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Here at EPMMI, you have brethren truly interested in nothing but your salvation and that of every member of your
family and loved ones. We are working and studying relentlessly to bring to you the urgent bodies of Truth, as they
are in Yahuwshuwah Ha Mashiach, which you and your loved ones and congregations need to escape the storm about to
overtake the world, the type of which the World has never before witnessed.
In the time of the end every divine institution is to be restored.
Beloved, have you noticed our new Masthead? The Bible is true and you better believe. Our
Earth is FLAT , WITH A DOMED ROOF OVER IT! radially bordered by a massive icy wall
called Antarctica. OUR EARTH IMMOVABLE!!! ABSOLUTELY NOT SPHERICAL! They have fed us
innumerable 'photos' of Earth from space! Not a single one of them is a photo! They are all computer-generated
graphic images! CGIs! Copernican Theory has been fact with zero proof for millennia! The conspiracy to deceive us
and take away Yahuwah from HIS Earth has failed. Big-bang Theory! Darwinian Theory! Copernican
Theory! - All Theories!! Non-facts and non-truths, have reigned over us for so long we came to believe
that our Earth is a globe! Our Earth is not a globe. Dubious claims of landing on the moon
have been proven to be hoaxes and lies. As NASA today is expressing the impossibility of man going to the moon as
they have no answer yet of how to overcome the Van Allen Radiation Belt right above our stratosphere! Limitless
Deception!
On every page of this Website, is one of the Major Teachings and Principles you need to study, internalize and
practice, before the End comes. We stand ready to help you in any way necessary for your spiritual maturity and
readiness for the Kingdom. Remain Blessed as you study.
(Last modified: 1 year ago)
Thus Says YAHUWAH
"This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones:
to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the
kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of
men".
Dani'El Chapters 10 & 11 Earth's History and Future Foretold In Literal Language
Dani'El Encounters Yahuwshuwah
Dani'El Encounters Yahuwshuwah
Dani'El chapter 10
Dani'El Encounters Yahuwshuwah Our Savior
In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed unto Dani'El, whose name was called
Belteshazzar; and the thing was true, but the time appointed was long: and he understood the thing,
and had understanding of the vision.
.
Cyrus the Great King of Persia
This verse introduces us to the last of the recorded visions of the prophet Dani'El, the instruction
imparted to him at this time being continued through chapters 11 and 12, to the close of the book.
The third year of Cyrus was 534 B.C. Six years had consequently elapsed since Dani'El's vision of
the four beasts in the first year of Belshazzar, 540 B.C.; four years since the vision of the ram,
he-goat, little horn, and 2300 days of chapter 8, in the third year of Belshazzar, 538 B.C.; and
four years since the instruction given to Dani'El respecting the seventy weeks, in the first year of
Darius, 538 B.C., as recorded in chapter 9. On the overthrow of the kingdom of Babylon by the Medes
and Persians, 538B.C., Darius, through the courtesy of his nephew, Cyrus, was permitted to occupy
the throne. This he did till the time of his death, about two years after. About this time,
Cambyses, king of Persia, father of Cyrus, having also died, Cyrus became sole monarch of the second
universal empire of prophecy, 538B.C. This being reckoned as his first year, his third year, in
which this vision was given to Dani'El, would be dated 534 B.C. The death of Dani'El is supposed to
have occurred soon after this, he being at this time, according to some, not less than ninety-one
years of age.
Prophet Dani'El
In those days I Dani'El was mourning three full weeks (of days). I ate no pleasant bread, neither
came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were
fulfilled.
For what purpose did this aged servant of Elohiym thus humble himself and afflict his soul?
Evidently for the purpose of understanding more fully the divine purpose concerning events that were
to befall the church of Elohiym in coming time; for the divine messenger sent to instruct him says,
"From the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand," etc. Verse
12. There was, then, still something which Dani'El did not understand, but in reference
to which he earnestly desired light. What was it? It was undoubtedly some part of his last preceding
vision; namely, the vision of chapter 9, and through that of the vision of chapter 8, of which
chapter 9 was but a further explanation. And as the result of his supplication, he now receives more
minute information respecting the events included in the great outlines of his former visions.
