A king will arise, Insolent and skilled in intrigue. A study in Daniel 8 pertaining to the antichrist.

 I wonder how many of you open up a site like this and say, oh, its just a Bible study. I have sat through too many boring, misleading, and thoughtless Bible Studies and have no intention of doig that now. Now when it comes to catchy headlines that grab your attention and sucker you in, I am not so good at that, praise God. 

I write about things in scripture because I want to untangle them, or do not understand them.

The antchrist, is, quite possibly the most confusing character in the Bible, so let's get started.

Daniel 8:3-14 NKJV

3)  Then I lifted my eyes and saw, and there, standing beside the river, was a ram which had two horns, and the two horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last.

At first read and almost without thinking, I would have said this represented the Seleucid and Ptolemaic empires that remained of Alexander, the Grecian general. But an angelic explanation was given to Daniel, and it reads like this.

Daniel 8:20-23 NKJV

20)  The ram which you saw, having the two horns—they are the kings of Media and Persia.

21)  And the male goat is the kingdom of Greece. The large horn that is between its eyes is the first king.

The first “king” was Alexander.

22)  As for the broken horn and the four that stood up in its place, four kingdoms shall arise out of that nation, but not with its power.

Upon the death of Alexander, four generals struggled to gain and hold power; this is not a coincidence.

23)  "And in the latter time of their kingdom, When the transgressors have reached their fullness, A king shall arise, Having fierce features, Who understands sinister schemes.

"When the transgressors have reached their fullness," This statement leaves the door open for any variety of evil players. Fortunately, here in September of 2023, we have a smorgasbord of destroyers working to fullfill their dream of communism with them at the helm.

Do not ask because I have no idea who this man is.

4)  I saw the ram pushing westward, northward, and southward so that no animal could withstand him, nor was there any that could deliver from his hand, but he did according to his will and became great.

5)  And as I was considering, suddenly a male goat came from the west, across the surface of the whole earth, without touching the ground; and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.

"The shaggy goat represents the kingdom of Greece, and the large horn that is between his eyes is the first king.” Daniel 8:21 NASB)

Alexander.

6)  Then he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing beside the river, and ran at him with furious power.

the kings of Media and Persia.

7)  And I saw him confronting the ram; he was moved with rage against him, attacked the ram, and broke his two horns. There was no power in the ram to withstand him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled him; and there was no one that could deliver the ram from his hand.

We should know that the Medes and the Persians had a common thread in that they were Assyrians. So yes, for a time the Assyrians were squelched.

8)  Therefore the male goat grew very great; but when he became strong, the large horn was broken, and in place of it, four notable ones came up toward the four winds of heaven.

The male goat = Alexander

The horn being broken was Alexanders death.

Four notable ones = the four generals. Among those four were Ptolemy and Seleucid.

9)  And out of one of them came a little horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Glorious Land.

From Finis Dake's biblical commentaries. “the little horn or future Antichrist who will become great in Egypt, Iraq, Iran, and Palestine.” Instead of Palestine the NLT says “toward the glorious land of Israel.”

All these nations, with the exception of the area that holds Palestine is Muslim territory and the Muslims have an entrenched association with the Assyrians.

10)  And it grew up to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and trampled them.

Knowing that the little horn represents the antichrist, then this must also represent Satan, as he took a third of the angels with him when he fell.

11)  He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host; and by him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down.

The Tree of Life Version conveys it this way, “ It set itself up to be as great as the Prince of the host.” Notice the impersonal reference “it” as they reference the antichrist. Most translations do the same thing. Why? Because Daniel 8:9 refers to the beast, the antichrist, as the little horn.

No one, it seems, gives this man the permission to declare himself god (although Emmanuel Macron was vying for the title,) this is totally on him (well, that, and the motivation and empowerment of Satan.)

It is at this point that the daily sacrifices come to a crashing halt. (" by him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down.")

It occurs to me, that verse eleven, much like the Revelation, is a repetition of events, each with a different point of view and often an added detail.

The language of verse eleven leaves you with the impression that the temple is destroyed as soon as the daily sacrifice is taken away.

