We are given very little Scriptural information about Daniel, Chapter 11, Verse 44, where tidings out of the east and the north will cause the Antichrist great problems. From what little we are told, it is obvious that something big will happen at that time. Actually, it will take place at approximately the midpoint of the Great Tribulation, causing the man of sin to leave off of Israel and take care of these pressing problems.
We are not given the names of the countries that are giving him problems, only that they are “out of the east and out of the north.” That means north of Israel and east of Israel. It will not involve the countries in the Middle East because they are already under his domain at that time. So, more than likely, it will be Russia and China, for these are the only two countries that have a military of any significance. Irrespective, it said that these countries “shall trouble him.”
Exactly what that means, we aren’t told. However, it could very well mean that they now see what this man is all about, which is to take over the entirety of the world. Ever how it is done, or ever what is done, they will oppose him. Whatever it is that they do, it will cause him to respond “with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.” Evidently, he sees them as attempting to stand in his way regarding his ambition as world conqueror.
As well, the indication is that this is not something small due to the fact that, as far as we know, it is going to take all of the latter half of the Great Tribulation. In other words, it will take about three and a half years for him to put down this opposition; however, he will put it down and will come out of the conflict stronger than ever. But now, he must take care of Israel.
SATAN AND ISRAEL
We’ve already addressed this subject in this Volume, and I speak of the hatred for Israel, but allow me to repeat myself. This hatred exists simply because of God’s Plan for these ancient people, His People, I might quickly add, as well as Satan’s plan. The consuming effort to destroy Israel, which characterized the Holocaust and every other similar effort, stems from the fact that Satan knows that if he can annihilate every Jew and take over the Nation called “Israel,” this will abrogate the Word of God. That means that it will fall to the ground and Satan wins. The Word of God is sacrosanct in every capacity. Considering that there are more Predictions, more Prophecies, and more Promises in the Word of God concerning the Restoration of Israel than anything else, this is why Satan has set out to destroy them.
The Jewish people, of course, understand the hatred simply because this thing didn’t start yesterday; it began thousands of years ago. Read carefully what the great Prophet Jeremiah said as it regards this very thing:
“My Heritage is unto Me as a speckled bird, the birds round about are against her; come you, assemble all the beasts of the field, come to devour” (Jer. 12:9).
If it is to be noticed, the Holy Spirit through the Prophet said, “The birds round about are against her.” This spoke of the nations around Israel that were opposed to her, actually, that opposition never ceased. In fact, the same animosity is registered against true Christians. It is because the God of the Bible is Real, Jesus Christ, God’s Only Son, is Real, the Word of God is Real, and those who follow the Lord are real as well. At the same time, it means that every other religion in the world is not real, which means that they are of the Devil. That is blunt but true.
When President Bush was in London, the English press asked him if he believed that Christians and Muslims pray to the same God, and he answered, “Yes.” He could not have been more wrong. Allah is not God. As we’ve already stated in this Volume, Muhammad selected this name out of the scores of names of so-called Babylonian deities. Regrettably, many Christians have the erroneous idea that Jehovah and Allah are one and the same. To be frank, such is blasphemy! So, the hatred that will fill the Antichrist against Israel will be placed there by Satan himself, and now comes Satan’s fell swoop, so to speak. What Haman, Herod, and Hitler could not do, the man of sin will now accomplish. He will totally and completely annihilate every Jew in Israel, and after that is done, and he confiscates their land, he will then demand the death of every other Jew on the face of the Earth. Considering how strong that he will be, no one will be able to resist him.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ARMAGEDDON
As we’ve already stated, this Battle is designed to completely destroy Israel; however, it is also designed for a far more important reason. It is for the Evil One, Satan himself, to become the god of the Universe. Of course, this thing did not start yesterday, and neither will Armageddon be its beginning. It started at the very beginning of time. Let’s look for a few moments at the efforts made by Satan to destroy Israel, which were to destroy the Plan of God on this Earth. These efforts will intensify, especially, in these last days.
To be sure, Satan’s opposition against the Church is no less; however, because the Church of Jesus Christ is not a distinct state, as Israel, his opposition is somewhat different. Now he seeks to corrupt the Gospel, which he has been very successful in doing.
