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NOTE: This article or series has not been updated recently. As such, it may possibly contain some outdated information, and/or ideas and beliefs which I no longer embrace, or which have changed to some degree.




In part one of this article, we took an in-depth look at the
prophecies of Daniel concerning the military exploits of the
then-coming empires of Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. In
particular, we saw that various chapters are actually
related, and that the Prophet was simply describing the same
events from different perspectives. In chapter two, these
empires were seen as parts of a wonderful statue envisioned
by King Nebuchadnezzar. In later chapters they were viewed
as wild beasts conquering and destroying each other. I also
explained that following Daniel's prophecies regarding Rome,
our understanding becomes somewhat muddled. I pointed out
that the Ten Horns and the Little Horn which arise after the
Roman Empire may represent ten Endtime nations led by the
Beast as described in the Book of Revelation. I also
presented the 'Seleucid Wars' interpretation of Daniel
chapter eleven which states that the kings of the north and
the south represent various past leaders of Syria and Egypt.

As I stated in part one, I do not necessarily agree with the
'Seleucid Wars' interpretation as it tends to put too much
of Daniel's prophecies in the past, instead of in the future
where they might really belong. However, we do know that
historically speaking, Egypt and Syria have been enemies for
a very long time, that Israel has often been caught in the
middle of their wranglings, sometimes siding with Egypt, and
sometimes with Syria, and that as recent history points out,
they continue to have their agreements and disagreements. I
will go into more detail regarding current affairs later on
in this article.

Apart from secular history which supports this view, and the
prophecies I have already discussed in Daniel, there are
also other books in the Old Testament which discuss the
various wars between Egypt and Syria. I discuss some of
these confrontations in more detail in my series 'The Seven
Heads'. Upon reading that series, you will realize that the
history between Israel, Egypt and Syria has been a long and
intertwining one. Rather than trust in the Lord as her one
and only true King, as I pointed out in 'The Children Of God
And Politics', Israel has consistently trusted in her own
wisdom, and in her own military might, or else in that of
her neighbors and allies. Until Israel looks directly to the
Lord for her Salvation, she will continue to have problems
with the Muslim nations which surround her. The following
two verses clearly identify in Whom Israel ought to place
her trust:

"Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will
remember the name of the LORD our God." (Psalms 20:7)

"Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on
horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in
horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not
unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!"
(Isaiah 31:1)

One other factor of the Endtime equation which I have
briefly discussed in other articles concerns the coming of
'Moshiach', or 'Moshiach ben David' as he is also known.
This term refers to the soon-coming 'messiah' greatly
anticipated by many Orthodox Jews. To go into great detail
regarding the history of the belief in 'Moshiach' and the
construction of the Third Temple of Solomon would require
quite a few pages. As such, while I am going to discuss
these topics in this article, I would also like to suggest
the following resources which will assist you in your
understanding of the Jewish perspective regarding their
long-awaited 'messiah' and the things he will do:

1. Maimonides's 13 Principles of Faith
2. The Talmud
3. The Sanhedrin
4. The Mishne Torah
5. Jewish prayers such as the Amidah and Sh'ma
6. The Laws Of Kings

In addition to the above list, you may also want to study
Nachmanides, Arizal, Baal Shem Tov, Vilna Gaon and Chofetz
Chaim. The word 'moshiach' literally means 'messiah.' From a
Christian perspective, we believe that the Messiah has
already come in the form of Jesus Christ, or Jesus 'the
Anointed One'. As some of you are aware, 'Christ' is not
really the last name of our Saviour. It is derived from the
Greek 'khristos', and is simply used as a descriptive word
to denote the fact that God's spiritual anointing was upon
Jesus bar Josef, the son of Joseph the carpenter and his
wife Mary. In Hebrew, the word used is approximately
'mashiah', while in Aramaic or Syriac, one of the languages
which Jesus spoke, it is similar to 'meshiha'. Concerning
the name 'Jesus', it is our westernized version of a Greek
word which is variably pronounced as 'hay-soos,' 'ee-ay-soo'
and 'yay-soos'. In Hebrew, the common forms are 'Yeshua',
meaning 'he is saved', and 'Yehoshua' which is equivalent to
our English 'Joshua', which means 'Jehovah is salvation'.

As is widely known, both the historical and the Biblical
records point to the fact that the majority of Jews have
never accepted Jesus Christ as their long-awaited Messiah.
In fact, at times they are quite outspoken, and sometimes
quite graphical, in their rejection of Him. A 1997 bill
introduced in the Knesset which restricts Christian
evangelical efforts in Israel is a clear confirmation of
this. While those of us who have embraced Christianity may
have a hard time understanding this strong rejection, a
closer look at the Jewish perspective and expectations might
help us to understand in part why ancient and modern Jews
continue to reject Jesus Christ as the Son of God and
Messiah of humanity. In summing up the qualifications which
the Jewish 'Moshiach' must meet, Jewish orthodoxy states the
following:

1. He must be a direct descendant of the bloodline of King
   David.
2. He must be extremely knowledgeable of the Torah. This
   includes the Pentateuch, or the five books of the Law of
   Moses, as well as the oral tradition which has been
   handed down over the centuries. His spiritual leadership
   should result in:
       a. Renewed interest in and practice of the Torah.
       b. Eventual spread of the knowledge and Law of God
      throughout the world so that war, hunger and
      other human ills will cease.
3. He must prove himself to be an astute political leader
   and King of the Jewish nation who will do the following:
       a. Encourage Jews from around the world to return to
      their homeland of Israel, thus bringing an end to
      the 'Diaspora'. (dispersion)
       b. Fight and win the wars of Israel subduing her
      enemies all around her, thus bringing in an era
      of peace.
       c. Rebuild the Temple of Solomon on the Temple Mount
      in East Jerusalem and re-implement the daily
      sacrifice.

As can be seen by the above, from the Jewish perspective,
while Jesus may have fulfilled the first requirement, as
well as part of the second, He 'failed' miserably in all of
the rest. In fact, the total destruction of the Second
Temple in Jerusalem in 70 A.D. by the Roman general Titus,
resulted in a further spreading abroad of the Jewish nation
which had already begun hundreds of years before beginning
with the Assyrian conquests, and then culminating in 587
B.C. with the invasion and destruction of Jerusalem by the
forces of King Nebuchadnezzar. To this day there are tales
of the remnants of the 'Ten Lost Tribes' of Israel who have
never returned to Israel, despite the events of 1947-48.

When Jesus was born into the world during the First Century,
it was possibly their knowledge of the coming 'Moshiach'
which caused the Zealots to look to Him as the One they had
been waiting for. The same thing had happened during the
reign of the Maccabees about two hundred years before.
According to Jewish belief, 'Eliyahu', or Elijah, was to
precede the coming of 'Moshiach'. Many recognized John the
Baptist as being that Prophet. In fact, Jesus Himself said
that John was indeed the fulfillment of Malachi's prophecy
regarding Elijah:

"Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the
way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly
come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom
ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of
hosts." (Malachi 3:1)

"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the
coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he
shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the
heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and
smite the earth with a curse." (Malachi 4:5-6)

"But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they
have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written
of him." (Mark 9:13)

When John was beheaded by Herod due to an act of sinful
pride, and when Jesus was later crucified by the Romans at
the instigation of the Sanhedrin, due to their lack of
understanding of the Scriptures, the Zealots mistakenly
understoond that John and Jesus were not the ones they had
been waiting for. To this day, Orthodox Jews have been
patiently awaiting the arrival of 'Moshiach' and his Prophet
Eliyahu. As you will see later in this article, they may get
exactly what they are expecting, but it won't be the one who
they think it is; for as the Lord tells us in His Word, if
we reject the Truth long enough, He will indeed send us
strong delusion:

"I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their
fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer;
when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before
mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not."
(Isaiah 66:4)

"...because they received not the love of the truth, that
they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them
strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:"
(2 Thessalonians 2:10b-11)

According to some Orthodox Jews, one of the signs which will
appear prior to or with the arrival of 'Moshiach' is what is
referred to as 'Teshuva'. In simple terms, 'Teshuva' means a
return to God, a return to the belief in and practice of the
Torah. Some Orthodox Jews believe that this is currently
happening in Israel as well as in other areas of the world
to varying degrees. They believe that this is the generation
of 'Teshuva' and that 'Moshiach' will soon arrive on the
world scene. By arriving on the scene, I do not mean he will
come blowing his own trumpet announcing himself as the
long-awaited Prophet of God. According to Jewish tradition,
'Moshiach' or 'Moshiach ben David', will arrive quietly
without any fanfare. It will be through his very actions of
fulfilling the above requirements that Jews, and eventually
the whole world, will come to recognize him for who he
really is; at least that is what the Orthodox Jews believe.

Exactly when are these events due to occur? According to the
Jewish perspective, it can happen at any time. The belief is
that there is always a potential 'Moshiach' living somewhere
in Israel. Whether or not he is the complete fulfillment of
the prophecies regarding the 'Messiah', rests upon how many
of the qualifications he meets. If he succeeds in bringing
peace to Israel and her surrounding Arab neighbors, if he
succeeds in rebuilding the Jewish Temple, if he succeeds in
re-implementing the daily sacrifice, and if he succeeds in
renewing study of and adherence to the Torah, then there
will be little doubt in the minds of Orthodox Jews that he
is indeed the one they have long been waiting for.

As stated previously, another indication we can draw from
the Old Testament Scriptures is that 'Moshiach' will appear
at a time when the 'Diaspora', or the Dispersion, has been
fulfilled, and Jews from around the world have begun
returning to the land of Israel. It will be a time when
'Jacob's (or Israel's) Trouble' has ended. Some Jews view
the creation of the state of Israel in May of 1948 as the
beginning of this period. I discuss this topic in much more
detail in the second part of 'The Seven Heads' series. There
is actually one verse in the book of Isaiah which some have
interpreted as being a prophecy regarding the creation of
the Jewish state in one day, exactly as occurred fifty years
ago:

"Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things?
Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall
a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she
brought forth her children." (Isaiah 66:8)

Regarding the modern-day return of thousands of Jews to the
land of Israel, here are a few Scriptures which are believed
by some to prophesy the Diaspora and the Jews' return:

"For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both
search my sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh
out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are
scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver
them out of all places where they have been scattered in the
cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the
people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring
them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of
Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the
country. I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the
high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall
they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they
feed upon the mountains of Israel. I will feed my flock, and
I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD. I will
seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was
driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and
will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the
fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment."
(Ezekiel 34:11-16)

In my view, a close reading of this chapter indicates that,
in addition to the Jews' return to Jerusalem following the
completion of the 'Seventy Years Of Captivity' in Babylon,
this prophecy may also be referring to the First Coming of
the Messiah, the son of David, during the First Century.
Despite Roman occupation, it was indeed a time of relative
rest for the land of Palestine. In the Book of the Prophet
Jeremiah, we also find the following verse which some have
attributed to the Diaspora and the return to Israel in our
modern times:

"For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring
again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the
LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I
gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it."
(Jeremiah 30:3)

While this could also be applied to our modern days, the
fact of the matter is that, just as I indicated in the
previous verses I shared, following the invasion by
Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar, and the fulfillment of the
'Seventy Years of Captivity', the Jews were indeed allowed
to return to Israel by Cyrus the Great, considered by many
to be the greatest king of the Medo-Persian Empire. This
topic is discussed in great detail in 'The Seven Heads'
series. A few verses later, we find these additional verses
which speak of the 'time of Jacob's Trouble' and the
eventual return to Israel. As with the previous verses,
while we can apply them to our current times, in my view,
they again seem to be referring to the exodus out of Babylon
in the days of Cyrus the Great. The reference to David may
be a look into the future, when Jesus had His Ministry in
Israel:

"Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is
even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out
of it. For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD
of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and
will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve
themselves of him: But they shall serve the LORD their God,
and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them.
Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the LORD;
neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee
from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity;
and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet,
and none shall make him afraid. For I am with thee, saith
the LORD, to save thee: though I make a full end of all
nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a
full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and
will not leave thee altogether unpunished."
(Jeremiah 30:7-11)

As we have already seen, 'Moshiach' must be a direct
descendant of the bloodline of King David. It is because of
the fact that the above verses mention a future David that
they have erroneously been applied to 'Moshiach ben David'.
While these verses are not referring to the King David of
old who lived some three thousand years ago, neither are
they referring to a King David of our present day, or of the
near future. These Scriptures, and those which will follow,
were all received starting at the beginning of the reign of
King Nebuchadnezzar and later, literally hundreds of years
after the original King David had died. Consider what the
Prophet Jeremiah wrote regarding his own ministry to Israel:

"The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of
Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king
of Judah, that was the first year of Nebuchadrezzar king of
Babylon; The which Jeremiah the prophet spake unto all the
people of Judah, and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
saying, From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon
king of Judah, even unto this day, that is the three and
twentieth year, the word of the LORD hath come unto me, and
I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye
have not hearkened." (Jeremiah 25:1-3)

Thus, we can be certain that these verses do not apply to
the King David of old. While these prophecies are referring
to a future shepherd, prince and king of Israel who would be
like the original King David, the mistake that Orthodox Jews
have made is that they have totally by-passed the One to
Whom these verses really are directed, and thus they blindly
continue to look for a fulfillment. The same error is
committed with the following verses as well:

"And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed
them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he
shall be their shepherd. And I the LORD will be their God,
and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have
spoken it." (Ezekiel 34:23-24)

