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.
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. 37 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. 38 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. 39 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.
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. 41 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. 42 He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43 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. 44 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. 45 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. Daniel 11: 35-45 ESV
Daniel 11: 35-39 The Roman Horn, The Time of the End
14And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. 15So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination of desolation,’ described by the prophet Daniel (let the reader understand), 16then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.… Matthew 24: 14-16
Until the time of the end - We left off last post with another look at Antiochus Epiphanes, who came in the intertestamental period, out of the four horns that came from the goat which was Greece. He is a historical prototype for the antichrist of the end times, though many antichrist will come, yet this is who Daniel describes in much detail, the one who sets up "the abomination of desolation" in the Old Testament. He is given 2300 days of full terror, but as we saw in the last post, some of the covenant people stand firm, and deliverance is provided through a Judas Maccabeus. Yet this is not the end nor the final antichrist, as we see Christ warning his listeners about a coming abomination described by the prophet Daniel. This will be put in place by another little horn, the final antichrist, who will receive 1260 days, the second half of the Tribulation, to blaspheme God and martyr His people. He is the little horn that comes up from the beast that is Rome, a revived Roman empire, that encompasses traits and territories of all the beasts. We learned about him in Daniel 7, the little horn link above.
…2Then the LORD answered me: “Write down this vision and clearly inscribe it on tablets, so that a herald may run with it. 3For the vision awaits an appointed time; it testifies of the end and does not lie. Though it lingers, wait for it, since it will surely come and will not delay. 4Look at the proud one; his soul is not upright—but the righteous will live by faith—… Habakkuk 2: 2-4
And the king shall do as he wills - We saw some of what he will do in Daniel 7, and in this chapter we will learn more about his character. Antiochus was a shadow of this man, a Greek lesser version of his power, which is yet to be seen in the final week of the 70 weeks. Many have called him the willful king, also known as the little horn of Rome, and he will be associated with the number 666. In Daniel 9 we saw how Christ (an anointed one) shall be cut off (killed as the atoning sacrifice) and have nothing (no earthly kingdom yet, no honor, for He was despised and rejected). Then in 9:26 we learn that the antichrist (prince who is to come), his people would destroy the city just like Christ said, and Rome did this in A.D. 70, so we know that the final antichrist is associated with Rome.
26 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. 27 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: 26-27
…43For the days will come upon you when your enemies will barricade you and surround you and hem you in on every side. 44 They will level you to the ground— you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.” 45Then Jesus entered the temple courts and began to drive out those who were selling there.… Luke 19: 43-45
It is true that there are other rulers. Revelation 17 says there are ten kings, but they are puppet kings under this one. Revelation 13 says he has a cohort called the false prophet, but the false prophet just simply does his bidding. You say to yourself, “Well what about the kings of the south that attack him? What about the king of the north that attacks him? What about the king of the east that attacks him?” Oh yes, there will be a fomenting revolution against his sovereignty, but that’s only after his sovereignty is established. So he has prerogative; he makes all the decisions. He rules the world. Every man on the globe, in order to function in human society according to Revelation 13, will have to take his mark, the mark of the Beast. - J Mac
Above every god - That is the position of the Most High, he will equate himself with God and challenge the Almighty.
…3Let no one deceive you in any way, for it will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness—the son of destruction—is revealed. 4He will oppose and exalt himself above every so-called god or object of worship. So he will seat himself in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. 5Do you not remember that I told you these things while I was still with you?… 2 Thessalonians 2: 3-5
Speak astonishing things against the God of gods - I don't agree with commentators who say he is an atheist in the sense of not believing there is a God, a Creator, I think his atheism is less veiled, that he knows there is a God, just like Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged the Hebrew God, as a God that delivered like no other. His atheism is better understood as against God, like Neb was warned about his pride, that he would not acknowledge God's sovereignty in raising up kingdoms and bringing them down. Neb exalted himself, he looked at everything in his kingdom, how grand Babylon was, and said, no, regardless of what God may think or say, I did this. They follow in the path of Lucifer.
