R2 The Wise Shall Understand Daniel – Chapter 11 THE KING WHO EXALTS HIMSELF, Part 2 of 2 Lesson 16 Daniel 11:36-45 Dan 12:10 Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. Plato's Tyrant1 As soon as [a tyrant] disposes of his enemies without the city, coming to a compromise with some and killing others, and when he is no longer troubled by them, then, I fancy, he begins to stir up one after another in order to keep the public in need of a [leader]? Plato - The Republic Social Conflict2 Social conflict is a means to an end... [used by the ruling elite] to instill in the population an unqualified dislike for any other group of citizens... to successfully maintain an unbalanced society in need of "controls" and thus introduce their "New World Order." A. H. Krieg - The Satori and the New Mandarins A Man with the Answers Today we see that our nation is polarized by many crises: Abortion, racism, political (right/left, black/white, Republican/Democrat, etc.), gun control, global warming, and terrorist threat, just to name a few. As this world advances closer to the end time we can expect this confusion to result in a demand for a leader. The current political situation is somewhat similar to that which gave rise to Adolph Hitler in Germany during the 1930s. In order to control the mass of people, a particular process is used which is called Hegelian Dialectics. In order to sway the masses of people to acceptance of an otherwise undesirable proposition, a tension is introduced, usually with help from the media. Once the tension creates the desired effect, and the people demand relief, the desired solution is introduced. The solution, although undesirable to the masses, is certainly preferable to the tension. To create the tension, a crisis is used or created, such as a new Pearl Harbor or the threat of an attack, whether real or created. The perceived enemy need not be real in order to create the tension, only the people must be made to believe that it is. Thus, a whole mass of people may be controlled, through fear or pressure in this manner. As an example, the war on terror is an endless war against a supposed external enemy, whether real or not, that has resulted in tighter control over the masses. The environmental movement has used similar tactics in order to promote their agenda. Such control is beneficial to those in leadership for sustaining their hold on the reins of power. The general masses do not understand this, believing that their leaders are serving the 1 Plato, A. D. Lindsay (transl.), THE REPUBLIC, New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1992, p. 252. 2 Adrian H. Krieg, THE SATORI AND THE NEW MANDARINS, Tampa, FL: Hallberg Publishing Corporation, 1997, p. XV, 55. "Satori" is the author's term for the "ruling elite." Its origin is feudalistic Japan, and means "the hidden organizers." The "Mandarins" were the people and organizations that tended to the day-to-day operations for the Satori. 1 R2 greater good. We may just be ready for the final great deception brought about by the final world leader - the Antichrist. The Antichrist will be a man who professes to have all the answers. He will use flatteries, lies, signs, and wonders. He will be like a snake charmer. The unbelievers will be conditioned to accept the lie. He is identified as the “man of sin” of 2 Thessalonians.3 2 THESS 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. Like the gap of Daniel's 70th week of chapter 9, we find a gap in the historical narrative of chapter 11 and jump to the time of the end. We see Antiochus Epiphanes no more, but we find instead a willful King who exalts himself. There is no specific fulfillment in history for the verses that follow. Someone other than Antiochus Epiphanes is in mind. Scholars who view Daniel as genuine Scripture usually view the following verses as future and unfulfilled.4 John Walvoord comments: “Because of the completely unsatisfactory explanation of an historical fulfillment of verses 36-45 in contrast with the precise fulfillment of the earlier portion, conservative expositors relate this passage to the climax of history culminating in the second advent of Christ. This, of course, is in keeping with the total tenor of Daniel’s prophecies which characteristically have their climax in the end of the interadvent age and the triumph of the kingdom of heaven which the Son of man will accomplish when He returns. The passage, therefore, is to be considered as contemporaneous with the climax of chapter 2, the destruction of the image, and the destruction of the little horn of Daniel 7, a period described in the book of Revelation, chapters 6-19. The king described in verses 36-39 of Daniel 11 and the events of the subsequent verses therefore have nothing to do with the second century B.C., and are entirely future and unfulfilled.”5 The King Who Exalts Himself - The Antichrist DAN 11:36 And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. We've looked at the type of the Antichrist, Antiochus Epiphanes. Now we will look at the real thing. This verse presents a future king that will arrive in the time of the end. This king will have absolute power as he will “do according to his will.” He will tolerate no restraints upon himself and he will recognize no law or authority greater than himself. He is the world ruler of Daniel 7:23 who shall devour the whole earth, and tread it down, and break it in pieces.6 He is "that man of sin" and "the son of perdition" in 2 Thessalonians 2, and the beast of the sea in Revelation 13. He will have great pride and will exalt himself above every god. He will speak blasphemy against God. The words "marvelous things" can be rendered "monstrous things." He will succeed, deceiving all. He will be all things to all people. He will look like the Messiah to the Jews and will be the ideal of the humanists. He will look like Christ to apostate Christianity. A panic-stricken world will run after him "till the indignation be accomplished." He will “prosper” until the indignation (God’s chastening program for His people) is accomplished 3 John F. Walvoord, DANIEL, The Key to Prophetic Revelation, Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1971, p. 272. Robert Jamison, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown, A COMMENTARY: Critical, Experimental, and Practical, Electronic Database, 1997, Biblesoft, 2 Th 2:3. 4 John F. Walvoord, DANIEL, The Key to Prophetic Revelation, Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1971, p. 270. Renald E. Showers, THE MOST HIGH GOD, Bellmawr, NJ: The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, Inc., 1982, pp. 162, 163. 5 Walvoord, DANIEL, The Key to Prophetic Revelation, p. 271. 6 Walvoord, DANIEL, The Key to Prophetic Revelation, p. 272. Showers, THE MOST HIGH GOD, p. 163. 2 R2 when Christ comes in His glorious second coming. The "indignation" is God's indignation against the nation of Israel, which rejected Jesus as Messiah and proclaimed the following:7 MAT 27:25 Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children. This rejection has lasted nearly 2000 years. The Great Tribulation will finally open their eyes.8 The “indignation may also refer to the blasphemous course of the Antichrist against God’s people.9 DAN 11:37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. The word translated God is “Elohim” rather than “Jehovah.” Elohim is the plural form of the word for God that was first used in Genesis 1:1. Its usage in Genesis 1 is made singular by its association with the singular verb “bara” (created).