-6-
The Contemptible Person
a.k.a.
The man of of sin,
The son of perdition,
The beast,
The Antichrist.
God is a God of detail – from the minute to the grandiose, astronomical … the immeasurable.
Whether small or huge … God is a God of order and detail. As incredible as the far-reaching laws of physics may extend, God is beyond that. He created all of the meticulous detail.
So when Jesus says, “Let the person who reads … understand ...”, He is saying that every word, every number, every detail was put there for us. He wants us to know and be familiar with the details that he has had recorded in scripture. They are all there for a reason.
They are not to be dismissed with a wave of the hand and a thought that says … these are not for me. These details are not interesting or useful for me. These details do not apply to me. I don't really care to know all of these details. What is the point of all of this for me? … etc.
That is a little of what God is like. What is Satan like, on the other hand?
God is God of order … Satan is a master of confusion.
Let me give you a little folklore illustration.
One day there was a man in Ireland walking down a country lane. To his great surprise he came upon a Leprechaun leaning up against a fence post, fast sleep.
As we all know, a Leprechaun knows exactly where that 'elusive' pot of gold may be found. Our traveler knows that if he were able to grab the leprechaun, the leprechaun is required to reveal to him the exact location of this gold. That is the rule. This traveler also knows that leprechauns are not allowed to lie.
He grabs him. He demands to be shown exactly where the pot of gold is.
The leprechaun complies. He directs him to a certain location in the forest, right to a certain tree. He says, Dig right here at the base of this tree and you will find the pot of gold.
To his consternation the traveler regrets not having brought a spade. But he decides to 'mark the tree' so that he could find it again. He takes off his yellow bandanna and ties it around the tree, and he allows the leprechaun to go free.
He goes home to get a spade. When he returns to the forest he discovers that the leprechaun indeed did not lie … but he confused the issue by tying a yellow bandanna around every tree in the forest.
Satan's desire is to hurt God, if he can, at every possibility. One of his primary methods is to create confusion. Satan is a master of confusion.
Regarding the return of Christ and all of His counsel to us to watch and be ready and stay awake, Satan is actively making sure that clarity will NOT happen in the lives of believers.
He will do this in any number of ways. He will try to induce deep slumber on the church if possible. In this he has been too successful. Jesus said, While the 'virgins' slumbered and slept, the call went out … The bridegroom is coming !!! And they missed it.
The church of the Laodiceans of Revelation chapter 3 were in a state where they were saying of themselves, 'We are well off, we have everything we need .. church life is so good' Re 3:17 While you say, ‘I am rich, I have prospered, and there is nothing that I need’, you have no eyes to see that you are wretched, pitiable, poverty-stricken, blind and naked.
What a terrible description of a New Testament church!
Believe me, that is Satan's doing … and he is being careful to 'let a sleeping dog lie'. If he can be successful at having believers focused on something other than expectantly looking for the return of Jesus, he is happy. Creating a purposeless, self-centered, self-satisfied environment in the church is a method used by Satan.
But confusion is one of Satan's main methods to stymie the church. He is totally aware of the words of prophecy. If he can do something like the leprechaun did, and create scenarios of his own, he can completely make us focus on something false ... something that he, himself, has created.
Such is the case in the scriptures that we will look at in this chapter.
God picked Daniel to be the one to whom He would give predictions of the future. God would include great detail. God could have even given names and dates, but that would have been entirely counter-productive. God's passing along of these predictions would have to be clear enough to be unmistakable, and yet be 'vague' enough to create an expectant attitude in believers of every era.
The predicted tribulation period will be 7 years from beginning to end. Here is a simple visual overview.
__1__ __2__ __3__ __4__ __5__ __6__ __7__
It will be divided into two parts
The last 3 ½ years will be the hardest
3 ½ 3 ½
Birth _pains_________ _Terrible tribulation_
| - - - - - - - - - 7 years - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
And here are a few references that mention the coming tribulation, especially the last half. It is mentioned in several different ways. It is mentioned in terms of
Times
Da 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
Da 12:7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.
