In this episode, delve into the fascinating world of biblical prophecy with our guide, David Hawking. Explore the symbolism behind Antiochus Epiphanes and the anticipation of a future Antichrist as we unravel the teachings of Daniel. Understand the pivotal role of the Holy Spirit in restraining evil and preparing the world for the ultimate return of Christ. This episode promises to challenge your perspectives and deepen your faith journey.
Daniel builds up and is going to continue to go past the time of Antiochus Epiphanes and is going to go into the future, past our time, into the tribulation, and into the setting up of Christ’s kingdom on earth. All Daniel understands is what he’s seen in his vision, and it’s very hard to comprehend when it hasn’t taken place yet. My friends, there is still coming one like Antiochus Epiphanes.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, it’s a blessing to have you with us for this Thursday edition of Hope for Today with Bible teacher and author David Hawking. Today, we’re wrapping up our study of Daniel chapter 11. In this chapter, it truly reads like a geopolitical thriller. Kings rise, they fall, empires collide, and all of this while God’s plan unfolds with surgical precision. Don’t you love God’s word? Wow. Well, this isn’t just… a history lesson. It’s prophecy in motion, and it’s leading to something very, very big. So strap in, stay sharp, and open your Bible. We’ll be back in Daniel 11 with day three of our message, North versus South, in just a moment. Just before we get into today’s message, let me tell you about a free resource we’d love to put in your hands. This is a powerful booklet by Hope for Today friend Richard A. Bennett called Does God Truly Love Me? It’s available right now as a free download on the homepage of davidhawking.org. This booklet is available in multiple languages and speaks directly to the heart of the gospel. So if you’ve ever wrestled with questions about God’s love, or maybe you know somebody who is wrestling with questions about God’s love, they’re wondering if God really loves them. Well, don’t miss this chance to dig deeper. Again, Does God Truly Love Me? is a free download on the homepage of davidhawking.org. And when you get your copy, you can share it with as many people as you like. Well, as promised, here’s David with day three of North vs. South.
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Daniel chapter 11, verse 18. Antiochus, the northern king, then turned his attention to the Mediterranean coastlands and islands, and this brought him in conflict with the Romans. He was defeated at Magnesia in 190 B.C. by the Roman Lucius Scipio, and his boastings came back upon his own head. Did you read that carefully? It even says at the end of the verse, he shall turn back on him. Verse 19, following his defeat, Antiochus had to abandon further conquests, and he returned home and ultimately was killed trying to plunder the temple of Belus in Elimis. Verse 20, he was succeeded, Antiochus the Great, by Seleucus Philopator, Because he had to pay the Romans annually an enormous tribute of 1,000 talents, he sent his prime minister, Heliodorus, to seize the funds of the temple treasury in Jerusalem. Shortly afterward, Seleucus was mysteriously removed, probably through poisoning by Heliodorus. Let’s read verse 20. There shall arise in his place one who imposes taxes on the glorious kingdom. That’s exactly what happened. An enormous tribute had to be paid. But within a few days he shall be destroyed, but not in anger or in battle, which is exactly what was true in history. Now at this point, beginning at verse 21, we’re going to look at a king who is going to come to power and is going to represent symbolically in history what the Antichrist will do in the future. Turn please to 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him, we ask you not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled either by spirit or by word or by letter as if from us as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means for that day will not come unless the falling away comes first. And the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you, I told you these things? And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time, for the mystery of lawlessness is already at work.” Only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of his mouth and destroy with the brightness of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion that they should believe the lie, namely this lawless one, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. Now quickly turn back to Daniel chapter 7. You see, Paul wrote to the Thessalonians in 2 Thessalonians 2, in the middle of the first century A.D. They were well acquainted with Jewish history. Understand that only 200 years before, they thought the lawless one had already come. The Jewish people believed that Antiochus Epiphanes, who we’re going to learn about in detail in our next message, was indeed the Antichrist. The Jewish people believed that under Judas Maccabeus, what’s called the Maccabean Revolt, that the Jews liberated and cleansed the temple of the desecration of Antiochus Epiphanes, and that was the fulfillment. So for Paul to come to the Thessalonians and say, I don’t want you to be troubled, but I want you to understand something. The lawless one that I’ve been talking to you about has not come yet. Now in the epistle of 1 John, John wrote and said to his people, Antichrist is coming, but there are many Antichrists now. The mystery of lawlessness has been working. But something is restraining him from exercising and revealing his full identity and authority. We believe that he who restrains him is the Holy Spirit. Some say working in the church. But actually it’s been restraining all since the time of Daniel. So all during this time, the Holy Spirit is restraining. He’s giving illustrations to the people of Israel to warn them, but He is telling us clearly in the book of 2 Thessalonians that the one that is coming isn’t here yet. You can understand why it would be confusing. For instance, in Daniel 7, verse 23, Daniel said, “…the fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all other kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, trample it, and break it in pieces.” He’s referring