Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to
OurChristianWalk@aol.com.
In Christ, Mark
In Christ, Mark
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
** Follow The Christian Walk on
Twitter @ThChristianWalk
** Like posts and send friend requests
to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn
** Become a Follower of The Christian
Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
“Now then, I tell you the truth: Three more kings will arise
in Persia, and then a fourth, who will be far richer than all the others. When
he has gained power by his wealth, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom
of Greece. Then a mighty king will arise, who will rule with great power and do
as he pleases. After he has arisen, his empire will be broken up and parceled
out toward the four winds of heaven. It will not go to his descendants, nor
will it have the power he exercised, because his empire will be uprooted and
given to others.”
“The king of the South will become strong, but one of his
commanders will become even stronger than he and will rule his own kingdom with
great power. After some years, they will become allies. The daughter of the
king of the South will go to the king of the North to make an alliance, but she
will not retain her power, and he and his power will not last. In those days
she will be betrayed, together with her royal escort and her father and the one
who supported her.”
“One from her family line will arise to take her place. He
will attack the forces of the king of the North and enter his fortress; he will
fight against them and be victorious. He will also seize their gods, their
metal images and their valuable articles of silver and gold and carry them off
to Egypt. For some years he will leave the king of the North alone. Then the
king of the North will invade the realm of the king of the South but will
retreat to his own country. His sons will prepare for war and assemble a great
army, which will sweep on like an irresistible flood and carry the battle as
far as his fortress.”
“Then the king of the South will march out in a rage and
fight against the king of the North, who will raise a large army, but it will
be defeated. When the army is carried off, the king of the South will be filled
with pride and will slaughter many thousands, yet he will not remain
triumphant. For the king of the North will muster another army, larger than the
first; and after several years, he will advance with a huge army fully
equipped.”
“In those times many will rise against the king of the
South. Those who are violent among your own people will rebel in fulfillment of
the vision, but without success. Then the king of the North will come and build
up siege ramps and will capture a fortified city. The forces of the South will
be powerless to resist; even their best troops will not have the strength to
stand. The invader will do as he pleases; no one will be able to stand against
him. He will establish himself in the Beautiful Land and will have the power to
destroy it. He will determine to come with the might of his entire kingdom and
will make an alliance with the king of the South. And he will give him a
daughter in marriage in order to overthrow the kingdom, but his plans will not
succeed or help him. Then he will turn his attention to the coastlands and will
take many of them, but a commander will put an end to his insolence and will
turn his insolence back on him. After this, he will turn back toward the
fortresses of his own country but will stumble and fall, to be seen no more.”
“His successor will send out a tax collector to maintain the
royal splendor. In a few years, however, he will be destroyed, yet not in anger
or in battle.”
“He will be succeeded by a contemptible person who has not
been given the honor of royalty. He will invade the kingdom when its people
feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue. Then an overwhelming army
will be swept away before him; both it and a prince of the covenant will be
destroyed. After coming to an agreement with him, he will act deceitfully, and
with only a few people he will rise to power. When the richest provinces feel
secure, he will invade them and will achieve what neither his fathers nor his
forefathers did. He will distribute plunder, loot and wealth among his
followers. He will plot the overthrow of fortresses—but only for a time.”
“With a large army he will stir up his strength and courage
against the king of the South. The king of the South will wage war with a large
and very powerful army, but he will not be able to stand because of the plots
devised against him. Those who eat from the king’s provisions will try to destroy
him; his army will be swept away, and many will fall in battle. The two kings,
with their hearts bent on evil, will sit at the same table and lie to each
other, but to no avail, because an end will still come at the appointed time. The
king of the North will return to his own country with great wealth, but his
heart will be set against the holy covenant. He will take action against it and
then return to his own country.”
“At the appointed time he will invade the South again, but
this time the outcome will be different from what it was before. Ships of the
western coastlands will oppose him, and he will lose heart. Then he will turn
back and vent his fury against the holy covenant. He will return and show favor
to those who forsake the holy covenant.”
“His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple
fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the
abomination that causes desolation. With flattery he will corrupt those who
have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly
resist him.”
“Those who are wise will instruct many, though for a time
they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered. When they
fall, they will receive a little help, and many who are not sincere will join
them. Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and
made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the
appointed time.”
Daniel 11:2-35
This ends today’s
reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
As we close out the Books of Daniel, the devotions today and
tomorrow are focused on what’s to come, the future days from the point where
Daniel has his vision until the end of all days. Today, we’re going to look at
the coming days when men and women ruled while tomorrow, we look at the coming
times where Satan will rise up and wreak havoc on the earth before Jesus comes
back to vanquish him and all others who refused to accept Him as Savior.
