The Antichrist will attack and destroy the Holy People
At the time of the end, the days before the return of Jesus Christ, the holy people will endure a fierce assault. This passage in Daniel, verses 15-27, tells us the Antichrist will “destroy the holy people.” That is a pretty ominous claim.
This attack on the holy people and many other similar events bring some important points into focus. During the last days, before Christ’s return, things will be very different than many people are expecting.
Hal Lindsey wrote the “Late Great Planet Earth,” and likened the end of days to something very different than what the Bible describes.
The Late Great Planet Earth
I read Lindsey’s books, enjoyed them, and helped promote many of his ideas until I realized they didn’t exactly align with what the Bible taught. That was my fault not his, and I am now realigning myself with the correct scriptural perspective on Bible prophecy. I respect Hal Lindsey’s past efforts and don’t mean to disparage his work, but as we approach the last days, we need to take greater care that we correctly interpret the Bible and avoid sensational and often fictional portrayals of the biblical text.
If it reads like fiction–
Mr. Lindsey wrote that we should expect such things as the following:
- Russia will attack Israel and their planes will mysteriously fall out of the sky for no apparent reason.
- Anyone who does attack Israel will find they can’t defeat the Jewish nation. God will defend them and no enemy attack will succeed.
- Christians will suddenly vanish leaving behind piles of clothing, crashed vehicles, and hysterical family members wondering what happened.
- A one-world government will form in Europe, taking control of all people and nations around the globe.
- The one-world government will create a world religion and demand everyone worship accordingly.
- An economic system will be established that prevents anyone from buying and selling without a special mark.
Vague Biblical support
To be fair, some of these ideas are vaguely supported by scriptures but none of them will come to pass as Hal Lindsey and many other authors and teachers have indicated that they will.
This article is a continuation of my commentary on the Book of Daniel and specifically in chapter eight. It’s a very important chapter, helping us better understand what will take place in the days, months, and years before the return of Christ.
This chapter tells us something that should rightly strike fear in many of us. The Antichrist will “destroy the holy people.”
Troubling questions
When we read this troubling verse we should ask these questions;
- Who are the holy people? Is it Jews or is it also Christians?
- The word ‘destroy’ seems rather final, but surely the bible doesn’t mean all–or does it?
- Daniel was sick and very troubled when he saw the vision. Is this destruction of the holy people the reason why?
Let’s go further into the chapter and see what it is that God showed Daniel.
8:15 Daniel the seer
“And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision and sought for the meaning, then, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man.”
Daniel is one of the most blessed men to have ever walked the earth. He was given special insight into the plan of God. He saw things nobody else has seen. It’s utterly foolish for any of us to claim to understand any of these prophecies better than Daniel did. Clarity will begin to come regarding these mysteries as we draw closer to the very end. We’re not quite there yet, but we’re close. Things are easier to understand now that we are right on the cusp of their fulfillment. That’s exactly what the Lord revealed to Daniel. Things would become more clear at the end.
8:16 “Gabriel, make him understand”
“And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision.”
A man’s voice cries out to the angel Gabriel. “Make this man understand.” That’s like gold to a Bible prophecy student. God wants us to understand his word, but there often are problems that prevent us from understanding. Daniel was troubled by what he saw. The angel was commanded to help Daniel see more clearly. That, in turn, helps us to know what was going on.
8:17 The time of the end, the Holy People will endure great persecution
“So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision.”
The angel Gabriel came close to the prophet and Daniel was right to fear and tremble. From what little we are told in the scriptures it appears that some of these mighty angels were terrifying in appearance. The prophet was afraid when the angel approached, but he listened to the message. Daniel was told something that all of us need to understand.
The vision that Daniel saw was concerning the time of the end. It’s not some event in the past. It was the future from Daniel’s day and it wouldn’t see fulfillment until the end of God’s plan for mankind after 6,000 years of human failure. Another 1,000 years will follow but first, the time of the end of the first 6,000 must take place. That ‘time of the end’ is what we are quickly drawing closer to.
the time of the end–so Dan 8:19 Dan 11:35, 36, 40.
