." This kind of weakness can result in hellfire that will not be put out. This kind of weakness can result in harming the image of God. This kind of weakness can result in harming others' lives. We need to be very careful.

So, ultimately fire isn't a synonym or symbol of glory. But it is often used as a synonym and symbol of glory. I felt the need to divest myself in this to expose the faulty foundation that some are standing on. You don't need to stop teaching on fire - you don't need to stop praying for fire. What needs to change is our attitudes and our mindsets about what fire is. 

The Glory of God pt 2

In part 1, we had a quick overview of some basic concepts of glory. We looked into clouds and darkness a little bit (I hope to cover it more thoroughly later), and we considered the detriment that has taken place for the lack of God's glory in the Church.

In part 2, we're going to look at the Hebrew word for glory.

The Hebrew word is kavod (kaw-VODE). This word has a history. It started out meaning weight. When you buy wheat, you must weigh out the silver or gold and the wheat on a scale. You get the allotted amount of wheat for the amount of gold you spend. Over a coarse of time, kavod started to take on another meaning, though.

God's glory is intertwined with this idea of weight. Have you ever had that moment when something happens or something is said, and you're suddenly taken aback? Nothing else matters. Something about this time here and now is special. It means something deeper than just what is happening. It might be your wedding day. You have been spending months preparing for this, and now suddenly as she is walking down the aisle you see how important this moment really is. You realize that it is no longer your life - it is both of your lives together. It is no longer just Tommy - it now Tommy and Kimberly.

These moments happen multiple times in our lives. Some are good; others are bad. The point isn't whether it is good or bad, the point is that the world suddenly changes. Nothing is perceived the same way ever again. These moments shape the people that we are. That is kavod.

The idea comes from a concept that says when you come in contact with this God, you cannot be the same. You will be changed. Either He will come and frighten you, or you will be overwhelmed in joy. But when you leave that moment, something has happened.

God's glory according to the Hebrew word isn't so much about this moment of "awe" and angels singing. It isn't about halos and light and falling down. There is a real concrete interpretation here. We think of glory as some sort of abstract amazing thing. This is why words fail us. We don't have any clue what glory is. That's the point, right? If we could describe it, then it must not be glorious...

But the Hebrews had a completely different idea. It isn't necessarily something that you can see, taste, touch, or hear... Glory is something that you feel in the inner parts. It is something that causes everything to change. There are some Scriptures that talk about a darkness that you can feel (like the plagues of Exodus). But how do you feel darkness? Yet, we all understand full well what is being described, don't we?

God is glorious. And what is glory? It is a weighty alertness. It causes for you to realize the importance of this moment. It is a sense of "this right here matters more than anything else." And God desires that we would live from that. He desires that we wouldn't simply take these glorious moments we experience with Him and cherish them. As crucial as it is to cherish such moments, it is all the more critical to go out into the world and live with that sense of magnitude in all things.

The conversation you have with your friends has a weight of glory in it. The moment you are given to speak in front of people is once and for all. The time that you have to spend with family only comes this once. There is no guarantee that you will have tomorrow to live. This isn't a fear tactic, but a reality check. How much of our lives are spent like herded cattle?

Every day we go through the motions planning that someday we'll take a vacation or retire, and then we'll enjoy life. Until that day, we are only in survival mode. But what happens when that day comes? We are bored. There isn't enough to do. We thus fill our lives with nonsense and "jobs" that once again disconnect us from the things that really matter.

The cycle doesn't end.

You have to purposefully choose to be free. And I'll tell you what happens: you feel like crap. You feel like you aren't "doing" anything. But since when has God ever said that we have to "do?" It has always been that we are to "be," and then we are sent out to do. Adam was told to tend the Garden. But this came after God had made Him as an image bearer. Paul was sent out as a missionary and apostle. But this was after he had spent years in fellowship becoming the person that God called him to be.

Don't rush things.

This is the greatest downfall. We feel complacent, and we aren't "doing" enough, because we are still under the curse. Adam's part in the curse was that he will now have to work and toil by the sweat of his brow. It feels good to work. It feels good to accomplish. These things were made of God. But who's strength are you employing? Are you working yourself to death? Are you forcing yourself into a situation where you cannot simply be with God?

God's glory is not about working something up.

To understand the glory of God, we need to understand that He is already all around us. Finding the glory of God is finding God in everything. Nothing is common anymore. Everything is valuable. Everything is holy.

And even the word holy seems foreign.

It means separated and consecrated. It is set aside for the Lord. So when the heavens declare the glory of God, it is essentially saying they have been set aside for God exclusively. The heavens are holy. God is altogether other - holy, holy, holy. Why do the seraphim say holy three times? God is three. He is not one in the sense of monotheism, but a trinity.

He is different and set apart - nothing compares to Him.

So when we talk about glory, we talk about kavod.

When we talk about kavod, we talk about the weightiness of all things.

When we talk about weightiness, we talk about holiness.

These are all wrapped up into the same concept together. You cannot understand holiness without understanding glory. You cannot understand glory without understanding holiness. Kavod is the heaviness that we feel when the presence of God comes.

The Glory of God pt 1

My grandfather passed away recently. How recent? A week ago was his funeral...

I've had a bit of time to ponder all of the things that happen around a death - the searching for a funeral home, going through pictures, seeing family you haven't seen in years. It was during this time that I started to recognize the gory of God that sits behind the scene. I had the opportunity to speak at my grandpa's funeral. I started with a reference to Genesis 1:2. This verse seemed to explode with new information.

The Hebrew language has different forms of poetry and idioms than English. This should be obvious. When you start to learn some of the Hebrew mindset and culture, you start to see these coming up time and time again. In Genesis 1:2 we have a form of poetry. I'll use a proverb as an example: "A wise son heeds his father's instruction, but a mocker does not respond to rebukes," Proverbs 13:1.

This form of poetry makes 2 statements that are related. The first is about the wise, the second about the fool. The 2 statements are therefore opposite. This also happens in Hebrew with synonyms. In Genesis 1:2, we see "darkness was upon the face of the deep" (statement 1) and "the Spirit of God hovered over the waters" (statement 2). The question is now as to whether these are synonyms or opposites.

What is being cross compared?

In statement 1 we see darkness and "the deep" as the two nouns. In statement 2, we see the Spirit of God and "the waters" as the two nouns. So the Spirit and darkness are being compared, and the the deep and the waters are being compared. Now, in Hebrew, the word used as "the deep" is sometimes used as a synonym for sheol - the grave. And the word translated as waters is plural (which is obvious, but not obvious). Water is always plural. The singular is the word, "what." The word water is the plural of "what," which raises some interesting questions...

If "what is it" and a synonym for the grave are being compared, they don't seem to be too far from one another. It would appear as though these deeps and the water are the same thing. It is 2 different words/expression describing the same thing. If that is the case, then the darkness is also an interpretation of the Spirit of God...

But I thought that God is light.

This started a journey for me. There are a lot of places where God comes with darkness. In Genesis 15, a darkness comes over Abram before the Lord appears to him as a brazen lamp and burning fire (another bit of Hebrew poetry describing 1 thing 2 ways). God sent a darkness that can be felt on Egypt. In Exodus 20:21, Moses approaches the darkness "where God was..."

God upon Sinai is described in Deuteronomy 4:11 as black clouds and thick darkness. In Deuteronomy 5:11, God speaks out of the thick darkness. 2 Samuel 22:12 claims, "God made darkness His canopy around Him." In Psalm 18, God makes darkness his garment; in Psalm 97, clouds and thick darkness surround Him. What is interesting about Psalm 97 is that it is another parallel. The clouds and thick darkness are compared with righteousness and justice.

Now, there are many more references to darkness as being a curse and a bad thing. I don't reject that.

What I'm fascinated with is that there is any connection at all to God and darkness. I have thought of God as being the one who separates the light from the darkness, not the one who is surrounded in darkness. Why would God reveal Himself in the midst of clouds and darkness? The references to clouds reminds me of Jesus who is coming on the clouds.

I wonder if the reason that I'm having these thoughts at this time is that death has surrounded me. In the wake of my grandfather's death, I've found the clouds and thick darkness. They represent sorrow and bereavement. They represent suffering and loss. They represent a death of some sort. There must be an absolute stripping if there is to be an absolute filling. There must be an absolute death if there is to be an absolute resurrection. And maybe this is why we can claim that God is light: we are children of the resurrection. For those who have passed from death to life, we can behold God in His fullness.

