A KING OF FIERCE COUNTENANCE (Daniel 8:23-27)

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1 A KING OF FIERCE COUNTENANCE (Daniel 8:23-27) The four kingdoms of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome encompass the entire area to which Daniel s visions correspond. God continued to affirm that central to His purposes was his beloved Israel, the pleasant land Dan. 8:9 And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant [tsebiy, beautiful, glorious] land Ps. 106:24 Yea, they [the rebellious Hebrews in the wilderness] despised the pleasant land, they believed not his word Zech. 7:14 But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. Thus the land was desolate after them, that no man passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate Jer. 3:17 At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart. 18 In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers. 19 But I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, [eretz kemdah, a land of desire] a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, Thou shalt call me, My father; and shalt not turn away from me. Therefore, if you want to see at what stage we are in God s prophetic calendar, this is the region to which we look, and in particular, to the nation of Israel. In the eighth chapter of Daniel we have seen the two-horned ram representing the Medo-Persian empire ruling supremely until it is confronted and crushed by the one-horned he-goat representing the Greek empire. We then noticed how, - after the great horn was broken (i.e. the death of Alexander the Great), - four horns arose out of it. These were the Greek Empirical kingdoms of Cassander, Lysimachus, Seleucus, and Ptolemy. Out of these four kingdoms there then arose a prominent little horn who became terrifyingly cruel and wicked. This was Antiochus Epiphanes who came out of the Seleucid dynasty. We considered something of his legacy in our previous study. At this point in Daniel s vision, a further significant development occurs, 23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. 24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. 25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.

2 2 Now remember we have had the rise and fall of Alexander the Great, and then we had the four kingdoms, out of which came Antiochus Epiphanes. The prophecy concerning this Antiochus Epiphanes indicated the type of person who would eventually ascend to the highest position in the latter time of their [Gentile] kingdom, especially focussing upon Israel and the Jews. Some commentators believe v.23 is a continuation of the description concerning Antiochus, and they reject any notion of a future antichrist. Instead, they would refer to an antichristian system, rather than a personal antichrist. What they mean is that the world will become increasingly and progressively more anti-god but not necessarily one individual personal antichrist. However, I believe their case falls for two major reasons. Firstly, they suggest v continues to refer to Antiochus But I disagree, because the context does not suggest this is a continuation. Here is what I mean, in the Hebrew form of writing we find they sometimes fuse information within a very short passage of Scripture without giving any apparent break in the context. Two illustrations of this are in Isaiah and Micah. Firstly, Is. 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: that is the birth of Christ, - His first coming to this earth, - and then in the same verse there immediately follows a prophecy concerning His second coming to this earth and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever If you were to come to that passage and read it for the first time, and not know anything else that happens in Scripture (for example, at the beginning of the New Testament), you would take that verse to mean a child will be born into a royal household in order for the responsibilities of government, - one day, - to be placed upon his shoulder. But, that is not what it is saying because we know there is a gap in between. That is how the Magi from the east got it so wrong! They went to the palace of King Herod expecting to meet the newborn prince who would become king within the normal period of time but that is because they did not understand the prophecy correctly. We find the same prophetic pattern in Micah s prophecy, Micah 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, and, again, it immediately follows through from Christ s first coming to His second yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. And it is the same

