The
view held by most expositors is that from verse thirty-six we are going back to
the future. In verse thirty-five we are pointed to a time in the future.
Daniel 11:35 And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them,
and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it
is yet for a time appointed.
Notice the words, “the time of the end.” Honest interpreters of this passage have to admit that they can find fulfilment anywhere in history of some of the events described in these verses. Also much of what is said about the king, of whom we will read of shortly, fits already into the one we have come to know as antichrist or the leader of this ten nation confederation. Just to be certain look at Daniel twelve verse one.
Daniel
12:1 And at that time shall Michael
stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and
there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation
even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every
one that shall be found written in the book.
Remember
chapter divisions are not inspired. Verse one of chapter twelve is a
continuation of chapter eleven. It speaks of a time of trouble such as never
was.
Matthew
24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning
of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
He
spoke about this same period of trouble. I think we can be sure that these last
ten verses have yet to be fulfilled.
His
Rule.
Daniel
11:36 And the king shall do according
to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god,
and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper
till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be
done.
He
is a dictator.
“The
king shall do according to his will.” This final ruler will be an absolute
dictator. He will rise to power within
Europe but eventually will become a world ruler.
Rev.
13:15 And he had power to give life
unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and
cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be
killed.
Rev.
13:16-18 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and
bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: [17] And
that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the
beast, or the number of his name. [18] Here is wisdom. Let him that hath
understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and
his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
He
will claim deity.
“He shall exalt himself.” This ruler will be self-centred and will unashamedly exalt himself. He will be the epitome of pride.
He will, “magnify
himself above every god,” none shall be able to compete with him. He will
desire worship. Paul tells us the same thing.
2
Thes. 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or
that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing
himself that he is God.
Daniel
11:36 And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself,
and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against
the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for
that that is determined shall be done.
Rev.
13:5-6 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and
blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. [6]
And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his
tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
He
will be determined.
Look
at the end of verse thirty-six.
Daniel
11:36 And the king shall do according
to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god,
and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper
till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be
done.
“And shall
prosper.” Success will seem to go with him.
No doubt this will add to his pride. It will appear that Satan is in
control, but notice the little word, “till.” God will have his hands on the
control panel.
The
word “indignation” speaks of the time of God’s displeasure with his people
Israel. Israel will one day repent and turn to the Lord and accept the Messiah
but it’s going to take the tribulation to achieve this.
God is in control
and he is working all things together for good. One of the key themes in the
book of Daniel is the sovereignty of God.
Perhaps
we should look at one other prophecy before we move on. Remember in Daniel
chapter nine we noticed that he would confirm the covenant with many for one
week. This is the first time in Israel’s history they will have dwelt in peace
but it’s a false peace.
In Ezekiel chapter
thirty seven we have the prophecy of the valley of dry bones. A picture of Israel, this passage tells of a
day when Israel would be restored to the land.
Ezekiel
37:14 And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you
in your own land: then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and
performed it, saith the Lord.
Judah
and Israel will be reunited in the land.
Ezekiel
37:22 And I will make them one nation
in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all:
and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two
kingdoms any more at all:
This
has never happened, but Israel is back in the land today. In Ezekiel chapter
thirty-eight we read of a great battle that will be fought in Israel.
Ezekiel
38:1-2 And the word of the Lord came
unto me, saying, [2] Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog,
the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,
Scholars
like Genisus identify Magog as Russia,
Meshech as Moscow and Tubal as Tubalsk. The words, “chief prince,” should read prince of Rosh.
Ezekiel
38:6 Gomer, and all his bands; the
house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people
with thee.
Ezekiel 38:15
And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many
people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty
army:
Ezekiel 39:2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
These
verses show us how this great enemy from the north of Israel will march against
tiny Israel. I don’t want to go into its allies but just to set this in
context. A great army, a confederation
from the north will come against Israel at a time of peace, as this next verse
shows us.
Ezekiel
38:8 After many days thou shalt be
visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back
from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of
Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the
nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
Ezekiel
38:11 And thou shalt say, I will go up
to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that
dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor
gates,
This
great northern army attacks Israel.
Antichrist will come to Israel’s aid. But it is God who defeats this
great northern army.
Ezekiel
39:12 And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they
may cleanse the land.
Five
sixths of the army will be slaughtered and according to Ezekiel 39 v 2 it will
take seven months to bury the dead. This is not to be confused with the battle
of Armageddon but this will assist antichrist in his rise as world leader.
His
Religion.
Daniel
11:37 Neither shall he regard the God
of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify
himself above all.
