END TIME STUDY--PT. 14

We will now continue our look at the vision given to Daniel in Daniel chapter 7. In this vision you are seeing not only the near future but all the way to the end of the history of mankind and judgment day. Daniel sees "the Ancient Of Days" seated on His throne as in judgment. All other thrones and kingdoms have been defeated and the Ancient of Days sits on His supreme throne as King of kings. His glory gives Him the appearance of having hair white as wool meaning He has an aura all around Him that is so bright that everything about Him is illuminated as pure white and glowing. This is the same image that John saw in Revelation 1:12-17 when he saw Jesus the Christ in all his glory.

In verse 11 Daniel sees what John saw in Revelation 19:17-21, that being, the Anti-christ, who speaks with "pompous words," being destroyed and cast into the lake of fire. With the world leader, the Anti-christ, slain and the remaining world leaders, "the beast," have all their power taken from them, yet their "lives were prolonged." They remain to be used to continue the deceit of Satan on earth since he is bound for a 1000 years (Rev. 20:1-3). This begins the thousand year reign of Jesus on earth, which Daniel sees in verses 13 and 14. This part of his vision corresponds with the dream of Nebuchadnezzar where he saw the same thing. "And in the days of the kings, (the toes and the horns),the God of heaven will set up a Kingdom which shall never be destroyed;" (Daniel 2:44). This is the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth after the five kingdoms of the world, which are the four beasts of Daniel 7, or to say the gold, silver, bronze and iron of Nebuchadnezzar's statue, including the 10 toes, are all crushed by the "stone" (Daniel 2:45).

Needless to say this vision left Daniel somewhat perplexed and troubled. He was seeing things that were to take place over two millennium in the future. Though not able to fully comprehend its meaning, Daniel was faithful to record this vision for future generations, especially the last generation which would receive the knowledge to understand this vision. Daniel sees that the final outcome of the history of mankind is for the Saints of God to inherit a Kingdom that is to be forever, eternal. Before the rapture, or the gathering of the Saints, and the return of Christ to set up his millennial reign, the Anti-christ will make war with the saints (vs. 21). Just who are these "Saints" spoken of here? The Aramaic word that is used here is gaddiysh(kad-deesh) meaning holy one, saint. The Hebrew derivative is gadash (kaw-dash) meaning to be clean, consecrated and dedicated to holiness, sanctifying oneself wholly. The Anti-christ will not be wasting his time and efforts on the lukewarm, compromising, religious "Christian." He will be waging war with the blood-bought, holy, dead-to-themselves Saints of God! Even the religiously correct will believe themselves to be doing the will of God when they speak out against the true saints; when they betray them and turn them in to the government officials; when they persecute them; etc. In these last days those calling themselves "Christians" will be the very ones that Satan will deceive into persecuting the true saints.

The reason why the true saint has been labeled a hate-monger, a Bible-thumping fanatic, a bigot, as well as other choice words of hate is because they believe in the absolute truths found in God's word. The world, including a vast majority of so-called "Christian" churches, do not want to be held accountable to a Bible that states absolute wrongs and rights. The true saint not only believes in the demands of the absolutes of God's word, they proclaim them to the world and most of all they live them. I believe that this is the number one reason why laws have been passed to silence the church. Her prayers are no longer allowed in the public arena nor is her Bible. The only religion not tolerated in the United States is true Christianity. This is proof that Christianity is of God otherwise it would be tolerated just as any other religion is tolerated. The Saints are a constant reminder of God's demand for holiness with no tolerance for compromise so they must be silenced by legislative action, open ridicule and persecution if necessary.

The church is going to experience persecution and atrocities at an ever-increasing rate until midway through the tribulation at which time all out war will then be declared against the Saints. The Jews will escape to Petra for the remaining three and half years of the Great Tribulation while the Saints will be fulfilling the great commission and doing great exploits. (Daniel 11;32).

We shall understand all this better when we return to our study of the Book of Revelation but before we can understand Revelation we must thoroughly comprehend the book of Daniel. Before going on in the study of the end times we should consider, that if Daniel was correct about the four kingdoms through his interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream, as well as his own visions, then the rest of his writings must also be true and are soon to come the past.