This mourning of the prophet is supposed to have been accompanied with fasting; not an absolute
abstinence from food, but a use of only the plainest and most simple articles of diet. He ate no
pleasant bread, no delicacies or dainties; he used no flesh nor wine; and he did not anoint his
head, which was with the Jews an outward sign of fasting. How long he would have continued this fast
had he not received the answer to his prayer, we know not; but his course in continuing it for three
full weeks shows that, being assured his request was lawful, he was not a person to cease his
supplications till his petition was granted.
And in the four and twentieth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, which
is Hiddekel; Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man
clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz: His body also was like the
beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire and his arms
and his feet like in color to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a
multitude. And I Dani'El alone saw the vision: for the men that were with me saw not the
vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves. Therefore I was
left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was
turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength. Yet heard I the voice of his words: and
when I heard the voice of his words, then was I in a deep sleep on my face, and my face toward the
ground."
By the River Hiddekel the Syriac understands the Euphrates; the Vulgate, Greek, and Arabic, the
Tigris; the prophet had this vision at the place where these rivers unite, as they are not far from
the Persian Gulf.
A most majestic personage visited Dani'El on this occasion. The description of him is almost
parallel to that given of Messiah in the Revelation, chapter 1:14-16; and the effect of his presence
was about such as was experienced by Paul and his companions when the Lord (Master) met them on
their way to Damascus. Acts.9:1-7. The inquiry then arises, Of what Angel can such a description be
truthfully given? There are some points of identity between this and other passages which plainly
show that this was the Angel Gabriel. In chapter 8:16 Gabriel is introduced by name. His interview
with Dani'El at that time produced exactly the same effect upon the prophet as that described in the
passage before us. At that time Gabriel was commanded to make Dani'El understand the vision, and he
himself promised to make him know what should be in the last end of the indignation. Having given
Dani'El all the instruction he was able to bear on that occasion, he subsequently resumed his work,
and explained another great point in the vision, as recorded in chapter 9:20-27. Yet we learn from
chapter 10 that there were some points still unexplained to the prophet; and he set his heart again,
with fasting and supplication, to understand the matter.
A personage now appears whose presence has the same effect upon Dani'El as that produced by the
presence of Gabriel at the first; and he tells Dani'El (verse 14), "Now I am come
to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days," the very
information Gabriel had promised to give, as recorded in chapter 8:19. But one conclusion can be
drawn from these facts. Dani'El was seeking further light on the very vision which Gabriel had been
commanded to make him understand. Once, already, he had made a special visit to Dani'El to give him
additional information when he sought it with prayer and fasting. Now, when he is prepared for
further instruction, and again seeks it in the same manner in reference to the same subject, can it
for a moment be supposed that Gabriel disregarded his instruction, lost sight of his mission, and
caused another Angel to undertake the completion of his unfinished work? And the language of verse
14 clearly identifies the speaker with the one, who, in the vision of chapter 8, promised to do that
work.
And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands. And he
said unto me, O Dani'El, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and
stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood
trembling. Then said he unto me, Fear not, Dani'El: for from the first day that thou didst set thine
heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy Elohiym, thy words were heard, and I am come
for thy words.
.
Dani'El having fallen into a swoon(suspended animation or even faint but semi-conscious) at the
majestic appearance of Gabriel (for so the expression "deep sleep" of verse 9 is generally
understood), the Angel approaches, and lays his hand upon him to give him assurance and confidence
to stand in his presence. He tells Dani'El that he is a man greatly beloved. Wonderful declaration!
a member of the human family, one of the same race with us, loved, not merely in the general sense
in which Elohiym loved the whole world when he gave his Son to die for them, but loved as an
individual, and that greatly! Well might the prophet receive confidence from such a declaration as
that, to stand even in the presence of Gabriel. He tells him, moreover, that he is come for the
purpose of an interview with him, and he wishes him to bring his mind into a proper state to
understand his words. Being thus addressed, the holy and beloved prophet, assured, but yet
trembling, stood before the heavenly Angel.
"Fear not, Dani'El," continues Gabriel. He had no occasion to fear before one, even though a divine
being, who had been sent to him because he was greatly beloved, and in answer to his earnest prayer.
Nor ought the people of Elohiym of any age to entertain a servile fear of any of these agents who
are sent forth to minister to their salvation. There is, however, a disposition manifested among far
too many to allow their minds to conceive of Yahuwshuwah and his Angels as only stern ministers of
justice, inflicters of vengeance and retribution, rather than as beings who are earnestly working
for our salvation on account of the pity and love with which they regard us. The presence of an
Angel, should he appear bodily before them, would strike them with terror; and the thought that
Messiah is soon to appear, and they are to be taken into his presence, distresses and alarms them.