This ideology includes and eclipses the idea that the clouds and darkness are there because no one can see God in his full glory. It embraces it, but then says that unless there are clouds and darkness we cannot see God in His fullness and glory. It is in the times of darkness being upon the face of the deep that the Spirit of God is hovering over our own lives. We won't be able to know God as He in fact is until we are willing to undergo suffering and bearing our crosses. In bearing our own cross, the cross of Christ becomes all the more clear as to the glory that God displayed there. As we suffer death and suffering in our own lives and prides, we start to see what the resurrection truly is. It takes a certain kind of death and a certain kind of suffering to strip us of all of the vanity that we so easily cling to. But once it's gone, we don't miss it at all. We realize how much the vanity and entertainment actually got in the way of God instead of leading us to Him.

This is why I'm against established religion, by the way. So many times you don't even need to bring a Bible to church. It is all on the screen, it is all in the notes, and it is altogether unnecessary. Our worship songs are more to catch the attention of people so that they might be able to bear sitting for half an hour, and the messages are littered with forms of entertainment like jokes, videos, and emotional stories. What happened to the glory of God? What happened to the captivating glory that caused for all of Israel to fall on their faces and cry out, "The Lord - He is God! The Lord - He is God!"?

We have missed it because we are pampered. We are taught that suffering isn't needed. We are taught a baby food Christianity that goes nowhere. We are taught to be tolerant, and maybe that is why people scoff and laugh at the Bible. "It says that if someone blasphemes the name of God that we should stone them! Who's first?" "It says that homosexuality is a sin, but then says that adultery is a worse sin. Maybe you Christians who commit adultery ought to kill yourselves instead of gay bashing!" Atheists, homosexuals, scientists, teachers, philosophers, and society and culture everywhere are taking the Bible and using it as a tool to mock and proclaim that we are all narrow minded bigots.

If you look at history, you'll know that 10 years before the Nazis systematically exterminated the Jews, there were cartoons and other forms of media that mocked them and gave way for people to think that they were lesser. They were doing god a service for killing them. You mark my words, because we have played games with the holy things of God, we will also be killed.

The glory of God is not something to tamper with. This is an introduction, and I wish to go a little deeper within the weeks ahead.

Daniel pt 11

Daniel chapter 12 is another chapter that needs to be looked at verse by verse. It’s tough to break it down concept by concept.

Daniel 12:1: “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. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book.

This is a continuation of Daniel 11. The angel Gabriel is still talking. “At that time…” What time are we looking at? It is easy to say after the antichrist is killed. If we look at it with that perspective, then the question then becomes “What is the time of trouble to follow?” We know that the one who kills the antichrist is Jesus. And we know from Zechariah that when the people of Israel behold the one who they pierced, they shall all weep alone in repentance.

So it doesn’t fit really well that Israel will have to suffer another persecution after the antichrist has been slain. What time are we speaking of, then? Well, I think it’s fair to look to other places in Scripture that speak of Michael arising. We indeed find in Revelation 12 that Michael kicks Satan out of heaven right as the Time of Jacob’s Trouble is starting.

This is where I sit on the issue. I think that Gabriel is recapping. This is a quick summary before going into more detail beyond the Tribulation.

Jesus quotes Daniel 12 in Matthew 24:21. He makes the exact same statement that this last days persecution of Israel will be like nothing else that mankind has ever seen or faced before. It will never happen like this again after that. Jesus even adds that if it weren’t for God cutting the days short, then no one would survive.

We find this verse end with a promise that those who God has written their names in His book of Life will be delivered. This is a fearful time, but it isn’t something to walk in fear about. God is still in control. He is still the one who is governing the outcome.

Daniel 12:2: And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

This should also remind you of something Jesus spoke about. This is plastered throughout the New Testament. Almost every book of the New Testament talks about a day where everyone will be judged.

Daniel 12:3: And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

Here is where I want to bring up that statement I made earlier in Daniel 8. The stars that Satan casts to the ground and tramples on are the wise. Remember that the wise in Daniel 11 are those who have the Holy Spirit to direct, lead, and teach them. The wise are those who have already accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and hear His voice. These wise people will “shine like stars.” We’ll see in Revelation 12 how Satan casts a third of the starry hosts down to the earth. We’ve often heard it quoted and translated that these stars are angels that have rebelled with Satan and now are demons.

I’m not so sure that this is the case. A lot of the time in prophetic Scripture, the stars are symbolic of the saints. This even goes all the way back to Genesis. Joseph’s dream of the sun and moon and the 11 stars bowing before him was translated as the 11 stars representing Joseph’s 11 brothers. The sun and moon were his father and mother. From thence onward, we see stars representing saints every time. So for it to represent angels only one time in Revelation seems very questionable.

Daniel 12:4: But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

These are the final words of Gabriel.

Daniel 12:5: Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others stood, one on this bank of the stream and one on that bank of the stream. And someone said to the man clothed in linen who was above the waters of the stream, “How long shall it be till the end of these wonders?” And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream; he raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven and swore by him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end all these things would be finished.

Okay, so we have now another repeat. Back in Daniel 7 we’re told that the amount of time that the saints will be handed over to the antichrist will be “time, times, and half a time.” This follows the feasts of the year. From Passover to Passover is one time: a year. So a time, two times, and half a time is 3 ½ years.

Remember that the number given in Daniel 7 relates to the amount of time that the antichrist kills the saints. Here in Daniel 12, the 3 ½ years relates to how long the antichrist rules and reigns (the time of Jacob’s Trouble). So from the time that the antichrist starts to persecute Israel and the saints to the time that Jesus returns is 3 ½ years. We will see in Revelation that 1,260 days (or 42 months) is mentioned for how long Satan persecutes Israel.

This is important to remember, because we’re going to find other numbers in Daniel 12 that don’t add up to 42 months or 1,260 days.

Daniel 12:8: I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, “O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?” He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand. And from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days. Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days. But go your way till the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days.”

You can see here where we have different numbers. This number game is up for grabs. I don’t have absolute answers. One of the things that I wonder about is whether there will be a short period of time between when the sacrifice is cut off and the antichrist persecutes Israel. I wonder if maybe the reason why there is 1,290 days from the time the sacrifice is cut off, but 1,260 days for the persecution of Israel is because there will be a month where the antichrist will occupy Israel and will give Israel the choice to bow down and follow him or to suffer his wrath.

This isn’t definitive, but only a thought. I don’t think that anyone can give definitive answers, but I think that that should start you on your way. As far as what does it mean, “Blessed are they who last until the 1,335 days?” This one is another one that I don’t know. Another guess is that maybe this is when the antichrist is destroyed.

Maybe the antichrist is killed after 1,335 days, but the 1,260 days represent when the antichrist hears the news from the north and east that disturbs him (Daniel 11:44). I’m not entirely sure. This might also be why Jesus said that only the Father knows the time, day, hour, etc of when Jesus will return. This strange prolonging of days does make it puzzling, but when it comes closer to the time I think it will become more obvious as to what this actually means.

At the end of Daniel, we have a promise made to Daniel that he will be resurrected. So the book of Daniel ends with the resurrection from the dead. This is the Millennial Kingdom. We don’t have any particular verses to help us understand that, but I can only assume that since Daniel is quite a saint that he will be one to make it into the first resurrection.

If the first resurrection is what the Millennial Kingdom is referred to in Revelation 20, then that must mean that there will be a second resurrection. So whether this verse specifically means the first or second we can’t be sure. What we can be sure is that if the book of Daniel has already been fulfilled (as many scholars believe), then we are living in the time of the resurrection (literal, not spiritual).

The book of Daniel and the fulfillment of it could no more be placed back in the 1^st century as the resurrection of the dead is placed back in the 1^st century. We find from the whole commentary of Daniel 11 into 12 that Gabriel starts back in Daniel’s time and ends at either the first or second resurrection. The judgment of the dead has been hit on. The killing of the antichrist has been hit on.

So I challenge you to read for yourself and come to your own conclusions before reading books. Before you read the commentaries, think for yourself. Come to your own conclusions. Many times when you read and study something out for yourself you will find that the book will give you the translation. You won’t need to search outside of the very book that you are reading. Cross referencing can give you a lot of bigger picture, but sometimes the best thing to do is to start with what you are reading and let the author say what he intended to say.

I end this brief commentary on Daniel with encouraging you to read any prophetic Scripture in its own immediate context. But I also want you to know that many times the prophets expected that what they were prophesying about was also intended for the last days. Much of what Isaiah says has specific prophecies for his time. But much also seems to go beyond his time and into something bigger.

