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The
Handwriting On a Sluggard's Wall
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Part II
Practical
Application, Not Prophetical Assumptions
from
the Book of Daniel
So many preachers / pastors have their two cents on Daniel and Revelation;
and I suppose some are closer to the truth than others and there are those
who are further from the truth than others, as well.
It does bring in the crowds though, no doubt! As Modern Christianity
takes over true Christianity, we see folks becoming more and more interested
in prophecy than being aware of obvious and practical truth.
It seems that most people are concerned about TOMORROW
than they are with TODAY!
They are more interested in learning more about the
anti-Christ
than they are the real Christ!
People are so bent on what's coming
that they are not content with the "now!" This may be the hour of
temptation, but it is still the engagement time of being His bride - a
great time of joyous expectation and preparation - well, it is suppose
to be, anyway! We will look back, as we all do, and wish the time
hadn't gone by so fast.
The sluggard of today will be begging
for more tomorrow!
See Part
I - for an introduction to the Book of Daniel and a sermon
on chapter five, see Handwriting
on the Wall
Today... Chapter
11
Let's look specifically to
Daniel
chapter 11:20-45 for that handwriting
on the wall for today, not just for tomorrow!
"Completed History"
verses 1-20
are so full of completed history that a history buff could find some very
interesting things in there. But again, I am not going to go into
any deep prophetical interpretation, etc. In fact, I will be exposing
my own ignorance to prophecy as I preach Daniel and Revelation...
Let's just look at the section on the anti-christ
and see if any of these things LOOK FAMILIAR for us today.
Trying to "Prevent," not "Prepare!"
No! We are NOT preparing for the Tribulation,
but we ought to be seeing that there are most certainly clues of tomorrow's
"Tribulational alternative lifestyle" in these chapters!
In other words, as the LORD
told Daniel,
...go
thou thy way till the end be.
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I know there are those 'scholars' and 'prophets'
who say they KNOW the details to all of this stuff, but I am not interested
in this puffy prophetic preaching; I would rather we consider how close
we must be - and to do what we can while we can!
AWAKEN!
20:
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.
This is not a reference directly to
the anti-christ, but we see that high taxes will be an issue of the day!
And today, one of the main complaints is high taxes. This particular
person dies in some manner other than in battle, so it looks like we will
have to live with taxes going higher, no matter what the politicians say
about lowering taxes.
(key words to take note of are
in blue... these are words that have become all to familiar with us these
days...
these are what I am referring
to 'handwriting on the wall!')
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You will see: that the Christians - the local church - the body of
Christ will not have any part of these things! None. This is
all directed to and about Israel.
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You will see: these things, while not anything for us to fear, are
things that are already making their showing into our daily lives.
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You will see: we are not trying to 'hint' or give any clues as to
who the antichrist might be, although it will seem obvious at times about
misc. people.
21: 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.
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Vile people are being more and
more accepted into all walks of life - including government office!
That doesn't change their vile status according to God's standard, however.
They are still vile people! Vile means base; mean; worthless; despicable.
Morally base or impure; sinful; depraved by sin; wicked; hateful in the
sight of God and of good men.
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Peaceably - vs
21,24,27; Revelation 6:2 (cupid - no arrows)
We are disarming for peace - "Freedom will find a way" - President
Bush; "We will eliminate racism, by whatever means necessary" -
YWCA!
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Flatteries - vs
23,32,34; Proverbs 20:19; 28:23; Psalm 5:9 (positive
emphasis; political correctness, etc.)
22:
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.
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floods - Daniel
9:26; Revelation 12:15; Jeremiah 12:5; 47:2,3 -
look at the flooding today - just some preliminary clues?
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covenant - Israel deals directly
with covenants, not Christians.
23:
And after
the league
made with him he shall work deceitfully:
for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people.
24: 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.
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Claims a Jewish Ancestry!
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Fattest - the 'well-to-do,'
eh! - even those folks welcome him in!
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Scatter - The Jews today have
scattered among them the prey, the spoil and riches, eh!
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Forecast - 1. To foresee;
to provide against. 2. To scheme; to plan before 3. To
adjust; contrive or appoint beforehand
25:
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.
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A Great Army still beats a Great
and Mighty Army (Egypt verses 40,42)
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But it isn't the 'war' that gets
him - it is those devices...
26: Yea,
they
that feed of the portion of his meat shall destroy him, and
his
army shall overflow:
and many shall fall down slain.
27: 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.
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There is that "time appointed!"
28:
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.
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Riches - great wealth! verses
24, 38, 43 We should know what happens
when money is your god!!!
29:
At the time appointed
he shall return, and come toward the south;
but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter.
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There is that time appointed!
30:
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.
31: 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.
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takes away worship as they knew
it... preparing them to worship him! verses
36-39
32: 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.
33: 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.
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governmental persecution even
in these days of "peace!" No, really? Really! Today?
Really? "Come on, of course!!!"
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they will instruct on the walk
necessary for salvation - Revelation 12:17
34: Now
when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but
many
shall cleave to them with flatteries.
35: 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.
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There is that time appointed!
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Revelation 7:9-14
36: 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.
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exalt & magnify himself
- everyone does that these days! Humanistic way of thinking doesn't
bother folks these days. Matthew
24:15; I I Thessalonians 2:4
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Speaks marvelous things against
God/ Jesus/ KJB; church, etc. etc. Daniel
7:25
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They worship him! - 36-39
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God's design shows up again...
"for
that that is determined shall be done"
37: 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.
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desire of women -
Genesis 3:16
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magnify above all - Isaiah
14:13,14
38: 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.
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A pretender! His real
gods are gold, silver, stones and ... but he appears religious, etc.
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...pleasant things...
lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God - folks won't be bothered with
that then as they are not bothered with it today!
II Timothy 3:4
39: 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.
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Government land grabbers!
40: 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.
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Egypt! And we all have
Egyptian / Alexandrian influence all around us - ALL around us and many
'in' them, etc.
41:
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.
42:
He shall
stretch forth his hand also upon
the countries: and the land of Egypt
shall not escape.
43:
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.
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Egypt - Libya - Ethiopia - they
are in the news nowadays!!!
44: 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.
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Russia - European Union with
US??? China from the East? Man, are things heating up in
those areas even today...
45: 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.
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His end! But as you can
see, he doesn't give up!
But as you will see in Chapter
12, he doesn't give up easily!
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