Re 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
Months
Re 11:2 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
Re 13:5 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.
Days
Re 12:6 and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.
Some bible teachers have a tendency to 'spiritualize' certain scriptures and concepts.
Is that a good thing? It sounds good, but really it often is not. What it usually comes to, is taking a verse of scripture that seems quite plain and then saying that we should not take it literally.
By stating a time period in terms of years, or months, or even days … it becomes more difficult for someone to 'spiritualize'.
God wants us to know that these are literal. We cannot, for example, take the statement of 1260 days and say … that it really means years. It can't mean years because he has already used 42 months to describe the same time period.
So now that we have given ourselves some framework in which the last days will unfold, it is time to look at actual events that are predicted from the beginning to the end of this seven year period.
Remember the story of the Leprechaun … we are going to look at some fake ribbons in Daniel chapter 11.
Da 11:21 ¶ "He will be succeeded by a contemptible person who has not been given the honour of royalty. He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue.
The 'contemptible' person that the angel is mentioning to Daniel is a real person of interest.
Some bible teachers have said that this is not referring to the Antichrist, but is referring to a person who came on the scene some years after this prophecy was given to Daniel. This person has been dead and gone for a couple of thousand years. His name was Antiochus Epiphanes.
This person came on the scene and fulfilled a lot of what we can read in these next verses. But guess who had been listening in as the angel spoke to Daniel?
It is the same being that just recently opposed Gabriel from reaching Daniel. A fight that lasted two weeks took place in the unseen realm. The leader of the unseen realm (the devil) knew the incredible importance of the message that was being brought to Daniel, and he did his level best to stop it from reaching him.
He failed as the angel, after calling for help, got through. What is the enemy's next choice? The message is there. The prediction and the description and the details of the coming Antichrist are now public. He can't remove the information. The only thing left for Satan to do would be to confuse the issue.
So he does that. Just like tying identical ribbons around every tree, what the enemy did is to create a fulfillment of his own. A fake fulfillment.
So somehow he groomed this person, Antiochus Epiphanes, to do everything that the angel tells Daniel that the Antichrist will do … only it won't be the Antichrist.
So what is confusing about that? Simply this … if we get confused as to whom this chapter is talking about and think … 'That cannot be referring to the future … all that has happened already.', then the Devil has effectively neutralized scripture and left a very important section rendered as non-applicable.
So by following the narrative of this account, from the appearance of this contemptible person, to his demise at the return of Jesus, we know that this whole section is talking about the Anti-Christ.
Let me refer to verse 21 again:
Da 11:21 ¶ "He will be succeeded by a contemptible person who has not been given the honour of royalty. He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue.
Because the Old Testament, most of it, involves Israel, we understand that the kingdom in question refers to the nation of Israel.
So fact one – this man is not an Israelite … he is not in line for royalty … nor does he qualify to be the leader of Israel. He acquires his position by 'invading'. He is an outsider. He does his 'invading' at a time when Israel feels secure. He acquires leadership by 'seizing' it. But he seizes it by the use of 'intrigue'.
As I stated earlier, Daniel speaks of the last days in 'layers'. By that I mean he give us a prophecy that includes the time period from the beginning of the tribulation, right down to the end, and then he does it again, adding new information. So let us go back and read about this same person in an earlier 'layer'.
In the first account the angel tells Daniel about this 'Antichrist' by using imagery. In this case, an animal with several horns, each horn symbolizing a conquering king. Let's look at Daniel 7:8-11
Da 7:8 "While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth that spoke boastfully.
Da 7:9 ¶ "As I looked, "thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze.
Da 7:10 A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened.
Da 7:11 "Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire.
So here we are seeing a person who was described as a little horn that grew up, he became exceptionally boastful, … and he was finally destroyed by God in judgment.
Here is the second account ...
Da 8:23 “And in the latter time of their kingdom, When the transgressors have reached their fullness (Jesus says 'Lawlessness will increase'), A king shall arise, Having fierce features, Who understands sinister schemes.