8:18 Vision sleep
“Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground: but he touched me, and set me upright.”
Daniel was knocked out cold, probably from fear, but the angel touched him gently and got him to sit up or probably stand.
8:19 The time appointed
“And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be.”
“The last end of the indignation.” As I reference in other parts of this commentary, Daniel was shown many things that would develop over the course of centuries. They were all concerned with the affairs of the children of Israel. These were the holy people as far as Daniel was concerned. Here the prophet learns he is being instructed about the end of the entire affairs of the Nation of Israel. The holy people of God, the Israelites always knew there would be a finality to their trials. The Lord was beginning to lay out some of the important details about that appointed time…the end of the indignation. There had to be a sense of excitement mixed with fear as he saw these things unfold in his visions.
The “time” is appointed ( Dan 9:27 11:27, 35, 36 12:7 Hab 2:3 ).
8:20 The ram is Iran and Iraq
“The ram which you saw having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.”
The prophet saw into the future when the Medes and Persians would unite as a military force. They were destined to become an empire that would defeat Babylon among many other weaker nations. This though was only part of this fulfillment. The angel makes clear that what the prophet was seeing were the Medes and Persians but it also was a vision that was true about the end of days, the last end.
What happened with the Medes and Persians will take place in a similar fashion in the last days with the countries that occupy the same geographic region. That is Iran and Iraq. Iran is the stronger power and represents the taller of the two horns the prophet saw.
8:21 The goat is Turkey
“And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.”
These are excellent passages for Bible prophecy students to study because they give us specific meanings to the visions. In a lot of other passages we have to work harder to understand symbols and allegories but here the angel tells Daniel the meaning of the goat.
The region of “Grecia” in Daniel’s day was the geographic region that modern-day Turkey occupies. When the prophet stood on the river bank and looked over to Old Testament “Grecia” he saw, in vision form, the rise of the Macedonian leader Alexander the Great. God revealed the next great empire that would take over this part of the world. As discussed in the last article on Daniel Alexander came into the region and conquered all the areas the Medes and Persians had previously controlled.
When we consider that the angel told Daniel, “at the time of the end shall be the vision,” we recognize this is one of those familiar double-fulfillment passages. It happened during the time of Alexander the Great and will happen again in the time before the return of Christ.
A future war
If this is so, and I believe it is, we should expect a future conflict between Turkey and Iran.
Stay tuned, there is more war to come in the Middle East.
8:22 Four new kings
“Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power.”
This happened in history just as the prophet saw. It happened to Alexander the Great, and his short-lived reign. He died young from a fever while in Babylon. See the prior article for more on this.
8:23 One final king will lead the assault on the Holy People
“And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors have come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.”
Don’t miss the importance of what this verse is saying. This verse will ring true to the ears of those who witness the rise to power of the terrifying person known as the Antichrist. I believe that many among the “holy people” will recognize him because of this and several other verses in the book.
Learn from history. It predicts the future. Look at what happened to Alexander the Great. He rose quickly to power and then died. Four leaders rose up after him to reign in his stead. After those four, another leader rose to power. He became the first “little horn.” He was the fulfillment of the best type of the Antichrist that we find in the Bible. That is Antiochus Epiphanes who was also discussed in the previous article.
Learn from the past to prepare for the future.
The fulfillment of prophecy exactly as the Lord predicted is one of the most powerful proofs of a God who transcends time. The Bible tells us God sees the future before it happens. Daniel is one of the most important books that allow us to see that reality. He saw the rise of the Medo-Persian Empire and then that of Alexander the Great. He saw it in visions, and wrote it down hundreds of years before fulfillment, to verify the faithfulness of God’s Word.