Daniel 12:11 NASB) states "From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.

1290 days extends beyond seven years by several days. Some might say it is not so precise.

Have you ever wondered why they would say that? 

The precision has been there all along but we have not attentively read the scriptures as we should.

Since the false prophet has now set up the image of the beast on the altar, and is forcing people to worship it, is it possible to have people come and worship this image if the building has been torn down?

The answer is no.

Our general impression is that the false prophet, associated with the “great tribulation,” runs rampant for the second half of this covenantal time period. Matthew 24 details this for us.

Matthew 24:15 NASB "Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),

Who is Matthew talking to? 

Jews specifically, the nations generally, but NOT the church because we will be gone for three-and-one-half-years at this point.

Matthew 24:21 NASB "For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.

And almost all of it will be at the hand of the false prophet. If, as I pointed out, this false prophet will be the former high priest of the temple, can you imagine the utter dismay of most people. Some may actually follow this fraud in worshiping Allah – the moon god.

12)  Because of transgression, an army was given over to the horn to oppose the daily sacrifices; and he cast truth down to the ground. He did all this and prospered.

Transgression? The Hebrew word is pesha' and the primary word this becomes in English is REVOLT.

Currently, in the tail end of 2023, people are finally beginning to wake up and realize that Klaus, the WEF, and Billy bob the president are desperately trying to kill us. I just found out that the N95 masks will give you cancer from extended usage because of the chemicals used to make the stupid things. And, we are starting to see that burning out the entire island community of Lahaina has been in the works since 2006 so that they can make a smart city out of it.

“An army was given over to the horn to oppose the daily sacrifices.” 

Imagine telling what is left of the devout Jews, who think they are able to cover their sins through a sacrifice, that you do not get to do that any more. It will take an army to enforce this decision but it doesn't tell us whose army. That opens the door to perhaps the IDF coming against their own people. Just saying.

We are also told that the false prophet – which might be a Jewish high priest doing this, trying to tell those devout Jews that the law of God is NOT the truth. Keep in mind that he casts truth to the ground. This is suddenly getting quite ugly.

13)  Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to that certain one who was speaking, "How long will the vision be, concerning the daily sacrifices and the transgression of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled underfoot?"

Question, at what point could we say that the sanctuary and the host are trampled underfoot?

If the temple mount is deemed to be part of the sanctuary, then having Muslims play soccer and throw rocks at visitors would certainly qualify as being trampled.

But what if it only applies to a time when the new temple has been built?

For three-and-one-half-years it seems that Jews only would have access, but any restrictions on the nations gaining access to the outer courts is not discussed. You see, we merely assumed that non-Jewish people would not be allowed.

May I be honest, the NKJ Version does not make a bit of sense. Try this version.

“Then I heard a holy one speaking and another holy one said to the one who was speaking, ‘How long will the vision last, the daily sacrifice be forsaken because of rebellion, the sanctuary be surrendered and the host be trampled?’ Daniel 8:13 TLV)

14)  And he said to me, "For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed."

While giving Daniel the answers as to what all this means, Daniel hears two holy ones conversing back and forth. “How long will the vision be, concerning the daily sacrifices and the transgression of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled underfoot?”

From the time of the giving the sanctuary and it gets trampled underfoot is 2300 days. That equals 3 years, 2 months, and 10 days. So, from the catching away of the church to the antichrist confirming the covenant, is clearly an unknown, but relatively short time frame. 

Since seven years, by the Jewish calendar is 2,520 days, then there are 220 days, plus 35 days unaccounted for. Some will adamantly say there is undefined time frame before the antichrist comes on the scene and the temple gets built.

I will tell you what the problem is, years of fallacy and assumption were relentlessly preached at us. Folks, it is time for you to read your Bibles for yourselves. Let me show you why you need to read it for yourselves.

Daniel 9:27  "Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate."

This says nothing about Israel, but it may be a direct reference to the UN reaffirming a SDG covenant on September 18 and 19. What a coincidence, September 18th and19th is supposed to be the time in which Israel's priesthood would be able to declare a new moon and inititiate Rosh Hanana (the Feast of Trumpets) and Yom Teruah. 

