Chariots to Jordan PDF. Chasing Freedom PDF. Chasing the Butterfly PDF. Childish Loves PDF. Commonsense Reasoning PDF. Communicating Science PDF. Complex Nonlinearity PDF. Contracting with Sovereignty PDF. Coward's Kiss PDF. Crossfire Christmas PDF. Dance at Midnight PDF. De Guldensporenslag PDF. Dead Eagles PDF.
December Rain PDF. Degenerates PDF. Designated Daughters PDF. Die Nachhilfestunde PDF. Dinosaur Hunter PDF. Dora Thorne PDF. Dream West PDF. El Estudiante PDF. Elvenquest PDF. Enter, Night PDF. Entre vos y yo PDF. Evelyn's Journal PDF. Exploring PDF. Feathertop PDF. Festkorperprobleme PDF. First Vintage PDF. Framework Maths PDF. Friendly Invasion PDF. Frostkiller PDF. Game Theory PDF. Gastrointestinal Oncology PDF. Gathering Storm PDF. Globalization PDF. God Seed PDF. Gold in the Fire PDF.
Gothic PDF. Greek Islands PDF. Hadoop Security PDF. Hamlet PDF. Hardcastle PDF. Hardcourt Upset PDF. Haunted PDF. Ho visto un Re PDF. Horse Latitudes PDF. Il piffero magico e altre meravigliose fiabe PDF. Il presidente PDF. Immunological Methods PDF. Information Cloud PDF. Insightful Quality PDF. Insomnia, spannende verhalen tegen het slapengaan PDF. Into the Abyss PDF.
Investigation Report PDF. It's Time to H. Jacob and Seth PDF. Josephine and Harriet PDF. Kushiel's Dart PDF. L'Amour a Tempa c. L'ombra del vento PDF. La Comtesse de Salisbury. Tome 6 PDF. La maledizione di Porsenna PDF. The breast- plate of judgment had the twelve tribes of Israel inscribed on precious stones and was bound with gold to the High Priest.
Christ binds His people together and ties them to Himself with threads of gold. What a thought! We serve a compassionate Saviour who holds us close to His heart while interceding on our behalf. The highlight of the sanctuary service was the annual feast of the Day of Atonement Leviticus , After the cleansing of the sanctuary, no record of forgiven sins was left, and thus the erstwhile sinner stood before God as though he had never sinned.
This earthly cleansing of the sanctuary stood for the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary, which would remove the record. Let us first look at the cleansing of the earthly sanctuary. And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel and because of their transgressions in all their sins; and so he shall do for the tabernacle of the congrega- tion that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness.
Once a year, the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies, but not before first having made atonement for his own sins and those of the priesthood. On this day, two goats were brought before the High Priest and lots were cast. He is to put the incense on the fire before the Lord, and the smoke of the incense will conceal the atone- ment cover above the Testimony, so that he will not die.
Leviticus NIV. He shall sprinkle Symbolically, the sprinkling of the blood on the mercy seat wiped out the record of sin through grace. This is a message of profound hope, which tells us that the record of all our sins will soon be completely blotted out. It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
Hebrews NIV. In this way he will make atonement for the Most Holy because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Isra- elites, whatever their sins have been. He is to do the same for the Tent of Meeting, which is among them in the midst of their uncleanness. On the way out of the sanctuary, the High Priest applied the blood to the golden altar and the altar of burnt offering, thus atoning for the entire sanctuary. In type, all the recorded sins of Israel were cleansed from the sanctuary.
Hands were then laid upon the other goat, the scapegoat. This goat was then led into the desert and set free. In type, the record of sin was transferred to the scapegoat that was called Azazal or the devil. Azazal thus represents Satan, who initially was responsible for sin. Note that the scapegoat was not put to death. Satan is thus not the sin bearer as in the sense of atoning for sin, for without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin Hebrews It merely represents the transference of the guilt to the responsible party.
Jesus is the only one who bore our sins and made atonement for them through the shedding of His blood, but Christ was not responsible for our sin. It is also important to note that only the record of confessed sins is placed on the head of Azazal; therefore, it is essential that our sins go before us to the sanctuary.
Unconfessed sins are not atoned for and sinners that knowingly refuse the gift of salvation also have to bear the guilt of their own sin. We must keep in mind that the cleansing that took place on this day is a type of the antitypical cleansing of the heavenly sanctu- ary, which was to begin at the end of the day prophecy, which we discussed in the previous chapter.
