"a god whom his fathers did not know" Daniel 11:34-45 , a commentary.

This is an area that has no direct correlation with History. It is also the darkest waters as most assign things like worshipping "a god whom his fathers did not know," to the most unusual of theories. 

If I consider all the influences, most of which are Assyrian, then I can begin to understand what something like the idea of worshipping a god his fathers did not know, a little less difficult. 

Read on and you will see what I mean.

Antiochus is resisted by the Maccabees who do exploits but are oppressed by him many days.

Daniel 11:34 NASB "Now when they fall they will be granted a little help, and many will join with them in hypocrisy.

• “Now, when they fall, they will be granted a little help.”

Since we understand that the price to be paid for coming to the Lord during the last days is ultimately death, help can only be fleeting. I cannot begin to imagine what a little help will look like, but the implications are that it is momentary and temporary.

• “and many will join with them in hypocrisy.”

Hypocrisy, as defined in the Hebrew, describes uncertain people on treacherous paths of false prophets (Jeremiah 23:12) and hated enemies.

These two possibilities I see here.

• Islam has the right to lie. They can and will play the role of a follower in order to gain an advantage in Jihad.
• The other is help coming from people that really aren't going to stick around. In either case, you will probably die.

Jeremiah 23:12 NASB "Therefore their way will be like slippery paths to them, They will be driven away into the gloom and fall down in it; For I will bring calamity upon them, The year of their punishment," declares the LORD.

Daniel 11:35 CJB Even some of those with discernment will stumble so that some of them will be refined, purified and cleansed for an end yet to come at the designated time.

• 
  

• 
  

• “Even some of those with discernment will stumble.”

  We always want the good guy to win, however, that is not always the case, and there is a reason why.

   

• “so that some of them will be refined, purified and cleansed”
  
  

  What is the reason for the “great tribulation”?

  It is God's final punishment of: Israel, for their rejection of Him, and it is a punishment of the world for accosting his people and their rejection of Him.

  
  

  If Israel has rejected Him all these years, is it possible that God is looking for a method of redemption, instead of a final punishment, as some believe?

  What if you found out that God's character and nature were mercy and love?

   

•  for an end yet to come at the designated time.”

What is the end?

Truly, it can only be the Great White Throne judgment. This event shows up in two places; one in the Revelation and the other in Matthew 25 where we see the sheep and the goats. In Revelation Jesus is played out before us as what appears to be an angry God. We get that impression for all we see is the finality of His judgment as many are sent to the lake of fire, a place that was only designed for Satan and his mutinous crew.

In Matthew's account, Jesus is the gentle shepherd and we primarily focus on the sheep and their reward. In either case, you become aware of books along with the book of life. I surmise that God scours those books looking desperately for some reason to show those standing before Him mercy.

The time of the vision.

The character of "the king" of the north (Daniel 7:25 and 8:25.)

Daniel 11:36 CJB "The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt himself and consider himself greater than any god, and he will utter monstrous blasphemies against the God of gods. He will prosper only until the period of wrath is over, for what has been determined must take place.

• “ The king will do as he pleases”
  
  

  What permits such actions?

  An overwhelming fear; support of loyal troops; a lack of oversight.
  So, is that typical?

  Perhaps not, but not impossible.

   

• “He will exalt himself and consider himself greater than any god, and he will utter monstrous blasphemies against the God of gods”
  
  
  It seems that many people think this way. However, this is much more serious than the standard blasphemies of which we speak. The entity that does this specific thing is the Antichrist.
  
  

  2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 CJB Don't let anyone deceive you in any way. For the Day will not come until after the Apostasy has come and the man who separates himself from Torah has been revealed, the one destined for doom. 4) He will oppose himself to everything that people call a god or make an object of worship; he will put himself above them all, so that he will sit in the Temple of God and proclaim that he himself is God.

  
  

• “He will prosper only until the period of wrath is over, for what has been determined must take place.”
  
  

  Revelation 11:18 NASB "And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth."

  
  The determined time is his end.

Revelation 19:20 NASB "And the beast was seized, and with him, the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone."

Daniel 11:37 NASB "He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the desire of women, nor will he show regard for any other god; for he will magnify himself above them all."

• “He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers”

Antiochus's Seleucid predecessors had elevated the god Apollo, while the Ptolemies had shown a preference for Adonis (possibly referred to here as the one desired by women). Antiochus neglects them (though by no means rejects them) in favor of Olympian Zeus. The fact that he designated himself as God Manifest on his coins is sufficient to explain the comment in this verse. IVPBBC

• “ or for the desire of women”
  
  

  Based on this, some Bible scholars believe that the Antichrist will be of Jewish descent, and perhaps will also be a homosexual. These things may not be popularly known about the man, but they may be true nonetheless. But many commentators believe that the desire of women refers to Jesus, in that all women desired the honor of bearing the Messiah and understanding “desire” as it is used in Haggai 2:7. Seeing the desire of women as Jesus makes the most sense in light of the flow of context. David Guzik's Enduring Word Commentary

Daniel 11:38 NASB "But instead he will honor a god of fortresses, a god whom his fathers did not know; he will honor him with gold, silver, costly stones and treasures.

