How Great Is His Goodness

14 Then the LORD will appear over them,
    and his arrow will go forth like lightning;
the LORD God will sound the trumpet
    and will march forth in the whirlwinds of the south.
15 The LORD of hosts will protect them,
    and they shall devour, and tread down the sling stones,
and they shall drink and roar as if drunk with wine,
    and be full like a bowl,
    drenched like the corners of the altar.

16 On that day the LORD their God will save them,
    as the flock of his people;
for like the jewels of a crown
    they shall shine on his land.
17 For how great is his goodness, and how great his beauty!
    Grain shall make the young men flourish,
    and new wine the young women. – Zechariah 9:14-17 ESV

In verses 12-13, Yahweh invites all His people who remain dispersed around the world to return to the land of promise. The remnant who had left Babylon and made the long journey to Judah with Zerubbabel were just a fraction of the Israelites still scattered in distant lands. This divine invitation was extended to any and all Jews to come to their ancestral homeland.

“Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope;
    today I declare that I will restore to you double.
For I have bent Judah as my bow;
    I have made Ephraim its arrow.
I will stir up your sons, O Zion,
    against your sons, O Greece,
    and wield you like a warrior's sword.” – Zechariah 9:12-132 ESV

When the Assyrians invaded the northern kingdom of Israel in 732 B.C., many Israelites fled to neighboring countries seeking safety. When Israel feel in 720 B.C., many of these refugees chose to remain in their adopted homelands rather than return to Israel. When the capital city of Samaria fell, many Israelites were taken as captives to Assyria, never to return to Israel. The same thing happened to the southern kingdom of Judah nearly 120 years later when the Babylonians invaded their land and destroyed the capital city of Jerusalem. When the first wave of Babylonian soldiers arrived in Judah, many of its citizens fled for their lives. Those who remained were forced to witness the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. Tens of thousands of them were forced to make the long march to Babylon as captives. Almost 70 years after their arrival in the land, a small portion of them returned to Judah to rebuild the Temple and the city and its walls. 

While Yahweh’s message is addressed to Zechariah and intended for his fellow Judahites, this section of verses speaks of a future generation of Israelites who will return to the land long after Zechariah and his contemporaries are gone. He describes a future day when Judah and Israel (Ephraim) will be reunited under Yahweh’s sovereign leadership. The LORD will lead them in battle against their enemies. 

“The LORD will appear above his people;
    his arrows will fly like lightning!
The Sovereign Lord will sound the ram’s horn
    and attack like a whirlwind from the southern desert.” – Zechariah 9:14 NLT

The LORD’s sudden appearance will usher in an epic battle between the reunified Israelite kingdom and their enemies. Verse 13 describes Israel’s future enemy as Greece, but this is more likely a reference to the Gentile nations as a whole. This prophecy was partially fulfilled in the second century B.C.  when the Jews rose up against their Greek/Syrian oppressors. The Greeks had conquered much of the known world under the leadership of Alexander the Great but with his death in 323 B.C., his vast empire was divided between four of his top commanders. Eventually, Judah came under the heavy-handed rule of the Seleucids, founded by Seleucus, one of Alexander’s generals. In 175 B.C., Antiochus IV assumed leadership of the Seleucid Empire and began to persecute the Jews, outlawing many of their religious practices and demanding the worship of the Greek god, Zeus. In an attempt to humiliate the Jews and their God, Antiochus ordered the sacrifice of a pig in the Temple. This desecration of the house of God led to the Maccabean Revolt.

In one of his many visions, the prophet Daniel was given a glimpse into the future where he saw these horrible events unfolding.

“After this period of sixty-two sets of seven, the Anointed One will be killed, appearing to have accomplished nothing, and a ruler will arise whose armies will destroy the city and the Temple. The end will come with a flood, and war and its miseries are decreed from that time to the very end. The ruler will make a treaty with the people for a period of one set of seven, but after half this time, he will put an end to the sacrifices and offerings. And as a climax to all his terrible deeds, he will set up a sacrilegious object that causes desecration, until the fate decreed for this defiler is finally poured out on him.” – Daniel 9:26-27 NLT

But what Daniel saw was only partially fulfilled with the Macabbean Revolt. Jesus alluded to this fact when He delivered His Olivette Discourse near the end of His life.

