Many early Christian reformers were so overwhelmed with the historical accuracy of Daniel's in the first part of chapter 11 that they wrote many commentaries describing in minute detail the future exploits of each world leader, the battles engaged, and the continuing intrigue. ... In fact, the meticulous and historically accurate nature of these verses has persuaded many liberal ministers to believe that Daniel could NOT have written this book, suggesting that NO ONE could have been privy to so many details of forthcoming events. ... Therefore, they argue, the Book of Daniel MUST have been written much later. ...
To that , I would simply reply that since God is God, and since He knows all things, it really would not be difficult for the Almighty to fill Daniel with His Holy Spirit and through Him make known the events in history yet to come. ...
Some may want me to spend as much time as the early reformers did in delineating past predictions that have already been fulfilled in the first part of chapter 11, maybe hoping that I would trace the accomplishments of every king, every battle, and every historical circumstance in this 400-year period, just to prove that there were no errors in Daniel's prophecy. .. However, for those of you who may not have as great a historical bent, this would be too much detail, since the first 35 verses of this chapter 11 include 135 prophecies - each completely fulfilled down to the smallest detail. .. Undoubtedly, diving into each of these 135 predictions would become extremely laborious. ...
With these considerations in mind, I will simply sketch out a few of the completed historical events of this chapter and then spend most of the time exploring the confluence of the many events that suggest so strongly that we are now at the time of the end ... a discussion which will begin with verse 36. ......
Daniel 11:1-4 - Some details that confound the skeptics ...
These first four verses trace the history of four Persian rulers and Alexander the Great of Greece - giving summary details of the Ptolemies of Egypt and the Seleucids of Syria, whom, as you will recall, represented the two major divisions of Alexander's worldwide kingdom. ... It is this kind of detail that confounds the skeptics who say things like .. "How could anyone have known with such accuracy the events, people, and interaction of nations four centuries before such events took place?" ...
Forget the skeptics and the critics! .. We know we have a God who knows every detail of the future .. has ordained it .. and is now allowing it to reveal itself to us in these final days. ... Here is a quick summary of just some of the enormous amount of prophetic information contained in Daniel's vision - all of which has been fulfilled. ...
When Daniel received his fourth revelation, Cyrus was King of Medo-Persia. .. However, the angel told Daniel there would be three more Medo-Persian rulers prior to the reign of successor number four. .. The three kings were Cambyses, Pseudo-Smerdis, and Darius l Hystaspes. .. The fourth would be Xerxes l, a powerful ruler who later accumulated great armies, power, and wealth over a four-year period which he used to invade Greece in the year 480 BC. .. This is highlighted here because it was Xerxes' attack of Greece that moved Alexander the Great to attack Medo-Persia some 150 years later. ...
However, as we previously saw, not all went well for Alexander in spite of his great power and dominance of so much of the then-known world. .. Though he grabbed everything world-wide, he soon died of Malaria and Syphilis at the age of 32. .. Previously, we saw a defeated Greece predicted in the form of a Leopard (Daniel 7:6), and as the Goat in Daniel 8:5-6. ... Events prophesied .. Events fulfilled! ...
Daniel 11:5-35 - The wars between the North and the South ...
From verse 5 we begin to see a powerful struggle taking place between the Kings of the South - Egypt - and the Kings of the North - Assyria, today's Syria. .. These nations were constantly at each other's throats, alternating victories. .. It was a back-and-forth world of power-grabbing, palace intrigue, and battle fatigue for supreme command of the region. .. Finally, a scheme was devised to put an end to these constant wars that were taking such a great toll on the people and their respective governments. ..
This was the plan: Ptolemy ll had a daughter, Berenice, and it was decided that if she would marry Antiochus ll of Syria, a union designed to create a long and lasting peace in the area could be forged. .. However, even the best-laid plans often do not meet all expectations, and since it was an arranged and forced marriage, Antiochus of Syria hated the arrangement. .. But, for political reasons, he chose to live with what he disliked. ..
But when the King of Egypt, Ptolemy ll, died, Antiochus realized he suddenly had a golden opportunity to get rid of his spouse, which he did. .. He divorced her and took back his original wife, Laodice. ...
The ancient soap opera continued to play out when Laodice, overcome with jealousy, had Berenice poisoned along with most of her family. .. In the end, the hoped-for peace between Egypt and Syria did not hold. .. In fact, it was only the beginning of the shedding of blood between the powers of the North and South. ...
Other high-profile names to surface during the next four centuries would be men such as Ptolemy Euergetes, Seleucus Callimicus, Antiochus lll, and Ptolemy Philopater - along with the wicked Antiochus Epiphanes who, upon returning from Egypt after having amassed great wealth, began to show his unnatural hatred toward the Jews, an attitude best described by the phrase, "His heart shall be against the Holy Covenant." (vs. 28) .. This beast of a man would also be a precursor of the persecution an end-time global dictator exercises against Israel during the Great Tribulation hour. ... We have seen earlier that Antiochus was the designated arch-type of the future 'future king of iniquity' - the anti-christ yet to come. .. I believe this 'future man of iniquity' will be with us in a matter of moments! ...
It is impossible to do justice to the history that takes place between verses 1-35 without writing a major composition on the prophesies and their actual fulfillment. .. There are already many commentaries available that deal with such issues. .. For our purpose, however, the most important underlying message of these first 35 verses is this:
*They contain 135 prophesies that have been 100% fulfilled ...
*There is no supportive evidence in history to contradict any of the 135 prophesies, I.E., everything prophesied has come true ...
*They provide a convincing introduction to end-time events - a period of time in world history that is rapidly approaching ...
