And, I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain. Revelation 13:3,4.

Recently, while talking to the son-in-law, he asks me, how do the events going on around us tie into the church's being caught up and the antichrist entering upon the scene. He has his own ideas, but he does NOT read a Bible, he relies solely on internet teachings. (To think that you can listen to these people without being discerning is a trap of the enemy, Satan. You have to know your Bible, or will be lead into false teachings that will bind you to guilt and prevent you from enjoying the freedom in the Holy Spirit, nor will you understand things like the Revelation.)

I responded by telling him that my own journey to understand the Bible came out of a desire to undo lies and false teachings that I learned in church. Surprisingly, the word lies evoked a negative reaction, as though the church would never try to manipulate your emotions and actions. Religion seems to have one purpose as it tries to control you; they do this because they do not trust the Holy Spirit's ability to lead and guide you.

Jesus told the disciples that the Holy Spirit will come after He goes away.

"But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. "And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; (John 16:7-8 NASB)

Jesus did go away.

but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. (Acts 1:8-9 NASB)

And finally, even if I don't have an internet pastor in Indiana, I can read my bible knowing that He will guide me and teach me.

"But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. (John 16:13 NASB)

So, the short answer, is yes, everything we are experiencing and see is leading to the great reset. This reset includes the purposeful collapse of economies, the decline of nations (America), and the collapse of others, such as Afghanistan; and, even though they deny it and cannot see it, the answer includes God's wrath.

Have you noticed that China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the regular players are buying into the Middle Eastern poker match?

People groups that we thought would never be able to play on a global battlefield, have had $85 billion dollars in arms and equipment handed to them.

Did you notice how quickly China and Russia dove into the bloody ruins to place bids on the armaments?

The ten nations that are going to come against Israel are already aligned, and God, tells us that He will put a hook in the nose of Gog, draw him into battle against Israel, and he will die there. Oh, don't get me wrong, Israel will take a frightful beating in the process, but the antichrist – one who comes out of the beast from the sea, will bring about some form of peace; and, if you are paying attention, then you know that Israel is not named among those the antichrist makes this peace with.  

It's a lot to take in, I know, but if I can understand it then you can too.

                                                                                        Page one.

If you can understand that -

• Both the serpent and the dragon is Satan;

  Genesis 3 Satan is referred to as the serpent.

  In Isaiah 26:21 God speaks of coming out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth. With this statement, we have the context for Isaiah 27 where God refers to Satan as Leviathan and the serpent that lives in the sea. Revelation 12 tells us that the angels clashed with the dragon and threw him down to earth. Satan is the dragon.

• That the sand of the seashore represents not only the nations, but more specifically the Middle Eastern nations – the Muslim nations coming against Israel in the last days;

  God was talking to Abraham in Genesis 22:17 when He said, “ I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore.” That seed came through both Isaac and Ishamel.

• That the beast coming up out of the sea represents kingdoms, empires, and nations; and that these nations, with the exception of the fourth empire and its offshoots, have been shown to us in Daniel's prophecies. Daniel 7:17; 2:31-33

• The ten horns and seven heads represents, as Dr. J. Vernon McGee tells us, “...a later development of the fourth empire, as seen in the ten toes, and not a separate kingdom. Note: the horns do not grow out of a dead beast, therefore, we are looking at a kingdom that is alive today,

  “and the meaning of the ten horns that were on its head and the other horn which came up, and before which three of them fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth uttering great boasts and which was larger in appearance than its associates.” (Daniel 7:20 NASB)

  "Thus he said: 'The fourth beast will be a fourth kingdom on the earth, which will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth and tread it down and crush it. 'As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise; and another will arise after them, and he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings.

  (Daniel 7:23-24 NASB)

  
  

  We know historically that the third beast was Alexander the Great; who then was the fourth?

The fourth empire, in opposition to repeated teachings, was the Seleucid and Ptolemaic empires. Sure, they had strength, but the strength was halved.

In what way did they end up becoming different since they both came out of the Grecian empire?

They both became assimilated into the Islamic/Assyrian empires that eventually surrounded them and were both ingested into the Assyrian ways and ideology.

then you can count yourselves among those that Daniel was speaking of when he said,

“And the teachers and those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness (to uprightness and right standing with God) [shall give forth light] like the stars forever and ever.” Daniel 12:3 AMP

We covered Revelation 13:1, so let's fly through two or more.