We recommend to such more amiable views of the relation which the Natsarim or Natsarene sustains to
Messiah, the head of the church, and a little more of that perfect love which casts out all our
fear.
On verse 12, Bagster has the following pointed note:
"Dani'El, as Bishop Newton observes, was now very far advanced in years; for the
third year of Cyrus was the seventy-third of his captivity; and being a youth when
carried captive, he cannot be supposed to have been less than ninety. Old
as he was, 'he set his heart to understand' the former revelations which had been made to him, and
particularly the vision of the ram and he-goat; and for this purpose he prayed and fasted three
weeks. His fasting and prayers had the desired effect, for an Angel was sent to unfold to him those
mysteries; and whoever would excel in divine knowledge must imitate Dani'El, and habituate himself
to study, temperance, and devotion.
But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of
the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.
How often the prayers of Elohiym's people are heard, while as yet there is no apparent answer. It
was even so in this case with Dani'El. The Angel tells him that from the first day he set his heart
to understand, his words were heard. Yet Dani'El continued to afflict his soul with fasting, and
to wrestle with Elohiym for three full weeks, all unaware that any respect was yet paid to his
petition. But why was the delay? The king of Persia withstood the Angel. The answer to
Dani'El's prayer involved some action on the part of that king. This action he must be influenced to
perform. It doubtless pertained to the work which he was to do, and had already begun to do, in
behalf of the temple at Yerushalayim and the Jews, his decree for the building of that temple being
the first of the series which finally constituted that notable commandment to restore and build
Yerushalayim, at the going forth of which the great prophetic period of 2300 days was to begin. And
the Angel is dispatched to influence him to go forward in accordance with the divine will.
Ah, how little do we realize what is going on in the unseen world in relation to human affairs!
Here, as it were, the curtain is for a moment lifted, and we catch a glimpse of the movements
within. Dani'El prays. The Creator of the universe hears. The command is issued to Gabriel to go to
his relief. But the king of Persia must act before Dani'El's prayer is answered; and the Angel
hastens to the Persian king. Satan no doubt musters his forces to oppose. They meet in the
royal palace of Persia. All the motives of selfish interest and worldly policy which Satan can play
upon, he doubtless uses to the best advantage to influence the king against compliance with
Elohiym's will, while Gabriel brings to bear his influence in the other direction. The king
struggles between conflicting emotions. He hesitates; he delays. Day after day passes away; yet
Dani'El prays on. The king still refuses to yield to the influence of the Angel; three weeks
expire, and lo! One mightier than Gabriel takes his place in the palace of the king, and
Gabriel appears to Dani'El to acquaint him with the progress of events. From the first, said he,
your prayer was heard; but during these three weeks which you have devoted to prayer and fasting,
the king of Persia has resisted my influence and prevented my coming.
Such was the effect of prayer. And Elohiym has erected no barriers between himself and his
people since Dani'El's time. It is still their privilege to offer up prayer as fervent and
effectual as his, and, like Jacob, to have power with Elohiym, and to prevail.
Who was Michael, who here came to Gabriel's assistance? The term signifies, "He who is like
Elohiym;" and the Scriptures clearly show that Messiah is the one who bears this name. Jude (verse
9) declares that Michael is the archAngel. ArchAngel signifies "head or chief
Angel;" and Gabriel, in our text, calls him one, or, as the margin reads, the first, of
the chief princes. There can be but one archAngel; and hence it is
manifestly improper to use the word, as some do, in the plural.
The Scriptures never so use it. Paul, in 1Thess.4:16, states that when the Master
appears the second time to raise the dead, the voice of the archAngel is heard. Whose voice is heard
when the dead are raised? The voice of the Son of Elohiym. John 5:28. Putting these
scriptures together, they prove:,
(1) that the dead are called from their graves by the voice of the Son of Elohiym;
(2) that the voice which is then heard is the voice of the archAngel, proving that the archAngel is
called Michael;
from which it follows that Michael is the Son of Elohiym. In the last verse of Dani'El 10, he is
called "your prince," and in the first of chapter 12, "the great prince which standeth for the
children of thy people," expressions which can appropriately be applied to the Messiah, but to no
other being.
Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the
vision is for many days.