So to 'boastfulness' we add fierce features … physical features? I could not be dogmatic here, but I would think fierce in his character.
Next we add the quality of 'very strong'.
Da 8:24 He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the mighty men and the holy people.
Strong, not by his own power. Revelation makes it clear his strength is totally by Satan's power. His conquering is referred to as 'astounding devastation'. He will deal with 'mighty men' … other world leaders? And he will deal with the 'holy people'. This refers to Israel. He will work 'destructively' with reference to Israel. In Revelation his destruction of Israel transitions to his attacking of believers in Jesus. (Rev 12)
Daniel's prophecy goes on ...
Da 8:25 He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power.
The word Deceitful is clear enough.
The term, 'considering himself to be superior' is summarized by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2, where Paul says that he will sit in the temple claiming to be God.
He will stand against the 'Prince of princes'.
This man will stand in direct battle with Jesus Himself (This will be at the very end of the seven years).
And finally, he is destroyed … but not by anything human. It will be the brightness of the coming of Jesus that destroys him.
2Th 2:8 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.
...This brings us to the third prophetic 'layer'. Daniel chapter 11 verse 21
Da 11:21 ¶ "He will be succeeded by a contemptible person who has not been given the honour of royalty. He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue.
This verse indicates that he assumes power over a kingdom … a people (Israel), but as an 'outsider'. He is not a Jew. At the time of his 'takeover', Israel's situation will be characterized by security and peace. And he assumes his power over them by means of 'intrigue'. This word, from the Hebrew, is הקלקלח chalaqlaqqah. The literal meaning is flattery, slipperiness, fine promises, smoothness.
So our knowledge of his character is growing.
As we now proceed into a prophecy that Jesus very much wants us to be familiar with, it is important to point out that the clearly distinguished events noted here are the very same events that can be noted in the Revelation and also by Jesus in the Olivet discourse.
In order that things can remain as clear as possible, I think it is best to get these events in Daniel straight in our minds before we compare them with the same events given in the Revelation.
Here is what we will watch for in the coming verses:
Whether small or huge … God is a God of order and detail. As incredible as the far-reaching laws of physics may extend, God is beyond that. He created all of the meticulous detail.
So when Jesus says, “Let the person who reads … understand ...”, He is saying that every word, every number, every detail was put there for us. He wants us to know and be familiar with the details that he has had recorded in scripture. They are all there for a reason.
They are not to be dismissed with a wave of the hand and a thought that says … these are not for me. These details are not interesting or useful for me. These details do not apply to me. I don't really care to know all of these details. What is the point of all of this for me? … etc.
That is a little of what God is like. What is Satan like, on the other hand?
God is God of order … Satan is a master of confusion.
Let me give you a little folklore illustration.
One day there was a man in Ireland walking down a country lane. To his great surprise he came upon a Leprechaun leaning up against a fence post, fast sleep.
As we all know, a Leprechaun knows exactly where that 'elusive' pot of gold may be found. Our traveler knows that if he were able to grab the leprechaun, the leprechaun is required to reveal to him the exact location of this gold. That is the rule. This traveler also knows that leprechauns are not allowed to lie.
He grabs him. He demands to be shown exactly where the pot of gold is.
The leprechaun complies. He directs him to a certain location in the forest, right to a certain tree. He says, Dig right here at the base of this tree and you will find the pot of gold.
To his consternation the traveler regrets not having brought a spade. But he decides to 'mark the tree' so that he could find it again. He takes off his yellow bandanna and ties it around the tree, and he allows the leprechaun to go free.
He goes home to get a spade. When he returns to the forest he discovers that the leprechaun indeed did not lie … but he confused the issue by tying a yellow bandanna around every tree in the forest.
Satan's desire is to hurt God, if he can, at every possibility. One of his primary methods is to create confusion. Satan is a master of confusion.
Regarding the return of Christ and all of His counsel to us to watch and be ready and stay awake, Satan is actively making sure that clarity will NOT happen in the lives of believers.
