A Difficult Message

Daniel 12:21-28 “He will be succeeded by a contemptible person who has not been given the honor of royalty. He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue. 22 Then an overwhelming army will be swept away before him; both it and a prince of the covenant will be destroyed. 23 After coming to an agreement with him, he will act deceitfully, and with only a few people he will rise to power. 24 When the richest provinces feel secure, he will invade them and will achieve what neither his fathers nor his forefathers did. He will distribute plunder, loot and wealth among his followers. He will plot the overthrow of fortresses — but only for a time. 25 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. 26 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. 27 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. 28 The king of the North will return to his own country with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant. He will act against it and then return to his own country.”
 
AS mentioned in the precious lesson, this is about a Greek ruler named Antiochus IV. He was a contemptible ruler to gain his unlawful rule with the help of only a few people, distributing his army’s plunder to them. Antiochus led a very powerful army. His defeated an overwhelming army and removed the prince of the covenant, which was a high priest. He conquered territory his predecessors could not.
    The angel then describes Antiochus’ future conflict with Egypt, the king of the South. History tells us Antiochus won the war, but the two leaders would sit at the same table and lie to each other with their hearts bent on evil. In short, Antiochus didn’t get what he wanted. On his return from Egypt to Greece, Antiochus displayed his frustrations on the Jews when he set against the holy covenant. The contemptible ruler desecrated the temple.
    One criticism of Daniel is its accuracy. Some say the book was written by historians attempting to demonstrate God’s sovereignty. Knowing what happened, they were able to write it as a prophecy. But there is much evidence for Daniel’s authorship around 600 – 550 BC. Any attempt to discredit Daniel, is an attempt to minimize and discredit God.
    Be of faith to believe what God has done. The Bible is his story – history – unfolding under his plan.  Know what the LORD has done, so you know what he will do.
 
Psalms 67:4 May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples justly and guide the nations of the earth.