First of all I would like to make clear what the "daily" is. The word
"sacrifice" in this text is a supplied word, not in the original Hebrew. The
word "daily" in the Hebrew is, tamiyd. This word tamiyd means
"continuance, perpetual." This word was connected with the daily sacrifice
in the ancient Hebrew service that was offered every day for the unconscious
sins of the people. This "daily" was for the continuance of the protective
heavenly intercession and grace so that the civilization could continue
harmoniously, while giving the people space to be brought to see the light
of their involuntary transgressions without the immediate effects of their
transgressions coming upon them. It was an intercessory offering which was
offered for a "daily" atonement for unknown sin and offense. These visible
sacrifices of lambs and bulls were a physical symbol of what was actually
happening in the realm of the Spirit, down deep in the soul. These
perpetual, intercessory offerings were designed to show the people in a
visible, physical way what was happening in the unseen world, so that they
could put their trust in the spiritual reality of God's provision for their
great need; for these offerings were pointing to and revealing the sacrifice
made by the Son of God in the human flesh of Jesus of Nazareth, when He was
sacrificed in order to give His Own Life to men, instead of men living by
their own life. The real and actual, yet invisible "daily," was very truly
the divine Life of God offered continually within men, the Anointed One
living within the human soul, the "continuance" of the grace of God within
the life of man, which was given to him in place of his own fallen and
animalistic tendencies to annihilation. Without the special intervention of
this "daily" intercession, the race would soon self destruct.
Theologians and religious practitioners of one sort or another, have used
these Scriptures to point to some time in the past or future, when the
physical sacrifice was taken away, or will be taken away. The
futurists have looked forward to a war in the Middle East, allowing the Jews
to capture the Dome of the Rock. That would give them the international
authority to rebuild the temple where the abomination of desolation could be
set up and the Messiah could return again. They seem to have this all neatly
figured out. This fake temple and fake abomination comes only from the pride
of man, but it does not flow out of the righteousness of God. This is the
nature of satanic deception. He replaces the truths of the soul with
artificial external things which do not impact on the soul except in a
self-righteous, self-interested way. Then there are the other prophets today
who point to the past, and specifically to the invasion of the Jewish temple
by Antiochus Epiphanes when he placed a pagan emblem in the Jewish temple,
as the setting for "the abomination that makes desolate."
Antiochus Epiphanes was a Syrian king who came to power about 175 BC and
was an earthly historical type of the present day Antichrist which
has appeared in the earth at this time. Antiochus Epiphanes was one of the
Seleucids, who in succession to Alexander the Great, built a realm in Syria
and adjacent lands. Epiphanes' name means God made manifest.
Epiphanes sought to force Greek culture and manners on the Jews. By imposing
Hellenism, Epiphanes was but following out the intentions of his
predecessor, Alexander, whose dream was to create an empire. This had a
measure of success among a portion of the Jewish priesthood, but there was a
hard core of obstinate priests and people who refused to abandon the faith
of their fore-fathers and be "westernized."
This is very similar to circumstances today, when we see Muslims
resisting westernization. The Muslim population in the Middle East is very
much as the character of the Jews at the time of Jesus. Western forces are
coming against the Muslims today, as they did the Jews 2000 years ago. By
the introduction of Hellenistic cults, Epiphanes tried to put an end to the
Jewish religious community. These events were the cause of the Maccabean
struggle, which is very similar to the present day Iraqi struggle against
the western invasion of their land and culture. Severe punitive measures
merely brought the matter to a head and the revolt followed. At the time of
Jesus there was still a great deal of Greek influence in the country and
even our New Testament was produced in Greek.
In 170 B.C. a law was
announced requiring all citizens to present themselves four times a year to
pay formal homage to Antiochus Epiphanes as the senior god of the Seleucids.
The day chosen for these periodic submissions was Shabbat, when Jews
preferred not to leave their homes, this being their day of prayer.
Epiphanes was met by revolt and the setting up of a small state in which the
high priest was the central figure. He launched out against the Jews soon
after. The Maccebean revolt gained the Jews their independence. It remains
to be seen whether the Muslims will gain theirs.