“The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about—the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place.” (Reader, pay attention!) “Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. A person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. A person out in the field must not return even to get a coat. How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days. And pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For there will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again. In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. But it will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen ones.” – Matthew 24:15-22 NLT

Jesus spoke these words long after the Macabbean Revolt, indicating that Daniel’s message was not yet fulfilled. There would be another desecration of the Temple sometime in the distant future. In Revelation 13, the apostle John describes the vision he received of the end times events associated with Jesus’ second coming. In his vision he saw the false prophet set up an idol of the Antichrist and demand that all people bow down and worship it.

He ordered the people to make a great statue of the first beast, who was fatally wounded and then came back to life. He was then permitted to give life to this statue so that it could speak. Then the statue of the beast commanded that anyone refusing to worship it must die. – Revelation 13:14-15 NLT

These strange-sounding, supernatural events will occur near the end of the Great Tribulation. The Antichrist will rule over all the earth, empowered by Satan himself. The false prophet will serve as Antichrist's right-hand man, performing great signs and miracles, and ordering the worship of Antichrist instead of the one true God. But at the end of this period, the LORD will appear. John was also provided with a vision of that epic moment.

Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords. – Revelation 19:11-16 NLT

John was allowed to see the second coming of Jesus Christ as He returned to earth to deliver judgment upon the Antichrist and all his followers. In his vision, John saw “the beast and the kings of the world and their armies gathered together to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army” (Revelation 19:19 NLT). In an earlier vision, John saw Satan, the Antichrist, and his false prophet use demonic forces to instigate a glogal insurrection against God.

And I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs leap from the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. They are demonic spirits who work miracles and go out to all the rulers of the world to gather them for battle against the LORD on that great judgment day of God the Almighty. – Revelation 16:13-14 NLT

Revelation 19 describes how these coalition forces fared against the LORD.

Then I saw the beast and the kings of the world and their armies gathered together to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army. And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast—miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue. Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came from the mouth of the one riding the white horse. And the vultures all gorged themselves on the dead bodies. – Revelation 19:19-21 NLT

This would appear to be the same event Yahweh describes in His message to Zechariah.

“On that day the LORD their God will rescue his people,
    just as a shepherd rescues his sheep.
They will sparkle in his land
    like jewels in a crown.
How wonderful and beautiful they will be!
    The young men will thrive on abundant grain,
    and the young women will flourish on new wine.” – Zechariah 9:16-17 NLT

The great battle described in Revelation 19 will be followed by the millennial reign of Christ – a thousand years during which He will rule over all the earth from the throne of David in Jerusalem. His Kingdom will be worldwide and marked by righteousness, peace, and truth. John was given a vision of this marvelous scene as well.

Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. – Revelation 20:4 NLT

All those martyred during the Great Tribulation will be resurrected and allowed to rule alongside Christ in His earthly Kingdom. Believing Jews and Gentiles will live side-by-side in the city of Jerusalem benefiting from the righteous rule of the King of kings and Lord of lords.

But the ultimate fulfillment of God’s message to Zechariah takes place when God makes all things new. Christ’s reign earthly Kingdom will last a thousand years and then be followed by God’s recreation of the heavens and earth.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. – Revelation 21:1-2 NLT

God will come to dwell on earth in the New Jerusalem, reigning alongside His Son.

I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” – Revelation 21:3-4 NLT

In this earthly paradise, the new Eden, God will come to live among His people, including both Jews and Gentiles. It will be a time of great rejoicing because all the walls of separation will have been removed. Evil and sin will have been eradicated and the ungodly will have been removed.

I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory. Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there. And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city. Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty—but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. – Revelation 21:22-27 NLT

It’s no wonder that Yahweh ends His message with the rather bold self-assessment, “how great is his goodness, and how great his beauty!” (Zechariah 9:17 ESV).

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

He Shall Come to His End

36 “And the king shall do as he wills. He shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods. He shall prosper till the indignation is accomplished; for what is decreed shall be done. 37 He shall pay no attention to the gods of his fathers, or to the one beloved by women. He shall not pay attention to any other god, for he shall magnify himself above all. 38 He shall honor the god of fortresses instead of these. A god whom his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. 39 He shall deal with the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign god. Those who acknowledge him he shall load with honor. He shall make them rulers over many and shall divide the land for a price.

