141 - The Coming Antichrist

The Future Is Bleak

Daniel standing beside the river Tigris saw a certain man. Daniel 10:4. The Theophany. K&D.  Theophany means, a visible manifestation of a deity. Merriam-Webster.  It is said that a theophany is when Jehovah shows Himself to humans as He did many times throughout the Bible.  

Bible students who do not believe that Jehovah has an actual body, of course, say that these sightings were not real, just theophanies, in spite of the fact that the Bible speaks of Jehovah as having a visible body and the sightings of Him as being real. For example: And they will see His face. Rev 22:4.  The face of God, so as he is not to be seen now; they shall see him as he is. Gill.

Or maybe the certain man was not a Theophany but, some say this is Jesus Christ before He was born. Guzik.

• How could Daniel see Christ before Christ even had a body?  
• If Christ is God, (as many preach but which is a doctrine that the Bible does not teach), why would He have needed Micheal's help as stated in Daniel 10:13?   

Or maybe this certain man (it sounds like the archangel Micheal) was an angel above the rank of Gabriel. An angel of the highest order; for earlier he commands Gabriel to make Daniel to understand the vision. Jamieson, Fausset, Brown.

Gabriel says, But the ruler (a wicked archangel) of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days. But lo, Michael, one of the chief rulers, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. 10:13.   Daniel prayed for 21 days but this certain man could not bring Daniel the answer to the prayer because the certain man was busy pleading with the ruler of Persia.  

Each country has an archangel over it, as individuals have an angel. Haydock.  Not all archangels are good, and some want what is bad for a country. A wicked archangel, if he is not contested by a good archangel, can do a lot of damage to a country.

For a few examples: 

• Russia when the communists took over; 
• Germany when the Nazis wanted to rule the world; 
• The leaders of ISIS doing as much violence as possible. 

We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the world's rulers, of the darkness of this age, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Eph 6:12/

In the first year of Darius the Mede, I (the certain man) was standing for a supporter and for a fortress for him (Darius).11:1.   That certain man is here continuing to explain to Daniel what will happen to the Jews in future years.  

I picture an evil archangel standing on the left shoulder of Darius, whispering into his ear, "Don't let the Jews go, Don't let the Jews go" while this certain man is standing on his right shoulder, whispering, "You were brought up to do what is right, are you going to forsake your principles now, so late in life".

Chapter 11 is a repeat of the history of the Levant from the time of Darius and onward.  They say "History repeats itself" but I am not history.  To comment on this segment again would be repetitive and so we skip down to verse 36. 

The writer had been writing about the king of the south (Egypt), the king of the north (Syria), the king from the west (Rome) but now suddenly a new force arises, his source is not specified.

Worse Than Antiochus

Historians fit all of this into the time between Daniel until the time of Antiochus, who died in 164 B.C.E.  We already know that some prophecies made for Old Testament times also relate to the New Testament era.  This may be a case in point.

This is what the Bible says about Antiochus and, by inference, also about the antichrist: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things (speak monstrous things-Darby) against the God of gods, (that is, Jehovah).  

Does this not sound like ISIS and their fellow terrorists?  It is not at all difficult to believe that the antichrist will rise from the ranks of the terrorists.  However, when the individual, the antichrist, will first appear he will come with a smooth tongue and speak of bringing peace.  This will continue for 3.5 years (or half his allotted time) and then his true character will show and he will start his murderous rampages across the world.

He will not regard the God of his fathers, (some suggest that the antichrist will be of Jewish descent).  Is it unbelievable that a Jew could be a Roman Catholic fighting for ISIS?

nor the desire of women. The following was said regarding Antiochus;  He had no regard for the weaker sex, ... killing all indiscriminately.  Haydock.  The modern terrorist groups certainly fit the picture.

He will not regard any god and shall prosper until the fury is fulfilled. He will move forward in his fury until Jehovah says, enough is enough.

For that which is decreed shall be done. Jehovah's plan will still triumph.

For he shall magnify himself above all.  ISIS has already proven that it does that.

