November 2019 ~ Fight for Your Faith

Dennis Edwards

Introduction: Are the Prophecies at the End of Daniel 11 past or future?

I have just been listening to another End Time Prophecy show explaining who the King of the South and the King of the North in Bible prophecy might be. So many experts have tried their hand at interpreting these events, although usually from a pro-Israeli point of view. Let’s go over the Scriptures and try to put our prejudices aside for a moment and see if God will give us understanding that we might rightly divide His Word in truth.

First we will look at Matthew 24 and Jesus’s own words.

“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso reads, let him understand:) For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.”[1]

Jesus tells us Himself that the prophecies of Daniel are important in the understanding of future Bible prophecy. Jesus mentions “the abomination of desolation.” Where do we find in the Scriptures of Daniel the phrase or something similar to “the abomination of desolation?” We find it in two places, in Daniel 9:27 and Daniel 11:31.

“And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”[2]

“And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.”[3]

Aren’t these prophecies already fulfilled?

Some Bible scholars claim that the references to “the abomination that makes desolate” in Daniel were fulfilled before the time of Christ by Antiochus Epiphanes (175 – 164 B.C.). If that is so, why would Jesus Himself give the placing of “the abomination of desolation” as a sign to watch out for before His return in the future. That doesn’t seem to make sense.

Others say that the placing of “the abomination of desolation” refers to the invasion of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. by the Roman General Titus and it was at that time that the Temple in Jerusalem was made an abomination and destroyed by the Romans and God. “Not a stone was left upon another”[4] as Jesus had prophesied. So there are varying opinions about the matter. But the question remains is, why did Jesus signify that the placing of the “abomination of desolation” in the Temple would be the sign of the beginning of “great tribulation” which would be followed by His coming in the clouds for His children and then the judgment of the wicked, if that was not the case?[5]

Some consider that the “great tribulation” spoken of by Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew was the Roman invasion and destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. At that time, some one million Jews were crucified by Titus’s forces recorded by the Jewish Historian Josephus inhis “Antiquities of the Jews.” But the trouble with the interpretation that puts these events in the past is Jesus’s own prediction. Jesus seems to connect the placing of the “abomination of desolation” and the “great tribulation” that follows together with the future event of His coming which has not happened yet. Therefore, both Antiochus Epiphanes, or the Mad Epiphanes as he was called, and the Roman General Titus were only partial fulfillments of these prophecies. Let us read from the Gospel of Matthew.

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”[6]

What event does Jesus Himself associate with the Daniel prophecies?

What is the event that Jesus mentions in the very same sermon where he is quoted as using the words from Daniel’s prophecy about the “abomination of desolation?” What event follows the great tribulation according to Scripture? It is none other than His miraculous return in the skies to rapture His elect and then judge the wicked. Surely this did not take place in 70 A.D. Therefore, we can only conclude that though Antiochus Epiphanes (175 – 164 B.C.) and Titus (70 A.D.) were partial fulfillments of some of these prophecies, they were not the final fulfillment for which we must still wait. Some scholars have come to the conclusion that the Antichrist who will reign just before the return of Christ will be the ultimate fulfillment of the prophecies concerning “the abomination of desolation.”

Some will claim that the interpretation of Scripture in above manner was first expounded by a Jesuit priest and that therefore it is false. However, interpretations should not rise or fall on their source, but rather on their own merits true of false. The History of Science is filled with Catholic priests and monks who had time to investigate and do experiments in science in search for the truths of nature. It was not unusual to see monks as genuine scholars. But detractors will claim that the interpretation we are offering was originated during the period of the Reformation, in other words around 1500 A.D. It was at that time that the Catholic Church was considered by some of the reformers as the fulfillment of some of the Bible’s prophetic words. Therefore, the Church needed to develop an eschatology that would make the fulfillment of Scripture futuristic and not something in the present.

However, a theory is not accepted because of the motivation of the theorist, but on the theory’s validity, how well it explains the data being examined. With that in mind, let us look at our proposed interpretation to see if it coordinates with the other prophecies and makes a coherent interwoven argument for its truth. If it’s just a false fabrication, it should easily fall apart. If it’s true, we should be able to make a good case for it without arbitrary supporting assumptions.

It might do us well to look to what the Church Fathers wrote about Bible Prophecy and the Antichrist before the period of the Reformation. Their views about these events might help us in our thinking and shed some light on the subject at hand. Therefore, let’s start our investigation with the opinions of the earlier Church Fathers who preceded the Reformation.

What was the opinion of Church Fathers on the prophecies about the Antichrist?

Justn Martyr

The first Church Father we will look at is Justin Martyr, who lived from A.D. 100 – 165. Justin was born in Samaria into a Gentile – pagan family. He searched for truth in the Greek and Roman philosophers. One day he came upon a Christian man who shared with him the wisdom of the prophets of God and their prophecies about Christ. Justin had done much study in philosophy and was yet unsatisfied with his conclusions. He became convinced that the testimony of the prophets was more certain than the reasoning of philosophers. As a result, he decided For Christ and dedicated himself to travelling throughout the land spreading the knowledge of Christianity as the true philosophy. He formed a school in Rome and wrote letters to the Senate and Roman emperor, Antoninus, to abandon the persecution of the early Christians. He was denounced by the cynic philosopher Crescens and as a result tried in a Roman court and found guilty of refusing to worship the Roman gods and disobedience to the Emperor. He and six of his students were beheaded.[7]

Concerning the Antichrist he wrote,

“He who is about to speak blasphemous and audacious things, against the Most High, being already at the doors – whose continuance Daniel signifies as about to be for a time, times, and half a time.”[8]

Here we see Justin quoting from the book of Daniel found in the Old Testament. He describes some of the attributes of the Antichrist. He also mentions the length of his rule as being a “time, times, and half a time,” which signifies 3 and ½ years as stated in various other places in the Scriptures.[9] Justin continues,

“Foolish are they who do not understand, what indeed has been pointed out by all the testimonies of the Prophets, that two Comings of Christ are spoken of; one in which He is preached as the sufferer inglorious – dishonoured and crucified[10] – the second, that in which He will come with glory from heaven, at the time when the Man of Apostacy,[11] who speaks great things against the Most High shall be on the earth, and dare wicked things against us Christians.[12]”[13]

Again, Justin talks of the two comings of the Messiah. First to be crucified as a sheep before her shearers, as a lamb to the slaughter as seen in Isaiah 53 and in the Psalms and fulfilled by Jesus of Nazareth in A.D. 30. His second coming is just after the reign of the Antichrist which Justin quotes from Daniel chapter seven and or 2nd Thessalonians as something yet to come.

Irenaeus

Next will look at Irenaeus who lived from A.D. 130 – 202. Irenaeus was born in a Christian family and became a disciple of Polycarp, who was a disciple of Apostle John. He later became the Greek Bishop of Lyon, France and wrote more on the subject of Bible prophecy than any of his predecessors.[14]

“Irenaeus quotes the greatest part of 2nd Thessalonians 2 respecting the Man of Sin, and applies it to Antichrist – saying that the Temple in which he will sit, is the Temple in Jerusalem – quoting Matthew 24 as to the abomination, and unequalled season of tribulation, and applies it to the time of Antichrist’s blasphemy in Jerusalem – speaking of his arising as the little Horn after the ten last Kings of the Roman Empire – and quoting the words of Daniel – “time, times, and the dividing of time,” explaining them as the three years and a half of Antichrist’s reign.”[15]

In the above quote, Christian apologista Benjamin Wills Newton from the 1800s explains that Irenaeus squarely places the “abomination of desolation” as a future event during the Antichrist’s reign in Jerusalem.

“At the half of the hebdomad (week or seven year period), Daniel says, the sacrífice and libation shall be taken away, and in the Temple shall be the Abomination of desolation – and until the consumation of the time, a consumation shall be appointed upon the desolation, -- but the half of the hebdomad (week or seven year period) is three years and six months.”[16]

In the above quote, Irenaeus is quoting from Daniel 9:27 which says,

“And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrífice and the oblation to cease, and for the over spreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consumation, and that shall be poured upon the desolate.”