40 “At the time of the end, the king of the south shall attack him, but the king of the north shall rush upon him like a whirlwind, with chariots and horsemen, and with many ships. And he shall come into countries and shall overflow and pass through. 41 He shall come into the glorious land. And tens of thousands shall fall, but these shall be delivered out of his hand: Edom and Moab and the main part of the Ammonites. 42 He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43 He shall become ruler of the treasures of gold and of silver, and all the precious things of Egypt, and the Libyans and the Cushites shall follow in his train. 44 But news from the east and the north shall alarm him, and he shall go out with great fury to destroy and devote many to destruction. 45 And he shall pitch his palatial tents between the sea and the glorious holy mountain. Yet he shall come to his end, with none to help him. – Daniel 11:36-45 ESV

Verse 31 records a prophecy concerning Antiochus Epiphanies, a Greek king who ruled over the Seleucid Empire from 175-164 B.C. His official title was Antiochus IV, but he preferred to go by his self-proclaimed title “Epiphanes,” which means “illustrious one” or “god manifest.” Because of his brutal treatment of the Jewish people, they nicknamed him “Epimanes” which translates as “mad one.” Having successfully conquered most of Egypt, he turned his sights on the kingdom of Judah and its capital city of Jerusalem. In an attempt to demoralize the Jews and denigrate their God, he ordered the desecration of their holiest site, the Temple of Yahweh. 

Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate. – Daniel 11:31 ESV

Some scholars believe Antiochus was attempting to quell a long-standing conflict between Hellenistic and Traditionalist Jews. The former adopted the pagan practices and culture of the Greeks, while the latter adhered to the Mosaic Law and the worship of Yahweh. In a blatant display of bias, Antiochus set up an altar to the Greek god Zeus and sacrificed a pig on the altar. When the traditionalists expressed outrage, Antiochus had some of them slaughtered and others sold as slaves. He then issued a series of decrees that outlawed the practice of circumcision, ordered sacrifices to pagan gods, and demanded that Jews add swine to their daily diet.

His actions resulted in the Macabbean revolt, an uprising led by Judas Maccabeus that scored a series of surprising and decisive victories over the more powerful Seleucid forces. Eventually, Antiochus and the Seleucids vacated Judah and the Temple was restored in 165 B.C.

But verse 36 contains an abrupt change that may not be recognizable to the casual reader. Even Jews living when this book was first written would not have recognized the nature of the transition in the narrative. Everything Daniel penned was to take place in the not-so-distant future. They would have had no way of understanding the meaning behind Gabriel's message or the timing and the nations involved.

But by the time Jesus arrived on the scene, most of the prophecies would have been fulfilled. The battles between the Egyptians and the Seleucids would have been part of the historical record. The Persian Empire would have fallen to Alexander the Great and his Greek forces. The geopolitical landscape of the region would have undergone tremendous change and by the time Jesus began His earthly ministry, the Romans were the dominant world power.

Yet, Jesus spoke of Antiochus Epiphanes’ abomination of desolation as if it lie in the future, not the past.

“So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.” – Matthew 24:15-21 ESV

Jesus was not reflecting on the devastating events in Israel’s distant past; He was pointing toward an as-yet-to-be-fulfilled aspect of the prophecy contained in the Book of Daniel. Jesus was describing the final seven years of the 490 years outlined in the prophecy. Verse 36 mentions a king who “shall do as he wills. He shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods” (Daniel 11:36 ESV). This is not a reference to Antiochus Epiphanes; it is a prophecy concerning a future king who will replicate the exploits of the former Seleucid king. This world leader will be Antiochus Epiphanes on steroids.

In the prophecy, Gabriel reveals that this future king will bring about a persecution of the people of Israel that will be unsurpassed in its ferocity and scope.

“…there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time.” – Daniel 12:1 ESV

This is exactly what Jesus picked up on when He stated, “there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be” (Matthew 24:21 ESV). Jesus was exposing the true meaning of the prophecy. There was a hidden and yet unfulfilled aspect of the vision that needed to be revealed and understood.