In his place he shall honor the god of forces; He will honour violence and indiscriminate killings.

at the end-time, the king of the south (Egypt?) shall butt at him (will take up arms against ISIS). And the king of the north (Turkey and/or Russia) shall come against him like a tempest.

he shall enter into the countries (worldwide, as terrorist groups are doing now) and shall overflow and pass over. He shall also enter into the glorious land (Israel), and many shall be stumbled (overthrown, Strong H3782).

he shall stretch out his hand on the lands. And the land of Egypt shall not escape. Watch the news and see it happen. And the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps. 11:36-43.

To be continued in the next post.

140 - 70? Weeks - A Protestant Viewpoint

Gabriel

yes, while I was speaking in prayer.  Daniel is speaking in prayer.  Speaking in prayer may be one of the reasons Christ said, But you, when you pray, enter into your room. And shutting your door, pray to your Father in secret; Mat. 6:6.  So that we can pray "out loud"?    

the man Gabriel, ... came flying.  Of the ten different translations I checked, six used the word flying.  Those that did not use flying, have in its place the meaning of, touched me in my severe exhaustion.

the man Gabriel (if he had wings with which to fly, why is he called a man?), ...  touched me in my severe exhaustion.  Very few translations include the word my in this verse and those that do use my have it in italics, which tells us that the word actually does not belong in an accurate translation.  

If we remove the word my, it changes from being a reference to Daniel's exhaustion, but rather to Gabriel's.  Some commentaries suggest that Gabriel was tired because he flew so fast.  Some versions have words such as flying swiftly.

It is important to note that Gabriel limited this prophecy to your people (the Jews) and as to your holy city (Jerusalem).   Yet, scholars apply this prophecy to the end times and to the whole world.

Sixty-nine Weeks

from the going out of the command (by Darius or any one of the three other choices) to restore and to build Jerusalem, to Messiah the Prince (Jesus Christ), shall be seven weeks, and sixty-two weeks (a total of 69 weeks or 483 years).  The street shall be built again, and the wall, even in times of affliction. 

While we were studying the books of Ezra and Nehemiah we noticed the turmoil that the neighbours of Jerusalem were creating, those were times of affliction for the Jews. 

http://spaceshiptheology.blogspot.com/2015/07/78-ezra.html 

http://spaceshiptheology.blogspot.com/2015/07/79-nehemiah.html

Even after many of the Jews had returned and the walls were built, they never had any real peace in their land.  Continually some foreign power would invade, capture and destroy.  The books of the Maccabees in the Apocrypha provide much information as to the wars in which the Jews were involved in those days.

And after sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off.  Some explain that 483 years from Darius's first year in Babylon, Jesus Christ, the Messiah will be crucified.  If Bible teachers exert enough effort and are willing to manipulate the numbers severely enough, they can come up with 483 years for that time period.

but not for Himself.  Christ did not die for himself; He died to pay the penalty for human's sinfulness. 

The last three of the six points enumerated in the previous post were all accomplished at the death and ascension of Christ.  The first three we looked at in the previous post.

4. to bring in everlasting righteousness; 

5. to seal up the vision and prophecy; 

6. and to anoint the Most Holy.

Most commentaries agree that the Most Holy refers to the holy of holies in the Jewish tabernacle, and not to Jesus Christ.  Some insist that it refers to Christ and that He was anointed at the time He was baptised.  Strong tells us that it refers to a thing. Strong H6944.  So possibly it refers to the holy of holies but in any case, it does not refer to Jesus Christ.

And the people (the army) of the ruler (Titus of the Roman army) who shall come shall destroy the city (Jerusalem) and the sanctuary (the rebuilt temple).   And the end of it shall be with the flood, (as said earlier, not a flood of water but of blood and destruction).   

and ruins are determined, and all this appointed and determined by the Lord, as a just punishment for their sins. Gill

And he shall confirm a covenant with many (nations) for one week (seven years).  This is the 490th year.  If the Messiah was crucified in the 483rd year and the "Church age" is not included in the prophecy the 490th year refers to the last 7 years before Christ returns to set up His kingdom.  

Again we remind ourselves that the number 7 might be a symbolic representation of Jehovah's plan and not an actual number.

He did not make a covenant with the Jews; this is to be interpreted of the Roman people, spoken of in the latter part of the preceding verse; who, in order to accomplish their design to destroy the city and temple of Jerusalem, made peace with many nations, entered into covenant and alliance with them. Gill.

Or the opposite point of view: he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week. The word many here is a specific reference to Israel. ... With this covenant Israel will embrace the Antichrist as a political messiah, if not the literal Messiah. Jesus predicted this in Joh_5:43: I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.

