Vol. 2, No. 31 – 7-30-2017
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. Daniel 11:36
In the history in which we have lived there have been many pompous leaders who strut across the world stage, attempting to say, “Look at me, I am made of great stuff; I have the bully pulpit and I will use it to my advantage—the nation be d_____.”
This self-centered king came with a message of hope and change; a message that promised what the people wanted—world peace. Has it been different in our nation’s leaders in recent years? Many get into office, make their own laws, and do what they want to do, regardless of any sense of accountability.
In Daniel’s day, a king comes on the scene; one who portrayed himself to be a superhero. The times were chaotic, tempestuous, hopeless, and people lived in despair. The people of the nation were pushed into thinking that things would never recover; that only the very wealthy people, people of stature, and people with connections would survive. In reality, the superhero, God’s man, was yet to come.
In our world, people are exhausted of world conflict. There does not seem to be answers that satisfy the people of the earth. Our world nations are looking—desperately looking—for a leader or two that will draw them out from their sufferings and chaos.
In Daniel’s day a dictator arises—a king—a man who very quickly takes office. He assumes great power; he is threatening. This dictator comes to power after a gap of 2000 years. It is a severe time. Daniel begins to contemplate as the Holy Spirit leads his heart. He begins to pre-write the coming history. He writes about the Antichrist who will come—both literally and in character. Scripture reveals him to be a man of sin, a son of perdition, a beast, and a prince that will come. The Scripture pictures him as high-minded, self-centered, and full of pride, arrogant, a man that covets, a man with an evil heart, a blasphemer of Almighty God. This Antichrist will control business, trade, government, and man’s religion. The people of the earth will bow their knees at the sight of him; to ignore their duty is to allow for their own deaths. Indeed, the people of the earth will be marked on their forehead—666—to identify their allegiance to the Antichrist.
Interestingly, as the believers of Almighty God dwell in Israel, the deceiver makes a peace covenant with them. The deceiver’s headquarters are in Jerusalem. He brings a false unity, brings prosperity, and brings a measure of peace on the earth; all for a very limited time. Such is the imaginations of people of the earth who will devote their lives to a corrupt and deceiving leader.
The Antichrist Daniel writes about is future. He will descend upon the people of the earth in the Last Days; the church will be absent as the Rapture will have already taken place. Armageddon takes place—all hell breaks loose. The final conflict takes place and God’s man is already the victor. The Antichrist fails.
And he will pitch the tents of his royal pavilion between the seas and the beautiful Holy Mountain; yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him. Daniel 11:45
Many “leaders” ignore God’s time clock. God’s truths are contained in the Scriptures; He reveals what we need to know. God commands us to keep an eye on His truth as we live upon the earth. For there is a day when time will run out. It will arrive sooner than we imagine.
Leaders and other people of the earth need to live under absolute truth; not situational ethics. That is important; it impacts each person and it impacts the people gathered around them. What a person places in their heart makes a difference in how they think, in what they speak, and in the actions of their lives. Where do you go for the things you need to place in your heart?
God expects those He has created to be ready at all times to express the reason for the hope that lies within—in their hearts (1 Peter 3:15). One needs to express the reason to others with gentleness and respect. Daniel observed that the people of the earth did not receive gentleness and respect from their king. We can observe that we live in a world where gentleness and respect is not prevalent. But then, the greater number of people of the earth live through their pride, arrogance, materialism, and self-centeredness.
If you lead others, how is it with you? What kind of impact are you having with those around you?
1 Peter 3:15; 2 Corinthians 5: 17-21