3 3 hermeneutical principle here in this portion of Daniel chapter eight. 20 The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. 21 And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. 22 Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power. Then, in verse twenty-three Daniel is referring to a future period, 23 And [ a bridging word] in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full This is the announcement concerning the approach of the conclusion of the times of the Gentiles when the Antichrist shall arise. Now, we can look back and confirm v as being actual historical fact, - the events took place exactly as Daniel foresaw in his vision, - not during his lifetime, but well over two hundred years plus later. So Daniel is prophesying events that literally came to pass, and that means, - since v relating to Alexander the Great, his four generals, and Antiochus were literally fulfilled, - so, - by the same hermeneutical principle, - v will also be literally fulfilled. Those events described in v have not taken place between Daniel s lifetime and ours, so therefore, they must yet be in the future. Yes, of course, there have been many cruel despots and dictators such as Antiochus Epiphanes, but none yet who has fulfilled the wicked dimensions of this evil character in Daniel 8:23-25, not even Adolf Hitler or any within the Middle Eastern region. Therefore, v.23ff is yet in the future, - it is prophetic. And there is a second and more compelling reason why this prophecy relating to the rise of the Antichrist has not yet been fulfilled And the reason it has not been fulfilled is explained by the Lord Himself when He spoke to His disciples outside the Temple on Mount Zion. He gave a list of what must precede His return Mt. 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. 9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. 10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. All these things have to take place before the period of the end would arrive and this is the present period during which Gentile domination rules the world.

4 And then, when the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled (Lk. 21:24) and all these preceding events have been increasing in their ferocity, something spectacular will develop and it was prophesied as far back as Daniel, for Jesus referred to what the prophet was told, Mt. 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains. Persecution, like never before, will descend upon the nation and people of Israel and Jesus was quoting from this passage in the prophecy of Daniel, and teaching His disciples, Dan. 8:13 Then I [Daniel] heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression [ abomination, Mt. 24:15] of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? Jesus, Who wrote the Book, knows exactly what He is referring to! He is not referring to that monstrosity of the Islamic Dome of the Rock that stands there defiantly today. Yes, it is an abomination, but it does not fulfil the criteria here spoken of by Daniel, - and to which Jesus was referring, - for that Dome of the Rock will be replaced in the last days, Dan. 8:23 in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full How else can the daily sacrifice be offered, except in a rebuilt Jewish temple?! As far as the Jewish religion is concerned, they won t have it any other way because the daily sacrifice can be offered nowhere else but in the temple And that is why there has been an increasing euphoric enthusiasm for such a new construction on the Temple Mount. But, someone would say, The Dome of the Rock stands there To which the Jew would reply with a wry smile, And what s your problem?! And, in reply to the question, Dan. 8:13 How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression [ abomination, Mt. 24:15] of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? Daniel is informed with regard to the more immediate fulfilment, 14 And he [qadowsh, the saint /angel] said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. Such accuracy and determination, - it shall be cleansed! There is no doubt about it! then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. Once again, for the sanctuary to be cleansed, the Jewish temple must be rebuilt and it was, under Zerubabel (cf. Ezra and Haggai) i.e. the second temple! By the way, the two thousand and three hundred days [a complete period consisting of morning/evenings, ereb, and not yome, as in Gen. 1:5] refer to the period of time that stretched from the defilement of the temple by Antiochus on the 25 th 4

5 5 Kislev 168 BC until its purification and rededication to the Lord on 25 th Kislev 165 BC during the period of the Maccabees. It has been celebrated ever since as an eight-day Festival, known as Hanukkah. It is also known as the Festival of Lights and the Feast of Dedication. However, Jesus used what had taken place before, - the defilement and the restoration of the temple, - and He reapplied the term, the transgression [ abomination, Mt. 24:15] of desolation, to the future period when the Antichrist will mimic and surpass how Antiochus desecrated the first temple Solomon built so the temple will have to be rebuilt for the Antichrist to desecrate it! Let s continue Dan. 8:5 And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes. 6 And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power. 7 And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand. 8 Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven. 9 And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land This little horn was Antiochus Epiphanes. He was a son of King Antiochus III the Great. Antiochus older brother Seleucus IV succeeded his father to the throne (187 BC), and Antiochus was out of the running to become king. However, in 175 BC, King Seleucus was assassinated by Heliodorus, a court official, and Antiochus, in turn, killed him and seized the throne. Now, Antiochus s names are interesting. His birth name was Mithridates, which means given by the deity Mithra with the implication he had come from the gods a god incarnate. He then took upon himself, - when he became king, - the name Antiochus Epiphanes (Ἀντίοχος Δ ὁ Ἐπιφανής), God Manifest. Basically, he claimed to be god in human flesh Interesting! I trust we can see what s happening and how it relates to the one who will come at the end of the age with similar declarations of godhood, cf. II Thess. 2:3 that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 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.

