84 The Scriptures and Prophecy | nazareneisrael2house

The Scriptures and Prophecy.

The Scriptures is the only book in which we find prophecies by various Prophets that came to fruition many years later, thus confirming the truth of the Scriptures as the word of Elohim. Even though, most of the prophecies given in the Scriptures will only come true in the near future, numerous predictions have already been fulfilled, as can be confirmed in the historical records. Fact is that Elohim through prophecy give us ample opportunity to disprove the Scriptures if it can be shown to be incorrect. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and others recorded many pronouncements, some in complete detail, and Elohim invites us to verify the correctness thereof. We read from Isaiah 46: 9 & 10 how YHVH through Isaiah challenges those who doubt Him, to prove Him, saying: “Remember the former things long past, for I am Elohim, and there is no other; I am Elohim, and there is no one like Me, (10) Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, ‘My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure.”

Like the ancient Israelites many of the modern day children of Israel frequently resort to false prophets and empty oracles to gain special insight into the future, but like with our ancient forebears, their trust in these sources amounts to vain idolatry. Elohim Himself declares that Scriptural prophecy is proof of the one true Elohim in Isaiah 41: 21 - 24, saying: “Present your case,” YHVH says. “Bring forward your strong arguments,” the King of Jacob says. (22) “Let them bring forth and declare to us what is going to take place; as for the former events, declare what they were, that we may consider them, and know their outcome; or announce to us what is coming. (23) Declare the things that are going to come afterward, that we may know that you are gods; indeed, do good or evil, that we may anxiously look about us and fear together. (24) Behold, you are of no account, and your work amounts to nothing; he who chooses you is an abomination.” The best and most brilliant minds are deeply concerned about what is happening in the world, including how to solve problems that have challenged solutions for many generations, but found nothing lasting. But Elohim knows the solution and has recorded in exact detail how these difficult problems will be solved. Since Elohim knows the end from the beginning, He knows how human experience will ultimately end. Elohim through His chosen prophets recorded prophecies and their fulfillment in the Scriptures as proof of the inspiration of Scriptural prophecy. If He foretold events centuries in advance and saw that they came to pass, giving us irrefutable proof of His existence and that the Scriptures are indeed His inspired message for us.

Over the past few months we have seen a lot of conflicting ideas about prophesies regarding the end-time. How do we deal with all these conflicting ideas? We need to be mindful of the fact that Yahshua himself gave us a prophecy for the time of the end in Matthew 24. Notice in verse 3, that He did not share it with the whole world at the time: ‘And as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and the end of the age?” Yahshua answered them in verse 4 saying: “See to it that no one misleads you.” Who are the ‘you’, whom Yahshua was referring to here? His disciples of course or the people who were and are learning from Him today, meaning His congregation. Yahshua continued in verse 5, saying: “for many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will mislead many.” This means that many of the prophecies that we receive from sources other than the Scriptures are designed to mislead us. In fact many will be misled to follow groups into doing things which are not commanded – such as setting-up places of safety on their own, in order to save their own lives. Reading on in Matthew verses 6 – 9, we see the things that are currently happening in our world: ‘And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. (7) For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. (8) But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. (9) Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations on account of My Name.” Yes, we will be hated on account of Yahshua’s Name. Ask yourself are you prepared to stand up for the correct name of our Savior Yahshua? (Not Jesus). Continuing on in verse 10 and 11 we see that: “And at that time many will fall away and will deliver up one another and hate one another. (11) And many false prophets will arise, and will mislead many.”