In 168 BC Antiochus
Epiphanes occupied Jerusalem, entered the Holy of Holies, desecrated the
sanctuary by offering unclean animals upon the altar of burnt-offerings,
polluted the whole building by sprinkling it with water in which flesh had
been boiled, dedicated the temple itself to Jupiter Olympius, erected the
statue of that deity and plundered the temple treasures. It is interesting
to note that Epiphanes could never have done this, if the Jewish temple had
still been the temple of God. If God's Presence had been in the Most Holy
Place, as it had been in the past when Israel was true to God, Epiphanes
would have been literally consumed by the light of His Presence in his
attempt to enter the Most Holy Place. As it was, Epiphanes was truly "God
Made Manifest" in judgment upon the Godless and apostate condition of the
Jews.
Epiphanes' forceful and intrusive tactics are what modern, western forces
use when dealing with Muslims. This was seen in Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo.
Muslim religion is desecrated, just as Antiochus Epiphanes desecrated the
Jewish religion. Muslims are subjected to sexual humiliation and gross
blasphemy against Allah. Essentially the western coalition forces practice
religious rape. This is especially offensive when the West boasts of freedom
of religion and human rights. There are no human rights to those who are
against the western juggernaut.
Antiochus Epiphanes
is a representative type of the "setting up" of "the abomination of
desolation" on the altar of the Lord in the inner court of the Temple,
foretold by the prophet Daniel. Antiochus Epiphanes serves as a
foreshadowing of the Antichrist that has appeared in our own world today in
the form of the western coalition against "terrorism." Many Old Testament
types pointing to end time fulfillments occurred first in the natural,
physical temple, and then second in the spiritual temple of God, giving us a
historical, visual picture so we can now see how the spiritual temple is
defiled in these days by the men who are playing God.
Individually, each soul was created to be a living temple of God, and a
soul "plays God" when it refuses to let God's Life be the continual and only
Life within it, but instead, intentionally and willfully chooses its own
natural, fallen life instead. This decision is the "setting up" of the
"abomination" that makes the individual soul "desolate" of God. This is also
true of the entire, collective spiritual temple of God, which was designed
by Him to be composed of all the souls in whom He was living and
functioning. They were to form His complete, yet invisible, spiritual temple
in humanity. Though the members of the "Christian" church once composed the
"body of Christ," and were the spiritual "living stones" which had been
built into a holy temple for God's Presence, current events make it very
manifest that this spiritual temple has been defiled, and that "the
abomination that makes desolate" of God's presence, has been indeed "set up"
within it.
It is again written concerning the "latter days" when evil will come to
its full ripening. "And in the latter time of their
kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of
fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand
up." Daniel 8:23. That king "understanding dark sentences" literally
means, One who knows how to trick people by speaking out of both sides of
his mouth, will stand up. He will speak things that mean something other
than what he is saying. He will gain influence, the prophecy says, by
flatteries. He will corrupt by flatteries. This spirit of flattery is in
present day government and the churches. Righteous conviction is banished as
being too uncomfortable, and flattery is the modern source of drawing the
soul into the web of deception.
In 2002, the State Of The Union message was largely devoted to flattering
the American people. America was corrupted by this flattery, and it waged a
war of imperial aggression because of it. The cursing of one's enemies and
the flattering of oneself is the formula for bringing upon oneself divine
justice.
This present western war of aggression is the same war as was waged
against the Jews in 70 A.D. by the Romans. Mankind tends to judge things by
whether a person believes in the right doctrines, but the God of heaven does
not judge so. What the God of heaven judges is only this: Does one treat
others as he himself would wish to be treated? No stretch of the imagination
could cause one to imagine that Americans would like to be treated as they
are treating Muslims in Iraq. Jesus said, "If you do it to the least of my
brethren, you do it to me." The human family are the brethren of Jesus. He
did not differentiate between men and their religions.
The taking away of the daily at the time of Antiochus Epiphanes was only
an outward, physical symbol of what was occurring in the realm of the
Spirit, down in the soul of man. One can look at the time of the crucifixion
of Jesus to see what these things actually meant. When Jesus was crucified,
something very revealing happened. The crucifixion was a sign of a deeper
root of the doing away with the "daily." Jesus' crucifixion was also based
in flattery. The Jews cried out to their Roman governor, "We have no king
but Caesar." The modern day Christian church is of the same mentality. When
it comes down to the true need, they ride the beast rather than trust in the
Father in heaven only. This statement that "we have no king but Caesar" was
a lie and disingenuous. The Jews hated the Romans, yet they flattered the
Romans to get the Romans to crucify Jesus because he was an offense to them.