6 6 But before we move any further into consideration of the future, let s read a few examples of the past and what Antiochus did, and that will give us an indication as to the calibre of this eventual king of fierce countenance Although, bear in mind no person who has ever lived has been as evil as what this future individual is prophesied to be. Regarding this period of history surrounding Antiochus, there are a number of historical documents. The Antiquities of the Jews and The Jewish War, - both recorded by Josephus, - are two of the more well-known and studied. Another popular source of this period are the four books of the Maccabees contained in the Apocrypha. They are what we call deutero-canonical literature. They do not belong to our canon of Scripture because we do not consider them as inspired for they contain inaccuracies. However, they are interesting records, and they relate to this period concerning the wicked rule of Antiochus Epiphanes and his dealings with the Jews. The first book of the Maccabees would be more historically accurate than the others, and it covers the turbulent forty-year period from the accession of Antiochus Epiphanes (175 BC) to the death of Simon Maccabees (135 BC), the second son of Mattathias It begins I Macc. 1:1 Alexander of Macedon son of Philip had come from the land of Kittim and defeated Darius king of the Persians and Medes, whom he succeeded as ruler, at first of Hellas. 2 He undertook many campaigns, gained possession of many fortresses, and put the local kings to death. 3 So he advanced to the ends of the earth, plundering nation after nation; the earth grew silent before him, and his ambitious heart swelled with pride. 4 He assembled very powerful forces and subdued provinces, nations and princes, and they became his tributaries. 5 But the time came when Alexander took to his bed, in the knowledge that he was dying. 6 He summoned his officers, noblemen who had been brought up with him from his youth, and divided his kingdom among them while he was still alive. 7 Alexander had reigned twelve years [ BC] when he died. 8 Each of his officers established himself in his own region [Cassander, Lysimachus, Seleucus, and Ptolemy]. 9 All assumed crowns after his death, they and their heirs after them for many years, bringing increasing evils on the world. 10 From these there grew a wicked offshoot, Antiochus Epiphanes son of King Antiochus; once a hostage in Rome, he became king in the 107th year of the kingdom of the Greeks. 11 It was then that there emerged from Israel a set of renegades who led many people astray. 'Come,' they said, 'let us ally ourselves with the Gentiles surrounding us, for since we separated ourselves from them many misfortunes have overtaken us.' 12 This proposal proved acceptable, 13 and a number of the people eagerly approached the king, who authorised them to practise the Gentiles' observances.