"And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will
take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither
they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring
them into their own land: And I will make them one nation in
the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be
king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations,
neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at
all: Neither shall they defile themselves any more with
their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any
of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all
their dwelling places, wherein they have sinned, and will
cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be
their God. And David my servant shall be king over them; and
they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my
judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. And they
shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my
servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall
dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their
children's children for ever: and my servant David shall be
their prince for ever." (Ezekiel 37:21-25)

"For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a
king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and
without an image, and without an ephod, and without
teraphim: Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and
seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall
fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days."
(Hosea 3:4-5)

"In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is
fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise
up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old:"
(Amos 9:11)

You see, if we reject the simple Truth that all of these
Scriptures should be applied to Jesus Christ, a descendant
of David, then in our own confusion, it is very easy to come
to the false conclusion that they are speaking of someone
who will come in the Endtime, in the Latter Days, as the
true Jewish 'Messiah'. Even if we do not have an
understanding of Jewish teachings and doctrine, just by
taking an English Bible like the Authorized King James
Version, we can find these verses and convince ourselves
that they are speaking of a coming Shepherd, Prince and King
named David. From what I have read of Jewish beliefs, this
coming 'Moshiach' will be very similar to Moses of old. In
fact, they point to the following verse from the book of
Deuteronomy where Moses makes the following statement:

"The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the
midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye
shall hearken;" (Deuteronomy 18:15)

While the Jews claim that this is a reference to 'Moshiach
ben David', and while the Muslims claim it is a reference to
the coming of their prophet Mohammed, Jesus made clear that
Moses was prophesying our Saviour's own coming during the
First Century:

"Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is
one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. For had
ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote
of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye
believe my words?" (John 5:45-47)

From all of the above, it should be clear now that there is
a solid scriptural basis for 'Moshiach ben David', IF you
are one who has rejected the Truth of the Scriptures; and IF
you are one who has rejected the True Messiah, Jesus Christ.
Personally, I firmly believe that Jesus Christ is the
Messiah, the Saviour of the world for all of humanity. Many
of my articles on Salvation and Eternal Life make this very
clear. There should be no doubt whatsoever as to what my
personal beliefs are on this matter. Matthew said it very
well when he quoted from the book of Isaiah:

"Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom
my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and
he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not strive,
nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the
streets. A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax
shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto
victory. And in his name shall the Gentiles trust."
(Matthew 12:18-21)

Matthew was quoting from Isaiah chapter forty-two. As a
Gentile, I have indeed placed my faith and trust in Jesus
Christ; however, the Jews did not and have not accepted
Jesus Christ as THEIR Saviour; and that is exactly where the
problem lies. As the Apostle John wrote:

"He came unto his own, and his own received him not."
(John 1:11)

The Jews are still waiting for their 'saviour'. Their Jewish
messiah, 'Moshiach ben David', has not arrived yet. That is
why they have set themselves up for some very strong
delusion, possibly in the very near future. Please don't
misunderstand me. I am not saying that there are two
messiahs, one for the Jews and one for the rest of the
Gentile world. There can only be one Messiah for everyone,
and that is the man Christ Jesus. The Bible makes this very
clear:

"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus;" (1 Timothy 2:5)

As I have explained in a number of my articles, the Lord
gives all of us ample opportunity to accept the Truth. He
will bend over backwards to try to help us to see the Light.
However, if we continue to resist the Truth, if we continue
to turn away from the Light, then He has no recourse but to
send us strong delusion that we might believe a lie and be
judged accordingly. That is what some people want, so that
is what He sends them. In several of my articles, I use the
example of King Ahab in the twenty-second chapter of the
first Book of the Kings. I encourage you to read it in its
entirety if you want a good lesson in human nature and
strong delusion, and why God allows it.

As I stated earlier, because Jesus did not meet all of the
qualifications to be the Jewish 'Moshiach', the Jewish
religious leadership, the Sanhedrin, rejected Him two
thousand years ago. In their eyes He was an imposter, a liar
and a deceiver; this in spite of the fact that He was of the
line of David, and extremely knowledgeable of the Torah,
exactly as they had expected. Even as a young boy of twelve
teaching in the synagogue, the Jewish elders marvelled at
Jesus' wisdom and familiarity with the Laws of Moses. But
when the Lord became older and began His ministry in
earnest, when He tried to open their darkened minds to the
true meanings of the Scriptures and how He had come to
fulfill them, He was met with stiff resistance and all kinds
of false accusations. That is why He tried to clarify things
when He said:

"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the
prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil."
(Matthew 5:17)

That is exactly what Jesus did. Not only did He fulfill the
ancient prophecies which had been written about Him, but He
also fulfilled, or brought an end to our dependence upon the
Mosaic Law by His final Blood Sacrifice on the Cross.
Through the act of fulfilling, or meeting, all of the
requirements of the Law, He has taken the place of the Law
for us. We all know that there is no way on Earth that any
of us could ever possibly fulfill, or keep, the entire
Mosaic Law, that is why Jesus had to come and do it for us.
Both the Apostles Paul and James wrote of the futility of
trying to keep the Mosaic Law:

"For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal,
sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I
would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I
do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is
good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that
dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my
flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with
me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For
the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would
not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more
I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a
law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I
see another law in my members, warring against the law of my
mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which
is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall
deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through
Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve
the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin."
(Romans 7:14-25)

"For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in
one point, he is guilty of all." (James 2:10)

As the Apostle Paul also said, with the Lord's Death on the
Cross, we must now place our faith in Him for our Salvation,
and NOT in the keeping of the Mosaic Law, which we can't
keep anyway. We are now under the Law of Grace, and NOT
under the Law of Works:

"Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law
by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another,
even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should
bring forth fruit unto God." (Romans 7:4)

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any
man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

"And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise
grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no
more grace: otherwise work is no more work." (Romans 11:6)

Contrary to Jewish expectations, although Jesus has indeed
freed us from the penalties of sin, IF we accept His
Sacrifice on the Cross, He did not free Israel from her
Roman oppressors. He did not even bring peace to Israel. In
fact, in His own words, Jesus warned that His teachings
would have the exact opposite effect of bringing unity to
the Jewish nation:

"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not
to send peace, but a sword." (Matthew 10:34)

That is exactly what our Lord's words were, a two-edged
Sword, bringing Life and Hope to those who received them,
and condemnation and judgment to those who rejected them. In
short, in the eyes of most of the Jewish elders who
misunderstood His message of Salvation, Jesus did everything
possible to show that He was actually a false prophet and a
son of the devil. In one instance they said of Him:

"...This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub
the prince of the devils." (Matthew 12:24b)

Of course, Jesus turned around and exposed the source of
their own wicked, sinful and rebellious nature a short time
later when He said:

"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your
father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and
abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him.
When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a
liar, and the father of it." (John 8:44)

So then, it is clearly evident that God will send strong
delusion to those who reject the Truth. If He did it with
the Sanhedrin two thousand years ago, doesn't it seem likely
that the Lord will choose a delusion for the hardened Jews
who continue to reject their true Saviour and Messiah to
this very day? Is it not possible that He might actually
allow one to come who will meet all of their requirements so
that they can proclaim him as their 'Moshiach ben David'?
From the studies I have done, there is absolutely no doubt
in my mind that some Orthodox Jews earnestly await this man.
As I have stated in other articles, there is high
expectation that the Third Temple will be constructed soon,
thus making possible the re-implementation of the daily
sacrifice. Although now discredited, the 1997 birth of a
purported 'red heifer' was one of many 'signs' which they
looked to in order to support their erroneous beliefs. What
if it was suddenly announced that the Ark of the Covenant
had been recovered? A variety of rumors abound concerning
this very possibility. Such a 'discovery' would certainly
add to the strong delusion already present in the world.

As I explained in 'Who Is Who?: A Defintion Of Endtime
Terms', I currently believe that the Antichrist, (or False
Messiah), and the coming Jewish 'Moshiach ben David' may be
one and the same person. The Jews' total rejection of Jesus
Christ clearly supports this possibility. In case you
haven't yet read the aforementioned article, let me clarify
for you that I do not believe that the Beast of the Book of
Revelation and the Antichrist are the same person. While
the Beast will indeed be opposed to belief in Christ, thus
making him antichrist in nature, I do not look at him as
being the actual Antichrist. My current view is that the
Beast will be a political/military leader who, along with
other nations, will invade Israel, while the Antichrist
will be a powerful spiritual leader within the nation of
Israel. Here again, I am not referring to the False Prophet
of the Book of Revelation. In my view, the False Propeht is
a Muslim spiritual leader who will work with the Beast.

As stated in part one, I personally believe that the Beast
may originate in Syria. This of course would make him an
Arab, and most likely a Muslim. However, as stated in my
series 'The Seven Heads', I also believe that Iraq, Iran
and Turkey qualify as the possible home of the Beast as
well. Thus we have a Muslim Beast with a Muslim False
Prophet, (since they are a team who work together), who will
oppose the Jewish statesman and prophet known as 'Moshiach
ben David', that is, the Antichrist. Being as I have
already gone into considerable detail regarding the possible
identities of the Beast and the False Prophet in 'The Seven
Heads' series, the next questions are these: Exactly who
might this Jewish false messiah be? Furthermore, is there
any indication or mention of him in any of the Endtime
prophecies?

With the above thoughts in mind, I began to probe deeper
into the writings of the Prophet Daniel. As I have mentioned
in other articles, I believe that some prophecies may have
partial fulfillments in the past, as well as final
fulfillments in the Endtime. Is it possible that Daniel
follows this pattern? In part one of this article I went
into great detail concerning the events which were
attributed to Antiochus IV Epiphanes. According to the
'Seleucid Kings' interpretation of the Daniel prophecies,
Antiochus is first mentioned in the following verse:

"And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom
they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall
come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries."
(Daniel 11:21)

The question then is this: Is it possible that this verse
might be prophesying not only the coming of Antiochus and
those before him, but also be serving as a foreshadow of
other personalities and events which lead up to the Beast of
the Endtime? To help us answer this question, we are now
going to go back to the beginning of this chapter and not
look at these events as things which have already been
fulfilled in the distant past, but rather as events which
may find their fulfillment in our recent past, as well as in
our near future. In so doing, perhaps we will be able to
identify the false messiah, or Antichrist, known to the
Jews as 'Moshiach ben David'.

We have already established that Israel has had many
dealings with both the Egyptians and the Syrians since ages
gone by. As I write this, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak
continues to honour Egypt's peace accord with Israel,
despite the fact that Egypt has been shunned by more radical
Islamic states, and despite the fact that Islamic
fundamentalists within his own country are seeking for his
overthrow. If my understanding of the Scriptures is correct,
I believe that Mubarak will continue to compromise with
Israel until it is too late. Of course, this word
'compromise' is subject to your personal political and
religious views. While Egypt's Mubarak and Jordan's King
Hussein have both reacted in a positive manner towards
Israeli peace overtures, King Hafez al-Assad of Syria has
continued to reject any negotiation attempts by Israel. As
far as Assad is concerned, the Golan Heights, Mount Hermon,
and a Palestinian state are non negotiable items. In verse
five of Daniel chapter eleven we read the following:

"And the king of the south shall be strong, and one of his
princes; and he shall be strong above him, and have
dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion."
(Daniel 11:5)

In our previous analysis of the above verse, it was
suggested that this refers to one of the princes or generals
of Egypt overpowering the king, possibly through a military
coupe, and taking charge of the country. It was proposed
that this was a prophecy regarding Ptolemy I. If we move
this prophecy up to our current time, it offers some
interesting possibilities. Considering that Mubarak appears
to be losing his popularity due to his continued compromise
with Israel, and his continued oppression of his own people,
it is very easy to imagine one of Mubarak's ministers, or
possibly someone in the military, bringing about a
successful overthrow. If this were to occur, and if this
person were to hold more extreme Islamic views than Mubarak,
this would totally upset the peace process in the Middle
East. It would result in turmoil.

Another possibility is that this unknown prince might
actually be a reference to the leader of another Arab nation
which supports or has common interests with Egypt. If this
is the case, perhaps this verse is suggesting that through
some kind of subtle dealings, through personal charisma, or
perhaps by demonstrating himself to be a devout Muslim, this
person warms up to the Egyptian people and becomes more
popular than the Egyptian president; perhaps even to the
point of being able to advance his own agenda within Egypt.
Verse six continues:

"And in the end of years they shall join themselves
together; for the king's daughter of the south shall come to
the king of the north to make an agreement: but she shall
not retain the power of the arm; neither shall he stand, nor
his arm: but she shall be given up, and they that brought
her, and he that begat her, and he that strengthened her in
these times." (Daniel 11:6)

In the previous 'Seleucid Dynasties' interpretation, it was
suggested that this was referring to Ptolemy II , king of
Egypt, giving his daughter Berenice to Antiochus II, king of
Syria, as part of a failed peace agreement. However, notice
that the verse says 'in the end of years'. Instead of it
meaning the end of THEIR years, or the end of that Egyptian
dynasty, perhaps we should apply this to the end of ALL
years, that is, to the Last Days, to the Endtime.

Notice also that the word 'they' seems to be reflecting back
to the characters mentioned in verse five, that is, to the
king of the south and his prince, and NOT to the kings of
the north and the south. If this is correct, perhaps this
verse is not referring to Syria and Egypt forming some kind
of an alliance, but rather to this other north African
nation and the president of Egypt doing the same. If we take
into account the volatile situation in the Middle East, such
cooperation would surely be viewed as a threat to the Camp
David accords, to the 1994 Israeli peace arrangements with
Jordan, and to the current stalled peace talks between
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian
President Yasser Arafat. Considering the pressure President
Assad of Syria is currently feeling due to the budding
U.S.-Israel-Turkey military triangle, I don't doubt that he
would also view an Egyptian alliance as a threat. Assad
already feels contempt for Egypt due to her comprise with
Israel. If we also consider the current belligerent
attitudes which have plagued the peace process, it is easy
to conclude that any kind of military alliance between Egypt
and one of her neighbors might produce explosive results.