Jesus delivered this message during His Olivette Discourse, just days before His triumphal entry into Jerusalem and His arrest, trials, and crucifixion. He was letting His followers know there was far more to God’s plan than they realized. The 12 disciples had long believed that Jesus was the Messiah and expected Him to establish His earthly kingdom at any moment. They were convinced that He had come to overthrow their oppressive Roman overlords, reestablish the Davidic dynasty, and restore the Israelite nation to prominence and power. But Jesus wanted them to know that God had other plans.

As He spoke to His disciples, Jesus warned them, “you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains” (Matthew 24:6-8 ESV).  This news would have shocked them and left their heads reeling. It was not what they expected.

But Jesus wasn’t done. As His befuddled followers listened, He painted an even bleaker picture of the future.

“…they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.” – Daniel 24:0-12 ESV

This news must have stung them to the core. Jesus was not only suggesting that His disciples would face persecution and even death, but some of them would eventually betray Him. They had no way of knowing that Jesus’ words were speaking of the immediate future as well as a time in the far-distant future.

With Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension, the timeline associated with Daniel’s 490-year prophecy was put on hold. It is as if the pause button was pushed and the prophetic narrative was brought to a close, only to be restarted at some future date. When Jesus ascended back up into heaven, the time of the Gentiles began. The Jewish people had rejected their Messiah and the message of the gospel was to be taken to the Gentiles. Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, wrote about this era of emphasis on the Gentile nations. But he also revealed that this period would come to an end.

…a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. – Romans 11:25 ESV

And Jesus spoke of this very same thing but in a different light.

“For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” – Luke 21:24 ESV

This is what Daniel 11:36-12:4 is all about. The pause button has been pushed. The period of the Gentiles is running its course. But the day will come when the pause button will be pushed again and the prophetic timeline will begin once again.

The closing verses of Daniel 11 describe the period known as the Great Tribulation. This will be the last seven years of the 490-year prophetic timeline. A king, reminiscent of Antiochus Epiphanes will come to power. The Book of Revelation reveals this king to be the Antichrist. He will be powerful, resourceful, and unrelenting in his persecution of God’s people. The last seven years of God’s prophetic timeline will focus on the people of Israel because the Church will have been raptured and removed from the Earth. This will bring an end to the “times of the Gentiles.” 

God will then focus all His attention on His chosen people, the Jews. But it will be a difficult time filled with pain, suffering, persecution, and death. The enemy will make one last attempt to destroy God’s people just as Antiochus and so many others have tried to do over the centuries. The Antichrist will do his best to destroy God’s people but “he shall come to his end, with none to help him” (Daniel 11:45 ESV). And Jesus provides the reason for his demise.

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” – Matthew 24:29-31 ESV

Jesus will make His second appearance, bringing an end to the 490-year prophetic vision. He will come and He will conquer. He will return and, this time, He will rule and reign over His earthly Kingdom - just as God planned it to be.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

New English Translation (NET)NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.

The People Who Know Their God

1 “And as for me, in the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood up to confirm and strengthen him.

2 “And now I will show you the truth. Behold, three more kings shall arise in Persia, and a fourth shall be far richer than all of them. And when he has become strong through his riches, he shall stir up all against the kingdom of Greece. 3 Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion and do as he wills. 4 And as soon as he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not to his posterity, nor according to the authority with which he ruled, for his kingdom shall be plucked up and go to others besides these.

5 “Then the king of the south shall be strong, but one of his princes shall be stronger than he and shall rule, and his authority shall be a great authority. 6 After some years they shall make an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement. But she shall not retain the strength of her arm, and he and his arm shall not endure, but she shall be given up, and her attendants, he who fathered her, and he who supported her in those times.

7 “And from a branch from her roots one shall arise in his place. He shall come against the army and enter the fortress of the king of the north, and he shall deal with them and shall prevail. 8 He shall also carry off to Egypt their gods with their metal images and their precious vessels of silver and gold, and for some years he shall refrain from attacking the king of the north. 9 Then the latter shall come into the realm of the king of the south but shall return to his own land.

10 “His sons shall wage war and assemble a multitude of great forces, which shall keep coming and overflow and pass through, and again shall carry the war as far as his fortress. 11 Then the king of the south, moved with rage, shall come out and fight against the king of the north. And he shall raise a great multitude, but it shall be given into his hand. 12 And when the multitude is taken away, his heart shall be exalted, and he shall cast down tens of thousands, but he shall not prevail. 13 For the king of the north shall again raise a multitude, greater than the first. And after some years he shall come on with a great army and abundant supplies.

