The Time of the End
" And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of the Ulai, who called, and said, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” So he came near where I stood, and when he came I was afraid and fell on my face; but he said to me, “Understand, son of man, that the vision refers to the time of the end.” - Daniel 8:16-17
It is amazing how the Lord gives different pieces of the puzzle at different times from different angles so that those who are seekers of truth can see how the Lord reveals the ends from the beginnings and opens our eyes to certain mysteries only God could know.
In Daniel's previous dream, he saw a revelation of the four beasts that represented the four kingdoms of King Nebuchadnezzar's first dream. This time the Lord changes the images of the beasts to two different animals (a ram and a goat) and puts a greater focus on the kings of these images and how they relate to the time of the end and the spirit of the Antichrist.
God is once again revealing that He knows the evil schemes and plots of every world leader and the futile attempts to reenact the Tower of Babel. God is sovereign and He will expose and overcome all things in the return of Christ. HE IS EXPANDING HIS THRONE TO EARTH!
In this dream, Daniel receives a vision of a ram with two horns that were disproportionate, representing the Medo-Persian empire with the emphasis on the greater kingdom of Cyrus the Persian. This kingdom would soon be overtaken by force from the Greecian empire led by Alexander the Great, who was represented by the great horn proceeding from a goat that conquers not only the ram (Medo-Persian empire) but much of the ancient world.
When you compare the likes of the proud Alexander the Great with the humble Jesus, the contrast could not be more revealing about the Two Spiritual Kingdoms that exist in our world: God's kingdom of Light against Satan's inferior kingdom of Darkness.
Let's contrast Alexander the Great with Jesus the Suffering Servant:
Which kingdom are you actively promoting by the way you are living your life?
Remember, God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. God dealt with the arrogant horn of the goat and did something very fascinating in this dream. The great horn of the first goat was replaced by four new notable horns representing Alexander's four generals who end up leading four different kingdoms. Out of those four came one more "little horn" that rises up...And this is where everything takes a turn for the worse.
Who is this "little horn"?
It has two meanings for us to see...one in the past and one in the future.
Starting with the past, we learn from history that out of the Seleucid Empire came a man named Antiochus IV, who was full of pride and hated God's people. He called himself Antiochus Epiphanes (meaning "God manifesting") to embody the image of a god. He committed an abominable act leading to the desecration of the Jewish temple, when he set up an altar to Zeus and offered an unclean pig on this altar in the holy temple in 167 BC.
Everything changed when a courageous man known as Judas Maccabeus "the Hammer" rose up and drove out the Syrian army, which led to the purifying of the temple as predicted by the specific number of days revealed to Daniel. The temple was cleansed after a period of 2,300 days worth of both the morning and evening sacrifices, allowing the sanctuary to be restored and the daily sacrifices to continue within the full cleansing period.
The specific 3 year, 2 month period of time when the cleansing days are cut in half for the two sacrifices would eventually lead to a special day of dedication that would follow, known to the Jews as "Hanukkah", where the temple was cleansed and the remaining one day portion of oil would miraculously last for 8 whole days. Jesus celebrated this feast in John 10:22-25 and would later teach about the "oil" that His bride should have ready when the Bridegroom returns in the Parable of the Ten Virgins in Matthew 25.
Interestingly, today God is calling all of us to be a clean and undefiled temple that have the oil of the Holy Spirit burning at all times. We are called to be A READY BRIDE with enugh oil in our lamps to overcome the devil and to continually shine as lights in the midst of darkness with the overflowing power and heavenly supply of God's Spirit.
Therefore, we must resist the spirit of the Antichrist and heed the word Gabriel gives to Daniel, who seems to direct us further than Antiochus Epiphanes to the time of the end...a time still yet to come, where another evil king would rise and commit the real abomination that causes desolation, just as Jesus would later teach in HIs olivet discourse (Matt. 24:15).
Gabriel gives us many descriptions of this Antichrist figure but we are called to walk in the truth and to endure the hardships of our times by LOOKING TO THE REAL CHRIST!
The Apostle Peter tells us, "For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Now “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?” Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in DOING GOOD, as to a faithful Creator" (1 Peter 4:17-19)
Saints, let us ADVANCE the everlasting kingdom of the King of kings and the Lord of lords!
DANIEL CHALLENGE:
SATAN KNOWS TIME IS RUNNING OUT,
WE KNOW WHAT LIFE IS ALL ABOUT.
NOW WE MUST PRAY AND NOT DELAY,
JESUS IS COMING, PREPARE THE WAY.