Isn't that peculiar. Jesus will return for His bride, the church, with a trumpet blast. 

"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first."  1Thessalonians 4:16 NASB)

The definitions associated with chapter eight end like this.

“Now, as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep with my face to the ground; but he touched me, and stood me upright. And he said, "Look, I am making known to you what shall happen in the latter time of the indignation; for at the appointed time the end shall be." 

Daniel 8:18-19 NKJV)

In these few short sentences is the concise and definitive layout for the last days.

“The ram which you saw, having the two horns—they are the kings of Media and Persia.” Daniel 8:20 NKJV)

Media and Persia were also the second and silver portion of the statue that Daniel had to define for Nebuchadnezzar, and yet, they are the first empire talked about in this definition. A common factor is Assyrians.

“And the male goat is the kingdom of Greece. The large horn that is between its eyes is the first king.” Daniel 8:21 NKJV)

Greece, though not defined in Daniel's description, associates with the Alexandrian empire. Daniel identified this with Bronze, but the bronze extends through the thighs in the statue. This transition is bypassed as the Alexandrian empire migrates and dwindles down through the four generals that tried to take over only to be supplanted by the final two – the Seleucid empire in the north and the Ptolemaic in the Southern regions. All of which have become Islamic kingdoms.

“As for the broken horn and the four that stood up in its place, four kingdoms shall arise out of that nation, but not with its power.” Daniel 8:22 NKJV)

The broken horn is Alexander. How quickly the purity (Grecian) of that empire diminished. God does not concern Himself with the details, and He does not tell us about the intrigue that runs through these kingdoms.

"And in the latter time of their kingdom, When the transgressors have reached their fullness, A king shall arise, Having fierce features, Who understands sinister schemes.” 

Daniel 8:23 NKJV)

If, in the majority, they are Islamic, then what type of person will this king that rises be? The short answer is Islamic or an acceptable blend.

“His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; He shall destroy fearfully, And shall prosper and thrive; He shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people. "Through his cunning, He shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule; And he shall exalt himself in his heart. He shall destroy many in their prosperity. He shall even rise against the Prince of princes; But he shall be broken without human means.” Daniel 8:24-25 NKJV)

In all this, we never broke from the remnants of the bronze or Grecian empire.

All this disturbed Daniel to the degree that he was physically sick and he pleaded for an interpretation.

This is what he got.

Daniel 9:24 NKJV 24)  "Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy.”

We have been living in the 2000 year gap between the sixty ninth and the seventieth week.

Consider that Antiochus destroyed the temple after Jesus's death in 70 AD, and yet it speaks of a time to come.

Daniel 9:25-27 NKJV

25)  "Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times.

Do the math, this equals 69 weeks of years and is the time in which Jesus died and rose again, but it is 69 out of 70 weeks of years. In short, we have been waiting for the seventieth week to arrive, sort of, because that seven-year period is the seven years of God's wrath.

26)  "And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined.

But not for himself?

He did this for any who would receive Him. Hopefully, you understand that Jesus is the Messiah and He is very Jewish.

Now, you have to identify the people of the prince who are coming to destroy the city and the sanctuary. The short answer is that they are Assyrians. Assyrians have been around for a long time; the common name for our day is Muslims. They, whoever this is, will destroy the temple once again.

Verse 26 speaks of sixty-two weeks of years. Do not get confused by this time frame because the first seven weeks of years had already come to pass, and the total of 7+62 = 69.

27)  Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate."

The prince that was to come is, in all likelihood, here already. This man is the one that confirms (the/a) covenant with many for seven years (one week of years.) This, by the way, is the same language that the UN has used about one of their Strategic Development Goals at a meeting of the UN this September 2023, during Rosh Hashanah.

He, the antichrist, shall bring an end to sacrifices and offerings. For a period of time, that might not equal three-and-one-half-years, the Jews will be offering sacrifices, all day, six days a week. The antichrist will have that stopped. Consider something that just occurred to me. We assume the Prime minister of Israel would be holding a tight reign on terrorist activities; we also assume that this prime minister would be Benjamin Netanyahu, but even as we speak, people like Ehud Barak, the former defense minister, are trying to dethrone the prime minister for what, the third time, much like the democrats are trying to prevent President Donald Trump from ever regaining power.

