Signs of Our Times, Part 2prophecies in the book of Daniel
A little history: Because they had abandon God and His commandments, God disciplined the kingdom of Judah (the kingdom of Israel had already been taken captive and only the tribes of Benjamin and Judah remained, along with the Levites at the Temple). He used Babylonians to do the discipline. They took Judah captive and relocated the population to sites in Babylonia. In 606 BC, when Daniel was only sixteen years old, he and 18,000 Jews were taken captive to Babylon, 700 miles away. He and three other young men were chosen to be prepared to serve in the royal court two years later. His refusal to eat the rich court food is famous. He had only been there two years when, at age 18, he not only interpreted the king's dream, he told the king what his dream was. He served under at least four different kings, gaining a high position in court -- that of the royal astronomer/astrologer (the two were not separated at that time). He was one of the chief advisors to several kings. When he was 71 years old (Daniel chapter 7) he had a vision which was a parallel to that which the first king had dreamed when Daniel was only 18. At the time of his vision, the Babylonian Empire was drawing to a close under Belshazzar. He was 85 years old when he saw and interpreted the writing on the wall, declaring the fall of the Babyonian Empire. Daniel lived through that and saw the rise of the Medo-Persian Empire. Darius the Mede was then viceroy in Babylon, and when Daniel refused to follow the royal statute commanding prayers only to Darius for thirty days, he was thrown into a den of lions. When Darius saw that God had delivered Daniel he commanded all under his dominion to "fear and tremble" before the God of Daniel. The king over Darius was Cyrus the Persian, to whom Daniel became an advisor at the age of 89. We do not know when Daniel died, except that we know he advised Cyrus for at least three years. A dream and a vision: The famous dream and vision of the king (Daniel 2) and then of Daniel (Daniel 7) are pictured below. King Nebuchadnezzar dreamed of the statue, or image, of a man with different compositional materials for different parts of his body. Daniel's dream was of different animals and was interpreted by an angel for him.
In Nebuchadnezzar's dream, the head was of gold. Daniel interpreted that as the Babylonian Empire, which, of course, pleased the king. In Daniel's vision, years later, the lion with eagle's wings was also interpreted as being the Babylonian Empire. The symbol of the Babylonian Empire was the lion with wings.
Winged Lion Babylon Gate Relief at the Louvre Museum Paris France The shoulders and arms of the image were of silver. Daniel interpreted as being the empire which would follow the Babylonian Empire. In Daniel's image, years later, the next animal was the bear. Since the kingdom which followed the Babylonians was the Medo-Persian kingdom, the bear is also seen as representing them. The bear had three ribs in its mouth. The Medes and Persians conquered three areas: to the north, the west, and the south. The image had belly and thighs of bronze. Daniel interpreted that as being a third kingdom which would rule over "all the earth." "All the earth" would have been a euphemism for all of the land surrounding the Babylonian Empire. In Daniel's vision, when he was 71, the third beast was a leopard with four wings and four heads. This clearly was a prophecy of Alexander the Great's conquests and dominion and the four generals who later inherited it all. The legs of Nebuchadnezzar's image were of iron "which breaks in pieces and shatters all things." Daniel prophesied that "that kingdom will break in pieces and crush others." The feet of the image were part of iron and part of clay. What would be connected to, but come after, the iron kingdom would be partly strong and partly weak. In Daniel's vision, the last beast was "dreadful and terrible and exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet." As the feet of the image had ten toes, the beast had ten horns. In Nebuchadnezzar's dream a stone cut out of a mountain, without hands, smashes the image. Daniel then says God will establish a kingdom which will stand forever. In Daniel's vision, God also establishes an everlasting kingdom. Babylon, the Medo-Perisan kingdom, Alexander's Greece, and the Roman Empire have all come and gone. What remains are the ten toes of the king's dream and the beast with the ten horns. That is what we will be discussing here. First, here are maps of all four of those kingdoms/empires and the areas under their control:
The area common to all four empires includes Turkey, the Eastern Mediterranean, Israel, and North Africa. (Note, the Medo-Persian Empire extended into Egypt, which the map in this series does not show -- Egypt is in North Africa) If we trace events through Daniel 8 and 11, we can see more detail about his prophecies and how they were fulfilled. In Daniel 8, we see the two animals, the ram (Media-Persia) and the goat (Greece). Daniel 8:1-4
As Gabriel explains to Daniel in verse 20: "The ram which you saw, having the two horns—they are the kings of Media and Persia." The higher horn which came up last was the Persian. Cyrus took control from the Medes. This "ram," this empire, pushed west into Babylonia Syria, and Judea; it conquered north into Armenia, Turkey, and the Caspian area; and it also pushed south into Egypt, Ethiopia, and Libya. Daniel 8:5-7
Gabriel's explanation of this is in verse 21: "And the male goat is the kingdom of Greece. The large horn that is between its eyes is the first king." Who was this king who overpowered the Medo-Persian Empire? Why did the feet 'not touch the ground'? Consider Alexander the Great, who conquered so much, so swiftly, that he was pictured as flying. He was the "notable horn" between the goat's eyes. Keep in mind that the horn is, historically, a symbol of strength. Greece was strong because of Alexander.