Without going over all the details of the verse, we can see that Irenaenus is referring this verse to the time of the Antichrist in the future and not a past event. The word “week” or “hebdomad” in Greek or “shabua” in Hebrew refers to a seven year period, not a seven day week. Daniel 9:27 mentions the “midst of the week” which Irenaeus properly understands as 3 and ½ years.

“But when Antichrist shall have ravaged all things in this world, reigning three years and six months, and shall have sat in the Temple at Jerusalem, then the Lord shall come from Heaven in clouds in the glory of the Father, to cast him and those that obey him, into the lake of fire. But He will bring in for the righteous, the times of the kingdom, that is to say – rest: -- the seventh day sanctified; and will restore to Abraham the promise of the inheritance, in which kingdom, says the Lord, many shall come from the East and West, and shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”[17]

Irenaeus concludes that the Antichrist shall reign for 3 and ½ years which can be found in both Daniel and in the book of Revelation. From Paul’s Epistle of the Thessalonias we get the idea of the Antichrist sitting in the Temple. From Gospel of Mathhew and the book of Revelation Irenaeus gets the image of Jesus returning in the clouds of Heaven[18] to cast the wicked into the lake of fire after[19] which begins the one thousand year reign of peace on earth.[20] The eschatology of Irenaeus is what is found written in the Bible.

The Epistle of Barnabus

I have included the Epistle of Barnabus even though we are not sure today who was the Barnabus that wrote it. The Epistle of Barnabus is considered one of the Apocrypha book. The Apocrypha books were considered good reading, but not on par with the writings that were considered Scripture. They were sometimes found at the end of the early New Testament manuscripts. Old Testament Apocrypha books are found in between the recognised Old Testament Scriptures and the New Testament. The Epistle of Barnabus was part of the New Testament Apocrypha. Some of the early believers considered the author of the epistle was that Barnabus who had been the early companion with Apostle Paul[21] and thus considered an Apostle, also. These place the writing of the epistle as early as A.D. 70 – 80. Others, however, say the epistle was written by another Barnabus as late as A.D. 132. Eusebious, the Bishop of Ceasaria in A.D. 314, mentions the epistle in his writings saying that it was not included in the accepted writings of the Apostles. It was considered New Testament Apocryphra, i.e. good, but not Scripture. Clement of Alexandria and Origen also mention the Epistle of Barnabus and seemed to think it was authentic, i.e. written by Paul’s travelling companion.[22] I have included the epistle because it was a known to the early Church Fathers and was sometimes found included after the accepted books of the New Testament in some of the early original manuscripts. So it is authentic, but we don’t know if its from the early Barnabus or not.

“The consumating period of trial (the great tribulation) as has been written, and as Daniel says, draws near; for the Lord has cut short the times and days,[23] in order that His beloved may hasten to His inheritance. Thus says the prophet, Ten Kingdoms shall reign on the earth, and after them shall arise a very little one who shall subdue three at once….Of this one, Daniel says again, And I saw the fourth Beast that came from the sea; and on it there appeared ten horns, and there came up another little horn in the midst of them, and overthrew three of the great horns.[24] Therefore, we ought to understand.”[25]

Here we see Barnabus accurately quoting from Daniel 7:24-25 and identifying the verses as pertaining to the Antichrist who is yet to come.

“In the six thousand years all things shall be finished. And He rested on the seventh day; this means, when His Son shall come, and shall abolish the time of the Wicked One and shall judge the ungodly, and shall change the sun and moon and stars; then He shall rest glorously on the seventh day.”[26]

According to Judaic eschatology the world would cover a 7,000 year period. Six thousand years under the rule of man and one thousand years under the rule of the Messiah. We have no Bible verses that confirm that idea, though the Bible does say the Lord would make a short work on the earth.[27] The Apostle Peter also says “one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”[28] In the Psalm of Moses we read, “A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by.”[29] Since God made the world and everything in it in six days and then rested on the seventh,[30] we can see where the Jewish idea of the Messiah coming for the last thousand year period came from. But we must say, that it seems to be Scriptural speculation.

Tertullian

Next, we will look at Tertullian who lived from A.D. 155 – 225. Tertillian was a prolific early Christian writer from Carthage in Africa of Berber descent and possibly a son of a Roman Centurian. He is called the Father of Western theology as he was the first theologian writing in Latin. He was also the first who used the term “trinity.” He converted around the age of 40 and said, “Christians are made, not born.” He was married to a Christian woman. He argued the principle of “sufficiency of scripture” and that Christian theology should not be dependent on any Academic philosophy.[31] Concerning Antichrist he wrote,

“Also in the Apocalyspe of John, there is laid down the course of the times, during which the souls of the martyrs beneath the altar, demanding vengence and judgment are instructed to wait. First, the earth must drink in its plagues from the vials of the angels; and the harlot city must suffer destruction by the ten Kings, and the Beast Antichrist with his false prophet, make war upon the Church of God; and then the Devil being banished for a season to the bottomless pit, the privilegie of the first resurrection will be adjuged, the sentence belonging to the universial resurrection, will be pronounced from the books.”

In the above quote, Tertullian first quotes from Revelation 6:9-11 about the martyrs of the faith having to wait for vengence against their enemies. Then he mentions the “plagues from the vials of angels” which is specifically from the Wrath of God found in Revelation 16. He skips over the trumpets of tribulation of chapters 8-10 which only show 1/3 destruction, and mentions the Vials of Wrath show complete destruction. From Revelation 17 and 18 he talks of the destruction of the harlot city “system.” He also mentions the Beast Antichrist and the false prophet of Revelation 13 and 19. He finishes up with his understanding of the events in Revelation 20. All very Scripturally presented, though without much detail.

Concerning the two witnesses of Revelation 11 he said the following:

“Enoch and Elias are translated; their death is not found, being delayed. Yet they are reserved to die, that with their blood they may extinguish Antichrist.”[32]

Image result for the 2 witnesses of revelation 11"

Since neither Enoch[33] nor Elijah[34] in the Old Testament died, but were both translated into Heaven, the early Christians came to believe the two witnesses of Revelation chapter 11 that witness against the Antichrist system in Jerusalem for almost 3 and ½ years will be anointed with the spirits of Enoch and Elijah. Many Bible scholars today believe that could be a correct interpretation.

Hippolytus

Our next Church Father is Hippolytus who lived from A.D. 170 – 235. Hippolytus was an important 2nd-3rd century Christian theologian whose whereabout is little known. Some suggest he may have been in opposition to the church of Rome that was growing up. Eusebius and Jerome confess they cannot name where Hippolytus served in church leadership. He may have been involved in Roman house-churches in conflict with the Bishop of Rome. During persecution under Emperor Maximinus Thrax he was exiled to Sardinia to work in the mines and as a result died. Pope Fabian (A.D. 236-250) brought his remains back to Rome for a church burial some years later.[35]

Speaking about the Image of Daniel 2 he wrote,

“After these come the Romans, being the iron legs of the Image – strong as iron: in order that the democracies which are about to rise, might be pointed out, answering respectively to the ten toes of the image, in which there will be iron mingled with clay.”[36]

Again we see that Hippolytus places the ten toes from the image in Daniel 2 in the future and predicts the rise of democracies as represented as clay in the image.

Origen

Origen of Alexandria, who lived from A.D. 184 – 254, was one of the most significant early apologists of the Christian faith especially the eastern branch as he wrote in Greek. He pioneered the idea of threefold interpretation of scripture: the literal, the ethical, and the spiritual. His view that the Father was more God than the Son was perceived as the root of the Arianism heresy and he was condemned as a heretic. The Arian heresy considered Jesus the first created being and therefore of lesser authority than God and not co-equal with God.[37]

Nevertheless, in reference to 2nd Thessalonians 2 he wrote,

“To explain the whole of this, is not our present business. But there is in Daniel a prophecy about this same Antichrist, which cannot but excite the admiration of any one who will read it with common sense and candour. For there, in words truly divine and prophetic, are described the kingdoms that were to come, beginning from the time of Daniel down to the destruction of the world. And this prophecy may be read of all men. Now see if Antichrist is not spoken of there also in these words, ‘In the end of their kingdoms when their transgressions are filled up, there shall rise a king impudent of face and understanding problems, and etc.’[38]”

“And that which I have already quoted from the words of Paul, that he shall sit in the Temple of God, showing himself that he is God[39] – even this also is said by Daniel, and in this manuer, ‘In the Temple shall be the abomination of desolation; and until the end of the time shall a consumation be given against the desolation.’[40]”[41]

Origen is very clearly quoting from Daniel 8 and 2nd Thessalonians 2 and Daniel 9:27, all in reference to the time of the Antichrist as some future event. He is, therefore, putting the fulfillment of Jesus’s words from Matthew 24 in the future under the Antichrist.