Taking the description of what would be accomplished in the 70 Weeks from Dan_9:24, we know that the 70 Weeks are not yet complete. Yet the events promised in the first 69 weeks are fulfilled, indicated that there is a lengthy “pause” in the 70 Weeks, between the 69th week and the 70th week. Guzik.  The "pause he mentions is "the Church age". Jewish prophets did not see this period of time because they prophesied to Israel, not to the world at large.

The middle of the week and the end of sacrifice had not yet happened in 90 A.D. Guzik.  Therefore, that incident can be postponed to the last week (490th year).

And in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the offering to cease.  9:21-27. the daily sacrifice of the Jews, ... towards the close of the latter half of it, when the city of Jerusalem, being closely besieged by Titus, what through the closeness of the siege, the divisions of the people, and the want both of time and men, and beasts to offer, the daily sacrifice ceased; nor have the Jews, ever since the destruction of their city and temple, offered any sacrifice, esteeming it unlawful so to do in a strange land. Gill.  That seems so fitting since the sacrifice Christ made replaces the need for any other sacrifices.

He said, "Sacrifice and offering, and burnt offerings and offering for sin You did not desire, neither did You have pleasure in them" ... He takes away the first so that He may establish the second. By this ... we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Heb. 10:8-10.  

After all that, I end with this quote: 

There is not even an initial agreement-or even the data as to an agreement-whether the "years" to be counted are solar years of three hundred and forty-three days, or lunar years, or "mystic" years, or Sabbath years of forty-nine years, or "indefinite" years; or where they are to begin and end or in what fashion they are to be divided. All is chaos in the existing commentaries. Expositors Bible Commentary.

139 - 70? Weeks - A Hebrew View Point

To lay a basis for the next few posts I quote, I am fully of opinion, that no interpretation as yet published will stand the test of thorough grammatico-historical criticism; Professor Stuart in Barnes Commentary.  Or, in other words, whatever one writes about this vision is bound to be successfully refuted by others.

Seventy Weeks

This section of Daniel is very significant to Bible study and so convoluted, with so many different schools of thought explaining it, that in this blog, we will, only briefly scan over a few of the basic facts.  Since the Hebrew interpretation, because they do not accept Christ as the Messiah, and the Christian viewpoint are radically different we will take a quick look at both, starting with the Jewish commentary by Rashi.

Seventy weeks (Concerning Biblical prophecy this is very important: 

Each day represents one year and one week represents seven years so that seventy weeks represents 490 years). 

The Babylonian exile was seventy [years] and the Second Temple stood four hundred and twenty [years] (the total is 490 years.) Rashi.

Seventy weeks are decreed as to your people (the Jews who were taken captive to Babylon) and as to your holy city, (Jerusalem - from the day of the first destruction in the days of King Zedekiah until it will be [destroyed] the second time (will be 490 years, the second destruction was by Titus of Rome). Rashi.

he (Gabriel) ... said, ... I have come to explain.

Seventy weeks are decreed.  The following list of things is to be accomplished in those 490 years. 

1.  to finish the transgression; 
2.  to make an end of sins; 
3.  to make atonement for iniquity;  9:24.

As the prophets had foretold, Israel would pay for their ungodly lifestyle and they must make atonement for iniquity by

1. being banished from their country and 
2. later by turmoil in their own country. 
3. This payment, for sins committed, would last from the days of King Zedekiah until the time when Titus, In 70 A.D. besieged and captured Jerusalem, and destroyed the city and the Second Temple. Wikipedia.

from the going out of the command to restore and to build Jerusalem.  Cyrus is only one of the rulers who gave the Jews permission to return home after 70 years of captivity.  There are actually four different events in history from which Bible students can choose a starting day.

to Messiah the Prince (Cyrus, king of Persia, about whom the Holy One ... called him His anointed (translate anointed as Messiah) and His king, as it says (Isa. 45:1): “So said the Lord to His anointed one, to Cyrus.”) Rashi.

It is understandable that Rashi would quote that verse of Scripture because the Jewish religion has never accepted Christ as the Messiah (the anointed one).  According to Isaiah Cyrus was the Messiah; His (Jehovah's) anointed and His king. 