Concerning this hatred, John the Beloved wrote, and we quote:
THE GREAT WHORE
“And there came one of the seven Angels which had the seven Vials, and talked with me (probably is the seventh Angel; however, we actually have no way of truly knowing), saying unto me, Come hither; I will show unto you the Judgment of the great whore who sits upon many waters (the ‘great whore’ refers to all the religions of the world that ever have been, which are devised by men as a substitute for ‘Jesus Christ and Him Crucified’; God’s Way is Christ and Him Crucified Alone; as well, the ‘many waters’ are a symbol for multitudes of people [Vs. 15]):
“With whom (the great whore, i.e., all types of religions) the kings of the Earth (from the very beginning, most nations have been ruled by some type of religion) have committed fornication (all religions devised by men, and even the parts of Christianity that have been corrupted, are labeled by the Lord as ‘spiritual fornication,’ in other words, they look to something else other than the Lord [Rom. 7:1-4]), and the inhabitants of the Earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication (proclaims the addiction of religion; the doing of religion is the most powerful narcotic there is).”
THE WOMAN
“So he (the Angel) carried me (John) away in the spirit (a Vision) into the wilderness (every religious effort that attempts to take the place of the Cross is a spiritual wilderness): and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast (the woman is organized religion; by that we mean any religion or form of religion claiming to have a way of Salvation or victory other than the Cross; the ‘scarlet color’ indicates blood and pertains to great persecution), full of names of blasphemy (refers to this ‘woman’ opposing the Plan of God in every capacity), having seven heads and ten horns. (This pertains to the scarlet colored beast, not the woman. The ‘seven heads’ represent seven empires that persecuted Israel in the past, with the last one yet future. They are ‘Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome.’ The ‘ten horns’ represent ten nations that will arise out of the old Roman Empire territory and persecute Israel, and is yet future. These ten nations make up the seventh head. The Roman Empire, which made up the sixth head, was the last of the empires that persecuted Israel before her destruction as a Nation in A.D. 70. When the ten-horned kingdom arises, which it will shortly, it will persecute Israel as well.)”
MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT
“And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour (all of this pertains to Israel, but with a carry-over into the Church Age; the ‘purple’ represents the dominion of these religions over nations, with the ‘scarlet color’ representing the persecution of Israel), and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls (these religions have always been very rich; a case in point is Islam, which controls some sixty percent of the oil reserves of the world), having a golden cup in her hand (all of these religions have an allurement, symbolized by the cup being golden) full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication (proclaims what this cup holds, despite its outward attractiveness):
“And upon her forehead was a name written (the ‘forehead’ symbolizes the fact that all these religions are devised by man and not by God), MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT (the word ‘mystery’ separates spiritual Babylon from literal Babylon; it is ‘great in the eyes of the world, but not in the Eyes of God’), THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. (This proclaims the actual content of this ‘golden cup,’ even though it looks wonderful on the outside. If it’s not ‘Jesus Christ and Him Crucified,’ then it is labeled by the Lord as ‘harlots and abominations.’ Regrettably that includes much of modern Christianity as well.)”
THE BLOOD OF THE SAINTS
“And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the Saints (refers to these empires and their false religions, which persecuted Israel during Old Testament times, actually, up to the time of Christ), and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus (points to the millions in the Church Age who gave their lives for the Cause of Christ; the Roman Empire began these persecutions of Christians and was followed by the Catholic Church): and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration (John is amazed at seeing all of this).
“And the Angel said unto me, Wherefore did you marvel? (The Angel knew John would marvel at the scene that unfolded before his eyes and would need an explanation.) I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and ten horns.”
THE BEAST
“The beast who you saw was (represents a fallen Angel who helped the leaders of these empires of the past in their efforts to destroy Israel), and is not (was not active during the time of John); and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit (this powerful, fallen Angel was confined to the bottomless pit about 2,300 years ago and remains there still, but will be released soon to help the Antichrist), and go into perdition (means that after his escapade of helping the Antichrist on Earth, he will be consigned to the Lake of Fire [Rev. 20:10]); and they who dwell on the Earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world (presents the fact that all the unsaved people on Earth during the time of the Great Tribulation will be startled and amazed as they observe the Antichrist, who will do things no other man has ever done; this will be because this fallen Angel is helping him, but of which he is not aware), when they behold the beast who was, and is not (was not functioning during John’s day), and yet is (will be released out of the bottomless pit to help the Antichrist).”