Victorinus of Pettau

We don’t know the date of Victorinus of Pettau’s birth but he was killed in A.D. 304. Victorinus was probably born in Greece, and though he spoke Greek, he wrote in Latin. He was highly spoken of by Jerome and was the Bishop of Pettau, located in modern day Slovenia. He saw the soon coming of Christ as a continuous thread throughout the book of Revelation. Before the end would come, he wrote, there would be wars, famines, pestilences, and persecution of Christians.[42] Victorinus was martyred during the persecutions of Emperor Diocletian.[43] Talking about the false prophet in Revelation 13, he said,

“He will cause that a golden Image of Antichrist should be placed in the Temple at Jerusalem; and that an apostate angel should enter thereinto; thence to utter voices and oracles.[44] He will also cause that slaves and free men should receive as a mark on their foreheads or in their right hands, the number of his name, that otherwise no one might buy or sell.[45]”[46]

In the above section, Victorinus speculates about how the image of Revelation 13:15 will speak and credits it to an apostate demonic angel. He quotes accuratedly from Revelation 13:16-17 about the mark of the beast.

Lactantius

Lactantius who lived from A.D. 240 – 320/325 was an early Christian author. He became advisor to the first Christian Roman emperor, Constantine I. He also tutored the emporer’s son Crispus who was between 10-15 at the time. Lactantius’s most important work was “The Divine Institutes,” an apologetic intended to establish the truth and reasonableness of Christianity to its pagan critics. Lactantius was a latin-speaking North African of Berber origin and was not born into a Christian family. He does not show much knowledge of Scripture in his writings but was good at rhetoric.[47] Speaking of the Antichrist he wrote,

“He will command fire to descend from Heaven,[48] and the sun to stand still in its course, and an Image to speak[49]; and these things shall be done at his command. By these prodigies the greater number even of wise men, will be enticed by him. Then he will attempt to overthrow the Temple of God, and will persecute the righteous people; and there shall be pressure and trial, such as never has been from the beginning of the world.”

In Revelation 13:13 we find Lactantius’s quote about “fire to descend from Heaven,” however, it is referring to the false prophet and not the Antichrist. There is no reference of the Antichrist or false prophet of being able to stop the sun in its course. Again it is the false prophet that has the power to make the image of the beast to speak. His reference to “the greater number even of wise men” being enticed either refers to Daniel 11:35 which says,

“And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white.”

Or to Jesus’s warning from the Gospel of Matthew chapter 24 which says,

“For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”[50]

Lactantinus continues,

“All who shall believe in, and receive him (i.e. the Antichrist), shall be marked by him, as so many sheep: but they who shall reject his mark, shall either fly to the mountains, or be seized and put to death….And it shall be given him to desolate the world for forty and two months (3 ½ years). This is the period in which righteousness will be cast out, and innocense detested. This is he who is called Antichrist – but he will feign himself to be Christ, and will fight against the true Christ.” [51]

The first section about receiving the mark is from Revelation 13.

“And he shall cause all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name…and his number is six hundred and threescore and six (666).”[52]

“Fly to the mountains” seems to be refering to Revelation 12 where the Church, or believing Christians, flee from the Antichrist during the period of Great Tribulation. Let’s read from the Bible:

“And to the woman (the Church of Christian believers) were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.”[53]

Or another possibility is that Lactanius is referring to Jesus’s words in the Gospel of Matthew,

“Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains.”[54]

Lactantius’s forty-two months comes from Revelation 13 which says,

“And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty.two months…And it was given unto him to make war with the saints and overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.”[55]

By and large we can see that the Church Fathers knew of and taught that the Second Coming of Christ would be preceded by the period of persecution under the Antichrist. They quoted extensively from Daniel, Matthew 24, 2nd Thessalonians 2, and Revelation to make their point. They looked to these events as in the future not as fulfilled in the past.

More Church Fathers and their ideas on the prophecies about the Antichrist.

Hilary of Poitiers

Moving on to the fourth century we go to Hilary of Poitiers who lived from A.D. 310 – 367. Hilary was the Bishop of Poitiers (France) and was sometimes referred to as the “Hammer of the Arians.” Born in a well-to-do pagan family, he studied the Old and New Testament and became a Christian with his wife and daughter. He was elected Bishop by the local people. “Hilary was a firm guardian of the trinity as taught by the Western church and therefore saw the foreseen Antichrist in those who repudiated the divinity of the Son and thought Him to be but a created being (the Arians).”[56] Writing on Bible prophecy he said,

“Antichrist, being received by the Jews, will occupy the holy Place, in order that, in the very spot where God was want to be worshipped by the prayers of saints, there he might be venerated and received with divine honours by the unbelievers.”[57]

Hilary’s quote seems to be a reference to Paul’s 2nd Epistle to the Thessalonians where he says,

“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day (the day of Christ’s coming and our gathering together unto Him), shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition. Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” [58]

Ambrose of Milan

Our next Church Father is Ambrose who lived from A.D. 340 – 397. Ambrose was Archbishop of Milan and became one of the most influential ecclesiastical figures of the 4th century. He was a staunch opponent of Arianism. Augustine of Hippo was converted through his contact with Ambrose.[59] Writing about the Antichrist and when Jerusalem shall be compassed with armies, he said,

“Truly ye shall see Jerusalem compassed by an army, and stormed by a Roman general; whence the Jews thought the abomination of desolation was set up when the Romans, mocking the Jewish cerimonial, threw a swine’s head into the Temple. With which I am not so mad as to agree – for the abomination of desolation is the abominable advent of Antichrist who with ill omend sacrilege will defile the inner chambers of men’s minds, and will moreover sit literally in the Temple, usurping the throne of Divine power…. then will come desolation, seeing that most will fall away from true religion, and lapse into error. Then will come the Day of the Lord.”

Ambose in the first section is clarifying that we will yet see Jerusalem compassed by an army. He does not agree with the Jews who say this prophecy was finally fulfilled by Antiochus Epiphanes before the time of Christ who threw a swine’s head into the temple in Jerusalem.[60] He believes we will yet see Antichrist sitting in the Temple as God, usurping God’s power which will bring on desolation as most of mankind will have fallen away from faith into unbelief. The results will be the Day of the Lord which signifies Christ’s return to save His own and then destroy the Antichrist and false prophet during the Battle of Armageddon. We have seen these events in the Scriptures already, so what Ambrose is saying is Scriptural.

Cyril of Jerusalem

Cyril was Bishop of Jerusalem and lived from A.D. 313 – 386. He was declared Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIII (1878 – 1903). Cyril’s writings are filled with the loving and forgiving nature of God which was somewhat uncommon during his time period.[61] On Bible prophecy he wrote the following, but instead of commenting at the end, I will place the Scripture reference in the text so that you see Cyril is quoting Scripture.