A man at church, who I only knew by face, responded to something I said about Jesus with, I do not think we should pay attention to extra-biblical information. I pointed out how many things we “Christians” invest our minds in as doctrine, such as culture and history, and it is extra-biblical.

So here is a piece of extra-biblical information. Islam understands that there will be temple built and that one from the lineage of Aaron will hold the position of high priest in the temple.

Try to imagine the influence and power such a man might hold, especially if at some point in time he begins performing signs such as Elijah did.

Do you realize that the high priest (Kohen Gadol in Hebrew), meant to offer these sacrifices as the high priest, has already been assigned?  

His name is Rabbi Baruch Kahane.

(For the sake of context this information was made public about four years ago, but later, during the lock downs, it was said that Kahane had stepped back from the position, saying, that he felt strongly that the timing was premature. You might think that he had declined the great honor, but about a year ago the Rabbi was there, among those illegally blessing the temple grounds that are, to many, considered to be a part of the mosque.)

Why is that a big deal?

Because, while the high priest performs his duties in the temple, the two witnesses that God sent will be preaching in the streets of Jerusalem and performing great signs. Imagine the impact these two prophets sent from God will have on the unbelieving Jews in Israel. Now, at the three-and-a-half-year mark, give or take a few days, the high priest ceases to perform his duties, turns his heart to Allah, follows the Mahdi (the antichrist) and begins to perform signs of a similar nature as the two witnesses. No one has been doing anything like this; killing and destruction, yes, but no signs as if they represented God.

One of the things the two witnesses do is to turn off the rain for many of the nations that are attacking Israel during this time. Droughts almost seem like a common event, but this stoppage of rain is significant, especially since most every nation is experiencing severe flooding currently ((9/5/2023), and may have been going on for three years at this point.

What does the false prophet, the former high priest do?

He turns the rain back on.

If you know the events that surrounded Moses' demands for Pharaoh to let God's people go, then you know that, at God's instructions, Aaron threw the staff to the floor where it turned into a serpent.

Why would an average, non-venomous garden snake send anyone into a frenzy?

It wouldn't, but something like a Cobra might. (As a side note, Brown – Driver – Briggs does give “venomous serpent” as one the choices to define the Hebrew word tannı̂yn.) Since you are students of the Bible, then you know that the magicians, a part of Pharaoh's advisory staff, also turned their ceremonial staffs into serpents. Aaron's staff ate theirs.

Questions and concerns about the antichrist. Part four of four.

 Considering the title of these rants about the antichrist, does any of this affect the believer?

No, but if you are a follower of mine, then you know that I write to followers of Christ, and followers of Christ will be taken up in the catching away of the Church. 

That was uncomfortable, but only because I have struggled my whole life with my biblical understanding and, by extension, my faith due to false teachings. An example of false teachings is the narrative concerning David and Goliath. David is typically portrayed as a four-foot-tall, 60-pound weakling when, in fact, he was probably over six feet tall. My experience has demonstrated that I was taught traditions and broken beliefs instead of what the Bible says.

Was David a skillful warrior?

Absolutely, but his skill sets were honed against wild animals (not like I am willing to try to take on a lion). He, based on his Biblical description, had red hair and freckles, and that alone made him come across as a ruddy, pale-faced youth.

Sitting among some men at a home group, the question was asked,

“How tall do you think David was when he fought Goliath?”

No one dared put forth an answer, so I did. I said David was over six feet tall and had a frame that filled out his height. That brought out the criticism, so I responded by saying I can prove it. At this point, I showed them how Saul, before being anointed as king, was said to be head and shoulders above any man in Israel. Having had a salesman come to my door, who told me that he was an Israeli who had sustained a wound while serving in the IDF, was easily over six feet tall. Consider that imagery as Saul's shoulders began at the top of this man's head.

We know that Saul struggled with mental issues and may well have been bipolar. David, because he visited his brothers. On the front lines, became well known and was recommended to Saul as one who could play the guitar (lute, lyre) well and calm his spirit.

