problems: “ Tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him.” “ The yellow peril” could well be the cause of his anxiety. I f the nations of the east unite, Japan and China in par ticular, they would make a for midable war-machine. T id ings from the north could be Russian pressure again. This angers Antichrist and “ he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.” Having had trouble from the same quarter twice, he is de termined that it shall not happen again. So he' will set out with the intention o f exterminating his enemies. Headquarters will be at Jeru salem. “He shall plant the taber nacles o f his palace between the seas, Tthe Mediterranean and the Dead or Red Seas], in the glorious holy mountain [that is Mount Zion in Jerusalem, re ferred to in the Old Testament as the ‘holy hill of Zion’ .]” Then Antichrist “ shall come to his end, and none shall help him.” He is the one whom “ the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming” (2 Thess. 2:8). When the Lord arises in judgment He will sweep the earth clean and. Antichrist will have no helper. As John ex pressed i t : “ The beast was taken, and with him the false prophet . . . These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone” (Rev. 19:20). What of Satan ? Surely he will not forsake him in his hour o f desperation? Satan is powerless to help himself let alone others. The angel “ laid hold on the dragon, that old ser pent, which is the Devil, and Sa tan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bot tomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him” (Rev. 20:2 & 3). We know these events will hap pen for God has spoken. Yet we are not eagerly awaiting them. Instead we are waiting and long ing “ for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20). Then we shall be caught away from the earth before these terrible events take place.* “ And so shall we ever be with the Lord” (I Thess. 4:17).
whenever possible and engage in expensive wars only when essen tial. “ But these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.” That is not because of their cleverness or their good ness, but because o f their wicked ness. When the Chaldeans op pressed the Jews, these nations did not help Israel so God’s judg ment is upon them. He says: “ I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel: and they shall do in Edom accord ing to mine anger and according to my fury; and they shall know my vengeance, saith the Lord God” (Ezek. 25:14). Antichrist “ shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.”
therewith? or shall the saw mag nify itself against him that shak- eth it? . . . For the Lord God of hosts shall make a consumption, even determined, in the midst of all the land” (10:15, 23). We are correct in applying these events to the last days, for Daniel declares that “ at the time of the end shall the king o f the south push at him.” The person is one in control in Egypt. South in the Old Testament means south o f Palestine. “The king of the north shall come against him.” Russia is far north of Palestine and will lead the alliance known as the Northern Confederacy. The king will have considerable pow er; he “ shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships.” One great power is addressed in this way: “ Thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all o f them riding upon horses, a great com pany, and a mighty army” (Ezek. 38:15). Antichrist will “ enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over” whether or not the other kings approve. “He shall enter also into the glorious land [Palestine!.” A repopulated Pal estine will be the wonder of the world and the prize of every ava ricious monarch. Before Irael en tered it, it was described as a land “ flowing with milk and honey” (Ex. 3:8). Even the pessimistic spies did not doubt that Canaan was valuable. The heavy bunch of graoes o f Eschol was but an ex ample of its fruitfulness. Its rich soil is already giving a magnifi cent yield and at that time its prosperity will be greatly multi plied. “Many countries shall be over thrown,” for Antichrist will not stop till he has subdued every nation. No one will be able to re sist this onslaught because Satan is behind him. Many nations will see the futility of trying to oppose him and will give in without a fight. John states: The “ ten kings, . . . have one mind, and shall give the ir power and strength unto the beast” (Rev. 17:12, 13). Antichrist will gain far more by craft than by war. He will choose peaceful means
The wealth of the world will be in his grasp. “He shall have pow er over the treasures o f gold and o f silver.” As Satan promised, he will have the kingdoms o f the world and the glory o f them. His wealth will be enormous even when compared with the riches of Solomon. The wealth o f India, and the mines of South Africa will send their contribution. He shall also have power “ over all the precious things of Egypt.” As Egypt is subdued, she must hand over all her treasures. “ The Libyans and the Ethiopi ans shall be at his steps,” Daniel adds. They will be conquered with Egypt with whom they will be allied. God says: “ Ethiopia, and Libya, and all the mingled people, and Chub, and the men of the land that is in league, shall fall with them by the sword” (Ezek. 30:5). .In spite of Antichrist’s enor mous power, he will have his
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APRIL, 1965
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