to Rome. “…the ten horns are ten kings who will arise from this kingdom, a revived Roman Empire.” By the way, the Roman Empire does not meet the dimensions of the twelve nations in the European Economic Community. You say, well, what did the Roman Empire cover? Well, it went all the way to the mountains of the Soviet Union. It covered the entire Middle East and also northern Africa. I warn us about this because it’s very possible that the European economic community is only the beginning. And we read in verse 24 that the ten horns are ten kings who will arise from this kingdom, and another shall rise after them. He shall be different from the first one, shall subdue three kings.” Get the balance of power. Now watch it. He shall speak pompous words against the Most High. Same thing Paul discussed in 2 Thessalonians 2. And shall persecute the saints of the Most High, Israel, shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand, he’ll be in total domination of them, for a time, times, and half a time, which refers to three and a half years. But the court shall be seated, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and destroy it forever. Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. Obviously, the Lord is going to overpower him. But the interesting thing is that all through the testimony of the Scriptures, there’s a king coming, who is very smooth to begin with, but will speak blasphemies against God and persecute the people of Israel. So the purpose of Daniel’s predictions are to prepare us to understand what’s going to happen in the days that are immediately future to our time right now. Look please at Daniel 8 in verse 23. Verse 22 spoke of the breakup of the Grecian Empire, which we have been discussing in chapter 11. The horn representing Greece of the male goat, verse 21, makes it clear. That broken horn and the four that stood up in its place are four kingdoms that shall arise out of that nation, but not with its power. And that’s exactly what happened. They didn’t have the power of Alexander the Great. But in the latter time of their kingdom, what kingdom? The kingdom that came out of Alexander the Great, the one we just read about in Daniel 11. When the transgressors have reached their fullness, a king shall arise, having fierce features, who understands sinister schemes. His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power. He shall destroy fearfully, shall prosper and thrive. He shall destroy the mighty and also the holy people. Through his cunning he shall cause deceit to prosper under his hand. He shall magnify himself in his heart. He shall destroy many in their prosperity. He shall even rise against the prince of princes. But he shall be broken without human hand. And the vision of the evenings and mornings which was told is true, therefore seal up the vision, for it refers to many days in the future. What we have here in the book of Daniel, and we needed to go back and tie it together, we had a prophecy about 2,300 days. Will you look back at chapter 8, please, verse 13? It says, then I heard a holy one speaking and another holy one said to that certain one who was speaking, how long will the vision be concerning the daily sacrifices and the transgression of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled underfoot? He said for 2,300 days and then the sanctuary shall be cleansed. My dear friends, all of this was fulfilled under the time of Antiochus Epiphanes. And this man devastated the land of Israel. We’re going to learn about it next time. Now, you can understand, can you not, how Jewish people, hearing this, reading these prophecies, believe that it’s already taken place, everything that’s in the book. You understand now? They say, well, wait a minute, this has all been fulfilled. That’s why 2 Thessalonians 2 is so important to us when we look at the history of prophecy in Daniel. Daniel builds up and is going to continue to go past the time of Antiochus Epiphanes and is going to go into the future, past our time, into the tribulation, and into the setting up of Christ’s kingdom on earth. All Daniel understands is what he’s seen in his vision, and it’s very hard to comprehend when it hasn’t taken place yet. My friends, there is still coming one like Antiochus Epiphanes. Revelation is called the Revelation because apocalypse means to unveil, to bring to light that which isn’t clear before. In the book of Revelation, it brings to light not only what Jesus looks like now and what the tribulation is going to be all about, but it connects with the book of Daniel. Turn, please, to Revelation chapter 22. It says in verse 10, he said to me, do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand. He said, wait a minute. It’s been over 1900 years. And this is very important for our prophetic understanding. During the time of the end, the last days, the Holy Spirit is going to restrain the the Antichrist from being revealed. Antiochus Epiphanes and what he did, sacrificed a pig in the altar, desecrated the temple, what he did is going to be just like what this future Antichrist is going to be like. From that point, clear to the future point, the Holy Spirit has been restraining him. When the Holy Spirit is taken out of the way, presumably because he inhabits the church and the church will be raptured, then all hell breaks out and the Antichrist is free now to unleash his schemes on the world. All of this time is called the time of the end. Revelation, we’re told, don’t seal this up anymore. Let everybody know about it. Why is this? Turn back to Acts chapter 2. Are you having fun? When the apostle Peter got up to preach on the day of Pentecost, they thought he was drunk because they heard them speak in their own languages. They were filled with the Holy Spirit. And it’s interesting what he said in Acts 2.16. This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel. It shall come to pass in the what? Last days, says God, that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. Your young men shall see visions. Your old men shall dream dreams. And on my menservants and my maidservants, I will pour out my spirit in those days, and they shall prophesy or proclaim the word. Watch this carefully. Daniel’s vision tells about the time of the end, takes us clear to the end of the tribulation