Use common sense and practicality. If you can’t translate something as literal, then you can look for the spiritual implication. But if you can translate it as literal, then it is probably to be taken as literal. That is where most of the confusion comes from when Bible scholars try to comment of prophecy. If it hasn’t happened, then it must be failed.

Doesn’t it make more sense that if it hasn’t happened that it must be referring to something beyond the immediate context? If Isaiah prophesied that Tyre will become desolate, and that obviously hasn’t happened yet, then there must be some future event to fulfill that prophecy. The person who was supposed to destroy Tyre has passed away a long time ago. So we must expect that he was a type and model (as all of the nations’ kings are).

Daniel pt 10

I'm skipping Daniel chapter 10 so that we can continue through the prophecies of Daniel one after another.

Chapter 11 is a continuation of chapter 10. Daniel 10 is where the story starts, but it is in chapter 11 that the End Time prophecy starts. Now Daniel 11 is another one of those chapters that is kind of funny with its time span. Just like in chapter 9, we have to do some sorting out of what happened in the past and what will happen in the future.

The easiest way that I know how to figure this out is that we know the very end of the age is at the last verse. If you take the last verse of Daniel and follow the subject (the Hebrew antecedent) back verse by verse, you will find that the topic changes in verse 21. From verses 2-20, we can find all of these prophecies in the history books. Beyond that, nothing from history really fits. It makes sense that verse 21 would start to speak about a time that is still future. The problem with most commentaries that I find is that they put Daniel 11:2-39 before the coming of the Messiah. Then the last 5 verses are shoved way up into the future. That isn’t the true flow of what is happening. The subject from verse 21 all the way to the end doesn’t change. Therefore, verse 21 must be the antichrist.

So lets look at verses 2-20. I’ll put names and dates in the midst of the text so that you can better see and understand who and what and how.

DANIEL 11:2 "And now I will tell you the truth: Behold, three more kings will arise in Persia, and the fourth shall be far richer than them all; by his strength, through his riches, he shall stir up all against the realm of Greece."

This prophecy was given in the third year of Cyrus, king of Persia (c. 535 BCE). The next three Medo-Persian kings after Cyrus were: (1) his son, Cambyses II (530-522 BCE); (2) Gaumata the Magian (also known as the pseudo-Smerdis – 522 BCE); and (3) the Persian Darius I (the Great – 522-486 BCE). The fourth king was (4) Xerxes (486-465 BCE).

Xerxes' mother was Atossa, the daughter of Cyrus the Great. His father, Darius the Great, left him the task of punishing the Greeks for their part in the Ionian rebellion (499-494 BCE) and their defeat of the Persian army at the battle of Marathon (490 BCE).

DANIEL 11:3 "Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will."

After the military defeat of Xerxes by the Greeks, a number of additional Persian kings ruled the empire. But Xerxes had set the stage for a strong Greek ruler to arise. This ruler was the Macedonian Alexander the Great, who defeated Persian King Darius III Codomannus in 333 BCE at the battle of Issus (located on the Mediterranean coast in what is now southeast Turkey). This defeat signaled the beginning of the end of the Persian empire.

At the height of his power, Alexander conquered and ruled an empire that stretched from southern Europe to North Africa to central Asia. But the Greek empire of Alexander was not destined to endure. He fell ill and died on June 10, 323 BCE in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon.

DANIEL 11:4 "And when he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken up and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not among his posterity nor according to his dominion with which he ruled; for his kingdom shall be uprooted, even for others besides these."

After much fighting and jockeying for position, Alexander's empire was divided into four major portions by 301 BCE: (1) Cassander ruled over Greece, (2) Lysimachus ruled in Asia Minor, (3) Seleucus I Nicator ruled in Babylon and Persia, and (4) Ptolemy I Soter ruled over the Holy Land and Egypt.

DANIEL 11:5 "Also the king of the South shall become strong, as well as one of his princes; and he shall gain power over him and have dominion. His dominion shall be a great dominion."

Twenty years later (281 BCE), when Seleucus I killed Lysimachus in battle, only two dynasties remained in Alexander's old empire – the Seleucid kings in the north and the Ptolemaic kings in the south.

DANIEL 11:6 “And at the end of some years they shall join forces, for the daughter of the king of the South shall go to the king of the North to make an agreement; but she shall not retain the power of her authority, and neither he nor his authority shall stand; but she shall be given up, with those who brought her, and with him who begot her, and with him who strengthened her in those times.”

In 249 BCE, king of the South Ptolemy II Philadelphus sent his daughter Berenice to the king of the North Antiochus II Theos. His plan was to stop the war that was raging (the Second Syrian War) and unite the two kingdoms through their marriage. Unfortunately, this plan had a flaw: Antiochus II was already married. However, because he knew his marriage to Ptolemy II's daughter would ensure peace and allow him to regain most of the Syrian possessions his father had lost to the king of the South, Antiochus II put away his wife Laodice and married Berenice.

DANIEL 11:7 "But from a branch of her roots one shall arise in his place, who shall come with an army, enter the fortress of the king of the North, and deal with them and prevail."

Ptolemy III Euergetes, the eldest son of Ptolemy II and brother of Berenice, was not happy about the murder of his sister. He immediately invaded the Seleucid Empire. His armies defeated the forces of new king of the North, Seleucus II, who was the son of Antiochus II and Laodice. His campaign was successful, and his armies achieved victory from the Tigris River to the coasts of Asia Minor. Ptolemy III captured and put to death Laodice. He was even able to enter Seleucia, the port city on the Tigris River of the capital Antioch, and leave a garrison there.

DANIEL 11:8 "And he shall also carry their gods captive to Egypt, with their princes and their precious articles of silver and gold; and he shall continue more years than the king of the North."

During the Third Syrian War, king of the South Ptolemy III is credited with recovering many of the sacred statues that the Persian forces of Cambyses had carried off during their conquest of Egypt some three hundred years earlier. Because of this, he was known as Euergetes ("Benefactor"). Ptolemy III acquired much gold and silver during his victorious campaign; in fact, from Seleucia alone he received 1,500 talents of silver annually as tribute (about 10% of his annual income). He outlived Seleucus II, who died after falling from his horse, by four or five years (222 BCE).

DANIEL 11:9 "Also the king of the North [lit. "he"] shall come to the kingdom of the king of the South, but shall return to his own land."

In 240 BCE, the king of the North, Seleucus II, attempted to invade Egypt in response to the humiliation he had suffered at the hands of Ptolemy III. However, he had to return in defeat after his fleet perished in a storm.

DANIEL 11:10 "However his sons shall stir up strife, and assemble a multitude of great forces; and one shall certainly come and overwhelm and pass through; then he shall return to his fortress and stir up strife."

The sons of Seleucus II were Seleucus III Ceraunos ("Thunder") and Antiochus III (the Great). Seleucus III, the eldest son of Seleucus II, began a war against the Egyptian provinces in Asia Minor. However, he was unsuccessful, and was assassinated by members of his army in Asia Minor in 223 BCE. Seleucus II's younger son, Antiochus III, took the throne at the age of 18 after his brother's death. In 219-218 BCE, Antiochus III victoriously went through Judea, coming almost to the borders of Egypt.

DANIEL 11:11 "And the king of the South shall be moved with rage, and go out and fight with him, with the king of the North, who shall muster a great multitude; but the multitude shall be given into the hand of his enemy."

Antiochus III met Ptolemy IV Philopater at the Battle of Raphia (also known as the Battle of Gaza) in 217 BCE. Antiochus III, the king of the North, had 62,000 infantry, 6,000 calvary, and 103 war elephants. But the forces of Ptolemy IV, king of the South, were victorious in the battle. Antiochus III was forced to withdraw into Lebanon.

DANIEL 11:12 "When he has taken away the multitude, his heart will be lifted up; and he will cast down tens of thousands, but he will not prevail."

After his victory over Antiochus III, Ptolemy IV spent only three months settling affairs in the Holy Land before heading back to Alexandria. He was apparently eager to return to his luxurious and decadent life in Egypt. In his haste to go home, Ptolemy IV left the important port of Seleucia-in-Pieria on the Phoenician coast (which his father had first captured) in the hands of Antiochus III. After his victory at Gaza, the Egyptian troops trained to fight the Seleucids began a successful guerilla campaign against his rule in Egypt. By the end of Ptolemy IV's reign, they had achieved total independence in the southern part of Egypt.