7 7 14 So they built a gymnasium in Jerusalem, such as the Gentiles have, [The gymnasium was built next to the temple, and it was the Gentile s practice to perform naked in the gymnasium. This developed into all kinds of lewd behaviour, as was common to the Greeks 15 disguised their circumcision, and abandoned the holy covenant, submitting to gentile rule as willing slaves of impiety. Now, to understand the identity of the set of renegades who led many astray, and who collaborated with the evil Antiochus Epiphanes presenting himself as a very nice man, we need to turn to II Maccabees 4, 7 When Seleucus had departed this life and Antiochus styled Epiphanes had succeeded to the kingdom, Jason, brother of Onias, usurped the high priesthood: 8 he approached the king with a promise of three hundred and sixty talents of silver, with eighty talents to come from some other source of revenue. [Jason was the high priest, the false prophet; Antiochus was the king of Israel. Now, the prophets prophesied the Messiah would be the King of Israel, but Antiochus was already usurping that position] 9 He further committed himself to paying another hundred and fifty, if the king would empower him to set up a gymnasium and youth centre, and to register the Antiochists [belonging to Antiochus his supporters] of Jerusalem. 10 When the king gave his assent, Jason, as soon as he had seized power, imposed the Greek way of life on his fellow-countrymen. [Jason, the Jewish high-priest, - in collusion with Antiochus Epiphanes King of Israel, - worked to strip away the Jewish identity, particularly including its religious uniqueness] 11 He suppressed the liberties which the kings had graciously granted to the Jews at the instance of John, father of that Eupolemus [a Hellenistic Jewish historian] who was later to be sent on an embassy to negotiate a treaty of friendship and alliance with the Romans and, overthrowing the lawful institutions, introduced new usages contrary to the Law. 12 He went so far as to found a gymnasium at the very foot of the Citadel, and to fit out the noblest of his young men in the petasos [a petasos was a winged hat which was the symbol of Hermes, the Greek idol]. 13 Godless wretch that he was and no true high priest, Jason set no bounds to his impiety; indeed the hellenising process reached such a pitch 14 that the priests ceased to show any interest in serving the altar; but, scorning the Temple and neglecting the sacrifices, they would hurry, on the stroke of the gong, to take part in the distribution, forbidden by the Law, of the oil on the exercise ground; Having established the background, let s return to I Macc. 1 I Macc. 1:16 Once Antiochus had seen his authority established, he determined to make himself king of Egypt and the ruler of both kingdoms [Seleucid and Ptolemy]. 17 He invaded Egypt in massive strength, with chariots and elephants (and cavalry) and a large fleet. 18 He engaged Ptolemy king of Egypt in battle, and Ptolemy turned back and fled before his advance, leaving many casualties. 19 The fortified cities of Egypt were captured, and Antiochus plundered the country. 20 After his conquest of Egypt, in the year 143, Antiochus turned about and advanced on Israel and Jerusalem in massive strength. 21 Insolently breaking into the sanctuary, he removed the golden altar and the lamp-stand for the light with all its fittings,

8 8 22 together with the table for the loaves of permanent offering, the libation vessels, the cups, the golden censers, the veil, the crowns, and the golden decoration on the front of the Temple, which he stripped of everything. 23 He made off with the silver and gold and precious vessels; he discovered the secret treasures and seized them 24 and, removing all these, he went back to his own country, having shed much blood and uttered words of extreme arrogance. 25 There was deep mourning for Israel throughout the country: 26 Rulers and elders groaned; girls and young men wasted away; the women's beauty suffered a change; 27 every bridegroom took up a dirge, the bride sat grief-stricken on her marriage-bed. 28 The earth quaked because of its inhabitants and the whole House of Jacob was clothed with shame. 29 Two years later the king sent the Mysarch through the cities of Judah. He came to Jerusalem with an impressive force, 30 and addressing them with what appeared to be peaceful words, he gained their confidence; then suddenly he fell on the city, dealing it a terrible blow, and destroying many of the people of Israel. 31 He pillaged the city and set it on fire, tore down its houses and encircling wall, 32 took the women and children captive and commandeered the cattle. 33 They then rebuilt the City of David with a great strong wall and strong towers and made this their Citadel. 34 There they installed a brood of sinners, of renegades, who fortified themselves inside it, 35 storing arms and provisions, and depositing there the loot they had collected from Jerusalem; they were to prove a great trouble. 36 It became an ambush for the sanctuary, an evil adversary for Israel at all times. 37 They shed innocent blood all round the sanctuary and defiled the sanctuary itself. 38 The citizens of Jerusalem fled because of them, she became a dwelling-place of strangers; estranged from her own offspring, her children forsook her. 39 Her sanctuary became as forsaken as a desert, her feasts were turned into mourning, her Sabbaths into a mockery, her honour into reproach. 40 Her dishonour now fully matched her former glory, her greatness was turned into grief. 41 The king then issued a proclamation to his whole kingdom that all were to become a single people, each nation renouncing its particular customs. 42 All the Gentiles conformed to the king's decree, 43 and many Israelites chose to accept his religion, sacrificing to idols and profaning the Sabbath. 44 The king also sent edicts by messenger to Jerusalem and the towns of Judah, directing them to adopt customs foreign to the country, 45 banning burnt offerings, sacrifices and libations from the sanctuary, profaning Sabbaths and feasts, 46 defiling the sanctuary and everything holy, 47 building altars, shrines and temples for idols, sacrificing pigs and unclean beasts, 48 leaving their sons uncircumcised, and prostituting themselves to all kinds of impurity and abomination, 49 so that they should forget the Law and revoke all observance of it. 50 Anyone not obeying the king's command was to be put to death. 51 Writing in such terms to every part of his kingdom, the king appointed inspectors for the whole people and directed all the towns of Judah to offer sacrifice city by city.