In twelve years, he and his army exploded out of Macedonia and conquered all the above territory in brown. Daniel 8:8 -- "Therefore the male goat grew very great; but when he became strong, the large horn was broken, and in place of it four notable ones came up toward the four winds of heaven." Alexander died suddenly, possibly as the result of poisoning, on the 10th or 11th of June, 323 BC, at the age of 32 years. His kingdom was divided among his four generals. Ptolemy I Soter took Egypt, Seleucus I Nicator took Mesopotamia and Central Asia, Lysimachus took Anatolia (East Parthia on the map below), and Antigonus took Macedonia. This was not an amicable split, but at first it looked like this:
A great deal of competition and in-fighting among the four areas continued. As in-fighting ceased, the Seleucid Empire came to include Turkey, Syria, and Iraq in the north with its capital at Antioch. The Ptolemaic Empire came to include Egypt and North Africa in the south, with the capital at Alexandria. The map then looked like this:
Looking, now, at Daniel 11, we see the same outline of events: Daniel 11: 1-4
“Three more kings will arise in Persia” -- Cambyses, Smerdis, Darius Hystapes “And the fourth king richer than all.” -- Xerxes I – 486 BC “a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion” -- Alexander the Great 336 BC "his kingdom shall be broken up and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not among his posterity" -- the four generals divided the kingdom among them. Daniel 11:5-6 is ambiguous in modern translations, so we went back to the ancient Alexandrian LXX to try to get the referents for "him" and "he." Here is the old version, which is much more clear.
"One of the princes" is from the north. This is not clear in modern translations at all, and is not totally clear here except for the context. "After years" the reference is to Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, Mark Antony and that famous bit of history. There had been an unbroken line of Ptolmaic kings in the South up to the time of Cleopatra. At that time the very strong nation/kingdom of Rome overthrew them in 30 BC. The Roman Empire did indeed have a very great dominion. It was this series of events that brought history up to the time of Christ, so let's look at it more closely for a moment. In 47 BC Julius Caesar visited Egypt and fell in love with Cleopatra VII. At that time she was joint ruler in Egypt with her brother, Ptolemy XIII - who Caesar then helped eliminate. Julius Caesar was fifty when he met Cleopatra for the first time. She was 21, and needing a protector as she was losing a dynastic battle for power in Egypt. In 46 BC Cleopatra went to Rome with her newborn son by Caesar – Caesarion. She stayed in Rome until Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC. Mark Antony, Octavian, and Lepidus then became joint rulers of Roman Empire. Cleopatra then fled to Egypt with her son. In 37 BC the Roman ruler Mark Antony was in Egypt and fell in love with, and then married, Cleopatra. This angered Octavian - 2nd Roman ruler whose sister had been Mark Antony’s wife up to this point. In 31/30 BC – Octavian fought Antony & Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium. Cleopatra had joined Antony for the battle, so sure they would win. Antony & Cleopatra lost the battle, after which they fled to Egypt and committed suicide. Cleopatra died by inducing poisonous snakes to bite her. So did her attendant maid Charmian. After her death Octavian executed her son Caesarion so he could not rule Egypt or Rome. Octavian then ruled both empires as Augustus. He was the Augustus Caesar who was ruling when Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Going back to Daniel 11, verses 7-19 encapsulate the rise of the Muslim Empire (King of the South), the Byzantine Empire (King of the North), their struggle against each other, the Crusades, and then at the time of World War I, the King of the North, the Ottoman Empire, was completely defeated (although the Islam religion wasn't). Picking up from Daniel 13b: "At the end of the times of years..." So many years have passed -- "...an invading army will come with great force and many riches." Daniel 11:14: “For in those times many will rise up against the king of the South [the Muslim Empire]; “and the children of [the Romans] who plundered your people will exalt themselves to establish the vision, and they shall fail." Gabriel is speaking to Daniel so “your people” are the Jews. The Jews were “plundered” by the Romans in 70 AD. “Children" of the Roman plunderers were Europeans who were then