Thursday, June 30, 2011

END-TIME STUDY--Pt.17

Now we come to the most exciting part of Daniel chapter eight. It is now that Gabriel makes it very clear to Daniel that what he has seen is the end of the history of mankind and of all time. He states in verse 19, "I will make you know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be." He is saying here that he had just revealed to Daniel when the Anti-Christ's indignation and defilement will end which will be at the end of the church age when all the saints shall be gathered from the Earth--2300 days from the rise of the Anti-Christ.

Daniel has now seen the head of gold (Babylonian Empire) come and go. He has seen the chest and arms of silver (Medo-Persian Empire) come and go. He has seen the belly and thighs of bronze (Macedonian-Grecian Empire) come and go. He has seen the legs of iron (Roman Empire) come and go. Finally, he sees the future when the feet of iron and clay will rise up as an Empire made up of the old Roman Empire along with the middle eastern countries.

Gabriel sums up the vision of Daniel by stating, "And in the latter times of their kingdom (the time of the Gentiles is over and the time of the wicked has run out), when the transgressors are come to full, a king of fierce countenance, (vehemently harsh, fierceness with greed) and understanding dark sentences, (literally, a puzzle or trick. He will work his ways to power by his strong looks and smooth speech) shall stand up." (v.23) I believe today's politicians are preparing us to receive the Anti-Christ. They use a strong appearance when speaking of crime, injustice or other current events. They use skilled words of persuasion to get our votes and support. Yet, very few are truthful. They are only serving their own agendas and political futures.

Gabriel states that the power of the Anti-Christ shall be mighty but the power that he possesses will not be his own. Of course we know that his power shall come from none other than Satan. Gabriel says that the Anti-Christ shall destroy wonderfully, he will try to destroy all that is good and godly. He will prosper greatly as he comes to power. He will destroy mighty armies and great leaders as well as some of God's holy people, the Saints. He will use talk of peace to gain control of nations. He will become so full of himself that he will make the biggest mistake of his life, he will stand against Jesus Christ Himself. He will be so arrogant that he will believe that he can overthrow the government of God and heaven itself. "But he shall be broken without hand." (v.25) John saw the fulfillment of this and recorded it in Revelation 19:15 which reads, "And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, with it He should smite the nations." And then in verse 21, "And the remnant were slain with the sword of Him that set upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of His mouth." The very words of Jesus will be "sharper than any two edged sword" (Heb.4:12). There will be no armies, no weapons of modern warfare, no human involvement, no physical strength exerted, only a word from Jesus's mouth and all His enemies are defeated! Remember, His words are what created the universe. If Jesus says it--it's done!

We then see Daniel instructed to shut up the vision for it was not for his generation but for a future generation. In fact, it appears that he attempted to tell others this vision but "none understood it." (V.7) It has only been in the last few years that God has made known the mysteries of Daniel's vision. I believe it is because we are the generation that shall see all these things come to pass. (Matt.4:34)

We don't need the Book of Revelation to know the end. In the book of Daniel we have been given the calendar of end time events, we have been given signs and descriptions of the Anti-Christ, as well is where he will rise to power. If one knows and understands the book of Daniel he will have no problem identifying the Anti-Christ as well as the signs of the times of the end.

The Middle East is where it's all at. All one has to do is look at all of the unrest in the nations surrounding Israel and you must come to the conclusion that we are witnessing the fulfillment of end time prophecies. The descendents of Ishmael are rising up to claim what they believe is rightfully theirs--all the land promised to their father, Abraham. Ishmael was the firstborn son of Abraham, thus the one to receive the inheritance of his father, Abraham, as his firstborn birthright. His twelve sons are viewed as the twelve tribes of promise. It was from their bloodline that Mohammed was born, thus the Muslims believe that they are the children of promise and, like Joshua, it's time to take the promised land. Joshua was to kill all the illegitimate inhabitants of the promised land and now the descendents of Ishmael feel compelled by their sacred writings to do the same, kill the illegitimate inhabitants of their "promised land" (the Jews and those who support them) the Christians.

The Middle East is where all the action is to take place. Stay informed about the events taking place in the Middle East. Read Daniel over and over again until you can evaluate the current events in the news about what's happening in the Middle East with the prophecies of Daniel. This way you will not be taken by surprise when the Anti-Christ rises to power and the end time events unfold before your very eyes (I Thes.5:4).

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

END-TIME STUDY--Pt.16

I want us now to return to our end-time Bible study. I want to continue our look at the book of Daniel. In our last study we were looking at chapter 8 of the book of Daniel. Here we see the vision of Daniel in verses one through ten and then beginning with verse 15 we see the interpretation of this vision. We now will pick up our study in verse nine.