• “But instead he will honor a god of fortresses, a god whom his fathers did not know;”
  
  

  “The Antichrist will take and hold power with military might and the shrewd use of great riches.” Guzik

Certainly, Islam is and has been the people of the sword, so violence is a way of life to them. But where are the fortresses? The fortresses seem to be more in their Mosques and run by the Caliphates.

Daniel 11:39 NASB "He will take action against the strongest of fortresses with the help of a foreign god; he will give great honor to those who acknowledge him and will cause them to rule over the many, and will parcel out land for a price.

The following is from the Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Thus shall he do in, the most strong holds - Margin, “fortresses of munitions.” The reference is to strongly fortified places; of those places which had been made strong for purposes of defense. The idea is that he would carry on his purposes against these places, as it were, under the auspices of this strange god. It was a fact that in his wars, Antiochus came into possession of the strong places or the fortified towns of the nations which he attacked - Jerusalem, Sidon, Peluslum, Memphis - then among the strongest places in the world.

But we are looking forward to an end-time scenario, and there are few fortresses anymore. Oh, I am not excluding the idea that there are military bases, nor am I discounting countries like Russia and Iran, which seem to operate as though they were fortresses unto themselves.

• “with the help of a foreign god”
  
  

  “A foreign god whom his fathers did not acknowledge;” We have already spoken about how Antiochus IV ignored the gods of his family and brought in Zeus from the Romans. But, we are looking forward and need to look outside the box. Who or what is the god of Islam? Allah. This would certainly push this person outside the realm of his father's gods.

• “he will give great honor to those who acknowledge him and will cause them to rule over the many”

While in the short term, “the conquests of Antiochus would seem to be a setting up of the dominion of these gods over the lands which he subdued.” But in the long term, Islam demands submission to Allah. 

And shall divide the land for gain - “The reference here is, probably, to the holy land, and the idea is that it would be partitioned out among his followers for a price, or with a view to gain; that is, perhaps, that it would be “farmed out” for the purpose of raising revenue, and that with this view, as often occurred, it would be set up for sale to the highest bidder. This was a common way of raising revenue, by “farming out” a conquered province; that is, by disposing of the privilege of raising a revenue in it to the one who would offer most for it, and the consequence was, that it gave rise to vast rapacity in extorting funds from the people. Compare 1 Macc. 3:35, 36, where, speaking of Lysias, whom Antiochus had “set to oversee the affairs of the king from the river Euphrates unto the borders of Egypt,” it is said of Antiochus that he “gave him (Lysias) charge of all things that he would have done, as also concerning them that dwelt in Judea and Jerusalem: to wit, that he should send an army against them, to destroy and root out the strength of Israel, and the remnant of Jerusalem, and to take away their memorial from that place; and that he should place strangers in all their quarters, ‘and divide their land by lot. ‘“

The final battles of Daniel 11:40-45

There is no known historical sequence corresponding to that which is laid out in these verses. Antiochus IV was killed in battle in Persia in December 164. Many interpreters of Daniel consider this section (perhaps starting as early as v. Dan_11:36) to contain a reference to a much more distant future.

War between Syria (north) and Egypt (south) at the end time: Antichrist (Syria, North) is victorious over Egypt (south) and many countries up to the middle of Daniel's seventieth week when the "eighth" or Revived Grecian Empire is formed. (Dan 7:24; 8:23-25; Rev 11:7; 13:1-18; 16:10; 17:3, 8-14, 16-17; 19:19-21)

Daniel 11:40 NASB "At the end time the king of the South will collide with him, and the king of the North will storm against him with chariots, with horsemen, and with many ships; and he will enter countries, overflow them and pass through.

• “At the end time, the king of the South will collide with him”

These kings are to be understood in reference to the times in which the prophet speaks. While the kingdoms of Egypt and Syria were subsisting, the king of the south and the north applied to them exclusively: but they did not exist at the time of which the prophet speaks; therefore, other southern and northern powers must be sought. These we may find in the Saracens, who were of the Arabians, who came from the south, headed by the false prophet Mohammed, who pushed at him - made war on the Greek emperor Heraclius, and with amazing rapidity deprived him of Egypt, Syria, and many of his finest provinces. [Adam Clarke]

• “and the king of the North will storm against him with chariots, with horsemen, and with many ships”

Pastor Dave Guzik says, “The Turks, who were originally Scythians, seized on the remains of the Greek empire; and in process of time rendered themselves masters of the whole. They are represented as coming like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen; their armies being chiefly composed of cavalry.”

An aspect we need to remind ourselves of is that the Bible is Israel and Middle-east centric. With Jerusalem as the center, the North passes straight through Aleppo, Syria, Ankara, Turkey, and finally through Moscow, Russia. It is likely that Turkey is the focus here, but I am not sure that Turkey has the naval power to fulfill the many ships aspect.

• “and he will enter countries, overflow them and pass through.”
  
  

  Having both the North and the South come against him would under normal circumstances mean the end for most. The word overflow also carries the meanings of rinsed, wash away, and to overwhelm. Here I am talking about the possibilities that this is Muslim leader and that might be, but I do not think it is in the strictest sense. Moscow is Russian, and, even though there is a Muslim influence, the animosity is great. Turkey, on the other hand, is not only Islamic but their leader, Erdogan Princip, thinks of himself as the last Mahdi, potentially filling the role of the Antichrist. Should the Muslim world throw itself behind him, there would be little to stand in his way.