predominantly Roman Catholic & controlled Turkey. The Muslims, however, which gained strength through the first millennium after Christ, were expanding their territory through warfare, conquering Israel, North Africa, and then crossing the Straits of Gibraltar and infiltrating Spain. In an effort to control Muslim expansion as well as take back the Holy Land, the Crusades were initiated in 1095 and continued for over 200 years, raising massive armies and finances. The Crusades, however, as Daniel had said, were a failure. Daniel speaks of the Romans trying to 'establish a vision.' Since Daniel is speaking to the Jews, this might mean the liberatioin of Israel and Jerusalem, which the Crusades attempted. However Daniel is speaking about the Romans, which by this time was the Roman Catholic Europe, and the Vatican's vision was worldwide control and the establishment of their religion throughout the world. Immediately after the last crusade had failed, the Islamic Ottoman Empire was established and continued to expand for four hundred years. It was based in Turkey and this was, then, the King of the North biblically.
Ottoman Empire's flags introduced what is now both the Turkish (red background) and Islamic (green background) flags
Prophecy became 16th Cent. History. Prophecy: Daniel 11:15 &16. In verse 15 the King of the North will conquer Egypt and the South. Verse 16 states that he will also conquer "the Glorious Land" (Israel) at this time… “which by his hand will be consumed.” History: 1512 - 1520 AD the Ottoman Empire ruler, Selim 1st, conquered the lands of Egypt & Israel. From 1512 until 1917, the Ottoman Turks controlled the land of Israel. During that 400 years, under their administration, Israel became a desert; the land was "consumed." Going down to verse 19, we find something interesting. "Then shall he turn his face to the fort of his own land; but he shall stumble & fall and not be found." Here Daniel says the Ottoman Empire will stumble and fall, and then disappear completely. This has something to do with the “fort of its own land.” People tend to forget history, but this is exactly what happened in World War I. As events were moving toward World War I, Great Britain moved to protect her interests in the Eastern Mediterranean. She already had a treaty with Turkey stating that Great Britain would protect Istanbul from attack via the Dardanelles.
As a result of this treaty, it was agreed that Great Britain would build fortifications on the straits of the Dardanelles. So high cliffs were blasted on the mainland and a four fort system was built. The peninsula was then equipped with heavy arms.
The assassination of the Austrian archduke on the 28th of July in 1914 initiated World War I. The reason so many nations were drawn into it was because of a complex system of alliances throughout Europe and into part of the Middle East which had been formed in the years before. In less than a month after the assassination, the Germans were shelling Paris with long range artillery. At this point, Turkey thought the Germans would win, and so they tore up the treaty with Great Britain. In October of that year, the Ottomans closed the Dardanelles to Allied shipping (this included Great Britain). Turkey controlled much of the Middle East, and so the Allies then understood they had to win control of that area. Britain felt the easiest way to gain control was to pin Turkey down on her own soil. An initial naval attack in February and March of 1915 failed. Over half the fleet were sunk or badly damaged. The illustration above of the five ships sunk was part of that battle. On April 25, 1915, a multinational force (including Australia and New Zealand, which is why this is called Anzac Day) attacked on the Gallipoli peninsula. They dug in and held on to the beaches for nine months. In February 1916, they had to withdraw. The casualties on both sides were enormous. Historians record this as a defeat for the Allies, but that may not have been how God saw it. The Turks had lost so many men during that nine months that their forces were badly depleted and they were no longer able to defend their other Middle Eastern territories adequately. Daniel had referred to the King of the North being defeated after turning to forts in his own land. Those forts had been built by the British and it was because of them and the nine month seige by the various armies in Gallipoli that ended up causing the permanent downfall of the Ottoman Empire. Thus it was that December 11, 1917, General Allenby was able to march into Jerusalem without a shot being fired, liberating the city.