9 9 52 Many of the people -- that is, every apostate from the Law -- rallied to them and so committed evil in the country, 53 forcing Israel into hiding in any possible place of refuge. 54 On the fifteenth day of Chislev in the year 145 the king built the appalling abomination on top of the altar of burnt offering; and altars were built in the surrounding towns of Judah 55 and incense offered at the doors of houses and in the streets. 56 Any books of the Law that came to light were torn up and burned. 57 Whenever anyone was discovered possessing a copy of the covenant or practising the Law, the king's decree sentenced him to death. 58 Month after month they took harsh action against any offenders they discovered in the towns of Israel. 59 On the twenty-fifth day of each month, sacrifice was offered on the altar erected on top of the altar of burnt offering. 60 Women who had had their children circumcised were put to death according to the edict 61 with their babies hung round their necks, and the members of their household and those who had performed the circumcision were executed with them. 62 Yet there were many in Israel who stood firm and found the courage to refuse unclean food. 63 They chose death rather than contamination by such fare or profanation of the holy covenant, and they were executed. 64 It was a truly dreadful retribution that visited Israel. This is simply one of many illustrations concerning the evil character of Antiochus. He is shown by Daniel s prophecy to be a type, - a forerunner, - of the final Antichrist who will arise and come to Jerusalem near the end of the last days, Dan. 8:23 in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. He will be impressively clever and intuitive, - he will have the answer to virtually every question and problem presented to him. Like Antiochus, he will come from unlikely beginnings, and yet he will make such an impact on the world s stage. Verse nine relates to Antiochus, but at the same time it also anticipates this king of fierce countenance (v.23) who will arise in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full. And he will wax great, especially in relation to Israel since it is mentioned at the end of verse nine for emphasis 9 and toward the pleasant land. 10 And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. The identity of the host of heaven and the stars is given in Dan. 12:3, And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. This refers to those who, - despite the wickedness that will prevail, - remain faithful to God. And the antichrist, who will arise, will do everything in his evil power to massacre and eliminate the people of God, to destroy them from off the face of the earth,

10 10 - just as Antiochus would try to do Dan. 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. We have been hearing for many years the clamouring of the nations around about Israel calling for its annihilation and these voices will increase, and they will find their ultimate champion in the antichrist. And he will set out to complete the work Antiochus failed to achieve. Trace the desire of Satan throughout the Old Testament He put it in the mind of the Egyptian Pharaoh to have all the Hebrew boys put to death Satan would have had the children of Israel perish in the wilderness. He would have massacred the whole nation of Haman would have had his way It has always been the case that the devil wants rid of Israel, because of their special covenant relationship with God. He will keep on trying, and here is the evidence because the Antichrist will succeed in casting down two-thirds of the people of God. He will stamp mercilessly upon them! Zech. 13:8 And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. 9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God. He will begin by establishing himself as the King of Israel just as Antiochus did, and he will weedle his way into their affections. And he will establish himself as Israel s king/messiah, and after the first three-and-a-half years (time, times, and half-a-time, forty-two months, 1260 days) (Rev. 11:2; 13:5) his reign will suddenly become extremely cruel and wicked but God will permit it to fulfil His purposes. I wonder if this king will be a Jew. If he was to be a Gentile, I don t think it would be as easy for the Jews to accept him. On the other hand, though, this is still during the times of the Gentiles, so this individual might be a Gentile. Only God knows! Anyway, one thing is for sure Satan likes to play at being God. He took the Lord Jesus up onto a mountain and without any inhibitions he claimed the world as his own when he said to Jesus, Mt. 4:9 All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Now, the world was never his to give, and it is not even now, and neither will it ever be for Ps. 24:1 The earth is the LORD'S,