New adversaries in the north and east in the middle of the week after he has conquered and acquired control of the ten kingdoms of Revised Rome. He conquers these in the last three and a half years and then brings them into Palestine to destroy Israel as he intended to do in the middle of the week when he broke the covenant with them and planted his tabernacle in the glorious holy mountain.

Daniel 11:41 NASB "He will also enter the Beautiful Land, and many countries will fall, but these will be rescued out of his hand: Edom, Moab, and the foremost of the sons of Ammon.

• “He will also enter the Beautiful Land, and many countries will fall”

Any student of end-times events understands that the beast/antichrist persona will enter Jerusalem. What we don't seem to see is that other countries will fall as well. It truly seems that we are seeing prophecy played out before our eyes as several countries in the Middle East have had their leaders taken down and their countries left in piles of rubble. Syria is an ongoing process as we speak. Just because many of us live in the United States of America, we think we will be secure. I no longer think that will be the case.

• “but these will be rescued out of his hand: Edom, Moab and the foremost of the sons of Ammon.”
  
  

  Why? That is a good question but it requires background knowledge and the prophetic look into the future. If we start with the fact that Edom was/is the eldest son of Isaac, that in itself answers nothing pertaining to the question as to why God will rescue them. Perhaps the answer is somewhat buried and requires diligence to sort it out.

  
  
  • The Prophet Isaiah tells us,
    
    

    Isaiah 11:14-15 NET. They will swoop down on the Philistine hills to the west; together they will loot the people of the east. They will take over Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites will be their subjects. 15) The LORD will divide the gulf of the Egyptian Sea; he will wave his hand over the Euphrates River and send a strong wind, he will turn it into seven dried-up streams, and enable them to walk across in their sandals.

    
    

    “They,” in this passage, seems to be Judah. Judah was the Northern kingdom and seemed to be the bad seed. This is where we find King Ahab and his wife Jezebel. She also plays a significant role in end times events, as her name is associated with the Harlot (a rather surreal socio-economic empire) that rides the beast.

    
    

    Revelation 17:3 Moffatt NT 3) So he bore me away rapt in the Spirit to the desert, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet Beast covered with blasphemous titles; it had seven heads and ten horns.

    
    

    Revelation 17:16 MKJV and the ten horns which you saw on the beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her desolate and naked. And they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire.

    
    
    So what we can ascertain from all this is that God deems Edom, Moab, and the Ammonites to have been punished enough and releases them from punishment.

Daniel 11:42 MKJV And he shall stretch out his hand on the lands. And the land of Egypt shall not escape.

• He, of course, is this person. While Antiochus Epiphanes may have done this, it applies to the near future as well. Egypt will not escape.

Ezekiel 29:14-15 NASB "I will turn the fortunes of Egypt and make them return to the land of Pathros, to the land of their origin, and there they will be a lowly kingdom. 15) "It will be the lowest of the kingdoms, and it will never again lift itself up above the nations. And I will make them so small that they will not rule over the nations.

Daniel 11:43 CJB he will control the treasures of gold and silver, as well as everything else in Egypt of value. Put, and Ethiopia will be subject to him.

We already went over Daniel 11:28 but note how it says, “Then the king of the north will return to his own land with great wealth;” CJB

Albert Barnes's commentary states, “Enriched with the spoils of Egypt. Having taken Memphis and the fairest portions of Egypt, he would, of course, carry great wealth to his own country on his return. Thus it is said in 1 Macc. 1:19: “Thus they got the strong cities in the land of Egypt, and he took the spoils thereof.”

Sadly, because they are Apocryphal books, we ignore the historical aspects of books like 1Maccabees, which confirms that this person spoils the strong cities of the land of Egypt. This includes Chad, Sudan, Somalia, Lybia, Nigeria, and anything along the northern coast of Africa.

Daniel 11:44 CJB However, news from the east and north will frighten him so that he moves out in great fury to ruin and completely do away with many.

• Everything we have seen so far points to a ruler in his attempts at global domination, but even that seems to evade him.
• Extend a line to the farthest eastern coastlands, and you will be in China. Since China is not Muslim-friendly, perhaps this plays a role.
• Merely because his goal is to do away with many does not mean he will be successful.

Daniel 11:45 CJB Finally, when he pitches the tents of his palace between the seas and the mountain of the holy Glory, he will come to his end with no one to help him.

• Tents, or as the KJV translates it, tabernacles. It is the Hebrew word 'ôhel and means a tent (as clearly conspicuous from a distance.)

• of his palace - ’appeḏen: A masculine noun indicating tent structure, a tented palace, pavilion.
  What can I ascertain from this?
  • He is establishing a palace.
  • It, at this point, is temporary.
  • It is meant to be seen as; either that or he is attempting to be an affront to God.
  • And that this is his last resting place on earth.
    How do I know that?

• “he will come to his end, with no one to help him.”
  
  

  The next thing we see is Christ returning with His saints to slaughter everyone that chooses to fight against Him. The NASB entitles this explanatory section of the Bible, The Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

  
  

  The epic battle begins in Revelation 19:6 and in Revelation 19:9 the speaker says to John the beloved, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”

  
  

  Verse 19:11 initiates the Rider on the white horse and there is little doubt that we are seeing Jesus upon this horse. Verse 13 indicates that His name is called, The Word of God.