DANIEL 11:13 "For the king of the North will return and muster a multitude greater than the former, and shall certainly come at the end of some years with a great army and much equipment."

After the death of Ptolemy IV in 204 BCE, Antiochus III rallied his forces once again to attack the kingdom of the South. In the Fifth Syrian War (202-195 BCE), Antiochus III swept down into Judea from Syria. He retook the territory that he had occupied some eighteen years previously. When Antiochus III withdrew for the winter, the Egyptian commander Scopas reconquered the southern portions of the lost territory, including Judea and Jerusalem.

DANIEL 11:14 "Now in those times many shall rise up against the king of the South. Also, violent men of your people shall exalt themselves in fulfillment of the vision, but they shall fall."

Antiochus III negotiated an alliance with King Philip V of Macedonia to divide up Egypt's Asian possessions. After some temporary setbacks (particularly at Gaza), Antiochus III's army inflicted a crushing defeat on the Ptolemaic forces about 199 BCE at Paneas, near the headwaters of the Jordan River. Regarding the prophesied actions of the Jews, the Jewish historian Josephus wrote:

Yet was it not long afterward when Antiochus overcame Scopas, in a battle fought at the fountains of Jordan, and destroyed a great part of his army. But afterward, when Antiochus subdued those cities of Celesyria which Scopas had gotten into his possession, and Samaria with them, the Jews, of their own accord, went over to him, and received him into the city [Jerusalem], and gave plentiful provision to all his army, and to his elephants, and readily assisted him when he besieged the garrison which was in the citadel of Jerusalem. (Ant. 12.3.3)

Unfortunately, this Jewish assistance was not to be remembered when Antiochus IV later came against Jerusalem.

DANIEL 11:15 "Then the king of the North shall come and throw up siegeworks and take a well-fortified city. And the forces of the South shall not stand, or even his best troops, for there shall be no strength to stand."

Following his defeat at Paneas, Scopas fled to the fortified port city of Sidon. But after Antiochus III besieged it, Scopas surrendered in 199 BCE in exchange for safe passage out of the city back to Egypt. He and his troops were allowed to leave the city naked after giving up their weapons.

DANIEL 11:16 "But he who comes against him shall do according to his own will, and no one shall stand against him. He shall stand in the Glorious Land with destruction in his power."

With his final victory over Scopas at Sidon, Antiochus the Great took the Holy Land away from the Egyptians for good. Judea and Jerusalem had passed from the king of the South to the king of the North.

DANIEL 11:17 "He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; thus shall he do. And he shall give him the daughter of women to destroy it; but she shall not stand with him, or be for him."

Young Ptolemy V had entered into a treaty with Antiochus III after his military defeat in the Fifth Syrian War. Through this treaty, Antiochus III tried to strengthen his position and expand his empire even further. Ptolemy V surrendered his Asian holdings to the king of the North and accepted Antiochus III's daughter, Cleopatra I, as a bride. They were married in 194 BCE. Through this marriage, Antiochus III sought to gain a foothold in Egypt itself through his daughter. But his plan backfired. Cleopatra I was a true wife to Ptolemy V, standing by him instead of seeking to benefit her father. Cleopatra I was beloved by the Egyptian people for her loyalty to her husband.

DANIEL 11:18 "After this he shall turn his face to the coastlands, and shall take many. But a ruler shall bring the reproach against them to an end; and with the reproach removed, he shall turn back on him."

In 192 BCE, the ambitious Antiochus III crossed into Greece to aid the Aetolians. He sent ambassadors to Rome asking for friendship. However, the Roman senate replied that they would be friends if Antiochus III left the Greeks in Asia free and independent and if he kept away from Europe. Antiochus III refused, and went to war against Rome. With 10,000 men, Antiochus III sailed across the Aegean Sea and took some strongholds in Asia Minor.

But in doing so, he alienated his former ally, Macedonian king Philip V. The Roman army entered Asia Minor and defeated the larger forces of Antiochus III at the Battle of Magnesia in 190 BCE. In the peace treaty of Apamea in 188 BCE, Roman general Publius Scipio set a high cost on Antiochus III for peace. He demanded twenty hostages (including his son, Antiochus IV), a reduction of naval ships to twelve, and payment to Rome for the cost of the war totaling 15,000 talents over the next twelve years. The all-consuming ambition of Antiochus III had finally brought defeat to the kingdom of the North.

DANIEL 11:19 "Then he shall turn his face toward the fortress of his own land; but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found."

As a consequence of the Roman victory over Antiochus III, the outlying provinces of the Seleucid empire again reasserted their independence. With his kingdom now reduced to Syria, Mesopotamia, and western Iran, Antiochus III was in dire need of funds with which to pay Rome for the cost of the war. In 187 BCE, while attempting to plunder a pagan temple in Babylon near Susa (Shushan), Antiochus III was murdered.

DANIEL 11:20 ""His successor will send out a tax collector to maintain the royal splendor. In a few years, however, he will be destroyed, yet not in anger or in battle."

Antiochus III's eldest son, Seleucus IV Philopater, took over after his father's death. Due to the heavy debt burden imposed by Rome, he was forced to seek an ambitious taxation policy on his shrunken empire. This included heavy taxation on the people of Israel. In fact, Seleucus IV even sent his treasurer, Heliodorus, to the Temple in Jerusalem to extract money.

The Roman senate decided to trade hostages; therefore, they ordered Seleucus IV to send his son Demetrius, the heir to the throne, to Rome. In return, the Romans released Seleucus IV's younger brother, Antiochus IV. When released, Antiochus IV went to Athens.

In 175 BCE, after Demetrius had been sent away to Rome, Seleucus IV was poisoned by his minister Heliodorus. Some historians think that Heliodorus desired the throne for himself, while others believe that Antiochus IV was behind the murder. Seleucus' young son, (another Antiochus – age 5) was put on the throne in his place. However, Heliodorus was the actual power behind the throne.

Lets start looking into verse 21. This part of Daniel is so compact. There are so many details mentioned that we can really frame for ourselves exactly what is happening within those last 3 ½ years quite easily. There should be no doubt in our minds as to who the antichrist is. When he comes, we have it right before us as to what he will do and when he will do it. We might even know things that the rest of the world won’t. It’s hard saying what will be publicized and what will be hidden from the general masses.

As you saw from the first part of Daniel 11, there are a lot of details given. Many historians believe that this is failed prophecy. There are even scholars who believe that the book of Daniel (at least this part) was not written by Daniel. Someone after Daniel wrote the prophecies from Cyrus to Antiochus Epiphanes. They then tried to forge what they thought would happen to Antiochus Epiphanes, but didn’t get it right. There are indeed some things that line up with Antiochus Epiphanes. But it is because of the many verses that show it couldn’t have been him that causes me to say that a partial fulfillment is not a fulfillment. This is a jump to the anitchrist, just as in Daniel 8 we saw that the antichrist comes out of Greece instead of Rome.

Daniel 11:21: In his place shall arise a contemptible person to whom royal majesty has not been given. He shall come in without warning and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. Armies shall be utterly swept away before him and broken, even the prince of the covenant. And from the time that an alliance is made with him he shall act deceitfully, and he shall become strong with a small people. Without warning he shall come into the richest parts of the province, and he shall do what neither his fathers nor his fathers' fathers have done, scattering among them plunder, spoil, and goods. He shall devise plans against strongholds, but only for a time. And he shall stir up his power and his heart against the king of the south with a great army. And the king of the south shall wage war with an exceedingly great and mighty army, but he shall not stand, for plots shall be devised against him. Even those who eat his food shall break him. His army shall be swept away, and many shall fall down slain. as for the two kings, their hearts shall be bent on doing evil. They shall speak lies at the same table, but to no avail, for the end is yet to be at the time appointed. And he shall return to his land with great wealth, but his heart shall be set against the holy covenant. And he shall work his will and return to his own land.

Daniel 11:29: “At the time appointed he shall return and come into the south, but it shall not be this time as it was before. For ships of Kittim shall come against him, and he shall be afraid and withdraw, and shall turn back and be enraged and take action against the holy covenant. He shall turn back and pay attention to those who forsake the holy covenant. Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate. He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. And the wise among the people shall make many understand, though for some days they shall stumble by sword and flame, by captivity and plunder. When they stumble, they shall receive a little help. And many shall join themselves to them with flattery, and some of the wise shall stumble, so that they may be refined, purified, and made white, until the time of the end, for it still awaits the appointed time.

