Having been victorious over men, Antichrist will fly in the face of God. “ Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host,” Jesus Christ. Daniel’s state ment parallels the Apostle Paul’s prediction: the man of sin “ opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped” (II Thess. 2 :4 ). Then Antichrist will forbid the worship of God in Jewish sacrifice. “ By him the daily, sacrifice was taken away.” The Jewish Temple has yet to be rebuilt and the sacrificial rites to re-commence. Antichrist will stop the morning and evening sacrifices and then he will desecrate the Temple. God explains why He will allow Antichrist to per secute the Jews. “ An host was given him against the daily sacrifice^by reason of transgression.” Because of the sin of the Jews, God will allow them to know defeat and suffering. God has always dealt with Israel this way. While they trusted Him, He fought for them and they defeated all their enemies, lived in Palestine and worshipped God unhindered. But once they forsook Him, they were defeated by their enemies, lost their freedom of worship and at times possession of their land. Antichrist will follow other monsters of iniquity such as Hitler and have no regard for truth while lies suit his purposes better. “ It cast down the truth to the ground,” Daniel says. This is not surprising, for his power comes from the Devil and “ he is a liar” (John 8:44), our Lord declares. What is surprising is that God will permit Anti christ to be successful. “ It practiced, and prospered,” Daniel observes. While Satan is the prince of the power of this world, he will make it his ambition that his agent shall succeed. For the time being, God will allow it. This will not be the first time that an evil man has seemed to have everything his own way. But he does not have the last word, that is, with the Lord God Almighty. Finally, Antichrist will come to Jerusalem to fight against the Jew and the Lord of hosts. Here he will meet his doom. “ He shall be broken without hand,” we read. It is not by human might that Antichrist will be defeated, but by the Lord’s intervention. He will come from Heaven to fight against him. “ The beast was taken, and . . . cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone” (Rev. 19:20). When we see wickedness showing itself so defiantly, we look beyond today to that day when the Lord will make a short work of evil. He tells us that He will “ send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; . . . Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matt. 13:41- 43). The prophetic detail which God gives, assures us that He knows all that will yet take place. He is well aware of the designs of wicked men and will use them to further His own purposes. Beyond that He will re strain them. God is sovereign. He will always be vic torious and we are on His side.
“ hard questions” which the Queen of Sheba asked Solomon (I Kings 10:1). Satan’s object is to make his false Christ as much like the true Christ as possible. Christ spoke to the people in parables; Satan’s man will have the ability to understand notoriously difficult problems. This abil ity will be the master attraction for the people. As the world-problems become more and more complex, the person who can solve them will be highly esteemed everywhere. Men cry out for increasing knowledge. The great increase in the demand for astrological prediction reveals the world’s unslaked thirst to know the future. Antichrist will be very powerful, “ it waxed great,” Daniel says. He will be great in the sight of the world; “ he shall magnify himself in his heart.” He will be great in his own sight, the sort of pride foreshadowed in Mussolini. “His power shall be mighty,” more exten sive in fact than any that has been seen before, for his greatness is “ not by his own power.” As Antichrist is Satan’s man, the devil will give him “ his power, and his seat, and great authority” (Rev. 13:2). This power will be used destructively. The horn “waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them.” This is explained in this way: “ He shall destroy wonderfully, . . . and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.” There will be no respect of persons. Sex, age, honor and position will count for nothing when he persecutes the people of God. Antichrist will make a covenant with Israel for seven years (Daniel 9:27) and they will look to him for help and protection. But in the middle of the period he will break the covenant and turn upon the Jews with all his fury. The Jews have already known fierce persecution. Hitler exterminated 6,000,000 Jews, about one-third of the world’s Jewish population. Yet worse is coming. Zechariah (13:8) tells us that “ two parts therein shall be cut off and die.” Antichrist’s reign is what Jeremiah (30:7) calls “ the time of Jacob’s trouble.” He asks (30:6, 7 ) : “ See whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it.” What Antichrist cannot do by force he will do by guile. “ Through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand.” Successful intrigue will be his great master-stroke. During the spring of 1940, we saw what the intrigue of fifth column activity could do as it brought about Holland’s downfall over a weekend. War and persecution will not be the only ways in which Antichrist gains his victories; much of his au thority will come by peaceful rather than aggressive means. “ By peace (he) shall destroy many.” John tells us that the ten kings “ shall give their power and strength unto the beast” (Rev. 17:13). While the na tions are enjoying their eagerly awaited season of peace, they will suddenly find themselves under his heel.
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AUGUST, 1966
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