Interpretation of Daniel 11: 29-38 - 5:30 AM, 12/1/2008 |
Interpretation of Daniel 11: 29-38 Bernard Pyron The overall topic of Daniel 11 is the struggle between the King of the North and the Kind of the South. At his death Alexander the Great's empire was divided among his four top generals. Daniel 11 in the ancient timeline is said to focus on two dynasties, the Seleucid and Ptolemy dynasties, or the kings of the North and kings of the South. In the ancient timeline Antiochus III has been thought to be the king of the North, while Ptolemy V is thought to represent the king of the South. Antiochus IV, known as Antiochus Epiphanes, later became the king of the North..(Daniel 11: 21).: The events in the struggle between the king of the North and the King of the South in the ancient timeline repeat to a great extent in the end time timeline. George Bush can be seen to represent the king of the North in the era of 2001-2009, while it appears that Obama will represent the king of the North starting in 2009. Here is the text of Daniel 11: 29-38: 29. "At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the south; but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter. 30. For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant. 31. And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate. 32. And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. 33. And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days. 34. Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries. 35. And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed. 36. And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. 37. Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. 38. But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things." In verse 29 the king of the north shall at the appointed time return and come toward the south. Apparently the king of the north in the timeline of the end times or near them will make some move against a nation or the nations that tend to be in the south and which align themselves against the northern nations. In Daniel 11 political power is divided along a north-south axis rather than along the east-west axis as in the cold war between the US and Europe verses the Soviet Union. Islamic nations are part of the southern confederacy in Daniel 11. But in verse 30 the ships of Chittim shall come against the king of the north. On http://www.geocities.com/biblicalsecrets2002/daniel11_30.htm they say of Chittim that the "...NAME IS CONNECTED DEFINITELY WITH CYPRUS. CHIEFLY THROUGH KITION, AN ANCIENT TOWN ON THE SOUTH COAST OF THE ISLAND, BUT IT WAS EVENTUALLY GREATLY EXTENDED". In Daniel 11: 30 the ships of Chittim might refer in the ancient time line to the Romans coming in Greek ships. The ships of Chittim may represent the Roman Empire. Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the Seleucid king of the Hellenistic Syrian kingdom (175 " 164 BC), was in march to take Alexandria, Egypt. Officials from the Roman Senate arrived in ships from Rome telling him that he must stop his war on the Egyptians. So Antiochus IV returned to Syria. Cyprus is now divided between Greek and Turk rule, but there is a British naval base on Cyprus. The British have military bases on Cyprus, including a presence there of the Royal Navy. In the end time timeline the coming against the king of the north by the ships of Chittim might perhaps refer to some military-political power sending word to the king of the north to stop whatever action he is engaged in. The ships of Chittim shall come against the king of the north. Then verse 30 goes on to say "...therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant..." The king of the north is grieved because the ships of Chittim have come against him? Having indignation against the holy covenant, if this struggle is being carried out in the Middle East, could mean the king of the north has anger against Christians as those few who are faithful to New Testament doctrines, probably concerning doctrines on who is Israel and who is not Israel. That is, the holy covenant could be the Christian Remnant as spiritual Israel. The king of the north is then said to have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant, which would be those opposing the New Testament teachings that Christians are spiritual Israel. Christians who say we are spiritual Israel generally do not support Zionist Israel and want to wage war to help Israel nearly as much as Christians who are followers of dispensationalism and are Christian Zionists. Remember that traditionally. Calvinists and orthodox Lutherans taught that Christians are Israel without supporting replacement theology. Though Calvinists and orthodox Lutherans (Missouri Synod) may not place a great deal of importance on their traditional, teaching that Christians are Israel, nevertheless they still hold to it largely. The Remnant tends to place more importance on the idea that Christians are Israel. So those opposing the holy covenant in the context of the north versus south struggle involving the nation of Israel would be the Christian Zionists, classical dispensationalists, and the evangelical church under dispsnsationalism which promotes Jewish Supremacy. Next, in verse 31 they will place the abomination that maketh desolate. In the ancient timeline Antiochus IV Epiphanes the king of the north caused an alter to be built on the grounds of the temple in Jerusalem a Greek alter to Zeus, and sacrifices were made on this alter. Greek soldiers committed indecencies in the temple. This was the abomination of desolation in the ancient timeline as a physical desolation of the Jewish temple at Jerusalem. Antiochus IV Epiphanes took Jerusalem (167 BC) and stopped all Jewish ceremonies which were forbidden on threat of death. The forces under Antiochus took away the daily sacrifice. In 164 Judas Maccabaeus and the anti-Greek Jews conquered Judaea and almost all of Jerusalem (164 BC), tore down the altar of Zeus, and reconsecrated the Temple. Christ in Matthew 24: 15-21 says 15. "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand 16. Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17. Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18. Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20. But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 21. For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be." Although this Scripture appears to warn the Jewish Christians who were in Jerusalem right before the fall of the city to the Romans in 70 A.D. to get out when they see the abomination of desolation, it can also be read to say that when the abomination of desolation occurs in the end times, this marks the beginning of the tribulation. And so Matthew 24: 15-21 identifies Daniel 11: 31 to be a prophecy for the end times. The abomination of desolation is an event to occur in the end times before the tribulation begins apparently. What is the abomination of desolation in the end times? We can say that it is not a desecration of a rebuilt Jewish temple in Jerusalem as the dispensationalists claim. They say "the antichrist" will enter the rebuilt Jewish temple in Jerusalem with a pig and sacrifice it there. Christ in John 2: 19 said "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." He is referring to himself as the temple, not the physical building in Jerusalem. Then I Corinthians 3: 16 says "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" Born again Christians are the temple of God. Hebrews 10: 6, 8, 9, 12 says " In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure... Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law...He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second...But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;" The contemporary Jews do not accept Hebrews 10: 6-12, but they, or some of them, want to re-establish animal sacrifices for sin in some sort of temple or holy place. And the Judaeo-Christians, the dispensationalists, want to help the Jews resume animal sacrifices because the dispensationalists read Daniel 11: 31 and Matthew 24: 15 to say that when the Jews resume sacrifices then Christ will soon rapture them all to heaven. The abomination of desolation is the resumption of animal sacrifices for sin by the Jews, an insult to Christ who died once and for all as a sacrifice for sin. A desolation for Jerusalem is predicted to result from abominations in Daniel 9: 27, "...for the overspreading of abominations he (the Lord) shall make it (Jerusalem) desolate, even unto the consummation." This was fulfilled in 70 A.D. But could Jerusalem be made desolate again in the end times because of the abomination as resumption of animal sacrifice. Although the Christian Zionists and dispensationalists have been saying for years that the Jews, saved and unsaved, are all still God's chosen people, and Christians cannot be Israel, some more important re-statement of this position in some context might also be seen as the abomination of desolation in the end time timeline. Daniel 11: 32 "And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. Matthew Henry says of Daniel 11: 32 that "Good old Eleazar, one of the principal scribes, when he had swine's flesh thrust into his mouth, did bravely spit it out again, though he knew he must be tormented to death for so doing, and was so, 2 Mac. vi. 19. The mother and her seven sons were put to death for adhering to their religion, 2 Mac. vii. This might well be called doing exploits; for to choose suffering rather than sin is a great exploit. And it was by faith, by being strong in faith, that they did those exploits, that they were tortured, not accepting deliverance, as the apostle speaks, probably with reference to that story, Hebrews 11:35. In the end time timeline those who know the truth and those who are coming out of false doctrines and know their God will do exploits in spite of the persecution by the authorities and the churches. These exploits may be proclaiming the truth of the New Testament doctrines in spire of the persecution they must endure. The two thirds of Zechariah 13: 8-9 in the churches who do not turn to the Lord may be the ones who are corrupted by flatteries. Maybe the two thirds of the church support the king of the north, or he represents government. Daniel 11: 33 says "And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days.". Adam Clarke in his commentary on verse 33 says "And they that understand The apostles and primitive Christians in general, who understood from the prophets, and his own actions, that JESUS was the true MESSIAH. Instruct many Preach the Gospel every where, and convert multitudes to the faith. Yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days. They were exposed to the malice and fury of their enemies, during TEN STATE PERSECUTIONS, and suffered all kinds of tortures, with but little intermission, for three hundred years.