SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 1/7/2014
9:55 AM
My Worship Time Focus: The Time of Tribulation PT-1
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Daniel
11:36-39
Message of the
verses: I have mentioned many times
that I follow the outline that is in the commentaries that Dr. Warren Wiersbe
writes commentaries that he has entitled his “Be” series. For the book of Daniel the name is “Be
Resolute.” We begin the 12th
chapter of his commentary which covers all the rest of the book of Daniel, but
I believe that we will only finish the 11th chapter of Daniel along
with the first verse in the 12th chapter, and then in the month of February
I hope to finish up the book of Daniel.
Dr. Wiersbe begins his commentary on this section by
writing “At Daniel 11:36, the prophecy shifts from Antiochus Epiphanes to the
man he foreshadowed, the Antichrist, the last world dictator. We have moved to ‘the time of the end’ (v.35;
see 12:4), when the following events are predicted to occur:
1.
The rise of Antichrist—11:36-39.
2.
The Tribulation—12:1.
3.
War and
invasions—11:40-43.
4.
The battle of Armageddon—11:44-45a.
5.
The return of
Christ to defeat Antichrist—11:45b.
6.
The
resurrection of the dead—12:2.
7.
The glorious
kingdom—12:3.
Introduction
to “The Time of Tribulation:” When we look
at the events that we saw Daniel chapter nine we saw a prophecy of 70 weeks or
actually 70 7’s which is how the Hebrew is translated and this adds up to 490
years. We studied where the prophecy
began and then after 383 years where it temporarily ended, which was at the
event we call “Palm Sunday.” The last
seven years of this prophecy is what is called the tribulation period and it
will begin with the signing of a peace treaty between the Antichrist and the
nation of Israel which will give peace to them, probably, while they rebuild
their temple which is called the “Tribulation Temple.” The tribulation will end with the return of
Jesus Christ to planet earth to end the battle of Armageddon and to save planet
earth from destruction. Christ will put
the false prophet and the Antichrist along with Satan into the lake of fire
where Satan will stay for 1000 years and then be let out for a short time for
another battle. It will end very fast
and he will then go back into the lake of fire where he will spend eternity.
The Rise of Antichrist (Daniel
11:36-39):
“36 "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. 37 “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. 38 “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. 39 “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.”
I
want to begin with looking at the first seal judgment that is found in
Revelations chapter six: “1 Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven
seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of
thunder, "Come." 2 I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who
sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering
and to conquer.” Notice that the person
who is ridding this white horse has a bow, and a crown, but is not given any
arrows, but the verse goes on to say that he went out conquering and to
conquer. This is the Antichrist, and the
people who are alive at that time of history will not realize who he is until
he goes into the rebuilt Jewish Temple and says to the entire world that he is
god and demands worship. From that point
on Antichrist will be the awful man that is described in the Bible about him.
Jesus
said in “Mt 16:26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world,
and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” I have always thought of the Antichrist when
reading this verse, for that is exactly what will happen to him, he will gain
control of the whole world, but will give it up in exchange for his soul.
A
former Pastor of mine, a man I had the greatest respect for said to me that he
believes that the antichrist will be Jewish, and his reason is that the Jews
would not trust him if he were not Jewish.
I have to say that this is one of the few things that I disagreed with
him, as I think that he will be a Gentile for the Jews have made covenants with
Gentiles before. The antichrist will be an
atheist, but as stated he will declare himself to be god.
Dr.
Wiersbe concludes his commentary on this section by writing “Some have
suggested that his rejection of ‘the desire of women’ indicates that he has a
homosexual orientation. But the phrase ‘desire
of women’ probably relates to Haggai 2:7, a title of the Messiah, for it was
the desire of Jewish women to give birth to the promised Messiah. Not only will Antichrist reject all religion
in general but he will oppose the Jewish religion in particular, especially the
hope their Messiah will return and deliver them from their enemies. His god is the god of might and of military
power. When the people of the world
worship the man of sin, they are actually worshiping Satan, the one who
empowers the Antichrist. Like Antiochus centuries before him, Antichrist will
reward those who worship him and his manufactured god.”
I
remember hearing a sermon by Erwin Lutizer, who is the Pastor of Moody Church
in Chicago where he stated that Satan always has to have a person ready to move
into the role of Antichrist because he does not know when the end times will
come and Antichrist will be revealed.
Some have though that Hitler was the Antichrist, and many others have
supposed to be him, even our President, but when a leader from the ten nation confederacy
from Europe signs a peace treaty with the nation of Israel then that will be
Antichrist. My hope is the same hope of
believers down through the ages and that is that Jesus Christ will return in
the clouds to take me to be with Him, and everyone else who has placed their
trust in Him.
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: Because I don’t
know when the Lord will return I want to be about His work that He has for me
to do, for that is the most important thing that I can do. I am looking for the Uppertaker and not the
Undertaker.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Trust that the Lord will care for my wife as
she goes through a test early this afternoon.
My prayer is that the test will show nothing wrong with her.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
Question: “Peter” (Mark 14:30).
Today’s Bible
Question: “What was the place of Caleb’s
inheritance?”
Answer our next SD.
1/7/2014 10:48 AM
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