Daniel 11:36-45 and Daniel
12
Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the
AntiChrist, and the Tribulation Period.
- Setting
- Chapter
12 is the last chapter in the book of Daniel. Daniel is now near
the end of his life.
- Overview
- The Tribulation
period is a 7 year period of time just before the final return of Jesus
Christ. The Great Tribulation period is the last 3-½ years of
this time. The purpose of the Tribulation period is to give
the Jews an opportunity to return to the LORD. (Daniel 9:27,
Jeremiah 30:7, Daniel 12:1, Matthew 24:21-22, Revelation 12:1-6, Revelation
13:4-5, Revelation 13:16-18, Daniel 12:4-7, Daniel 12:11-12, Isaiah
62:1-4, Isaiah 35:10)
- 7 year
Tribulation = ‘time of Jacob’s trouble’ = Daniel’s 70th week.
- 7 years = 3-½
years + 3-½ years.
- 3-½ years =
1260 days (based upon the Jewish calendar)
- 3-½ year mark =
the midpoint of the Tribulation period.
- The midpoint
is often thought of the time when the AntiChrist will set up his image
in the Temple and declare himself to be God.
- 3-½ years =
1260 days later = the battle that ends all battles, the battle of
Armageddon, a war to end all wars.
- The rise of the
AntiChrist. (Daniel 11:36-39).
- The Tribulation
Period (Daniel 12:1).
- War and
Invasions. (Daniel 11:40-43)
- The Battle of
Armageddon. (Daniel 11:44-45)
- The Return of
Jesus Christ to defeat the AntiChrist. (Daniel 11:45)
- The resurrection
of the dead. (Daniel 12:2)
- The glorious
Kingdom. (Daniel 12:3)
- Breakdown of the Verses.
- verses 11:21 -
35
- Not only is
this about Antiochus IV Epiphanes, it is also a picture of the
AntiChrist that will appear at the End of Times.
- Both make a
treaty with the Jews, both persecute the Jews, and both do something to
stop the sacrifice.
- verses 11:36 -
45 The Time of Tribulation.
- Daniel places
this in his last week of his 70 weeks. Both the Old
Testament and the New Testament call this period of time to be of great
tribulation in the future. This event is triggered at the
beginning of the last 7 years in the signing of a covenant with Israel
by a powerful world leader who arises from the 10 nation confederacy of
Europe (Daniel 7:7-28). This covenant guarantees
his protection of Israel while the Jews rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem,
This Tribulation period ends with the return of Jesus
Christ.
- Verses 36
through 39 introduces the AntiChrist who arises from an European nation.
He is the little horn that arises from the 10 horns.
(Daniel 7:24)
- He begins as a
man of peace who solves the Arab/Israeli problems as he proves himself
to be a master politician. Eventually his evil desires are
exposed in the middle of the 7 year period and he then breaks his
covenant with Israel. He then claims to be God and sets
himself up as God. (Daniel 9:27, 2 Thessalonians 2,
Revelation 13)
- Gabriel
describes this ruler as a selfish and willful person. He is
a man of no religious faith. He is also very successful
until the return of Jesus Christ. (Daniel 11:45)
- The phrase
‘Lord God of our Fathers” refers to the God of Israel.
This phrase can be literally translated to ‘the God of
his Fathers’. (Deuteronomy 26:7, 1 Chronicles 12:17, 2
Chronicles 20:6, Ezra 7:27, Acts 3:13)
- The phrase ‘the
desire of woman’ refers to the desire of the Jewish woman to give birth
to the Messiah. The AntiChrist desires that the Messiah will
not return. The AntiChrist will reject all religions and he
will oppose the Jewish religion in particular. He will
become the ‘god’ of might and power and he will make the people of the
world worship him, which in essence will be worshipping Satan, the
authority who puts the AntiChrist in power. People will be
rewarded to worship the AntiChrist.
- These verses
contain a gap in time. This would be time between
Antiochus IV Epiphanes and the appearance of the AntiChrist.
The AntiChrist will fight against the King of the
South and the King of the North.
- Ezekiel 38 and
39 tell of a future alignment of nations, most of which are Muslim.
- This alignment
has not occurred in history yet as the King of the North and the King
of the South did not fight against Antiochus IV Epiphanes (Daniel
11:36, 2 Thessalonians 2:4, Daniel 11:39, Joel 3:2, Zechariah 12:3-9).
- Egypt and Syria
will not be enemies of Israel during the whole Tribulation period.