period. Peter on the day of Pentecost says, these are the last days spoken of by the prophet Joel. When he quotes the passage, it refers to events that go on in the tribulation period. Blood, fire, vapor of smoke, sun to darkness, moon into blood. What we have here is a very interesting thing about prophecy. The last days technically were existing on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. which is back at 32 A.D., and have not yet completed and will not end until the end of the tribulation period. Who is the one who is holding back the Antichrist who will be revealed at the end of that time? The Holy Spirit. Well, why is he doing it? And the answer is because the Holy Spirit has another mission during the time of the end. And it is to bring out of every nation, tribe, and tongue, and people, a people for God’s own glory, and to fulfill God’s promise to Abraham that in thee, Abraham, all the Gentiles of the world will be blessed. So from the day of Pentecost, clear until this year, right now, we have the last days, the Holy Spirit restraining the man of sin who’s going to come, the Antichrist, Because God has a plan in these days, namely to pour out the Holy Spirit on the Gentiles of the world and bring a multitude of them to Christ. And one day the Holy Spirit will no longer restrain. He’ll be taken out of the way because he who indwells and baptizes the church, the body of Christ, will be taken away in that phase of his work as the church will be raptured to heaven and now the man of sin will be revealed. which means that the Antichrist will not be known by the church of Jesus Christ, so stop trying to figure it out. We’re going to be out of here, people. One last passage and we’re done. 2 Peter 1, verse 19. We also have the prophetic word made more sure. which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place. I ask you, is our society today a dark place? Until the day dawns and the morning star arises or rises in your hearts, a reference to the Messiah himself. Knowing this first, maybe you’ll see these verses in a brand new light, that no prophecy of Scripture, of that which is written, is of any private interpretation. That’s why Daniel couldn’t do it. For prophecy never came by the will of man. Men didn’t just make this up. It’d be impossible to make up Daniel 11. Prophecy never came by the will of man. But holy men of God, not meaning they were without sin, the word holy means separate. They were separated for this purpose. Men who were separated by God spoke as they were moved. By the Holy Spirit. In Acts 27, the same word moved is used of the ship that Paul was on that was shipwrecked. It got out of control, and they lost control of the rudder, and the storm was driving the ship. It’s the same word, moved by the Holy Spirit. I tell you what is really marvelous to me. Daniel did not understand what he was saying, had no idea of the coming kingdoms he was predicting, then how could he do it? The Holy Spirit of God controlled these men so that what they said was accurately reported, of which Daniel chapter 11 is a wonderful demonstration and testimony. We have a reliable and accurate Bible. And when we read, all Scripture is given by inspiration of God. May we never again take it lightly. This book is God’s Word. This book is going to come to pass. Heaven and earth may pass away, Jesus said, but my words will never pass away. If you don’t know the Lord, you better pack your bags. We’re going home soon. We’re going to see Jesus soon. Let’s close with prayer. Father, we thank you for your marvelous Word. We’ve been reminded again of your great prophetic plan and what you’re doing in this world. God, I thank you that your graciousness in these last days, in which the prophecy is not to be sealed up anymore, sealed up from the time of Daniel to the time of the book of Revelation, but now to be told to the whole world. Oh God, I pray you’d help us to see that what you are doing now is to save a multitude of Gentiles out of every nation, tribe, tongue, and people through the power of your Holy Spirit working through your children. God, we thank you. Help us to get it clear that our destiny is to be with the Lord forever. We are citizens of heaven. When we die, we’re absent from the body and present with the Lord. When the Lord comes, we’ll be caught up to meet Him, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Our mission now is not to try to figure out who the Antichrist is. He won’t even be revealed until the Holy Spirit is taken away. And God help us to see that our mission now, if we really believe prophecy, is to see that every last man, woman, and child comes to know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Our mission now, who know prophecy, is to take the gospel to as many people in this world as we possibly can, that we may take them to heaven with us. We pray for people listening right now who are not really sure of their relationship with God. Help them to know that only through Jesus Christ, your Son, who died on the cross for our sins and rose again from the dead, can we ever hope to be saved. May we turn to Him before it’s too late. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
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But how about you? You’re listening today. Do you really have peace in your heart that you’ve been born again of the Spirit of God, that you’re headed for heaven and not hell? Boy, I can’t think of something more important than that. And if you’re not sure, give us a call and ask for help. We have free stuff to help you really understand what it means to know the Lord and be assured of it. God bless.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, friend, if you prayed that prayer or Maybe you’re still searching for what it really means to follow Jesus Christ. Well, we have two free resources we’d love to send you, and they are absolutely free. The first is a booklet by David called What is Christianity? And the second is our free Bible study by mail. Call 1-800-75-BIBLE in the U.S. to receive these, or 888-75-BIBLE in Canada. You can also request these on our website, davidhonking.org. And just before David returns to close out our time in the Word, Matt is joining me in studio, and we’re going to tell you about a wonderful Bible study resource.