The
expression, “the god of his fathers,” has led many noble expositors to say that
antichrist is a Jew. This is not
conclusive proof. The word for god is ‘elohim’ which is used of God but also of
gods small “g” plural. It could be just
speaking about the god of his fathers he doesn’t necessarily have to be a Jew.
I
believe the best explanation is that for the Jews the desire of all Jewish
women was to be the mother of the Messiah.
Haggai
2:7 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and
I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts.
The
word for desire in Haggai is the same word used in Daniel. Antichrist will have
time for no gods. He will be antichrist,
which is anti messiah.
Daniel
11:37 Neither shall he regard the God
of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall
magnify himself above all.
“He
will magnify himself above all,” notice the similarity with Paul’s teaching
again.
2
Thes. 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or
that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing
himself that he is God.
There
was a time when perhaps we would have expected our leaders to be even nominal
Christians. Today there is no doubt an
atheist would be welcomed as world leader. To begin with antichrist will use
religion, as we can see in Revelation seventeen.
Rev.
17:5 And upon her forehead was a name
written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF
THE EARTH.
Many
Bible scholars take this woman as a symbol of the Church of Rome. Perhaps more accurately we see the last
world church. This is what the
ecumenical movements are moving towards.
Rev.
17:3 So he carried me away in the
spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured
beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
The
antichrist will work alongside this great world church until he has no longer
any use for them.
Rev.
17:16-17 And the ten horns which thou
sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate
and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. [17] For God hath
put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom
unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
Antichrist
will then turn against this apostate church and destroy it. He will have no
opposition to his claim to be god. This
is what we have in Daniel eleven. -
Daniel
11:38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his
fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious
stones, and pleasant things.
His
god will be the god of forces. This word is translated in Daniel eleven on
several occasions, as you can see highlighted in the following examples.
Daniel
11:1 Also I in the first year of
Darius the Mede, even I, stood to confirm and to strengthen him.
Daniel
11:7 But out of a branch of her roots
shall one stand up in his estate, which shall come with an army, and shall
enter into the fortress of the king
of the north, and shall deal against them, and shall prevail:
Daniel
11:10 But his sons shall be stirred
up, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces: and one shall certainly
come, and overflow, and pass through: then shall he return, and be stirred up,
even to his fortress.
Daniel
11:19 Then he shall turn his face
toward the fort of his own land: but
he shall stumble and fall, and not be found.
Daniel
11:31 And arms shall stand on his
part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall
place the abomination that maketh desolate.
No
expense will be spared on his great military machine. Antichrist will have
military might on his side. Those who help him will be rewarded, but what a
price they will pay.
Daniel
11:39 Thus shall he do in the most
strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with
glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for
gain.
Walvoord,
taking this passage as a whole says, “It is an inclusive analysis of the
materialism, militarism and religion all of which are embodied in the final
world ruler.
Antichrist
will be at the zenith of his power. It will seem as if all is going his way but
God has his days numbered. Already we mentioned a battle he will face in Ezekiel
thirty-eight to nine. Which I believe
is during the first three and a half years of the tribulation. As we noticed
Israel would be dwelling in peace. Some
have tried to fit this all together with Daniel eleven but as we shall see more
enemies than the king of the north are involved in this battle.
When
we talk about the battle of Armageddon we need to realise that the word for
battle could be translated campaign.
What we have here is the campaign, which will end in that great battle
of Armageddon.
Daniel 11:40 And at the time
of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north
shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and
with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and
pass over.
“At
the time of the end,” helps us to get the timing right. The King of the south
attacks. This would consist of Egypt and her Arab allies. The king of the
north, perhaps a regrouped Russia with Syria and her allies will attack Israel. With Antichrist having entered into an
agreement with Israel any attack on Israel is an attack on him.
But
“he” who must be antichrist, shall enter into countries and overflow and pass
over. Antichrist will defeat the armies of the north and the south.
Daniel
11:41 He shall enter also into the
glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape
out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.
Antichrist
enters into Israel and he will set up the abomination of desolation. He will
desecrate the temple. He was seen as Israel’s protector, soon he would become
their persecutor. Riding on a high
after some victories he will be feeling invincible and will turn against Israel
as we noticed in Daniel nine.
Daniel
11:42-43 He shall stretch forth his
hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. [43] But
he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the
precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his
steps.
He
will plunder the gold out of Egypt, as money is power. It appears some of Egypt’s allies will be at
his steps. That could men they are behind him, in other words they take cold
feet and turn around and support him. But Antichrist is on the way out.