While the possibility of some type of Egyptian alliance
might seem unlikely to some, the fact of the matter is that
one such union has already been attempted in recent decades.
In fact, it could be for this very reason that the United
States of America has branded this 'prince' a supporter of
international terrorism, and is desperate to remove him from
power. As old news clips will verify, certain members of
this man's family were killed some years ago when the United
States launched a bombing raid from its ships in the
Mediterranean Sea. By now, some of you may realize that I am
referring to the Libyan strongman Moammar Ghadaffi (sp?). It
is no secret that he has long been interested in unifying
Egypt and Libya into one country, and even attempted it in
the 1980's. Due to reasons I am not personally aware of at
this time, the union was never culminated; but that does not
mean it won't happen sometime in the near future. Time will
surely tell.

The question arises though: Why would such a union occur? As
in our previous interpretation, the above verses indicate a
threat of attack from the king of the north, that is, from
Syria. At this moment in early 1998, such an attack doesn't
seem possible. Syria is facing pressure from her northern
neighbor Turkey, and Israel is militarily strong. The only
way that such a threat by Syria could be accomplished would
be if the entire situation in the Middle East were to break
down completely. Understanding the character of some of the
Middle Eastern leaders, I can just imagine some of them
trying to take advantage of the turmoil to grab what they
can from their neighbors; including a possible Syrian run to
punish Egypt.

As I stated above, ever since late Egyptian President Anwar
Sadat and late Israeli Prime Minister Menahem Begin
established peace between their two nations, Egypt has been
considered a traitor and an outsider by more radical Muslim
elements who seek the destruction of Israel. The conflicts
and skirmishes which have resulted since the 1967 Six-Day
War are proof enough of this. From Saddam Hussein's SCUD
missile attacks, to Syrian provocations in the Golan
Heights, to current unrest in the Gaza Strip and the West
Bank, we see that the hatred towards Israel has not abated
by any means. In fact, it is growing by the minute as the
agressive government of Benjamin Netanyahu continues its
expansionism by establishing new settlements in the disputed
areas. The fact that Anwar Sadat was assassinated after his
historic gesture is also proof that the radical Arab nations
do not wish for peace with Israel. If the news articles I
have read are true, there is still a clause in the charter
of the Palestinain Liberation Organization, now known as the
Palestinian Authority, which calls for the destruction of
Israel. I recall a lament made by King David:

"I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war."
(Psalms 120:7)

It was indeed a sly move by Israel and the West to
neutralize Egypt the way they did through Camp David. The
fact that they were able to do it again years later with
Jordan is simply amazing. Let me make clear that I am by no
means against peace in the Middle East; however, I believe
that what we see now is a plastic peace; it is a phoney
peace based on lies and personal gain; both for the
government of the United States of America, as well as for
the Middle Eastern leaders involved. It is all a matter of
American dollars, American technical assistance, and staying
in power. This kind of peace is doomed to failure:

"They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people
slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace."
(Jeremiah 6:14)

"For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden
destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with
child; and they shall not escape." (1 Thessalonians 5:3)

In the Old Testament, we find similar stories of how the
kings of Israel would pay political bribes to keep their
enemies off of their necks. These kinds of negotiations have
been going on for literally thousands of years. In one
example, we see King Asa of Judah sending a bribe to
Benhadad the king of Syria so that the Syrian king would
stop Baasha, the king of Israel in Samaria, from oppressing
Judah:

"And Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah, and built
Ramah, that he might not suffer any to go out or come in to
Asa king of Judah. Then Asa took all the silver and the gold
that were left in the treasures of the house of the LORD,
and the treasures of the king's house, and delivered them
into the hand of his servants: and king Asa sent them to
Benhadad, the son of Tabrimon, the son of Hezion, king of
Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying, There is a league
between me and thee, and between my father and thy father:
behold, I have sent unto thee a present of silver and gold;
come and break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that
he may depart from me." (1 Kings 15:17-19)

In another example, when King Hazael of Syria threatened
Jerusalem, Judean King Jehoash paid him a big bribe which
was paritally financed by taking all of the gold and holy
items out of the Temple of Solomon; and then Jehoash
apparently ran for his life:

"Then Hazael king of Syria went up, and fought against Gath,
and took it: and Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem.
And Jehoash king of Judah took all the hallowed things that
Jehoshaphat, and Jehoram, and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of
Judah, had dedicated, and his own hallowed things, and all
the gold that was found in the treasures of the house of the
LORD, and in the king's house, and sent it to Hazael king of
Syria: and he went away from Jerusalem." (2 Kings 12:17-18)

If it weren't for Arab oil, I seriously doubt that the West
would even have their nose in the Middle East. I don't
believe for a minute that American involvement in the Middle
East is based on Christian love or any sincere desire to
help the poor and the oppressed. As I have said before,
there can be no real lasting peace without the Prince of
Peace; and sooner or later, the pot in the Middle East is
going to get too hot, and it is going to explode. With his
hardline approach, Benjamin Netanyahu seems to want to make
sure of that. As we are told in the Book of Proverbs:

"Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit
before a fall." (Proverbs 16:18)

Returning to the prophecies of Daniel, we are told in verse
six that the 'daughter' of the king of Egypt goes to the
king of Syria to make some kind of an agreement. It could be
that the Egyptian leadership gets word that Syria is
planning an attack through Israel, so she tries to negotiate
a peace settlement before it is too late. Whether this
'daughter' represents an actual woman, a relative of the
Egyptian president, or perhaps just an embassador with
accompanying entourage, is not clear. As in our previous
interpretation in part one, this peace overture fails, and
it appears that Syria gains a military victory. Notice that
it says 'but she shall not retain the power of the arm;
neither shall he stand, nor his arm: but she shall be given
up'. This phrase 'power of the arm' may be a reference to
military power. It may be because of this military defeat
that Egypt and Libya decide to unite their countries to some
yet undetermined degree, thus fulfilling the phrase 'in the
end of years they shall join themselves together'. It might
even be that it is at this time that Moammar Ghadaffi takes
advantage of Egypt's weakened condition to make his bid for
total unification. What happens next may be proof of this:

"But out of a branch of her roots shall one stand up in his
estate, which shall come with an army, and shall enter into
the fortress of the king of the north, and shall deal
against them, and shall prevail: And shall also carry
captives into Egypt their gods, with their princes, and with
their precious vessels of silver and of gold; and he shall
continue more years than the king of the north. So the king
of the south shall come into his kingdom, and shall return
into his own land." (Daniel 11:7-9)

As in our previous interpretation, here we see someone
rising to power in Egypt who appears to be related to the
daughter of the President, that is, the woman who had gone
to Syria hoping to avoid war. Perhaps this means that Hosni
Mubarak will die during this first invasion from Syria, or
that he will be ousted from power because of the military
defeat that Egypt suffers. This would be the perfect time
for Muslim extremists in Egypt to make their move. Whatever
the case may be, whereas the Egyptians lost in the first
encounter with Syria, here they are victorious. If there is
some kind of an alliance between Egypt and Libya, perhaps
this contributes to the Egyptian victory. Not only would
this cooperation help Egypt, but it would also help to
protect Libya from any land-based attacks originating from
the north. Being as they are situated right next to each
other, it seems to me that Libya and Egypt must have more in
common with each other than with Syria to the north. It
would be a kind of 'you scratch my back, and I'll scratch
yours' type of situation. Verse ten then continues:

"But his sons shall be stirred up, and shall assemble a
multitude of great forces: and one shall certainly come, and
overflow, and pass through: then shall he return, and be
stirred up, even to his fortress." (Daniel 11:10)

In the above verse, it appears that the sons of the Syrian
king, (possibly Assad), assemble a great army to come again
against Egypt. From the description, it sounds like Syria
may even get the assistance of some of her Arab allies who
likewise wish to punish Egypt for her compromise with
Israel. This word 'sons' doesn't necessarily mean the flesh
sons or heirs of Assad; it could just mean the fighting
forces of that country. Whatever the case might be, it
appears that they cut right through Israel. Notice the use
of the phrase 'and pass through'. What is the Syrian army
passing through? My feeling is that if the current peace
agreement with Egypt remains in effect, Israel will again be
making the mistake of siding with the Egyptians as she has
done in times past, instead of trusting in the Lord. Thus,
it may be that the Syrian forces are passing through a
subjugated Israel. The phrase 'even to his fortress' may be
an indication that the Syrian/Arab forces go as far as the
border of Egypt. After this defeat, we then read:

"And the king of the south shall be moved with choler, and
shall come forth and fight with him, even with the king of
the north: and he shall set forth a great multitude; but the
multitude shall be given into his hand. And when he hath
taken away the multitude, his heart shall be lifted up; and
he shall cast down many ten thousands: but he shall not be
strengthened by it. For the king of the north shall return,
and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former, and
shall certainly come after certain years with a great army
and with much riches. And in those times there shall many
stand up against the king of the south: also the robbers of
thy people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision;
but they shall fall." (Daniel 11:11-14)

In the above verses we see the possibly-combined Libyan and
Egyptian forces going to meet the invading army from the
north. In spite of the multitude of forces in the Syrian
attack, whoever is now in control of the Egyptian military
seems to prevail. With this victory over Syria and her
allies, the next verse seems to indicate that the Egyptian
president becomes lifted up in his pride and appears to
slaughter tens of thousands. However, the end of that verse
seems to indicate that this doesn't help his cause very much
because Syria returns an undefined number of years later
with an even greater army; and this time it seems that a
major part of the Arab world has turned against Egypt and
joined Syria in its assault.

As I mentioned earlier, we have already seen how Egypt has
become alienated due to her current peace arrangements with
Israel. The reference to 'the robbers of thy people' is
still a bit of a mystery to me. Considering that 'thy
people' is referring to the Jews, since this is a prophecy
regarding the future of Israel, it might be that the term
'robbers' is referring to those who have robbed the Jews or
hurt their economy in some way. It could also be a reference
to the Palestinians who not only currently occupy the Gaza
Strip and the West Bank, but who also control the Temple
Mount through the Palestinian-appointed Waqf force. One
final possibility is that 'robbers' is a reference to those
who seek to keep the vision of peace alive with Egypt
despite protests from more Orthodox Jews. Whoever they are,
we are told that their attempts apparently fail. We next
read the following:

"So the king of the north shall come, and cast up a mount,
and take the most fenced cities: and the arms of the south
shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, neither
shall there be any strength to withstand. But he that cometh
against him shall do according to his own will, and none
shall stand before him: and he shall stand in the glorious
land, which by his hand shall be consumed."
(Daniel 11:15-16)

In the verses above, we see the defeat of the Egyptian
alliance by the overwhelming forces spearheaded by Syria. In
addition to Libya, this Egyptian alliance might include the
military forces of other neighboring countries such as the
Sudan and Ethiopia. We are told that the strongest Egyptian
cities are taken; thus, this is a major defeat. The phrase
'chosen people' is commonly used to denote the Jews, so this
may mean that since the Jews have sided with the Egyptians
as in times past, they also feel the wrath of the invading
forces. 'Chosen people' might also simply be a reference to
the best of the fighting force of Egypt. As an example, in
some American ads used by the armed services to recruit new
members, they use such catchy phrases as 'the few and the
brave' to make one feel like they are doing their patriotic
duty by joining that particular branch of the armed
services. The term 'glorious land' is often used to refer to
Israel in the Scriptures; so here again we see a picture of
a totally dominated Israel.

Before continuing, allow me to remind you that while I am
only specifically naming local countries, it should be
understood that the United States of America and the Russian
Federation will also have a hand in these wars. Initially,
their participation may only come in the form of economic
aid, military sales, espionage and sending military advisers
to the countries involved in these conflicts, just as we see
happening right now. Eventually, however, as we approach the
days of the final battle, the 'mother of all battles', the
Battle of Armageddon, their participation may become more
overt as the war engulfs many countries of the Middle East
and from around the world who have vital interests in the
Middle East. Daniel's prophecy then continues:

"He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his
whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; thus shall he do:
and he shall give him the daughter of women, corrupting her:
but she shall not stand on his side, neither be for him."
(Daniel 11:17)

Being as verse sixteen ends with the Syrian king entering
Israel and pillaging it, perhaps verse seventeen means that
Assad, or whoever is in power at that time, decides to go in
with his full force and completely take over Israel once and
for all since they have resisted him. Because of the way the
verse is written, it is difficult to tell who is the 'he'
and 'him' in each case. The phrase 'daughter of women' may
be a refence to Jewish women. Perhaps it is saying that
Jewish women are given to the Syrians, hoping to appease
their wrath. However, because of their faith, these women
won't really be on the side of the Syrians. These verses are
just too muddled to really decipher them properly. The next
few verses state:

"After this shall he turn his face unto the isles, and shall
take many: but a prince for his own behalf shall cause the
reproach offered by him to cease; without his own reproach
he shall cause it to turn upon him. Then he shall turn his
face toward the fort of his own land: but he shall stumble
and fall, and not be found." (Daniel 11:18-19)

After conquering, Israel, Egypt and northeast Africa, this
Syrian leader seeks to expand his powerbase out into the
islands of the Mediterranean Sea. However, it sounds as if
some kind of a conspiracy develops from within his own
ranks. This conspiracy may contribute to his downfall when
he attempts to return to Syria. Again, the details are a bit
hazy here. In this day and age of political, military and
industrial espionage, anything can happen. All we know for
sure is that this is the end of this particular leader of
Syria. Following his demise, we are told the following:

"Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes in the
glory of the kingdom: but within few days he shall be
destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle." (Daniel 11:20)

Following the downfall of Hafez al-Assad, or whoever this
leader is who we have bee referring to, another man comes to
power who raises taxes. As we all know, fighting a prolonged
war will take a heavy toll on the economy of any country.
Not only does it take a lot of money to maintain a war
machine, but war can also slow down business and industry
and even bring it to a halt. This in turn affects imports
and exports as well as a country's expendable revenues.
Perhaps it is for this reason that this new Syrian leader is
forced to raise taxes. However, as we see, this man is taken
out of the way by some undefined means. The fact that it
isn't by anger or battle might mean it is by some sickness
or natural death. There really isn't enough information to
know with any degree of certainty.

