For those of you who want to know what the time of the Antichrist will be like, Daniel 11 will be one of the most important chapters for you to read. It shows a world that is not like the one that we live in now. It talks about kings that do not yet exist. And, while we see some similarities with Antiochus IV Epiphanes, we’ll see that Daniel 11 is not talking about him.
This will be the first part of this discussion, and we will finish – Lord Willing – next week.
Daniel 10 is the introduction to the last prophecy given to Daniel. And, in many respects this vision is the most important one, because it shows us an Israel that has been Redeemed, who the Antichrist is, what the conditions are like in the Land of Israel, how long the Great Tribulation is, and when the Resurrection occurs.
All of that is a powerful message to end the Book of Daniel with. And, it’s even more powerful because Jesus told us to pay attention to it, and we aren’t.
So, let’s look at the beginning.
Daniel 9 is maybe the most important chapter in the Bible, for it lays down the timing of the coming of our Lord and Savior – and His sacrifice upon the Cross. And maybe that is why it is one of the most fought-over passages.
Part of the problem lies in bad translations and a poor command of Hebrew. Another comes from well-meaning pronouncements by good brothers in Christ that were in error, mistakes that would be used by others to create even greater errors.
The vast majority of these errors were honest attempts at the truth. So, let’s make an honest attempt at getting Daniel 9 right.
We all get things wrong. All of us. The question is whether we will admit our errors. And, I can’t remember when a pastor or Bible teacher ever admitted an error. Maybe my memory is bad, but I have no memory of that ever happening.
That’s wrong.
Why?
Because it is literally impossible for a pastor or Bible teacher to never be wrong. And, it’s the number one reason why we must all be experts in the Word of God, so that we can challenge error in our teachers and pastors.
So, let’s talk about a few of my own errors.
In both Daniel 2 and Daniel 7, we saw visions that included Last Days events. In fact, we seem to be moving from the ‘big picture’ view, to something more detailed. For instance, we didn’t see the Antichrist in Daniel 2, but we saw him in chapter 7.
Will we see the Antichrist in Daniel 8?
I believe so, but there are three main theories for this vision, and we will look all three of them and try to find the one position to safely stand on. (Hint: I’m sticking with Gabriel.)
So, let’s take a hard look at Daniel 8 and find out.
Daniel 7 is a vital chapter that confirms what was said in Daniel 2, as well as adding to our understanding of Revelation. Without this passage, we would be harder to see what God is telling us about the Last Days. And, in case you are wondering…
Yes, we are living – right now – during the time of the Fourth Beast.
When we are done, hopefully you’ll have a better understanding of what this beast is, both now and in the future. And, we really want a better understanding of our future.
I would love to jump ahead to Part 5 and talk about the prophecy in Daniel 7 that is also still in effect today – just like the image in the dream of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2. But, we have a few things that we can learn from Daniel 5 and 6, and some of those things help clear up a couple of questions that I had.
How did the Persians take over Babylon so quickly?
Why did the Persians keep so much of the Babylonian bureaucracy in power?
Well, we have a few answers to that, and I think that you’ll find the entire story to be interesting. Including the incredible demonstration of faith by Daniel.
Daniel 3 and 4 is a story of foolishness, pride and complete faithfulness. And, it isn’t just a little foolishness or a little pride or even a little faithfulness. In these two chapters, there are freight trains-full of each, and it’s proof that none of us can be true to God under our own power.
Today, we are going to talk about the heroism of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego, and the utter and complete foolishness of King Nebuchadnezzar – who should have known not to do what he did. But like so many, he did it anyway.
But, in the end, great honor was given to God.
Normally we look to a man of God to give us important End Times prophecies, but the Lord gave this one to someone who wasn’t. Not even close. Yet, this prophecy is still being fulfilled as we speak, and will not finish its fulfillment until the Return of Our Lord.
This is the dream of Nebuchadnezzar’s great image. And, it has special significance for us to day, because that image still stands, and it charts the progress of history through today and into the future, when the Antichrist comes.
The question is, where are we in the chronology of this image?
On Friday, I received news that I was hoping not to hear. At least, not for this year or any number of years after that. This news will take peace from the Earth, and that phrase should be familiar to you since that is the job of:
The Red Horse
And, the news that I was so reluctant to hear?
Saudi Arabia has hit its maximum oil production level at 12 million barrels a day.
You might not think that this is such a big problem, but you’ll understand why it’s big – when we’re finished talking about it.