Daniel 11:36: “And the king shall do as he wills. He shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods. He shall prosper till the indignation is accomplished; for what is decreed shall be done. He shall pay no attention to the gods of his fathers, or to the one beloved by women. He shall not pay attention to any other god, for he shall magnify himself above all. He shall honor the god of fortresses instead of these. A god whom his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. He shall deal with the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign god. Those who acknowledge him he shall load with honor. He shall make them rulers over many and shall divide the land for a price.

Daniel 11:40: “At the time of the end, the king of the south shall attack him, but the king of the north shall rush upon him like a whirlwind, with chariots and horsemen, and with many ships. And he shall come into countries and shall overflow and pass through. He shall come into the glorious land. And tens of thousands shall fall, but these shall be delivered out of his hand: Edom and Moab and the main part of the Ammonites. He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. He shall become ruler of the treasures of gold and of silver, and all the precious things of Egypt, and the Libyans and the Cushites shall follow in his train. But news from the east and the north shall alarm him, and he shall go out with great fury to destroy and devote many to destruction. 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.

Starting in verse 21, we see again the idea that this person that will become the antichrist is not considered a leading political power. He is a “contemptible person” who does not succeed for the throne. He isn’t born into his leadership. For this reason alone we can say that Antiochus Epiphanes is not the antichrist described by Daniel. But it also gives us a clue for who and what and how to look for the antichrist to arrive.

We know from the previous chapters that he is called a little horn. In chapter 8, it is said that he starts with a small following and gathers greater numbers. Look back at Daniel 8:23 in reference to Daniel 11:21: In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a stern-faced king, a master of intrigue, will arise (Dan 8:23). He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure, and will seize it through intrigue (Daniel 11:21b).

We can see the reflection here in both these verses. This antichrist will somehow come to power through manipulation. Whoever he is, he won’t be the true ruler, but will somehow take over the kingdom. Of course, we know from Daniel 7 that he “uproots” 3 horns. Maybe this is a reference to that. Maybe it is something different. You’ll have to decide for yourself.

We move on and find that this man will overtake a large army. He is much like Alexander the Great in that aspect. Alexander wasn’t a mighty warrior, and yet his army overpowered some of the greatest kingdoms of his time. Historians still to this day are baffled at how he had such victories.

Check out Daniel 11:23, 9:27, and 8:25. And from the time that an alliance is made with him he shall act deceitfully, and he shall become strong with a small people (Daniel 11:23). And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator (Daniel 9:27). By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind he shall become great. Without warning he shall destroy many. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but by no human hand (Daniel 8:25).

Do you see how these verses line up? From Daniel 8 we see that he will be boastful and proud and will exult himself as god. We find in chapter 9 that he will make a peace covenant with Israel for 7 years and halfway through the 7 years he will break that covenant and start persecuting Israel. He shall then set up the abomination of desolation at the Temple. In chapter 11 we see that same “alliance” or covenant that was spoken of in chapter 9. We also see that he already has it in his heart that he isn’t going to keep it. And notice at the end of 8:25 how it speaks of the antichrist being taken down "but not by human hand." This takes us all the way back to chapter 2 with Nebuchadnezzar's dream. The rock that wasn't formed by human hands is the one who destroys these kingdoms of the earth.

We read in verse 24 about how this peace covenant isn’t just with Israel. I mentioned this earlier. It seems as though this peace covenant is with many nations. “Without warning he shall come into the richest parts of the province.” In the NIV, the detail is added that this is when the nations feel secure. Just as they feel secure and that there really is world peace, that is when the antichrist strikes.

We see in the next part of verse 24 that this man will give away all his plunders. Why would he give away the plunder? Usually the soldiers get to keep some, but the king keeps the majority of the wealth that is taken from these other countries. It would seem as though this guy has a completely different motive than to become rich. Riches aren’t what he is after.

Now in verse 25 we see that this antichrist has a large army. A couple verses ago he had a small following. Now he has apparently gained popularity. This might have been the motive behind giving away the wealth. If you give an inch of respect and “care” to people, they will usually follow you to the ends of the earth.

We see that he attacks the king of the South. This is most likely Egypt, Ethiopia, and Libya area. In the Biblical times, this general area was what was considered Egypt and Cush. If you read through other prophets like Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Ezekiel, when they speak prophecies concerning Egypt and Cush, they also draw from the idea that they will be invaded from the North and overtaken.

We find in verse 25 that there is also a mention of how the king of the South fails because “plots shall be devised against him.” This is just speculation, but what if this is the United Nations? What if this is some sort of secret agenda to promote this antichrist as the ruler of the world? What if the United Nations decide that they want this guy to represent the world as the leader of the world, and so this whole war that he declares on the king of the South is staged from the very beginning?

We see a reiteration of this very thought in verse 26: Even those who eat his food shall break him. His army shall be swept away, and many shall fall down slain. Even those who serve the king of the South (whomever he is) turns against him. He never stood a chance.

Verse 27 seems to then speak of some sort of peace agreement. These two kings meet together to arrange peace. It is interesting that Daniel mentions that these two kings are talking of peace, but neither of them wants peace. What these two ultimately want is to destroy the other king. So they lie to each other. But even this is trumped by saying that the “end is yet to be at the time appointed.” Even though these two kings are bent on destroying each other, neither one will get the chance because Jesus will have already come back and destroyed the antichrist by that point.

As the antichrist is fermenting his plot to take over the world as the world leader, we find in verse 28 that his heart is set against the holy covenant. This could be the pact that this man made with Israel for 7 years of peace. I think it is more likely that this is anti-Semitism that is growing. He hates the people Israel. He hates the land. He hates their God. He hates their Torah. He grows more and more arrogant and fierce and hates the people Israel (and thus the God of Israel) in his heart.

Be very careful here, though. There isn’t an indication that he goes to Israel and does anything about it. These are just festering thoughts and hates. He doesn’t invade Israel yet. He plots against it, but he does not invade it. This is important because this can really make it or break it when it comes to determining the antichrist. Antiochus Epiphanes had been through Israel multiple times before he cut off the sacrifice and set up the “abominable thing” mentioned in the book of Maccabees. The antichrist doesn’t go through Israel until he devastates it.

We read in verses 29 and 30 that he tries once more to wage war on the king of the South. This time the outcome is very different. The ships of Kittim (Cyprus) stop him. This can also be translated as the western coastlands. That might be Spain, Italy, Cyprus, or the Americas for all I know. Either way, he is stopped and put in check.

But what do we read in verse 30? He goes back to his own country again “be enraged and take action against the holy covenant.” We’ll read later in Revelation that the antichrist will have a false prophet that proclaims him as god. The false prophet will perform miracles. We haven’t reached that point in the story yet, for that point comes somewhere around the 3 ½ years. The antichrist takes action against the holy covenant by riling up those who are in Israel who will follow him. Anyone who is willing to abandon the holy covenant, and therefore abandon God, is embraced and added to his army.

I get this information from Zechariah 14. Zechariah 14 is a chapter about the attack on Israel by the antichrist. It is another prophecy that has to be read in context of everything else that is supposed to be happening around this time. When you read Zechariah 14, understand that there are details being left out. This isn’t just an attack on Israel and then Jesus comes back. There is 3 ½ years between the attack and the return of Christ. We find in verse 14 of Zechariah 14 that Judah will be in the ranks of the antichrist fighting against Israel.

How do they get to be in the ranks of the antichrist? I thought they were going to be persecuted and, if it were up to the antichrist, all slaughtered… These are those who are willing to forsake the holy covenant, which goes back to their being brought out of Egypt. They are willing to abandon their heritage for this new messiah. This is the pact with death and hell. Now we need to be really careful here because it isn’t all of Israel and there are places in the next few verses that it needs to be distinguished as to what is happening. Our love for God will be shown in whether we can take this seriously and still love the people Israel for the simple fact that God loves them.

Now around this time where the antichrist is getting more and more outraged at the holy covenant and causing some of Israel (Judah is specifically mentioned) to forsake their God, the antichrist might also be gathering together those 10 other kings. I might be wrong. Maybe these 10 kingdoms have already been made and brought together for the one world government. Maybe they haven’t. Let the reader decide.

Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate (Daniel 11:31). And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator (Daniel 9:27). Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).

Do you see how all of these line up?