WISDOM
“And here is the mind which has wisdom (is the mind which knows and believes the Word of God). The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits (represents these seven empires, which were controlled by false religions, i.e., ‘demon spirits’).
“And there are seven kings (actually refers to the ‘seven heads,’ speaking of the leaders of these empires, whomever they may have been): five are fallen (five of the empires were fallen during John’s day; they are Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, and Greece), and one is (refers to the Roman Empire, which was in existence during John’s day, and could, therefore, be spoken of in the present tense), and the other is not yet come (refers to the ten-nation confederation symbolized by the ten horns, which in John’s day had not yet come and, in fact, has not come even yet); and when he comes, he must continue a short space. (The ‘ten horns’ will be the seventh head and refers to ten nations that will arise shortly and persecute Israel, which will probably take place in the first half of the Great Tribulation, a time span of about three and one half years.)”
THE FALLEN ANGEL
“And the beast (fallen Angel) that was, and is not, even he is the eighth (this fallen Angel will help the Antichrist and will head up the eighth empire to persecute Israel), and is of the seven (refers to the fact that he helped all the empires of the past, with the exception of Rome, in their efforts to persecute Israel; but this fallen Angel gave the greatest help to Alexander the Great, who headed up the Grecian Empire; we know this because John, in his Vision, said, ‘And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard,’ with that animal being one of the symbols of ancient Greece [Rev. 13:2; Dan. 7:6]), and goes into perdition (refers to the fact that irrespective of his power and plans, eternal Hell will be the due of this satanic prince; the same goes for Satan, the Antichrist, the False Prophet, every fallen Angel, every demon spirit, and, in fact, all the unredeemed who have ever lived).”
THE TEN-NATION CONFEDERATION
“And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings (Dan. 7:7), which have received no kingdom as yet (refers to John’s day); but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. (These ten nations will come to power before the Antichrist, making up the seventh head. Then they will be taken over by the Antichrist, who is referred to by Daniel as the ‘little horn’ [Dan. 7:8]. The ‘one hour’ refers to the ‘short space’ this confederation of the ten kings and the Antichrist will hold together. It will last for approximately three and one half years and will be destroyed by the Second Coming of Christ [Dan. 2:34-35].)”
WHAT THE TEN NATIONS WILL DO, WHICH IS YET FUTURE
“These have one mind (this ten-nation confederation, making up the seventh head, will all be in agreement respecting their joining with the Antichrist because they don’t have the power to successfully oppose him. Incidentally, these nations are in existence today but will probably not be revealed until the first part of the Great Tribulation), and shall give their power and strength unto the beast (refers to the Antichrist now coming to full power and making up the eighth kingdom as described in Rev. 17:11).
“These shall make war with the Lamb (has to do with the Antichrist attacking Israel as it regards the Battle of Armageddon; Satan hates Israel for many and varied reasons, but, above all, because of Jesus; so, to attack Israel is to attack the Lamb), and the Lamb shall overcome them (speaks of the Second Coming, but also speaks to the fact that Jesus is worthy to administer Judgment and Justice because of what He did at the Cross: for He is Lord of lords, and King of kings (proclaims the fact that this ‘Lamb’ is ‘King’ of all and ‘Lord’ of all, and all because of the Cross): and they who are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful. (Every Saint of God who has ever lived, both Jews and Gentiles, will come back with Christ at the Second Coming.)
“And he (the Angel) said unto me (John), The waters which you saw (refers back to Verse 1, and presents the word ‘waters’ being used as a symbolism), where the whore sits (if it’s not Jesus Christ and Him Crucified [I Cor. 1:23; 2:2], then God refers to it as the ‘Great Whore’), are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. (This covers the entirety of the world and tells us that billions have died and gone to Hell as a result of following false religions.)”