11 11 and the fulness thereof But the devil believes his own lies and deception for he thinks it belongs to him! Now, he knows the prophecies of the Old Testament concerning Christ, - Jer. 23:5 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. But, no, says the Antichrist for I am going to reign! And the Lord, says, Yes, I m going to allow you to reign for a time, Dan. 8:11 Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host Now, who is the prince of the host? Well, I think it is fairly obvious the host refers to the people of God. And if we follow through from the illustration of the times of Antiochus, the Jews, - the people of God, - will once again be the main target who are going to be set upon to such an extent they have never experienced before. This period in prophecy is referred to in Jer Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it. And the prince? Again, in the times of Antiochus, the prince was that treacherous Jew named Jason who Antiochus used to draw his people away from their religion, - he was a false prophet. And since Antiochus was a figure / type of the final antichrist, such an evil pattern will develop into a truly monstrous destroyer, with a similar false prophet! Dan. 8:11 and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. 12 And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered Get rid of it all, he demands! Get rid of every vestige of anything that even smells of Judaism, the ancient people of God! There is to be nothing left of anything Jewish! That is what Antiochus Epiphanes tried to do! The Antichrist, however, when he comes, he will pick up the baton and make every effort to succeed In fact, he will almost succeed! By the way, as we have noticed before, Dan. 8:11,12 seems to indicate, - by the mention of the sanctuary and the daily sacrifice, - a form of worship to God in a newly built temple will be re-established and carried out according to the Mosaic rituals. Now, this will not constitute the true form of worship God initially gave to Moses, but it will be a man-made form as derived by the priests of this new temple. It is during these days that an event will occur, of which Jesus prophesied in Mt. 24:15, when ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand).

12 12 So, let s understand I Kings 6:11 And the word of the LORD came to Solomon, saying, 12 Concerning this house which thou art in building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I perform my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father: 13 And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel. 14 So Solomon built the house, and finished it. 15 And he built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar, both the floor of the house, and the walls of the cieling: and he covered them on the inside with wood, and covered the floor of the house with planks of fir. 16 And he built twenty cubits on the sides of the house, both the floor and the walls with boards of cedar: he even built them for it within, even for the oracle, even for the most holy place. At the dedication of the temple, Solomon assembled all the elders and people of Israel, and he declared, I Kings 8:5 And king Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel, that were assembled unto him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen, that could not be told nor numbered for multitude. 6 And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto his place, into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubims. 7 For the cherubims spread forth their two wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubims covered the ark and the staves thereof above. 8 And they drew out the staves, that the ends of the staves were seen out in the holy place before the oracle, and they were not seen without: and there they are unto this day. 9 There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. 10 And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, 11 So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD. And, of course, it is common knowledge that presently plans for the rebuilding of the temple have been drawn up. I do believe it will be rebuilt. And this, - the abomination/transgression of desolation, - will be the highpoint where the aspiration of Lucifer in Is. 14 will be the driving force behind this individual, Is. 14:13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. And in II Thess. 2 we read the same thing, 3 and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 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. I am God, he will declare! Antiochus Epiphanes reborn but worse! - I am the Christ, God Manifest, - I will be like the most High he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. He knows he cannot be

