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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. And he will take action against the strongest of fortresses with the help of a foreign god;
(Daniel 11:36?39).
Note: "he will honor a god of fortresses" NOT the US military but a global military force!
?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. And he will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the desire of women, nor will he show regard for any other god,?for he will magnify himself above them all. 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. And 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 he will cause them to rule over the many, and will parcel out land for a price.?
Many scholars, both ancient and modern, Jewish and Christian, have been convinced that there is a great gap of time between the end of verse 35 and the beginning of verse 36 of Daniel 11. According to this view, the prophecies of verses two through thirty-five were fulfilled by the end of the days of Antiochus Epiphanes (164 bc), but the prophecies beginning with verse thirty-six will be fulfilled by the Antichrist during the last several years leading up to the second coming of Christ.
There are several good reasons for believing that this view is correct. First, although verse 2?35 have been fulfilled clearly and precisely by past historic events, there is nothing from the past that corresponds exactly with the prophecies beginning with verse 36. Second, other prophetic passages which describe the Antichrist correspond exactly with the description of the king beginning with verse 36. Third, according to Daniel 12:1, during the time of the king described in Daniel 11:3?5 ?there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time.?
Several centuries after Christ gave this revelation to Daniel, He indicated that this unique time of distress would transpire during the time period immediately before His second coming (Mt. 24:2?2, 2?1). Jesus thereby placed the fulfillment of Daniel 11:3?2:3 into the future when Antichrist will rule.
As Christ described the Antichrist, He gave insight into the character of that coming ruler. Antichrist ?will do as he pleases.? He will be an absolute dictator who will demand that he have his own way. He will tolerate no restraints upon himself. He will recognize no law or authority higher than himself. The Apostle Paul indicated the same character trait of the Antichrist by calling him the man of lawlessness (2 Th. 2:3). As noted earlier concerning the little horn (Dan. 7:25), he will intend to alter law. He will reject all forms of established law so that he can be the law of his kingdom.
Antichrist will be a blasphemer of the true God, speaking monstrous things against Him to the point of astonishing people. The same was said of him as the little horn of Daniel 7:25 and as the first beast of Revelation 13:5?6. Once he comes to power, he will be able to prosper until The Indignation is finished?until God?s chastening program for Israel will be completed at the second coming of Christ (as noted earlier in Daniel 8:19). He will be able to prosper until then, because God in His sovereignty has decreed that Israel?s chastening will last until then (11:36).
Not only will anti-christ be opposed to the true God, but also he will show total DISREGARD for the gods that his ancestors worshiped. Since the expression ?the God of his fathers? is Jewish, and the anti-christ REJECTS the God of his fathers (Abraham) he will be a muslim. Ishmael is the seed of the Arab people, founder of the muslim religion and illegitimate son of Abram, He will show no regard for the "desire of women", (an exact muslim practice).
Not only will Antichrist reject the true God, the gods of his fathers and the Messiah, but also he will not show regard for any god. The Apostle Paul said that he would oppose ?every so-called god or object of worship? (2 Th. 2:4). Thus, Antichrist will be an atheist?a rejecter of every form of established worship (Dan. 11:37).
Antichrist will have a specific reason for his total atheism. According to verses thirty-six and thirty-seven he will ?exalt and magnify himself above every god.? He will oppose every form of established worship in order to clear the way for the worship of himself. As noted earlier, the angel who described Antichrist as the little horn declared that he would claim deity for himself and would try to speak with the same authority with which God speaks (7:25). Paul wrote that Antichrist would exalt ?himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God? (2 Th. 2:4). John indicated that this man would be worshiped by many people (Rev. 13:4, 8, 12, 15). Jesus taught that Antichrist would erect an image of himself in the future Temple of Jerusalem?the place where God is supposed to dwell (Mt. 24:15). In other words, Antichrist will be the ultimate man?the man who supposedly achieves deity.
Although Antichrist himself will refuse to worship a personal being as god, he will honor an impersonal god. That to which a man devotes himself, his abilities, his efforts, his time and his resources is the god of that man. In place of a personal god, Antichrist will make war his god. He will be devoted to the conquest of the world. Although the ancient Romans carried on extensive wars, they never deified war. They worshiped personal gods which they themselves invented. Unlike his predecessors, this future Roman ruler will deify war. Antichrist will honor his god by pouring huge sums of wealth into the building of his military machine and the waging of war (Dan. 11:38).
Antichrist?s devotion to war will motivate him to attack the strongest military installations. As he conquers new areas of the world for his Roman kingdom, he will reward his most avid followers in two ways. To some he will give positions of rulership over large groups of people. To others he will give gifts of choice land. In order to obtain these rewards, people will have to pay a price?the selling of their souls in total devotion to this man who will claim to be God (11:39).
The Military Career and Judgment of Antichrist (Daniel 11:40?45)
?And 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. And 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.?
The revelation given by Christ to Daniel in verse forty contains some problems of interpretation. First, who is the person referred to by him and he? Inasmuch as the Antichrist, the future ruler of the Revived Roman Empire, was the major subject of the immediately preceding context (11:36?39), it seems rather obvious that the him and he of verse 40 refer to the Antichrist. Second, who are the king of the South and the king of the North? As noted earlier, these two kings were mentioned several times in Daniel 11:2?35. Since those verses have been fulfilled already, it is a known fact that historically the king of the South was always Egypt and the king of the North was always Syria. Inasmuch as Christ did not tell Daniel that the king of the South and the king of the North of verse 40 are different from those of verses 2?35, it would appear that Christ intended them to be understood as being the same. This would mean, then, that in verse 40 the king of the South is still Egypt, and the king of the North is still Syria.