Daniel 11:32 once again brings up that he will continue to corrupt those who violated the covenant. He will continue to lie and to “seduce with flattery” those who are willing to listen and abandon the faith. There are actually a good number of them, probably. Many Christians are grief stricken when they find out that Jerusalem is the number one occult and Satanist area in the world. It has its gay parades just like New York City. It is the leading city in abortions, rape, homicide, teen pregnancy, etc. It is the pinnacle of the world for what men are in themselves. Jerusalem and Israel are exactly what the Old Testament Prophets declared her to be: a whore.

But just like in Elijah’s time, the Lord has preserved a remnant. As Paul proclaimed: not all Israel is Israel. God told Elijah, “I have preserved for myself 7000 who have not bent the knee to Baal.” In modern times, I have no doubt that the Lord has preserved a remnant who will follow Him and love Him. They will come to know Him as He in fact is. They will learn about their Messiah. They will see Him whom they have pierced (and that might be a reference to His Body the Church).

God isn’t done with them. Just because they are unclean now doesn’t mean they will always be. We were once dead in our trespasses and sins. We were once cut off from Him. We were once enemies of God and objects of wrath. What makes you so sure that God cannot and will not offer mercy to Israel – His chosen people?

We find this verse speaking of both those who are apostate and those who stand firm in faith. They refuse to bow the knee to such an abomination.

We come to verse 33. Here we find a new topic: the wise. Remember what I said earlier about these guys? These are the saints spoken of in Daniel 7 and 8. The wise are those who know and understand exactly what is happening. They can see the whole picture for what it really is. They can see that this guy is the antichrist. They know the destruction of the Temple before it even happens. They know the uprooting of Israel. They expect that many Jews and Palestinians and Arabs will probably be fleeing for their lives. They will flee to the wilderness places and come across the people of God.

We, who were thought of as cute believers at one point in time, are now the refuges to which Israel will run. Note that I keep saying Israel and not the Jews. The Jews are only those who are of Judah. God knows who is of the descendants of the other tribes that have been lost. We might be taking in Moslems. The point isn’t who; the point is why.

We must continue to show ourselves as these wise. We will instruct many. We will tell them of these prophecies and how God is working them out right before our eyes. We will instruct people of the God of Israel and how He is mighty to save. We will teach the whole Gospel from the very beginning through to the very end.

And what will be our reward? We will fall by the sword, be burned alive, taken captive (just like the death camps in the Holocaust), and plundered. We will very possibly die. This isn’t for those who are just looking for a feel good kind of religion. Our reward on this earth will not be warm. We will be beaten and accused of crimes we have not committed. We will be persecuted and silenced.

But what does Daniel say? If we read Daniel 34-35, we find that it is by our falling (or persecution/dying) that many will join us. Many will offer us help (though it is insincere). Maybe this help is going to be those who will tell us, “You don’t have to do that.” Yes, if we just stop helping the refugees, we could be rid of all our persecutions. But that isn’t the point, is it? And that is why it is a little help and insincere people will join us.

I’m sure that there will be those who will be willing to take in the fleeing refugees in the last days that are not Christians. It happened during the Holocaust. But what I want you to look at is Daniel 11:35, “and some of the wise shall stumble, so that they may be refined, purified, and made white, until the time of the end, for it still awaits the appointed time.”

Who is being made white, purified, and refined? It isn’t the wise. The wise are already refined, purified, and made white. It is possible that we will be stretched to the absolute breaking point and so we’ll be more devoted to God than ever before. It is also possible that by some testimonies the majority will be encouraged to persevere to the end. What I want to submit to your thinking is that those who are being refined, purified, and made white are going to be those refugees that we take in.

They will see our love for them. It might be something they lash back against at first. They might at first tell us about all of the horrible things that have happened to them at the hands of Christians. They might tell us about our own history that we just flat out don’t even know about. They might even rightly tell us off about our wrong attitudes about them. But through our love and our willingness to submit even unto death for them (even in their unsaved and outraged state), they will meet the God who has done this already thousands of years ago for them.

I think that what it means that our fall will make them white is that we will be persecuted for identifying with them, and in our persecution, they will see the reality of their Messiah. They will see the very thing that we have experienced: God was willing to die for me. If that does not come to them, and if they are just led out into the wilderness places where they die and parish, then there will be no second coming of Christ.

God has placed all His eggs in one basket. He actually has that much faith in His people. He actually trusts someone like you or I to carry out an ultimate purpose. And it is for the lack of understanding this purpose that we’re called to that we continue to live in a Sunday phenomenon culture. Our religion is good on Sunday, and sometimes we clean up our lives for the rest of the week, but when you get right down to it there is no distinguishing of Christian’s lives from the rest of the world’s lives.

We find ourselves in verse 36 back in view of the antichrist. He gets all the more boastful. He gets all the more blasphemous. God seems to set back and let this guy get so overcome with pride and wickedness that he will lead the world and all who are willing to follow him into absolute corruption. I think this is what happened with Sodom and Gomorrah. The people got so corrupt that even the children were not pure.

There will be nothing of innocence or purity left. The world will continue to grow more and more corrupt. When the antichrist shows up, it will be an unparalleled event. Nothing before this time will have ever been seen. This kind of corruption and lewdness that will be flaunted and promoted for general society will be shocking. I really believe that. I know who the celebrities are today. I hear the modern music and see the previews for modern movies. They are all Satanic. They are all leading us into more and more darkness. In this New World Order, will there even be light to shine at all?

 We find in verse 37-39 that the antichrist will continue to proclaim himself as god. But there is a strange mention that he sets up a “foreign god.” I believe that this foreign god is Satan himself. I get that from Revelation 13:14. We can also see it in the mainstream media. Satanic signs and symbols are being used everywhere.

We hit verse 40 and the mood changes. We have been reading over and over again, “it will still come at the appointed time.” Now in the start of verse 40, we read, “At the time of the end.” So this is the very last thing that happens before Jesus’ return. Can you feel the anticipation rising?

The tension that was spoken of back in verse 27 between the king of the North and the king of the South is now at it’s brim. The king of the South attacks the king of the North. The king of the North sweeps down to the battle and, from the sounds of it, utterly destroys nations that stand in his path. We read that even Israel (the Glorious Land) will be passed through. The three countries that are mentioned that he doesn’t destroy are important. Edom is the descendants of Esau (which are supposed to have already been exterminated). Moab and Ammon are the two sons of Lot. Lot’s daughters raped their father and became pregnant. Yet, God still seems to honor and preserve Lot – even after his terrible sin.

It is flat out said in verse 42 that Egypt will not escape the terror of the antichrist. “He shall become ruler of the treasures of gold and of silver, and all the precious things of Egypt, and the Libyans and the Cushites shall follow in his train,” Daniel 11:43. So we now know what the kingdom of the South is. It is exactly the three countries that I had mentioned before. Note that all three of these are highly Moslem. Theories are out there that the antichrist will be Moslem and that the 10 nations are going to be Islamic nations. If that is the case, then why would the antichrist fight against his own supporters?

We don’t know who the antichrist will be. We don’t know if he will be Catholic, Moslem, Jewish, or Satanist/Pagan. We don’t know. That much isn’t really given. There are hints here and there in the Bible, but there aren’t any concrete Scriptures that will say one way or the other. I have my opinion, and I would suggest that you study for yourself as to who or what.

We have hit one of the most important verses of Daniel 11. There are a lot of major points that will be referred back to time and time again. Daniel 11:44 is a monumental verse, though. If we connect it to other verses in Revelation, pieces of the puzzle start falling into place that we wouldn’t have ever seen before. Remember this verse for later: “Reports from the north and the east will alarm him.” Something happens toward the north and the east of where the antichrist currently is. If we check the last couple verses, he is fighting against the king of the South. It is safe to assume that the king of the North is somewhere in that top part of Africa.

So from this news, he freaks out. He goes off to annihilate many. He just absolutely crushes and destroys multitudes. We will consider later what this event might be that makes him so angry, but for now, lets just remember the details given to us. We read the last verse of Daniel 11 as saying that the antichrist pitches his tent between the sea and the glorious holy mountain.

Where does he encamp? The antichrist chooses to encamp between Jerusalem and the sea. Which sea? I’m not sure. It doesn’t necessarily specify. I would assume he encamps on the west side of Jerusalem from hints in other Scriptures and from history itself. Jesus comes from the east toward the west, so it would make sense that the antichrist sets up between Zion and the Mediterranean Sea.

This is where he comes to his end. We know who kills the antichrist. There isn’t any mystery here. This marks the return of Christ.