Revelation 13:2 Moffatt NT (2) "The Beast I saw resembled a leopard, his feet were like a bear's, and his mouth like a lion's. To him the dragon gave his own power and his own throne and great authority."

1. We are not making this up, nor are we going to try to assign this imagery to some Chinese creation. It is what it is, imagery that represents empires or kingdoms. With imagery like this, “The Beast I saw resembled a leopard, his feet were like a bear's, and his mouth like a lion's,” it is easy to see how destructive this thing has been and will be.

2. Pay attention to the words here. “To him the dragon gave his own power and his own throne and great authority.”

   Immediately the empire idea has settled upon one person. I can understand this as, NO empire, with the exception of perhaps the Roman empire has operated with anything other than a dictatorial head, the Romans had a senate, for all the good it did them.

Page two.

3. How many people in the world have we seen where the dragon gave them the power to commit their atrocities?

   The numbers could be quite high as God has used men to move His plan forward, and Satan, has readily empowered them. Nebuchadnezzar, King Ahab, Haman, Hitler, Pol pot of Cambodia, you should be getting the point.

   Consider the recent news about Afghanistan. For certain, most of us are appalled, but is there anything about what happened that makes sense? NO, and that is because Satan is empowering the decision-makers across the globe and especially here in America.

Keeping in mind that our first understanding of the beast is that it represents kingdoms, empires, or Caliphates.

I want you to see what many believe to be the finest interpretation put into the hands of man, the KJV.

Revelation 13:3 KJV "And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast."

A beast with seven heads.

Where and how do you come up with the idea, that in the last days, almost at a time that for the church, won't make a bit of difference, someone will put a bullet into the head of this new world leader that kills him, just so that he can be raised up to life again?

You don't, as one the empires, possibly a Caliphate, sustains what, to the world seems like a deathly wound.

How do you kill an empire or kingdom?

Slowly, in most cases. This was the case for the Ottoman Empire, an Islamic Empire, but its end came in 1924 and the entire world breathed a sigh of relief because they all thought this global threat was done with (dead.) So much for that dream, as it finally, after many attempts to revive it, came back to life in 1979 with the Islamic revolution in Iran.

Revelation 13:3-4 NASB ... And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast; (4) they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?"

• And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast.

  The whole earth?

Is that the same thing as Governor Newsom of California, saying that 80% of the state had been vaccinated with the Covid 19 garbage? Not a chance, it's more like 20% and the Governor is trying to make himself look good.

But didn't we talk about seeing the world in biblical terms?

We did, and all God is concerned about is the region He said He would give to Abraham. Sadly, for the Mid-East, that is most of it, or as the passage says, the whole earth, as far as the Muslims are concerned.

Revelation 13:3b AMP ... and the whole earth went after the beast in amazement and admiration.

Some, who display wisdom, will tell you that the Muslims will NOT follow after anyone who is NOT a Muslim. That means they will not follow after Emmanuel Macron of France, or Angela Merkel of Germany, and now, after Afghanistan, there should be NO ONE following after President Joe Biden of America.

Page three.

But, what about former American President Barack Obama?

They might follow after him because he has openly stated that he loved those blaring wake up calls to Islamic prayer time, and he is still pushing his weight around Washington DC.

Does the world go after Obama in amazement and admiration?

Not yet, but they might when he jumps in the middle of a ghastly fight in Israel and calls for peace, and gets it.

• “they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast.”

  Wait a minute. The majority of the world has no grasp that there is a dragon/serpent/Satan, nor that could or would give his power or authority to the beast. Add, that this same world has no grasp on the idea of there being a beast/empire issue. What they do have is Allah.

  Have you ever given any thought to the idea that Allah is just another name for Satan?

  Consider that one day, the false prophet will set up an image of the beast.

  Since NO ONE has seen Allah or Satan, how would that work out?

Back to a dose of reality for a moment.

• “Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him”

  We are getting ahead of the horse here when we focus on Barack Obama as this is a ruling/warring body, not so unlike the Taliban, or the Iranians.

  Since the common bond in the Middle East is Islam, then we should be looking for anything that comes close to the Caliphate idea, something that unifies them toward a goal, such as destroying Israel. Since the Taliban recently had a victory handed to them, the Middle Eastern world is looking at this band of bullies as unbeatable.

Context!!!!?

What does verse four tell us?

they worshiped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?"
(Revelation 13:4 NASB)

Satan gives his authority to the beast.

Authority, what kind of authority does Satan have?