In light of these interpretations, it can be concluded that Christ revealed the following in Daniel 11:40: sometime in the end time (the word translated ?at? also means ?in?) Egypt and Syria will attack the Antichrist militarily. When in the end time will they conduct this joint attack? Evidence will be seen later for concluding that this attack will take place during the first half of the seventieth seven of Daniel 9 (during the first half of the last seven years before Christ?s second coming).
How will Egypt and Syria in the Middle East be able to attack Antichrist who will be in the West (with headquarters in Rome)? The proposed answer is as follows: in Daniel 9:27 it was noted that Antichrist will make a strong covenant with Israel at the beginning of the seventieth seven of years. That covenant will bind Israel so strongly to Antichrist that that nation will practically be an extension of this Roman ruler in the Middle East. As a result, Antichrist will regard any attack upon Israel as an attack upon himself. Through that covenant he will commit himself and his western Roman army to the military protection of Israel. In light of that binding covenant, it is proposed that the way in which Egypt and Syria will storm against the Antichrist will be through their attacking his Middle Eastern ally, Israel, in a joint invasion from the south and north.
When Antichrist learns that Israel has been attacked by Egypt and Syria, he will appear to keep his covenant. He will rush his western army to the Middle East and will invade, overrun and pass through different nations there (11:40).
A reading of Daniel 11:4?3 indicates that Antichrist?s initial military movement in the Middle East will be from the north to the south. Apparently he will conquer Syria first (north of Israel). Then he will march south through Israel (?the Beautiful Land??as noted earlier in 8:9 and 11:16). Many people of different countries will become subject to him, but the people of Edom and Moab and some of Ammon will escape his conquest. It appears that Antichrist will be so anxious to conquer Egypt that as he moves south, he will bypass (at least temporarily) these people who will be directly east of Israel (across the Jordan) (11:41).
Antichrist will get his Roman army to Egypt. There he will enjoy further military success. He will rob Egypt of its wealth and will conquer to the eastern border of Libya and the northern border of Ethiopia (11:42?43). Apparently Antichrist will not conquer Libya and Ethiopia, because, when he will turn himself around to head north (11:44), those two nations will be ?at his heels? (behind him).
While Antichrist will be enjoying success in Egypt, he will receive disturbing news from the east and north. Since Christ did not reveal the content of that news, the most one can do is conjecture concerning that content. The predicted reaction of Antichrist to the news seems to indicate that it will inform him of new military action against him military action from the east and north. It is proposed that the disturbing news will be that the invasion of the Middle East foretold in Ezekiel 38?39 has begun to take place. In that Ezekiel passage God revealed that Russia (the land of Magog) will lead a massive military invasion against Israel. Russia and some of its allies will come from the north (Ezek. 38:6, 15; 39:2). One of Russia?s allies (Iran?ancient Persia) will send troops from the east (Ezek. 38:5). This invasion is to take place after a restoration of Israel to its homeland and when Israel will feel secure (Ezek. 38:8, 11?14). There will be only one period of time between Israel?s restoration to the homeland in 1948 and the second coming of Christ when Israel will feel secure. That time will be the first three and one-half years of the seventieth seven of years. Israel will feel secure then because of the covenant that Antichrist will make with it at the beginning of the seventieth seven of years. The secure feeling will last only during the first half of the seventieth seven, because, as noted in Daniel 9:27, Antichrist himself will try to destroy Israel during the second half of those seven years. It would appear, then, that it will be during the first half of the seventieth seven of years (the first half of the future Tribulation Period) that Russia and her allies will invade Israel and that Antichrist will hear the news of that invasion while in Egypt.
When Antichrist hears that Israel has been invaded by Russia and her allies, ?he will go forth with great wrath to destroy and annihilate many.? He will be furious. He will turn about and rush north to Israel with the goal of annihilating the invading troops (11:44). However, before Antichrist will arrive there, the forces of Russia and her allies will already have been destroyed by God through His divine intervention on behalf of Israel (Ezek. 38:1?9:8).
By the time Antichrist will reach Israel, the military force of his major opponent will have been removed. This will give him a free hand to do what he wants to do in the Middle East. As a result, he will establish his royal headquarters on Mount Zion (literally, at the glorious holy mountain?the mountain where Jerusalem and the Temple stand) between the Mediterranean and Dead Seas. Perhaps Antichrist will decide to make Jerusalem the world headquarters of his Roman Empire, since Israel occupies the most strategic geographical location on earth?the crossroads of three major continents at the navel of the earth.
It will be obvious to all that the invading force of Russia and her allies was destroyed supernaturally. It may be that Antichrist will claim he caused that supernatural destruction. As noted earlier, in the middle of the seventieth seven of years he will claim to be God and will erect an image of himself in the rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem (where God is supposed to dwell). Perhaps he will use the divine destruction of the invading force as his opportunity to make his claim of deity and to give credibility to that claim. At the time of that claim he will break his covenant with Israel and will persecute the Jews mercilessly for the second three and one-half years of the seventieth seven of years.
Antichrist will not be able to persecute indefinitely. In spite of the fact that he will be energized supernaturally by Satan and will have great power (2 Th. 2:9), ?he will come to his end, and no one will help him? (Dan. 11:45). As noted earlier, he will be judged so thoroughly by God through Jesus Christ at the second coming that no one will be able to deliver or help him (Dan. 7:11?14, 25?26; 2 Th. 2:8; Rev. 19:11?21). He will be cast into the Lake of Fire where he will be under divine judgment forever (Rev. 20:10).
By: Dr. Renald E. Showers is an author and an international conference speaker for the Friends of Israel.