  
  

  In verse 14 He is followed by the armies of Heaven, also riding on white horses.

  
  

  These have one purpose, which we find in verse 15: “That He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.

  
  
  • • Revelation 19:19-21 NASB 19) And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. 20) And the beast was seized, and with him, the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. 21) And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.

And thus ends chapter 11. This idea of a far distant future is not so far-fetched as Daniel chapter 12 continues on with, "Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued.” NASB

Are there female angels? A brief interlude from the Daniel commentaries.

Female Angels? Are you serious?

A brother recently shared with us an occurrence where he told someone that there were female angels, and he used this passage Zechariah 5:9 to prove his statement.

Zechariah 5:9 NASB Then I lifted up my eyes and looked, and there two women were coming out with the wind in their wings, and they had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heavens.

I could not recall an instance where I had seen a female angel described in scripture. Several of us read the passage and our immediate response, in general, was, sounds interesting, or, I had no idea.

Upon closer examination of the passage, “ two women were coming out with the wind in their wings; and they had wings like the wings of a stork”

• The word women is the Hebrew word ishshah; a word never used of angels. It is, however, overwhelmingly used to describe a wife. Since we know these are not meant to be seen as wives, then they are merely seen as women. 
  
  Ishshah (61a); from an unused word; woman, wife, female: - adulteress *(2), any woman.
  
  From the Word Study Dictionary: While this word predominantly means woman or wife, it is further used in various ways: those able to bear children (Gen_18:11); a widow (Ruth_4:5; 1Sa_27:3); an adulteress (Pro_6:26; Pro_7:5); female children (Num_31:18); or female animals (Gen_7:2).
  
  The instances where the word ishshah is translated to adulteress are minimal and not worthy of consideration. There is no assignment of evil, or other communication about them, so let's just allow them to carry the basket with a woman in it, without excess speculation, to its destination.
  

• The word not used is mal'âk, a Hebrew word used to define an angel. Look up the word angel, and you will never find it in relation to this incident.
  
  Hebrew - mal'âk/mal-awk' From an unused root meaning to dispatch as a deputy; a messenger;
  
• If you examine the idea of stork wings, you find that the concept is more like a hanging piece of cloth or cape being lifted, perhaps by the women themselves.
  
  The Hebrew word is kânâph/ kaw-nawf' and means just an edge or extremity; (of a garment or bed clothing) a flap.
  
  Angels, by-the-way, have never been seen with wings.
  
  What does the verse say? “and they had wings like the wings of a stork.” Since we now know that the word could easily say, they had extremities to their garments like the wings of a stork; then the imagery should convey that like the seamless robes many wore, these women too had a robe like garment on, which hung from their arms.
  
  The IVPBB Commentary tells us this: women with wings. In the Old Testament angels are not female and are not portrayed with wings (though in Dan_9:21 Gabriel perhaps comes in swift flight; but see comment there). In Ugaritic literature Baal's sister, Anat, is portrayed with wings. In Mesopotamian art winged creatures are generally either protective genies or demons. The goddess Ishtar is also occasionally portrayed with wings. Two winged female genies are portrayed flanking a stylized tree in a relief from the ninth century.
  

• “there two women were coming out”

Many of the commentaries implied that the woman was being carried off to her punishment. That would make the two women conveyors of judgment, and they do not do that. Setting the woman on a pedestal, a place of momentary dignity, is just the opposite of punishment. We, make the assumption that the woman is left in the basket, but there is nothing that indicates she stays there. Because the angel seems to slam the lead lid back down upon her, you might correctly assume some hostility with this persona. Will this woman in the basket be judged? Absolutely; we have gathered the association of this woman with Babylon and the harlot of Revelation, and, there is no doubt that Babylon, the spiritual entity, also known as the harlot, is severely judged. You need to understand that the woman in the basket is representative of something much more encompassing the attractiveness of a woman, this is the global desire that attempts to entrap and pull us away from God continually.

Will this woman in the basket be judged? Absolutely; we have gathered the association of this woman with Babylon and the harlot of Revelation, and, there is no doubt that Babylon, the spiritual entity, also known as the harlot, is severely judged. You need to understand that the woman in the basket is representative of something much more encompassing the attractiveness of a woman, this is the global desire that attempts to entrap and pull us away from God continually.

Since we have the angels own words to help with this matter, then what did the Angel say the woman was?

Zechariah 5:5-8 NASB Then the angel who was speaking with me went out and said to me, "Lift up now your eyes and see what this is going forth." 6) I said, "What is it?" And he said, "This is the ephah going forth." Again he said, "This is their appearance in all the land 7) (and behold, a lead cover was lifted up); and this is a woman sitting inside the ephah." 8) Then he said, "This is Wickedness!" And he threw her down into the middle of the ephah and cast the lead weight on its opening.

Notice that the angel shows no love nor respect for the entity inside the basket. No human being should be treated like that, and, we have an understanding of God's nature and character when we read:

Matthew 18:14 NASB "So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish.

2 Peter 3:9 NASB The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

So it is safe to assume that God is not sending a human off to their destruction without judgment. Another factor that gives us clarity is the implications that this is a representation.