During those visions, the angel adds a vital truth that gives application to us today. He told Daniel that what he saw was also for the appointed time of the end. Today we are near that end, so we need to sit up and pay very close attention to the words of the prophet.
So–what history tells us that happened with Alexander will play out in a similar fashion in the near future. Yes, I know that sounds remarkable but I believe it’s the correct way to interpret this chapter. The same applies to chapters eleven and twelve of Daniel.
What to expect shortly
Iran and Iraq are already fulfilling the first part of the vision. The two horns of the ram are marching west, north, and south just as the Medes and Persians did. The Goat, which is modern-day Turkey is also pushing back. They are in Iraq and Syria and even threatening United States troops who are also in the region.
If Daniel’s vision truly serves as the early screenplay of what will take place today we are about to see something very shocking take place. The current leader of Turkey, Erdogan will probably die or be killed in an assassination attempt. He is a very popular leader in his country though he has made many enemies. The Kurds are also at war with him.
Death to Erdogan?
I believe he will die soon. That’s my prediction as an interpretation of this chapter in Daniel. If I’m wrong then it’s my error and I misinterpreted this passage, but I believe we will soon see his death; probably still years away from the time of the writing of this article.
After that, following the historical model, four leaders will follow him.
Then, the Antichrist will step on the scene as a king with a fierce countenance. It is then that the holy people need to fear. They will be first and foremost in his crosshairs.
of fierce countenance— ( Deu 28:50 )
8:24 The Antichrist destroys the holy people
“And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practice, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.”
The Antichrist will be a mere mortal man but he will sit in a unique position of power. Satan will take advantage of that position and indwell him. This is similar to what happened on the night of Jesus’ crucifixion. When the timing was right, Satan’s spirit entered the body of Judas Iscariot and betrayed Jesus.
The Antichrist will be powerful because Satan will indwell him. He also will rule over a conglomeration of ten nations/states. This will be the remaining part of the statue that Daniel first saw and wrote about in chapter two.
The holy people will face the wrath of Satan. The armies of the ten nations, led by the Antichrist will make war with the saints of God and all who oppose him. Jesus spoke of this day in his sermon about the last days. He said when you see the abomination of desolation stand in the holy place run…just run, don’t stop to pick anything up…just run.
8:25 Peace through destruction of the Holy People
“And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand, and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes, but he shall be broken without hand.”
He will successfully destroy many. The book of Zechariah indicates about two-thirds of all the Jewish people will die. Many Christians believe they will be in heaven during this time so there is no need to worry about all this. Hal Lindsey teaches that as do many others. Unfortunately, I believe the scriptures don’t support that view. It is my opinion after further Bible study, and not in Hal Lindsey’s books, that the holy people are Christians and any Jews who follow Christ.
That’s a very uncomfortable truth for so many, like myself, who have been taught that we don’t have to worry about the time of the Antichrist. We are told to flee Babylon. That is the area where the Antichrist and the ten nations will inflict their most serious damage. Christians and Jews, if they can, should get out of that area before it’s too late. But it’s prophesied that they won’t so I understand.
It will be so sad and ugly when this begins to materialize on our evening news cycles.
8:26 The vision of the end
“And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days.”
The angel refers back to the 2300 days which were mentioned earlier in the chapter. He is making it clear there are specific facts about this vision and it is exactly true and will see fulfillment as God says it will.
Jesus said something to his disciples several times that apply to this passage.
Revelation 2:7
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will grant the right to eat of the tree of life in the paradise of God.
We better pay close attention to what was revealed to Daniel. It will come around again and the ominous words about the holy people are not something that should be overlooked.
8:27 The sickening vision
“And I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days; afterward I rose up and did the king’s business, and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it.”
It made the prophet sick for days. He was overwhelmed by what he saw. We can tell by the last words of the verse that he shared these things with others but none of them could help him understand it.
It was his to worry and wonder about.
Now it’s ours.
Let me know what you think.