Saul was so impressed by this young man that he made David his armor-bearer. Among other things, David's job was to make sure that the armor was reliable, the fittings secure, and that Saul looked his best when he stepped out onto the battlefield. I can picture David putting that armor on sporadically to make sure that no one had changed the settings and that Saul could still maintain flexibility. Most people who retell this story assign variations where Saul put the armor on a “tiny little boy named David” and how he would be pinned to the floor, unable to move; hence, we have David saying, I can't use this equipment because I haven't tested it. This scenario doesn't even seem feasible, considering how big David would have to have been.

Move this narrative to where Goliath is now standing. We see David taking five smooth stones from the riverbed; this is a selection process that I have done as well. The rounder, the better.

Have you ever seen videos of the Palestinians slinging rocks at IDF soldiers and the passing cars of local villagers who happened to be Israelis? 

Their stones were about the size of lemons and were meant to kill should they strike you in the head. David put his faith in God and not his skill set, but skills certainly helped.

Goliath dead? 

I doubt it; nonetheless, after being struck in the head, Goliath went to the ground, and David ran to him, unsheathed the giant's own sword, and cut the man's head off.

Were you aware that one of the Philistine Kings, Og of Bashan, had an iron bed that was four and a half cubits long?

That equates to 13.5 feet.

Now, you might think that it is unbecoming for me to say my struggles had much to do with those who were my early teachers (We were made to go to church, sit through Sunday school, and then sit through a main service), but if all I got were simplistic stories, like the way I was taught, I would disagree with you. Certainly, I played a role in my false imagery of God because I, like most of you, would not pick up my Bible and read it. Well, thank God there was a day when all that changed, and since February of 2007, I have been consuming God's word like it was my necessary sustenance.

The antichrist persona does NOT have unrestricted reign throughout the seven years.

Revelation 13:5 indicates that this beast, which has migrated into what appears to be a solitary being – a male- now has the “authority to do whatever he wants for forty-two months.” (That is 3.5 years.) Immediately, I am struck by the idea that this man, the antichrist, only has 3.5 years to wreak havoc for the harlot that rides the beast.

“Then the beast was allowed to speak great blasphemies against God. And he was given authority to do whatever he wanted for forty-two months.” Revelation 13:5 NLT

The NLT is the New Living Translation, and most of us understand that the Living Bible was written by an intelligent man who wanted something his children could read and comprehend. So when I look at a translation that some might consider scholarly and break down the words, such as the Berean Study Bible, I have a slightly different perspective.

“The beast was given a mouth to speak arrogant and blasphemous words, ...” Revelation 13:6 BSB

I can immediately comprehend that the man already has a mouth, so this is telling me that they give him an opening or freedom to speak as though he represents them. It also implies that someone else is now doing the speaking. Once again, this feeds into the idea that the antichrist is having his power stripped away by someone or a group. Arrogant is the Greek word megas.

We understand mega to be very large or boisterous. The defining words are “exceedingly great, large, loud, strong,”

Your words cannot be considered strong unless they have some form of backing, like muscles or officiating individuals who will judge to your benefit. Seeing as this antichrist does not seem to have any official backing, power, or glory at this time, I can see why it seems that many go to war with him.

“For ships from Cyprus (Kittim, as many versions state) shall come against him; therefore he shall be grieved, and return in rage against the holy covenant, and do damage. "So he shall return and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant.” Daniel 11:30 NKJV

Empowered by Satan himself, who else is there to empower this man?

Those who can envision the antichrist as someone who can further their cause would be the likes of the World Economic Forum, the United Nations, or possibly the World Health Organization. One more thing on who is empowering this man. At the July 26^th, 2023, hearings on UAVs, one of those testifying was David Grusch, a former national reconnaissance officer and representative of the Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Task Force with the Department of Defense. Mr. Grusch said that there are those above the known officials who are calling the shots. Klaus Schwab, because of his publicity, is probably just a puppet, as is Bill Gates.