It is amazing how the Lord gives different pieces of the puzzle at different times from different angles so that those who are seekers of truth can see how the Lord reveals the ends from the beginnings and opens our eyes to certain mysteries only God could know.
In Daniel's previous dream, he saw a revelation of the four beasts that represented the four kingdoms of King Nebuchadnezzar's first dream. This time the Lord changes the images of the beasts to two different animals (a ram and a goat) and puts a greater focus on the kings of these images and how they relate to the time of the end and the spirit of the Antichrist.
God is once again revealing that He knows the evil schemes and plots of every world leader and the futile attempts to reenact the Tower of Babel. God is sovereign and He will expose and overcome all things in the return of Christ. HE IS EXPANDING HIS THRONE TO EARTH!
In this dream, Daniel receives a vision of a ram with two horns that were disproportionate, representing the Medo-Persian empire with the emphasis on the greater kingdom of Cyrus the Persian. This kingdom would soon be overtaken by force from the Greecian empire led by Alexander the Great, who was represented by the great horn proceeding from a goat that conquers not only the ram (Medo-Persian empire) but much of the ancient world.
When you compare the likes of the proud Alexander the Great with the humble Jesus, the contrast could not be more revealing about the Two Spiritual Kingdoms that exist in our world: God's kingdom of Light against Satan's inferior kingdom of Darkness.
Let's contrast Alexander the Great with Jesus the Suffering Servant:
- Both spent roughly 33 years of life on earth.
- Alexander served only himself...BUT JESUS always served others.
- Alexander forced men to be slaves…BUT JESUS set the captives free.
- Alexander took the blood of men…BUT JESUS gave His blood for others.
- Alexander died in sin…BUT JESUS died for the sins of the world!
Which kingdom are you actively promoting by the way you are living your life?
Remember, God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. God dealt with the arrogant horn of the goat and did something very fascinating in this dream. The great horn of the first goat was replaced by four new notable horns representing Alexander's four generals who end up leading four different kingdoms. Out of those four came one more "little horn" that rises up...And this is where everything takes a turn for the worse.
Who is this "little horn"?
It has two meanings for us to see...one in the past and one in the future.
Starting with the past, we learn from history that out of the Seleucid Empire came a man named Antiochus IV, who was full of pride and hated God's people. He called himself Antiochus Epiphanes (meaning "God manifesting") to embody the image of a god. He committed an abominable act leading to the desecration of the Jewish temple, when he set up an altar to Zeus and offered an unclean pig on this altar in the holy temple in 167 BC.
Everything changed when a courageous man known as Judas Maccabeus "the Hammer" rose up and drove out the Syrian army, which led to the purifying of the temple as predicted by the specific number of days revealed to Daniel. The temple was cleansed after a period of 2,300 days worth of both the morning and evening sacrifices, allowing the sanctuary to be restored and the daily sacrifices to continue within the full cleansing period.
The specific 3 year, 2 month period of time when the cleansing days are cut in half for the two sacrifices would eventually lead to a special day of dedication that would follow, known to the Jews as "Hanukkah", where the temple was cleansed and the remaining one day portion of oil would miraculously last for 8 whole days. Jesus celebrated this feast in John 10:22-25 and would later teach about the "oil" that His bride should have ready when the Bridegroom returns in the Parable of the Ten Virgins in Matthew 25.
Interestingly, today God is calling all of us to be a clean and undefiled temple that have the oil of the Holy Spirit burning at all times. We are called to be A READY BRIDE with enugh oil in our lamps to overcome the devil and to continually shine as lights in the midst of darkness with the overflowing power and heavenly supply of God's Spirit.
Therefore, we must resist the spirit of the Antichrist and heed the word Gabriel gives to Daniel, who seems to direct us further than Antiochus Epiphanes to the time of the end...a time still yet to come, where another evil king would rise and commit the real abomination that causes desolation, just as Jesus would later teach in HIs olivet discourse (Matt. 24:15).
Gabriel gives us many descriptions of this Antichrist figure but we are called to walk in the truth and to endure the hardships of our times by LOOKING TO THE REAL CHRIST!
The Apostle Peter tells us, "For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Now “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?” Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in DOING GOOD, as to a faithful Creator" (1 Peter 4:17-19)
Saints, let us ADVANCE the everlasting kingdom of the King of kings and the Lord of lords!
DANIEL CHALLENGE:
SATAN KNOWS TIME IS RUNNING OUT,
WE KNOW WHAT LIFE IS ALL ABOUT.
NOW WE MUST PRAY AND NOT DELAY,
JESUS IS COMING, PREPARE THE WAY.
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