“These thing we teach, not inventing them for ourselves, but learning them from the divine canonical Scriptures, and especially from Daniel. Even as Gabriel the Archangel interpreted, saying, that the fourth Beast should be the fourth Empire on the earth, and should surpass all the Empires that had gone before.[62] I have already said, that ecclesiatical writers have delivered down, that this Empire is Rome. For after the Assyrian Empire had risen into distinction first – second, that of the Medes and Persians – third, that of the Macedonians – the fourth Empire, which at present exists, is that of the Romans. Gabriel procedes to explain, that its ten horns are ten kings who shall arise: and after them, shall arise another king, who shall exceed in evil all that have gone before – not only the ten, but all who have proceded; and he shall subdue three kings[63]….And who this person is, and from what energy he acts, do thou, O Paul, signify. ‘Whose coming,’ he says, ‘is after the working of Satan, with all power, and signs, and deceiving wonders,’[64] intinating this, that Satan uses this person as an instrument, personally acting in him. Again, the Apostle says; ‘Who opposes and exalts himself against every thing that is called God, or that is worshipped….so that he seats himself in the Temple of God.’[65] – What Temple? – The destroyed Temple of the Jews. God forbid it should be that in which we are. Why do I say this? I tell the reason, in order that I may not be thought to be showing favour to ourselves. If he comes to the Jews as Christ, and desires to be worshipped by the Jews, in order that he might the better deceive them, he will be most diligent about the Temple, thus causing it to be thought that he is of the family of David, the one destined to raise the Temple of Solomon….At first he will assune the appearance of philanthropy[66] – but afterwards, will show himself full of stern severity, especially towards the saints of God; for he says, ‘I beheld, and that horn made war with the saints,’[67] etc – and again, ‘There shall be a time of tribulation – tribulation such has not been, since the time there was a nation upon the earth.’[68] On this account, the Lord knowing the mightiness of the adversary, gives permission to the godly, saying, ‘Then let those who are in Judea, flee,’[69] etc….but thanks be to God who has circumscribed the greatness of the affliction within the compass of a few days – for He says, that ‘for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.’[70] Antichrist shall reign three and a half years only. I say not this from the Apocryphal writings, but from Daniel; for he says, ‘and it shall be given into his hand until a time, times, and half a time,’[71] etc – now a time is one year.”[72]

Cyril emphasizes that his ideas on Bible prophecy didn’t come from the Apocryphal books, which were considered good or interesting literature, but not Divine Scriptures. His ideas come from the book of Daniel which was part of the Jewish Old Testament and therefore, Sacred scripture.

Cyril seems to speculate that the Antichrist will rebuild the Temple of Solomon. Apostle Paul’s writings to the Thessalonians indicate the Antichrist will sit in the Temple of God. What or where that Temple will be, we don’t know for sure. But both in Daniel 8:11 and Daniel 11:31 are indications that the Antichrist will stop the “daily sacrífice.” If there is a “daily Sacrifice” then we assume there must be a Temple in which to sacrífice. Let’s read the two verses from Daniel:

“Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrífice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary cast down.”

“And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrífice, and they shall place the abomination that makes desolate.”

Cyril is therefore placing the fulfillment of these Scripture in the future which causes him to speculate that a Temple will be built by the Antichrist to please and deceive the Jews, who are anticipating that the Messiah will rebuild the Temple. Some modern day eschatology scholars both Christian and Jewish agree that a new Temple needs to be built.

John Chrysostom

John Chrysostom, who lived from A.D. 349 – 407, was Archbishop of Constantinople and an important Early Church Father. He is known for his preaching and public speaking and his denunciation of abuse of authority by church and political leaders. He was one of the most prolific authors of the early Church, exceeded only by Augustine of Hippo in the quantity of his surviving writings. He was a hermit for two years which damaged his stomach and kidneys. His straightforward understanding of the Scriptures meant that the themes of his talks were practical, explaining the Bible’s application to everyday life. He founded a series of hospitals in Constantinople to care for the poor.[73] Speaking on the Antichrist he wrote,

“He is called a son of perdiction[74], because he himself will perish. And who is he? Satan? By no means; but a certain man, receiving all the operation of Satan. There shall be revealed, it says, the man who will be extolled above all that is called God, or that is made an object of worship. For he will not incite men to worship idols, but it will be himself as Antitheos. He will put down all gods, and command men to worship him as the very God. And he will sit in the Temple of God[75]; not only that which is in Jerusalem, but in the churches everywhere.”[76]

Of course, the above quote is another example of the Church Father’s quoting from Apostle Paul’s 2nd Epistle to the Thessalonians chapter 2, again, perfectly scriptural.

Jerome

Jerome lived from A.D. 347 – 420 and was born in the town of Striden, the exact location of which is not known today, but somewhere within Croatia, Slovenia, or Bosnia área of former Yugoslavia. Jerome is best known for his translation of most of the Bible into Latin, known as the Latin Vulgate, and for his homolies or commentaries on the Gospels. After a serious sickness he lay aside his secular studies to devote himself to God.[77]

“Therefore let us say, that which all ecclesiatical writers have delivered, that at the end of the world, when the kingdom of the Romans is to be destroyed, there will be ten kings to divide the Roman world amongst themselves, and that there will arise an eleventh, a very little king who will overcome three of the ten kings,….after the destruction of which kings, the seven other kings will submit their necks to the conqueror.[78] And behold, he says, there were eyes like the eyes of a man in that horn.[79] Let us not think, according to the opinions of some, that he is either a devil or a demon, but one from among men, in whom the whole of Satan is about to dwell bodily. And a mouth speaking great things: for he is the man of sin, the son of perdition, so as to sit in the Temple of God, showing that he is God.[80]”[81]

“’I beheld on account of the great words that the horn spake,’ etc. The judgment of God comes to crush pride: therefore the Roman Empire will be blotted out, because that horn spake great things[82]….Time signifies a year, times (according to the idiom of the Hebrews, who themselves have a dual number) signify two years – half a time, six months; during which period, the saints are to be given over to Antichrist[83], that the Jews might be condemned, who, not believing the truth, have taken up with a lie. Concerning which period also the Saviour speaks in the Gospel, ‘Unless those days were shortened there should no flesh be saved.’[84]”[85]

Concerning Antiochus Epiphanes (175 – 164 B.C.) who violated the Temple and placed an abomination there, a swine’s head, prior to the time of Christ,[86] Jerome wrote,

“Most of our people refer it to Antichrist and say, that what was done under Antiochus (IV) in type is to be fulfilled under the other in reality.”

Augustine of Hippo (Algeria)

Augustine lived from A.D. 354 – 430. His mother was Christian and his father an unbeliever who converted on his deathbed. They were a highly Romanized Berber family that spoke Latin at home. As a youth he fell away from the faith of his mother and for a time led a hedonistic lifesytle. However, he was a brilliant student, though he struggled in his Greek studies as he didn’t like his professor whom he felt was too stern. Eventually, Augustine obtained a job in Milan as a professor of Rhetoric. It was in Milan that he came in contact with Ambrose whose good example led Augustine to accept Christianity. Augustine said it was Ambrose’s friendliness that attracted him as he was not expecting to find the truth in Christianity. Augustine was the most famous of the Church fathers and wrote extensively in Latin. He made the following comment on 2nd Thessalonians 2:

“No one doubts that the Apostle said these things of Antichrist; and that the day of judgment, which he here calls the Day of the Lord, will not come, unless he, whom he calls an apostate, that is to say, from the Lord God, shall first come….But in what Temple of God he is about to sit is uncertain; whether in that ruined Temple, which was constructed by Solomon, or in the Church: for the Apostle would not call the temple of any idol or demon – the Temple of God.”

Often prophecy is not understood until after the fact.

We see Augustine was trying to figure out what the Scripture meant by “sitting in the temple of God.” Scripture tends to be better understood as it becomes fulfilled. The disciples of Jesus didn’t understand the Old Testament prophecies about Jesus until he opened up the minds of their reasoning “after the fact.” We read in Luke the story of the two disciples travelling to a small town outsider of Jerusalem on the third day after His death. Jesus in disguise walks and talks with them. Luke records the event,

“Then he (Jesus) said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself….And they said one to another, Did not our hearts burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the Scriptures.”[87]

Even Daniel didn’t understand the prophecies he receieved until God revealed unto him what they meant. In Daniel 12, his last chapter of prophecy, the Lord twice tells Daniel not to worry if he doesn’t understand what he’s writing, because the words were not for him, but for the future and would be sealed until the time of the end.

“But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end….for the words are closed up and sealed til the time of the end.”[88]

Even Isaac Newton tried to forgive out what the prophecies in Daniel meant, but without much success. We living today have a better chance at understanding the prophecies, because we are living closer to their fulfillment. God will open up our eyes as the events come upon us and as He wills. He has told us that he will do nothing but he reveal it to His servants the prophets.[89] But it behooves us to be attentive and search the Scriptures daily, whether these things are so.[90]

Getting back to Augustine’s writing, we conclude with a statement from B.W.Newton, the 19th century Bible commentator, who correctly observed.