Allenby entering Jerusalem on foot, out of respect for Jerusalem as the Holy City. By the end of the war the entire Middle East had been taken over by Allies and placed under British control. It was then Great Britain which drew the Middle East national boundaries, including that of Israel. About a month before Allenby entered Jerusalem, the Balfour Declaration had been signed. It gave Great Britain the mandate to look after Israel and allow Jewish immigration. However there were loud complaints from the Arabs and Great Britain backed down regarding Jewish immigration, restricting it very severely, turning away boatloads of refugees. Instead, Arabs were allowed to settle within Israel's national boundaries. Daniel 11:20 describes the British Mandate of Israel in these terms: "There shall arise in his place [that is in place of the Ottoman Empire] one who imposes taxes on the glorious land [Israel]; but within a short time his [power] shall be broken, but not in anger or in battle." The high taxation policies of Britain were well-known. They applied to the British Mandate of Israel too. Britain's control over Israel ceased when the Mandate ended - not in anger, nor battle. Interestingly, that was the beginning of the breaking of all Great Britain's worldwide power as the Britiah Commonwealth. At its height, before World War II, the British Commonwealth controlled 1/3 of the world's population: 53 countries and 2.2 billion people. India broke its bonds in 1947-48, and, one by one, other nations followed. The last bond to break was that of Hong Kong, which was returned to Chinese control in July of 1997. At this time, Daniel 11:20 was completely fulfilled. The mandate given to Great Britain, to administer Israel had a thirty year limit. During that time, however, World War II intervened and the world reacted with horror at the the Holocaust in Germany which slaughtered 12 million people people, half of which were Jews. Thus, at the end of the war, when the Mandate ran out at midnight, May 13, 1948, Israel became a nation of its own the next day, on May 14, 1948. That was an exact fulfillment of Isaiah 66:7-8 which prophesied Israel would be born in a day, and without bloodshed. That is the day the British flag was pulled down and the Israeli flag went up. Immigration was opened up to Jews and the Law of Return was passed shortly after. Israel was immediately attacked by its Arab neighbors and defeated them. In 1967, Israel was attacked again, and in six days not only defeated them but regained Jerusalem, the Gaza strip, the West Bank, and the Golan Heights. They had also gained the Sinai Peninsula which they gave back to Egypt as part of a peace treaty with Egypt. The importance of keeping the Golan Heights and the other areas can be understood when we look at a map as well as realizing that the Golan Heights would give an enemy easy access to attack Israel.
Daniel 11:21, the next verse, reads, "And in his place shall arise a vile person, to whom they will not give the honor of royalty; but he shall come in peaceably, and seize the kingdom [in the Greek "power"] by intrigue." "His place" is the control of Israel by Great Britain. The vile person to come is the Antichrist. Before we deal with that, though, we need to deal with something else. A ten nation confederacy: In Nebuchadnezzar's dream (Daniel 2) the last part of the image was the ten toes. In Daniel's vision (chapter 7), the beast has ten horns. From the interpretations of these, we find there will be a ten nation confederacy just before the Antichrist is revealed. It is only when the Confederacy exists, with its ten horns, or members, that the little horn, the Antichrist, will arise. Daniel 7:24-25 -- The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time. When the European Union was established, many felt that was the fulfiillment of the prophecy. There are several problems with this interpretation. First, there are many more than ten nations in the EU now. Instead of eliminating three nations, as the Bible mentions regarding the ten horns, the EU has added more members. There is a strong clue about this ten nation confederacy in Daniel and in Revelation. In Revelation 13:1, John says he is standing on the shore, or sand, of "the sea," and sees the beast rising out of it. The Greek word used for "the sea" there "thalassos," which was used for the Mediterranean. It is used that way a number of times in the New Testament. The fact that the definite article is used there -- "the" -- means the word is not being used symbolically. It also means that Europe is excluded from this reference. So is there another ten nation group from which the Antichrist will arise which is connected with the Mediterranean? Yes. The Mediterranean Union, which is comprised of ten members.