So at this point in time we already see many false witnesses and so-called ‘Prophets’ who will lead many of the present day students of Messiah astray. The point is that there are many people who believe with their whole heart that they are able to interpret ‘The Scriptures’ correctly, to be able to work out the details of prophesies for us regarding the future. However we see in these verses above that most of these so-called prophets are false prophets or putting differently, liars!! The question is: Why do these well-meaning people prophesy the way they do? Turning to Ezekiel 13 verses 1 – 3 we read; Then the word of YHVH came to me saying, “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy from their own inspiration, ‘Listen to the word of YHVH! (3) ‘Thus says YHVH Elohim, “Woe to the foolish prophets who are following their own spirit and have seen nothing.” Reading on in verse 4-6, we see; “O Israel, your prophets have been like foxes among ruins. (5) You have not gone up into the breaches, nor did you build the wall around the house of Israel to stand in the battle on the Day of YHVH. (6) They see falsehood and lying divination who are saying, ‘YHVH declares,’ when YHVH has not sent them; yet they hope for the fulfillment of their word.” Here we see the answer - these prophets are doing it in hope that their words will be fulfilled. That is pure human nature – we all want to look good in the eyes of our fellow believers. However, we need to be very careful or we could lose out in being recorded in the register of the House of Israel, or entering the land of Israel, as Ezekiel recorded for us in verses 8 & 9 of Ezekiel 13, saying: ‘Therefore, thus says YHVH Elohim, “Because you have spoken falsehood and seen a lie, therefore behold, I am against you,” declares YHVH Elohim. (9) “So My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will have no place in the council of My people, nor will they be written down in the register of the house of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel, that you may know that I am YHVH Elohim.”’ We also see witnessed in the book of Hebrews in chapter 1 verses 1 & 2 that Elohim is no longer speaking to us through prophets in the last days, but only speak to us through His word, in this way: ‘Elohim, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, (2) in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the world.’ We should not spend too much time studying all the false prophesies, that we receive on a regular basis in magazines, books and the internet. According to Matthew 24, there will be certain signs to inform us that the time is near. Let us turn back to Matthew 24 and read in verses 13 &14: ‘But the one who endures to the end, he shall be saved. (14) And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come.” This tells us that we should not waste time trying to work out when the end will come, rather, we should endure to the end and be busy proclaiming the good news of the coming kingdom of Elohim, and then the end will come. In verse 15 to 32 we see the signs to warn us of the timing of the end and in verse 36 we read that only YHVH the Father knows, when Yahshua will return.

Continuing on to the end of Matthew 24 we see that all we need to do is to remain loyal and keep doing the work of Elohim, and then YHVH will protect us, He will lead us to the place of safety, when the time comes. What then is the work of Elohim? You may ask. The answer is found in John 6:29, Yahshua answered and said to them: “This is the work of Elohim, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” So it behooves us to believe in what Yahshua said about the time of the end in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and in Luke 21. However, we see in Revelation 12: 6 that ultimately YHVH will protect His people from Satan in the wilderness for three and a half years. Where is the wilderness? Is it in Petra in Jordan or perhaps somewhere in South Africa? I tell you for certain that only YHVH knows at this stage and that it is not important for us to know. Those who are desperate to know, are the ones who love their lives even unto death, that we are warned about in Revelation 12: 11 as follows: “And they overcame him (Satan) because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even to death.” What will it help you if you knew where the place of safety is and will not be found worthy to enter it? We should not be wise in our own estimation. We read about this in Romans 11: 25 & 26 paraphrased: “Once the fullness of the Gentiles (those of Israel who believe and act as if they are Gentiles) has come in, all Israel will be saved.” We need to make sure that we remain part of the Israel of Elohim and the only way that we will be able to do this is given in Revelation 14: 12: “Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of Elohim (Torah) and their faith in Yahshua.”

Nevertheless, the potential for dramatic shifts in world events increases as the world’s technological revolution continues to speed forward. Events that will astonish mankind as never before. Most parts of the world faces a future with fear and anxiety, since wars, terrorism, immorality and iniquity are ever increasing and no one knows what lies ahead. But, how much can a believer really know about the future? The Prophet Daniel prophesied events fulfilled centuries ago as well as prophecies yet to be fulfilled. But we see regarding the ones yet to occur in the near future, Elohim instructed him in Daniel 12: 4, saying: “But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase.” Elohim tells us in His word that a considerable number of prophecies will be fulfilled at the return of Yahshua the Messiah to earth, one day. One of the prophecies to be fulfilled is the resurrection of the dead and the establishment of Messiah’s reign of peace for a thousand years, given in 1 Thessalonians 4: 14 – 17[1] and Revelation 5: 10[2]. It appears that some major events leading to that time will be understood by the people of Elohim, just before and during its fulfillment as witnessed in Daniel 12: 9 & 10, as follows: ‘And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time. (10) Many will be purged, purified and refined; but the wicked will act wickedly, and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand.”’ It is crucial for us to understand some of the major prophetic events, in order to guide us to understand where we stand chronologically in Elohim’s plan. The Scriptures is the only trustworthy guide regarding these matters, since it foretold much of what we know as history and in this way it can help us understand what is yet to occur. This also helps us see more clearly that the Scriptures are indeed the word of Elohim, the only trustworthy source of information that can help us understand topics critical to our future.