“Augustine speaks of the four Empires mentioned in Daniel, as being those of Assyria, Persia, Macedon, and Rome; and refers to the commentary of Jerome on Daniel as a book which he highly approved. He adds that it is impossible for any one to read Daniel in the most careless manner, without seeing that the reign of Antichrist, although brief, will be most fierce against the Church. He interprets the time, times, and half of times as meaning three years and a half, and speaks of the unequalled season of tribulation as future.”[91]

Theodoret of Cyrus

Theodoret lived from A.D. 393 – 458/466 and was an influential theologian of the School of Antioch, the ruins of which lie near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey. The followers of Jesus were first called Christians in Antioch[92] where Apostle Paul spent time teaching.[93] Theodoret was a Bilbical commentator and later Bishop of Cyrus.[94]

Reading again from Bible commentator B.W. Newton, we see that Theodoret continues with the same manner of interpretation as those before him.

“Theodoret, like those who have preceded, explains the metals of the second chapter, and the beasts of the seventh, as referring to the four successive empires of Assyria, Persia, Greece and Rome. Speaking of the little horn in the seventh chapter, he says that the prophet thereby indicates Antichrist. He supposes that it is called little, because Antichrist will arise from a little tribe of the Jews. He quotes and supplies the 2nd Thessolonians 2 in the same way as the (early) writers quoted. He forcibly describes his (the Antichrist’s) violent persecution of the saints, and says that they are to be delivered into his hands for three years and a half, at the end of which time he will be destroyed by the personal appearing of the Lord Jesus.”[95]

“In his commentary on the eleventh of Daniel, he explains the prophecy respecting the vile person,[96] of Antiochus Epiphanes (175 – 164 B.C.) -- considers that those who are described as strong and doing exploits in the 32nd verse, are the Maccabees[97] – and thinks that Antichrist is not mentioned in that chapter until the 36th verse, as “the king who shall do according to his will.” After speaking of Antiochus Epiphanes, the prophet passes from the likeness to the antitype; for the Antichrist is the antitype of Antiochus (IV), and Antiochus the likeness of Antichrist. He then quotes the 2nd Thessalonians 2, and the words of our Lord in Matthew respecting the unequalled tribulation, and supplies them to the period of Antichrist.”[98]

Gregory of Tours

The last of the Church Father’s that we will mention is Gregory of Tours who lived from A.D. 538 – 594. Gregory was a Gallo – Roman historian and Bishop of Tours in France, which made him the leading Church figure in Gaul (France).

“Concerning the end of the world, I believe what I have learnt from those who have gone before me. Antichrist will assume circumcision, asserting himself to be the Christ. He will then place a statue to be worshipped in the Temple at Jerusalem[99], as we read that our Lord said, ‘Ye shall see the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place.´[100]”[101]

Gregory’s conclusion seem similar to those who went before him just as he said. Like the others, he confirms that the ultimate fulfillment of Jesus’s mention of the “abomination of desolation” from the book of Daniel is still a future event.

Alcuin of York

Although not specifically a Church Father, Alcuin, who lived from A.D. 735 – 804, was an influential Church scholar of the 8th century. Alcuin was born in Northumbria, Great Britain. He was a monk and aquired one of the best libraries in Europe which made York one of the major centers of learning. In 782 A.D. he was requested by Charles the Great to take care of the educational facilities for his court and was counsellor to the emperor.[102] Much of what he wrote was unscriptural, but in the midst of his superstitious and erroneous writing we find, concerning the time of the Antichrist, [103]

“And because the persecution will be most cruel at Jerusalem, therefore the martyrdoms of the saints are spoken of as being there: for the Jews will be the principle adherents of Antichrist, until they who are to be saved among them are converted by the preaching of Elias and Enoch (the Two Endtime Witnesses – Revelation 11).”[104]

King Richard I

Again King Richard I of England was not a Church Father. He lived from A.D. 1157 – 1199. The following quote was recorded by Roger of Hoveden who lived during the reign of Henry II of England. Richard supposedly met a certain famous abbot in Sicily on his way to Palestine during his Crusade. Richard disagreed with the abbot’s wild Biblical speculations and said,

“I thought that Antichrist would be born at Antioch, or at Babylon from the family of Dan, and would reign in the Temple of the Lord at Jerusalem, and would walk in the land in which Christ walked, and reign in it for three years and a half, and contend against Elias and Enoch (the two end-time witnesses), and would kill them, and afterwards himself perish.”[105]

I have included King Richard the Lion-Hearted to show that some knowledge of Bible Prophecy concerning the Antichrist was common to the educated and ruling class. The Church Fathers knew of and taught that the Second Coming of Christ would be preceded by the period of persecution under the Antichrist. They quoted extensively from Daniel, Matthew 24, 2nd Thessalonians 2, and Revelation to make their point.

Daniel 11:30-35 The abomination of desolation: a past of future event or both?

We have seen that the Church Fathers put the events talked by Jesus in Matthew 24 into the future. They interpreted “the abomination of desolation” and its evil king as pertaining to the Antichrist in a future event. Let us read from Daniel 11:30-35 and continue our analysis of the Scriptures.

“For the ships of Kittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant. And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate. And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days. Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries. And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.”[106]

In the above verses some Bible scholars say that the first verses are not futuristic but past and were fulfilled by Antiochus Epiphanes who reigned from 175 – 164 B.C. Again, the trouble with this is why would Jesus mention Daniel and the abomination of desolation when talking about His return if it had already been fulfilled by Antiochus Epiphanes? Some will say, then maybe it represents Titus who came in 70 A.D. and destoyed the Temple and Jerusalem. But no ships from Chittim, or what is considered Cyprus, came against Titus at that time. And yet both these men could be considered partial fulfillment of the prophecy.

From what we have read from the Church Fathers we see that they generally believed that the “abomination of desolation” was a future event which involved the Antichrist and which was partially fulfilled in the past. Taking Jesus’s words from Matthew 24 they looked beyond Titus’s destruction of Jerusalem to a future event. Let’s look at Jesus’s words once again.

“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet stand in the Holy Place,(let whosever reads understand),…For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the word to this time, no, nor shall ever be. And except those days be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened….Immediately after the tribulation of those days…they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”[107]

It seems that Jesus connects the placing of the abomination of desolation to a future event associated with His return. The Church Fathers also defended the idea that the abomination of desolation was connected to the Antichrist in a future event before the return of Christ. Therefore, we will assume the “him” in Daniel 11:30, whom the ships of Chittim come against, is the Antichrist. We will assume the “he” of verse 30 is the Antichrist. Why? Because in verse 31 “he,” i.e. the Antichrist, sends “his” “arms” or military “to take away the daily sacrífice, and place the abomination that makes desolate.” We have just showed that the Church Fathers believed the Antichrist would be the ultimate fulfillment of placing the abomination of desolation in the Temple. Also, we believe Jesus’s words are true. The warning about the placing of the “abomination of desolation” in Matthew 24:15, then makes sense as a future event yet to come to pass.

What are the attributes of the Antichrist?

Most modern Bible scholars assume “the king” spoken of in verse 36 onward in the Daniel 11 prophecy to be referring to the Antichrist. Let’s read what it says.

“And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things. Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.”[108]

The attributes of the Antichrist found in these lines show that he exalts himself above every god and speaks out against “the God of gods.” The Apostle Paul writing in the 60s A.D. tells us that before the coming of Christ will be the coming of Antichrist. Let us read the complete section from 2nd Thessalonians 2 and see how the Apostle Paul describes the Antichrist.

“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.”[109]

Here we see Apostle Paul describing some of the same qualities of the Antichrist that we have seen before. He “opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped.” His “coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders.” In Revelation 13 Apostle John gives similar characteristics to the “beast,” some of which we have already noted. But let’s read it in full.

“And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”[110]

We see the “beast” or Antichrist has great power, great speaking abilities, and blasphemies against God, just as we have seen before. Let us review what we have mentioned briefly from Daniel 7 and 8 and see the similar qualities of Antichrist.

“And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.”[111]

“Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered. And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.”[112]

The Demonic power of the Antichrist

In Revelation 12 we also see the demonic forces at large, not in the person of the Antichrist, but in the manifestation of the Devil himself, the spiritual force behind Antichrist.

“And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knows that he hath but a short time. And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”[113]

Here we see the Devil being thrown out of the spiritual realm onto the earth with his fellow demons. They, knowing that their time is short before they will be thrown into the lake of fire, make havoc on the earth. We see the attributes of a mouth casting out a flood of lies against the believers and the persecution of God’s saints. I think the cohesive way these verses talk about the same thing makes a good argument that they indeed are talking about the same man, the Antichrist, the son of perdition. It all weaves nicely together.

