Then the king will do as he pleases, and he will exalt
and magnify himself above every god and will speak monstrous things against the
God of gods; and he will prosper until the indignation is finished, for that
which is decreed will be done. But instead he will honor a god of fortresses, a
god whom his fathers did not know; he will honor him with gold, silver, costly
stones and treasures. He will take action against the strongest of fortresses
with the help of a foreign god; he will give great honor to those who
acknowledge him and will cause them to rule over the many, and will parcel out
land for a price.
At the end time the king of the South will collide
with him, and the king of the North will storm against him with chariots, with
horsemen and with many ships; and he will enter countries, overflow them and
pass through. He will also enter the Beautiful Land, and many countries will
fall; but these will be rescued out of his hand: Edom, Moab and the foremost of
the sons of Ammon. Then he will stretch out his hand against other countries,
and the land of Egypt will not escape. But he will gain control over the hidden
treasures of gold and silver and over all the precious things of Egypt; and
Libyans and Ethiopians will follow at his heels. But rumors from the East and
from the North will disturb him, and he will go forth with great wrath to
destroy and annihilate many. He will pitch the tents of his royal pavilion
between the seas and the beautiful Holy Mountain; yet he will come to his end,
and no one will help him. (NASB)
The Antichrist! It is apparent that this part of Daniel’s
dream, his prophecy, has not happened yet. Like parts of Daniel’s earlier dream,
it is a detailed prophecy. This king arrogantly honors and exalts himself as a
god—and we know that many earlier theologians and scholars, even as early as 1600
years ago, viewed this character as the antichrist. He is disrespectful of God,
self-centered, cruel and greedy. In the end God wins—the battle belongs to the
Lord.
This is a very confusing and controversial issue—the end
times including the Tribulation are written in such a way that we have to dig
to understand them. God wants us to be prepared. We need to not fear man—but to
fear and respect God.
Lord, prepare our
hearts and minds that we would understand you and your Word more clearly.
Knowing you is more valuable than any worldly goods and we seek to live in a
way that pleases you—so that one day we may feast at your table.
© 2012 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
Scripture from The Message, except where noted.
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