The prophecies of Daniel provide us with important keys to determine the accuracy of Scriptural prophecy. Many of Daniel’s prophecies are so specific and detailed that they stand clearly proven, and even the most prejudiced mind cannot refute them. But, there were some skeptics who have not challenged the content of Daniel’s prophetic accuracy, rather than admit that his words are indeed inspired, they have labelled the book of Daniel a complete fraud. They claim that it was not written by Daniel in the sixth century BCE as we can tell by events written in the book, but was penned by an unknown author sometime after 200 BCE, long after many of the events prophesied in the book came to pass. This critics allege, is the reason for the book’s startling prophetic accuracy. Perhaps the best-know incident in the book of Daniel features Daniel in the lion’s den in Chapter 6. Daniel’s testimony challenges the critics. But let’s consider the nature of the critic’s approach. They dispute Daniel’s authorship because he refers to himself in the first few chapters in the third person, as if writing about someone else. However, as Gleason Archer Jr. points out in ‘The Expositor’s Bible Commentary’, this ‘was the custom among ancient authors of historical memoirs.’ (Vol. 7, p.4). In recording some of his experiences Daniel did write in the first person in Daniel 7: 15; 8: 15; 9: 2; and 10: 2. The identity of those who criticized Daniel’s work is significant as well. The first person to question the authenticity of Daniel’s authorship was the Greek scholar and historian Porphyry, who lived during 233 – 304 CE. He is labeled by historians as a Neoplatonist, meaning he subscribed to the doctrines of the Greek philosopher Plato rather that the Bible. The 11th Edition of Encyclopedia Britannica, Vol.22, p. 104, “Porphyry”, states that “Porphyry is well known as a violent opponent of Christianity and defender of paganism.”

However, the accuracy of Daniels prediction of remotely distant events is spectacular. For example he wrote the “70 weeks” prophecy in the ‘first year of Darius” in Daniel 9: 1 & 24. The first year of Darius was about 539 BCE; in this amazing prophecy ‘Daniel predicts the exact year of Messiah’s appearance and the beginning of His Ministry in 27 CE’ (The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 7, p.9). A second remarkable prophecy recorded by Daniel is his interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Chapter 2. In the second year of the reign the Babylonian king has a troubling dream that none of his councilors could interpret. Babylonian culture placed considerable emphasis on dreams and Nebuchadnezzar was convinced that this dream was of great importance (Daniel 3: 1 – 3). His dream gives us a disclosure of Elohim’s plan for the ages till the final triumph of Messiah and presents the foreordained succession of world powers that are to dominate the Near East till the final victory by Messiah in the last days. Daniel explained details of the dream to Nebuchadnezzar, without prior knowledge of its content in Daniel 2: 31 – 33, saying: “You, O king, were looking and behold, there was a single great statue; that statue, which was large and of extraordinary splendor, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was awesome. (32) The head of that statue was made of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze, (33) its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.” Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar that his empire was represented by the head of gold (verses 37 & 38). The silver, bronze and iron and clay components of the image represented three powerful empires that would succeed his empire (verses 39 & 40). The interpretation provided an astonishing preview of history. Nebuchadnezzar’s dream occurred and was interpreted by Daniel around 600 BCE. The image represented, the sequence of great empires that would dominate the civilized world‘s political scene for centuries.