SPEAKER 01 :
The book of Revelation is prophecy, and while intriguing to read, the book remains a mystery to most believers. Many have concluded that without scholastic credentials or a thorough knowledge of Greek and Hebrew, they’re going to find it impossible to understand. Yeah, and many pastors and churches avoid it entirely. Well, David’s book, Revelation, Understanding the Future, addresses each of those issues in a way that’s easy to read and navigate. Yeah, he leads the readers through an outstanding study of each passage, providing the text, key cross-references, definitions of terms, explanations, historical context, bringing this marvelous book to life. Folks, readers tell us that Revelation, understanding the future, brings clarity and application from Revelation that they’ve never seen before. And it helps them realize the blessing that God promises us when we study this crucial wrap-up to the New Testament. Well, get this Revelation study tool, Revelation, Understanding the Future, for just $20 this month. That’s a 20% discount. This is going to be an excellent companion to our upcoming Revelation radio series as well. Order at davidhawking.org. That’s davidhawking.org. Or call us in Canada at 1-888-75BIBLE. In the U.S., call us at 1-800-75BIBLE. And Bible by the Numbers is 24253. And your resource purchase or your donation will help Hope for Today. And make you a co-laborer in the ministry with us.
SPEAKER 02 :
David Hawking, Jr. Now, over the last several broadcasts, you may have heard us mention that this is a critical season for the ministry. We need your help. And we’d love to hear from you if you’re able to send in a gift of financial support, but only if God is leading you to do so. If you’re unable to give, please pray for us because we need that as well. But if you’re in a place where you can help us, then prayerfully consider sending in a To Hope for Today, Box 3927, Tustin, California, 92781. In Canada, it’s Hope for Today, Box 15011, RPO, Seven Oaks, Abbotsford, B.C., V2S 8P1. Let’s get back to our study.
SPEAKER 03 :
This is an amazing study in Daniel chapter 11. And in verses 10 to 20, I would have to say it’s the prominence of the north more than it was from the south, meaning from Egypt. Now, at verse 21, you go into the whole discussion about Antiochus and the Jewish revolt. And that’s, of course, a very critical matter, and I hope that you’ll enjoy our study of that. We are looking at Antiochus who gave himself the name Epiphanes, meaning God made manifest, but his contemporaries called him a madman. But the circumstances that brought him to power, he had no legitimate claim to the throne. He was the late king’s brother, a younger son of Antiochus the Great. And the late king had two sons, Demetrius and an infant named Antiochus. And by very unusual political maneuverings, I would say, he gained the throne. Well, Antiochus routed the forces of Egypt in battles. That’s in verse 22 of chapter 11. And when it mentions the Prince of the Covenant, it could be a reference to the high priest Onias III, who was deposed and then later murdered and was replaced by his brother Jason, who wanted Greek culture established all over Israel. Wow. Don’t forget to tune in to our next broadcast.
SPEAKER 02 :
God bless you. Well, thank you, David. And we’ll be back in Daniel next time, right here on Hope for Today.
In this episode, delve into the fascinating world of biblical prophecy with our guide, David Hawking. Explore the symbolism behind Antiochus Epiphanes and the anticipation of a future Antichrist as we unravel the teachings of Daniel. Understand the pivotal role of the Holy Spirit in restraining evil and preparing the world for the ultimate return of Christ. This episode promises to challenge your perspectives and deepen your faith journey.