But what about the King of the North and the King of the South?

Let’s take a look at the last verses in Daniel 11.

“And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon (the present day country of Jordan, a country essentially of refugees). He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps. But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many. And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.[114]

Who is the “king of the south?” Who is the “king of the north?” Without understanding these key players it will be hard to interpret the prophecy. In the first part of the prophecy it says, “the king of the south shall push at him.” Who is the “him?” By going back to the previous verses we can find who “he” is, as a pronoun usually refers back to a preceding noun. From verses 36-39 we can see the “him” has the same attributes given in other scriptures to the “beast” or Antichrist or “son of perdition.” In verse 36 we read,

The person whom the prophecy has been speaking about in the verses prior to verse 40 is generally considered by most Bible scholars today to be the Antichrist. Therefore, we can conclude that the “him” whom the king of the south pushes against in verse 40 is also the Antichrist.

The verse in Daniel continues,

“and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.” [116]

The King of the North is the Antichrist and the King of the South is Israel!

The question is, who is the “him” that the "king of the north" comes against? One famous Bible scholar, John Nelson Darby, stated that it seemed to him that the “king of the north” comes against the Antichrist in these verses. Darby assumed the "him" was the Antichrist. But then he was honest enough to add that it seemed that the "king of the north" in the rest of the chapter had all the attributes of the Antichrist. How can this dilemma be solved? Here’s a simple solution: if the “him” that the "king of the north" comes against is not the Antichrist, but the "king of the south," then the problem is solved. The "him," in this case, is referring back to the "king of the south" who had just been mentioned before hand in the previous section of the verse, which is how a pronoun is usually used. The "king of the north" is the Antichrist and he and his confederacy come against the "king of the south" and its confederacy. Who is the “king of the south”? None other than Israel and Israel’s allies, who are none other than the USA, Great Britain, and at this moment even Saudi Arabia.

Let’s substitute the names “king of the north” and “king of the south” for the pronouns him and he and see how this verse reads and if it makes better sense.

“And at the time of the end shall the king of the south (Israel and her allies) push at him, (the king of the north, who is the Antichrist):and the king of the north shall come against him, (the king of the south, who is Israel and her allies), like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and he, (the king of the north, who is the Antichrist), shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. He, (the king of the north, who is the Antichrist), shall enter also into the glorious land, (Israel), and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his, (the king of the north’s), hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. (These tribal names comprise the area of modern day Jordan which happens to be a country teaming with refugees from the recent wars in the Middle East and not a military threat to either side.)

Does this make any sense? Is there anywhere else in Scripture where we see something similar happening? Any other confirming Scriptures in the Bible which show a similar scenario? Let’s continue are search.

Do we see any other prophets confirming what we’ve seen so far?

In Zechariah we see other confirming verses that show that God is going to judge Israel and the world in the last days which seem to verify what we have been discovering.

“The burden of the word of the Lord for Israel, saith the Lord, which stretches forth the heavens, and lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him. Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.”[117]

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We remember that Ambrose of Milan mentioned in his writing that Jerusalem would be surrounded by an army:

“Truly ye shall see Jerusalem compassed by an army, and stormed…for the abomination of desolation is the abominable advent of Antichrist who…will defile the inner chambers of men’s minds, and will moreover sit literally in the Temple, usurping the throne of Divine power…. then will come desolation, seeing that most will fall away from true religion, and lapse into error. Then will come the Day of the Lord.”

Zechariah continues,

“Behold, the day of the Lord comes, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.”[118]

So we see in Zechariah that the Lord is saying that in the last days Jerusalem would be a problem for the world, a cup of trembling, a burdensome stone. He says all nations will gather themselves against Jerusalem. Will Israel be judged for her sins along with America and the luke-warm Christian Church who failed miserably to be light and salt to a dying world? God’s word says,

“For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God.”[119]

God has judged His own in the past which we see in the history of the Jewish people, the Church, and with the nations of men. Is there any other place in Scripture depicting a similar invasion of Israel in the last days?

Ezekiel’s invasion of Israel from the north.

In Ezekiel we find a very interesting prophecy about the invasion of Israel from the north in the last days. Let us read from Ezekiel 38.

“And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:”[120]

Some Bible scholars believe this prophecy is talking about the invasion of Israel by the “king of the north” in the last days. Some designate Russia as the possible home of Gog, Magog, Meshech and Tubal. Others suggest Turkey or Iran.

“And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee. Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.”[121]

Here we see an immense military force with an alignment of the nations of Persia, which is modern day Iran, Ethiopia, Libya, Gomer, which may be parts of eastern Europe or Germany, and Togarmah, which is often interpreted as Turkey, uniting with the northern force of Gog in an invasion of Israel in the last days. Is it strange that Russia, Turkey and Iran have recently made a military aliance and are sharing military information? Turkey for many years had been in the hands of NATO and thus aligned with America and Israel. But because of the war in Syria, Turkey has moved closer to Russia without completely breaking its commitments with the west.

“After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.”[122]

It is only since 1948 that Israel has been a country once again after nearly 1,878 years since the time of Jerusalem’s destruction in 70 A.D. Today’s Israel has been gathered out of many nations as the Jewish people have returned from the countries where they had been dispersed for nearly 2,000 years. The country laid waste in the hands of the Bedouin Arabs, but since the Jews have returned the desert has blossomed like the rose[123] and Israel exports fruit all over world,[124] just like the prophecies of Isaiah predicted. Some believe it’s all a fulfilment of those prophecies.

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In Ezekiel we see the northern confederacy of nations are coming against a restored Israel, dwelling safely. Is Israel safe today? Not absolutely safe, but relatively. She has dominated the Palestinians and their friends. Defeated Lebanon and Egypt and Syria in war. America defeated Iraq and Libya for her. Israel has a peace treaty with Egypt and is on good relations with Saudi Arabia. Both Israel and Saudi Arabia see Iran as a threat to Middle East stability, and therefore have a good working relationship. Syria’s recent war has left it devastated and no threat to Israel. So I would be so bold to say that Israel is dwelling safer today than she has been in the last 70 years.

If the Antichrist is the King of the North, who is the King of the South?

“Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee. Thus saith the Lord God ; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought: And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.”[125]

The Antichrist forces will come against a restored Israel, “gathered out of the nations,” a wealthy Israel dwelling in the midst of the lands.

“Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?”[126]

Who are Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish?

Sheba and Dedan are considered by Bible scholars to be the country of Saudi Arabia, which just happens to be a strong ally of America and Israel at this moment in time. The Saudis and some of their neighboring kingdoms are Sunni Muslims, while Iran, not an Arab country, is a Shi’ite Muslim nation. Iran is allied with Russia and Turkey and Saudi Arabia is allied with America and Israel. Egypt, also, has a peace agreement with Israel and receives massive financial aid from the USA. There is a division among the Sunni and the Shi’ite Muslims and especially between Iran and Saudi Arabia for the title of the most dominant Muslim nation. Russia has been backing the Syrian Shi’ite nation in the recent conflict in the Middle East. So in the prophecy we see Saudi Arabia and its allies questioning "Gog's" or Russia’s intentions in the Middle East. Russia also has built a naval base in Syria just north of Israel.

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Concerning the “merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof,” there has been much debate about exactly who they represent. Some say Tarshish was Spain and therefore since the Spanish Empire reached to the Americas, the USA could be included in her “young lions.” Others push Tarshish up to England as tin was known to come from Tarshish and England was rich in tin. The British Empire reached even further than the Spanish Empire including North America, and Australia which would be considered England’s “young lions.” In either case, we can include America as part of the “young lions” which ally with Israel. Since England and America are greater friends of present day Israel than Spain, I am inclined to give the “merchants of Tarshish” to the British rather than the Spanish. The British proved far greater merchants than the Spanish and extended their empire around the world. Back to the prophecy of Ezekiel.

Why will God let the invasion of Israel take place?

“Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord God; In that day when my people of Israel dwells safely, shalt thou not know it? And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army: And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes. Thus saith the Lord God; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?”[127]

It is at this point in time that Israel will be judged for her sins in sight of all the nations of the world. The Antichrist, the beast, the king of the north, shall come against Israel to judge her and her allies for their sins against God and man. All the world will know that Israel deserves it for the way they have treated the Palestinian people in captivity and for many other crimes perpetrated through their intelligence organization the Mossad which is the Israeli CIA.