The expression, "yet the vision is for many days," reaching far into the future, and embracing what
should befall the people of Elohiym even in the latter days, shows conclusively that the days given
in that vision, namely the 2300, cannot mean literal days, but must be days of years.
And when he had spoken such words unto me, I set my face toward the ground, and I became dumb. And,
behold, one like the similitude of the sons of men touched my lips; then I opened my mouth, and
spake, and said unto him that stood before me, O my master, by the vision my sorrows are turned upon
me, and I have retained no strength. For how can the servant of this my master talk with this my
master? for as for me, straightway there remaineth no strength in me, neither is there any breath
left in me."
One of the most marked characteristics manifested by Dani'El was the tender solicitude he felt for
his people. Having come now clearly to comprehend that the vision portended long ages of oppression
and suffering for the church, he was so affected by the view that his strength departed from him,
his breath ceased, and the power of speech was gone. The vision of verse 16 doubtless refers to the
former vision of chapter 8.
Then there came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me. And
said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he
had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my master speak; for thou hast strengthened
me. Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight 'with' the
prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come. But I will show
thee that which is noted in the Scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth
with me in these things, but Michael your prince." VERSE 18-21.
The prophet is at length strengthened to hear in full the communication which the Angel has to make.
And Gabriel says, "Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee?" That is, do you now know to what end I
have come? Do you understand my purpose so that you will no more fear? He then announced his
intention to return, as soon as his communication was complete, to fight 'with' the king of Persia.
The word 'with' is, in the Septuagint, 'meta', and signifies, not 'against', but 'in common with',
'alongside of'; that is, the Angel of Elohiym would stand on the side of the
Persian kingdom so long as it was in the providence of Elohiym that that kingdom should
continue. "But when I am gone forth," continues Gabriel, "lo, the prince of Grecia shall
come." That is, when he withdraws his support from that kingdom, and the providence of Elohiym
operates in behalf of another kingdom, the prince of Grecia shall come, and the Persian monarchy be
overthrown.
Gabriel then announced that none, Elohiym of course excepted, had an understanding with him in the
matters he was about to communicate except Michael the prince. And after he had made them known to
Dani'El, then there would be four beings in the universe with whom rested a knowledge of these
important truths, Dani'El, Gabriel, Messiah, and Elohiym. Four links in this ascending chain of
witnesses, the first, Dani'El, a member of the human family; the last, YAHUWAH, the Elohiym of all!
The rest of Dani'El's Interview with the Angel Gabriel continues in Chapter
11. And just as everything so far in Chapter 10 were obviously very
literal, the interview continues in Chapter 11 in very literal
language. Let us all partake of this awesome dialog between the Prophet Dani'El and the
Angel Gabriel, in the Next Section and the rest of the Sections on this page.
As I in the first year of Darius the Mede, even I, stood to confirm and to strengthen him. And
now will I show thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the
fourth shall be far richer than they all: and by his strength through his riches he shall stir
up all against the realm of Grecia.
Artaxerxes Longimanus King of Persia
We now enter upon a prophecy of future events, clothed not in figures and symbols, as in the
visions of chapters 2, 7, 8 and 9, but given mostly in plain language. Many of the signal events
of the world's history, from the days of Dani'El to the end of the world, are here brought to
view. The Angel, after stating that he stood, in the first year of Darius, to confirm and
strengthen him, turns his attention to the future. Three kings shall yet stand up in Persia. To
stand up means to reign; three kings were to reign in Persia, referring, doubtless, to the
immediate successors of Cyrus.
These were:,
Cambyses, son of Cyrus;
Smerdis, an imposter;
Darius Hystaspes.
The fourth shall be far richer than they all. The fourth king from Cyrus was Xerxes, more famous for his riches than his generalship, and
conspicuous in history for the magnificent campaign he organized against Grecia, and his
utter failure in that enterprise.
He was to stir up all against the realm of Grecia. Never before had there been such a levy of
men for warlike purposes; never has there been since. His army, according to Herodotus,
who lived in that age, consisted of five million two hundred and eighty-three thousand two
hundred and twenty men (5,283,220). And not content with stirring up the East
alone, he enlisted the Carthaginians of the West in his service, who took the field with an
additional army of three hundred thousand men, raising his entire force to the almost fabulous
number of over five million and a half. As Xerxes looked over that vast concourse, he is said to
have wept at the thought that in a hundred years from that time not one of all those men would
be left alive.