10 Nation MEDITERRANEAN UNION (UfM) Except for Israel, every member is Muslim. Turkey, with the dots, is an interesting case. It is also a member of NATO -- it is the second largest member, next to the United States. It also applied to be a member of the EU, but was turned down. Nevertheless, it is in a unique position with alliances in both Europe and among the Arab nations. The Mediterranean Union and Daniel 2: In Nebuchadnezzar's dream, the ten toes were a combination of iron and clay, indicating a mixture of peoples.
The MU links most the countries of the United Nations Middle East North Africa region (MENA). Turkey is considered the backbone of the Union. Daniel 2:42-43 describes the 10 nation union. It uses the word "mixed" three times. Twice it is the iron mixed with clay, but in Daniel 2:43, the word translated "mixed" is used in a different context. All three times the Hebrew word is "arab." It is used to describe the lands to the north, east, and south of Israel. It is the root of the word "Arabia." So what we have is a word play in the Hebrew (which is exceedingly common in the Bible and in Hebrew culture). "And you saw the iron arab [mixed] with clay and they shall be arab from the seed of men." That "they shall be Arabs" fits. It is especially appropriate if the ten nation confederacy is Arab, and not European. As mentioned above, the area common to all four empires of both the dream and the vision were Turkey, the Eastern Mediterranean, Israel, and North Africa. So the 10 nation confederacy of the end times might possibly come from this region. This region includes Israel – in fact all of the 4 previous empires controlled Israel. The implication is therefore that the 10 nation confederacy might also include, and thus control, Israel. Turkey: There is a prophecy in Daniel regarding this confederacy -- in Daniel 7:8, three of the horns are uprooted. Take a look at what Turkey has engineered in the Middle East: The Muslim Brotherhood, controlled by Turkey, has overthrown the rulers of Tunisia, Libya and Egypt. Verse 20 repeats that three of the horns fell. They have fallen recently, since the Erdogan took power in Turkey. Turkey supported ISIS advance by stopping water flowing from its 4 Euphrates dams. Beginning June 1, 2014, Syria and Iraq have suffered from a severe water shortage. This impeded their governments' troops and aided ISIS. By June 12th, the Euphrates was just a creek in Syria and Iraq. Water levels had dropped 20 feet. Turkey’s action changed the outcome of ISIS wars in Syria and Iraq.
The Euphrates in Iraq, June, 2014 Looking again at Revelation 13:1 -- "Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name." Turkey's Justice and Development Party (AKP) controls the Muslim Brotherhood, and used them to bring about the “Arab Spring.” That is when the three nations lost their leadership to the Muslim Brotherhood. Thus, the ten horns, or ten sources of strength, remain, but now there are only seven heads. A strong unifying point among all those connected with the Muslim Brotherhood, including ISIS, Boko Haram, and the others, is a hate of Jews and Christian -- "and on his heads a blasphemous name." Currently (May of 2015) they are attempting to do the same thing in Syria.
Daniel 8:9 says that Antichrist’s Turkey will “become strong towards the South [Syria] and towards the East [Iraq]” In a Washington Post article, 18th June 2014, Mid-East analyst Daniel Pipes confirms that Turkey is behind the rapid expansion of the Sunni ISIS terror group who have taken over much of Syria to the South & Iraq to the East, and currently threatens Baghdad. ISIS cells are everywhere. ISIS sleeper cells exist now in Syria Jordan, Lebanon, as well as in Israel in Gaza and the West Bank. This includes the whole of the Levant – that is why the USA Administration calls it ISIL: Islamic State of Iraq & the Levant. What is the Levant?