Are there any other prophecies that confirm the conclusions we are making?

The prophet Jeremiah also spoke concerning the days of Israel’s judgment.

“For, lo, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the Lord: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it. And these are the words that the Lord spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah. For thus saith the Lord; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask ye now, and 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: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.”[128]

Jeremiah is predicting the return of the Jews to Jerusalem and Israel after its destruction. Often Scripture has intermediate fulfilment and then final fulfilment of prophecy. We have seen this with Antiochus Epiphanes and Titus in their placing the abomination of desolation in the Temple. Here we see it again. As Jeremiah’s prophecy could be considered fulfilled with the destruction of Jerusalem by both Nebuchadnezzar and Titus. However, many Bible scholar’s predict a third destruction and consider that final destruction: “Jacob’s trouble.” At the end of the chapter we read,

“Behold, the whirlwind of the Lord goes forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind: it shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked. The fierce anger of the Lord shall not return, until he have done it, and until he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it.”[129]

Here we see God is going to judge the wicked in the latter days. He is going to judge Israel and ultimately judge the world, and judge the Antichrist who Apostle Paul called "the wicked one." In Zechariah we also have seen the same scenario. God judging both Israel and the world. Let’s get back to Ezekiel 38 where we see the same picture.

Ezekiel’s Prophecy Continues

“And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord God, that my fury shall come up in my face. For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord God: every man's sword shall be against his brother. And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the Lord.”[130]

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Where else do we see hailstones, fire, and brimstone in the Bible?

Let us note here the term “great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.” Do we see these terms used elsewhere in the Scriptures? In the book of Revelation we do. The first angel of sounded the first trumpet of tribulation and we see hail and fire mixed together.

“The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.”[131]

The next place in the book of Revelation where we see “fire and brimstone” is close to the end of the tribulation trumpets. There are seven tribulation trumpets. The seventh is the “last trump” which Apostle Paul said would be when Jesus returns and the rapture take place. Let’s read from Paul’s writings.

“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”[132]

Obviously, Apostle Paul is talking about the rapture or resurrection of the saints at the last day when Christ returns for His church. We see Paul designates it as the “last trump.” Apostle John reveals in Revelation that there are seven trumpets of tribulation.

“And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.”[133]

Of course, I have called them the trumpets of tribulation because each trumpet pronounces a terrible plague upon the earth, although not as terrible as the “vials of wrath” which will be poured out later. The trumpets bring usually a one-third destruction: a one-third destruction of the trees, one-third destruction of the creatures that live in the sea, one-third destruction of the ships that sail the seas, a one-third destruction of nature’s light source, and a one-third destruction of mankind.

Let’s look at the sixth trump, the one before the “last trump,” and see what kind of destruction it foretells.

“One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter. And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.”[134]

So here we see once again the “fire and brimstone” helping to bring about the death of a third of mankind with some two hundred million men going to war. In Revelation, at this point, the seventh angel begins to sound and John is not permitted to share with us what the seven thunders uttered. But he does say the following:

What is the Mystery of God that Apostle John was not allowed to share?

“But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.”[135]

Is Apostle John talking about the same mystery Apostle Paul noted in his letter to the Corinthians, the mystery of the rapture at the “last trump”? In Apostle Paul’s first fletter to the Thessalonians we read:

“For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”[136]

It looks like that secret rapture that some of the evangelicals are expecting won’t be so secret after all. Let’s read from Jesus’s own words in Matthew 24.

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Sounds like a lot of noise with all those trumpets blaring.

If God is righteous, He has to judge the wicked.

God is going to judge Israel and her allies for their sins and he will use Antichrist to do it. Just as he used Nebuchadnezzar to judge Israel in 538 B.C. and just as he used Antiochus Epiphanes in 175 – 164 B.C. and the Roman leader Titus in 70 A.D., so will he use Antichrist to judge the nation of Israel, the Christian Church, and the world in the not too distant future. But it doesn’t stop there. God only let’s evil destroy and punish evil for a time. Then in His righteousness He must intervene and stop the evil, the Antichrist, and save those who call upon Him and those who believe in Him. That’s where the rapture takes place at the end of the tribulation trumpets which were being poured on the wicked. After the rapture comes the vials of wrath which are poured out upon the unbelieving world and the followers of the Antichrist. Let us continue to read from Ezekiel 39.

Are Ezekiel 39, Revelation 19, and Zechariah 13 talking about the same event?

“Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord God ; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel: And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand. Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee:”[138]

This sounds like the destruction of the Antichrist at the Battle of Armageddon. What does the prophet mean by, “I will leave but the sixth part of thee?” Could this prophecy be related to Revelation 9:16 which mentions an army of two hundred million men? If so, and only one sixth part of them were left or around thirty-three million men, that would mean some one hundred and sixty-seven million men were slain in the invasion of Israel. That’s an awful lot of men.

In Zechariah 13 we read,

"And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God."[33a]

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Does that mean that 2/3 or 5.6 million of present day Israel of 8.5 million people will die under the judgments of God through the wars of the Antichrist? Does that mean only the 1/3 or 2.8 million in Israel will call upon the Lord during the wrath of God and accept Christ and therefore live through the wrath of God on into the millennium age?

Will We Have Nuclear War?

The prophecy in Ezekiel continues,

“I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God. And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the Lord.”[139]

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The imagery here could easily depict nuclear exchange between Magog whom we think we have identified as Russia, and “them that dwell carelessly in the isles.” Who are they that dwell carelessly in the isles which Magog would want to destroy as they invaded Israel? Probably Israel’s friends. Both America and Great Britain have been friends of Israel since its creation. The Balfour Declaration in 1917, the League of Nations assignment of Great Britain as the governor of Palestine after the war in 1947 and finally, President Trump’s moving the American Embassy to Jerusalem in 2017, all show how intimately Israel has been with America and Great Britain. Surely these are two of Israel’s greatest allies. Could the imagery of “them that dwell carelessly in the isles” represent Great Britain and her off-shoot or “young lion” America? If one-third of mankind is to die at this time, or some 2.3 billion people, wouldn’t it seem likely these death would occur around the Middle East. But, if a nuclear exchange occurred between Russia and America, then much of the northern hemisphere would also be affected and could easily end up killing 2.3 billion people, if not more.

Why would God allow those in the Northern hemisphere to suffer rather than those in the Southern hemisphere? It is the rich northern and western nations which have been blessed with the knowledge of God and His word and His will and have failed like Israel of old to obey His voice and His commandments which are not grievous. It is from the leading nations of the Europe, from Great Britain, from America, that many of the antichrist doctrines of today are being fomented and hoisted onto the rest of the world. Gay marriage, abortion, eutanásia, molecule to man evolution, materialism, skepticism, atheism, naturalism are some of the false ideas and laws passed by man but contrary to the ways and laws of God. It is in the northern nations that the business of war and weapons of war has been developed. It is in the northern nations that men have forgotten God and worshipped the works of their own hands. In Apostle Paul’s letter to Timothy we find Paul’s description of the antichrist future:

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“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boaster, proud, blasphemer, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinente, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away…Every learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth…men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith…Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. Bute vil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.”[140]

We could fill up various pages with similar prophecies from both Apostle Paul and Apostle Peter describing the antichrist world of their future and our present world. But as our focus is another área of Bible prophecy, I will simple leave some references in the following footnote for further investigation.[141]

Back to our main study on the King of the north and the King of the south. In Zechariah we read,

“And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.”[142]

Those who experienced and lived through the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki confirm that nuclear bombs resulted in men’s eyes consuming away in their holes. In Isaiah we read a similar description of the “day of the Lord.”

“They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the Lord, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land. Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt: And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travails: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames. Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir. Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.”[143]

If so many lives will be destroyed at this time, at least one-third of mankind, a man will be of more value than gold or silver. Again, although this prophecy was no doubt partially fulfilled with Nebuchadnezzar and Titus, will the ultimate fulfillment be with the invasion of Israel in the last days, the “day of the Lord,” the “day of Jacob’s trouble”? Back to Ezekiel 39.