Daniel pt 9

In Daniel 9, Daniel prays as an intercessor for Israel. He reads in the prophet Jeremiah’s writings that God said it would be 70 years when Israel gets to go back to the Land. From what I’ve been taught, Daniel had been counting. It is almost 70 years (maybe it is 70 years?) and so Daniel is praying for the completion of such a word.

While Daniel is praying, an angel interrupts him.

Daniel 9:20: While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the LORD my God for the holy hill of my God, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, “O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word and understand the vision.

Daniel 9:24: “Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.”

Gabriel tells Daniel that it isn’t just about 70 years. There is more than 70 years going on. The proper way of translation of verse 24 would be “seventy sevens.” Daniel was praying about the 70 years. Gabriel then tells him it will be 70 times 7. The end of these 70 “weeks” is that transgression, sin, and iniquity would be done away with. Everlasting righteousness, a seal of both vision and prophet, and an anointing of the most holy place come after that. So what happens in the 70 “weeks” to get to that point?

From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem (read Nehemiah) to the rebuilding of the Temple will be 7 “weeks.” These weeks are actually 7 years. Remember that it would be better to translate it as “seventy sevens.” So for 7 weeks would actually be 49 years. The history books tell us that it was indeed 49 years from the going back to Jerusalem to rebuild to the rebuilding of the Temple. For 18 years the work on the Temple stopped, and then prophets like Haggai and Zechariah came along to declare that they need to rebuild the Temple.

After those 49 years, another set of 62 “weeks” was announced until the Messiah came. Once again, if you check the history books, from the time the Temple was rebuilt to the time when Jesus died was 434 years. It was exactly as the prophet Daniel had proclaimed. “After 62 weeks an anointed one shall be cut off and have nothing.” This wording, “and have nothing,” could also be “will have no one…”

Either way, the point is that the Messiah Jesus died exactly as the prophet Daniel had proclaimed. This is why Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for not knowing the time of their visitation. It was prophesied to the year.

In the next sentence, there is this talk of a prince. The anointed one that is cut off and the prince that is spoken of in the next sentence are not the same person. The prince that will come is the antichrist. If you do your math, you’ll notice that we have only added up to 69 “weeks,” but Gabriel said there was supposed to be 70. The last 7 years is mentioned in verse 27. This prince who comes and destroys the sanctuary and the city establishes a covenant with Israel.

The reason I know that it is with the people Israel is because I’ve read Daniel 11. However, it is fair to note that it isn’t only with Israel. This covenant, according to the context of this text, is probably with many nations. It is a peace covenant. All of the wars that are taking place in the Middle East will be brought to a stop for a short time. That is what this 7 is all about. These 7 years is the Tribulation. In the middle of the 7 years (time, times, and half a time; 3 ½ years), the sacrifice and offering are cut off. This goes in line with what was said in Daniel 8:11.

Now, once again, the ESV doesn’t translate verse 27 very well. It isn’t on the wings of desolation that the one who makes desolate come. It is on the “wing” of the Temple… The Hebrew word for wing also means corner. He stands the abomination of desolation at the corner of the Temple. He does this and cuts off the sacrifice 3 ½ years into the covenant of peace. It is from that time to the end that we’re facing what Jeremiah calls “the Time of Jacob’s Trouble.”

Daniel 9 ends with “until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.” We know from Daniel 7 and 8 that the end being poured out on the desolator is the return of Christ.

You can see how God is continually adding pieces. It is being built piece by piece. Now I’ll admit that many commentators believe that this chapter kind of sticks out of Daniel. Many believe that these 70 “weeks” are in the past. The last week of the tribulation actually was about Jesus being the antichrist. Of course, they wouldn’t call him the antichrist. They would say something like, “Jesus abolished the need for sacrifices and temples and thus destroyed them both.”

The problem with this is that even within the context of Daniel 9 we have to take certain aspects and spiritualize them. If you can only take parts literally, then who is to say the whole thing isn’t symbolic or metaphoric? Maybe these weeks are actually 7000-year spans. Maybe the rebuilding of the Temple would be Pentecost. Maybe the cutting off of the anointed one wasn’t Jesus.

My issue with a lot of the interpretations of Daniel 9 is that many times it is either not taken literally and therefore seems out of place, or it is taken too literally that the last 7 year period is taken as Jesus being the antichrist. You can take it literally and not abolish it when saying that this last 7 years fits in with the end. That does fit in the translation. It is like everything else in prophecy. Maybe times the Messiah fulfilled part of a Scripture about Him, but not the whole thing (read Luke 4:18-19 and then read Isaiah 61). Many times Jesus would fulfill half a sentence of prophecy and the other half of the sentence has been promised to be fulfilled at the second coming. It happens all over the place. My suggestion is that maybe here in Daniel 9 this last 7 years is another one of those moments where the prophecy looks far off ahead and can only see one event when the event is obviously more than one (I refer back to Isaiah 61 again). 

Daniel pt 8

Daniel 8:1: In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after that which appeared to me at the first. And I saw in the vision; and when I saw, I was in Susa the capital, which is in the province of Elam. And I saw in the vision, and I was at the Ulai canal. I raised my eyes and saw, and behold, a ram standing on the bank of the canal. It had two horns, and both horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last. I saw the ram charging westward and northward and southward. No beast could stand before him, and there was no one who could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased and became great.

Daniel 8:5: As I was considering, behold, a male goat came from the west across the face of the whole earth, without touching the ground. And the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. He came to the ram with the two horns, which I had seen standing on the bank of the canal, and he ran at him in his powerful wrath. I saw him come close to the ram, and he was enraged against him and struck the ram and broke his two horns. And the ram had no power to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled on him. And there was no one who could rescue the ram from his power. Then the goat became exceedingly great, but when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and instead of it there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven.

Daniel 8:9: Out of one of them came a little horn, which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the glorious land. It grew great, even to the host of heaven. And some of the host and some of the stars it threw down to the ground and trampled on them. It became great, even as great as the Prince of the host. And the regular burnt offering was taken away from him, and the place of his sanctuary was overthrown. And a host will be given over to it together with the regular burnt offering because of transgression, and it will throw truth to the ground, and it will act and prosper. Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the one who spoke, “For how long is the vision concerning the regular burnt offering, the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled underfoot?” And he said to me, “For 2,300 evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state.”

Daniel 8:15: When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it. And behold, there stood before me one having the appearance of a man. And I heard a man's voice between the banks of the Ulai, and it called, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” So he came near where I stood. And when he came, I was frightened and fell on my face. But he said to me, “Understand, O son of man, that the vision is for the time of the end.”

Daniel 8:18: And when he had spoken to me, I fell into a deep sleep with my face to the ground. But he touched me and made me stand up. He said, “Behold, I will make known to you what shall be at the latter end of the indignation, for it refers to the appointed time of the end. As for the ram that you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of Media and Persia. And the goat is the king of Greece. And the great horn between his eyes is the first king. As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his nation, but not with his power. And at the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their limit, a king of bold face, one who understands riddles, shall arise. His power shall be great—but not by his own power; and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints. By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind he shall become great. Without warning he shall destroy many. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but by no human hand. The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true, but seal up the vision, for it refers to many days from now.”

In Daniel 8:1, the proclamation is made that this vision is like the one that Daniel had before. What is the one Daniel had before? It was in chapter 7. They have similar attributes and the one interprets the other. They add to one another.

So Daniel sees a ram with 2 horns. One of the horns is longer than the other. What does this creature symbolize? It symbolizes Medo-Persia. Just like the bear was raised on one side, this ram has one horn longer than the other. Thus far in the book of Daniel horns mean kings. We interpret Daniel by the context of what the rest of the book of Daniel says. This represents one kingdom with 2 kings (Medo-Persia).

We find another creature in verse 5. A he-goat with 1 horn comes flying over the earth and takes down the ram. Now, if you know about goats and rams, you would know that a ram could take down a goat without much effort. The fact that the he-goat took down the ram without much effort is saying something. God Himself has ordained this. It goes back to the last two chapters we’ve looked at. The lesser takes down the greater.

The he-goat is a representation of Greece, and the horn is Alexander the Great. We see in the fact that the he-goat is flying that this happens speedily. It goes back to Daniel 7:6 that the leopard had wings. We find in chapter 8:8 that the horn breaks off and 4 more horns grow. These are another reference to Alexander’s kingdom being split into 4 and the strongest of Greece ruled them.