Satan has, for the moment dominion over the earth, thanks to Adam; and, he has deception, that is it. If you have been paying attention, we have a power-mad group of people trying to exert authority over the entire earth.

The beast?

We know that the beast is representative of a kingdom, although those are rare these days, but we also learned that the beast empire produces a man, the antichrist, who is also known as a beast, and not because of physical prowess.

So when the dragon/Satan gives the beast his authority we could be talking about an empire that gains some Satanic power (although this the idea is only marginally logical,) or we are talking about one person who speaks as though he has control over this group of people and somewhat global control as well.

Page four.

It seems that we have to make a distinction between the two as we try to make people understand the Revelation. There is only one good way to explain the situation and that is through the usage of context.

Verse 4 also says they worship the beast. This conversation could still go two ways. Try to imagine a worship of the country of Iran.

It doesn't seem to fit the narrative, does it?

If this is the embodiment of a god, say, Allah, in a man, then worshiping the beast makes all the sense in the world. And though, as of this date 09/06/21 I have no good clues as to who this is, we do know he is coming and is most likely ready, waiting in the wings.

John Gill's commentary states that they are “subject to him as their temporal lord, to whom they give homage; obedience, and tribute, but in a religious way.

The word worshiped - Strong's Greek concordance G4352 proskuneō, tells us that it means to kiss, like a dog licking his master’s hand.

You may not love the Pope, but most people, given the chance to pay their respects, would kiss his hand in homage.

I will end the Bible study here, but you need to know that there is a good chance that we, the church,, will be raptured out of here at any moment. I wanted you to understand and know Jesus through the Revelation; and, if you do not know Him, that you would come to know Him. His thoughts toward you are good and life with Him is peace. Believe that He is, and come to Him.

For God loved the world so dearly that he gave up his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life, instead of perishing. (John 3:16 Moffatt NT)

This belief will work even if the rapture has come, the only problem is that you chose to push the boundaries of God's grace and will now have to prove your commitment to God through martyrdom. If you can remember back to the Taliban overrunning all of Afghanistan, setting aside how complicit America was in that happening, those “zealots” found and killed all the Christians in that country within a few short weeks of their take over.

You see, it's not just God wanting to see your heart, He already sees that. You still have the drive of crazies trying to reduce the population, while ignoring the fact that God's wrath is being poured upon all the earth because of their unrepentant sins.

Come to Him. Run to Him, and give Him your life.

Daniel 11, the rise of the king of the North. Verses 17-27

I hate making rookie mistakes, but I am prone to the same errors many of you have encountered; that is, as I was going through my notes I noticed Daniel 11:15, 16 were missing. That would mean that I might have skipped by them when I did the bible study; maybe not. So, for the sake of completion I quickly added them in the previous post; however, this is where I made the rookie error. Note my comments in red
.

Daniel 11:16 NASB "But he who comes against him will do as he pleases, and no one will be able to withstand him; he will also stay for a time in the Beautiful Land, with destruction in his hand.

As you saw in verse fifteen, there will be no strength to make a stand.

• “ But he who comes against him will do as he pleases, and no one will be able to withstand him;”

  Antiochus III – also known as Antiochus the Great, is a forerunner and interchangeable with the Antichrist that is coming.

• “he will also stay for a time in the Beautiful Land, with destruction in his hand.”

  The Revised Version translates the verse this way, “and he shall stand in the glorious land, and in his hand shall be destruction.”
  This is indicative of what will happen to Israel by the hand of Antichrist.

It seems harmless enough, but the most direct descendant would be Antiochus Epiphanes (IV), for he is the one who desecrated the temple; and, he is the one scholars tend to agree, if they agree, is the pattern for the Antichrist that is coming. But, as I looked again at the descriptives I see in Antiochus the III, are there things here that fit the Antichrist? Yes. Are there exceptions? Yes. An example might be:

Daniel 11:42-45 RV He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43) 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. 44) But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: and he shall go forth with great fury to destroy and utterly to make away many. 45) And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the sea and the glorious holy mountain; yet, he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.

We will get to Daniel 11:42-45 eventually, but for the moment pay attention to the idea that "he shall come to his end, and none shall help him." One might say that this alone indicates that he is not invincible, and he isn't, but it is only the return of Jesus Christ to earth that puts a stop to this guy.

Look at the context of the verses I included and you can see things like Egypt shall not escape; he shall have power over the treasures; "and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps."
In case there is any doubt that this guy meets his end, I give you:

Revelation 19:19-20 RV And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat upon the horse, and against his army. 20) And the beast was taken and with him the false prophet that wrought the signs in his sight, wherewith he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image: they twain were cast alive into the lake of fire that burneth with brimstone:

Yes, the Antichrist persona is also known as the beast.

