Daniel 11
We continue with this final vision in Daniel which includes chapters 10 through 12. In this eleventh chapter an unidentified heavenly speaker refers to another heavenly power called “Michael.” We find it very hard to comprehend heavenly powers, particularly their impact on the affairs of men. It does seem that the speaker may be superior to Michael, since this speaker is said to have stood up to confirm and strengthen Michael. It seems likely that the messenger is speaking for God Himself, who is the Lord of the heavenly host and the Ruler over all times and places.
The first twenty verses of this chapter are a detailed account of events that would occur over the next three or four centuries in the Persian, Greek, Egyptian, and Roman empires. This is more than simply identifying that the Greeks will be the power that comes against the Persians as we saw in an earlier chapter. Here we have information on the number of rulers in each dynasty, the marriage alliances that will be made, their military campaigns, and their victories and defeats. Even to hear these many items revealed is more than we can hold together in our minds. We have to start making diagrams and use all of our capacities to think about these few sentences of information presented to us here. Consider the greatness of the wisdom and knowledge of God. He decrees all his creatures and all their actions. The only way for any messenger, heavenly or earthly, to know the things listed definitively in these verses is to receive a message from the One who works out all things according to the counsel of His own will.
Verses 21 through 32 refer most immediately to one particular ruler. He will come to power more than three and a half centuries after this message is given to Daniel. During this entire period we see that a restored
There had been and would continue to be a great variety of rulers and nations who would flex their muscles in this strategic place of conflict between larger empires. Why does God have so much to say about this one figure from history, Antiochus IV, a man that few beyond biblical commentators would have any interest in at all today? We do well to remember the connection between men and angels that we see in these final chapters of this book. A strange proud figure like Antiochus IV does not stand by himself, and he stands for more than himself. He is an important expression of the antichrist spirit that would come again at various points throughout the current age and will one day find an ultimate expression prior to the return of the Lord. We learn more about that antichrist spirit by the actions of this one man two centuries prior to our Lord’s public ministry. He is a contemptible person who surprisingly slithers into power through flattery. His arsenal of strength seems to go beyond obvious military assets. Somehow he is able to have victory over the might of his enemies. Alliances with him will mean nothing, for he is a liar. Though he has surprising power, it is not unlimited, and it is only for a time. We especially see here that he sets his heart and uses his power against the holy covenant.
In today’s language, the antichrist spirit hates God’s church. He will fool many who forsake the work and worship of the Lord’s church. In his determination to destroy the Lord’s living temple, he will bring about some great abomination in God’s eyes that will trigger the Lord’s defense of His suffering people through God’s mighty power which can easily overwhelm every enemy. There will yet remain a remnant that knows God and stands firm in the truth. That remnant will take action. More than that, the God who knows all these things will take action to save us. There will be a great power to the antichrist’s flattery and deceit. He will have many allies and will seem invincible for a time, but he will reach too far. He will do this when he exalts himself and magnifies himself above every god. Despite this enemy’s persuasiveness and his worldly and spiritual powers, he will never overturn the decree of God. He shall come to his end, with no one to help him.
God has a Son. He is our one Messiah. We have no need for false gods, and no good can come to us from false messiahs. The antichrist spirit showed came in the figure of Antiochus IV, and he would do that again many times. The language describing this one figure would be picked up by Jesus and the Apostle Paul to describe the troubles that would come in the New Testament era. Antiochus IV would not be the last man who would try to set himself up as a god and would express surprising power and a venomous hatred of everything connected with the true God.
Despite the frightening physical and spiritual reality of the antichrist presence, we are more than comforted by our remembrance that there is a true God in heaven. He has fully accepted the sacrifice of His only Son on our behalf. This Son, our true Messiah, will only let an antichrist figure go so far. Abominations of all kinds take place all the time, but there is an abomination that causes desolation. There is also a disgrace that some power of evil might like to achieve that will be more than our Lord will allow. He knows how to cut short the time of any tribulation, and He will send the Lord Jesus Christ again to rescue His beloved church. He will surely overthrow every power that stands against Him and us. This great Jesus is on our side.
posted by Pastor Magee @ 6:00 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home