And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. This prophecy had its beginning with the issuing of the decree to rebuild Jerusalem, given by Artaxerxes Longimanus in B. If we add the.
The cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary thus began in , which means that Jesus entered the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary on that date to start the ministry of the antitypical Day of Atonement. The only time reference in the Bible as to the commencement of the next phase of His ministry, the cleansing of the sanctuary or the pre-advent judgment, is that recorded in Daniel 8. This leads us to , the end of the day prophecy for a more detailed discussion on the events surrounding this date, see the chapter A Stone to Rest Your Head.
The Jews associated the Day of Atonement with the Day of Judgment, and the ritual enacted by the High Priest represented the cleansing of the sanctuary - the wiping out of the record of sin and the final salvation of Israel.
This pointed forward to the time of the pre- advent judgment that was to take place in heaven prior to the return of Christ to this earth to redeem His people. Prior to the return of Christ, there has to be a judgment in heaven, or else how would He be able to separate the wicked from the just and claim those that are His if no such judgment had taken place? A Jew that did not take part in the ceremony of the Day of Atonement was to be cut off from his people.
It was a day of affliction heart searching , a day of judgment, and it was vital to be included in this ceremony. Also the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. It shall be a holy convocation for you; you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord.
And you shall do no work on that same day: for it is the Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God. NKJV Anyone who does not deny himself on that day must be cut off from his people. Farrar in his book, The Early Days of Christianity, p.
Since God only handles confessed sins in the sanctuary, what type of lives ought we to live who are living in the time of the anti-typical Day of Atone- ment? We need to develop the habit of communing with God; we need to ask God for humble spirits that will be willing to confess wrongs and that will yearn for clean hearts and minds.
The judgment is good news - there is nothing to fear if our sins have gone before us to the sanctuary. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteous- ness.
Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.
James Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judg- ment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. Ecclesiastes In the ceremonial law, the annual Jewish feasts all represented important events in the ministry of Christ.
The Passover Nisan 14 represented the crucifixion. The Feast of Firstfruits Nisan 16 represented the resurrection. The Feast of Weeks Sivan 6 represented Pentecost. The subsequent Jewish feasts pointed to the second coming of Christ. They were the Feast of Trumpets Tishri 1 which pointed to the Second Advent Movement and the announcement of judgment.
Trumpets are used as a symbol of judgement. Revelation ; Joel The Feast of Atonement Tishri 10 then represented the pre- advent judgment. See Figure 2. Lamb without blemish Exodus Christ without spot Hebrews Neither shall ye break a bone Exodus No bones broken John , Jesus when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
And behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom, and the earth did quake and the rocks rent. Atonement for sins was no longer available through the sacrificial sys- tem. Behold the lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. John the Revelator referred to Christ as Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.
There was only one law that was against us, in the sense that it showed us that our transgression required the sacrifice of the Son of God in order to satisfy the demands of justice, and that law was the ceremonial law. By His own sacrifice, He fulfilled the ceremonial law and blotted it out. His sacrifice fulfilled the type, and henceforth no further sacrifice is needed. Take this Book of the Law, and put it in beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there.
Deuteronomy NKJV The law that was against us was thus not the moral law, which was not placed in the side of the ark, but in the ark. Also, the moral law was not a law of bondage, but a law of liberty James Christ, through His death, opened the door to sinners to escape the condemnation of the moral law, which was death, but He did not take away the moral law See Figures 2.
Romans NKJV. If the Passover represents the sacrificial death of Christ, then the Feast of Unleavened Bread represents the body of Christ in the grave and the Feast of Firstfruits represents His glorious resurrection. When Christ died and rose from the grave, the Bible tells us that graves were opened and that some of old were raised from the dead together with Him. And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
These resurrected ones were the firstfruits of the much greater harvest of souls to rise at the close of time. The Feast of Weeks represented Pentecost. Penta equals fifty, and this event commemorated the giving of the law of Ten Command- ments fifty days after the Passover.
They had received the testimony of how to live as the people of God. After the death of Christ, the true Passover, the disciples of Christ were empowered by the Holy Spirit to preach the embodiment of the law, Christ Jesus, to the world. The Feast of Trumpets pointed to the announcement of the pre-advent judgment, which of necessity would have to take place before the end of the day prophecy of Daniel 8.
For the fulfilment of this feast, we would have to study the events which took place in this regard just prior to this will be discussed in the chapter A Stone to Rest Your Head. The Day of Atonement, as we have seen, represents the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary or the pre-advent judgement for further details on this very important event, see the chapter The Long Awaited Millennium.
