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).