- verses 11:40 -
43 Military Invasion
- The AntiChrist
will prosper for a short time. The Kings of the North and
South will push against him and bring their armies into Palestine.
During this time, many nations will fall with the exception
of modern day Jordan (Edom, Moab, and the children of Amman).
This may give a place for the Jews to flee in the later
days.
- Many believe
this to be an alliance headed by Russia from the North and the South
being the armies of Egypt and its allies. The AntiChrist
will overcome these armies and acquire great wealth. (Refer
to Ezekiel 38 and 39).
- The AntiChrist
will take power over the treasures of Gold, Silver, and the precious
things of Egypt, Libya, and Ethiopia.
- Not everyone
will bow down to the AntiChrist after he establishes in the temple and
declares himself ‘god’ and ruler of the whole world.
- verse 11:44 - 45
Armageddon
- ‘Tidings out of
the East’ represents the land east of the Euphrates River. Some
believe this to be the country of China.
- ‘Tidings out of
the North’ is believed to represent the country of Russia.
- The key to
remember is that these prophecies were made 2500 to 2600 years ago.
- Their will
continue to be a growing dissent and opposition to the AntiChrist, who
is being energized by Satan.
- The growing
army from the East will meet the AntiChrist’s army in the Plain of
Esdraelon to fight what will be called the Battle of Armageddon.
Armageddon means ‘mountain of Megiddo’ and this will be at
the end of times.
- This event will
usher forth the return of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Jesus’s
return will occur when the army of the East gets positioned to attack
the army of the AntiChrist. Then the ‘Son of Man’ shall
appear in the heavens. Both armies will then unite to fight
the army of Jesus Christ. Jesus’s army will defeat both armies,
they will capture Satan, and the AntiChrist and the False Prophet will
be captured and thrown into the Lake of Fire. (Revelation
19:11-21, Zechariah 12:1-9, Zechariah 14:1-3).
- Though this is not
mentioned by Daniel, the prophet Zechariah promises that the nation of
Israel will see their Messiah as he comes from Heaven, they will
recognize him, they will repent of their sins, they will trust the
Messiah, and the nation of Israel will be cleansed.
(Zechariah 12:10-13:1). Jesus will then stay on
the Mount of Olives and establish himself ‘LORD and King over all the
Earth and he will establish his Kingdom upon Earth for 1000 years.
(Acts 1:11-12, Zechariah 14:9, Revelation 20:1-7)
- verse 12:1 The
Tribulation
- ‘At that time’
is translated to mean ‘during the time of the end’. This
verse now reaches the middle of the Tribulation period where the
AntiChrist breaks his treaty with Israel, he then seizes the temple and
sets himself up as god and a world dictator. This is when
the ‘Abomination of Desolation’ takes place (Daniel 9:27, Daniel
11:31, Daniel 12:11, Matthew 24:15, Mark 13:14).
- The last 3-½
years of the Tribulation Period will usher in terrible sufferings,
sufferings of which this world has never seen before.
(Matthew 24:21, Revelation 13 through 19).
- Satan will
declare war against the Jewish people. Michael the ArchAngel
has been assigned to care for the Jewish people and he will come to
their aide. (Daniel 1: 13 & 21, Revelation 12:7)
God’s elect, the 144,000, will be preserved.
(Revelation 7:1-8). God keeps his covenant with
Abraham to see that the Jewish remnant will enter into the Promised
Land.
- verses 12:2
The Kingdom and the Resurrection.
- In Revelation
20:1-7, the words ‘thousand years’ is mentioned 6 times. The
Latin word for ‘thousand years’ is mille annum, which gives us the
English word ‘millennium’.
- Millennialists
are Christians who believe the Old Testament prophets of a Kingdom on Earth
will be fulfilled. Those who do not believe this will occur
are amillennialists. An amillennialist believes the Kingdom
on Earth is now established on Earth and it is represented by the modern
day church
- God has
promised a Kingdom to his Son and he will keep his promise.
(Luke 1:30-33, Psalm 2).
- One day Jesus
will deliver that Kingdom up to the Father. (I Corinthians
15:24)
- Knowing this
promise, Satan tempted Jesus while in the desert. (Matthew
4:8-10)
- Jesus affirms
this promise to his disciples. (Luke 22:29-30, Acts 1:6-8).
- Jesus
instructs us not to speculate his return, but to attend to the work he
left them to do. (2 Timothy 4:1).