These events marked the taking away of the daily. When flattery is the root
of government and religion, then the people "see" clearly and exactly what
they are doing, and their sins are not unintended anymore. Intercession
ceases when sins become intended and people carry out their wicked designs
on purpose.
"And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the
temple was rent in the midst." Luke 23:45. Here was the sign that
the daily, the perpetual protection of God that had previously covered for
their ignorance, was taken away. The veil over the Most Holy Place was torn
in half from top to bottom by an unseen, divine hand. This rending of the
veil simply revealed what already was a reality. God was no longer there.
The Most Holy Place was completely devoid of the Shekinah light which had
previously revealed the presence of God. The rent veil revealed that this
Most Secret and Sacred Place had already been desecrated by the intentional
and willful sins of the people, and now the common man could peer inside and
see for himself that it was desolate of the presence of God. It was as
ordinary a room as a broom closet. The priests could no longer fool the
people into thinking God was still in the Most Holy Place.
This omen showed that there was no more intercession for that ancient
world, since their Messiah had been cut off by their very own hand. The
events following this tearing of the veil are history. The city was divided
into warring factions eventually leading to the believers leaving the city.
Then in 70 A.D. the city was destroyed. As Antiochus Epiphanes had
desecrated Jerusalem, pagan Rome desecrated Jerusalem at the time of Jesus
Christ, and now in our own world is the desecration of true religious
principles, "the city and the sanctuary." As with Greece, Rome and now
America, the simple morals of man have been ruined, paving the way for the
destruction of the society. The destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. is a
very clear revelation as to how the destruction of the world in our own age
will be revealed, for the events are very similar.
Why is the "daily" removed? Daniel gives the answer to that. He wrote:
"And an host was given him against the daily
sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the
truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered." Daniel 8:12.
The reason that intercession is cut off is because men willingly transgress
and rebel against justice. They cut off that which offends them because it
exposes their purposes to the light. It is when they intentionally kill
righteousness and choose lawlessness instead that the daily is removed from
them. This happens on an individual basis, but it also happens nationally
when the character of the state has become generally lawless, as is the
United States at this time. This happened at the time of Jesus, and it is
happening in our own time now. There had never been any intercessory
offering made available to those who had sinned intentionally and knew what
they were doing when they broke the law. When a nation sins intentionally,
the die is cast for the destruction of that people, for intercession in
heaven ceases for them. The people of God no longer reach out to save them,
for they do not appreciate that kind of salvation. They have rejected every
effort that heaven and earth made in their behalf, and they are now left to
themselves.
Pilate knew very well he was intentionally crucifying an innocent man for
his own political advantage. That is why he washed his hands before carrying
out his dark deed to appease the Jews. The trial of Jesus was illegal and
held in the dark of night. The high priest feigned great religious offense
and tore his clothing, which was also illegal under the law. The nation
willingly turned from the light because they thought it best that one man
should perish, instead of the whole nation perishing. They did not want to
receive the message Jesus brought to them. They wanted to keep their
self-righteous purposes intact. This was their dark judgment. "It was Caiaphas who had given counsel to the Jews that it was
expedient that one man should die for the people." John 18:14. What
they were saying was, "It is better that this man perish, than for us to
feel guilty about ourselves because of what he is saying, and have our
followers converted over to him." They all knew that one man was not being
killed because he was actually guilty of something, but because it was
deemed expedient; so they made up many false reports about him so that the
governor would execute him. Jesus was simply an offense to their pride and
personal hopes for themselves.
These things were what occurred historically at the first coming of
Messiah, with the doing away of the "daily," and the setting up of the
abomination that makes everything desolate; and desolate was exactly what
everything became just a few years hence. The events leading up to the
crucifixion of Jesus, set the tone of the nation as one of rebellion, and
this rebellion is what precipitated the Roman decision to destroy the city.