ALEXANDER THE GREAT - THE RISE AND FALL OF HIS EMPIRE
And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his
will. And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the
four winds of heaven; and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he ruled:
for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those."
Alexander the Great
The facts stated in these verses plainly point to Alexander, and the division of his empire.
(See on chapter 8:8.) Xerxes was the last Persian king who invaded Grecia; and the prophecy
passes over the nine successors of Xerxes in the Persian empire, and next introduces Alexander
the Great. Having overthrown the Persian empire, Alexander "became absolute lord of that empire,
in the utmost extent in which it was ever possessed by any of the Persian kings." Prideaux,
Vol.I, p.477.
His dominion was great, including "the greater portion of the then known habitable world;" and
he did according to his will. His will led him, in 323 B.C., into a drunken debauch, as the
result of which he died as the fool dieth; and his vainglorious and ambitious projects went into
sudden, total, and everlasting eclipse.
The kingdom was divided, but not for his posterity; it was plucked up for others besides those.
Within a few years after his death, all his posterity had fallen victims to the jealousy and
ambition of his leading generals. Not one of the race of Alexander was left to breathe upon the
earth. So short is the transit from the highest pinnacle of earthly glory to the lowest depths
of oblivion and death. The kingdom was rent into four divisions, and taken possession of by
Alexander's four ablest, or perhaps most ambitious and unprincipled generals,
Cassander, Lysimachus, Seleucus and Ptolemy.
And the king of the south shall be strong, and one of his princes; and he shall be strong above
him, and have dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion."
The king of the north and the king of the south are many times referred to in the
remaining portion of this chapter. It therefore becomes essential to an understanding of the
prophecy clearly to identify these powers. When Alexander's empire was divided, the different
portions lay toward the four winds of heaven, west, north, east, and south; these divisions of
course to be reckoned from the standpoint of Palestine, the native land of the prophet. That
division of the empire lying west of Palestine would thus constitute the kingdom of the west;
that lying north, the kingdom of the north; that lying east, the kingdom of the east; and that
lying south the kingdom of the south. The divisions of Alexander's kingdom with respect to
Palestine were situated as follows:
Cassander had Greece and the adjacent countries, which lay to the west;
Lysimachus had Thrace, which then included Asia Minor, and the countries lying on the
Hellespont and Bosphorus, which lay to the north of Palestine;
Seleucus had Syria and Babylon, which lay principally to the east; and
Ptolemy had Egypt and the neighboring countries, which lay to the south.
During the wars and revolutions which for long ages succeeded, these geographical boundaries
were frequently changed or obliterated; old ones were wiped out, and new ones instituted. But
whatever changes occurred, these first divisions of the empire must determine the names which
these portions of territory should ever afterward bear, or we have no standard by which to test
the application of the prophecy: that is, whatever power at any time should occupy the territory
which at first constituted the kingdom of the north, that power, so long as it occupied that
territory, would be the king of the north; and whatever power should occupy that which at first
constituted the kingdom of the south, that power would so long be the king of the south. We
speak of only these two, because they are the only ones afterward spoken of in the prophecy, and
because, in fact, almost the whole of Alexander's empire finally resolved itself into these two
divisions.
Cassander was very soon conquered by Lysimachus, and his kingdom, Greece and Macedon, annexed to
Thrace. And Lysimachus was in turn conquered by Seleucus, and Macedon and Thrace annexed to
Syria.
The king of the south, Egypt, shall be strong. Ptolemy annexed Cyprus, Phoenicia, Caria, Cyrene,
and many islands and cities to Egypt. Thus was his kingdom made strong. But another of
Alexander's princes is introduced in the expression, "one of his princes." The Septuagint
translates the verse thus: "And the king of the south shall be strong, and one of his
[Alexander's] princes shall be strong above him (king of the south)." This
must refer to Seleucus, who, as already stated, having annexed Macedon and Thrace to Syria,
thus became possessor of three parts out of four of Alexander's dominion, and established a
more powerful kingdom than that of Egypt.
And in the end of years they shall join themselves together; for the king's daughter of the
south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement: but she shall not retain the
power of the arm; neither shall he stand, nor his arm; but she shall be given up, and they that
brought her, and he that begat her, and he that strengthened her in these times."