…13You said in your heart: “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of assembly, in the far reaches of the north. 14I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” 15But you will be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit.… Isaiah 14: 13-15
…4They worshiped the dragon who had given authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can wage war against it?” 5 The beast was given a mouth to speak arrogant and blasphemous words, and authority to act for 42 months. 6And the beast opened its mouth to speak blasphemies against God and to slander His name and His tabernacle—those who dwell in heaven.… Revelation 13: 4-6
Till the indignation is accomplished - Till everything prophesied is fulfilled, and the time that God has allotted to the gentiles is done. This is the time of the Great Tribulation, Jacob's Trouble.
1Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff and was told, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the number of worshipers there. 2But exclude the courtyard outside the temple. Do not measure it, because it has been given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for 42 months. 3And I will empower my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”… Revelation 11: 1-3
He shall pay no attention to the gods of his fathers - Now we get more of a glimpse of his character, and the type of man he is, who is this that the nation's follow? We know that he is proud and talks a lot of smack against the true God, but he also does not honor the god's of his forefathers, which we have already read that, "he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god", so he has little regard even to this part of his heritage which differentiates him from Antiochus.
The gods of the Seleucid ancestors of Antiochus IV were Apollo, the patron and ancestor of the dynasty, as well as Zeus. Walbank points out, however, that these special relationships did not, of course, deter the various royal houses from the worship of other gods and goddesses as well and from founding cults and temples to them… How do the benefactions of Antiochus contribute to an understanding of Da 11:37, 38? Many of his gifts to Greek cities were of a religious nature, and they benefited the cults of the gods of his fathers, mentioned above, for whom the text says the king showed no regard. In addition, these gifts to various cult centers demonstrate that to say Antiochus IV did not regard any god is inaccurate (Da 11:37). To be specific, he resumed the construction of the temple of Zeus in Athens. He also made contributions to the temple of Zeus in Olympia. He built a temple for Jupiter Capitolinus at Antioch. He contributed in some way to the building or rebuilding of the temple of Apollo at Daphne. The imposition of the edict of 167B.C. involved the introduction of the Dionysus cult. Finally, during the panyguric at Daphne in the summer of 166, a vast number of images were involved in the procession and following these games Apollo was honored with a new coinage of gold staters and tetradrachms. Antiochus also contributed some statues around the altar at Delos. Delos was thought to be the birthplace of Apollo and was considered sacred to him. - Mark Mercer Precept Austin
Now watch this: He has no proper perspective of family. Remember when Paul said, “In the last days men will not have natural affection,” and he uses the Greek term which has to do with family love. In other words, in the last days the family will break down; the family will fall apart. People will no longer care about their families. They’ll have no respect for their parents, no respect for their heritage, no respect for the traditions of their fathers, no respect for the beliefs that have been handed down. That’s this kind of man. He has no respect at all, no natural affection, no family love for those who are his ancestors. Men normally have an affinity for and a respect for the gods of their parents, their ancestors, some sense of respect. Not him. He doesn’t have normal family love. - J Mac
Or to the one beloved by women - Now some have said this leads people to believe he is a Jew, because many Jewish women looked for and hoped to mother the Messiah, so they see the Messiah as the one beloved by women. I don't think this fits well from the descriptions prior, gods plural of his fathers, and where he comes from, the Revived Roman Empire. I think it goes without saying that he will have no true regard for Christ, and will in fact try to be a type of false Christ himself. Some think it means he cares nothing for the "desires of women" that this is the best way to interpret beloved by women, and that he may even be a homosexual. I will agree that he does not seem to have natural affections and is delusional, yet if the proper interpretation is "the one beloved by women", then I tend to think it has more to do with religion. In that line, I would like to propose another possibility. It comes from prior studies in Ezekiel 8, having to do with Tammuz and also with goddess worship, worshiping the Queen of Heaven. In all likelihood the final apostate church will be a blend and take on what is fashionable at the time, and very feminist.