- Verse 2
introduces us to the Resurrection. Although the Resurrection
was presented with clarity in the New Testament, the doctrine of
Resurrection is hinted at in the Old Testament. when Abraham went to
sacrifice Isaac at Mount Moriah. (Hebrews 11:19).
- Job expected
to see GOD in his resurrected body. (Job 19:25-27), Hosea
13:14).
- Jesus finally
explains what the resurrection shall be. (2 Timothy 1:10,
John 5:19-30, John 11:17-44, I Corinthians 15)
- The resurrected
body will be a new and glorious body. (1 Corinthians
15:35-53).
- The burial of
the body is like a planting of a seed and the resurrection of the body
is likened to the harvest.
- When Jesus
returns, the dead in Christ will be raised first and next the living
believers will be caught up with them to be with the LORD.
(1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
- When Jesus
returns to Earth at the end of the Tribulation period, he will bring
his people with him to share in his victory and glory. At
this time, the Old Testament saints and the Tribulation martyrs will be
raised to enter into the Kingdom.
- Those who died
without faith in Christ will not be raised until after the Kingdom age
and then will be judged. (Revelation 20:4-6, 11-15)
- Daniel states
‘some will wake 1000 years later to enjoy the glorious life GOD has
promised them, while others will awake to be judged in shame and
everlasting contempt’. ‘Hell’ is called the 2nd death.
(Revelation 20:14).
- If you are
born twice, you can only die once. If you are born once,
you can die twice.
- verse 12:3
The Reward.
- How well we
lived and served the LORD will determine our rewards in heaven which
will be given to us at the Judgment Seat of Christ. (Romans
14:9-12, 2 Corinthians 5:6-10)
- Every cup will
be filled, but some will be filled more than others.
- There will be a
special consideration made to those who remained faithful during the
Tribulation, a time where it will be costly to identify with Jesus
Christ. (Matthew 24:14, Revelation 7:9-17).
- Jesus
emphasized the truth to serve him faithfully and of its rewards.
(Matthew 13:43, Matthew 19:27-28, Matthew 25:14-30,
Revelation 2:26-27, Revelation 5:9-10).
- During Jesus’s
reign on Earth, we will share in whatever work he has for us to do,
based upon our life here on Earth. Believers who suffered in
their service for Christ will be compensated more. (Romans
8:18, 2 Corinthians 4:7-18)
- verses 12:4
Final Instructions to Daniel..
- In the Ancient
World, official transactions were ratified with 2 documents.
One was always kept sealed up and kept in a safe place where
the other document was kept and made available. (Jeremiah
32:1-2)
- God used
Daniel’s writings to let the Jewish people know he would faithfully keep
his promises to the people of Israel. This book was
treasured, protected, and shared with the Jewish people. The
book was ‘sealed’ in the sense that the full meaning would not be
understood until the ‘end of times’. (Matthew 24:15, Daniel
12:8)
- The Apostle
John was told in Revelation not to seal up the book because the time was
at hand. (Revelation 22:10)
- The book of
Daniel helps us to better understand and explain the book of Revelation.
71 passages of Daniel are quoted or referred to in 16 New
Testament books, most of which can be found in the book of Revelation
- All of Daniel
6 is referred to in Hebrews 11:33.
- The study of
God’s word is referred to in Daniel 12:4 when it is said that ‘many
shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
- Amos 8:11-12
contains a warning that a day will come when there will be a famine of
God’s word and people will be seeking for the truth but not being able
to find it. But God gives Daniel a promise that at the end
of times people will increase in knowledge of the prophetic Scripture
as they apply to the word of God.
- verses 12:5-7
The Times
- 2 more Angels
appear with one on each side of the Tigris River. The man
clothed in linen refers to the same awesome person Daniel saw at the
beginning of Daniel 10:5-6, who was probably the pre-incarnate Jesus
Christ. One of the Angels asks this person, ‘How long shall
it be to the end of these wonders?’. The LORD replies, ‘for a
time, times, and a half’. This is the 3-½ years, the last
half of the Tribulation period. (Revelation 12:14)
- This will be
the 42 months as referred to in Revelation 11:2 and Revelation 13:5.
- This period is
also the 1260 days referred to in Revelation 11:3.
- Once the treaty
between Israel and the AntiChrist is signed, the clock starts ticking
off the 7 years of Daniel (or the Tribulation Period).
- Once the AntiChrist
sets himself up in the Temple of GOD at the halfway point of the
Tribulation Period (3-½ years), the last half of Daniel’s 70th week
begins. As the LORD Jesus spoke in Daniel under oath, he
raises both hands towards heaven.