If this interpretation is anywhere near accurate, and I am
not saying that it is, then it seems that following Hafez
al-Assad, and the tax-collecting leader who is in power for
a short time after him, we finally encounter the man who is
destined to become the Beast of the Book of Revelation in
the following verse:

"And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom
they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall
come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries."
(Daniel 11:21)

Whoever this leader is, it doesn't appear that he has very
many scruples. In fact, he sound downright dark, dirty and
evil to the core! The word 'vile' is derived from the
Hebrew word 'bazah', pronounced baw-zaw', which means to be
despised, disdained, held in contempt, or viewed as vile and
despicable. The question is: Is this leader viewed this way
by his own people, or by the Jews? Remember, these
prophecies were written by a Jewish Prophet with a Jewish
perspective. It could also be that this is how he is viewed
by God since the words were actually spoken by one of the
angelic messengers who appeared to Daniel. Following the
death of Assad and the next leader who raises taxes, there
must be quite a power struggle occurring within the country.
Notice that it doesn't appear that this man becomes the
leader of Syria through conventional means, that is, through
an election. We are told that 'they shall not give the
honour of the kingdom'. Instead, it appears that he somehow
works his way into power through a war of words, perhaps
through promising to restore peace and prosperity to Syria
if the people will support him. I am reminded of the
following verse:

"The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war
was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were
they drawn swords." (Psalms 55:21)

Despite his false claims of peace, the very next verse
exposes the true intentions of this subtle leader's heart:

"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." (Daniel 11:22)

Here we have what appears to be the new Syrian leader's
invasion of Israel. As I mentioned earlier, the word 'arm'
or 'arms' in the Bible often refers to a military force.
Likewise, the word 'flood' can symbolize a lot of people. In
fact, we are told that Babylon the Great Whore sits upon
many waters, or people:

"And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where
the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations,
and tongues." (Revelation 17:15)

Thus it appears that this 'flood' from Syria spills over
into Israel and crushes it. In other words, the Israeli
resistance is simply 'washed away' by the overwhelming
forces of the Syrian army. What is also important regarding
this verse is that it is here that we first encounter the
mention of the 'prince of the covenant'. In the previous
interpretation, this 'prince of the covenant' was believed
to refer to Jason who was eliminated as a result of the
Hellenist High Priest Menelaus' conspiracy with Antiochus IV
against the devout Jews. This is said to have occurred
around the time of the Maccabean revolt. However, in our
present attempt to link these events to unfulfilled
prophecy, we need to replace Jason with a modern-day
counterpart who is also the architect of a covenant, or
peace agreement.

In the previous verses I shared concerning a coming
spiritual leader known as David, it is interesting to note
that he is also referred to as a prince. If we view verse
twenty-two from the perspective of an Orthodox Jew who is
still waiting for his messiah, we can arrive at some
interesting conclusions. For example, could this 'prince of
the covenant' be the long-awaited 'Moshiach ben David'? In
other words, might 'Moshiach' be one of the originators or
primary architects of the covenant discussed here in the
Book of Daniel? To help you understand what this covenant or
peace accord is partially about, allow me to share the
following verses with you from another chapter in the Book
of Daniel:

"Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host,
and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place
of his sanctuary was cast down. And an host was given him
against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and
it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and
prospered. Then I heard one saint speaking, and another
saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long
shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the
transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and
the host to be trodden under foot? And he said unto me, Unto
two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the
sanctuary be cleansed." (Daniel 8:11-14)

Here we have what appears to be a picture of the Beast
magnifying himself against, (that is, opposing and
overcoming), the prince of the host, just as we saw in the
previous verse. Notice again the use of the word 'prince'.
The word 'host' refers to a military force. It is derived
from the Hebrew word 'tsaba', pronounced tsaw-baw', which
means 'that which goes forth, army, war, warfare, host'. As
I have already stated, the Orthodox Jews expect 'Moshiach'
to be a military leader, a wise politician and a spiritual
leader as well. As a result of his victory over 'Moshiach',
we are also told that the Syrian leader will take away the
'daily sacrifice'. Exactly what is this 'daily sacrifice'?
It refers to one of the sacrifices which was performed by
Aaron the High Priest near the door of the Tabernacle
according to the Laws of Moses. In the Books of Exodus and
Numbers, this sacrifice is referred to as 'a continual burnt
offering' because it was performed 'day by day', that is, on
a daily basis throughout the year, in addition to the other
sacrifices which were performed throughout the year:

"Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two
lambs of the first year day by day continually. The one lamb
thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou
shalt offer at even: And with the one lamb a tenth deal of
flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil;
and the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink offering.
And the other lamb thou shalt offer at even, and shalt do
thereto according to the meat offering of the morning, and
according to the drink offering thereof, for a sweet savour,
an offering made by fire unto the LORD. This shall be a
continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the
door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD:
where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee."
(Exodus 29:38-42)

"And thou shalt say unto them, This is the offering made by
fire which ye shall offer unto the LORD; two lambs of the
first year without spot day by day, for a continual burnt
offering. The one lamb shalt thou offer in the morning, and
the other lamb shalt thou offer at even; And a tenth part of
an ephah of flour for a meat offering, mingled with the
fourth part of an hin of beaten oil. It is a continual burnt
offering, which was ordained in mount Sinai for a sweet
savour, a sacrifice made by fire unto the LORD."
(Numbers 28:3-6)

A burnt offering is one in which the animal is completely
consumed in the fire. In other words, unlike the Passover
Lamb for example, it is not eaten. This is the same kind of
an offering which the Lord required of Abraham in the Book
of Genesis. Abraham's sacrifice is considered to be a
foreshadow of God's own Sacrifice when He gave His own Son
to die on the Cross for the sins of the world:

"And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom
thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer
him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains
which I will tell thee of." (Genesis 22:2)

"He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us
all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all
things?" (Romans 8:32)

You will notice from the previous verses in Exodus and
Numbers that the 'continual burnt offering' was performed
twice a day, once in the morning, and once in the evening.
This is the very same sacrifice, or evening oblation, Daniel
is referring to in the following verse:

"Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel,
whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused
to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening
oblation." (Daniel 9:21)

Our English word 'oblation' is derived from the Hebrew word
'minchah', pronounced min-khaw', which means gift, tribute,
offering, present, oblation, sacrifice, or meat offering.
The fact that this sacrifice was performed every single day
of the year served as a constant reminder to the Jews of
their sinful nature before God. As King David once lamented:

"For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever
before me." (Psalms 51:3)

As I have explained in other articles such 'Jesus Christ:
Son Of God, High Priest Of Melchizedek', once Jesus had made
the Ultimate Sacrifice by giving His own Life and Body on
the Cross, there was no longer a need for any blood
sacrifices or burnt offerings of any kind. The Apostle Paul
made this point quite eloquently in his letter to the
Hebrews when he said:

"By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.
And they truly were many priests, because they were not
suffered to continue by reason of death: But this man,
because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.
Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that
come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make
intercession for them. For such an high priest became us,
who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and
made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as
those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own
sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when
he offered up himself." (Hebrews 7:22-27)

With the passing of the Old Testament, and the coming of the
New Covenant, Temple worship and daily sacrifices were no
longer required or even necessary. The blood of the
unblemished lamb had been replaced once and for all by the
Blood of the Lamb of God. However, because the Jews rejected
Christ's message, they wanted to continue in the old mold,
following their laws, oral traditions and outdated practices
which had become dry and meaningless, just like many
spiritless churches today. As I have explained before, this
is why the Lord allowed the partitioning veil in the Temple
to be torn in half; and why some forty years after Christ's
Crucifixion, He allowed Titus to come in and level the
Second Temple. The Lord was clearly trying to send the Jews
a strong message that they now had to trust utterly in the
Blood of His Son for the remission of their sins:

"And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from
the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the
rocks rent;" (Matthew 27:51)

Thus, through the verses I have been sharing, we can see
that there may indeed be a repeat of history. Unless I am
mistaken, the coming Middle East peace accord will involve,
among other things, a stipulation which may make possible
the contruction of the Third Temple on Mount Moriah, (which
the Muslims refer to as 'The Nobel Sanctuary'), and the
re-implementation of the 'daily sacrifice', that is, the
'continual burnt offering'. In fact, if you study the Books
of Ezra and Nehemiah, you will see that it is possible that
the 'daily sacrifice' will be re-implemented even before the
Third Temple is actually constructed. In the Book of Ezra we
are told that the Jews rejoiced and offered the 'daily
sacrifice' even BEFORE the foundation of the new Temple had
been laid:

"Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren
the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his
brethren, and builded the altar of the God of Israel, to
offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the law
of Moses the man of God. And they set the altar upon his
bases; for fear was upon them because of the people of those
countries: and they offered burnt offerings thereon unto the
LORD, even burnt offerings morning and evening. They kept
also the feast of tabernacles, as it is written, and offered
the daily burnt offerings by number, according to the
custom, as the duty of every day required; And afterward
offered the continual burnt offering, both of the new moons,
and of all the set feasts of the LORD that were consecrated,
and of every one that willingly offered a freewill offering
unto the LORD. From the first day of the seventh month began
they to offer burnt offerings unto the LORD. But the
foundation of the temple of the LORD was not yet laid."
(Ezra 3:2-6)

Considering all of the evidence I have come across, and
given the current hostile attitudes in the Middle East, it
is my view that the phrase 'the place of his sanctuary was
cast down' in the prophecies of Daniel may be a reference to
the Third Temple being destroyed by the invading forces of
the Beast, just as it has been totally destroyed on two
previous occasions. In the original Hebrew, the phrase 'the
place of his sanctuary' is derived from two Hebrew words.
The word 'place' is from 'makown', pronounced maw-kone',
which means a fixed or established place, a foundation. The
phrase 'of his sanctuary' is from the Hebrew 'miqdash',
pronounced mik-dawsh', which refers to a sacred place,
sanctuary, or holy place. In the Jewish religion, this would
be either the Temple or the Tabernacle. The phrase 'cast
down' is from the Hebrew 'shalak', pronounced shaw-lak,
which means to throw, cast, hurl, or fling.

You will notice that the word 'his' is not actually
represented by a Hebrew word. In other words, it was used at
the translator's discretion. Therefore, considering the
meanings of these two Hebrew words, I am going to suggest
that perhaps what is really being said here is that the
foundation of the Temple is going to be cast down or
destroyed. This may be much more grave than we realize. To
destroy the Temple is one thing, but to destroy its
foundation is something a little different. What is the
foundation upon which the Temple will sit? Aside from the
actual quarried blocks used in its construction, it is also
the ground upon which those blocks rest; in other words,
Mount Moriah itself. If this coming war involves nuclear
arms as some fear it might, it is possible that the entire
Temple Mount is going to be destroyed, totally obliterated,
thus eliminating the whole issue once and for all! This
would perfectly fit the meaning of the Hebrew word 'shalak'.
If a bomb drops, things will definitely be flying! This is
another reason why I suggest that the destruction of the
Temple may not occur until the very end of the
three-and-a-half-year war.