The silver empire was to be Medo-Persia, which began with Cyrus the Great, who conquered Babylon in 539 BCE. This silver empire was supreme in the near and Middle East for about two centuries. The bronze empire was the Greco-Macedonian Empire established by Alexander the Great and lasted for between 260 and 300 years before it was supplanted by the fourth kingdom. Iron connotes toughness and ruthlessness, and describes the Roman empire. In addition the fourth empire was depicted as having 10 toes. The feet and toes were composed partly of iron and partly of clay. The text clearly shows that the final phase will be known by some sort of federation rather than by a powerful single realm. Further aspects of this succession of world-ruling empires were revealed to Daniel in a later dream. This time the four empires were represented by four beasts: a lion – the Babylonian Empire, a bear - the Persian Empire, a leopard - the Greco-Macedonian Empire, and a fourth beast described in Daniel 7: 1 – 7 is described as terrible and unlike the other three beasts. Daniel describes the fourth creature in verse 7, as follows: “After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed, and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.” The fourth beast refers to the great power of Rome, which crushed all who opposes it. But what is the meaning of the 10 horns? The ultimate fulfillment of this part of prophecy is yet in our future, The 10 horns refer to an end-time revival of the Roman Empire. This agrees with Daniel 2: 44, which obviously indicates that the second coming of Messiah will occur in a time during which vestiges of the fourth kingdom will still exist, in this way: “And in the days of those kings the Elohim of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.” Most of these prophetic events, detailed by the two dreams, have already been fulfilled. Their comprehensive completion affirms the divine inspiration of the Scriptures. Daniel told king Nebuchadnezzar in the first part of Daniel 2: 28 that the interpretation of his dreams came from Elohim, saying: “However, there is an Elohim in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the latter days.”

Continuing in Daniel 11, we see recorded another extraordinary prophecy. The timing of prophecy is given in the first part of Daniel 10: 1, in this way: ‘In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message was revealed to Daniel.’ We see from Daniel 9: 21 that the angel Gabriel came to tell Daniel what would happen in the latter days in Daniel 10: 14. This prophecy is the most detailed in the Scriptures. The third year of Cyrus was 500 years before Messiah, yet it foretells events that began to happen almost immediately and will continue until the return of Messiah. The beginning stages of the prophecy confirm the Scriptures because they have already been fulfilled, as may be verified by a study of Persian and Greek empires. The first 35 verses of Daniel 11 give an account, written ten years in advance about the maneuvering between two political entities, namely: ‘the king of the south’ and the ‘king of the north’. In world history the king of the south is referred to Ptolemy - a dynasty that ruled from Alexandria in Egypt. The king of the north ruled from Antioch in Syria under the name Antiochus. We need to understand that the principle of duality applies throughout most prophecies – in that there is a former and then a latter fulfillment of these prophecies. Even though the ‘Abomination of Desolation’ spoken through Daniel the prophet had an earlier fulfillment during the time of the Maccabees, it will happen again at the time of the end, as described in Daniel 11: 40. The earlier fulfillment is suitably described in verses 2 - 35. The ‘three more kings’ mentioned in Daniel 11: 2 are Cambyses, the elder son of Cyrus; pseudo-Smerdis, an imposter who passed himself off as Cyrus’s younger son who had been killed; and Darius the Persian. The Persian king who invaded Greece was Xerxes who reigned Persia during 486 – 465 CE. Verse 3 talks about the sudden rise of Alexander the Great and verse 4 tells us that he will have a comparably short reign. Recorded history shows that within a period of seven to eight years Alexander had the most amazing military conquest in human history, but he died of a fever only four years later. Alexander’s kingdom was then divided into four smaller and weaker empires. The four were Cassander who reigned in Greece and the west, Lysimachus reigned in Thrace and Asia Minor, Ptolemy reigned in Egypt and Seleucus in Syria. The maneuvers that follow speak about Ptolemy the king of the south and Seleucus the king of the north.