There were frequent wars between the kings of Egypt and Syria. Especially was this the case with
Ptolemy Philadelphus, the second king of Egypt, and Antiochus Theos, third king of Syria. They
at length agreed to make peace upon condition that Antiochus Theos should put away his former
wife, Laodice, and her two sons, and should marry Berenice, the daughter of Ptolemy
Philadelphus. Ptolemy accordingly brought his daughter to Antiochus, bestowing with her an
immense dowry.
"But she shall not retain the power of the arm;" that is, her interest and power with Antiochus.
And so it proved; for some time shortly after, in a fit of love, Antiochus brought back his
former wife, Laodice, and her children, to court again. Then says the prophecy, "Neither shall
he [Antiochus] stand, nor his arm," or seed. Laodice, being restored to favor and power, feared
lest, in the fickleness of his temper, Antiochus should again disgrace her, and recall Berenice;
and conceiving that nothing short of his death would be an effectual safeguard against such a
contingency, she caused him to be poisoned shortly after. Neither did his seed by Berenice
succeed him in the kingdom; for Laodice so managed affairs as to secure the throne for her
eldest son, Seleucus Callinicus.
"But she {Berenice] shall be given up." Laodice, not content with poisoning her husband,
Antiochus, caused Berenice to be murdered. "And they that brought her." Her Egyptian women and
attendants, in endeavoring to defend her, many of them were slain with her.
"And he that begat her," "whom she brought forth;" that is, her son, was murdered at the same
time by order of Laodice. "And he that strengthened her in these times;" her husband Antiochus,
and those who took her part and defended her were wiped out. But such wickedness could not long
remain unpunished, as the prophecy further predicts, and further history proves.
But out of a branch of her roots shall one stand up in his estate, which shall come with an
army, and shall enter into the fortress of the king of the north, and shall deal against them,
and shall prevail: And shall also carry captives into Egypt their gods, with their princes, and
with their precious vessels of silver and of gold; and he shall continue more years than the
king of the north. So the king of the south shall come into his kingdom, and shall return into
his own land.
Pharaoh of Egypt
This branch out of the same root with Berenice was her brother, Ptolemy Euergetes. He had no
sooner succeeded his father, Ptolemy Philadelphus, in the kingdom of Egypt, than, burning to
avenge the death of his sister, Berenice, he raised an immense army, and invaded the territory
of the king of the north, that is, of Seleucus Callinicus, who, with his mother, Laodice,
reigned in Syria. And he prevailed against them, even to the conquering of Syria, Cilicia, the
upper parts beyond the Euphrates, and almost all Asia. But hearing that a sedition was raised in
Egypt requiring his return home, he plundered the kingdom of Seleucus, took forty thousand
talents of silver and precious vessels, and two thousand five hundred images of the gods. Among
these were the images which Cambyses had formerly taken from Egypt and carried into Persia. The
Egyptians, being wholly given to idolatry, bestowed upon Ptolemy the title of Euergetes, or the
Benefactor, as a compliment for his having thus, after many years, restored their captive gods.
Ptolemy made himself master of all the country from Mount Taurus as far as to India, without war
or battle; but he ascribes it by mistake to the father instead of the son. If Ptolemy had not
been recalled into Egypt by a domestic sedition, he would have possessed the whole kingdom of
Seleucus. The king of the south thus came into the dominion of the king of the north, and
returned to his own land, as the prophet had foretold. And he also continued more years than the
king of the north; for Seleucus Callinicus died in exile, of a fall from his horse; and Ptolemy
Euergetes survived him for four or five years.
But his sons shall be stirred up, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces: and one shall
certainly come, and overflow, and pass through: then shall he return, and be stirred up, even to
his fortress.
The first part of this verse speaks of sons, in the plural; the last part, of one, in the
singular. The sons of Seleucus Callinicus were Seleucus Ceraunus and Antiochus Magnus. These
both entered with zeal upon the work of vindicating and avenging the cause of their father and
their country. The elder of these, Seleucus, first took the throne. He assembled a great
multitude to recover his father's dominions; but being a weak and pusillanimous prince, both in
body and estate, destitute of money, and unable to keep his army in obedience, he was poisoned
by two of his generals after an inglorious reign of two or three years. His more capable
brother, Antiochus Magnus, was thereupon proclaimed king, who, taking charge of the army, retook
Seleucia and recovered Syria, making himself master of some places by treaty, and of others by
force of arms. A truce followed, wherein both sides treated for peace, yet prepared for war;
after which Antiochus returned and overcame in battle Nicolas, the Egyptian general, and had
thoughts of invading Egypt itself. Here is the "one" who should certainly overflow and pass
through.