As I write this, I can easily envision the Israeli Defense
Force troops, led by 'Moshiach ben David', the Jewish
'Messiah' and military leader, surrounding the Temple Mount
in a vain attempt to protect it from the overwhelming Muslim
forces which will surround Jerusalem sometime in the near
future. My current belief is that once the peace accord is
signed and formalized, the 'daily sacrifice' will begin
shortly thereafter. This will be followed later by a
newly-constructed Temple in which the False Messiah, that
is, 'Moshiach ben David', will sit, claiming and proving to
many that he is 'God' in the flesh. This is all covered in
other articles such as 'Who Hindered the Antichrist?'.
However, as we already know, halfway through the seven
years, something is going to go wrong. The Muslims are going
to become upset; and this will result in the 'Jihad', the
Muslim holy war to take back 'al-Quds', (their name for
Jerusalem), from the Jews. Despite their best attempts, as
Daniel tells us, the 'prince of the covenant' will be broken
at this time. The Jews are going to come to the realization
that their 'Moshiach' is only a man. I am reminded of the
following verses from the Gospel of Luke:

"And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then
know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them
which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them
which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them
that are in the countries enter thereinto. For these be the
days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be
fulfilled. But woe unto them that are with child, and to
them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great
distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they
shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away
captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden
down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be
fulfilled." (Luke 21:20-24)

As the above verses state, Jerusalem is going to be trodden
down of the Gentiles. Exactly how long is this 'times of the
Gentiles'? According to the Book of Revelation, it is
exactly three and a half years, or forty-two months, the
same time period we have already been discussing. This is
the same length of time the Beast will rule:

"But the court which is without the temple leave out, and
measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the
holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months."
(Revelation 11:2)

"And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things
and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue
forty and two months." (Revelation 13:5)

Thus we see that this war is going to last some three and a
half years. Another reason why I believe that the complete
destruction of the Temple won't occur until near the end of
the war is because there must be a time for the Abomination
of Desolation to stand in the holy place as per Jesus' own
words:

"When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation,
spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place,
(whoso readeth, let him understand:)" (Matthew 24:15)

If the Temple were to be destroyed in the middle of the
seven-year period, then there would be no way to allow the
Abomination of Desolation to 'stand in the holy place'. Of
course, the term 'holy place' doesn't just refer to the
interior of the Temple, but also to the hallowed grounds
outside as well. Consider, for example, what the Lord said
to Moses when He spoke to him from the burning bush:

"And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from
off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy
ground." (Exodus 3:5)

Later, when they were camped at Mount Sinai and the Lord
descended upon the Mount, He instructed Moses to set a
border around the Mount. The purpose of this barrier was to
protect the people from accidentally sinning against the
Lord by entering into His holy domain:

"And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and
sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their
clothes, And be ready against the third day: for the third
day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people
upon mount Sinai. And thou shalt set bounds unto the people
round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not
up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever
toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death: There shall
not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot
through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when
the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount."
(Exodus 19:10-13)

So again, while the interior of the Temple will be holy,
particularly the Holy of Holies behind the veil, the entire
Temple grounds will also be holy. Regarding the Abomination
of Desolation which will pollute and stand in the holy
place, I discuss its possible meaning and significance in
more detail in 'The Seven Heads' series. If it is as large
as I believe it may be, then there is a good reason why it
could have to stand, not inside the time temple itself, but
somewhere outside on the Temple grounds; or at least
somewhere on Mount Moriah; for the entire mount is holy to
the Lord, just as Mount Sinai was. Having established these
ideas, here are some additional verses which further define
this mysterious covenant which 'Moshiach' will help draw up:

"Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of
the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the
Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and
two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall,
even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks
shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the
people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city
and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a
flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are
determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for
one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the
sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the
overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate,
even until the consummation, and that determined shall be
poured upon the desolate." (Daniel 9:25-27)

The above verses deal with what has become known as the
Seventy Weeks Prophecy Of Daniel. Due to the complexity of
this issue, rather than go into great detail here, I am
going to refer you to my companion article of the same name,
'The Seventy Weeks Prophecy Of Daniel'. For now, let me
simply state that it is believed by many Christians that
this prophecy predicted the restoration of Jerusalem and the
Second Jewish Temple, the coming of the Messiah in the First
Century, His subsequent Death on the Cross, (that is, being
'cut off'), and the destruction of Jerusalem. As in previous
verses in Daniel, the use of the word 'flood' is probably
referring to an army. This is supported by the descriptive
phrase 'and unto the end of the war desolations are
determined'. This part of the prophecy is believed by some
to be a reference to the destruction of Jerusalem and the
Jewish Temple in 70 A.D. by the Roman General Titus and his
legions, who ultimately became the next emperor of Rome. It
is said that for three and a half years, (half of Daniel's
final week?), Titus and his forces massacred close to one
million Jews. Before His death, Jesus prophesied this very
event:

"And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his
disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the
temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these
things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here
one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down."
(Matthew 24:1-2)

While the above events did occur exactly as specified by the
prophecy, there is a strong possibility that what happened
in 70 A.D. might just be a foreshadow of worse things yet to
come in Israel in our current day. In other words, as I
explained earlier, these verses might find their final
fulfillment in a prince who is yet to come who will again
invade Jerusalem and destroy the third and final Jewish
Temple. If Orthodox Jews have their way, this Third Temple
may be built in the near future. Following this line of
thought, the Endtime prince mentioned above may very well be
the Beast, the final eighth king of the Book of Revelation,
who may originate in Syria.

While the first sixty-nine weeks, (that is, 'seven weeks,
and threescore and two weeks', or four hundred and eighty
three years), are believed to have been fulfilled with
Jesus' Death on the Cross. the final seventieth week, also
known as the Last Seven Years, may not begin until 'the
prince that shall come', (that is, the Beast), signs or
agrees to the peace accord we have already been discussing.
As we have now seen, he will turn against the covenant in
the midst of the last week, or three and a half years later,
when he invades Israel from the north. As shown from
previous verses, when he turns against the covenant, the
'daily sacrifice', or 'continual burnt offering', will be
halted, and the prince of the host, (who I am speculating
may be 'Moshiach'), will be defeated. I believe that this
three and a half year period is included in the two thousand
and three hundred days mentioned in previous verses. Moving
on to the next verse in this eleventh chapter of Daniel, we
read:

"And after the league made with him he shall work
deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong
with a small people." (Daniel 11:23)

Here again we see the treachery of the king of the north.
Whether this league and the covenant are one and the same
thing is hard to say. This league might possibly be the
political/military alliance with the Ten Horns, (or
governments), who temporarily give their power to the Beast
as per the book of Revelation and the previous Daniel
chapters. This is explained in part one of this article, as
well as in other articles such as 'The Seven Heads' series.
However, given all of the other verses in Daniel which speak
of the covenant, I am inclined to believe that the league
and the covenant are one and the same thing. The main point
to consider is that when the Beast signs this treaty or
covenant, his heart is really not in it. It will just be a
political ploy in order for him to gain more time so that he
can carry out his nefarious deeds. After all, we are told
that he is 'a vile person' who should not be trusted for
anything, no matter how much of a smooth talker he might be
at the negotiation table. Remember the verse that I shared
earlier:

"The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war
was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were
they drawn swords." (Psalms 55:21)

Notice how it says that he will 'come up and become strong
with a small people'. This is indeed a very interesting
phrase. What does it mean by 'small people'? Does it mean
small in stature? As I have pointed out elsewhere, there are
some who believe that the Beast is represented by the
leadership of Russia. They say that the Ten Horns might be
ten nations of the European Union who will join with him to
destroy Babylon the Great Whore. I myself entertained this
same possibility for many years; however, based upon a lot
of evidence I have discovered since then, I am no longer
convinced that this is the only possibility. I again
encourage you to read 'The Seven Heads' series as I explain
some of my latest ideas concerning these Endtime events.

In my view, being as unfulfilled Biblical prophecy is such a
deep and mysterious subject, it is wise to leave our options
open. If there is one thing none of us can afford to do, it
is to become so dogmatic in our views that we completely
rule out other possibilities which do not conform to our own
pet ideas and interpretations. If I were to accept that the
Russia Federation really is the Beast, then my next guess
would be to speculate that the 'small people' mentioned in
the previous verse from Daniel, might be a reference to the
Chinese. Some time ago I read a news article which discussed
the 1997 treaty between Russia and China. In that article,
both powers voiced negative sentiments towards the current
attempt by the United States to bring former East Bloc
nations into NATO. They said that they prefer a multi-polar
world instead of a One World Government as is currently
being proposed and pursued by the United States of America
and her allies in the United Nations.

Another possible interpretation of the term 'small people'
is that it isn't referring to people small in stature, but
rather to a small group of people, a minority who are
currently fighting to obtain their own homeland in the
Middle East. While there are a number of ethnic groups in
the world which are currently trying to achieve this goal,
such as the people of Kashmir, the Kurds, etc., I am
specifically thinking of the Palestinians. In the current
struggles between Israel and her Arab neighbors, the primary
resistance isn't coming from Egypt. As I said earlier, she
has already been neutralized, and Mubarak is having enough
internal problems of his own. The same holds true for Iraq.
While Saddam Hussein is still an avowed enemy of the state
of Israel, the past seven years of United Nations sanctions
has given him enough to deal with. Since 1994, Jordan has
also been kept at bay due to their peace agreements. The
problems in southern Lebanon still persist, and there have
been more casualties recently, but even that isn't Israel's
hottest point of conflict.

The primary struggle which continues to cause the most
violence and bloodshed, is with the two million or so
Palestinians who live in the tightly controlled areas of the
Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Apart from their bases in
Syria, the Israeli government claims that the Palestinians
plot and launch attacks against Israeli citizens from within
both of these areas. While all of this is going on, Syria
continues to insist that there can be no peace until Israel
returns to pre-1967 borders, which includes returning the
Golan Heights. As I have stated in other articles, Moshe
Dyan tried to downplay the importance of the Golan Heights
as just being a small ten-mile area they were seeking to
obtain for the Israel farmers. In actuality, this is the
furthest thing from the truth. The Golan Heights is the
primary corridor between Syria and Israel. Whoever controls
it maintains an advantage in the war. Again, this is
discussed further in 'The Seven Heads' series. In the next
verse we read the following:

"He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest places of
the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have
not done, nor his fathers' fathers; he shall scatter among
them the prey, and spoil, and riches: yea, and he shall
forecast his devices against the strong holds, even for a
time." (Daniel 11:24)

The idea of sharing the spoil has been a practice used by
many conquering armies throughout the history of mankind. By
following this practice, the Beast will further increase his
popularity and influence, not only with his own people, but
possibly even with the oppressed people of other neighboring
countries which he hopes to subdue. By encouraging local
uprisings against their rich governments, he will weaken
these countries from within in preparation for his attack
against them. The fact that the above verse appears to be
describing communism is another reason why some Bible
students hold to the view that the Beast will originate in
Russia. In reality though, the communism of today is a far
cry from true communism as found in the Book of Acts. While
the Early Christians were motivated to share their
possessions out of love for each other, so-called communism
today doesn't share the wealth with anyone. Communist
societies are controlled by a small elite at the top, just
like any other form of corrupt earthly government.

Verse twenty-four also shows how the Beast will continue to
expand his powerbase into Israel and Egypt by 'forecasting
his devices'. This word 'forecast' is derived from the
Hebrew word 'chashab', pronounced khaw-shab', which means to
think, plan, devise, calculate or conceive. The word
'devices' is derived from 'machashabah' or 'machashebeth',
which means thought, device, plan, purpose or invention.
Putting the meanings of these two words together then, based
on what we have already seen of this man's character, it
appears that he will be one shrewd schemer. He will be
formulating all kinds of plans in order to defeat his
enemies. This is precisely what Satan does; and this is why
Paul and Peter also warn us that we are not to be ignorant
of his devices:

"Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not
ignorant of his devices." (2 Corinthians 2:11)

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as
a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:"
(1 Peter 5:8)

Continuing to the next verses in Daniel chapter eleven, we
read the following:

"And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the
king of the south with a great army; and the king of the
south shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and
mighty army; but he shall not stand: for they shall forecast
devices against him. Yea, they that feed of the portion of
his meat shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow: and
many shall fall down slain." (Daniel 11:25-26)

The above verses again mention how the Beast's great army
will war against the king of Egypt and his forces. This is
the second time we see the mention of 'forecasting devices'.
This seems to support the idea that the leader of Syria, or
whoever this Beast is, will be constantly calculating his
moves and looking for ways to weaken his enemies. In this
case, it appears to be implying that he will use military
espionage in order to spread disinformation and thus weaken
his enemy from within. Through spreading lies amongst those
closest to the president of Egypt, the Beast will cause acts
of treachery to be committed against him which will
facilitate the Egyptian's defeat. Whether this is a family
conspiracy or his own military machine turning against him,
I cannot really tell; but in either event, it will result in
many lives being lost as the Syrian forces invade.

As I said previously, this Beast will apparently have the
shrewdness and cunningness of Satan. Exactly what are
Satan's devices? They are words. They are lies. They are
negative thoughts. How did Satan trick Adam and Eve? How did
he tempt Jesus? How does he war against us today? It is
through the things he speaks to our minds and hearts. He
spreads his lies and doubts in order to weaken and cause
confusion. Remember what Jesus said about him:

"...He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in
the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he
speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar,
and the father of it." (John 8:44b)

Cleary then, if the Beast is Satan incarnate, then spreading
lies amongst his enemies to confuse and divide their
leadership would be right up his alley, and something he has
been doing for thousands of years. The next verse in these
amazing prophecies reads:

"And both these kings' hearts shall be to do mischief, and
they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not
prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.
Then shall he return into his land with great riches; and
his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall
do exploits, and return to his own land." (Daniel 11:27-28)

This verse perfectly describes modern politics where world
leaders sit down to draft phoney treaties or documents of
one sort or another which they have absolutely no intentions
of keeping. In this case, it appears that we are again
talking about the covenant which will involve 'Moshiach' and
the leaders of Egypt and Syria. Notice that in these verses,
it is specifically stated that the covenant is 'holy'. This
again supports the idea that some of the terms of this peace
accord will deal with Mount Moriah in East Jerusalem and
Jewish religious worship. Some time ago I read some reports
in which it was stated that using satellite imagery, it has
been discovered that it may be possible to build the Third
Temple without disturbing the Dome of the Rock and the
Al-Aqsa Mosque. This may prove to be a crucial point in
coming to terms with the Palestinains who currently control
the Mount.