Depending on the translation you also get lawlessness, evil, and sin. Several translations even tell you, “this represents ...” Since we are made aware that it looks like a woman, then there is an associated attractiveness or even a seduction to this evil.

The word translated as evil, wicked or lawless is the Hebrew word rish‛âh and means wrong (especially moral): - fault, wickedly (-ness).

Allowing scripture to interpret scripture I later returned to this subject and looked at the entirety of chapter five. I had noticed that the chapter speaks of:

a woman in a basket with a lead lid.

• Zechariah 5:11 NASB Then he said to me, "To build a temple for her in the land of Shinar; and when it is prepared, she will be set there on her own pedestal."

I wanted to find out who is this woman is who having a temple built for her in the plain of Shinar,

Shinar, why does that sound familiar?

Genesis 10:8-11 NASB Now Cush became the father of Nimrod; he became a mighty one on the earth. 9) He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; therefore it is said, "Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD." 10) The beginning of his kingdom was Babel and Erech and Accad and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 11) From that land he went forth into Assyria, and built Nineveh and Rehoboth-Ir and Calah,

What we have is a reliable link to Babylon of end times.

There is nothing good associated with Shinar at this point. 

You should have noted two other names; Babel, and Nineveh. Yes, this was the town the prophet Jonah was sent to with a message of repent or be destroyed. If you know the story, then you know Jonah wanted these people to die, but he also knew God would show them mercy.

Why such hatred toward a people? 

Because Israel had suffered tremendous harm at the hands of the Ninevehites/Assyrians, and Jonah, like so many others, carried an intense hatred and prejudiced against them. God, at least for a short period, had other plans; and, when Nineveh as a whole repented, God, for a time, relented on His judgment. Take the time to read the four chapters of Jonah. The last one finds Jonah, lying under gourd plant that has withered, wishing he was dead. When God speaks to Jonah, He explains that mercy is His to show, regardless of how Jonah feels about it.

The Life Application Study Bible commentary has a rather large paragraph about this, but only one small aspect makes any sense. It goes like this, “The woman in a basket was carried away "to the land of Babylonia," which had become a symbol for the center of world idolatry and wickedness.”

• • • Babel and Babylon are the same places. With certainty, the woman and Babylon have taken on a spiritual meaning.

Zechariah 5:11 And I am going to piece this to together from several version so that you can understand the ramifications.

(AMP) “And he said to me, To the land of Shinar [Babylonia] to build it a house,”

• • • • Consider this designation for a moment. When shown to the prophet, he sees a woman in a basket. However, he is told, “this is evil!”

• And, she will be set upon a pedestal.
  (BBE) “And he said to me, To make a house for her in the land of Shinar: and they will make a place ready, and put her there in the place which is hers.”
  
  What could that mean? If this is a fallen angel, then it apparently has a throne as well.
  
  
  (GNB) He answered, "To Babylonia, where they will build a temple for it. When the temple is finished, the basket will be placed there to be worshiped."
  
  Considering that there is an association with Babylon, then, in what ways do we, the world, worship this harlot? The Good News Bible translation triggers off quick thoughts, as the entire world, it seems, will be forced to worship the image of the beast. 
• 
  
  Revelation 17:1 NASB Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, "Come here, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters,
  
  Note the word sits. The woman that Zechariah saw in the basket is also seated; is this just a coincidence? I don't think so.

Revelation 14:8 NASB And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality."

Both of these references assign some lawlessness or evil to a feminine characterization. Revelation 14:8 intertwines the harlot not only with Babylon (what a coincidence) but her immorality as well. Because it uses the term passion, we are led to believe that there is a seductiveness.

Zechariah 5:5-8 NASB Then the angel who was speaking with me went out and said to me, "Lift up now your eyes and see what this is going forth." 6) I said, "What is it?" And he said, "This is the ephah going forth." Again he said, "This is their appearance in all the land 7) (and behold, a lead cover was lifted up); and this is a woman sitting inside the ephah." 8) Then he said, "This is Wickedness!" And he threw her down into the middle of the ephah and cast the lead weight on its opening.

Look at verse six from the Message version:

Zechariah 5:6 MSG I said, "What in the world is that?" He said, "This is a bushel basket on a journey. It holds the sin of everyone, everywhere."

While I can grasp the idea that it contains the sin of everyone; our sins then, are completely characterized by one person - this woman referred to as “it.”

However, it is not, at this moment in Scripture, directed at everyone. 

It is expressly directed at Israel; And, we know this because it says in Zechariah 5:6, “This is their appearance in all the land.” 

Can the world be enticed and therefore included? Absolutely. We are all taken in by the abominations of the earth. You know that Satan offered Jesus the kingdoms of this world and their glory. Pursue this in Matthew 4. Jesus responded to Satan with, “It is written,..” Israel, being the focus and center of God's attention, is God's focus in the statement, “This is their appearance in all the land.”

What we may be seeing here is the representation of the Harlot, the Mother of Harlots.

Revelation 17:5-6 NASB and on her forehead a name was written, a mystery, "BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH." 6) And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered greatly.

Note how it describes Babylon as the mother of harlots, and of the abominations of the earth.

Revelation 18:2 NASB And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird.