The harvest represents the final harvest of the redeemed and the feast thus represented the joy of meet- ing associated with the Second Coming and the harvest of souls. If we study the sanctuary, we will be led into a greater understanding of the ministry of Christ. The Bible warns that:. For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh.
This is a deceiver and an antichrist. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. Galatians These are strong words, and it is therefore vital that we understand the min- istry of Christ. Anyone that breaks down this ministry, changes the ministry or even replaces the ministry with any other means of salvation is denying that Jesus is the fulfilment of all the types.
That is the same as denying that. Jesus came in the flesh. Indeed, the Bible warns that the antichrist would come and replace the ministry of Jesus with another system, so we need to be informed so that we will not be deceived.
Moreover, we are warned that the deception will be so staggering that, if possible, even the elect will be deceived. Matthew It is sad that modern Christianity seems rooted only at the cross, ignoring the further ministry of Christ, and making to no avail the work of sanctification.
The Bible clearly states:. Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.
Hebrews NASB. Who is the enemy that will try to make of no effect the ministry of Jesus? Who is it that will preach another Gospel so subtle in its ap- proach that even the elect will be deceived? Deception is devastating, and in order to succeed, the enemy must disguise it well. Throughout the ages, the prophets of God have warned against the encroaching enemy of righteousness. In fact, the Bible has much to say on this issue and, just because it is uncomfortable or politically incorrect to address these issues in our day, is no excuse for ignoring the last messages of warning.
We need to study the prophecies:. We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts.
In the chapters that follow, we shall attempt to do just that and to unravel the mystery surrounding the antichrist and His mission to destroy the ministry of Jesus. In Daniel chapter 2, we find a short synoptic prophecy of the events that would unfold from the time of Daniel to the close of history. This prophecy provides us with a number of keys that will enable us to unlock the more complex prophecies pertaining to the great controversy between the forces of light and the forces of evil.
Subsequent prophe- cies in the book of Daniel expand on this basic prophecy, and the book of Revelation can only be understood in the light of the prophecies of Daniel.
We need to understand the symbolism employed by Daniel, as the same symbols are employed in Revelation. The definitions for the symbols are largely found in the prophecies of Daniel, and the two books thus form a unit.
No wonder that Jesus recommended the books of Daniel and Revelation for our study to understand end-time events:. When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desola- tion, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, whoso readeth, let him understand. Over years ago, the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar II, had an amazing dream, and when he awoke the next morning, he had forgotten the content of the dream, yet was aware of its importance.
None of his counsellors could tell him the dream, even less its meaning, and he determined to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. According to Scripture, Daniel and his friends, who had also been educated in the Babylonian mysteries, and therefore belonged to the group of the wise men of Babylon, would also have been destroyed by this royal decree. Upon hearing this, Daniel approached the king to intervene on behalf of all the wise men.
Upon fervent prayer, God revealed not only the dream, but also its meaning to Daniel, and he could approach the king and exclaim:. This dream obviously has bearing for us, because it not only concerns the time of Nebuchadnezzar, but also that of the latter days. Thou, O King, sawest, and behold a great image Daniel Emphasis supplied. Thou sawest till a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces And the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
The prophet describes the successive kingdoms that would arise upon the earth culminating in the final destruction of all earthly kingdoms by the stone that was cut out without human hands.
Nebuchadnezzar was Babylon personified. The historian Herodotus describes the golden im- age of Marduk seated upon a golden throne before a golden table and a golden altar.
Pliny describes robes of the priests interlaced with gold. And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron. From an astronomical tablet in the Berlin Museum, we have the thirty-seventh regal year of Nebuchadnezzar II to the exact day.
Archaeologists have been able to pinpoint exactly the fall of Babylon to Medo-Persia which was October 29, B. After thee, the head of gold, shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, The fact that Daniel predicted that the kingdom of Nebuchadn- ezzar would come to an end must have come as a tremendous shock to the monarch. The fall of Babylon is described in chapter 5 of the book of Daniel.
Thy kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians. The kingdom of Medo-Persia was a dual kingdom, but Cyrus of Persia welded the elements of the two kingdoms together. The two arms of the image were thus a fitting symbol for this power. Medo-Persia was represented by silver, just as silver was used for personal adornment by Persian warriors, and was also the metal of their monetary system. The prophecy, however, predicted that this empire would also fall and be replaced by another kingdom.