And the king of the south shall be moved with choler, and shall come forth and fight with him,
even with the king of the north: and he shall set forth a great multitude; but the multitude
shall be given into his hand.
Ptolemy Philopater succeeded his father, Euergetes, in the kingdom of Egypt, being advanced to
the crown not long after Antiochus Magnus had succeeded his brother in the government of Syria.
He was a most luxurious and vicious prince, but was at length aroused at the prospect of an
invasion of Egypt by Antiochus. He was indeed "moved with choler" for the losses he had
sustained, and the danger which threatened him; and he came forth out of Egypt with a numerous
army to check the progress of the Syrian king. The king of the north was also to set forth a
great multitude. The army of Antiochus, according to Polybius amounted on this occasion to
sixty-two thousand foot soldiers, six thousand horsemen, and one hundred and two elephants. In
the battle, Antiochus was defeated, and his army, according to prophecy, was given into the
hands of the king of the south. Ten thousand foot soldiers and three thousand horsemen were
slain, and over four thousand men were taken prisoners; while of Ptolemy's army there were slain
only seven hundred horsemen, and about twice that number of infantry.
And when he hath taken away the multitude, his heart shall be lifted up; and he shall cast down
many ten thousands; but he shall not be strengthened by it.
Ptolemy lacked the prudence to make a good use of his victory. Had he followed up his success,
he would probably have become master of the whole kingdom of Antiochus; but content with making
only a few menaces and a few threats, he made peace that he might be able to give himself up to
the uninterrupted and uncontrolled indulgence of his brutish passions. Thus, having conquered
his enemies, he was overcome by his vices, and, forgetful of the great name which he might have
established, he spent his time in feasting and lewdness. His heart was lifted up by his success,
but he was far from being strengthened by it; for the inglorious use he made of it caused his
own subjects to rebel against him.
But the lifting up of his heart was more especially manifested in his transactions with the
Jews. Coming to Yerushalayim, he there offered sacrifices, and was very desirous of entering
into the most holy place of the temple, contrary to the law and religion of that place; but
being restrained, though with great difficulty, he left the place burning with anger against the
whole nation of the Jews, and immediately commenced against them a terrible and relentless
persecution. In Alexandria, where the Jews had resided since the days of Alexander, and enjoyed
the privileges of the most favored citizens, forty thousand Jews, according to Eusebius, sixty
thousand Jews, according to Jerome, were slain in this persecution. The rebellion of the
Egyptians, and the massacre of the Jews, certainly were not calculated to strengthen him in his
kingdom, but were sufficient rather almost totally to ruin it.
For the king of the north shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former,
and shall certainly come after certain years with a great army and much riches.
The events predicted in this verse were to occur "after certain years." The peace concluded
between Ptolemy Philopater and Antiochus lasted fourteen years. Meanwhile Ptolemy died from
intemperance and debauchery, and was succeeded by his son, Ptolemy Epiphanes, a child then four
or five years old. Antiochus, during the same time, having suppressed rebellion in his kingdom,
and reduced and settled the eastern parts in their obedience, was at leisure for any enterprise
when young Epiphanes came to the throne of Egypt; and thinking this too good an opportunity for
enlarging his dominion to be let slip, he raised an immense army "greater than the former" (for
he had collected many forces and acquired great riches in his eastern expedition), and set out
against Egypt, expecting to have an easy victory over the infant king. How he succeeded we shall
presently see; for here new complications enter into the affairs of these kingdoms, and new
actors are introduced upon the stage of history.
Rise & Fall of The Roman Empire - History's Greatest!
THE RISE OF ROME, ONE OF HISTORY'S MIGHTIEST NATIONS
And in those times there shall many stand up against the king of the south: also the robbers of
thy people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision; but they shall fall.
Ancient Roman Empire
Antiochus was not the only one who rose up against the infant Ptolemy. Agathocles, his prime
minister, having possession of the king's person, and conducting the affairs of the kingdom in
his stead, was so dissolute and proud in the exercise of his power that the provinces which
before were subject to Egypt rebelled; Egypt itself was disturbed by seditions; and the
Alexandrians, rising up against Agathocles, caused him, his sister, his mother, and their
associates, to be put to death. At the same time, Philip, king of Macedon, entered into a league
with Antiochus to divide the dominions of Ptolemy between them, each proposing to take the parts
which lay nearest and most convenient to him. Here was a rising up against the king of the south
sufficient to fulfill the prophecy, and the very events, beyond doubt, which the prophecy
intended.