We understand that a harlot entices you to give up your virginity, your dignity, destroy your marriage, and end your relationship with important and vital people in your life, like the wife; God. Now, look at the other descriptives: Babylon, a spiritual entity, is the woman drunk with the blood of saints and witnesses of Jesus. Isn't it clear that this harlot is a murderer? It is also the dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit.

Revelation 18 concludes with Babylon, the great city, being thrown down with violence and not be found any longer. In reality, that throwing down, physically, happened not that long after perhaps Darius. Wikipedia tells us: It has been estimated that Babylon was the largest city in the world from c. 1770 to 1670 BC, and again between c. 612 and 320 BC. With some solid dates, we can associate the destruction of Babylon with the Alexandrian empire.

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Daniel Chapter 11, The king of the North sets his heart to break his covenant. Verses 28-33.

Two things I need to tell you.

1. I am not as dry as these bible study notes might convey. I cannot tolerate sitting in some boring service, therefore, I refuse to be boring. I am animated; wave my hands around as I explain God's word, and I make unusual faces to emphasize what I believe to be God's frustration at the world. (While God may well get frustrated, He has no expectation of our performance, therefore, we are not held to some unreachable moral standard - Christ has redeemed us from the law. As followers of Christ, we have merely accepted the life He granted us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.)

Sinners, as the religious crowd likes to call them, are simply those outside of an intimate relationship with the Father, and yet, they are just as forgiven as the believer. What then is the difference? Relationship.

Well now, wait a minute. One might say, I sit with those prune faces (that includes me) in church, and their faces show no life - this life in Christ of which we speak. I get that and here is why I think this is a common problem. Church leadership teaches sin. On the whole, we focus on how to backslide, or, we preach some convicting sermon on the evils of drink. This teaching can be a problem as we walk away more adept in the knowledge of sin than of who we are in Christ. Sin, on the other hand, is nothing more than missing the bulls-eye of a target. Now suppose that target is a very long way off; how difficult is it to hit a bulls-eye that seems no bigger than a dime. Everything we do and have interactions with is analogous to having the wind move you, or some distraction that pulls you off target. Having shot in competitive archery, some 40+ years ago, I completely understand the number of things that can make you miss the bulls-eye that now looks like an American dime at this distance. I realize this seems like I am being simplistic, but I am not exaggerating when I tell you that I have sat through sin teachings for years.

2. I have, over the last few years, come to understand what Islam teaches. I understand that many believe that the Mahdi is coming. It is easy to get wrapped up in the hatred such disturbed beliefs seem to deserve. Our difficulty, as followers of Christ, is to stay focused and not hate. On the optimistic side, many Muslims are coming to the Lord because they are having dreams in which Jesus shows up. The most recent I heard is that Jesus stands at the end of a bridge and bids them to come. Peculiar how they recognize Jesus having never seen Him; but then, how many of us have ever seen Him. The point of this is that one of the grandsons, asked me today, what country would I like to visit? I thought about for a couple of seconds, and told him, that if you had asked me that same question two or three years ago, my answer would have been Paris - for the beauty and romance; Italy - because its charm and cuisine; Spain - to take in the pageantry. There were so many places that ran through my mind, that because of pictures and travel logs, I have longed to go there. But, because of immigrants, looting, raping and pillaging the streets of virtually all of these cities, I would no longer feel safe there. Sadly, I espoused this information, out loud, to my young grandson as we walked up to the front of the warehouse store. My wife immediately admonished me to watch what I say. I did not consider that I was probably creating a fear in the boy as well, but thought about the possibility of a physical altercation I might have, as many Muslims shop there.

No, I have never had a problem like many of you are experiencing, but our turn, here in America, will come. I used to prophesy this to the church about ten years ago. For doing so I was effectively kicked out.

Only a fool would look at the changes America has experienced and not see the looting, raping and pillaging, many of you are experiencing coming to America. The bottom line is that I have to fight against the prejudices I so easily fall into.

One of the things that I hear in my spirit, frequently, is Jesus response to the disciples as they asked Him, do you want us to call down fire on them? Depending on the preacher, you can get several types explanations for the rebuke Jesus gave them. I believe His come back was filled with wisdom and correction, for He said in Luke 9:54-56 NASB .. "You do not know what kind of spirit you are of; for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them."...

I do not write this to tell you how to deal with the violence many of you are surrounded with on a daily basis. I am telling you, that we, as followers of Christ, live in grace. If you try to perform some act of violence like I am aware of on my wife, I will react. I would love it if God gave me the green light to call fire down on those who are acting out, but He doesn't.

Will a time in which He does grant the green light come? Absolutely, and it is right after the rapture of the church. Sadly, the church and grace will be gone, but the day of the prophet of the highest God will be back in force. Elijah called fire down on two separate groups of one hundred troops. Look this up 1Kings chapter one.

With that exposure to the inner struggles I have, I return to the commentary at hand.

Antiochus returns in glory and victory and sets his heart to break his Jewish covenant and plunder Palestine.

Daniel 11:28 CJB Then the king of the north will return to his own land with great wealth; with his heart set against the holy covenant, he will take action and then return home.