Another third kingdom of brass which shall bear rule over all the earth. However, this was more properly the Macedo-. Josephus, Jewish historian of the first century, described this prophecy of Daniel chapter 2 in these words:. But their empire will be destroyed by another king from the west, clad in bronze. Spear tips by the soldiers of Greece were also made of bronze. This kingdom would, however, also be replaced by a fourth kingdom.
Since the traditional founding of Rome about B. Rome defeated the Greeks at the Battle of Pydna in B. The historian Gibbon made this comment about Rome:. The arms of the Republic Rome, sometimes vanquished in battle; always victorious in war, advanced with rapid steps to the Euphrates, the Danube, the Rhine, and the Ocean; and the images of gold, of silver, or brass that might serve to represent the nations and their kings, were successively broken by the iron monarch of Rome.
The great iron monarchy of Rome was not destined to continue forever. From A. Then began the divided age. After the collapse of Rome in A. Our modern states of France, England, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Portugal, Spain and others have, through the centuries, shifted their boundaries and organized themselves into national states and languages. Daniel noted that the divided kingdoms would be partly strong and partly weak.
This is indeed what history teaches us about the states of Europe, of which Germany is a prime example. There were numer- ous attempts to unite a divided Europe, and great statesmen have tried and failed. Besides military force, the nations of Europe have endeavoured to become one through political alliances and marriages between the various kingdoms.
And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men; but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.
For political expediency, and in order to strengthen their ties, various members of royalty in Europe have intermarried. Ferdinand of Aragon married Isabella of Castille uniting these two territories into Spain. Na- poleon, for political unity, divorced Josephine to marry Marie Louise of Austria.
Owing to the many marriages, it is no wonder that Queen Victoria was called the Grandmother of Europe. Yet, with all these marriages for unity, they never succeeded. There will be, and there have been, temporary unions politically, economically and otherwise in Europe, but the unions themselves have not welded the nations into one. The Bible predicts that ethnic conflict will remain to the close of time. In , Napoleon set out to give Europe one ruler, one code, one court of appeal, one coinage.
Someone protested to Napoleon that Providence would not permit him to rule the world. He is reported to have said,. His fine cavalry fell in a sunken road and Wellington defeated him at Waterloo in And in the days of these kings shall the God of Heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed.
We are waiting for the greatest event in the history of mankind - the overthrow of all the political forces of this planet, and the forma- tion of a kingdom that will never fade or be destroyed.
The interven- tion into the affairs of man by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords is now imminent. This brief prophecy of earthly kingdoms is painfully accurate and lays the groundwork for the detailed prophecies to follow.
Who are the principal role players in the final conflict? How will the whole world be swept into this conflict, and what are the deceptions that the people of God will have to face? Are we prepared for the greatest spectacle in the history of the universe, when every hidden thing will be revealed, and the Lord will save those that have waited for Him? We have waited for Him, and He will save us!
Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. Matthew NKJV. In Daniel chapter 2 we read of the destiny of history. In pro- phetic vision, Daniel looks down the stream of time and sees four mighty world empires appear one after the other on the world scene. In the time of these kingdoms, the God of heaven, represented by the stone cut out without human hands, will destroy the image and the everlasting kingdom of God will take the place of the fallen idolatrous nations.
The prophecy provides a broad sweep of historic events and is breathtakingly accurate, but does not provide much detail pertaining to the final events before the close of history. The prophecy of Daniel chapter 7, however, colors in the rough outline provided in the first prophecy. It parallels that of Daniel chapter 2 using different symbols and provides such an accurate description of the principle apostate power at the end of time that the conscientious student is left without a doubt as to the identity of this mighty system that dares to defy the armies of the living God.
Daniel chapter two is chiastically linked to Daniel chapter 7 by the use of the numerals one through four. Similarly, Daniel chapters three and six are linked, as both have persecution as a type of the end-time persecu- tion as theme.
Daniel chapters four and five are also linked as both deal with the fall of great dictators, also serving as a type for the great events to take place at the end of time. Nebuchadnezzar falls and is humbled by his insanity when he becomes like an animal and eats grass and the other, Belshazzar, falls and is destroyed by the interposition of God.
In Daniel chapter 2, it was the king of Babylon himself who was given the vision, but God revealed its meaning to His prophet Daniel so that the King could become acquainted with the true creator God. The vision of Daniel 7 is, however, a vision given by God to His prophet. The prophetic principle of expan- sion can be applied in this case.