One of the unusual pieces of information that defines the character of the antichrist comes from Daniel 11. Daniel 11 is an intertwining of historical events and prophecy.

Here is where it begins to make sense to us.

Daniel 11:21-31 NKJV: And in his place shall arise a vile person, to whom they will not give the honor of royalty; but he shall come in peaceably, and seize the kingdom by intrigue.  

The NASB uses the term despicable instead of vile. The Strong's concordance gives us the word disesteem as our first option and means one held to scorn and thought of as a vile person.

Disesteem, when used as a noun, is seen as the want of esteem, slight dislike, or disregard. It expresses less than hatred or contempt. When used as a verb is to dislike in a moderate degree; to consider with disregard, disapprobation, dislike, or slight contempt; to slight.

Titles given to the person commonly known as "the Antichrist."

(1) "The king of Babylon" (Isa_14:4);

(2) "The Assyrian" (Isa_14:25; See notes on Mic_5:5); This alone should quell all of your arguments defending your assertion that a Revised Roman Empire will arise.

(3) "The Prince that shall come" (Dan_9:26);

(4) "The king of fierce countenance" (Dan_8:23);

(5) "The vile person" (Dan_11:21);

(6) "The willful king" (Dan_11:36);

(7) "The man of sin" (2Th_2:3);

(8) "The son of perdition" (2Th_2:3);

(9) "That wicked (or lawless) one" (2Th_2:3; Rev_13:18);

(10) "The beast with ten horns" (Rev_13:1);

(11) "The little horn" (Dan_8:9). Isa_27:1, Zec_1:18, Mat_24:5; Mat_24:15, 2Th_2:3-4, 1Jn_2:18; 1Jn_4:3.

• We are told that he will reaffirm the covenant for seven years. We assume that this is a peace treaty with Israel when Israel is NEVER mentioned, and I have shown you how the UN, in September of 2023, will reaffirm their 7-year agreement to enforce SDGs.

• Coming under the guise of peace, he is able to seize Israel. Now I cannot exclude a massive attack (see Ezekiel 38 and 39)

22  With the force of a flood, they shall be swept away from before him and be broken, and also the prince of the covenant.  

• “With the force of a flood”? This does not look good for Israel. Remember, God has always preserved for himself a remnant. Verse 22 also makes a bizarre statement: "they shall be swept away from before him and be broken, and also the prince of the covenant." We often see a picture of Jesus as being the prince of the covenant; the problem is that Jesus brought the new covenant. So this prince points to the high priest that will be serving in the newly built temple and fits in with an Islamic prophecy, which tells us that the high priest will convert to Islam and give the Mahdi (the antichrist) worship and allegiance.

23  And after the league is made with him (the Mahdi), he shall act deceitfully, for he shall come up and become strong with a small number of people.  

24  He shall enter peaceably, even into the richest places of the province; and he shall do what his fathers have not done, nor his forefathers: he shall disperse among them the plunder, spoil, and riches; and he shall devise his plans against the strongholds, but only for a time.  

Because he is an Assyrian, a hated enemy of Israel, this statement indicating that he shall do what his fathers have not done makes more sense. This is talking about an ancestral line of attackers.

25  "He shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the South with a great army. And the king of the South shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army, but he shall not stand, for they shall devise plans against him.

Let's just take a shot. The king of the South is Egypt. They, like the Saudis, are probably Sunni Muslims (85 % percent of the Middle East is Sunni Muslim) and not Shiites (Only 15% of Muslims are Shia Muslims; Iran adheres to Shia ideals); therefore, they will not cooperate, and, as scripture points out, they will be destroyed.  Most of us never knew a group called ISIS or ISIL ever existed until the United States got involved in Afghanistan. According to an article dated Aug 25, 2021, on a website called "The Conversation," authors Sohel Rana, a Ph.D. Student at  Indiana University, and Sumit Ganguly, a Distinguished Professor of Political Science and the Tagore Chair in Indian Cultures and Civilizations at Indiana University, wrote an article entitled Taliban’s religious ideology – Deobandi Islam – has roots in Colonial India. https://theconversation.com/talibans-religious-ideology-deobandi-islam-has-roots-in-colonial-india-166323

Merely because they are the smallest portion of the sects, we cannot exclude them. 