---

Let's continue on with Daniel 11; and yes, it actually took me four weeks to cover my notes, but I rushed through chapter 12 and I wish I had not done that.

Antiochus the Great and Ptolemy V come to terms. Antiochus gives Ptolemy his daughter who later helps her husband defeat the plans of Antiochus.

Daniel 11:17 NIV He will determine to come with the might of his entire kingdom and will make an alliance with the king of the South. And he will give him a daughter in marriage in order to overthrow the kingdom, but his plans will not succeed or help him.

He, is Antiochus the Great/AKA, Antiochus III.

• To set one’s face in any direction is to determine to go there. The meaning here is, that Antiochus, flushed with success, and resolved to push his conquests to the utmost, would make use of all the forces at his disposal to overcome the Egyptians, and to bring them into subjection to his sway. He had driven Scopas from Coelo-Syria, and from Sidon; had subjected the land of Palestine to his control, and now nothing seemed to prevent his extending his conquests to the utmost limits of his ambition. [Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible]

• From the IVPBBC - Antiochus III's defeat by the Roman, Scipio (191, 190). The increasing Roman control in Greece was established by a peace accord in 196. The Greeks who were unhappy with this new state of affairs made contact with Antiochus, urging him to come to their aid. 
  By this time, Antiochus, anticipating that he would need to neutralize Egypt, had entered a marriage alliance, sending his daughter, Cleopatra, to be Ptolemy V's bride. He expected her to also be a useful spy, but in this, he was disappointed as her loyalties turned to her new husband.

Daniel 11:18 NIV Then he will turn his attention to the coastlands and will take many of them, but a commander will put an end to his insolence and will turn his insolence back on him.

Nevertheless, he made his move toward Greece in 192.

Constantly shifting alliances eventually worked against him, and he lost a large portion of his ten thousand troops at Thermopylae in 191.

Antiochus III then resorted to sea battle to try to keep the Romans out of Asia Minor but was again unsuccessful.

By 190 the larger Seleucid army of seventy-thousand men had arrived to reinforce Antiochus's positions. Roman troops under Scipio were only half this strength when the forces met at Magnesia (about fifty miles north of Ephesus). Yet due to lack of training and tactical errors on the part of the Seleucid army, Antiochus was defeated and much of his army slaughtered.

Daniel 11:19 NIV After this, he will turn back toward the fortresses of his own country but will stumble and fall, to be seen no more.

The terms of surrender were humiliating, devastating and accepted without argument. IVPBBC

Daniel 11:20 AMPC+ Then shall stand up in his place or office one who shall send an exactor of tribute to pass through the glory of the kingdom, but within a few days, he shall be destroyed, [yet] neither in anger nor in battle.

Let's try reading it from the NIV.

Daniel 11:20 NIV "His successor will send out a tax collector to maintain the royal splendor. In a few years, however, he will be destroyed, yet not in anger or in battle.

Who is this successor?

• Seleucus IV Philopator (187-175). This son of Antiochus III had a relatively peaceful reign and appeared to have maintained favorable relations with Jerusalem. The exception alluded to in this verse was when he dispatched one of his chief officials, Heliodorus, to Jerusalem to seize funds that were reported to be either in excess of what was needed or hoarded by anti-Seleucid factions. Before the high priest, Onias III could get to Antioch to appeal the decision and offer explanation,
• Seleucus was assassinated in a plot carried out by Heliodorus, with Antiochus IV suspected by historians of complicity. IVPBBC

Who gained the most from the murder of Seleucus IV's murder? Antiochus IV.

Antiochus Epiphanes and dealings with Israel are pictured in Daniel 11:21-34.

He obtains his rule by flattery.