As of March 15, 2015 -- below are ISIS Control Zones & Attack areas (red) – Many white areas are desert
ISIS is recruiting members worldwide. On April 5, 2015, FBI Director James Comey said: “ISIS is currently present in ALL 50 US states as a chaotic spider web...Their slick propaganda through social media goes like this: 'Troubled soul, come to the caliphate, you will live a life of glory, these are the apocalyptic end times, you will find a life of meaning here fighting for our so-called caliphate and if you can't come, kill somebody where you are.' That is a message that goes out to troubled souls everywhere." On October 7, 2014, an excellent analysis of what is going on with Turkey was written in Geopolitical Weekly: "The United States may currently be focused on the Islamic State, but Turkey is looking years ahead at the mess that will likely remain. This is why Turkey is placing conditions on its involvement in the battle against the Islamic State: It is trying to convince the United States and its Sunni Arab coalition partners that it will inevitably be the power administering this region. Therefore, according to Ankara, all players must conform to its priorities, beginning with replacing Syria's Iran-backed Alawite government with a Sunni administration that will look first to Ankara for guidance." Turkey is becoming strong towards the East and South just as Daniel 8:9 states it would in the Last Days. Notice something important: One country is unaffected by ISIS/ISIL problem. This same country is also absent from the line-up of those coming with Russian invasion in Ezekiel 38. That country is Turkey. “Merchants of Chalcedon” (Istanbul) ask Russia what she is doing Ezek. 38:13 LXX. In Ezekiel we see that the Russian & Iranian armies are destroyed. Isaiah 18 suggests the USA suffers also, with earthquakes, fires, and possibly volcanic action. If these players are all eliminated, then that leaves Muslim Turkey as the main Mid-East and NATO power. If it plays out like this, Turkey will be the major world power controlling the Middle East. Interesting Item: Turkey retains a link to Alexander’s Empire:
On the left is Alexander's Star; on the right is the star of the Turkish President. So here we have the power base which will bring the Antichrist into power
On September 23, 2014, the UK Independent reported that because of Turkish actions to support ISIS, the pro-Kurdish news-agency Amed suggested that “ISIS is the paramilitary wing of the Neo-Ottoman Turkey in the Middle East.” Could Turkey be Babylon the Great? Many believe Babylon the Great refers to the Vatican or at least to Rome. Let's look at some more information. Near Daniel’s death, the Priests of Babylon were accepted into the Medo-Persian Empire by Cyrus. They tried to take over the Empire in the days of Xerxes (& Queen Esther). Xerxes expelled them from the Empire in 485 BC. They took all the artifacts of their craft and settled in Pergamos in Turkey. That is why Rev. 2:12 calls Pergamos “Satan’s Throne” – it had been transferred from Babylon to Turkey. In Revelation we read that Babylon the Great sits on many waters. Rome sits only on a river, miles away from the Mediterranean. Turkey, however, sits on many waters: the Black Sea, the Sea of Marmara, the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean.
In Revelation 18:17-18, the great city at the heart of Babylon the Great is destroyed and burned. It then says that "all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea will stand far off. When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim,'What there ever a city like this great city?'" Rome is over 25 miles up the Tiber from the seaports. Smoke in the air as seen from those ports would not be associated with Rome unless they were told. However, a key waterday, the Bosphorus, bisects the city of Istanbul, connecting the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara. If Istanbul (formerly Constantinople, and before that, Chalcedon) were to be attacked and burned, those in ships would see that quite clearly.
Revelation 17:9 states that the city sits on seven hills. Rome sits on seven hills. So does Istanbul, as shown below.