As the above verse says, even though these two leaders are
going to lie to each other in order to bring about some kind
of a phoney peace, God knows what is really going on; and in
the end, events will happen exactly as He has foreseen for
thousands of years. After all, the Lord sees everything in
the Eternal Now as if it has already occurred. It isn't that
He forces His will upon us, or that we are pawns in His
hand, but rather that being as He is omnipresent and not
bound by time, He already knows what these two leaders are
going to decide to do of their own free will. Notice too
that after this meeting, which may be highly publicized in
the world press, the Beast then returns north to Syria
apparently having gained something in an economical sense,
BUT, already he is scheming against the treaty. The fact
that 'he returns into his land' indicates that the treaty is
signed outside of Syria. My guess is that it will be signed
in Jerusalem. We next read in Daniel:

"At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the
south; but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter.
For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore
he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation
against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even
return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the
holy covenant. And arms shall stand on his part, and they
shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away
the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination
that maketh desolate. And such as do wickedly against the
covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that
do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits."
(Daniel 11:29-32)

In the above verses, it is believed that Chittim is
actually referring to the island of Cyprus. As maps of the
ancient world will reveal, 'Chittim', or 'Kittim', is the
former name of Cyprus. It appears then that sometime in the
near future when all of these events begin to occur, a naval
strike may be launched from Cyprus just as the Syrian forces
are about to make another attack on the south, that is,
against Israel and Egypt. Given the current range of missle
delivery systems, as well as other factors like the size of
American naval carriers which are various acres in size and
can hold many warplanes, it will be an easy matter to deter
the Beast; at least for the time being.

The very fact that Cyprus is involved in these affairs, and
is able to temporarily stop the Beast is another indication
that Syria may be the country of origin of the Beast. If it
was Russia, it doesn't seem likely to me that a small island
like Cyprus would be able to stop her. Of course, if it
involves a nuclear threat launched from Cyprus, or combined
naval forces in the vicinity of Cyprus, that is indeed a
possibility. The fact that the United States of America,
Israel and Turkey are currently forging stronger military
ties is indeed an interesting development. At this point, my
feelings are that if Syria is not the home of the Beast,
then it will at least be used as the gateway to invade
Israel from the north through the Golan Heights as I
mentioned earlier.

While the move by Cyprus does cause the Beast to temporarily
turn back and become even more angered against the covenant,
it is only a short-lived victory for those who oppose him.
Being the deceitful fiend that he is, he conspires with
others who have likewise forsaken or gone against the holy
covenant. Again, this might be a reference to the ten kings
or 'horns' of Revelation who reign with the Beast for one
hour. This may not literally mean one hour, but rather a
very short time, perhaps the final three and a half years of
the Beast's rule when collectively they destroy Babylon the
Great. As said previously, while some have speculated that
this is referring to ten European nations joining a
confederacy with Russia, I am not yet fully convinced of
this. Going by the evidence I have presented thus far, I am
more inclined to believe that these may be ten Arab nations
who join with Syria, all of whom hate Israel with a passion.

At any rate, together with his co-conspirators and their
armies which stand behind him, ('and arms shall stand on his
part'), the Beast will invade Israel and Jerusalem itself.
This will of course be a total breach of the holy covenant
or peace accord. As I have stated a few times now, the Beast
will be a fast talker and one sly diplomat. He will have the
subtlety of Satan just like the serpent in Eden. For this
reason it says 'And such as do wickedly against the covenant
shall he corrupt by flatteries'. This is an interesting
point because not all Jews are religious Jews. Not all Jews
are Orthodox Jews. Jewish Orthodoxy is really in the
minority. The majority of Jews are either Reform Jews or
Conservative Jews, but not necessarily Orthodox Jews. Most
Jews are just as materialistic as the rest of the
industrialized world. Many find the idea of renewing the
daily sacrifice and killing live animals on a daily basis
repulsive and barbaric. I don't think it will sit too well
with many environmentalists and 'animal lovers' either.

Considering that the other Muslims, such as the
Palestinians, are already on his side, how could the Beast
'corrupt' them as the verse says? Could this be an inference
that in his sly way this Beast will corrupt those Jews who
oppose the sacrifice? In other words, despite their
differences, might he convince some of them to side with
him? Perhaps the 'arms that stand on his part' are a small
group of Jewish insurgents who are opposed to the Temple
worship. This adds another possibility to the meaning of the
term 'small people' discussed earlier. Perhaps the Beast
will destroy Israel by both military means, as well as by
corrupting her spiritually from within, just as he will
forecast his devices against Egypt. Notice though that those
who truly know and understand the Word of God will not fall
for his flatteries but will fight against him. Perhaps this
is again a reference to 'Moshiach ben David' who will lead
the Jewish faithful against the invading Muslim forces.

If we place the following two verse from Daniel next to each
other, we see that they are describing the same events. We
are told that this upcoming agreement will be signed for a
seven year period, that is, the final 'week' of Daniel's
Seventy Weeks Prophecy. We are also told that the 'daily
sacrifice' will be stopped by the Beast 'in the midst of
the week' once he invades Jerusalem. Finally, we are
informed that he will replace the 'daily sacrifice' with the
'abomination that maketh desolate'. As you will see when you
read 'The Seven Heads' series, I suspect that this
abomination may be the same thing as the Image of the Beast
mentioned in Revelation chapter thirteen:

"And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:
and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice
and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of
abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the
consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the
desolate." (Daniel 9:27)

"And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken
away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there
shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days."
(Daniel 12:11)

As I have indicated in other articles, it is my belief that
it will be at this time that the Great Tribulation will
begin, the final three and a half years of man's rule of
this Earth. This will be a period of tremendous suffering
for the people of God. Aside from the setting up of the
Abomination of Desolation, we will also witness the
implementation of the world wide credit system commonly
known as the '666', or the Mark of the Beast. I discuss this
more in full in my companion article 'Mondex And The Mark Of
The Beast'. As I have also stated in other articles, I
believe that it will be close to the end of this time period
when Babylon the Great Whore will be destroyed by the Muslim
forces. My current view is that Jerusalem, the home of the
false religion of Judaism, is this mysterious woman.

If we again consider the qualifications set forth by
Maimonides concerning the coming 'Moshiach ben David', this
'the prince of the covenant' who is broken or defeated by
the Beast, certainly seems to fit the description.
Everything would be fulfilled in him. If he is the
originator of the above mentioned covenant, 'Moshiach' will
have overcome the enemies of Israel, if not in a military
sense, then at least in a political and diplomatic sense.
Israel will be at peace with her neighbors, at least for a
period of three and a half years. The Temple will be
rebuilt, and the 'daily sacrifice' re-instituted. This will
undoubtedly encourage more Jews to return to Israel to
worship. In short, 'Teshuva', the 'return to God,' will have
been fulfilled. Even for those Jews who do not physically
return to Israel, many will probably become more devout Jews
who will once again study the Torah in earnest.

Having accomplished all of these things, we may then see the
fulfillment of another prophecy spoken by the Apostle Paul
in the second chapter of his second Epistle to the church at
Thessalonica. 'Moshiach ben David' may be declared the
long-awaited 'Messiah' and king of Israel. He will then be
granted the privilege of sitting in the newly constructed
Temple on Mount Moriah where he will convince many that he
is indeed 'God' in the flesh:

"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."
(2 Thessalonians 2:4)

Of course, as Christians, we know that this will all be one
great big lie. We need to keep in mind that while this
covenant will fall apart after three and a half short years,
most people will be ignorant of this fact. Only those who
truly understand God's Word will be aware of what is really
going to happen. Once the peace accord is signed, it will
appear as if everything is grand, and the rest of the world
will be relieved that the Israeli/Palestinian issue has
finally been resolved. A plastic peace will reign, the
'daily sacrifice' will be resumed after almost two thousand
years, and the Third Temple will be built. However, let me
again remind you of what the prophet Jeremiah and the
Apostle Paul had to say about this:

"They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people
slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace."
(Jeremiah 6:14)

"For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden
destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with
child; and they shall not escape." (1 Thessalonians 5:3)

Just when the Jews think that 'Moshiach ben David' has saved
them from extermination by the Beast and his fellow
conspirators, just when they believe that he has restored
Israel to her former glory, the peace accord will be
breached, 'Moshiach' and his forces will be defeated in
battle, the Temple will be profaned, and all hell will break
loose as the Great Tribulation begins:

"And they that understand among the people shall instruct
many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by
captivity, and by spoil, many days. Now when they shall
fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many
shall cleave to them with flatteries. And some of them of
understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to
make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is
yet for a time appointed." (Daniel 11:33-35)

This is the time of the tribulation when those who know the
Truth will do all within their means to teach as many as
they can about what is really happening, and why the Lord is
allowing it to happen. This might include Western
Christians, Messianic Jews, Christian Palestinians, and
anyone else who truly understands and believes in the
prophetic Scriptures of the Endtime. In the book of
Revelation, John tells us that these brave souls will be led
by the two sackcloth witnesses:

"And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall
prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed
in sackcloth." (Revelation 11:3)

John tells us that after they have witnessed against the
Beast during his three and a half year reign, that is, the
one thousand two hundred and sixty days, the Beast will kill
them, and their bodies will lay in the streets of Jerusalem
for three and a half days while the whole world rejoices
over their demise. But then, to their surprise, the two
witnesses are resurrected and ascend into Heaven. Some have
theorized that they might be Enoch and Elijah who did not
suffer natural deaths, while others have suggested Moses and
Elijah. I will be discussing this in a separate article to
be released some time in the future. After these events, God
continues to pour out His wrath upon the Beast and his
wicked followers. I encourage you to read the entire chapter
of Revelation eleven for more details.

Just as Daniel described the Great Tribulation against the
saints of the Most High, John likewise provides insight into
this same topic. In Revelation chapter twelve, he describes
Satan as a great red dragon which is cast out of Heaven by
Michael the Archangel. Knowing his time is short, he
persecutes the remnants of God's true Church:

"And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make
war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the
commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus
Christ." (Revelation 12:17)

While Revelation chapter twelve describes a spiritual
picture of the persecution of the Endtime believers as a
woman fleeing from the dragon into the wilderness, the very
next chapter describes this same period of horrible
slaughter by the Beast and his demonic Muslim hordes as a
seven-headed beast with ten horns which persecutes the
Saints. This could be symbolic of the political and military
forces which will hunt down and kill all of those who resist
his rule:

"And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things
and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue
forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy
against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and
them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make
war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was
given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations."
(Revelation 13:5-7)

Notice again the importance of verbal power used by the
Beast. Through his campaign of lies, which will probably be
managed by his propaganda agaent, the False Prophet, he will
persecute and subdue his adversaries from his headquarters
in Jerusalem. He will probably use global television
networks, worldwide computer networks, the world press, and
whatever means he can to turn people against the true
believers, those who heroically continue to proclaim Jesus
Christ as the only true Lord and Saviour. The False Prophet
may possibly encourage Muslims worldwide to partake in a
'Holy Jihad' to destroy anyone who refuses to bow down and
worship the Beast and his image:

"And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come
down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And
deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those
miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast;
saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should
make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword,
and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image
of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak,
and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the
beast should be killed." (Revelation 13:13-15)

At this time, the True Believers will need to remember the
words spoken by our Lord when He said:

"Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not
greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will
also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will
keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you
for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me."
(John 15:20-21)

"Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall
kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's
sake." (Matthew 24:9)

Having defeated all resistance, the Beast will then become
even more lifted up in his pride and will exalt himself
above every idol and every god, including the God of gods:

"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. 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. But in his
estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his
fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and
with precious stones, and pleasant things. Thus shall he do
in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall
acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them
to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain."
(Daniel 11:36-39)

In the above verses, the word 'forces' is derived from the
Hebrew 'ma`owz', pronounced maw-oze', which means a place or
means of safety, protection, refuge, stronghold. This same
Hebrew word is used in the next verse where we find the
words 'strong holds'. Because of this, the phrase 'God of
forces' has been traditionally interpreted as meaning that
the Beast will worship the god of military might and power.
In the case of the destruction of Jerusalem and the Second
Temple in 70 A.D., this was certainly the case. As I pointed
out in part one of this article, as well as in 'The Seven
Heads', the Roman Empire was depicted as a ferocious beast
with teeth of iron. The Romans were very militarily
oriented, and established strongholds, or fortresses,
wherever they went. In some Bibles, the phrase 'god of
forces' is instead translated as 'Fortress God', 'God of
fortresses', or 'God of munitions'. This might be a better
translation given the original meaning of the Hebrew word.
When David was forced to flee from King Saul, we are told
that he dwelt in strongholds in the woods:

"And David abode in the wilderness in strong holds, and
remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul
sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his
hand." (1 Samuel 23:14)

In the above verse, a different Hebrew word is used for the
Engish words 'strong holds'. It is the word 'metsad',
pronounced mets-ad', which means a fort, stronghold,
fastness. Regardless of which translation we choose, we are
still left with the idea that the Beast will rely heavily
upon military might to achieve his purposes. In the world
today, there is clear emphasis on military readiness. From
the United States of America, to Russia, to Third World
countries, the prevailing attitude seems to be 'peace
through strength'. America and Russia have had vast amounts
of nuclear arms stockpiled for years, and the world is
becoming even more unstable each day as other countries
acquire these same capabilities. In fact, these deadly
arsenals have been expanded to now include chemical and
biological weapons as well. This is the very issue which has
caused the United Nations to impose sanctions against Iraq
for the past seven years. I discuss this more fully in 'The
Seven Heads' series.

As I continued to ponder some of the above verses, another
interesting possibility came to mind. As we saw earlier, the
Beast will become strong with a small people. I suggested
that one possible interpretation of this phrase 'small
people' might be the Palestinians who, with the support of
Syria, continue in their struggle to acquire a Palestinian
state. As I write this, patience is indeed wearing thin as
both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and
Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat fail to meet
each other's demands. Arafat has sent a clear signal that
unless Israel opts for turning over more of the West Bank
than the current meager percentage being offered, there will
be more violence, and possibly war.