14 “In those times many shall rise against the king of the south, and the violent among your own people shall lift themselves up in order to fulfill the vision, but they shall fail. 15 Then the king of the north shall come and throw up siegeworks and take a well-fortified city. And the forces of the south shall not stand, or even his best troops, for there shall be no strength to stand. 16 But he who comes against him shall do as he wills, and none shall stand before him. And he shall stand in the glorious land, with destruction in his hand. 17 He shall set his face to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and he shall bring terms of an agreement and perform them. He shall give him the daughter of women to destroy the kingdom, but it shall not stand or be to his advantage. 18 Afterward he shall turn his face to the coastlands and shall capture many of them, but a commander shall put an end to his insolence. Indeed, he shall turn his insolence back upon him. 19 Then he shall turn his face back toward the fortresses of his own land, but he shall stumble and fall, and shall not be found.

20 “Then shall arise in his place one who shall send an exactor of tribute for the glory of the kingdom. But within a few days he shall be broken, neither in anger nor in battle. 21 In his place shall arise a contemptible person to whom royal majesty has not been given. He shall come in without warning and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. 22 Armies shall be utterly swept away before him and broken, even the prince of the covenant. 23 And from the time that an alliance is made with him he shall act deceitfully, and he shall become strong with a small people. 24 Without warning he shall come into the richest parts of the province, and he shall do what neither his fathers nor his fathers' fathers have done, scattering among them plunder, spoil, and goods. He shall devise plans against strongholds, but only for a time. 25 And he shall stir up his power and his heart against the king of the south with a great army. And the king of the south shall wage war with an exceedingly great and mighty army, but he shall not stand, for plots shall be devised against him. 26 Even those who eat his food shall break him. His army shall be swept away, and many shall fall down slain. 27 And as for the two kings, their hearts shall be bent on doing evil. They shall speak lies at the same table, but to no avail, for the end is yet to be at the time appointed. 28 And he shall return to his land with great wealth, but his heart shall be set against the holy covenant. And he shall work his will and return to his own land.

29 “At the time appointed he shall return and come into the south, but it shall not be this time as it was before. 30 For ships of Kittim shall come against him, and he shall be afraid and withdraw, and shall turn back and be enraged and take action against the holy covenant. He shall turn back and pay attention to those who forsake the holy covenant. 31 Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate. 32 He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. 33 And the wise among the people shall make many understand, though for some days they shall stumble by sword and flame, by captivity and plunder. 34 When they stumble, they shall receive a little help. And many shall join themselves to them with flattery, 35 and some of the wise shall stumble, so that they may be refined, purified, and made white, until the time of the end, for it still awaits the appointed time.” – Daniel 11:1-35 ESV

Chapter 10 ends with a statement from Gabriel, the angel who delivered the vision to Daniel. In his closing remarks, Gabriel announced, “But I will tell you what is inscribed in the book of truth: there is none who contends by my side against these except Michael, your prince” (Daniel 10:27 ESV). Many Old Testament translators believe verse 1 of chapter 11 should be included in the parenthetical statement made by Gabriel that began in verse 21 of chapter 10. The New Living Translation renders the opening line of chapter 11 in this way:

“I have been standing beside Michael to support and strengthen him since the first year of the reign of Darius the Mede.)” – Daniel 11:1 NLT

They have made the remarks part of Gabriel’s closing message to Daniel, ensuring that the content of chapter 11 remains closely linked to the vision recorded in chapter 10. This is not a new incident and does not describe yet another vision. Gabriel is simply revealing additional information from “the book of truth” (Daniel 10:12 ESV).

Gabriel begins, “now I will show you the truth. Behold, three more kings shall arise in Persia, and a fourth shall be far richer than all of them” (Daniel 11:2 ESV). The heavenly messenger is still providing Daniel with an answer to the prayer he prayed in chapter 9. Having read in the writings of Jeremiah that Judah’s 70-year exile was about to end,  Daniel was concerned about the fate of his people. What would happen to them when they returned to the land of promise? How would they fare?