The prophecy of Daniel 7 repeats the prophecies of Daniel 2, but then goes on to expand this prophecy and to highlight the final events pertaining to the rise and fall of the anti- christ. The rich Biblical symbolism used in this prophecy is the key to its unravelling, and it is essential that we understand the meaning of the symbols employed in this prophecy. Using the principle that the Bible must be its own interpreter, the following brief dictionary of prophetic symbols will enable us to unravel this great prophecy.
And four great beasts came up from the sea, each dif- ferent from the other. The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings. I watched till its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a man's heart was given to it. The lion is used in the Bible as a symbol of authority and power.
Prophesying about the coming destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon, the prophet Jeremiah applies the symbol of the lion to this mighty power.
The lion has come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of nations is on his way; he has gone forth from his place to make your land desolate. Your cities will be laid waste, without inhabitant. Jeremiah NKJV. The lion has eagle's wings, a reference to a further symbol of Babylon. Archaeology has revealed that a lion with eagle's wings was a symbol often employed in Babylonian designs and sculptures.
Moreover, the eagle was a universal symbol for the sun god, and this lion power is thus powered by this pagan deity. The symbol of the man that stood on two feet is a reference to the union of the human element with this power in defiance of God.
Since the religion of Babylon forms the basis of all pagan religions, Babylon becomes a fitting symbol for the end-time confederacy of religious powers aligned against God and His people. This confederacy will control events at the end of time and is portrayed in Daniel chapter 2 as the feet of iron and clay. In the closing stages of earth history, a power resembling Babylon will once again control events on earth and we will come across the lion symbol associated with the antichrist later again in the book of Revelation.
The next kingdom to. And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, 'Get up and eat your fill of flesh! The power to succeed Babylon is here portrayed as a bear.
The bear was raised up on one of its sides, a reference to the initial inequality of the two powers of the Medo-Persian alliance that was to overthrow the Babylonian empire. The three ribs probably refer to the three principle thrusts to control the Babylonian empire: the thrust into Lydia, Egypt, and Babylon itself that was conquered by the armies of Cyrus the Great.
The richness of the Biblical typology portrayed in this great historic event serves as a lesson book for the great events that are to unfold at the end of time. Babylon, the ruler of nations, the head of gold, the seat of religious and political power had ruled the nations.
It had destroyed Jerusalem and had taken captive the people of God. The time had come for this power to be destroyed and Cyrus is the one chosen by God to accomplish this great feat.
This is what the Lord says to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armour, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut. The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.
Cyrus serves as a type of Christ. He would end the rule of Babylon and he would set the captives free. The decree issued by Cyrus was that. In the same way, Christ will overthrow Spiritual Babylon at the end of time. He will set the captives free, take them to their heavenly Canaan, and their redemption will be without cost. The Medo-Persians added to the religious rites and ceremonies of the Babylonians and the cult of Mithraism with its seven levels of initiation formed a cornerstone of the system of sun worship.
The structure of the cult was hierarchical. Members went through a series of seven grades, each of which had a special symbol and were associated with a planet. When an initiate reached the highest grade, Pater or father, he could become the head of a congregation. Two aspects of mithraic initiation are also noteworthy. First, it was possible for a mithraic initi- ate to be a member of more than one cult, and second, women were not permitted to become members.
After the Medes and the Persians, a third power would arise to take control. History tells us that the Greeks succeeded the Medo-Persian Empire. After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard.
And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule. Because of the subdivision into four, the leopard beast in Daniel 7 has four heads and four wings. Alexander declared himself successor to the Pharaohs, and his troops afforded him the position of deity in worshipping him as a god.
It was one of the principle aims of Alexander to spread the Greek culture and philosophy throughout his realm. The religion of Greece added many refinements, rites, and ceremonies to the earthly systems of worship. The Bacchus cult, the mythologies of the battles of the gods and the worship of female deities became entrenched in the very fibre of society.
Finally, the Bible predicted a fourth kingdom that would rule over the earth:. After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast—terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns. The fourth beast defies description. It is terrifying, frightening, and very powerful. It would be the kingdom which would fill up the cup of iniquity.
Although Rome would become divided, the iron would remain even to the time of the destruction by the stone. The four nations, which arise one after the other, thus parallel the components of the image of Daniel 2.
Figure 4. Although the Beasts and the metals follow each other sequen- tially, the entire image including the head of gold, the arms of silver, and the thigh of bronze is destroyed when the stone strikes the feet. The Medo-Persians conquered Babylon, but the Babylonian system of worship was not destroyed, merely refined.
Similarly, when Greece conquered the Medo-Persian Empire, the names of the gods changed but the system of worship remained essentially the same, and the same deities were worshipped in Rome under a different garb.