*Prophecies still to come in this chapter can be expected to be fulfilled in the same manner as the 135 were in the first 35 verses of Daniel chapter 11 ...
With that brief background, we can now proceed in the futuristic nature of Daniel's revelation which begins in verse 36. ...
Daniel 11:36-45 - The King of the time of the end ...
Up until this point in chapter 11, the 135 prophecies that deal with the Persian and Grecian Empires have been fulfilled with minute precision .. every event verified and documented by the efforts of both religious and secular history, and culminating with the 'end-days' of the wicked Antiochus Epiphanes (164 BC). ...
Now, however, beginning with verse 36, we find ourselves in new territory. .. Here we are now confronting prophecies that have not yet been fulfilled. .. Nothing here can be related to previously predicted and fulfilled historical events, which now means we are stepping into areas that speak of a yet-to-be-fulfilled future - specifically the life and times of the anti-christ, leading up to the second coming of Christ. .. As this anti-christ of the Great Tribulation is described in Daniel's revelation, we see and learn again that he pretty much does as he pleases, magnifies himself above God, and prospers until the 'indignation' is finished. (See Revelation 14:10) .. The anti-christ will blaspheme the One True God and will do monstrous things. ...
In straight speaking, this anti-christ will be a madman who claims he is deity, one who will run the 'end-time show' in an attempt to obliterate Israel. .. Also, this same anti-christ will hate Jesus and become violently opposed to everything for which He stands. .. He not only refuses to bow down and worship the Savior, but also executes those who do. .. (See Revelation 13:15 & 20:4) ...
The Great Deceiver ...
Some have suggested that this anti-christ will be a Jew who has departed from the God of His fathers - Yahweh. .. However, this cannot be the case because, according to prophecy, he must emerge from the Revived Roman Empire and must therefore be a 'son' born within the EU. .. It is my thinking that we can expect the anti-christ to be a gentile who defects from his religious upbringing and becomes an avowed believer in, and promoter of, the philosophy of the 'new-age' movement. ...
I encourage each of you to pay careful attention to these new movements in the days ahead as you see its power manifest around you. .. Pay particular attention to the words that advocate 'self,' such as 'you are little gods' - 'you can be like a god' - you can make your own happiness' - or - 'you need to do nothing more than center yourself in your own consciousness.' .. Be careful of those who totally focus on 'I am.' .. These words and phrases put people on the precipice of blasphemy, and create an apostate atmosphere in which the anti-christ will feel very 'at home. ... We who have ears to hear must remember that God is revealing these final truths to Daniel. .. The predicted events are happening and 'the time of the end' has arrived! ...
Now, not only is the the anti-christ a great opponent of God and His people, but he is also a great deceiver. .. Remember how he comes:
*A man of peace ..
*Politically correct ..
*Will have all the answers to the world's problems ..
*Makes a peace treaty with Israel ..
Revelation 13:1-18 is an important reminder of the global extent of this dictator. .. It's important that we read this text in its entirety because it is a detailed description of what this 'beast,' or anti-christ, will resemble. .. Here he is a 'beast' who will be killed and then resurrected as Christ was. (13:3) .. To ensure that this power base remains unchallenged, he will insist that the 'Mark - 666 - be given to all, rich and poor, free and bond. ..
This mark on their foreheads or right hands will be mandatory for buying something as simple as a loaf of bread. .. Unknown to many of our 'oblivious' brothers and sisters today, these numbers, in various forms, are already be used or prepared as ID tags on personal IDs, and products going in and out of the EU as we speak. ...
Before moving on, I want to point out a crucial verse in this section, that being verse 36 .. "Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished: for what has been determined shall be done." .. Let me for a moment warn you of a growing following of today called 'Dominion Theology.' .. Basically, it is a teaching that claims the Church will continue to 'conquer' the world, and as soon as this is complete, then the Lord will come back to rule. ... Wishful thinking, at best! ... The Bible's teachings are quite clear when it comes to end-time events .. There WILL be an anti-christ, and he WILL rule for a short period of time. ... The prophetic proof leaves absolutely no doubt as to this truth. ... Be very careful of all the false teachings in today's world. .. Jesus Christ Himself warned us of this in Matthew 24:4-5. ...
Finally, in the closing scenes, we can briefly view the Armageddon campaign. .. This, of course, is when the anti-christ and his armies battle Christ in what becomes the 'war to end all wars.' .. Armageddon, or har-megeddo, is the gathering place. (See Revelation 16:6) .. From there the armies march on to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. (See Joel 3:2) .. Then Zechariah 14:2 occurs as "all nations gather against Jerusalem to battle."
The anti-christ has been doing everything in his power during his 42 months (1260 days) to pour out venom on his enemies, but now he speaks the ultimate blasphemy by saying, "I will stop the King of Kings from coming to power." .. Egotistically, he believes he will be victorious against the Lord of Hosts. .. Revelation 19:19 sets the stage for this apocalyptic event. .. In Revelation 19:11, Christ appears on a white horse to rule as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. .. But, stubborn and rebellious to the end, the anti-christ insists he will never be defeated by any enemy, including Christ. .. But of course, he's wrong because Christ destroys him with the 'brightness of his coming (2 Thessalonians 2:8). ...
Christ then takes this beast - the global dictator - along with the false prophet who headed up the world church, and casts them both into a lake of fire (Revelation 19:20). .. 1000 years later, when satan is thrown into that same lake of fire, the beast and false prophet are still in existence, suffering the torment of hell forever and ever. .. It will be the fate of all who either reject Jesus or buy into the false teachings of the many latter-day false prophets and teachers. ...
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