Gabriel was sent to give Daniel a glimpse into the expansive plans that God had for His chosen people. In these chapters, Daniel is getting a panoramic view of prophetic history, beginning with the not-so-distant future and ending with events related to the end of the age. Verses 2-35 cover the flow of history from the days of King Cyrus to the rise of Antiochus Epiphanes, a vile world leader who will abuse the people of God mercilessly and relentlessly. Then the narrative will fast-forward to a future time when another world ruler will arise who mirrors the actions of Antiochus Epiphanes. This future king “shall do as he wills. He shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods” (Daniel 11:36 ESV).

Daniel has no way of knowing that the first part of Gabriel’s message concerns events preceding the first advent of Israel’s long-awaited Messiah (verses 2-35). The second half of the message concerns events that will precede Messiah’s second coming. But for those of us living after the first coming of Jesus the Christ (Messiah), this chapter provides us with hope because everything found in verses 2-35 has been fulfilled with painstaking clarity and detail.

In the first half of this chapter, Gabriel provides Daniel with news about the future – disturbing news that outlines the various wars and conflicts that will take place in the years ahead. He tells of the coming of Alexander the Great, the various kings of Egypt, and ultimately, the rise of Antiochus Epiphanes, the Syrian king who was so wicked that he foreshadows the coming of the Antichrist. The amazing thing about this message is its unbelievable accuracy. Some biblical scholars find the accuracy of these predictions too good to be true and write the entire chapter off as nothing more than a ruse. They conjecture that the author wrote this material long after the events it records, disguising his efforts as prophecy. But if they are right and chapter 11 is history disguised as prophecy, then the rest of chapter 11 should have already been fulfilled as well.

But as will become clear, there is no historical evidence that the events recorded in the second half of the chapter have already taken place. The prophecies found in verses 2-35 are not cleverly disguised historical events; they are divine predictions from the lips of the sovereign God of the universe. He knew, down to the smallest detail, what was going to take place long before it happened. He knew all about the coming wars between the Syrians and Egyptians. He knew who would win and who would lose. And while these great leaders would operate as if they were in control of their own destinies, in the end, their futures were in the hands of God.

Throughout this chapter, we read such phrases as "the end will come at the appointed time,"  "then at the appointed time," and "the appointed time is still to come." The rise and fall of nations is under the sovereign hand of Almighty God. He is in complete control. Daniel is reminded, "For what has been determined will surely take place" (Daniel 11:36 NLT).

Verses 2-35 set up and establish the rise to power of Antiochus Epiphanes, a conniving, flattering, and powerful king who seemed to have a special hatred for the people of Israel. His actions against them foreshadow the events of the end times when the Antichrist will target the people of God and persecute them as they have never been persecuted before. At one point, Antiochus Epiphanes, frustrated over a battle lost to the Egyptians, orders his general, Apollonius, and a contingent of 22,000 soldiers to attack Jerusalem on a Sabbath. They take many Jewish women and children captive, plundering the temple, and burning the city. His goal was to completely exterminate Judaism and to Hellenize Palestine. He would forbid the Jews to follow the Mosaic Law or practice the Jewish sacrifices, festivals, and circumcision. He would even install an image of the Greek god Zeus in the Temple and offer an unsanctioned and unclean sacrifice to his false god on the altar dedicated to Yahweh. This cruel and wicked man sacrificed a swine to Zeus and sprinkled its blood within the Holy of Holies, desecrating the Temple and defaming God’s name.

Yet, despite all these dire predictions, Daniel is told, "But the people who know their God will be strong and resist him" (Daniel 11:32 NLT). Even during the dire days of Antiochus Epiphanes, the people of God will remain. There will always be a remnant of God-fearing, God-believing, God-empowered saints to stand against the greatest of enemies. God was calling Daniel and the people of God to remain strong during the coming persecution because He would be with them. The immediate future was filled with turmoil, upheaval, political unrest, and persecution for the people of God, but they were to remember that He was in complete control.

We must remain strong as well. We should not be shocked at what we see taking place around us. There is a spiritual battle taking place that manifests itself in the material world. Wars and violence should not shock or scare us. They are to be expected and simply part of living in a fallen world at war with God. But we can rest in the knowledge that our God is great and is in full control of the situation. Like Daniel, we must learn to trust God even when we don't understand the ways of God. We must continually seek to grow in our knowledge and understanding of His character.