Tammuz offers all the material things like the Jesus of the prosperity gospel. He was killed for the honor of his mother, so she seems to be greater, like Mary of the Roman Catholic cult, that Jesus points people to his mom. She is a mediator and men are sent to her. The Roman Catholic Mary is none other than Ishtar, the Queen of Heaven. Read also in Queen of Heaven Jeremiah 44. It is also interesting that Roman Catholic priests are vowed to celibacy. - The Whole Book Ezekiel 8 Part 3
…13Again, He told me, “You will see them committing even greater abominations.” 14Then He brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the house of the LORD, and I saw women sitting there, weeping for Tammuz. 15“Son of man,” He said to me, “do you see this? Yet you will see even greater abominations than these.”… Ezekiel 8: 13-15
Also, Daniel and the Apostle John write a lot about the same people, but with different insights. Remember the whore in Revelation 17, that in the end times there will be a revival not only of Rome, but also of the mystery religions, which have often shared and converged. The largest hybrid of these would be the Roman Catholic church and it's goddess worship, and we know in the end there will be a religion called Mystery Babylon, the mother of harlots, because it all started at Babel. Read all of Revelation 17, but notice in the end, the antichrist kills the woman. There will be a huge apostasy in the end, but like the time of Antiochus there will be some that will stand firm and teach truth. The antichrist, like Antiochus, will for a time reward the apostates, but in the end will demand all worship to himself.
15 Then the angel said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations and languages. 16 The beast and the ten horns you saw will hate the prostitute. They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. 17 For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to hand over to the beast their royal authority, until God’s words are fulfilled. 18 The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.” Revelation 17: 15-18
…12And this beast exercised all the authority of the first beast and caused the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose mortal wound had been healed. 13And the second beast performed great signs to cause even fire from heaven to come down to earth in the presence of the people. 14Because of the signs it was given to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived those who dwell on the earth, telling them to make an image to the beast that had been wounded by the sword and yet had lived.… Revelation 13: 12-14
He shall honor the god of fortresses - He will love technology and military strength.
…6The righteous will see and fear; they will mock the evildoer, saying, 7“Look at the man who did not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his wealth and strengthened himself by destruction.” 8But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in the loving devotion of God forever and ever.… Psalm 52: 6-8
He shall honor with gold and silver - Wars are expensive, to stay on top of the technology pile requires a lot of bank, and he will reward those who provide and work on these projects. He will definitely rule by force and might, sometimes the threat of it and sometimes all out destruction. He will also perform false signs and wonders, probably with these technologies.
…3And the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, where I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. 4 The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls. She held in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. 5And on her forehead a mysterious name was written: BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.… Revelation 17: 3-5
He shall deal with the strongest fortresses - He will take down the greatest, and with the help of a foreign god, which looks to be this god of force, fortresses, war, possibly unknown because of a new technology, something even beyond the nuclear sciences and atomic wars that we fear now.
Verse 39: “Thus shall he do in the strongest fortresses with a foreign god,” and the foreign god is the god of war, the war machine. “He’ll attack the strongest fortresses whom he will acknowledge and increase with glory and cause him to rule over many and divide the land for gain.” This is very interesting. Let me read you the literal translation: “Those who recognize him he will highly honor and cause them to rule over many, allotting land as a reward.” He’s gonna take the earth, and then in order to make sure he gets to hold onto it, everybody who honors him he’ll apportion out a large portion of the land. He’ll divide his spoil. He’ll give two things: Positions of leadership and possessions of land. He’ll cause them to rule, verse 39, and divide the land for their reward.
So what he does is obligate those that he conquers to himself and thus sustains their loyalty. This is the one who’s gonna rule the world, and he’s gonna apportion it out and it’s gonna look so good, you cooperate with me and I’ll give you the rule of your land, I’ll give you some independence, I’ll give you the territory. And he’ll be sitting on top of the whole pile. Boy, it’s amazing when you think about where communism is trying to take us today, to the place where it utterly and totally controls the whole world. And if you think communism is a system of sharing, you’re wrong. Communism is the ultimate dictatorship. So we see his character. - J Mac
Those who acknowledge him - He is going to honor those who follow him, and remember the 10 kings, it says they turn over their power to him, but he also requires everyone who would like to have trade, or food, shelter, water, medicine, they all have to receive a mark.
15The second beast was permitted to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship it to be killed. 16And the second beast required all people small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, 17so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark—the name of the beast or the number of its name.… Revelation 13: 15-17
18Here is a call for wisdom: Let the one who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and that number is 666 Revelation 13: 18
It's interesting, on the sixth day God created man, 7 is the number of completion, and here we see the number of the greatest humanist of all times, 3 sixes. Not God, Not God, Not God, or Less than, Less than, Less than, or man, man, man or short, short, short. Just like Nebuchadnezzar, just like your father the devil, you are a created thing, called into being, yet fallen into pure delusion, a narcissist, sociopath tyrant.
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