He will do this in any number of ways. He will try to induce deep slumber on the church if possible. In this he has been too successful. Jesus said, While the 'virgins' slumbered and slept, the call went out … The bridegroom is coming !!! And they missed it.
The church of the Laodiceans of Revelation chapter 3 were in a state where they were saying of themselves, 'We are well off, we have everything we need .. church life is so good' Re 3:17 While you say, ‘I am rich, I have prospered, and there is nothing that I need’, you have no eyes to see that you are wretched, pitiable, poverty-stricken, blind and naked.
What a terrible description of a New Testament church!
Believe me, that is Satan's doing … and he is being careful to 'let a sleeping dog lie'. If he can be successful at having believers focused on something other than expectantly looking for the return of Jesus, he is happy. Creating a purposeless, self-centered, self-satisfied environment in the church is a method used by Satan.
But confusion is one of Satan's main methods to stymie the church. He is totally aware of the words of prophecy. If he can do something like the leprechaun did, and create scenarios of his own, he can completely make us focus on something false ... something that he, himself, has created.
Such is the case in the scriptures that we will look at in this chapter.
God picked Daniel to be the one to whom He would give predictions of the future. God would include great detail. God could have even given names and dates, but that would have been entirely counter-productive. God's passing along of these predictions would have to be clear enough to be unmistakable, and yet be 'vague' enough to create an expectant attitude in believers of every era.
The predicted tribulation period will be 7 years from beginning to end. Here is a simple visual overview.
__1__ __2__ __3__ __4__ __5__ __6__ __7__
It will be divided into two parts
The last 3 ½ years will be the hardest
3 ½ 3 ½
Birth _pains_________ _Terrible tribulation_
| - - - - - - - - - 7 years - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
And here are a few references that mention the coming tribulation, especially the last half. It is mentioned in several different ways. It is mentioned in terms of
- days (1260)
- months (42)
- years (called 'times')
Times
Da 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
Da 12:7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.
Re 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
Months
Re 11:2 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
Re 13:5 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.
Days
Re 12:6 and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.
Some bible teachers have a tendency to 'spiritualize' certain scriptures and concepts.
Is that a good thing? It sounds good, but really it often is not. What it usually comes to, is taking a verse of scripture that seems quite plain and then saying that we should not take it literally.
By stating a time period in terms of years, or months, or even days … it becomes more difficult for someone to 'spiritualize'.
God wants us to know that these are literal. We cannot, for example, take the statement of 1260 days and say … that it really means years. It can't mean years because he has already used 42 months to describe the same time period.
So now that we have given ourselves some framework in which the last days will unfold, it is time to look at actual events that are predicted from the beginning to the end of this seven year period.
Remember the story of the Leprechaun … we are going to look at some fake ribbons in Daniel chapter 11.
Da 11:21 ¶ "He will be succeeded by a contemptible person who has not been given the honour of royalty. He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue.
The 'contemptible' person that the angel is mentioning to Daniel is a real person of interest.
Some bible teachers have said that this is not referring to the Antichrist, but is referring to a person who came on the scene some years after this prophecy was given to Daniel. This person has been dead and gone for a couple of thousand years. His name was Antiochus Epiphanes.
This person came on the scene and fulfilled a lot of what we can read in these next verses. But guess who had been listening in as the angel spoke to Daniel?
It is the same being that just recently opposed Gabriel from reaching Daniel. A fight that lasted two weeks took place in the unseen realm. The leader of the unseen realm (the devil) knew the incredible importance of the message that was being brought to Daniel, and he did his level best to stop it from reaching him.
He failed as the angel, after calling for help, got through. What is the enemy's next choice? The message is there. The prediction and the description and the details of the coming Antichrist are now public. He can't remove the information. The only thing left for Satan to do would be to confuse the issue.
So he does that. Just like tying identical ribbons around every tree, what the enemy did is to create a fulfillment of his own. A fake fulfillment.
So somehow he groomed this person, Antiochus Epiphanes, to do everything that the angel tells Daniel that the Antichrist will do … only it won't be the Antichrist.