Verse 5 speaks about Ptolemy the king of the south and the phrase ‘one of his princes’ refers to Seleucus. After Alexander died Seleucus gained control over Syria and became the king of the north. He exerted more power than Ptolemy and his dynasty was continued until 64CE. Verse 6 mentions that tension and hostility existed between the king of the south and the king of the north. After Ptolemy I died the two powers attempted a truce under Berenice the daughter of Ptolemy II, who was to marry Antiochus II . Berenice had a son with Antiochus, but Laodice his first wife, whom he divorced had Berenice and her son murdered, after which Antiochus II was imprisoned. Laodice became queen in his place, because her son was too young. The prophecy ‘she will be given up’ refers to the coup Laodice wangled to have Berenice executed. We read from verses 7 – 9 that retaliation soon followed which became known as the Laodicean war. Ptolemy II died soon after Laodice killed his daughter Berenice. Ptolemy III avenged his sister’s death and attacked the king of the north and captured the Capitol of Antioch. Verse 8 describes how Ptolemy recaptured long lost idols and treasures that were stolen from Egypt by Cambyses in 524 BCE. In the year 240 BCE peace was established between Ptolemy III and Seleucus II, and 19 years later Ptolemy II died. Verses 10 – 12 tell us that Seleucus II attacked the king of the south again after their father died. Seleucus III came to power but ruled for only three short years. He died by poisoning after which Antiochus III ‘overflowed and Pass through’ to conquer Palestine. The Phrase ‘after an interval of some years’ in verses 13 – 16 refers to an event 14 years after his overthrow, when Antiochus III came against Ptolemy V yet a child, who reigned after Ptolemy IV died in 203 BCE. By that time the Egyptian provinces were in chaos because of the despicable life of Ptolemy IV. Many people who were sympathetic to the king of the north joined Antiochus against the king of the south, but the rebellion was eventually overwhelmed by Scopus an Egyptian general (as per verse 14). Scopus attacked the forces of Antiochus and the king of the north responded by capturing the city of Sidon after which Scopus surrendered. At that time Antiochus took control of the Holy land (verse 16).

We read from verse 17, that the king of the north came with his full power, bringing a proposal of peace and agreed that he will give his daughter in marriage to the king of the south, but the peace treaty did not last. Antiochus wanted to control Egypt and gave his daughter Cleopatra to Ptolemy V in marriage, believing that she would betray her husband in favor of her father, but she sided with her husband and frustrated Antiochus’s plans. Verses 18 & 19 tell us how Antiochus in frustration attacked the islands and cities bordering the Mediterranean. The people who lived in these cities complained to Rome, who in turn levied a heavy tax on him and he returned in disgrace to Antioch. Unable to pay the heavy fees exacted by Rome he attempted to plunder the Temple in Jerusalem, but his action enraged the local inhabitants who killed him (verse 19). Verse 20 talks about Antiochus’s other son, Seleucus IV and according to 2 Maccabees 3: 7 - 40 he was unable to pay the taxes. He then sent Heliodorus, a Jew, to plunder the Temple in Jerusalem. Even though Heliodorus went to Jerusalem he did not steal from the Temple and he later poisoned Seleucus. Verses 21 – 35 speak about the infamous Antiochus Epiphanes, brother of Seleucus IV, who had been taken hostage in Rome earlier. He was the tyrannical despot who did his utmost to destroy the Jewish people and their religion. He passed decrees forbidding Jewish religious practices, under penalty of death. He was a very cruel person who had the aged Scribe Eleazer scourged to death, because he refused to eat pig meat. He butchered a Jewish mother and her seven children, for refusing to worship an image. He also had two mothers who circumcised their baby boys cast headlong from a wall with their babies. Verse 31 is about the historic event of December 16, 168 BCE when he entered Jerusalem and killed 80,000 men, women and children as recorded in 2 Maccabees 5: 11 – 14. At that time he desecrated the Temple by offering a sacrifice to Zeus. This outrage was a forerunner of a comparable event that Messiah prophesied about in Matthew 24: 15 when in His Olivet prophecy He spoke about the same ‘Abomination that makes desolate’ that Daniel spoke about saying in Matthew 24: 15, “Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand).” Verses 32 – 35 is a prophecy about the unconquerable will and courage of the Maccabees, a family of priests who resisted Antiochus and his successors.