THE TEN NATIONS AND RELIGION
“And the ten horns which you saw upon the beast (pertains to the ten-nation confederation, which will make up the seventh head), these shall hate the whore (at least some, if not all, of the ten-nation confederation will come out of the Middle East; Islam rules this part of the world, and it is a rule which has all but destroyed these countries; the implication is the religion of Islam will be put down by this confederacy), and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. (This proclaims the fact that the ten nations under the Antichrist will institute and carry out a campaign of elimination as it regards the religion of Islam and, in fact, any other religions in his domain. All of these religions will be replaced by ‘beast worship.’)”
THE WILL OF GOD
“For God has put in their hearts to fulfill His Will (while the ten nations have their own agenda, God will use it to bring about His Will), and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast (the ten leaders of these nations will give their authority to the beast, i.e., ‘the Antichrist’), until the Words of God shall be fulfilled. (This will last ‘until’ the Great Tribulation has ended, which will be at the Battle of Armageddon in which these nations will be totally destroyed [Dan. 2:34-35].)
“And the woman which you saw is that great city (refers to rebuilt Babylon portrayed in Revelation, Chapter 18), which reigns over the kings of the Earth. (Rebuilt Babylon will not only be one of the commercial centers of the world but, as well, the religious center. The Antichrist will have replaced Islam and other religions with himself as the one being worshiped. It all began at Babylon, and it will all end there [Gen. 11:1-9; Rev. 18:10])” (Rev. 17:1-18).
THE RESURGENCE OF ISLAM
Islam flexing its muscles at this present time is not without tremendous spiritual meaning. As we’ve already stated in this Volume, it could well be that this religion will greatly help the Antichrist come to power. What the Muslims will not realize is the man of sin has no intentions whatsoever of keeping any promises made to them, but what is one more lie among liars? It must be understood, while the Antichrist will promise many things at the outset of the seven-year Great Tribulation, his promises will mean nothing. He has a goal in mind, and it is to take over the entirety of the world and, as well, to completely annihilate Israel. However, at the same time, he is not going to brook any religion whatsoever, even Islam, because he will set himself up as God and will demand worship.
Concerning this, the Scripture says:
“Who (this is the Antichrist) opposes (he will oppose every other religion of the world) and exalts himself above all (above all religions) that is called God (pertains to his declaration of himself as Deity), or that is worshipped (the Antichrist will put down all religions, at least, in the area which he controls, making himself alone the object of worship); so that he as God sits in the Temple of God (refers to the Jewish Temple, which will be rebuilt in Jerusalem; the Antichrist will take over the Temple, making it his religious headquarters), showing himself that he is God. (This proclaims his announcement of Deity as it regards himself)” (II Thess. 2:4).
HATE THE WHORE
As we stated previously, the Holy Spirit refers to every religion in the world devised by man as “the great whore.” It must be remembered, it is the Holy Spirit Who chose this designation. The truth is, all religions have been devised by man; however, Bible Christianity is not a religion, but rather a relationship with a Man, the Man, Christ Jesus. While parts of Christianity have been totally corrupted and are labeled, as well, as “the whore,” this applies only to the part of Christianity which looks to other than Christ and the Cross.
John wrote the words, “And the ten horns which you saw upon the beast, these shall hate the whore.” “The whore” refers to the religion of Islam.
We know that some of these ten nations will be in the Middle East and, of course, it is obvious these nations presently are controlled by Islam. However, when the man of sin consolidates his power, which he will with “the ten horns,” i.e., “the ten nations,” then he will be supreme.
THE TURBULENCE OF ISLAM AT PRESENT
As I dictate these notes on July 29, 2011, the whole world of Islam is in a state of flux. The people in these countries have access to the Internet, and they know what other nations have and know that they do not desire the satanically inspired legalism of Islam. What most of these poor people do not know is that when they overthrow one dictator, they are finding that the Muslim brotherhood is waiting in the wings to take his place. I’m afraid they will find that they have just thrown over one dictator for another. The Muslim world is basically a basket case, politically, economically, and, above all, spiritually. Despite the hundreds of billions of dollars pouring into the Muslim coffers of these oil-rich nations, only a handful of people at the top get the money, with the balance ever going deeper and deeper into poverty. These Muslim leaders are constantly telling these people that the reason they are poverty-stricken is because of America and Israel, etc.