Daniel 11:21 AMPC+ And in his place or office [in Syria] shall arise a contemptuous and contemptible person, to whom royal majesty and honor of the kingdom have not been given. But he shall come in without warning in time of security and shall obtain the kingdom by flatteries, intrigues, and cunning hypocritical conduct. [Dan 8:9-12, Dan 8:23-25]

CJB "There will arise in his place a despicable man not entitled to inherit the majesty of the kingdom, but he will come without warning and gain the kingdom by intrigue.

a contemptuous and contemptible person – The NASB translated this as despicable. The Hebrew word is, bāzāh: A verb meaning to hold in contempt or to despise. The verb means to hold in disdain, to disrespect. It can mean to prefer something more than the thing despised,

• Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-164). Antiochus IV, the brother of Seleucus, had been in Rome as a political hostage and was just returning (he had got as far as Athens) when the assassination of his brother took place.
• His goals included converting Jerusalem into a center for Greek culture and helping the Jews to make the transition to becoming Greek citizens with Greek ways.
• The intrigues that he became involved in were many, but certainly, the main one concerning Jerusalem was how he handled the high priesthood.
• The text calls him contemptible, and indeed he was. His title “Epiphanes” means “god manifest”—but the people preferred “Epimanes”—“madman.” While he was certainly a member of the royal line, the throne should have gone to Seleucus's son, Demetrius (who instead was taking Antiochus's place as a hostage in Rome). Another intrigue concerned the throne. He set up a coregency with his nephew (a minor), who a few years later was murdered. IVPBBC

Keep in mind that Antiochus IV Epiphanes is the forerunner for the false prophet of the end times.

Question? How many beasts are we talking about? The Antichrist gets that title, as does the false prophet, and then there are the four empires with lions heads and bears paws, and also that multi-headed beast that emerges from the sea and one of the heads sustains what seems to be a mortal wound. The point is that both characters, the Antichrist and the false prophet, have such similar and destructive characteristics, and, they are both called beasts.

He makes a league with the high priest; deals deceitfully and becomes strong.

Daniel 11:22 CJB Large armies will be broken and swept away before him, as well as the prince of the covenant.

I need to show you a contrasting version.

Daniel 11:22 KJV And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant.

And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken,... That is, with the help of the forces of Eumenes and Attalus, which were like an inundation of water, the party that was on the side of Heliodorus the usurper were bore down, crushed, and destroyed; and thereby Antiochus had a peaceable settlement in the kingdom: or, "the arms of a flood shall be overflowed from before him, and be broken" (r); either the arms of Heliodorus, the forces he had got together; or the armies of the Egyptians, which, like an overflowing flood, had used to run over Judea, Coelesyria, Phoenicia, and other places, and carry all before them, now should be overflowed, and bore down themselves. [John Gill's commentary]

• prince of the covenant. Onias III was detained by Antiochus, and in the interim Jason, his brother conspired to usurp his position. He (Jason) paid a considerable sum to Antiochus and offered to be cooperative in the Hellenization of Judea (promotion of Greek culture at the expense of Jewish practices).
• Three years later Menelaus, with the probable support of the Tobiads, paid a larger sum and, the precedent having been established, was awarded the office over Jason.
• According to 2 Maccabees, Onias was murdered about 171.
• Many identify him as the prince of the covenant referred to in this verse, but others attach that title to Ptolemy VI (see below). The overwhelming army in some way represents the opponents to Antiochus's reign. This could include internal political opponents, Jewish antagonists or foreign opposition such as that which develops in Egypt. IVPBBC

Daniel 11:23 CJB Alliances will be made with him, but he will undermine them by deceit. Then, although he will have but a small following, he will emerge and become strong.

“The meaning of this seems to be, that at first, his own forces would be small; that he would go up in such a way as not to excite suspicion, but that, either by an increase of his forces there, by uniting himself to confederates, by alluring the people by the promise of rewards, or by gradually taking one town after another and adding them to his dominions, he would become strong. Jahn (Heb. Commonwealth, p. 263) says, “with a small body of troops he made himself master of Memphis, and of all Egypt as far as Alexandria, almost without striking a blow.” IVPBBC

Daniel 11:24 NET. In a time of prosperity for the most productive areas of the province, he will come and accomplish what neither his fathers nor their fathers accomplished. He will distribute loot, spoils, and property to his followers, and he will devise plans against fortified cities, but not for long.