One thing which occurred to me regarding these words 'strong
holds' and 'fortresses', is that this is exactly the way
guerilla organizations work. They establish mountain
strongholds from which they plan and launch their strikes
against their enemies. Some of these organizations have
managed to survive for years this way. Part of their tactics
is to always be on the alert, and to change locations as
soon as they feel their position has been discovered and
placed in jeopardy. From the little I know about the
Palestinian Liberation Organization, this is exactly how
they operate. They have had bases of operation in Egypt,
Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and the Occupied Territories of
Israel. Thus, here again we see a possible tie between the
Beast and the Palestinians.

In the previous verses from Daniel, we read the phrase 'and
shall divide the land for gain'. One way we can interpret
this is to mean that he will divide the people of the land.
In other words, he will cause them to be so divided in their
political and religious opinions and loyalties, that it will
be to his advantage and make it easier for him to come in
and take over. This is basically the same strategy currently
being used by the United States of America in order to
maintain a strong presence in the Middle East. The Arab
nations are so divided in their loyalties between the United
States and Russia, that it has been virtually impossible for
them to achieve strong Arab solidarity; and this is exactly
what the Western powers want. As long as their is
instability in the area, the United States has a reason to
be there. Of course, it is a known fact that their primary
motivation is to protect their oil interests.

In another sense, this phrase 'divide the land for gain' can
also be taken as a confirmation of something we read
earlier; and that is that one of the policies of the Beast
will be to divide the spoils of war between those who
support and assist him in his conquests. Even as I write
this, I can imagine the Muslim hordes sweeping across the
Middle East brandishing their swords in obedience to the
words of their 'prophet' Muhammad who clearly instructed
them in the Qur'an to chop off the heads of the infidels.
This is discussed in my article 'The Holy Qur'an: Doctrine
Of Devils!'. In the book of Revelation, John has visions of
the saints of God under the altar who were slain for the
Word of God. We are told that the way these saints were
slain was by being BEHEADED!:

"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was
given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were
beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God,
and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image,
neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in
their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a
thousand years." (Revelation 20:4)

While such an idea may seem a bit far-fetched in our modern
times where nations use more destructive means of warfare,
we need to remember that history has a tendency to repeat
itself. Under the demonic inspiration of the False Prophet,
one never knows what the followers of the Beast might do in
obedience to their leader's directives.

One important point to note concerning these verses is that,
while some people prefer to believe that we will not know
when Jesus is going to return, these prophecies from both
the books of Daniel and Revelation give us some very
specific time frames. There are just too many details
provided for me personally to believe that we will be left
in the dark regarding all of these events. In my opinion,
the only ones who will be caught unaware when Jesus returns,
the only ones to whom He will appear as a thief in the
night, are those who have not discerned the signs of the
times. I discuss this topic more in full in my article 'As A
Thief In The Night?: Not For Me!' For example, in Daniel
chapter twelve, we are given two time frames from the month
that the Beast's 'mid-week' invasion of Jerusalem occurs:

"And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken
away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there
shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is
he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred
and five and thirty days." (Daniel 12:11-12)

This is the second time that the two thousand and three
hundred days is mentioned by Daniel, so it must be very
important. One thing is for certain; when the Beast invades
Jerusalem and sets up the 'abomination that maketh
desolate,' as Jesus said, it is not time to fight, but
rather time to flee!:

"When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation,
spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place,
(whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be
in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the
housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
Neither let him which is in the field return back to take
his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to
them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your
flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For
then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the
beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be."
(Matthew 24:15-21)

As I stated earlier, this will be a terrible time of
persecution for Jews and Christians alike, and for anyone
else who opposes the Beast. Many thousands will be put to
death by the hand of Muslim zealots. It will be the worst
massacre the world will ever know. The above verses were
written specifically for those Jews who will be living in
Jerusalem at that time; a time which may not be that far off
in the future. Beginning at Jerusalem, the Beast will spread
his reign of death and terror out into the surrounding
countries. In the next verses from Daniel chapter eleven, we
read the following:

"And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push
at him: and the king of the north shall come against him
like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with
many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall
overflow and pass over. He shall enter also into the
glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but
these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and
the chief of the children of Ammon. He shall stretch forth
his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt
shall not escape. 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." (Daniel 11:40-43)

Here we are given a glimpse of the final battle between the
Egyptian forces, and the armies of the Beast which will
sweep down from the north. Despite everything that has
happened to him, it appears that the leader of Egypt
initiates this final attack. Perhaps he has had time to
build up his forces again with help from Libya and other
allies in the area who are tired of the Beast coming down
and telling them how to run their countries. But, it appears
that in spite of their united forces, the superior armies of
the Beast soundly defeat them. The fact that Libya and
Ethiopia are 'at his steps' could mean that they form the
southern edge of his powerbase. Notice that we are also told
that he employs naval forces. This is an indication that the
Beast may have ships in the Mediterranean Sea as well as in
the Red Sea. Whatever the case may be, Egypt, as well as
many other countries, are no match for the awesome military
might of the Beast. As we are told in the book of
Revelation:

"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. And they worshipped the dragon which gave
power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying,
Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with
him?" (Revelation 13:3-4)

What is also interesting in the above verses from Daniel is
that we find another possible confirmation of the country of
origin of the Beast. Why are Edom, Moab and Ammon spared? As
I explain in 'The Seven Heads' series, these are the ancient
names for what now constitutes the Hashemite Kingdom of
Jordan on the eastern border of Israel. This area is rich in
Biblical history as it was through there that Joshua and the
Children of Israel crossed the Jordan River to enter into
Canaan from the east. Moab and Ben-ammi were the sons of the
two daughters of Lot who were impregnated by their father
after they had made him drunk. This occurred right after the
destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah when Lot's unwed daughters
feared that there would be no one to continue their family
line; therefore, they conspired together to acquire
offspring through their father. Edom was named after Esau,
Jacob's brother, who went against the wishes of his parents,
Isaac and Rebekah, and married two Canaanite women. They
eventually settled in Mount Seir, which was in Edom.

For over three decades now, Syria and Jordan have shared
some common interests. For example, in the 1967 Six-Day War,
they both lost land to Israel. Syria lost the Golan Heights,
and Jordan lost part of her western border, including East
Jerusalem. Despite this loss, in 1994, King Hussein finally
signed a peace accord with Israel. However, the king is
still supportive of Syrian and Palestinian endeavors. He has
plainly stated that Jordan will not serve as a replacement
for a bona fida Palestinian state. Like Syria and other Arab
nations, King Hussein believes that Israel should return to
its 1967 borders. To add to Israeli consternation, during
the 1990-91 Persian Gulf War, Jordan supported Iraq, one of
Israel's most bitter and feared enemies. The other two are
Syria and Iran. Saudi Arabia, Jordan's eastern neighbor,
also took a dim view when Jordan sided with Iraq; and until
recently, relations between them were very cool. Thus, while
King Hussein has made peace with Israel, it doesn't mean
that he would remain faithful to his commitments should
another war break out; and it will.

Notice that we are told two times that the Syrian forces
'shall enter also into the glorious land'. This phrase is
used to denote Israel. Here are the two verses again in case
you have forgotten them. The first verse is talking about
one of the Beast's predecessors, while the second verse is
referring to the Beast himself:

"But he that cometh against him shall do according to his
own will, and none shall stand before him: and he shall
stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be
consumed." (Daniel 11:16)

"He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many
countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of
his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children
of Ammon. (Daniel 11:41)

At this point, it is difficult to say exactly when the Beast
will move his headquarters from Syria to Jerusalem, assuming
of course that the Beast originates in Syria. I tend to
believe that it will be during his 'mid-week' invasion when
he stops the 'daily sacrifice' and sets up 'the abomination
that maketh desolate'. Regardless of when it will happen,
there is no doubt that it will happen. The Beast will
proclaim Jerusalem his capital. This appears to be confirmed
by the final verses in the chapter which reveal a few other
points:

"But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall
trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to
destroy, and utterly to make away many. And he shall plant
the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the
glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and
none shall help him." (Daniel 11:44-45)

Due to recent developments in the Middle East, I find the
above verses extremely interesting. Here we see the Beast
receiving some negative war news from the east and north
which troubles him greatly. If we assume that Syria is the
home of the Beast, the above verses make perfect sense. You
see, as I have stated in 'The Seven Heads', north of Syria
is Turkey. Despite its Islamic past, and despite the fact
that it has a president, Turkey is really run by the
military. This military is pro-West in its stance, and as of
late 1997, Turkey and Israel, with the support of the United
States of America, have been forging closer economic and
military ties. This included joint military exercises in
January of this year, (1998). Thus, in the middle of Israel
and Turkey, we find their common enemy Syria. For this
reason, hearing bad news from the north fits in perfectly
with this interpretation.

As to the bad news from the east, this also makes a lot of
sense. East of Jordan, (which is currently the wildcard in
the Middle East situation), we find Saudia Arabia and the
Persian Gulf States. These six nations form the Gulf
Cooperation Council. They are the most oil-rich nations in
the world, and they are all pro-West. Except for Saudi
Arabia, they are all very small nations. During the 1990-91
Persian Gulf War, all six of these nations supported the
United States of America in its attack against Iraq, and
some of them allowed the Americans to stage attacks from
their countries where they maintain American bases. Taking
all of this into consideration, it is easy to see then why
the Beast would feel threaten ed from both pro-West Turkey
in the north, and the pro-West Gulf Cooperation Council
nations to the east.

Now this is where I think the Beast, quite possibly a Syrian
leader, does the unexpected. Rather than turn back to fight
against these forces, it sounds like he may do the exact
opposite! He continues to march on to punish Jerusalem!
Perhaps he feels that if he doesn't do it, no one else will
have the chance to do it since the western forces are moving
in:

'...therefore he shall go forth with great fury to
destroy, and utterly to make away many. And he shall plant
the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the
glorious holy mountain..." (Daniel 11:44b-45a)

This phrase 'great fury' reminds me of another verse from
the Book of Revelation which describes Satan's, or the Red
Dragon's, attitude when he is cast out of Heaven:

"Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them.
Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the
devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he
knoweth that he hath but a short time." (Revelation 12:12)

I am not really into Biblical numerology, yet I do find it
interesting that the multiple of Revelation 12:12 is 144,
and the above description in the Book of Daniel which
describes the fury of the Beast begins in Daniel 11:44. In
the verse from Revelation we see the spiritual cause of this
attack, while in the verse from Daniel we see the physical
results of it. Satan hates Israel with a passion because she
brought forth the Saviour; and therefore, he is now using
the Beast as his instrument of destruction to destroy as
many as possible. Daniel says 'to destroy, and utterly to
make away many...'. The last part of this phrase is derived
from the Hebrew word 'charam', pronounced khaw-ram', which
means to ban, devote, destroy utterly, completely destroy,
dedicate for destruction, exterminate. Thus we see that he
marches on and sets up his headquarters 'between the seas in
the glorious holy mountain'. These seas are obviously the
Mediterranean and the Dead Seas. Located between them is
'the glorious holy mountain', that is, Mount Zion, or
Jerusalem.

Despite all of his military victories, fast talking, shady
deals, false promises, and crooked treaties, we are told
that 'he shall come to his end and NONE shall help him'. The
fact that none can help him is very significant. Here we
have a military leader who is so powerful that in the Book
of Revelation we have the world proclaiming in awe 'who can
make war with him?', yet Daniel tells us that he will meet
his end. Obviously, his end will NOT come by human means. The
very first verse of the final chapter of Daniel gives us a
good idea of how the Beast will meet his end:

"And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince
which standeth for the children of thy people: and there
shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there
was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy
people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found
written in the book." (Daniel 12:1)

In Revelation chapter twelve we saw the Archangel Michael
making war with the Red Dragon and finally casting him and a
third of the angels down to the Earth. Here in Daniel
chapter twelve, after allowing Satan to perform his dirty
deeds via the Beast, we see that Michael is once again
standing up to come to the defense of his people. The phrase
'stand up' is derived from the Hebrew '`amad', pronounced
aw-mad', which doesn't mean to just stand up as when one
gets off of a chair, but rather it means to take one's
stand, endure, persist, be steadfast, to hold one's ground.
Thus, it sounds to me like Michael has resumed fighting
against Satan. In fact, the angel, via the writings of
Daniel, tells us that it is after Michael stands up that
'thy people shall be delivered'.