-Newton." Has the timeline shifted by verse 33 to the time of Christ and Pentecost where Rome is the power in the North?. I am not so sure that there was not.some fulfillment of verse 33 in the ancient timeline when the king of the north was Antiochus or at about that time. In the end time timeline Daniel 11: 33 refers to a remnant instructing a much larger group of Christians who are beginning to come out of false doctrines. The remnant is the 144,000 of Revelation 7: 2-8 and Revelation 14: 1-5. But to those who follow the theology taught by Auguistine, or amillennialism, there is no 144,000 as a remnant of Christians alive at the time of the tribulation. Amillennialists say that the 144,000 represents all elect Christians of all ages. The dispensationalists claim the 144,000 are all virgin male Jews. But for the dispensationalists, by this time all the church has been raptured to heaven, and there is no group of Christians coming out of apostasy to be instructed by the male Jewish virgins. Daniel 11: 34 says "Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help; but many shall cleave to them with flatteries." In the end time the ones coming out of false doctrines and instructed by the remnant are helped to fall by their enemies in the churches. Next Daniel 11: 35 says "And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed." Adam Clarke says of verse 35 that "Disputes on certain points of religion soon agitated the Christian Church; and now, having no outward persecution, they began to persecute each other. And many excellent men, men of understanding, fell victims because they would not embrace erroneous doctrines, when professed by the state. But this was permitted,-To try them, and to purge, and to make them white To bring all to the pure profession, possession, and practice of Christianity. To the time of the end To the time that God shall cause pure and undefiled religion every where to prevail." Daniel 11: 36 says "And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done." Perhaps this king is the king of the north. Some claim he is the antichrist, but it is not at all certain that there is to be one antichrist figure. There is certainly a spirit of antichrist (I John 4: 3), which will increase during the tribulation. Adam Clarke says of verse 36 that "...in the language of this prophecy king is taken for power, a kingdom, Church that acted in an arbitrary manner against all laws, human and Divine, is well known. This power showed itself in the Greek emperors in the east, and in the bishops of Rome in the west. And this is to continue." Daniel 11: 37 says "Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all." Clarke has an interesting interpretation of verse 37. Some interpreters of Daniel 11 say verse 37 is a part of the prophecy saying that the king of the north belongs to a higher level ruling elite secret society. Verse 38 deals more clearly with the god of forces as a god of the secret societies.. But as Clarke apparently does, verse 37 can be parsed out from verse 38 and treated as a separate prophecy. Clarke says "Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers That God who sent the evangelists and apostles to preach the pure doctrine. These true fathers of the Christian Church, and their God, this Church has not regarded, but put councils, and traditions, and apocryphal writings in their place. Nor the desire of women Both the Greek and Latin Church, in their antichristian enactments, have discouraged, and in several cases proscribed, marriage, under the pretense of greater chastity, to the discredit of God's ordinance, and Christianity itself." He says the Greek and Latin churches "proscribed marriage under the pretense of greater chastity, to the discredit of God's ordinance, and Christianity itself." Apparently what he is saying is that the churches have gone against God's ordinance of marriage in that they have suppressed sexuality, even in marriage, contrary to Matthew 19: 5-9 and I Corinthians 7: 3-5. Augustine supposedly said sex is disgusting, and Arnobius called it filthy and degrading, Jerome said it was unclean, and Tertullian claimed it was shameful, Ambrose noted that it is a defilement, while Origen castrated himself because he hated his sexuality. Finally Daniel 11: 38 says "But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things." Adam Clarke does not deal with the important distinction between a personal God of the Bible and an impersonal god as a force. http://www.cuttingedge.org/free002.html Albert Pike, on page 102, of his book, "Morals and Dogma", says "The true name of Satan, the Kabalists say, is that of Yahveh reversed; for Satan is not a black god, but the negation of God. The Devil is personification of Atheism and Idolatry. For the initiates, this is not a Person, but a Force, created for good, but which may serve for evil." Pike again refers to the "Infinite God" as "the mighty cosmic force" on Page 707. The entire book by Albert Pike, Morals and Dogma, is on the Internet at: http://www.sacred-texts.com/mas/md/index.htm The full title to Pike's book is Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. Pike was a major leader of American Freemasonry in the 19th century. The reference to the king of the North worshipping the god of forces, an impersonal "god," likely refers to high level Freemasonry at the higher levels of the ruling elite. George Herbert Walker Bush and his son George W. Bush are both members of the Yale University Skull and Bones, a high level secret society, which is like high level Freemasonry. Daniel 11: 36-38 refers to a leader of the north, probably an American president, as being a member of a high level secret society which worships an impersonal god.. Bernard |
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