• That is, Antiochus, with the spoils of Egypt, and the gifts and presents he had received there; so the author of the first book of Maccabees says, [John Gill]

“set against the holy covenant.” Roman, Greek and Jewish sources differ with regards to the details at this point. There is no question that on his return from Egypt, Antiochus raided the temple treasury, most likely to secure additional funds for his continuing military activities. The sources disagree about whether this incident took place after the First Egyptian War (September 169) or after the Second. IVPBBC

And his heart shall be against the holy covenant; not the covenant he had made with Ptolemy, which was a fraudulent one; but the covenant between God and the Jews; whereby they became a distinct and peculiar people, having a religion, laws, and ordinances, different from all others; for which reason they were hated by other nations, and particularly by Antiochus; and his heart was the more enraged against them at this time, for the following reason; a false rumor being spread in Judea that Antiochus was dead, Jason took the opportunity to recover the office of high priest from his brother Menelaus; and, with a thousand men, took the city of Jerusalem, drove his brother into the castle, and slew many he took for his enemies. Antiochus, hearing of this, concluded the whole nation of the Jews had revolted from him; and therefore took Judea in his way from Egypt, in order to suppress this rebellion; in the Apocrypha: John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Antiochus leads a second expedition into Egypt but is turned back by a mandate from Rome in league with Cyprus. He then turns against the Jews and many apostate Jews help him to pollute the temple altar and doing away with Jewish sacrifices.

Daniel 11:29 AMPC+ At the time appointed [God's own time] he shall return and come into the South, but it shall not be successful as were the former invasions [of Egypt].

Second Egyptian War, 168. In the spring of 168, Antiochus again had to besiege Memphis, and he did so successfully, taking control of lower Egypt. As he again prepared to lay siege against a weakened Alexandria, he actually had himself crowned king of Egypt. But there was a difference this time. Egypt had appealed to Rome for help, and their ships arrived as he approached Alexandria. Roman consul Gaius Popillius Laenas met him by the walls of Alexandria and commanded Antiochus to leave Egypt. When Antiochus replied that he had to consult with his advisers, the Roman consul drew a circle in the dirt around the king and insisted that he give his answer before stepping out of the circle. A humiliated Antiochus conceded to Roman authority and straggled toward home looking for a way to vent his misery. This was probably in July 168. IVPBBC

Daniel 11:30 CJB because ships from Kittim will come against him so that his courage will fail him. Then, in retreat, he will take furious action against the holy covenant, again showing favor to those who abandon the holy covenant.

• “because ships from Kittim will come against him”

– this is modern day Cyprus

Why Kittim? The island country of Cyprus is small, split between the Greeks and the Turks, and it is a known point for the trafficking of drugs and female sex slaves. Why then would it be a modern source of trouble? Perhaps a quick dip into Biblical genealogy can give us a clue.

Genesis 10:1-4 NET. This is the account of Noah's sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons were born to them after the flood. The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. 3) The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. 4) The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittim, and the Dodanim.

Balaam, when pushed by Balak the son of Zippor - The comparison of Numbers 22:4 with Numbers 21:26 suggests that Balak was not the hereditary king but a Midianite and that a change of dynasty had taken place.

Balaam the son of Beor was from the first a worshipper in some sort of the true God; and had learned some elements of pure and true religion in his home in the Far East, the cradle of the ancestors of Israel. But though prophesying, doubtless even before the ambassadors of Balak came to him, in the name of the true God, yet prophecy was still to him as before a mere business, not a religion.

Numbers 24:23-25 NET. Then he uttered this oracle: "O, who will survive when God does this! 24) Ships will come from the coast of Kittim, and will afflict Asshur, and will afflict Eber, and he will also perish forever." 25) Balaam got up and departed and returned to his home, and Balak also went his way.

• Regardless of the insignificance of Kittim/Cyprus, or the national allegiance, God has spoken prophetically that destruction will come upon Eber and Asshur will be afflicted, all launched from the shores of Kittim.
• “so that his courage will fail him.”

Your courage failing you is not so tangible and has more of an internal effect. The word used here – כאה kâ'âh - means, properly, to become faint-hearted; to be frightened; to be dejected, sad, humbled, Job_30:8; Eze_13:22; Psa_109:16. The meaning here is, that he became dispirited, dejected, cast down, and abandoned his purpose.

Because God and the prophetic, operates on a principle of pattern, then it is highly probable that we can expect this pattern once again. We may be looking Antiochus Epiphanies at the moment, but that will not be his name in the future.

• “Then, in retreat, he will take furious action against the holy covenant, again showing favor to those who abandon the holy covenant.”

For a second time (cf. Dan_11:28) Antiochus took out his frustration on the Jews, the city of Jerusalem, and their temple. He vented his fury against the holy covenant, the entire Mosaic system (cf. Dan_11:28), favoring any renegade Jews who turned to help him (cf. Dan_11:32). He desecrated the temple and abolished the daily sacrifice.

Antiochus sent his general Apollonius with 22,000 soldiers into Jerusalem on what was purported to be a peace mission. But they attacked Jerusalem on the Sabbath, killed many people, took many women and children as slaves, and plundered and burned the city.

Daniel 11:31 CJB Armed forces will come at his order and profane the sanctuary and fortress. They will abolish the daily burnt offering and set up the abomination that causes desolation.

• desecration of the sanctuary.