- verses 12:8-13
The End.
- Daniel humbly
asks, ‘How long?’ and ‘How will it end?”. We tend to ask
these same questions when times are difficult and the future is in
doubt.
- Daniel also
asks humbly ‘What’s the purpose of it all?’. Daniel did what we
should do, humbly ask GOD for the wisdom that is needed.
- GOD knows how
much we need to know and how much we can take. (John 16:12)
- GOD promises
these truths will be clearer for those who are living at the end times.
This is an encouragement to us to prayerfully study
Scriptures, including the prophetic.
- GOD reveals
that trials will come at the end of times. These trials will
either make the people more wicked or more pure and wise. (2
Timothy 3:13, Revelation 22:11).
- The
unbelievers will be ignorant of the Truth. The believers
will have their eyes opened to the Word of GOD. (2 Peter
1:19).
- Jesus Christ
travels from the site of Armageddon to rescue those hidden in Bosrah
(Jordan). Jesus then returns to Jerusalem with the ‘ransomed
of the LORD’.
- What is the
purpose of the ‘1290’ or the ‘1335’ days past the midpoint of the
Tribulation. This leaves a gap of 30 and 75 days that is
unaccounted for. GOD does promise a blessing to those who
reach the end of the 1355 days. The starting both for both
will occur with the ‘Abomination of Desolation’ which occurs in the
Temple at the midpoint of the Tribulation period. Since 3-½
years equals 1260 days before the Tribulation ends, 1290 days would be
30 days beyond the return of the LORD. The 1355 days would
be after 75 days have elapsed after the return of the LORD.
These days are not explained but certain events will more than
likely occur.
- Will this be
the binding of Satan? Remember, the AntiChrist and the False
Prophet will have already been thrown into the Lake of Fire. The judgment
of the evil doers and unbelievers has not yet taken place.
- Will this be
the regathering of the Gentile nations? (Ezekiel 20:33-38,
Isaiah 1:24-2:5, Isaiah 4:2-6, Isaiah 11:1-16).
- Will this be
the rebuilding of the Millennial Temple?
- Will this be
the clean-up from all the destruction that has occurred?
- Will this be
the judgment of nations?
- Or could this
be something else?
- Although GOD
taught Daniel many things and GOD revealed many mysteries to Daniel, it
was not necessary for him to know everything. It was enough for
Daniel to know that he had been faithful and that one day that he should
rest for his labors. (Revelation 14:13, Matthew 25:21, Psalm
17:15, I John 3:1-3, Romans 8:24)
- Conclusion
- It is important
to know GOD’s future plan and to obey GOD’s present will in our lives.
(1 John 3:3, 2 Peter 3:11).
- Both Daniel and
Joseph were called to serve GOD in difficult times and in pagan nations.
Both were cruelly taken from their homes and handed over to
cruel masters. Both went through periods of testing.
Both were lied about and falsely accused while still maintaining
their godly character and their conduct was respected by rulers.
Both ministered to God’s people and helped preserve the
nation of Israel. Daniel also gave the Jews encouragement for
their future.
- Both Daniel and
the Apostle Paul tell of a spiritual battle taking place that cannot be
seen by this world.
- The key to
Daniel’s success can be found in Daniel 1:8.
- A review of
Daniel’s that life that we should apply to our own lives.
- He believed in
a sovereign GOD. (Daniel 4:25 and 32, 5:21)
- He had a
disciplined prayer life. (Daniel 2:14-23, 6:10)
- He studied the
Word of GOD and believed it. (Daniel 9:2)
- He had an
understanding of Spiritual Warfare. (Daniel 10:12-15)
- He sought only
to glorify GOD. (Daniel 2:28 & 47, 4:34-35)
- He realized
that he had work to do. (Daniel 6:1-5)
- He was tactful
and considerate. (Daniel 2:11-14)
- He had insight
into Human History. (Daniel 4, Daniel 2, Daniel 10 - 12)
- He lived up to
his name, as Daniel translates to ‘God is my judge’.
- Following is an
excerpt from a preaching of DL Moody: ‘Daniel thought more of his
principles than he did of earthly honor or esteem of man.
Right was right with him. He was going to do
right today and let the morrows take care of themselves. That
firmness of purpose in the strength of GOD, was his secret of his
success.
- Following is an
excerpt from a song by Phillip P. Bliss, one of DL Moody’s associates.
“Dare to be
Daniel,
Dare to
stand alone!
Dare to have
a purpose firm!
Dare
to make it known!
Be Resolute!’