There is a great mystery surrounding the Archangel Michael.
His identity has been a source of debate for a number of
years. The name Michael is from the Hebrew 'Miyka'el,
pronounced me-kaw-ale', which means 'who is like God'. It is
interesting to note that when the three Hebrews Shadrach,
Meshach and Abed-nego were cast into the fiery furnace, King
Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed the following:

"...Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the
fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is
like the Son of God." (Daniel 3:25)

When the Apostle Paul is discussing the mysterious
Melchizedek who met Abraham in the way after his victory
over the Babylonian kings when he freed Lot and his family,
he also described him as 'made like unto the Son of God:

"For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most
high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of
the kings, and blessed him; To whom also Abraham gave a
tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of
righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is,
King of peace; Without father, without mother, without
descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life;
but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest
continually." (Hebrews 7:1-3)

So far we know that Michael's name means 'who is like God',
that he is the defender of God's people, that Nebuchadnezzar
sees one 'like the Son of God' in the fiery furnace who is
protecting the Lord's three servants, and that Paul
describes Melchizedek as being 'made like unto the Son of
God'. To add to this mystery, we are told here in Daniel
that Michael stands up. In the Book of Acts we find Stephen
saying the following about someone else who stands up:

"And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of
man standing on the right hand of God." (Acts 7:56)

In the majority of the descriptions we read of Jesus in
Heaven, He is usually sitting down on His throne; yet here
we see Him standing up, just as Michael is doing in the Book
of Daniel. Perhaps all of these similarities are just a mere
coincidence, but a number of people I have spoken with are
convinced that Jesus and Michael the Archangel are one and
the same. To add to this mystery, consider the fact that
while the angel tells Daniel that 'thy people shall be
delivered' after Michael the great warrior comes to their
defense, it is actually Jesus who defeats the Beast at the
Battle of Armageddon in the Book of Revelation:

"And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he
that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in
righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a
flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had
a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was
clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is
called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven
followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white
and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that
with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them
with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the
fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his
vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND
LORD OF LORDS." (Revelation 19:11-16)

It is right after this that we see the Beast and the False
Prophet defeated and cast into the Lake of Fire:

"And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet
that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived
them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that
worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake
of fire burning with brimstone." (Revelation 19:20)

So what we have here is Michael the Archangel casting Satan
and a third of the angels out of Heaven; then we see Michael
the Archangel coming to the defense of the Jews in the Last
Days, and finally we read of Jesus returning on His white
steed with the Host of Heaven following behind to defeat the
Beast and his forces. Considering all of these similarities,
I can easily see why some people hold this view that Jesus
and Michael are one and the same person. It would certainly
eliminate what seems to be a contradiction. It appears that
Michael is doing all of the fighting, and then Jesus steps
in at the last minute to defeat the Beast. To add to this
puzzle, allow me to submit one more intriguing comparison.
In the Book of Revelation, when John wanted to bow down and
worship the angelic messenger who had brought him the Lord's
visions and messages, the angel vehemently refused saying:

"...See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy
brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for
the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."
(Revelation 19:10)

So here we have one humble angel who certainly knows his
rank and place in the Kingdom of God. At the same time, if
we go to the Old Testament, to the story of when Joshua
fought against Jericho, we discover another angelic warrior
who not only does not refuse to be worshipped, but
encourages it:

"And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he
lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a
man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and
Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or
for our adversaries? And he said, Nay; but as captain of the
host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face
to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith
my lord unto his servant? And the captain of the LORD'S host
said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the
place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so."
(Joshua 5:13-15)

I am sure that you the reader realize that the only other
place in the Scriptures where the phrase 'Loose thy shoe
from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is
holy' is used, is in the Book of Exodus where the Lord,
(meaning Jesus), appears to Moses in the burning bush:

"And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from
off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy
ground. (Exodus 3:5)

Now this may just be another one of those strange numerical
coincidences, but you will notice that this is Exodus 3:5.
The verse from the Book of Joshua where the 'captain of the
LORD's host' says the same thing is Joshua 5:15. If you
divide the fifteen by the five, you've got your three. The
only conclusion I can come to is that this 'captain of the
LORD's host' is Jesus Himself, the very same one who leads
the Host of Heaven in the Book of Revelation. If this is the
case, why are we told that it is Michael and his angels who
fight against the Red Dragon and his demons, and it is
Michael who stands up to deliver the Israelites in the Last
Days? Could it be that Michael and Jesus actually are one
and the same? I honestly do not know. I have presented the
evidence and will leave it up to you to form your own
conclusions. The main point to consider here is that after
some three and a half years of war and destroying Israel,
the Beast is finally destroyed at the Lord's Coming.

The rest of Daniel chapter twelve then discusses the
Resurrection of the Dead, the Judgment of the Dead, the
angelic messenger telling Daniel to seal the book because
the prophecies are reserved for the Time of the End, and
then some final confirmations of when his prophecies will be
fulfilled. As stated before, there are three specific time
frames we need to be aware of. They are the following:

1. A time, times, and a half (3 1/2 years or 1,260 days)
2. 1,290 days
3. 1,335 days

According to different interpretations of the book of
Revelation, a variety of events may be occurring on the
Earth during each of these time periods. Of course, the
major event for us Christians will be our own Resurrection,
and the destruction of the Beast and the False Prophet in
the Lake of Fire as I described earlier. Thus ends the
prophecies of Daniel. While the king of the north, the Beast
of Revelation, will find himself a warm place in the lake
burning with fire and brimstone, we will be ruling the Earth
with Christ for a thousand years:

"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was
given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were
beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God,
and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image,
neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in
their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a
thousand years." (Revelation 20:4)

Before closing this article, I feel it is important to
reiterate the fact that all of the Scriptures which the
Orthodox Jews use to support their belief in their coming
messiah known as 'Moshiach ben David', are totally
misinterpreted. This is a part of the strong delusion which
the Apostle Paul spoke about. All of the verses I shared at
the beginning of this article are really referring to Jesus
Christ. This is exactly how the Early Disciples understood
them, and it is how we should likewise understand them
today. The First Centry Disciples knew that Jesus was the
prophesied son of David. In the four Gospels alone, Jesus is
referred to as the 'son of David' fourteen times. Jesus is
the Prince and King who will reign forever as described in
the verses from Ezekiel chapter thirty-eight and elsewhere.
For those of you familar with Handel's 'Messiah,' the
following verses from the Book of Isaiah will be easily
recognized as pertaining to Jesus Christ Himself:

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and
the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name
shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The
everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of
his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the
throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to
establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth
even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform
this." (Isaiah 9:6-7)

It is Jesus alone who will sit upon the throne of David as
the Prince of Peace and King of Righteousness, and NOT
'Moshiach ben David' the false Jewish messiah. Some two
thousand five hundred years ago, the Lord declared through
the Prophet Jeremiah:

"Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in
man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth
from the LORD." (Jeremiah 17:5)

In the days and years ahead, the Orthodox Jews will be doing
this very thing. They will be trusting in a man to deliver
them; setting up a man to be their messiah; trusting in the
arm of the flesh; trusting in plastic peace accords and
broken promises; just as they have done in ages gone by, and
even as they do now in putting their faith in their peace
arrangements with Egypt and Jordan. However, when Satan, via
the forces of the Beast, blows on him, the false messiah
will fall flat on his face in defeat' and then they will
realize the error of their ways. Only then will the Jews cry
out to God for mercy and finally say, 'Blessed is He Who
cometh in the name of the Lord!'

In the book of Acts, the Apostle Peter likewise acknowledged
that it was Jesus who was to sit on the throne of David, just
as David himself had prophesied:

"Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the
patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his
sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a
prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him,
that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he
would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; He seeing this
before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul
was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having
received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he
hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David
is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The
LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Until I
make thy foes thy footstool." (Acts 2:29-35)

In Acts chapter thirteen, the Apostle Paul, when preaching
at Antioch, also confirmed that it was Jesus whom God has
raised up to sit on the throne of David to be the King
Eternal and Saviour of the world:

"And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David
to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said,
I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own
heart, which shall fulfil all my will. Of this man's seed
hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a
Saviour, Jesus:" (Acts 13:22-23)

In Acts chapter fifteen, James likewise confirmed that the
words spoken by the prophet Amos, (quoted previously in this
article), applied to Jesus alone:

"And after they had held their peace, James answered,
saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me: Simeon hath
declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to
take out of them a people for his name. And to this agree
the words of the prophets; as it is written, After this I
will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David,
which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins
thereof, and I will set it up: That the residue of men might
seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name
is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things."
(Acts 15:13-17)

In the final book of the Bible, the Book of Revelation, we
find the Lord via His angelic messenger telling the Apostle
John to write to the church which was at Philadelphia, one
of seven churches which was located in Asia Minor. In that
particular letter he is told to write:

"And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These
things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath
the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and
shutteth, and no man openeth;" (Revelation 3:7)

It is because Jesus sat on the throne of David and had not
only the key of David, but also the keys of hell and death,
that He was able to say to Peter while He was still in the
flesh:

"And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of
heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be
bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth
shall be loosed in heaven." (Matthew 16:19)

Here are two final verses which show that Jesus is the
everlasting Prince of Peace, the King of Righteousness and
the root of David as prophesied by all of the verses I
quoted previously in this article:

"And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the
Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed
to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof."
(Revelation 5:5)

"I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these
things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of
David, and the bright and morning star." (Revelation 22:16)

The message is clear: There can be only one heir to the
throne of David, and that is the man Christ Jesus and not
'Moshiach ben David' the Jewish messiah or anyone else who
seeks to usurp this title.

This belief in 'Moshiach ben David' is not the first time
that I have heard of these Old Testament verses being used
to describe an earthly Endtime leader named David. Almost
three decades ago I became acquainted with the teachings of
a small evangelical organization called the 'Children of
God', later to become known as the 'Family of Love', and now
simply known as 'The Family'. This group was founded in 1968
by a man named David Brandt Berg, who assumed the Biblical
name of Moses David. He was also referred to as Moses or Mo,
and in later years as Father David.

According to this man's own testimony written in his many
articles which became known as the 'Mo Letters', the reason
he assumed the name of Moses David was because he received a
prophecy, purportedly from the Lord, in which he was told
that he carried the spiritual anointing of Moses and King
David of the Bible. It has been a great many years since I
read this, so it may even be that Mr. Berg believed that
these two men were his spiritual guides or assistants. In
order to enforce this belief amongst their followers,
members of the group were encouraged to memorize a set of
Bible verses, known as the 'David Set', which included some
of the very same ones I quoted earlier in this article. Not
only that, but like certain other organizations, such as the
Mormons and the followers of the Urantia Book, members of
'The Family' believe that the writings of Father David, and
possibly those of his wife and successor, Maria, are new
Scriptures which supercede the Bible in some cases. This is
particularly true in regards to some of the writings of the
Apostle Paul. This belief is held so strongly amongst
members of the group that, just as student radicals of the
1960's memorized quotes from 'The Little Red Book' written
by former Chinese leader Mao Tse Tung, 'The Family' also
encourages memorization of quotations taken from the 'Mo
Letters' of Father David.

Mr. Berg later revealed that he had also been told by the
Lord that he had been given the wisdom of the Prophet
Daniel. Personally, I have a problem with this as well.
Throughout the course of his ministry, David Berg, or Father
David, made some very specific time prophecies; none of
which ever came to pass with any degree of accuracy as far
as I know. Primary among these prophecies was the prediction
of the arrival of the Beast in 1989. About eighteen years
earlier, Father David had also predicted that he would die
in the very same year that the Beast appeared on the world
stage. In addition, Father David was convinced and taught
his followers that the return of Jesus Christ would occur
somewhere between 1990 and 1993. Tragically, neither of
these two events has come to pass in the time frames that
Mr. Berg predicted. I recently discoverd that Father David
died at the age of 75 in 1994, five years after the date he
said he had been given through prophecy. As to the return of
Jesus Christ, we are all still here patiently waiting for
it. In light of this clear evidence, and the following
Scriptural admonition, it is extremely difficult to believe
that Father David was the Prophet of God that he claimed to
be. As Moses of old wrote in the Book of Deuteronomy:

"And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word
which the LORD hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in
the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to
pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but
the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be
afraid of him." (Deuteronomy 18:21-22)

I provide additional information concerning Father David and
'The Family' in such articles as 'Elijah: Where Are The True
Prophets Of God?'. Of course, Father David and 'The Family'
are not the only organization to make such false
predictions. The Jehovah's Witnesses are also notorious for
making such off-the-wall date predictions concerning the
Second Coming of Christ. I have lost track of how many times
they have done this over the past century. I think they
finally got smart and stopped emphasizing it as a major
doctrine. I have also noticed amongst the Roman Catholic
'visionaries' that time-specific prophecies and events have
been issued. To date, I have yet to see one of them
fulfilled. Just today I read one which clearly stated that
the Beast, (whom they refer to as the Antichrist), will be
revealed to the world this year, 1998. I also have reasons
to believe that we may see some major developments this
year, quite possibly a Middle East war, but I will not be so
foolish as to add the tag 'Thus saith the Lord' to it as
many of these so-called prophets and visionaries do.

While we all know that Jesus will be returning, and while
many of us hope and feel that it will be soon, until we see
some very specific signs fulfilled, such as the resumption
of the 'daily sacrifice' and the rebuilding of the Jewish
Temple on Mount Moriah, we really can't say with any degree
of certainty how soon the Second Coming will be. As I have
stated before, in trying to understand Biblical prophecies,
we need to remember that in many respects, the Bible is
self-interpretting. If you search hard enough and diligently
enough by comparing Scripture with Scripture, and if you ask
the Lord to help you by giving you His Wisdom and spiritual
insight, He will not fail you; for as James wrote in his
Epistle:

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth
to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be
given him." (James 1:5)

In speaking of the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit,
Jesus also said to His First Disciples:

"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father
will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and
bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said
unto you." (John 14:26).

With God's help, you too can discover how different verses
throughout the Bible link together to form a pattern. Of
course, having a good knowledge of world history is also an
asset in trying to understand Biblical prophecy. For those
of you who do not have a strong education in the ancient
history of the Middle East, the World Wide Web is an
excellent resource for obtaining a vast assortment of
information. It has helped me greatly in writing my many
articles. As I have said before, to know and understand
where we are going, we need to know where we have already
been. To understand which prophecies have not yet been
fulfilled, we need to know which ones have already been
fulfilled. In closing this article, I want to again remind
you the reader that while I have emphasized Syria as being
the most likely place of origin of the Beast, additional
study and thinking has motivated me to consider other
possibilities as well. All of this is discussed in great
detail in 'The Seven Heads' series. I trust that this, and
all of my articles, are being a help and a blessing in your
life.

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