These events were recorded in the first and second books of Maccabees, and deals with the defilement and purification of the Temple during 164 – 167 BCE. The two books of Maccabees are about the Chanukah account; it relates how Antiochus Epiphanes invaded the land of Judah and tried the force our Jewish Brothers to compromise and assimilate with the world. He outlawed Sabbath observance and circumcision, burned Torah scrolls, and commanded the eating of pig meat and those Jews who refused were tortured and killed. We see the temple was desecrated at that time as recorded in 2 Maccabees 6: 1 - 4, by dedicating it to the Olympian Zeus, as follows: ‘Shortly afterwards, the king sent an old man from Athens to compel the Jews to abandon their ancestral customs and live no longer by the Laws of G-d; (2) and to profane the Temple in Jerusalem and dedicate it to Olympian Zeus, and that on Mount Gerizim to Zeus, patron of strangers, as the inhabitants (the Samarians) had requested. (3) The imposition of this evil was oppressive and altogether intolerable. (4) The Temple was filled with reveling and debauchery by the pagans, who took their pleasure with prostitutes and had intercourse with women in the sacred precincts, introducing other indecencies besides.’ This happened on the fifteenth of Kislev, and on the twenty-fifth of Kislev a sacrifice was offered to inaugurate the altar (as per first Maccabees 1: 54 – 59). On the twenty fifth of Kislev Antiochus Epiphanes, who was a pre-figure of the future Anti-Messiah, defiled the temple and forced Elohim’s people to participate in pagan celebrations during Kislev which coincide with December on the Gregorian calendar. The Maccabees eventually defeated the enemy, after which they cleansed and rededicated the Temple on the 25th of Kislev. We see from 2 Maccabees 10: 5 that the purification of the Temple occurred on the very same day on which it had been profaned. Chanukah is all about Elohim’s people gaining victory over pagan’s pressure to conform to the world. It is ironic that most Christians have been deceived to celebrate Xmas; a holiday inundated with paganism, at the same time of the year during which Elohim’s peoples commemorates victory over paganism and to remain Torah observant against overwhelming odds. If we knew that what happened in history, will happen again, we will understand Messiah’s Olivet prophesy and remember that when this happens again, His return will be imminent.

Reading from Daniel 11: 30 & 31 where ‘the Abomination of Desolation’ is mentioned a third time in the Book of Daniel, he wrote: “For ships of Kittim will come against him; therefore he will be disheartened, and will return and become enraged at the holy covenant and take action; so he will come back and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant. (31) And forces from him will arise, desecrate the sanctuary fortress, and do away with the regular sacrifice. And they will set up the abomination of desolation.” What is this holy covenant spoken about in verse 30? We read from Exodus 31: 16, ‘So the sons of Israel shall observe the Sabbath, to celebrate the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant.’ This shows that the holy covenant has to do with Sabbath observance by all Jews and therefore also in the modern day land of Israel. Yahshua prophesied that in the near future, prior to His return, the king of the north will come against the king of the south, but ships will come against him and he will be discouraged and go to the Land of Israel, where he will become enraged because of Sabbath keeping and will show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant, meaning those who break the Sabbath by keeping either Sunday or Friday in the holy land, i.e. Christians and Arabs. In addition some of his soldiers will desecrate the Temple by doing away with the regular sacrifices and setting up the abomination of desolation. They will make the Temple abominable for Jews to enter by offering pork meat on the altar to their god (or Baal which means Lord). We return to Matthew 24: 16 & 20, where Yahshua continued His Olivet Prophecy saying: ‘Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. (20) But pray that your flight may not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath.’ The armies of this evil king obviously will keep Xmas, drinking and do foolish things during winter in Israel, and desecrate the Sabbath, hence the warning in verse 20.

Daniel 11 contains accurate predictions of all the events from the reign of Cyrus to the unsuccessful effort of Antiochus Epiphanes to destroy the Jewish faith. This is irrefutable proof of the authenticity of Elohim’s word, the Scriptures. Many deny the authority of the Scriptures because they do not want Elohim to tell them what to do. Such an approach will be of no avail when they have to face Yahshua Messiah in the judgment. Rav Shaul spoke to the people in Athens about 1900 years ago saying (recorded in Acts 17: 31, “Because He (Elohim) has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.” The prophecies described in this lesson will happen again in the near future, but most people will at that time be so concerned with trying to save their own skins, that they would not even be aware of it. But, the time of judgment for these people is yet future, and Elohim will be merciful when He opens their eyes, during the Great White Throne Judgment. Halleluyah!

[1] 1 Thessalonians 4: 14 – 17: ‘For if we believe that Yahshua died and rose again, even so Elohim will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Yahshua, For this we say to you by the word of the Master, that we who are alive, and remain until the coming of the Master, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Master Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of Elohim; and the dead in Messiah shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Master in the air (on Mount Sinai), and thus we shall always be with the master.’

[2] Revelation 5: 10: “And Thou hast made them to be a kingdom and priests to our Elohim; and they will reign upon the earth.”