To understand part one is to know the history of what happened
after the time of Daniel’s oracle, a luxury we have that he didn’t. Here’s what
we know today that came to pass to fulfill the prophecy:
1. At the time of the vision, King Darius the Mede was in
power.
2. “Now then, I tell
you the truth: Three more kings will arise in Persia, and then a fourth, who
will be far richer than all the others. When he has gained power by his wealth,
he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece.”
The three kings mentioned here were Cambyses (530-522 BC),
Pseudo-Smerdis (522 BC), and Darius 1 (522-486 BC) while the fourth, the one
who would be “far richer” and gain “power by his wealth” was Xerxes 1 (486-465 BC)
who made an attempt to attack and conquer the Greeks in 480 BC.
3. “Then a mighty
king will arise, who will rule with great power and do as he pleases. After he
has arisen, his empire will be broken up and parceled out toward the four winds
of heaven. It will not go to his descendants, nor will it have the power he
exercised, because his empire will be uprooted and given to others.”
This mighty king was none other than Alexander the Great,
king of the Greek empire who reigned from 336-323 BC).
4. “The king of the
South will become strong, but one of his commanders will become even stronger
than he and will rule his own kingdom with great power. After some years, they
will become allies.”
The king of the South mentioned here is Ptolemy 1 Soter of
Egypt (323-285 BC) and the commanded who became stronger than him was Seleucus
1 Nicator (311-280 BC). The kingdom he would rule was initially Babylonia
before he expanded his territories to the east and west.
5. “The daughter of
the king of the South will go to the king of the North to make an alliance, but
she will not retain her power, and he and his power will not last. In those
days she will be betrayed, together with her royal escort and her father and
the one who supported her.”
The daughter of the king of the South bore the name of
Berenice and she was the daughter of Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285-246 BC) of
Egypt. She went to the king of the North, Antiochus II Theos of Syria (261-246
BC) and an alliance was made through a marriage between the two but neither one
of them lasted in power because Antiochus’ ex-wife, Laodice, conspired to have
Antiochus and Berenice put to death. Her father, Ptolemy was also betrayed.
6. “One from her
family line will arise to take her place. He will attack the forces of the king
of the North and enter his fortress; he will fight against them and be
victorious. He will also seize their gods, their metal images and their
valuable articles of silver and gold and carry them off to Egypt. For some
years he will leave the king of the North alone. Then the king of the North
will invade the realm of the king of the South but will retreat to his own
country. His sons will prepare for war and assemble a great army, which will
sweep on like an irresistible flood and carry the battle as far as his fortress.”
Berenice’s brother, Ptolemy III Euergetes of Egypt (246-221
BC), took his sister’s place and did away with Laodice. He went to battle
against the king of the North, Seleucus II Calinicus of Syria (246-226 BC), and
entered his fortress, seizing their gods, metal images, and valuable articles
of silver and gold, carrying them off into Egypt. Note there was a period of
calm before the king of the North attacked the South with his sons – Seleucus III
Cerenaus (226-223 BC) and Antiochus III (223-187 BC)- leading the charge after
assembling a “great army” and carrying
the battle as far as Ptolemy’s fortress.
7. “Then the king of
the South will march out in a rage and fight against the king of the North, who
will raise a large army, but it will be defeated. When the army is carried off,
the king of the South will be filled with pride and will slaughter many
thousands, yet he will not remain triumphant. For the king of the North will
muster another army, larger than the first; and after several years, he will
advance with a huge army fully equipped.”
The attack of Seleucus’ sons prompted the king of the South,
Ptolemy IV Philopator of Egypt (221-203 BC), to bring the fight to the king of
the North, Antiochus III, and defeat him and his forces, slaughtering
thousands. Later, the king of the North would exact his revenge and advance
with a reloaded army that would be fully equipped.
8. “In those times
many will rise against the king of the South. Those who are violent among your
own people will rebel in fulfillment of the vision, but without success. Then
the king of the North will come and build up siege ramps and will capture a
fortified city. The forces of the South will be powerless to resist; even their
best troops will not have the strength to stand. The invader will do as he
pleases; no one will be able to stand against him. He will establish himself in
the Beautiful Land and will have the power to destroy it. He will determine to
come with the might of his entire kingdom and will make an alliance with the
king of the South. And he will give him a daughter in marriage in order to
overthrow the kingdom, but his plans will not succeed or help him. Then he will
turn his attention to the coastlands and will take many of them, but a
commander will put an end to his insolence and will turn his insolence back on
him. After this, he will turn back toward the fortresses of his own country but
will stumble and fall, to be seen no more.”
Many rose up against the king of the South, now Ptolemy V
Ephiphanes of Egypt (203-181 BC), including violent men within his own people
which were Jews who were siding with the king of the North, Antiochus III.