At any rate, when these nations have the upper hand, being controlled by the Antichrist and “hating the whore,” which refers in this case to Islam, they will exact their pound of flesh. In other words, there will be no more Islam or any other religion, whatever it might be, in those parts of the world. No doubt, at that time, multiple thousands of Christians will, as well, give their lives for the Cause of Christ. The Antichrist will claim to be God, and untold millions, out of fear for their lives, will claim him as such as well.
NOW IT IS TIME FOR THE FINAL SOLUTION
Now it is time for the Battle to begin. The Antichrist will marshal his forces, which quite possibly will be the greatest army the world has ever known. It will come from the north, the invasion route of countless invaders of centuries past. The Antichrist will be right about one thing, this will be the last invasion, but not like he thinks.
No doubt, the man of sin will have the finest weapons available at that time, with the greatest technological advancements. What Israel will have at that time to defend herself, we aren’t told. Presently, she has one of the finest Air Forces in the world, as well as one of the greatest Tank Armies. It is said, as well, that she has approximately 100 atomic bombs, but there is no Scriptural record that atomic bombs will be used in this particular Battle. No doubt, every other type of weaponry will most definitely be used.
THE PROPHECY AGAINST GOG
“Therefore, you son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus says the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal (Ezekiel, Chapter 39, proclaims Gog’s defeat by the Lord Jesus Christ. Incidentally, the name ‘Gog’ is another name for the Antichrist. As well, this is the Battle of Armageddon, even as described in Rev. 16:16)” (Ezek. 39:1).
As well, “Meshech and Tubal,” has no reference to any particular locality, as some have claimed, but, instead, refers to the great confederation of Gentile nations, which have thrown in their lot with the Antichrist in order to destroy Israel.
One of the reasons the phrase is used accordingly is because “Gog,” the Antichrist, is a Jew, and, at least, in these circumstances, it is somewhat strange for Gentile armies to follow a Jew, especially, as he attempts to destroy his own people.
Even though there is no particular Scripture that specifically states that the Antichrist will be Jewish, still, it is virtually impossible that the Jews would proclaim as Messiah anyone who is not Jewish, and, at the beginning, they will think this man is the Messiah (Jn. 5:43).
ALL BUT ONE-SIXTH OF THE ARMY OF THE ANTICHRIST WILL BE TOTALLY DESTROYED
“And I will turn you back, and leave but the sixth part of you, and will cause you to come up from the north parts, and will bring you upon the mountains of Israel (five-sixths of the army of the Antichrist will be killed by the Second Coming of the Lord. ‘And will cause you to come up from the north parts,’ does not, as previously stated, refer to Russia. It instead refers to the invasion route being the same as it was for the Assyrians, Babylonians, Grecians, and others in the past)” (Ezek. 39:2).
If it is to be noticed, the Lord emphatically states here through the Prophet Ezekiel, “I will turn you back.” Later Verses will proclaim as to exactly how the Lord will do this.
While the Antichrist thinks this is his great moment, the moment when he will totally destroy Israel, he is to be in for a rude awakening. In fact, he is being led by the Lord into a trap. To show how much the Lord is orchestrating this event, please notice the Passages:
• “I will turn you back.”
• “I will leave but the sixth part of you.”
• “I will cause you to come up from the north parts.”
• “I will bring you upon the mountains of Israel.”
All of the time the man of sin will be thinking that he is orchestrating events when, all of the time, the Lord is orchestrating events.
I WILL SMITE YOU . . .
“And I will smite your bow out of your left hand, and will cause your arrows to fall out of your right hand. (The Antichrist, called ‘Gog,’ will think he is fighting Israel only, when, in truth, he is fighting the Lord, a battle he cannot hope to win)” (Ezek. 39:3).
In this Third Verse, the emphasis is on the pronoun “I.” It is as if the Lord is saying, “This is enough,” with Him then unleashing all of His Mighty Power or, at least, enough Power to show the Antichrist and the world just Who the Lord is.
To be continued next month.
(This message was derived from the book by Jimmy Swaggart, “Armageddon”.)
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