It seems that here again, we have a situation where a prophecy fits both Old Testament and New Testament history.  In our studies, several times already, we have run into this interesting type of prophetic expansion. See:

http://spaceshiptheology.blogspot.com/2014/08/29-mighty-god-is-born-oh- 

http://spaceshiptheology.blogspot.com/2016/08/137-epimanes-madman.html

to Messiah, the Prince shall be seven weeks (49 years), and sixty-two weeks (483 years) or sixty-nine weeks altogether, which is 532 years). 9:25.

First, Rashi spoke of the invasion during Zedekiah's reign (in 606 BC) until Cyrus gave the Jews permission to return home (in 536 BC); this was 70 years. However, the prophecy speaks of 7 weeks (49 years).  

The invasion during King Zedekiah's reign does not meet the criteria of 7 weeks (49 years) until Darius gave the Jews permission to return to Judea, so Rashi changed the date at which to start counting from the invasion during Zedekiah's reign to the total destruction of Jerusalem which happened 20 years later than 606 B.C. to 586 BC.  He ends up with 7 weeks (49 years).  

And after sixty-two weeks (434 years from the time Darius gave the Jews permission to return home) Messiah shall be cut off.  This Messiah is Agrippa, the king of Judea, who was ruling at the time of the destruction, will be slain. This is purely an expression of a prince and a dignitary. Rashi.  

Notice that earlier he used the Bible to prove that Cyrus was the Messiah, now he says that Agrippa is the Messiah (the anointed one). Obviously, in his opinion there is no problem in having more than one person who has been chosen, to a certain task, by Jehovah; the word "Messiah" does not have the same import to him as it has to Christians.

As to King Agrippa being the Messiah note: 

nor is King Agrippa intended, ... who, they say, was the last king of the Jews, and was slain by Vespasian at the destruction of Jerusalem; which is not true; 

• he was not properly king of the Jews, having only Galilee for his jurisdiction; 
• was not slain by Vespasian; 
• was a confederate of the Romans, 
• lived some years after the destruction of the city, and at last died in peace. Gill

Instead of, but not for Himself Brenton's translation has: and there is no judgment in him:

And the people (the army) of the ruler (Titus) who shall come shall destroy the city (Jerusalem) and the sanctuary (the second temple, the one in which Christ worshipped). [The monarch who will come] upon them. That is Titus and his armies. And the end of it shall be with the flood, and ruins are determined. That is a flood of blood and destruction, not a flood of water.

Concerning the destruction of the temple Josephus described the scene:

As the legions charged in, neither persuasion nor threat could check their impetuosity: passion alone was in command. Crowded together around the entrances many were trampled by their friends, many fell among the still hot and smoking ruins of the colonnades and died as miserably as the defeated. As they neared the Sanctuary they pretended not even to hear Caesar's commands and urged the men in front to throw in more firebrands. The partisans were no longer in a position to help; everywhere was slaughter and flight. Most of the victims were peaceful citizens, weak and unarmed, butchered wherever they were caught. Round the Altar the heaps of corpses grew higher and higher, while down the Sanctuary steps poured a river of blood and the bodies of those killed at the top slithered to the bottom. Wikipedia, Siege of Jerusalem

And he will strengthen a covenant for the princes for one week, (for seven years) and half the week (3.5 years) after that he will abolish sacrifice and meal-offering, and on high, among abominations, will be the dumb one, on a high place, among abominations and disgusting things, he will place the dumb one, the pagan deity, which is dumb like a silent stone. Rashi. until destruction and extermination befall the dumb one. 9:26-27. Total destruction will descend upon the image of the pagan deity and upon its worshipers.

We will touch on points 4, 5 and 6 in the next post. 
4. to bring in everlasting righteousness; 
5. to seal up the vision and prophecy; 
6. and to anoint the Most Holy.

138 - Sackcloth, Ashes and Prayer

Solemn Meaningful prayer

In the first year of Darius ... Daniel, understood the number of the years by books, which came of the Word of Jehovah to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. Daniel 9:2.  

Now, in the latter part of Daniel's life, by reading the books of Jeremiah, he finally understood that Jerusalem would sit in its demolished state for seventy years.  Jeremiah had written: And it shall be, when seventy years are fulfilled I will punish the king of Babylon. Jer. 25:12.

