DANIEL
Chapter 11
(And in the first year of Darius the Mede, I took
my stand to support and protect him.)
"Now then, I tell you the truth: Three more kings
will appear in Persia, and then a fourth, who will be far richer than all the others.
When he has gained power by his wealth, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom
of Greece. Then a mighty king will appear, who will rule with great power and do
as he pleases. After he has appeared, his empire will be broken up and parceled
out toward the four winds of heaven. It will not go to his descendants, nor will
it have the power he exercised, because his empire will be uprooted and given to
others.
"The king of the South will become strong, but one
of his commanders will become even stronger than he and will rule his own kingdom
with great power.
 After
some years, they will become allies. The daughter of the king of the South will
go to the king of the North to make an alliance, but she will not retain her power,
and he and his power will not last. In those days she will be handed over, together
with her royal escort and her father and the one who supported her.
"One from her family line will arise to take her
place. He will attack the forces of the king of the North and enter his fortress;
he will fight against them and be victorious. He will also seize their elohim, their
metal images and their valuable articles of silver and gold and carry them off to
Egypt. For some years he will leave the king of the North alone. Then the king of
the North will invade the realm of the king of the South but will retreat to his
own country. His sons will prepare for war and assemble a great army, which will
sweep on like an irresistible flood and carry the battle as far as his fortress.
"Then the king of the South will march out in a
rage and fight against the king of the North, who will raise a large army, but it
will be defeated.
 When
the army is carried off, the king of the South will be filled with pride and will
slaughter many thousands, yet he will not remain triumphant. For the king of the
North will muster another army, larger than the first; and after several years,
he will advance with a huge army fully equipped.
"In those times, many will rise against the king
of the South. The violent men among your own people will rebel in fulfillment of
the vision, but without success. Then the king of the North will come and build
up siege ramps and will capture a fortified city. The forces of the South will be
powerless to resist; even their best troops will not have the strength to stand.
The invader will do as he pleases; no one will be able to stand against him. He
will establish himself in the Beautiful Land and will have the power to destroy
it. He will determine to come with the might of his entire kingdom and will make
an alliance with the king of the South. And he will give him a daughter in marriage
in order to overthrow the kingdom, but his plans will not succeed or help him.
Then he will turn his attention to the coastlands
and will take many of them, but a commander will put an end to his insolence and
will turn his insolence back upon him. After this, he will turn back toward the
fortresses of his own country but will stumble and fall, to be seen no more.
"His successor will send out a tax collector to
maintain the royal splendor. In a few years, however he will be destroyed, yet not
in anger or in battle.
"He will be succeeded by a contemptible person who
has not been given the honor of royalty. He will invade the kingdom when its people
feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue. Then an overwhelming army will
be swept away before him; both it and a prince of the covenant will be destroyed.
After coming to an agreement with him, he will act deceitfully, and with only a
few people he will rise to power. When the richest provinces feel secure, he will
invade them and will achieve what neither his fathers nor his forefathers did. He
will distribute plunder, loot and wealth among his followers. He will plot the overthrow
of fortresses--but only for a time.
"With a large army he will stir up his strength
and courage against the king of the South. The king of the South will wage war with
a large and very powerful army, but he will not be able to stand because of the
plots devised against him. Those who eat from the king's provisions will try to
destroy him; his army will be swept away, and many will fall in battle.
The two kings, with their hearts bent on evil, will
sit at the same table and lie to each other, but to no avail, because an end will
still come at the appointed time. The king of the North will return to his own country
with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant. He will
take action against it and then return to his own country.
"At the appointed time he will invade the South
 again,
but this time the outcome will be different from what it was before. Ships of the
western coastlands will oppose him, and he will lose heart. Then he will turn back
and vent his fury against the holy covenant. He will return and show favor to those
who forsake the holy covenant.
"His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the
temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the
abomination that causes desolation. With flattery he will corrupt those who have
violated the covenant, but the people who know their Elohim will firmly resist him.
"Those who are wise will instruct many, though for
a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered. When they
fail, they will receive a little help, and any who are not sincere will join them.
Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless
until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time.
"The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and
magnify himself above every elohim and will say unheard-of things against the Elohim
of elohim. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what
has been determined must take place. He will show no regard for the elohim of his
fathers or for the one desired by women, nor will he regard any elohim, but will
exalt himself above them all.
Instead of them, he will honor an elohim of fortresses;
an elohim unknown to his fathers he will honor with gold and silver, with precious
stones and costly gifts. He will attack the mightiest fortresses with the help of
a foreign elohim and will greatly honor those who acknowledge him. He will make
them rulers over many people and will distribute the land at a price.
"At the time of the end the king of the South will
engage him in battle, and the king of the North will storm out against him with
chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade many countries and
sweep through them like a flood. He will also invade the Beautiful Land. Many countries
will fall, but Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon will be delivered from his hand.
He will extend his power over many countries; Egypt will not escape. He will gain
control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, with the
Libyans and Nubians in submission.
But reports from the east and the north will alarm
him, and he will set out in a great rage to destroy and annihilate many. He will
pitch his royal tents between the seas at the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he will
come to his end, and no one will help him.
Chapter 12
At that time Michael, the great prince who protects
your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened
from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people--everyone
whose name is found written in the book--will be delivered.
"Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will
awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. Those
who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many
to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.
"But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of
the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge."
Then I, Daniel, looked, and there before me stood
two others, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank. One of them
said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, "How long
will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?"
The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters
of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard
him swear by him who lives forever, saying, "It will be for a time, times and half
a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things
will be completed."
I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked,
"My master, what will the outcome of all this be?"
He replied, "Go your way, Daniel, because the words
are closed up and sealed until the time of the end.
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We are all made
in Yahweh's image, we are each special in our own way. How do you think
Daniel felt being given these visions?
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Many will be purified, made spotless and refined,
but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but
those who are wise will understand.
"From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished
and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.
Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days.
"As for you, go your way till the end. You will
rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance."
* * * * * * * * * * *
This concludes the Book of Daniel and we pray you
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