“into tranquillity, and the fattest places of the province" (s); that is, into such places as were in great tranquillity, and men thought themselves safe and secure, and had no suspicion of his designs upon them, and which abounded in wealth and riches: these were either the principal cities in the kingdom of Syria, which he visited in order to establish himself in their good opinion of him; or the chief places of the province of Phoenicia, where he endeavoured to make himself acceptable by his munificence; or it may be the best parts of the kingdom of Egypt are meant, the richest of them, such as Memphis, and the places about it; where, as Sutorius in Jerome says, he went; and which places being fat, producing a large increase, and abounding in wealth, invited him thither; and which wealth he took, and scattered among his friends and soldiers, as in the following clause: "and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers' fathers;" none of his ancestors, more near or more remote; not Antiochus the great, nor Seleucus Ceraunus, nor Seleucus Callinicus, nor Antiochus Theos, nor Antiochus Soter, nor Seleucus Nicator, the founder of the Syrian empire; for, however greater these might be in power or riches, they were inferior to him in success; though they all, or most of them, however, had their eye upon Egypt, and would gladly have been masters of it; yet none of the kings of Syria prevailed over it, as Antiochus did; and this may also refer to what follows: "he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and riches;" which he took from the places or rich cities he entered into; and these he plentifully and liberally dispersed among his followers, his soldiers, "the small people" he became strong with, Dan_11:23, whereby he gained their affections and attached them to his interest; and in this his liberality and munificence he is said to abound above all the kings that were before him, in the Apocrypha: John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Makes war against Ptolemy of Egypt who is betrayed and killed and his army defeated.

Daniel 11:25 NIV "With a large army he will stir up his strength and courage against the king of the South. The king of the South will wage war with a large and very powerful army, but he will not be able to stand because of the plots devised against him.

First Egyptian War, 169. Antiochus's dreams of adding Egypt to his kingdom were finally acted on in 169. His invasion was prompted by Egypt's growing animosity and may even have been in response to Egypt's military action, since the first encounter (November 170) was between Pelusium and Gaza. Nonetheless, Antiochus succeeded in capturing the city of Memphis and securing the surrender of Ptolemy VI. IVPBBC

Daniel 11:26 NIV Those who eat from the king's provisions will try to destroy him; his army will be swept away, and many will fall in battle.

Ptolemy VI Philometor (181-146). Ptolemy VI was young when he came to the throne and was aided by two officials, Eulaeus and Lenaeus, who stirred up antagonism against Syria. The humiliation of Ptolemy in the First Egyptian War is thought to have been the result of bad advice given by his two advisors with the intention of undermining him. IVPBBC

Daniel 11:27 NIV The two kings, with their hearts bent on evil, will sit at the same table and lie to each other, but to no avail because an end will still come at the appointed time.

Unsuccessful siege of Alexandria. After his successful siege of Memphis, the citizens of Alexandria defied him by making Ptolemy's younger brother king. Antiochus took immediate steps to break their revolt but was unable to take the city. As soon as he had returned to Syria, Ptolemy VI disavowed any loyalty to Antiochus and his coregency with his brother was reinstated. IVPBBC

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Questions we all seem to want an answer to. Chapter 10 in our journey through Revelation.

One of the questions we all seem to want an answer to is, who is this great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads?

Since we know that Ezekiel 28 addresses him as the king of Tyre and places him in the garden of Eden, and, that he awaits throughout all time as we know it, for a chance to catch and kill this promised savior of the world, that we are dealing with Satan when we think about the main body of the dragon.

Remember the old East Indian saying, how does one eat an elephant? A little bit at a time. With that in mind let's take this a little bit at a time.

• ten horns

Revelation 12:3 KJV And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

We don't really know what this looks like, but let's assume this represents what scripture describes it as.

Where else do I get ten horns? Daniel chapter 7.

Daniel 7:1-7 ESV In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter. (2) Daniel declared, "I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. (3) And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. (4) The first was like a lion and had eagles' wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it. (5) And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, 'Arise, devour much flesh.' (6) After this I looked, and behold, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it. (7) After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.

Continuing to focus on the number ten.

Daniel 2:30-44 ESV But as for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your mind. (31) "You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening. (32) The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, (33) its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. (34) As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. (35) Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. (36) "This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation. (37) You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, (38) and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all--you are the head of gold. (39) Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. (40) And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall break and crush all these. (41) And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay. (42) And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle. (43) As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay. (44) And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever,

Nebuchadnezzar's statue

You cannot separate the toes from the feet as they are an integral part of the balance system, and most people have ten. So, here, in a most subtle way, we have the number ten again. Look up the word mixed and you will find something very revealing, the Chaldean word ar-ab', meaning: to commingle: - mingle (self), mix. Contrast what little we know and understand about the Middle Eastern nations and scripture, because God had already told us what we would find there. God, in speaking about Ishmael, said,

Genesis 16:12 AMP And he [Ishmael] will be as a wild ass among men; his hand will be against every man and every man's hand against him, and he will live to the east and on the borders of all his kinsmen.

Ten nations, mixed in so many ways, with one main purpose, struggle and warfare.