I set my face toward the Lord God, to seek by prayer and holy desires, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes.  Do any of us have his kind of passion for prayer?  Obviously, we would not expect ourselves to wear sackcloth, but, on the other hand, we do make sure we are comfortable.  Daniel was a man who knew what prayer was all about, but not so the modern church.  I have heard people who, supposedly in prayer, were making jokes.  

with fasting.  When Daniel says that he was fasting, perhaps we should not think that he was going entirely without any food.  Later he explains how he fasts: I ate no food for delight, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth. 10:3.  When we do pray, are we at least serious about it?  When we give thanks for our food, do we even pay attention to the words we are saying or are they just memorised speeches used to impress Jehovah? 

and sackcloth, Daniel went to the discomfort of wearing that very uncomfortable sackcloth.  How comfortable do we need to be when we pray?  When I was a child, we used to kneel on a rough wooden floor in the church, to pray;  then, as times changed we would stand to pray but now we do not even bother to do that.  We just sit comfortably in our cushioned pews;  The preacher closes his eyes, says some words, and we sit there with our eyes closed, our hands folded and pretend to be praying!  

and ashes. As if sackcloth wasn't bad enough. Daniel sat in the ashes, or had ashes on his head, to indicate his deep sorrow for his sins and the sins of his people.

And I prayed to Jehovah my God and said, O Lord, the great and awesome God, 9:3-4. Daniel started his prayer with worship. In the prayer that Christ taught us, he also started with worship, Our Father, who is in Heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Matthew 6:7. 

We most likely start our prayers something like this, Dear Father in heaven, I need a new ________.

Daniel continued his prayer with a confession of sins; his own sins and the sins of his people; we have sinned and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from Your commandments and from Your judgments. 9:5.   Christ also included that element in "The Lord's Prayer"; and forgive us our debts as we also forgive our debtors. Mat 6:12.  

Here is the reason for our countries' calamities;  As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this evil has come on us. Yet we did not make our prayer before Jehovah our God.  Corruption at all levels of business dealings; death to drug dealers and also at the hands of drug dealers; gun violence; injustice among judges; moral degradation among the senators of our nations, and the list goes on indefinitely.  

Here are the cure and the only hope for our nations; that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand Your truth. 9:13.   A life of real prayer will certainly cause us to turn from our life of iniquity to a life where we will be honest and morally upright.  

If every Christian of the Christian faith and every devout North American Muslim would pray for the welfare of our countries it could be that Jehovah would spare our nations from the imminent destruction that is looming over our heads.  If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chron. 7:14 

After all that I have written about prayer, I need to also mention the obverse of my statements.  There is distinctly a place in prayer for proper decorum; for some people that will include ritual.  However, we must be careful that form and ritual do not become more important than our communication with our Father.  

About fifteen years ago I made it a deliberate choice to delete all non-vital ritual from my life.  That decision has helped set me free from a lot of redundancy.  I am not sure I would recommend this for everyone, but for me, it was a big step toward spiritual freedom.

Of course, there are emergency prayers when there is no time for worship, thanksgiving or confession of sins.  When you make a 911 call you do not talk about the weather, about the stock market or the presidential election; you get right to the point.  About emergency prayers our loving Father says,  And it will be, before they call I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear. Isaiah 65:24.  However, emergency prayers should not be the bulk of our praying! 

O my God, bow down Your ear and hear. ... For we do not present our prayers before You on account of our righteousnesses, but because of Your great mercies. 9:18.  

To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against Him.  It is not because we are so wonderful that the Lord our God forgives us.  He forgives us because it is His nature to forgive.

We have not obeyed the voice of Jehovah our God, to walk in His Laws which He set before us by His servants the prophets.    Most of those people who do not believe that the Bible is inspired by Jehovah, still, usually, admit that the moral laws and teachings of the Bible are a benefit to society.  

Since this is true, why do so many intelligent educators insist on removing the Bible from the country's classrooms?  Why do our national judges bend over backwards to pass laws which so distinctly go against the teachings of the Bible?  Woe to those who call evil good and good evil; who put darkness for light and light for darkness; ... Woe to those wise in their own eyes, and bright in their own sight! 

Woe to those ... who justify the wicked for a bribe, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!  Isaiah 5:20-23. You cheat the innocent out of a fair trial. Contemporary English Version.