"And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies,
then know that the desolation thereof is nigh." Luke 21:20. The
desolation comes when the man of sin rules. "Let no one
deceive you in any way; for that day will not come, unless the rebellion
comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of perdition,
who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of
worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself
to be God." 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4.
When a soul rejects the pure word of truth, he effectively sets himself
up against every god, and he sets himself in the temple of God (his own
soul), proclaiming himself to be God. When the leaders of this nation chose
to ignore the intercession offered for them, entreating them to abstain from
their evil course, they effectively set themselves up as God. They said
things like, "You are either 100% for us or 100% against us." And that soul
who thinks he is God will set out to punish those who are against him, and
to blaspheme the God of his enemy.
The natural man has invented the theory that this temple in which the
"abomination" will be "set up," is a man made temple in Jerusalem which will
be built someday, and a great Antichrist will set himself up in that place.
But the Scriptures are clear that "...the most High
dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet." Acts
7:48. How can there be a temple of God if God is not in there? Paul himself
said, "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God,
and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" 1 Corinthians 3:16. The
Antichrist is well defined in the Scriptures: "And every
spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of
God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it
should come; and even now already is it in the world." 1 John 4:3.
The second coming of Jesus Christ is when Jesus Christ appears fully in
the flesh of those who are his actual followers. Jesus Christ appears in
them. This is the second coming of Christ. When men deny Jesus Christ in the
flesh, and set themselves up in their soul temple instead of Jesus Christ,
they become Antichrist. Men become Antichrist because they
deny the divine Self of the Son of God Who is within them, the freedom to
follow the Voice of His heavenly Father. Instead, they set up, or give to,
their natural, human self, the freedom to follow the voice of its father,
the devil. This is how souls become Antichrist; this is how they become
"against Christ." Instead of Jesus Christ
being set up in their soul temple, it is Satan who rules there now through
his agent, the willful human self, and Satan is the great offender and
adversary against God and man in the soul temple he has been given
permission to inhabit. It is Antichrist who is the one now torturing the
world with his presence, but the world has consciously chosen this, and
loves to have it so, and this makes the world's judgment justified.
Clearly, the apostle Paul in 2 Thessalonians was alluding to the
condition of man that would bring on the appearing of Christ. The coming of
Christ was always associated with judgement and retribution. It was a day of
darkness and not light. It was a time when God would appear in flaming fire,
for Paul clearly stated: "And then shall that Wicked be
revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and
shall destroy with the brightness of his coming." 2 Thessalonians
2:8. This verse says that that "Wicked" (Lawless One) will be exposed and
worn out and "used up" by the Spirit of God's word that comes against him.
This coming of Christ is in the Spirit of what is true, and in righteous
judgment. This very testimony that you are now reading is that Spirit of
Christ Who comes to destroy the lie that is told. This is the very fire
prophesied. Paul was saying that the coming of Christ in judgment could not
occur until the temple in the heart of men was given over to lawlessness,
and then the Christ would come in judgment and use up the man of sin by
coming against him in judgment, speaking against his blasphemous activities.
This Scripture is fulfilled this day.
There are numerous events that are now coming together which prove all of
these things mentioned. The man of rebellion now sits in the temple of God
boasting himself, and spreading his power over the whole earth. This is the
nature of man, especially in America. There is a very current event which is
showing the wise that this time which was prophesied, has indeed come upon
the world. Yes, there are two events that reveal this time. Follow closely
and you will not miss them. This writer is not making things up, but there
are two very clear witnesses to the time in which we now live.
This "he" (the king of the north) has control of all of the money, the
treasures of gold and silver, and is over all of the precious things of
earth. It would not take much figuring to know what and who controls all of
the money in this present world. This Scripture clearly alludes that this
power is a very great financial powerhouse. No other power is as rich as the
one mentioned in this text.
It is specified that these events are clearly revealed in this "time of
the end." This event in Daniel, marks the beginning of the "time of trouble"
and the time when "Michael stands up," or "takes His stand" in judgment, and
when the Spirit of His mouth is seen and heard. "And at
that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the
children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never
was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy
people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the
book." Daniel 12:1. As I shall now precede to show, these verses
mentioned cover the period of time from 1967, till today. In the year 2007,
the 490-year prophecy will end, and that date will be the 40th year in time
that these verses cover. "Also I brought you up from the
land of Egypt (the worldly way), and led you forty years through the
wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite." Amos 2:10.