26  Yes, those who eat of the portion of his delicacies shall destroy him; his army shall be swept away, and many shall fall down slain.  

His own people will betray him and die.

27  Both these kings' hearts shall be bent on evil, and they shall speak lies at the same table, but it shall not prosper, for the end will still be at the appointed time.

The appointed time? This is the time when they try to go to battle with Jesus.

“Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.” Revelation 19:11 NKJV

“Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. “ Revelation 19:15 NKJV

 

28  While returning to his land with great riches, his heart shall be moved against the holy covenant, so he shall do damage and return to his own land.  

The question is, where is his land?

I don't know; no one does because he will not be introduced to the world until after the church is snatched out of here.

"his heart shall be moved against the holy covenant."

This has everything to do with Israel, and since Israel primarily focuses on the Torah and the Tanakh,  then we are really talking about those that hold tightly to the covenants or promises of God in those manuscripts.

29  "At the appointed time, he shall return and go toward the south, but it shall not be like the former or the latter.  30  For ships from Cyprus shall come against him; therefore he shall be grieved, and return in rage against the holy covenant, and do damage. "So he shall return and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant.  

Translations, such as the King James, say Kittim. This area can be identified as Cyprus today. While I am sure they have a military force, I would not have perceived them as dangerous.

Question? How far South can this man go and still have the Cyprian navy chasing him? 

31  And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation.

“Then they shall take away the daily sacrifices 1240 days after the reaffirmation of the covenant, and place there the abomination of desolation.” When does this take place? 1290 days after they cause the sacrifices to cease. Do the math. Based upon a 360-day year, we will have exceeded the seven years by ten days.

One of the mysteries.

“Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.” Daniel 12:12 NKJV

Since we know that the antichrist will stop the sacrifices at the 1240 mark, then adding this time that God is most interested in gives us 2575. That number minus 2540 puts us 35 days beyond the seven years.

Why would God do that?

Because this is when Jesus comes back and cleans the house. In the 35 days, the antichrist will have the temple destroyed, and they, from every direction, will have gathered against Jesus for war.

How did they know to gather in the Megiddo Valley?

We are told that every eye will see Him. They will know, just as the Magi knew where to come to find the young Jesus.

Daniel 11:44-45 NLT  “But then news from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in great anger to destroy and obliterate many.  45  He will stop between the glorious holy mountain and the sea and will pitch his royal tents. But while he is there, his time will suddenly run out, and no one will help him.

What does this phrase “his time will suddenly run out, and no one will help him” speak of? It speaks of the final and sudden end of the antichrist and the false prophet.

Revelation 19:19-21 NLT: Then I saw the beast and the kings of the world and their armies gathered together to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army.  20  And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast—miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue. Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.  21  Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came from the mouth of the one riding the white horse. And the vultures all gorged themselves on the dead bodies.

Revelation 19:11-12 NLT  Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war.  12  His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself.

Revelation 19:15 NLT: From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress.

Question: Does He kill everyone from among the nations?

The answer is no, and you can see that in verse 15, as it states, “He will rule them with a rod of iron.”

If He kills them all, then who is left to rule over?

If you answered no one, you would be correct; therefore, there are those from among the nations that survive and go into the millennial kingdom.

Revelation 19:18-20 NLT  Come and eat the flesh of kings, generals, and strong warriors; of horses and their riders; and of all humanity, both free and slave, small and great.”  19  Then I saw the beast and the kings of the world and their armies gathered together to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army.  20  And the beast was captured and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast—miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue. Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.

It sounds like the end, but it is not. A few minutes after this, Christ will sit as the reigning King for a thousand years, and there will be peace, finally. Satan is bound for this time but will be released to test the nations one last time.

No, not everyone goes to hell, but that decision is entirely up to God. Since I have asked Him to come and live inside of me, so I am not going to worry about it. I do know that after the judgment from the great white throne, we will all, the saints, that is, migrate into an undisturbed eternity. The earth and all of its pollution will be burned up, but God will make all things new, and it will be fantastic.