The statements about the Antichrist found in verse nine are speaking of him going forth to conquer. It is at this time that verse eight of Chapter 7 is fulfilled. "I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots." (Daniel 7:8) The Antichrist will rise up from among the four kingdoms and he will destroy or conquer the other three, the one to the south, the one to the east and the one known as the Glorious or Beautiful Land, Israel. He will conquer these through peace treaties and diplomacy ("a mouth speaking pompous words." Daniel 7:8). This will help the believers to identify the Antichrist. He will seem insignificant and then suddenly he will subdue three kingdoms or rulers by diplomacy and tactfulness which will give him great bargaining power.

Let me pause here long enough to reveal what I believe to be the place that the Antichrist will either be born in or will come to power in. At the beginning of this vision we see that Daniel finds himself in Shushan, in a palace (v.2). We must understand that Daniel was in captivity in Babylon. He was brought there from Jerusalem when he was between the ages of 12 and 16. He most likely had never been to Shushan, yet he finds himself there in this vision. Not only is he in Shushan, but he is in a palace that wasn't even built yet. This palace would be built by Darius the Mede some 15 to 20 years later. It would cover some 123 acres. Shushan historically is known as Susa. It's modern-day name is Shushtar. The Ulai River is now called the Karun River.

Why is this important? Because there is no logical reason for this yet to be built palace to be mentioned here unless it is one of those hidden mysteries of scripture that only the Spirit can reveal its meaning (I Corinthians 2:10-14).

Shushan (Susa, Shushtar), the city of the Persian Empire, is none other than our modern-day Iran. Iran was known as Persia until 1935 when it underwent the name change. In medieval times Iran became one of the chief centers of Islamic civilation and extended its cultural influence into India (Daniel 8:9 "toward the East"). The Iranian people have inhabited the area since the early first millennium B. C. Iranians are believed to be direct descendents of Ishmael. The land of Ur where Abraham came from was in Elam (Iran). This was also the home of Ahasuerus and Queen Esther. Iran was part of the Roman empire from the time of the rule of Pompey. The kings of Iran called themselves "king of kings".

Could the hidden mystery here be that God was revealing the place of either the birth of the Antichrist or the place from which he would rise to power? After all it is a palace, home of a leader, that Daniel finds himself. It is also in a land ruled by Islamic radicals who follow the teachings of Mohammed and believe that as direct descendents of Ishmael, the firstborn of Abraham, they are the rightful heirs of the Promised Land.I believe that this may very well be the reason that Daniel's vision of the rise of the Antichrist begins with a location that is yet to be.

In verse 10 chapter 8 we find ourselves at the midway point of the seven-year tribulation period, now begins the Great Tribulation. Up to this point the world will have been experiencing a reasonable measure of peace brought about by the treaties brokered by the Antichrist. The Orthodox Jew, to a degree, has accepted the Antichrist as the long-awaited anointed Messiah or at best a great prophet from God. The Muslims will have accepted the Antichrist as the mahdi, the reappearing of the twelveth Inman. The professing Christian (not those in relationship with the Father), will see the Antichrist as a great prophet sent by God to bring world peace to prepare the way for the return of Jesus. The world will see the Antichrist as a great world leader with all the solutions to the world's problems. The true believer will see the Antichrist for who he really is, an agent of Satan. This mindset will cause the world to view the Christians as narrow-minded and hatemongers. I know, this is already happening but not to the degree that will take place in the tribulation. The true believers will be viewed as standing in the way of world peace and economic stability. To assault a Christian will make you a hero with little or no repercussions. It is in the midst of all of this false utopia that the Antichrist will play out his hand. He will enter the Temple and defile it showing himself to be as God.

Verse 10 chapter 8 takes place midway through the 70th week of Daniel. The first 3 1/2 years are a time of reasonable peace, especially in the Middle East. But at the midway point of the tribulation, the Antichrist reveals his true character, defiles the Temple and proclaims himself to be God. "And it was waxed great, even to the host of heaven." Isaiah had this to say about this event in Chapter 14 verse 13 of his book, "For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God." We know that from studying the first three chapters of the book of Revelation that the "stars" spoken of here ("It cast down some of the host and of the 'stars' to the ground, and stamped upon them,") are God's ministers to his church. The Antichrist will exalt himself above God (the host of heaven) and exercise great power over his host--the Saints.

Verse 11 tells us that the Antichrist will take away the daily sacrifices that are being offered up in the Temple. The only way this can happen is for there to be a new Temple built in Jerusalem. I believe the Antichrist will build this temple as part of his seven year peace treaty that he will broker with Israel. There has to be a Jewish Temple in order for it to be a place of daily sacrifices and to be defiled by the Antichrist triggering the Great Tribulation, the last 3 1/2 years of Daniel's 70th week. When you see the Temple being rebuilt, GET READY, we are closing in on the end of the history of mankind and the return of Jesus Christ.