Daniel explained to Nebuchadnezzar that he was the head of gold. The Babylonian empire was the head of gold – an empire. So let's follow the logic. Since we know that the Babylonians were overthrown by the Medo-Persian empire (Assyrians), we now have the chest and shoulders of the statue that Daniel was describing. Carrying on. We can ascertain from history the Medo-Persian empire was replaced by the Grecian empire, but more importantly, the Grecian empire came to an end under the control of two Alexandrian generals: Seleucid and Ptolemy.

As a former pastor loved to say, stay with me here.

Since the statue we see in Daniel is following a comparable pattern to the red dragon and the beasts, then it safe to say that what we are looking at when we try to define what the dragon is, is a succession of Satanically motivated and even possessed empires.

Is there anything in Daniel that explicitly explains who some of these are?

The first one is plainly laid out.

Daniel 2:37-38 ESV You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, (38) and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all--you are the head of gold.

Without a doubt, the first empire we are considering was the Babylonian. The revelation of the second kingdom is a little more subtle.

As you read Daniel chapter four, you find Nebuchadnezzar on all fours grazing with the cattle. In time his mind is restored and he honors God. That is a plus, but we have little to tell us about his end and chapter five opens with one of his sons, Belshazzar, now leading the kingdom. I suggest you read Daniel 5:1-31 yourself to get the feel of what was going on and why. Here is the direct passage that explains who we are looking for.

Daniel 5:24-28 ESV "Then from his presence the hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed. (25) And this is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, and PARSIN. (26) This is the interpretation of the matter: MENE, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; (27) TEKEL, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting; (28) PERES, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians."

Daniel 5:30-31 ESV That very night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed. (31) And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.

This is now the third head of state Daniel has served under and the potential for radical change in leadership is often the order of the day, but God has his hand on Daniel.

Daniel 6:1-3 ESV It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom; (2) and over them three high officials, of whom Daniel was one, to whom these satraps should give account, so that the king might suffer no loss. (3) Then this Daniel became distinguished above all the other high officials and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him. And the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.

Daniel 6:28 ESV So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

Did you notice this? Two different kings but the empire did not change focus or direction, and Daniel served well in both of them. The domain was Persian, which happens to have what affiliation? Assyrian and the Assyrians were the ruling bodies in Nineveh when Jonah was told to deliver the message – repent or be destroyed.

While this is all good stuff to take note of, we still have not migrated to the third empire as yet.

In Daniel chapter, seven we step back in time as Daniel tells us about a dream he had during the first year of Belshazzar's reign.

Daniel describes the four great beasts rising out of the sea that was in the dream.

Daniel 7:2-4 ESV Daniel declared, "I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. (3) And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. (4) The first was like a lion and had eagles' wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it.

• “The first was like a lion and had eagles' wings”

Sounds regal enough but you seldom find someone of such stature crawling around on the ground like a mad man.

“then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it.”

This is the description we have of Nebuchadnezzar that we find that in Daniel chapter four before his mind was restored to him. So, once again, we have a description of the Babylonian empire.

Because we have a clear definition of who the second empire is – the Medo-Persian. Keep that in mind as you read about the second beast Daniel sees.

Daniel 7:5-6 ESV And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, 'Arise, devour much flesh.' (6) After this I looked, and behold, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it.

Here is a peculiarity. Even though all these sound very deadly, did they have that effect on Daniel, or on Israel in general? The answer is no. If you read through Daniel you find the king setting up a large, grotesque statue of himself. Where Daniel was when this happened we are not told, but to not worship the image meant death. Daniel's Jewish brethren refused to bow and were thrown into the fire - if you know the story then you know they were not burned or even touched by the smell of smoke. Now, the question is, did these kingdoms have an evil and deadly side to them? Certainly.

Let's ponder the third beast for a moment.

(6) "After this I looked, and behold, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it."

Is it possible that verse six is speaking of the Grecian empire when it speaks of the beast having four heads? Historically, we know that this was the Grecian empire. We also know that after Alexander's death the Grecian empire was controlled by four generals. However, there was no end to struggle and eventually two generals controlled all the northern and southern regions. The general that ruled the northern empire was Seleucus and Ptolemy to the south. The fact that the empire ends up under the control of two generals either eliminates them as a possibility or, it explains the legs of the statue.

Let me burst your theological bubble just a bit more.

While we have some definition to the first three: a lion; a bear, and a leopard. Just the species alone does not give you a solid link to particular empires. The problem is that there is a fourth.