Going back in time, there is another similarity. Here is the ancient star of Babylon. Compare it to the Islamic and Turkish flags today, as pictured farther up on this page:
Turkey's economic plans are also quite telling at this point:
Revelation 18:24 states something about this city and culture: "And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth." In the years since 700 AD, when Islam was beginning its murderous spread, data show that Islamic Jihad has killed over 250 million people, including over 60 million Christians. This process is accelerating today. Revelation 20:4 states that the Tribulation saints will be martyred by beheading. This is the Islamic method of killing and is used by ISIS and related groups now. Turkey may be, and possibly now is, the focus of the Islamic religion; should this be true, world power will become focused in Turkey and orders for the killings will originate there. What about the Antichrist? Won’t Antichrist be from Europe? This is a common idea based on Daniel 9:26. “And Messiah will be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is yet to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary." Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD by Titus & his armies. Doesn’t this mean Antichrist is Roman? But it says the “people of the Prince who is yet to come will destroy the city.” The soldiers Titus commanded were not ethnic Romans. Under his command were the 10th, 12th and 15th Legions. They were from Syria and Turkey Daniel 8 & 11 reveal the country where this person comes to power before he rules the 10 nation group. Daniel 11:21 -45 gives that person’s agenda, ending in Armageddon & Christ’s return. Daniel 8 says that person comes from an area controlled by one of Alexander’s 4 Generals. In Daniel 11 he is called the “King of the North.” This means Antichrist comes from lands eventually controlled by the Seleucid Empire. After all the conquests were over, the Seleucids controlled Turkey, Iraq, and Syria. Turkey was heartland. Daniel 11:21- Antichrist comes to power peacefully with flatteries. This means that he does not win power by military conquest, but perhaps by peaceful elections based on political promises & his past record. This year 2014-2015 Turkey is changing over to a Presidential system. For the first time Presidential elections held (10th August 2014). Erdogan won in a landslide victory. If the President’s party ( the AKP) retains office in the elections on 13th June 2015, then the President will have all power till 2023. There are a series of either two or three wars which precede the coming of the Antichrist, as explained in Part 1. The next war with Israel may be that mentioned in Isaiah 17 with the wipe-out of Damascus (Zechariah 9-11; Amos 1:3-5). Israel wins but at a huge cost – they return in 2’s and 3’s. As shown in Part 1, the surrounding nations then rush to destroy what’s left of Israel but God miraculously intervenes (Isaiah 17:13-14; Ezekiel 38). God blows the Trumpet over them – is the trumpet of the Rapture? (Zech. 9:14). If it is, then this is the last possible moment the Rapture can occur. The Rapture is referred to in Luke 17:34-36; Luke 21:36; Revelation. 3:10; 1 Corinthians 15:51-53; and 1Thessalonians 4:15-17. The reason this is the last possible moment for the Rapture is that the Antichrist cannot be identified or sign the severn year covenant until the restraining Holy Spirit is gone (2 Thess. 2:6-8). The Holy Spirit came in a special way at Pentecost. When He goes – we go too. Jesus promised us we would not be left as orphans. Various passages in Scripture describe the Antichrist as “a King with a fierce countenance, a little horn, the beast, the coming prince, the king of north, the one setting up Abomination of Desolation, the Lawless One, the man of sin, and the Son of Perdition,” It is at this point, when peace seems so far away, the power the Antichrist claims becomes welcome when he offers peace and a covenant with Israel, as Daniel 9:27 states. This means the Covenant with Israel is a result of this war, but the Covenant is a matter of deceit and intrigue on the part of the Antichrist. Part of Covenant internationalizes Jerusalem. The tradeoff is that the Jews are allowed to build the Temple. Revelation 11 and Daniel 8 and 12 indicate the sacrifices start about 220 days into the Covenant period. Because the Rapture happens before the Temple is started, it may be assumed the Temple takes less than a year to build -- around 200 days. About the Temple -- where is it to go? Here is an aerial view of the Temple Mount. Note the red arrow. Research has found that the ancient Temple is not where the Dome of the Rock is. Note the arrow again.
The location of the Holy of Holies in the 1st and 2nd Temples is now memorialized by the small "Dome of the Tablets."
It is the Court of the Gentiles which would be where the Dome of the Rock now stands.
Jews have wanted to re-introduce sacrificial system since 70 AD because, as their prayer book says, “We are unable to fulfill our obligation to You in Your Chosen Place (Temple).” Apostle Paul says Temple must exist (2 Thess.2). Daniel 8 & 11 says Tribulation Temple must exist. Revelation 11:1-2 says Trib. Temple exists, but Court of the Gentiles is to be left out as defiled. Going back to Daniel 11. Verse 20 is fulfilled. The British Mandate and its Empire are finished. Verse 21 begins the near future. Here it is again, but from the Greek, as the next few verses have evidently been mistranslated in most English versions: "One shall stand in his place who has been set at naught, and they have not put upon him the honor of royalty: but he shall come in prosperously, and obtain power by deceitful ways. And the arms that overflow shall be washed away as with a flood from before him, and the covenant begins." Daniel 11:23-28 prophesies the progress of the Antichrist:
That tells about the first battle with Egypt. It is interesting to note that they are both lying to each other, and both leaders are "bent on evil." Continuing to verse 45, we see more of the Antichrist's activities until it culminates with the Abomination of Desolation in the newly built Temple in Jerusalem. The Abomination of Desolation is when the Antichrist sets himself up in Temple after 3½ yrs.