Daniel
11:44 But tidings out of the east and
out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury
to destroy, and utterly to make away many.
Tidings from the
east and the north indicate that they seem ready to move against him again.
Let’s read Revelation nine.
During
the great tribulation God will unleash upon this world a time of trouble
unequalled. It will consist of seven seals, trumpets and vials. Every time a
seal is opened or a trumpet sounds or a vial is poured out some terrible event
happens on the earth. This is the setting now for the Antichrist. God is
working away in the background.
Rev.
9:14-15 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels
which are bound in the great river Euphrates. [15] And the four angels were
loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year,
for to slay the third part of men.
Rev.
9:16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand
thousand: and I heard the number of them.
Keep
in mind the river Euphrates and 200 million men.
Turn
over to revelation sixteen.
Rev.
16:12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates;
and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might
be prepared.
Notice the river Euphrates the border between the old Roman Empire and the east. It is that which kept the powers of the east at bay. But now it is dried up making way for the kings of the east, Japan, China and perhaps even India. According to Time Magazine [22.5.65] China had an army of 200 million men.
Let’s
look again at Revelation sixteen.
Rev.
16:13 And I saw three unclean spirits
like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the
beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
Frogs are unclean animals according to Leviticus. Notice they are connected with the mouth. These demonic creatures will be speaking. Satan will be using propaganda. What else will Satan use?
Rev. 16:14 For they are the
spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth
and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God
Almighty.
Underline
that verse when someone tells you that they have worked a miracle, point this
out, Satan is also in the miracle business. With propaganda and miracles the
kings of the earth will be deceived.
Rev.
16:16 And he gathered them together
into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
This
campaign will eventually lead to this great battle of Armageddon, the mountain
of slaughter. The stage is being set, notice the enemies the north, the south
and the east. Why not the west?
Antichrist will be the ruler in the west and as they all march towards little
Israel the battle is not against Antichrist, the battle is not to defend
Israel, the battle is against the Lamb of God. This is the battle Zechariah
told us about
Zech.
14:1-2 Behold, the day of the Lord
cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. [2] For I will
gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken,
and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go
forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from
the city.
Joel
3:2 I will also gather all nations,
and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with
them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered
among the nations, and parted my land.
Isaiah
63:1 Who is this that cometh from Edom,
with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel,
travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness,
mighty to save.
Armageddon is in the north, Edom is in the south, Jehosaphat is in the East and with Jerusalem at the centre the battle or campaign seems to cover all Israel. What a battle. Little Israel at the centre of this mighty conflict. What causes the nations to turn against the Lord?
Rev.
19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and
behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True,
and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
The
Lord comes back to the earth.
Rev.
19:12-18 His eyes were as a flame of
fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man
knew, but he himself. [13] And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood:
and his name is called The Word of God. [14] And the armies which were in
heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
[15] And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the
nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the
winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. [16] And he hath on his
vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
[17] And I saw an angel standing in the
sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the
midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the
great God; [18] That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains,
and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on
them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
Zechariah
confirms this.
Zech.
14:3-5 Then shall the Lord go forth,
and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. [4] And his feet shall stand in that day
upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount
of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the
west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall
remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. [5] And ye shall flee
to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach
unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in
the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, and all the
saints with thee.
Christ
returns. The first time he came as a babe in a manger but he is coming back as
one who will judge and make war.
Rev.
19:19 And I saw the beast, and the
kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him
that sat on the horse, and against his army.
In
Revelation fourteen we have a vivid description of this battle.
Rev.
14:19-20 And the angel thrust in his
sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the
great winepress of the wrath of God. [20] And the winepress was trodden without
the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by
the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.
“Like grapes in a winepress,” only it’s blood that is coming out. According to this statement, the blood will flow on that day and cover an area of 200 miles just about the size of Palestine. Notice what the Lord prophesied in Matthew twenty-four.
Matthew 24:27-28 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and
shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. [28]
For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
Daniel
11:45 And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the
glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.
Daniel
doesn’t give us all the details but we can see that Antichrist will set up
headquarters in Jerusalem. On the site of the temple between the Mediterranean
and Galilee. Yet he shall come to his end.
Will he die? No, none shall help him he has taken on the Lamb of
God.
Rev.
19:20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought
miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of
the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into
a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
Rev.
19:21 And the remnant were slain with
the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his
mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
The
fowls would feed on the rest of the dead.
Rev.
20:1-2 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the
bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. [2] And he laid hold on the
dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a
thousand years,
Zech.
14:9 And the Lord shall be king over
all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one.