13 13 any better than God, - even the devil knows that, - so he will settle for wanting to be like the most High And he will rise to such a height in the eyes of the world that they will have no hesitation in believing him, accepting him, and crowning him! Rev. 13:13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, 14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast II Thess. 2;8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. That is the picture Daniel presents of this final world leader, during the times of the Gentiles, who will follow in the pattern of the ancient Antiochus Epiphanes. Sad to say, many of the Jews found pleasure in the apostate religion of Jason the high priest, who treacherously served Antiochus and it will happen again, for that is what is prophesied. The Jews will be drawn away, as they were before. They presently will not believe in Christ as the Messiah, but sadly they will believe in a pretender, a fake a false king of Israel! How could God allow such a thing to happen to His beloved ancient people? Well, He allowed Antiochus to ride up through the temple in Jerusalem, slaughter a pig on the altar and offer it to the pagan idolatrous Zeus, who he set up in the Holy of holies, and he stuffed pork down the throats of the priests, and he did many more terrible acts How could God stand by and allow it?! Well, sin will continue and, in fact, it will increase to even worse levels of profanity. We think it bad when they murder babies in their mother s womb, and when they talk about two men being married and you daren t say a word against these things It will be nothing compared to what this evil individual will introduce and perpetrate! He will start off by being a wonderful man who will be the answer to all the world s ills, - he will be like a saviour and he will even impress many socalled professing Christians. He will be their friend, and they will hang on his

14 14 every word. He will simply be the greatest ever what the world needs! He will come across as a lamb, but he will speak like a dragon (Rev. 13:11). For the first three-and-a-half years he will lull them into a dangerous false sense of security, and then in the latter half He will be the most vile, despicable, lying, filthy, repulsive human being that has ever walked this earth. The lion will be freed from the cage, and he will cause untold havoc! Dan. 8:24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power [but by the power of Satan]: and he shall destroy wonderfully, [he will be incredibly destructive] and shall prosper, and practise, [he will succeed in everything he does, and there will be nothing he won t be the master of] and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people [ that is his priority]. 25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many. The Jews will be in his sights, but also in his sights are all the redeemed of God for we as believing Gentiles, - the wild olives (Rom. 11), - have been grafted in to the olive tree (true Israel) and we shall also be considered the target of this king of fierce countenance. Everything he touches will succeed. Every ruler will be his servant. He will control them all but the saints will be the hated outsiders! They will be just like their Lord, despised and rejected of men (Is. 53:3). But, look again at the time 23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full Praise God, the Lord tells us his days are numbered The antichrist will not have an eternal rule, for, - his days will come to the full! By hook or by crook, he will manage to destroy many and he will become so confident and so fearless that he will even dare to confront Christ, 25 he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes. That is a different prince than the prince of the host in verse eleven. The Prince in verse twentyfive is the Lord Jesus Himself, the Prince of princes. And it is also how John prophesied, Rev. 17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb. But when the Antichrist stands up against the Prince of princes, Dan. 8:25 he shall be broken without hand Rev. 17:14 and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful. This is the same as Dan the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. 45 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

15 Yes, the king who will arise will have a fierce countenance, - he will intimidate all and everyone, - he will be admired, but feared and he will be answerable to none, or so he thinks! He will be a great problem-solver just what the world needs. He will be the answer to all their disputes and dilemmas. Dan. 8:24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power. Satan will be behind him, Rev. 13:5 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. 7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. 8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. He will do everything Antiochus did but he will do it even more incredibly evil, and on a grander scale! Here is the good news, though his days are numbered for Daniel prophesies Dan. 8:25 he shall be broken without hand. It won t be any human being who will break him, - it will be the One Who is Faithful and True (Rev. 19:11ff.), - and here is how He will do it, Zech. 14:2 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. 3 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 just as He promised He would when the angels announced in Acts 1, 11 this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. And that is when the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace (Is. 9:6), will descend to this earth and establish His Kingdom for one thousand years, and then will be replaced by the new heaven and the new earth. I ve got to say that not all within Christianity see it like this. The Roman Catholic Church, for example, teaches that we are presently living in the Millennial Kingdom and the enemies of Christ and the Church are being defeated all around us Therefore, we ought not to be looking forward to a time when Christ will literally come to this earth and literally reign, for that is happening here just right now. That is the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church. They would describe a study as fanciful and without foundation. 15