It quickly gets interesting. Out of one of these 4 horns, another horn grows. It starts small but grows in power. Where else have we read this? Daniel 7:8 says, “I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots.” This horn that starts small was already referenced to. We shouldn’t look to history to tell us who this little horn is from Greece. We already know. This is the antichrist.

But I thought that the antichrist came from the fourth beast…

2 things: remember that the 4 beasts and the 4 elements of the statue are all connected in that they all have Satan as their ruler. Whether the vision shows Greece or Rome or Babylon, when we’re talking about the antichrist we’re talking about the antichrist. We’ll see in Revelation 13 (you can go look now if you want) that these 4 beasts in Daniel 7 get high jacked and a hybrid of all of them is used to describe the antichrist. Second, if Daniel’s vision is showing that the antichrist comes from one of the 4 horns of Greece, it is probably putting in another piece of the puzzle.

I think that this is a reference to where we might find the antichrist arise. You can’t pinpoint exactly when or where exactly, but every detail is given to help us not be deceived.

So the antichrist (this horn in verse 9) starts small. He doesn’t have a large following. This is mentioned again later in Daniel. So I won’t emphasize it here more than I already have. He grows in power toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Glorious Land. What does this say? It probably means that the antichrist will come from the north and the western area. I don’t know that for sure. But I assume that it is true. We’ll read later in Daniel that the antichrist is acknowledged as the king of the north. We also read in all of the Old Testament prophets that they expected an attack from the north.

Germany can’t have been this. We’ll see why more fully in chapter 11. Throughout all the prophets, Israel goes through their final torment and comes back to the Land with everlasting joy upon their heads knowing the Lord their God – they are His people; He is their God. That hasn’t happened. So there are two main thoughts on it: it is future, or the prophecies will work themselves out if we just give it time. I repeat what I said earlier: a partial fulfillment is not a fulfillment. If Israel has yet to know the Lord their God, and as Paul wrote that “all Israel shall be saved” (Romans 11:25), then we need to look for a future date at which the antichrist will come and persecute Israel and they will be once again uprooted from their Land and sifted throughout the nations.

We see that this horn grows up to the host of the heavens. This is probably symbolic of his blasphemies and boastfulness. We see that he even throws down the stars of heaven. I’m going to touch on this later, but for now I just want to say: keep an open mind. This might be Satan casting down the angels, but I don’t think so. I think it is something else. If they were angels that have followed Satan and become demons, then why would he trample on them?

We see in verse 11 that this antichrist sets himself up as the Prince of the Host. 2 Thessalonians 2:4 claims that the antichrist will exalt himself higher than any god and take a seat in the Temple of the Lord. Well there is a problem. The Temple doesn’t exist anymore. So either this happened already or the Temple will be rebuilt. If it happened already, then there are some serious Scriptural problems that need to be sorted out. When was the resurrection from the dead? When were the New Heavens and New Earth created? If this is all spiritualized, then what can we actually translate as literal?

The verse ends in Daniel 8 by saying that this antichrist takes away the daily sacrifice. Apparently, in order for this to be fulfilled at a later time, the Temple needs to be rebuilt, and the sacrifice needs to be started again. If you have faith to believe that, then you can start prophesying. It will happen. I can’t answer particulars like how Israel will be allowed to go back onto the Temple Mount (they aren’t even allowed to pray there currently) or how PETA will react to them starting daily sacrifices. I don’t know all the details. I only know that there is clearly a message of a rebuilding coming and the sacrifice to be put back in place.

So lets talk about this a little bit. Why do they need to start offering sacrifices again? Why does Israel need to be cast out of the Land again (especially so soon after the Holocaust)? I believe that God is making a point. You can read in Ezekiel 22:19-22 where it sounds like God speaks of an end time gathering only so they can be expelled once more. Could this be that time?

God is making a point to the nations. There is a lot that goes into it. He has made a promise and a covenant. Israel must hold onto that Land forever and ever. Why? It has been promised them. But according to the covenant, they can’t keep possession of the Land unless they as a corporate unit are all holy. That is why they must all be saved (Romans 11:25). That is why they must go through the fire of judgment to come out with their dross burned off. They will be clean. They will know their God.

The nations will see Israel go through it. They will see God do wonders in their midst. Israel will be the priestly nation to the nations. Where does that put us? Where does that put the Church? If you ask such questions then you need to relearn your theology. We are a part of Israel. Romans 11 and Ephesians 2-3 clearly state that we have been grafted into Israel’s root. We are no longer afar off. We are no longer Gentile people. We have been made into a new kind of people. Israel’s redemption isn’t something we miss out on. We experience it with them. The two will become one – neither Jew nor Gentile, but something else altogether.

That is why God needs to do this. That is why there is destruction and devastation coming to Israel. God has intentions of bringing a glory to the earth that we would not have seen otherwise. We all must be devastated and pass from that death to life.

We see in verse 12 that it is because of rebellion that both the daily sacrifice and also the saints are given over the antichrist. Here is the reason: Israel has sinned. Since they came out of the wilderness they have been a disobedient people to God. God will make Himself holy in their midst. I’ll get to our place and our purpose later. It will become increasingly obvious as we continue.

Israel’s sin must be purged. They must fail in their human efforts. Everything that they have built thus far and will continue to build must shatter before their eyes. I am expecting another holocaust. I am also expecting that I will probably die in one of the concentration camps identifying with Israel and displaying to them the character of their Messiah. I do not intend on dying peacefully in my bed. Whether I will be captured and killed is up to God. Only He knows whether I will be preserved or taken.

The antichrist will prosper in everything he does. There is a purpose. In 2 Thessalonians 2, we come across a strange verse. Verse 7 says that something hinders and holds back the antichrist from being revealed. Until that something is taken away, the end will not come. Many scholars believe that this something is the Holy Spirit. The Church needs to be raptured. I disagree strongly. We won’t be raptured. It is God’s character that He will be in the darkness and chaos with His people until there is peace and safety.

So what is it that hinders this antichrist? I believe it is God. I believe that God is holding Him back so that the wickedness of this world can continue to climb. God is making a spectacle. He is putting everything in place. There will come a time when Satan is given the opportunity to have his kingdom on earth. He will be given the opportunity to have his own chance at a kingdom that he will rule and reign. Even Satanists believe that Satan will have a 1000-year ruling and reigning with Satan (their god). God will grant it. While Satan is ruling, he can’t be accusing. We will be completely free from his accusations and temptations. This is a time where evil rules the world, but God is still God.

This is why Satan will prosper in everything. This is why the antichrist will overcome the saints. This is why truth will be thrown to the ground. Even when Satan has everything given to him and every opportunity to destroy Israel and thus destroy God’s promise to them, he will fail.

Here we come to the place where it is told how long this will take place. How long will the abomination of desolation trample the Temple underfoot? The answer: 2300 days. That is a little more than 6 years. Remember that the Tribulation is supposed to last 7 years…

We find in verse 23 the statement, “when the transgressors have reached their limit.” This is what I was talking about. God restrains Himself to allow for man to become more and more wicked. He allows the corruption to build to the breaking point. Remember that it was told to Abraham that his descendants would have possession of the land of Canaan. But God tells Abraham that they must go to a foreign land for 400 years. Why can’t they have possession now? “The sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure,” Genesis 15:16.

This is what Jesus calls the time of the Gentiles in Luke 21:24. I believe that this is the fullness of the Gentiles that Paul speaks of in Romans 11:25. When this takes place, the end has come. God stops holding back and allows the man of sin to come (2 Thessalonians 2:4), which is the antichrist. The antichrist will become very strong (Daniel 8:24), but not by his own power. We read in Revelation 13:2 that Satan gives the antichrist his power.

You can read and just listen to what it says about the antichrist in verses 24 and 25. He will prosper in whatever he does. He will destroy the mighty men and the holy people. He will cause deceit to prosper. He will consider himself superior to anything and everyone else. He will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes.

This is a full view of Satan in the flesh. He isn’t Satan incarnate (I’ve heard of such thoughts). He is a full representation of Satan and everything that he is about. The kingdom of darkness is about deceit, manipulation, fear tactics, brutality, force, hostility, greed, lust for power, etc. The name of the game is “me first.” If you don’t defend yourself, then who will? It is all about promoting and preserving self.

This is what we’re up against. I warn you now that if you aren’t free from that antichrist spirit that would promote and preserve self, then you are liable to fall captive to the deceit and seduction of the antichrist. He might even sound Christian.