Antiochus III came and laid siege to the South in such fashion that the “forces
of the South” were “powerless to resist”. Antiochus and his invading forces
were able to do what they wanted and no one could stand against the king of the
North (Antiochus). Antiochus made an alliance with Ptolemy V and gave him his
daughter, Cleopatra, in marriage with the intent of overthrowing the kingdom
but those plans didn’t succeed for a commander, the Roman consul Lucius
Cornelius Scipio Asiaticus, rose up and put an end to the insolence of
Antiochus III, defeating him in 190 BC. Antiochus would die in 187 BC after
trying to plunder a temple in Elymais.
9. “His successor
will send out a tax collector to maintain the royal splendor. In a few years,
however, he will be destroyed, yet not in anger or in battle.”
Antiochus’ successor was Seleucus IV Philopator (187-185 BC)
who sent out a tax collector, his finance minister Heliodorus, to maintain his “royal
splendor” but in just a few years Seleucus was destroyed by a conspiracy
constructed by none other than Heliodorus.
10. “He will be
succeeded by a contemptible person who has not been given the honor of royalty.
He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure, and he will seize it
through intrigue. Then an overwhelming army will be swept away before him; both
it and a prince of the covenant will be destroyed. After coming to an agreement
with him, he will act deceitfully, and with only a few people he will rise to
power. When the richest provinces feel secure, he will invade them and will
achieve what neither his fathers nor his forefathers did. He will distribute
plunder, loot and wealth among his followers. He will plot the overthrow of
fortresses—but only for a time.”
“With a large army he
will stir up his strength and courage against the king of the South. The king
of the South will wage war with a large and very powerful army, but he will not
be able to stand because of the plots devised against him. Those who eat from
the king’s provisions will try to destroy him; his army will be swept away, and
many will fall in battle. The two kings, with their hearts bent on evil, will
sit at the same table and lie to each other, but to no avail, because an end
will still come at the appointed time. The king of the North will return to his
own country with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy
covenant. He will take action against it and then return to his own country.”
“At the appointed
time he will invade the South again, but this time the outcome will be
different from what it was before. Ships of the western coastlands will oppose
him, and he will lose heart. Then he will turn back and vent his fury against
the holy covenant. He will return and show favor to those who forsake the holy
covenant. “His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and
will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that
causes desolation. With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the
covenant.”
Who was the “contemptible person” who succeeded Seleucus IV
Philipator?
It was his younger brother, Antiochus IV Ephiphanes (175-164
BC), who seized the throne while the rightful heir, the son of Seleucus, was
very young. Thus, Antiochus IV Ephiphanes came into power without being given
the “honor of royalty”. He was a ruthless leader who went on a campaign of
invasion and destruction, distributing the gathered plunder among those who
agreed to follow him. It would be obvious that a lot of people would opt to do
just that given the financial incentive.
Well, Antiochus IV Ephiphanes obviously developed a very
large army so as one might expect, he went after the king of the South, Ptolemy
IV, and overthrew him before taking him into custody. Eventually, Antiochus
would return to the North but then come back to invade the South, this time
with different results as the South was ready to oppose him this time around.
He was turned back by ships of the western coastland, Roman vessels under the
command of Popilinus Laenas, and enraged by this, he vented his fury against
the holy covenant, going against the Jews. He only showed favor to those
apostate Jews who joined him and turned their back on their faith. Antiochus
desecrated God’s temple and abolished the Jewish religious practices by banning
sacrifices before he set up the “abomination that causes desolation, erecting
an altar to the pagan god Zeus Olympus in 168 BC.
11. “But the people
who know their God will firmly resist him.”
“Those who are wise
will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned
or captured or plundered. When they fall, they will receive a little help, and
many who are not sincere will join them. Some of the wise will stumble, so that
they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for
it will still come at the appointed time.”
Those Jews who remained faithful to God were outraged by the
desecration of the temple by Antiochus and firmly resisted him, forming a force
to rebel against him. Those who were wise, the godly leaders of the Jewish
movement called the Hasidim, instructed many even with the threat of
persecution and death but their efforts were not in vain as Antiochus was eliminated
by a revolt led by Mattathias and Judas Maccabeus who restored the temple to
holiness and rededicated it in 165 BC.
It’s an amazing course of history, one that spans more than
365 years, and what makes it so incredibly amazing was that it all was
predicted before it happened and it happened just as it had been predicted in
Daniel’s vision.
Now tell me we don’t serve an amazing God, a God who holds
not just the present but the future in His hands. Tomorrow, we look toward a
future that is still yet to come.
Amen
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com
No comments:
Post a Comment