So what is confusing about that? Simply this … if we get confused as to whom this chapter is talking about and think … 'That cannot be referring to the future … all that has happened already.', then the Devil has effectively neutralized scripture and left a very important section rendered as non-applicable.
So by following the narrative of this account, from the appearance of this contemptible person, to his demise at the return of Jesus, we know that this whole section is talking about the Anti-Christ.
Let me refer to verse 21 again:
Da 11:21 ¶ "He will be succeeded by a contemptible person who has not been given the honour of royalty. He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue.
Because the Old Testament, most of it, involves Israel, we understand that the kingdom in question refers to the nation of Israel.
So fact one – this man is not an Israelite … he is not in line for royalty … nor does he qualify to be the leader of Israel. He acquires his position by 'invading'. He is an outsider. He does his 'invading' at a time when Israel feels secure. He acquires leadership by 'seizing' it. But he seizes it by the use of 'intrigue'.
As I stated earlier, Daniel speaks of the last days in 'layers'. By that I mean he give us a prophecy that includes the time period from the beginning of the tribulation, right down to the end, and then he does it again, adding new information. So let us go back and read about this same person in an earlier 'layer'.
In the first account the angel tells Daniel about this 'Antichrist' by using imagery. In this case, an animal with several horns, each horn symbolizing a conquering king. Let's look at Daniel 7:8-11
Da 7:8 "While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth that spoke boastfully.
Da 7:9 ¶ "As I looked, "thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze.
Da 7:10 A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened.
Da 7:11 "Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire.
So here we are seeing a person who was described as a little horn that grew up, he became exceptionally boastful, … and he was finally destroyed by God in judgment.
Here is the second account ...
Da 8:23 “And in the latter time of their kingdom, When the transgressors have reached their fullness (Jesus says 'Lawlessness will increase'), A king shall arise, Having fierce features, Who understands sinister schemes.
So to 'boastfulness' we add fierce features … physical features? I could not be dogmatic here, but I would think fierce in his character.
Next we add the quality of 'very strong'.
Da 8:24 He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the mighty men and the holy people.
Strong, not by his own power. Revelation makes it clear his strength is totally by Satan's power. His conquering is referred to as 'astounding devastation'. He will deal with 'mighty men' … other world leaders? And he will deal with the 'holy people'. This refers to Israel. He will work 'destructively' with reference to Israel. In Revelation his destruction of Israel transitions to his attacking of believers in Jesus. (Rev 12)
Daniel's prophecy goes on ...
Da 8:25 He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power.
The word Deceitful is clear enough.
The term, 'considering himself to be superior' is summarized by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2, where Paul says that he will sit in the temple claiming to be God.
He will stand against the 'Prince of princes'.
This man will stand in direct battle with Jesus Himself (This will be at the very end of the seven years).
And finally, he is destroyed … but not by anything human. It will be the brightness of the coming of Jesus that destroys him.
2Th 2:8 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.
...This brings us to the third prophetic 'layer'. Daniel chapter 11 verse 21
Da 11:21 ¶ "He will be succeeded by a contemptible person who has not been given the honour of royalty. He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue.
This verse indicates that he assumes power over a kingdom … a people (Israel), but as an 'outsider'. He is not a Jew. At the time of his 'takeover', Israel's situation will be characterized by security and peace. And he assumes his power over them by means of 'intrigue'. This word, from the Hebrew, is הקלקלח chalaqlaqqah. The literal meaning is flattery, slipperiness, fine promises, smoothness.
So our knowledge of his character is growing.
As we now proceed into a prophecy that Jesus very much wants us to be familiar with, it is important to point out that the clearly distinguished events noted here are the very same events that can be noted in the Revelation and also by Jesus in the Olivet discourse.
In order that things can remain as clear as possible, I think it is best to get these events in Daniel straight in our minds before we compare them with the same events given in the Revelation.
Here is what we will watch for in the coming verses:
- The time period
- Three battles that take place during the time period.
- Who is fighting with whom?
- What happens in relation to Israel during this time?
- What is going on in the rest of the world during this
time?
These will be addressed in the following chapter.