What Will It Be Like After the War?

“So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel. Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord God; this is the day whereof I have spoken. And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years: So that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests; for they shall burn the weapons with fire: and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord God . And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The valley of Hamon–gog. And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land. Yea, all the people of the land shall bury them; and it shall be to them a renown the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord God. And they shall sever out men of continual employment, passing through the land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search. And the passengers that pass through the land, when any seeth a man's bone, then shall he set up a sign by it, till the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamon–gog. And also the name of the city shall be Hamonah. Thus shall they cleanse the land.”[144]

In these verses we see it will take more than a seven month clean up job to bury the dead bodies of those that fell in that tremendous battle.

“And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood. Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan. And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you. Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord God.”[145]

Do We See the Imagery of Birds Eating the Flesh of a Defeated Army Anywhere Else?

Where else in Scripture doe we see similar imagery? That’s right, in the book of Revelation chapter nineteen after the destruction of Babylon the Whore. We see Jesus coming back to “judge and make war.”[146] “And the armies which were in heaven followed him.”[147] Let us read from Apostle John’s writings.

“And out of his mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND Lord OF LORDS. And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.”[148]

The imagery is the same, therefore, we have good reason that they are describing the same event.

Returning to Ezekiel’s prophecy:

Why Does God Let His Judgments Fall?

“And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them. So the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God from that day and forward. And the heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity: because they trespassed against me, therefore hid I my face from them, and gave them into the hand of their enemies: so fell they all by the sword. According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions have I done unto them, and hid my face from them.”[149]

Here God is explaining why this happened. It has happened because God’s people, both the Jews and the Christians failed in the message they were to bring to the nations. They failed to be lights shining in the darkness and used God’s blessing to their own advantage and failed in their mission as God’s emissaries, as God’s ambassadors of love and peace. God in righteousness had to judge them for their willful disobedience. All you need to do to see that this is true is read the Bible. It is the greatest condemnation of the Jewish people and their rebellion and disobedience to God. If there is any antisemitic book in the world, it’s their own Scriptures, the Old Testament.

Is there any place else in the Scriptures where we see God’s predicting judgment?

We see in the many of the psalms prophetic glimpses at the future when God shall judge the world. Psalm 2 is a notable psalm that speaks of these things as does Psalm 46 and many others in part speak of the day of judgment for the wicked. Let’s take a moment to look at these two psalms.

Psalms 2: God’s Judgment and Victory Over the Wicked

“Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.”[150]

Ultimately the world is rebelling against God and will be judged accordingly.

Psalm 46 God’s judgments make the nations acknowledge Him

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah. There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made in the earth. He makes wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaks the bow, and cuts the spear in sunder; he burns the chariot in the fire. Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.”[151]

The above psalm seems to present a picture of the world after the destruction of the last days, when Christ shall reign on earth a thousand years. God indeed shall be exalted and righteousness shall cover the earth as the waters cover the seas. In Isaiah we read of the millennium period which begins immediately after the great destruction at the time of the “day of the Lord.”

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“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.”[152]

In the book of Revelation we also read of the millennial period after the Battle of Armageddon.

“And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.”[153]

When will the remnant of the Jews be saved?

Jesus will reign on earth for a thousand years. During the beginning of the millennium, or the end of the tribulation, or during the wrath of God many Jews will come to Christ. In Zechariah we read:

“And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.”[154]

So it seems and many Bible scholars believe that many of the Jewish people will find repentance during the horrible period of the last days. It will be at this time, under the mighty hand of God’s judgments that both unbelieving Jews and Gentiles turn to Christ. Then shall the words of Apostle Paul be fulfilled,

“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:”[155]

We return to the prophecy of Ezekiel which talks of the same event.

Why Does God Let It All Happen?

“Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name; After that they have borne their shame, and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against me, when they dwelt safely in their land, and none made them afraid. When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies' lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations; Then shall they know that I am the Lord their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there. Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord God.”[156]

Israel, and the disobedient Christian Church, and the world will know that God wants to reign in the hearts of men. All will see that God is righteous in His judgments, that He does not willingly afflict the children of men and has no pleasure in their death.

Summary without verses.

It certainly does seem from today’s current events that we are moving closer and closer to the “day of the Lord.” God wants us to acknowledge Him in our lives. He sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might believe His message which His children, the Jewish people, failed to propagate. God is love and in Him there is no shadow of darkness. He created each one of us with a spiritual void in our being so that nothing in this life could ultimately satisfy our heart except Him alone. He longs to love us intimately. He longs to be our friend, our brother, our father, our mother, our lover. He longs to be the anchor of our soul, a strong tower in days of trouble, a shoulder to rest on, strong arms to depend on. Won’t you accept Him into your life and take up your cross and follow Him.

Thus we end our study on the king of the south and the king of the north in Daniel 11. We see if we assume that the king of the south is the pro-Israel confederacy and the king of the north is the pro-Antichrist confederacy we can weave together many other confirming Scriptures which give us a clear picture of Israel’s invasion and the nations involved. Of course we don’t understand all the details and we may have made some wrong assumptions or conclusions, but a preponderance of the Scriptures seem to indicate that we may have the general scenario in tact. The world’s current political and militar situation has influenced our thinking. Yes, is has. But we have tried to justify our assumptions and think we have moved within reason.

But some might ask, Dennis, where is the destruction of Babylon the Whore in this scenario? You didn’t mention her at all. Can you explain where she fits into these end time events? Let me see if I can clarify her position without writing another thirty pages. But we will leave that for our next subject.

Notes:

[1]Matthew 24:15, 21-22 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/mat.24.15-22.KJV [2]Daniel 9:27 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/dan.9.27.KJV

[3]Daniel 11:31 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/dan.11.31.KJV

[4] Matthew 24:2

[5] Matthew 24:15, 21, 29-31.

[6] Matthew 24:29-31 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/mat.24.29-31.KJV

[7] Wikipedia Justin Martyr

[8] Justin Martyr, Letter to Trypho the Jew, p.159, as cited by B.W. Newton, “The Prospects of the Ten Kingdoms,” p.373.

[9] Daniel 7:25, 12:7

[10] Genesis 3:15, Isaiah 53, Psalm 22, Daniel 9:26

[11] 2nd Thessalonians 2:3-4

[12] Daniel 7:25

[13] Justin Martyr, as cited by B.W. Newton, “The Prospects of the Ten Kingdoms,” p.373-374.

[14] Wikipedia Irenaeus

[15] Newton, B.W., “Prospects of the Ten Kingdoms” p.374

[16] Irenaeus adver. Her. Chapter. 25, as quoted by B.W. Newton in “Prospects of the Ten Kingdoms,” p.375.

[17] Ibid, Chapter 30

[18] Matthew 24:29-31

[19] Revelation 19:20

[20] Revelation 20:3 & 5

[21] Acts 9:27, 13:2

[22] Wikipedia Epistle of Barnabas

[23] Matthew 24:22

[24] Daniel 7:24-25

[25] Epistle of Barnabas, Latin version of #4, original Greek being lost, as quoted by B.W. Newton in “Prospects of the Ten Kingdoms,” p.372

[26] Ibid, #15

[27] Romans 9:28

[28] 2 Peter 3:8, Genesis 1

[29] Psalm 90:4

[30] Exodus 20:11

[31] Wikipedia Tertullian

[32] Tertullian as quoted by Maitland in his “Apostles’ School of Interpretation,” p. 165, and cited by B.W.Newton in “Prospects of the Ten Kingdoms,” p. 376.

[33] Genesis 5:24 (Great Grandfather of Noah), Hebrews 11:5

[34] 2 Kings 2:1-17

[35] Wikipedia Hippolytus

[36] Hippolytus, as cited by Maitland; Chain on Daniel, as quoted by B.W. Newton in “Prospects of the Ten Kingdoms,” p.377.

[37] Wikipedia Origen of Alexandria

[38] Daniel 8:23

[39] 2nd Thessalonians 2:4

[40] Daniel 9:27

[41] Origin, as quoted by Maitland, p. 171, as cited by B.W.Newton, “The Prospects of the Ten Kingdoms,” p. 377-378.

[42] Matthew 24:6-7

[43] Wikipedia Victorinus of Pettau

[44] Revelation 13:15