Paul even prayed for the believers in his day that God would give them, "complete knowledge of his will” and “spiritual wisdom and understanding” (Colossians 1:9 NLT). He knew the importance of these things and how necessary they were to a believer’s survival in a wicked world. Those equipped with a knowledge of God’s will, spiritual wisdom, and understanding would not only survive but thrive.

Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. – Colossians 1:10 NLT

May you and I grow in our knowledge and understanding of God so that we might be strong and resist the enemy in our day. As we grow in our knowledge of God, we will come to love and trust Him more – no matter what comes our way.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

New English Translation (NET)NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.

The End is Near

1 In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after that which appeared to me at the first. 2 And I saw in the vision; and when I saw, I was in Susa the citadel, which is in the province of Elam. And I saw in the vision, and I was at the Ulai canal. 3 I raised my eyes and saw, and behold, a ram standing on the bank of the canal. It had two horns, and both horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last. 4 I saw the ram charging westward and northward and southward. No beast could stand before him, and there was no one who could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased and became great.

5 As I was considering, behold, a male goat came from the west across the face of the whole earth, without touching the ground. And the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. 6 He came to the ram with the two horns, which I had seen standing on the bank of the canal, and he ran at him in his powerful wrath. 7 I saw him come close to the ram, and he was enraged against him and struck the ram and broke his two horns. And the ram had no power to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled on him. And there was no one who could rescue the ram from his power. 8 Then the goat became exceedingly great, but when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and instead of it there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven.

9 Out of one of them came a little horn, which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the glorious land. 10 It grew great, even to the host of heaven. And some of the host and some of the stars it threw down to the ground and trampled on them. 11 It became great, even as great as the Prince of the host. And the regular burnt offering was taken away from him, and the place of his sanctuary was overthrown. 12 And a host will be given over to it together with the regular burnt offering because of transgression, and it will throw truth to the ground, and it will act and prosper. 13 Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the one who spoke, “For how long is the vision concerning the regular burnt offering, the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled underfoot?” 14 And he said to me, “For 2,300 evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state.”

15 When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it. And behold, there stood before me one having the appearance of a man. 16 And I heard a man's voice between the banks of the Ulai, and it called, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” 17 So he came near where I stood. And when he came, I was frightened and fell on my face. But he said to me, “Understand, O son of man, that the vision is for the time of the end.”

18 And when he had spoken to me, I fell into a deep sleep with my face to the ground. But he touched me and made me stand up. 19 He said, “Behold, I will make known to you what shall be at the latter end of the indignation, for it refers to the appointed time of the end. 20 As for the ram that you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of Media and Persia. 21 And the goat[d] is the king of Greece. And the great horn between his eyes is the first king. 22 As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his[e] nation, but not with his power. 23 And at the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their limit, a king of bold face, one who understands riddles, shall arise. 24 His power shall be great—but not by his own power; and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints. 25 By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind he shall become great. Without warning he shall destroy many. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but by no human hand. 26 The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true, but seal up the vision, for it refers to many days from now.”

27 And I, Daniel, was overcome and lay sick for some days. Then I rose and went about the king's business, but I was appalled by the vision and did not understand it. – Daniel 8:1-27 ESV

It seems that Daniel not only interprets dreams, he has them, and the dream he has in chapter seven was a doozy. It was full of bizarre beasts, big horns and little ones, violent wars, and other disturbing imagery. His dream included signs of the not-so-distant future and a time that has yet to happen even in our day. Ultimately, his dream was about the end times; he was given a glimpse of the time of the Tribulation and the coming of the Antichrist. But more importantly, Daniel was given a view of the coming of the Son of Man; the return of Christ to reign over His Kingdom the earth. The term, "Son of Man" was Jesus' favorite designation for Himself. He preferred it over the more common term "Messiah," because to most Jews that simply indicated a human deliverer sent by God. By referring to Himself as the Son of Man, He claimed the role of the one predicted in Daniel's dream. He was the coming God-man. He would one day be "given authority, honor and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him" (Daniel 7:14 NLT). His coming kingdom would be an earthly, not just spiritual, kingdom. And it would last forever.