Even with all the scriptural evidence identifying the Antichrist, many will still be drawn to him. When he defiles the Temple and tramples the truth (Judeo-Christian beliefs) under his feet, many will view this as a time of liberation from the dogmatic views of the Christian and Jewish faiths. With the Christian's scriptures and claims of the identity of the Antichrist seemingly destroyed, the people of the world will see him as a great world leader and a new improved religious figure who has come to destroy the "false" religions such as Christianity that are the stumbling blocks to world peace and harmony. The unsaved will pledge their support for the Antichrist and he will prosper in power and in wealth.

Then in verse 13 Daniel hears two saints conversing as one asked the question, "How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?" A similar conversation takes place in John's vision recorded in the book of Revelation chapter 6 verses 9-11. "And when he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the Word of God, and for the testimony which they held: and they cried with a loud voice, saying, 'how long, old Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge an avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?' And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethern, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled."

Daniel was given the answer in verse 14. "And he said unto me, 'Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.'" It is here that we are given the first hint as to when Jesus would return to the earth to bring to a conclusion the end of the history of mankind. Daniel was speaking of the 70th week, or to say, the seven-year tribulation period. But please take note he only refers to 2300 days, this would be six years, and 140 days based on the Jewish lunar calendar which is made up of 30 day months. Later in this study we shall see that these numbers, along with the ones of Daniel 12:11,12, give the believers a real good look at the time frame of Jesus's return for his bride toward the end of the tribulation period.

Verse 14 concludes with, "Then shall the sanctuary be cleansed." The last time Jesus entered the sanctuary he "cleansed it" of the money changers (Matthew 21:12). He just made what we celebrate as his Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem where he was welcomed as a King. The next time He enters Jerusalem it will be on a white steed as King of kings. He will make His true Triumphal Entry and He will cleanse the sanctuary that was defiled by the Antichrist. This puts goosebumps on me big enough to hang a hat on.

Verses 15 through 17 set the stage for the explanation of Daniel's vision by none other than Gabriel. He tells Daniel that, "For at the time of the end shall be this vision." We just witnessed the end of history and mankind!!

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

A TORNADO IS COMING TO YOUR CHURCH--Pt 3

So where does this message to the church from this dream leave us today? Maybe we need to ask ourselves a few questions. First of all are we seated comfortably on our religious bus seat? In other words are we among those who have a false sense of security believing that we are heaven bound as we sit on our comfortable pews Sunday in and Sunday out, complacent, compromised and having no burden for the lost? We should ask ourselves has God's Spirit tried moving in our lives only to be quenched? Maybe we should ask ourselves, do we, like Paul in Romans 7:24, find ourselves crying out, "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" Like Paul do we find ourselves doing what we should not be doing and not doing the things that we should? In other words, we know what to do based on God's word, yet we don't do it. Could we be like the demoniac of Gadarenes who was tortured by contrary spirits? He had a "legion" of demons controlling his life.

What's the garbage or sin in our lives that is damming up the blessings of God for our lives? Do we have the contrary spirits of lust, adultery, or porn? Could it be that our contrary spirits are lying, deception, gossip, a murderous spirit in our hearts, envy, covetousness, complacency, lukewarm toward holy things, no burden for the lost? Or could it be that we simply have lost our first love for Christ? He is no longer occupying the first place in our hearts, our affections, our time or our love.

The demonic tried to get rid of his contrary spirits by cutting himself, by torturing his flesh. He wanted to be free but possessed not the human power to get free. It took Jesus Christ Himself to set this person free from his contrary spirits! So it is with us. To be free from our contrary spirits that keep us seated as the Spirit moves, we too must heed the words of Romans 12:2, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." To be free from the dross, garbage, sin, and contrary spirits in our lives we must renew our minds. We must make up our minds that we will not conform ourselves to this world and its way of thinking. By "coming out from among them and being separate" we prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

David put it this way in Psalms 51:10, "Create in me a clean heart oh God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." When David said, "Renew a steadfast spirit within me," he was asking God to give him a mindset that was determined to be pure, holy and righteous in God's sight. We too must set our minds on that which is holy, pure and righteous in God's sight if we ever wish to receive the fullness of God's blessings, revival, miracles, healings, signs and wonders, gifts, etc. As it was in the dream, don't you desire the Holy Ghost to spew out the white cloud of all that has been stored up for the church into your life? Then you must submit to the wind of God's judgment and allow him to remove all your dross, garbage, sin and contrary spirits.

As we face this tornadic wind of God's judgment that is coming to the church, we can face it without fear if we abide by the words found in second Timothy 1:7, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." As our minds become sound by setting them upon Christ, His words and the holy things of God and we make Jesus our first love, we then will experience the power of God to face anything that is coming in these last days--- and be victorious!

THERE IS A TORNADO COMING TO YOUR CHURCH! It will clean you up or mess you up! It will fire you up or burn you up! It will bless you or destroy you! YOUR CHOICE!! Surrender your garbage, contrary spirits and sin and receive all that God has for you or MISS THE GREATEST MOVE OF GOD EVER!!!!