In 1967 the heavenly Father came into me and delivered me from the
kingdoms of this world and into the kingdom of His dear Son. He took me out
of "Egypt," which represents the carnal world. This year marked the
beginning of the end times, as we shall see from the definitive events which
began occurring at that time. In 1967 the king of the south (Nation of
Egypt) pushed against the king of the North (western influence and power).
This war began the context of this portion of Scripture in Daniel. In June
1967, during the Six-Day War, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) took East
Jerusalem, along with the rest of the West Bank area (and the Syrian Golan
Heights and the Egyptian-held Gaza Strip and Sinai peninunsula), which since
1949, had been under the control of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. For the
first time since antiquity, Jerusalem is now, in its entirety, under the
control of a Jewish state. For the first time ever, Christian and Muslim
holy places are thus also under the control of a Jewish state. One of the
conquering Israeli generals, Moshe Dayan, declared on June 7, 1967, that
"Israel will never relinquish control of Jerusalem." This was the beginning
of the time prophesied when "the times of the Gentiles" would "be
fulfilled." "And they (the Jews) shall fall by the edge
of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem
shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be
fulfilled." Luke 21:24. This is the time and event that marked the
beginning of the "time of the end."
One single event in history portrays these first verses quoted in Daniel
11:40-45. In the "Six-Day War" the Arab forces were routed and left in
complete disarray by the king of the north (the western powers), and Egypt
did not escape. The verse says that, "the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall
be following obediently along." Most recently this could be seen fulfilled,
when Libya gave up its historic opposition to the invading western powers
and went into cooperation with them. Ethiopia (Sudan) is now under great
pressure from the west to fall into line. The United Nations has been
greatly pressuring this region, once known as Ethiopia, to yield up its
sovereignty to the "world body" as other nations have.
There is one last part to this prophecy that is very definitive. It says
that "tidings out of the east and north shall trouble him." These tidings
that troubled the king of the north, were first experienced in 1990 when out
of the north east from Israel, the tidings were heard and trumpeted that
Iraq was preparing to invade Kuwait. This was too much for the king of the
north. Iraq has been the arch enemy of Israel for decades, and Israel had a
special alliance with the western powers. The Arab states had already been
largely overthrown, and the rulers in those places are yielded to the
western powers. Iraq was one of the last holdouts, along with Iran.
The chapter ends here with this event: "And he shall plant his tents in
between the seas in the glorious holy mountain." The word "seas" here can be
translated "rivers." "He shall plant his tents between the rivers." This is
exactly what happened. The power of the king of the north literally went
into Iraq and planted its tents between the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers.
This northern kingdom had already gone out with great fury and overthrown
many of the nations, and now it plants its tents right between the rivers.
The prophecy states that at the time of this invasion, Michael would take a
stand, and this is exactly what happened. This was the very time that the
God of heaven moved upon me to stand up, and I was given the words to say to
this offensive generation in the Spirit and the name of Michael, His
Son.
The wicked are offended in me, as they have been offended in every man
sent from God from the beginning of time. Prophets were killed, the Christ
was killed, the disciples of Christ, save one, were all killed. Men are
offended when one comes to them and says, "God told me to tell you this."
They hate the Voice of God to the soul. They think, "Who does this man think
he is, anyway?" But now, this Voice will be heard in all of those in whom
Christ appears. His Voice will trumpet from every quarter, and not just from
my writing table. Jesus Christ will appear IN ALL of those who love to have
Him appear in them, and the kingdom of lawlessness will be ground to powder,
for it is written: "And in the days of these kings shall
the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the
kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and
consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as you
saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it
broke in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the
great God has made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and
the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure." Daniel
2:44-45.
Iraq learned well the lesson, "When you see Jerusalem compassed by
armies, know that the desolation is nigh." When Iraq was compassed by the
armies of this king of the north, desolation came. Her holy places were
desecrated, and her citizens tortured and persecuted. The whole world is now
encompassed by armies, and the tents of this power are planted directly in
the midst of the seas. Spiritually this describes the midst of the
peoples.