In 2 Thessalonians 2:4 Paul states of the Antichrist, “So that he as god sits in the Temple of God to prove to himself that he is God.” That is the Abomination. It is halfway through the Tribulation, at the 3.5 year mark, that the Antichrist breaks the covenant with Israel and desecrates the Temple. Antichrist has 3 wars with Egypt. This may be the result of the Muslim Brotherhood being banned from Egypt in 2014, and no longer controlling politics there. Turkey is not happy.
When Antichrist goes to attack Egypt for the 2nd time an event occurs which causes him to turn on Israel and set up the Abomination of Desolation. We are told that “Grecian ships from Cyprus will come against him. Therefore he shall return in rage against the Covenant, … and take away the daily sacrifice, and place the Abomination of Desolation.” Dan. 11:30-31. Why? and why Cyprus? Cyprus is a divided island: half belongs to Greece, half occupied by Turkey. The dispute is ongoing. If Grecian ships offend him, it indicates Antichrist is supporting the Turkish side of the dispute.
Turkey’s economy is run 95% on natural gas. Prior to Erdogan becoming mayor of Istanbul, it was one of the dirtiest and most congested cities on Earth. Erdogan got rid of all the coal fired power stations, and changed all of the vehicles so they would run on natural gas. The result is one of the cleanest cities in the world now. (He has since converted all of Turkey to natural gas.) He also built four bridges over the Bosphorus and a tunnel underneath it to relieve the traffic congestion. There is just one problem. Turkey has no gas of its own. But both Israel and Grecian Cyprus have just found enormous reserves of natural gas in some fields off their coasts. On March 23, 2014, Turkey contracted to construct a pipeline from the Israeli & Greek Cypriot fields to supply all her needs. Antichrist is thereby going to be largely dependent on Israel and Grecian Cyprus for her energy. Any glitch in that supply will understandably anger him.
We have discussed the Covenant which allows the Jews to rebuild their Temple and the Antichrist's subsequent desecration of it. The book of Revelation also discusses an armed conflict which occurs during this time. 1. Daniel 11:40-45 – At the time of the end the king of the South will engage him in battle, and the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood. He will also invade the Beautiful Land. Many countries will fall, but Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon will be delivered from his hand. He will extend his power over many countries; Egypt will not escape. He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, with the Libyans and Cushites in submission. But reports from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in a great rage to destroy and annihilate many. He will pitch his royal tents between the seas at the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him. Egypt provokes war against the Antichrist. Jordan escapes (that is Edom, Moab and Ammon). But he conquers Egypt and takes their treasures. He also conquers the rest of North Africa. He then discovers that China, and possibly India, in the East and Russia in the North are mobilizing against him. The Antichrist then sets his command headquarters on the Temple Mount (the Abomination of Desolation has already occurred). This sets up the Battle of Armageddon which Christ Himself personally and militarily intervenes and the Tribulation comes to a very nasty close as told in Zechariah 14:3-9
Revelation 19 gives more details about that war. Jesus has a warning and an encouragement for us: Luke 21:36 -- “This time [the Tribulation] will come as a snare to all those that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch, therefore, and pray always, that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass and stand before the Son of Man…” That escape is the Rapture. We are told to pray to be accounted worthy to be Raptured. Be ready to come before the Lord at any moment. But don’t be surprised if that moment is delayed. Live your life as if you will see Him tomorrow. Make all plans in dependence on the Holy Spirit: His coming may be 10 years away (or tonight). Finish your education – learn to walk with Him – get wisdom and understanding. God has plans for you. Final prayer: “Lord teach us to number our days and apply our hearts to wisdom.” Psalm 90:12
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