Daniel 7:7 ESV After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.

When we compare what Daniel tells us in chapter seven against the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's statue dream, we are now down to the undefined legs.

The fourth beast is given no animal counterpart, but it does have iron teeth. There is nothing on earth, outside of mythical creatures, that has iron teeth with the exception of one thing, man and his weapons of war.

• “ it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet.”

There is an entity active on the earth presently that is devouring and breaking in pieces everything they come in contact with. All you have to do is look at pictures coming out of the Middle East to see how devastated and broken those nations are now. They are currently called ISIS. What is the root of ISIS? Islam in its most vile form; and, those associated with ISIS are holding fast to every brutal command contained within the Qu'ran.

Take note of where these four came from.

Daniel 7:3 ESV And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another.

I have heard it said that the sea represents the sea of people, and I do not have a problem with that. But in truth, we are looking at something very spiritual/devilish/demonic = fallen angels, and their original attempts to wipe out anything that looked like it could be the Messiah? Clearly the attack plan shifted once the Messiah came, paid the price, and freed the world from the bondage of servant-hood to sin. So, then the demonic plan must be focused on deception and prevention of anyone joining ranks with God and his plan.

I am jumping ahead with this example but it corroborates what Daniel saw, and this repetition is a vital aspect of prophecy.

Revelation 13:1-2 ESV And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. (2) And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority.

It is no longer four beasts, but one. And yet, we still have the identities of the lion, the bear, and the leopard. It too is coming out of the sea and has ten horns and seven heads. This is the same thing that Daniel has been seeing, even if the format looks different. John here sees one other aspect that we do not see in Daniel:

“And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority.””

Since Daniel alerted us that we should be looking for empires or authoritative bodies, we know that what we see in Revelation 13:1-2 is also representative of the same thing. There is, however, a subtle word in Revelation 13:2 that we need to pay attention to, and it is the word “it.” It is singular but can comprise a unity of power under one motive and action. We often refer to a corporation as it, but what if “it” is a demonic/fallen angel. The dragon, which we have established as representative of Satan, is the one doing the giving. Would he give all that power to a man? Maybe, but clearly this is not just one man and has not been in any of the examples we have looked at as evidence so far.

One of the horrendous problems we have had in understanding Revelation and end times events is the conjecture as to who the fourth beast, the waist, thighs and legs of the statue are. Still, to this day, I hear prophecy teachers saying that we should be looking to Rome. Although the Pope does and says things associated with apostasy, while leading a group of people that are awaiting alien leadership, that does not make him the Antichrist. It does, however, cause us to not look anywhere else, pursue logical options, and it distracts us from real possibilities, that are happening all around us.

A huge clue comes out of Daniel 7:7 when it says,

“It was different from all the beasts that were before it,”

Alright then, let's consider this. Since God is focused on the Babylonian empire as the initiating point. What is it that is significant?

• Babylon, under the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, takes Israel captive.
  What was the purpose of Israel's captivity? To punish them for forsaking the Shemittah, the period of rest.
  Even though, as we discussed, Nebuchadnezzar had the potential for great harm, he also had a preservative effect on Israel. People continued to live there, carrying on with their lives, and someone actually preserved the oral history and traditions.
  Daniel, a Jew, excelled under Nebuchadnezzar, as did Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael, his Jewish brethren.
• Babylon was overtaken by Darius the Mede.
  How did Daniel fare through this? He was placed in the kingdom as one of the three highest-ranking officials.
  And, Daniel even rises to the top when Cyrus, the Persian takes the reigns of the former Babylonian empire.

So far, it is not an entirely destructive pattern we see. Since we love to assign the hips and legs of the statue to the Roman empire, let's consider them for a moment. Rome was not an entirely destructive force upon the earth, as they made roads, built aqueducts, and established a rule of law. While it is obvious that their initial greetings may have been at the point of a spear, this was common with any invaded nation. Historically, Rome never held any ground over Babylon proper, for any period of time, and, therefore, cannot be deemed to have held the same land masses that others conquerors held.

If we are looking at invading powers as solely destructive, this was not the case. And yet, this power, which may not be as global as we think, and because of this statement - “It was different from all the beasts that were before it,” it may prove to be one of the most destructive plagues upon man.

I never end one of these without pointing out that you too can have a confidence in your relationship with the Messiah. Admit you are broken with Him and invite this Jesus into your life. He will come and make himself real to you, live in you, and give you a hope in an eternal home with the Father, God.

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