365 Reflections

The 11th chapter of Daniel is fascinating, as it reveals the antichrist in type through the story of Antiochus Epiphanes. If you ask most Christians, they would say they never heard that name, and yet here he is, the original man of lawlessness in the Intertestamental period, giving us a shadow of the world leader to come.  Daniel 11:36 (ESV) “And the king shall do as he wills. He shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods. He shall prosper till the indignation is accomplished; for what is decreed shall be done. Verse 36 is where the facts of Antiochus Epiphanes life and the "king" spoken of for the rest of this chapter separate. Scholars know the history doesn't match this text. Thus, the rest of Daniel 11 is what Jesus told us to look for in the final figure to appear and exalt himself before the return of Christ.  What will the antichrist do? He will exalt himself above every god and speak agains...

Daniel 8 begins the Hebrew portion of this book. The reason it shifts from Aramaic (the language of chapters 2-7) to Hebrew is that God has a special message for His people, the Jews. They truly should have understood the times to usher in the arrival of our Lord.  Daniel 8:1 (ESV) In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after that which appeared to me at the first. Daniel 8 begins with the prophet being transported to Susa, which will become the capital of the kingdom about to conquer Babylon. Daniel 8:3–4 (ESV) I raised my eyes and saw, and behold, a ram standing on the bank of the canal. It had two horns, and both horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last. 4 I saw the ram charging westward and northward and southward. No beast could stand before him, and there was no one who could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased and became great. After Daniel sees the ram with two horns, he sees a ...