The final apostate power to control world events would thus incorporate aspects and refinements of all the religious systems of history. They would be so clothed and disguised to deceive, if possible, the very elect. Following the sequence of Daniel 2, the terrible beast of Daniel 7 thus represents Rome, and although divided into ten, it is still Rome that rules till the end of time.
The metal does not change, it is just separated by clay and the feet have ten toes that are the equivalent of the ten horns of Daniel 7. The ten horns, according to the prophecy, are ten kingdoms that shall arise from this kingdom.
The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom. The ten kingdoms, which arose from Rome after its decline, are the same ones represented by the ten toes of the image described in Daniel 2, and therefore represent the Ostrogoths, Visigoths, Franks, Vandals, Suevi, Alamani, Anglo-Saxons, Heruli, Lombardi, and Bur- gundians. See Figure 4. And there, in this horn, were. Daniel 7: 8 NKJV.
In this verse, we again have the reference to a man just as we had the reference to a man associated with the lion that had eagle wings repre- senting Babylon. It was Babylon that deceived the ancient world with its system of worship representing the type , and the little horn power would have the same elements as Babylon but on a universal scale representing the great antitype. It was the power that would blaspheme God, speak pompous words, and deceive the nations at the end of time.
The little horn power, as we shall see, grows to become greater than all the others and should be seen rather as a horn growing from littleness to great stature. Since the little horn power represents the antichrist, it is essential that we correctly identify this power.
Our method should be that of Scripture interpreting Scripture. There are very precise identifying features of the horn power, and every single one must apply in order to make an accurate identification possible. It arose out of the fourth beast. The description of the little horn power is in connection with the fourth beast. This is very important, since there are many who adopt a pre- teristic view of the antichrist and would like to associate the antichrist with Antiochus Epiphanes IV, a Greek king who persecuted the Jews and desecrated the temple.
This would, however, not fit the prophecy, as the antichrist is to arise out of the fourth beast, which is Rome. Verse 8 I considered the ten horns and, behold, there came up among them another little horn. Note that the little horn arises among the ten, which implies that the ten were already there when it arose and all ten were still in existence when it made its appearance.
And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise; and another shall arise after them The rise of the little horn power must be sought after the subdivision of Rome into ten powers, which means it must have been after A.
Verse Before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots Three of the ten kingdoms were to be destroyed by the instigation of the little horn power.
Since it made its appearance after the subdivi- sion of Rome into ten different states, after A. The Heruli, Vandals, and Ostrogoths were eliminated by the year A. It was to be greater than its fellows. Whose look was more stout than its fellows The power depicted by the little horn was greater than that of the other states.
This implies a position of political superiority. Although it grew from littleness, it was to become greater than all the other powers. As a horn is a king or a kingdom, the little horn must represent a king or a kingdom different from all the previous horns, which were secular kingdoms.
The precise manner in which the horn was different can be deducted from the sum total of all its attributes, which we shall deal with later. Daniel 7: 8, And he shall speak great words against the Most High. Daniel , We have already discussed the reference to the man and its connotation with Babylon.
The little horn power is man rising up against God and speaking great words against God. It refers to a system that defies God directly and sets itself up in opposition to God. In ancient Babylon, the king of Babylon was referred to as the head of gold. All power was vested in the king. His word was law, and he was considered a god.
Similarly, in the great antitype, all power will once again be vested in one man who, as the spokesman for the system, will utter blasphemies and claim a status not due to mortal man. The Bible identifies blasphemy in the New Testament. We read in the Gospel accounts that the Jews twice wanted to stone Jesus for blasphemy.
Son, be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven you. Who can forgive sins but God alone? For a good work we do not stone You, but for blas- phemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God. Unlike Jesus, who is the Son of God and therefore can forgive sins, the little horn power is a power that claims to be able to forgive sins, and then has the effrontery to claim the position of God.
Paul, writing to the Thessalonians, reiterates this point with regard to the antichrist. Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Which times and laws would God be particularly concerned about? The law that stands out through- out the Bible is the Ten Commandment Law.
The saints were to be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time. In order to understand this time prophecy, it is necessary to understand the Biblical meaning of prophetic time. View More View Less. Cite Icon Cite. True to Life : Why Truth Matters.
Preface Doi:. Introduction Doi:. Part I: Cynical Myths. Part II: False Theories. Epilogue Doi:. Notes Doi:.
Index Doi:. Compliance with permission from the rights holder to display this image online prohibits further enlargement or copying.
0コメント