Of all the beings revealed in this dream of Daniels, the most significant one is that of the Son of Man. He is not described in detail. We do not get a good idea of what He looks like. The other beasts are described in frightening detail. But with the Son of Man, the emphasis is more on what He will do than what He looks like. Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, will destroy the Antichrist and the nations he gathers to rebel against God Almighty. Christ will use His God-given authority to destroy the enemies of God and usher in a new age of perfect peace.

"Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords." – Revelation 19:11-16 NLT

We may not fully understand who the other beasts represent, but we do know that the Son of Man is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He is going to return to Earth one day to finish His work and establish His Kingdom once and for all. His rule will be eternal – it will never end. And unlike the nations represented in Daniel's dream, the Son of Man's Kingdom will be everlasting.

As chapter seven closes and chapter eight begins, there is a change in the narrative and its emphasis. First, the text converts from Aramaic to Hebrew and the emphasis shifts from “the times of the Gentiles” to the future fate of the Israelites, the chosen people of God.

Daniel and his fellow exiles lived in a spiritually tumultuous time. The land of Israel had been raped and pillaged and its people taken captive to foreign lands. Daniel was one of tens of thousands of individuals who had been living in Babylon for decades. Their homeland was miles away. Their Temple, the dwelling place of their God, lay in shambles. It was a period of spiritual darkness filled with questions about the future. What was God going to do with His people? Would He keep His covenant promise and restore them to the land?

In chapter seven, God gave Daniel a look into the distant future, at the end of the age. He let Daniel know what would happen long after Daniel was gone. But that does not answer a lot of Daniel's more immediate concerns. Then he has a second vision recorded in chapter eight.

In this vision, Daniel was given a closer look at future events. There are similarities and parallels to his first vision but the focus seems to be on the period between when Daniel lived and the second coming of Christ. Daniel is living within the kingdom of Neo-Babylonia. The glory days of this once-powerful empire are quickly coming to an end. This dream occurs two years after his earlier vision recorded in chapter seven.

In this vision, he is transported to Susa, the capital of the Persian Empire, located about 200 miles east of Babylon. In his vision he sees a goat and a ram. The ram was the guardian spirit of the Persian Empire. The goat represents Greece, and its single, prominent horn represents Alexander the Great, who would sweep into that area of the world and wipe out the Medo-Persian Empire. Alexander the Great would die in his thirties and his kingdom would divide into four parts led by four different generals. Out of one of these would come Antiochus IV (Epiphanes), who would wage a relentless war on the people of Israel, overthrowing the High Priest, looting the Temple, and replacing the worship of God with a form of Greek worship. The daily sacrifices would come to a halt after he desecrates the Temple and, in his vision, Daniel is told that this would go on for seven years.

Each of these prophetic promises came about just as Daniel saw them in his vision. This speaks of God’s omniscience, His all-knowing nature. He doesn't just helplessly watch the future unfold like the rest of us; He knows it before it happens. In fact, He orchestrates events so that they happen just as He said they would. This is why God was able to reveal to Daniel in amazing detail events that had yet to take place. And these events were foreshadowings of what Daniel had seen in chapter eight.

What is amazing is the detail with which these events occurred. In December of 168 B.C., Antiochus returned from a defeat at the hands of the Romans and, in frustration, sent 20,000 of his troops to seize Jerusalem on the Sabbath. Having overtaken the Temple, he erected an idol of Zeus and desecrated the altar of the Temple by sacrificing swine on it. This idol became known to the Jews as "the abomination of desolation." All of this was a precursor to events that will take place in the end times. At that time, the Antichrist will erect an image of himself and command that everyone, including Jews, worship it. As bad as that time will be, it will also serve as a kind of alarm clock, telling mankind that the second coming of Christ is imminent.

Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him. Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us. Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the one who brings destruction. He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God. – 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 NLT

But those events will be the preface for one even greater and more significant one: the second coming of Christ. He will return just as He promised, and just as the events of Daniel's vision took place with painstaking accuracy, so will the events associated with the end times. The Tribulation will come. The Antichrist will rise to power. And Jesus Christ will come again, do battle with the enemies of God, and establish His Kingdom on Earth..

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

New English Translation (NET)NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.