16 16 However, it is also the doctrine John Calvin and many of the Reformers took with them when they left Romanism. They rediscovered salvation by faith alone in Christ, but they brought with them the old Roman doctrine that denies Israel as being Israel for they say, - like Rome, - we are the new Israel, in other words, God has finished with the actual nation and we have taken their place. Well, for God to do that, He would have needed to have broken His word and covenant with Abraham and with David and the Israelite people and I do not believe it is possible for God to break His Word. Israel continues to mean Israel, and Jerusalem continues to mean Jerusalem and all the promises God made to His ancient people, He will keep. Yes, you and I as believers, - as Paul describes in Romans eleven, - we have been grafted in to the olive tree and here is what we always must be mindful of, Rom. 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. God is going to save all that generation of Jews that will be alive when Jesus returns, for His Word promises, 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. 28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes. 29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. God does not go back on His word and we must keep to it! Those who are not prepared to take these promises literally are on very shaky ground for when they start to interpret these things symbolically, - or any other way rather than literally, - they are doing what Daniel did not dare to do. This vision worried him for he could not work out what it meant, 27 And I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days; afterward I rose up, and did the king's business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it. He told it to all his friends, and they couldn t understand it either. Nevertheless, even though he could not understand it, he accepted it literally and believed it as coming directly from the Lord. He did not change it to make it more rational or credible he simply left it as it was and recorded it as God gave it to him. Because of the passage of time, we actually understand more of this vision now than Daniel did but there remain some aspects of it we still do not understand, and we must not push the boundaries of conjecture lest we begin to believe what the Bible is not saying and we go off in a wrong direction.

17 17 Instead, we must be like Daniel, and leave it as the Lord has given it and someday we shall understand it all. We shall see it perfectly and exactly as the Lord intended. Look Daniel, says the Lord, 26 the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days. It s true, Daniel, and that is all you need to be certain about! You don t need to fathom every intricate detail but you need to be confident in what ancient Abraham declared, Gen. 18:25 Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? And Daniel, heed also My words given through Isaiah, Is. 55:9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Indeed, we don t understand it all, - we can only take in so much. Nevertheless, our God is the Alpha and the Omega, and He is working meticulously all things out in the counsel of His own good and perfect will (Eph. 1:11) and we can be certain He is doing it to the praise of His glory. These events will take place, for He has said they will and the wonderful truth is that we know what happens at the end! Daniel, Paul studied your prophecies and vision, and he believed neither God nor His people will be defeated for we are all more than conquerors through Him that loved us (Rom. 8:37). When all these terrible events are taking place, - if we are still here on this earth, - we shall be looking in the direction we have been told to look, for we shall be looking up and waiting for our redemption to draw near (Lk. 21:28). And then we shall see Him coming the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory (v.27) and we shall rise to meet Him (I Thess. 4). No antichrist... No godless governments... No kings or presidents will hinder our Jesus coming on that day. I Cor. 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed I Thess. 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Yes, Daniel fainted and was unwell for a number of days, - such was the impact of this vision upon him. Afterwards, though, with the knowledge God had imparted to him, he rose up, and did the king's business; he carried on with life. How could he do that? Well, even though he was astonished at the vision and neither he nor any of his friends could explain it, he believed in the promises of God, for the opening verse in the next chapter informs us, Dan. 9:1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was

18 18 made king over the realm of the Chaldeans; 2 In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. Seventy literal years He believed, God is going to do it! He is going to bring us home to Jerusalem! He is the covenant-keeping God, and I take Him at His word! May that be our position also as we stand on the promises of God! Amen.