According to the book of Maccabees, an individual named Geron was sent by Antiochus to dismantle Jewish religious practice. It is possible that the Syrian military contingent, seeking accommodation for their own worship practice, was partially responsible for some of the changes described in the temple. In December 167 a systematic program of instituting Greek religious practices at the expense of Jewish ones began in earnest. The sacrificial system and the Sabbath and festival observances were halted. Worship sites were set up around the country and circumcision was forbidden. The temple was consecrated to Zeus and became a center of polytheism and prostitution. IVPBBC

• the abomination of desolation.

In seeking to exterminate Judaism and to Hellenize the Jews, Antiochus IV forbade the Jews to follow their religious practices (including their festivals and circumcision) and commanded that copies of the Law be burned. Then he set up the abomination that causes desolation. In this culminating act, he erected on December 16, 167 b.c. an altar to Zeus on the altar of burnt offering outside the temple, and had a pig offered on the altar. The Bible Knowledge Commentary

Daniel 11:32 NET. Then with smooth words, he will defile those who have rejected the covenant. But the people who are loyal to their God will act valiantly.

• “Then with smooth words, he will defile those who have rejected the covenant.”

2 Chronicles 24:17 NET. 17) After Jehoiada died, the officials of Judah visited the king and declared their loyalty to him. The king listened to their advice.

The IVPBBC tells us, “There were many Jews who favored the Hellenization process and therefore, if promised personal benefit, would gladly side with the new policies. Foremost among these was Menelaus, the high priest, who was totally dependent on Antiochus for his lucrative office.”

We are trying to get a handle on what it is to be defiled, especially after rejecting the covenant. To begin with let's look at alternate words:

• pervert; seduce;
• deceitfully dissemble;
• those who violate the covenant;
• those who have already abandoned their religion;
• act wickedly toward the covenant

So, as you can see it is a broad spectrum of dispassionate acts.

those who act H7561 wickedly H7561 - rasha/raw-shah' - A primitive root; to be (causatively do or declare) wrong; by implication to disturb, violate: - condemn, make trouble, vex, be (commit, deal, depart, do) wicked (-ly, -ness).

The Word Study Dictionary tells us, "In the simple stem, this verb means to be or to become guilty, to act wickedly."

• “But the people who are loyal to their God will act valiantly.”

There is only one God, but to the Jew it is Jehovah. So, what does loyalty look like?

If Antiochus IV is a precursor of future events, then it is safe to say that at this point in time Jesus will not have returned and Israel will be under siege. Daniel 11:31 are one of those indicators.

Isaiah 65:12 CEV Your luck will end! I will see to it that you are slaughtered with swords. You refused to answer when I called out; you paid no attention to my instructions. Instead, you did what I hated, knowing it was wrong.

We are told that 2/3 of Israel will be killed or destroyed by invaders. What is not clear to us is how they will defend themselves, nor how well.

Ezekiel 5:12 CEV A third of you will die here in Jerusalem from disease or starvation. Another third will be killed in war. And I will scatter the last third of you in every direction, then track you down and kill you.

Zechariah 13:8 CEV Nowhere in the land will more than a third of them be left alive.

In trying to find comparable words that might give you a secondary witness it is difficult at best. There is, however, this from the Prophet Joel.

Note the events and the timing, as they are deep in the middle of the tumult that we call the Great Tribulation. Joel describes a scenario where many are calling upon the name of the Lord. This act, whether confident or not, causes them to be delivered. The prophetic word also tells us that there will those that escape. There will be survivors.

Joel 2:30-32 NASB "I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, Blood, fire, and columns of smoke. 31) "The sun will be turned into darkness And the moon into blood Before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. 32) "And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the LORD Will be delivered; For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem There will be those who escape, As the LORD has said, Even among the survivors whom the LORD calls.

Daniel 11:33 AMPC+ And they who are wise and understanding among the people shall instruct many and make them understand, though some [of them and their followers] shall fall by the sword and flame, by captivity and plunder, for many days.

• “And they who are wise and understanding among the people shall instruct many and make them understand,”

Here it is not the professionally trained theologians and clergy, but the ordinary people of God, Jews. While the commentary may presume that it will be “those believers taught in the word who understand doctrine, who will be used to instruct,” the problem is you can't find a believer like that.

The church is doing a terrible job of creating wise and those with understanding. Ask yourself this question, where will they learn, as they will be pressed for time and for their lives?

Another aspect of scripture tells us that God will lift the veil from Israel's eyes, and, in so doing they will come to a knowledge of Jesus as the Messiah. In other words, they will come to a wise understanding, and then, direct, and encourage the faith of others and the weaker believers during the time of tribulation and persecution.

Here is where logic comes into play. When the church tells you that we cannot or do not do that anymore – that is to walk in the power of the spirit, then who will tell them?

As the time we are dealing with is “the great tribulation” then we should also know that there are two witnesses, sent from God, who stand in the streets of Jerusalem. These two preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and they walk in the mind bending power of the prophets. Since they are most likely Enoch and Elijah, they already have experience doing just that. I have suggested on many occasions that those who are left should follow their example.

• “yet they will fall by sword and by flame, by captivity and by plunder for many days.”

Great, you, while stuck here in the “great Tribulation”, are having amazing success. But there is no one to hang the neon signs that call people to your great faith rally. Why is that? Because, as Islam calls us the people of the book are seen as infidels worthy of only one thing, death.

There really is no way around this as those who are beheaded for the gospel's sake are in the uncountable numbers.

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