A new power is now introduced, "the robbers of thy people;" literally, says Bishop Newton, "the
breakers of thy people." Far away on the banks of the Tiber, a kingdom had been nourishing
itself with ambitious projects and dark designs. Small and weak at first, it grew with marvelous
rapidity in strength and vigor, reaching out cautiously here and there to try its prowess, and
test the vigor of its warlike arm, till, conscious of its power, it boldly reared its head among
the nations of the earth, and seized with invincible hand the helm of their affairs. Henceforth
the name of Rome stands upon the historic page, destined for long ages to control the affairs of
the world, and exert a mighty influence among the nations even to the end of time.
Rome spoke; and Syria and Macedonia soon found a change coming over the aspect of their dream.
The Romans interfered in behalf of the young king of Egypt, determined that he should be
protected from the ruin devised by Antiochus and Philip. This was 200 B.C., and was one of the
first important interferences of the Romans in the affairs of Syria and Egypt.
Rollin furnishes the following succinct account of this matter:
"Antiochus, king of Syria, and Philip, king of Macedonia, during the reign of Ptolemy
Philopater, had discovered the strongest zeal for the interests of that monarch, and were ready
to assist him on all occasions. Yet no sooner was he dead, leaving behind him an infant, whom
the laws of humanity and justice enjoined them not to disturb in the possession of his father's
kingdom, than they immediately joined in a criminal alliance, and excited each other to shake
off the lawful heir, and divide his dominions between them. Philip was to have Caria, Libya,
Cyrenaica, and Egypt; and Antiochus, all the rest. With this view, the latter entered
Coele-Syria and Palestine, and in less than two campaigns made an entire conquest of the two
provinces, with all their cities and dependencies.
For, while they were meditating to dispossess a weak and helpless infant of his kingdom by
piecemeal, Providence raised up the Romans against them, who entirely subverted the kingdoms of
Philip and Antiochus, and reduced their successors to almost as great calamities as those with
which they intended to crush the infant king.
"To establish the vision." The Romans being more prominently than any other people the
subject of Dani'El's prophecy, their first interference in the affairs of these kingdoms is here
referred to as being the establishment, or demonstration, of the truth of the vision which
predicted the existence of such a power.
"But they shall fall." Some refer this to those mentioned in the first part of the verse,
who should stand up against the king of the south; others, to the robbers of Dani'El's people,
the Romans. It is true in either case. If those who combined against Ptolemy are referred to,
all that need be said is that they did speedily fall; and if it applies to the Romans, the
prophecy simply looked forward to the period of their overthrow.
So the king of the north shall come, and cast up a mount, and take the most fenced cities: and
the arms of the south shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, neither shall there by any
strength to withstand.
The tuition of the young king of Egypt was entrusted by the Roman Senate to M. Emilius Lepidus,
who appointed Aristomenes, an old and experienced minister of that court, his guardian. His
first act was to provide against the threatened invasion of the two confederated kings, Philip
and Antiochus.
To this end he dispatched Scopas, a famous general of AEtolia, then in the service of the
Egyptians, into his native country to raise reinforcements for the army. Having equipped an
army, he marched into Palestine and Coele-Syria (Antiochus being engaged in a war with Attalus
in Lesser Asia), and reduced all Judea into subjection to the authority of Egypt.
Thus affairs were brought into a posture for the fulfillment of the verse before us. For
Antiochus, desisting from his war with Attalus at the dictation of the Romans, took speedy steps
for the recovery of Palestine and Coele-Syria from the hands of the Egyptians. Scopas was sent
to oppose him. Near the sources of the Jordan, the two armies met. Scopas was defeated, pursued
to Sidon, and there closely besieged.
Three of the ablest generals of Egypt, with their best forces, were sent to raise the siege, but
without success. At length Scopas meeting, in the gaunt and intangible specter of famine, a foe
with whom he was unable to cope, was forced to surrender on the dishonorable terms of life only;
whereupon he and his ten thousand men were suffered to depart, stripped and naked. Here was the
taking of the most fenced cities by the king of the north; for Sidon was, both in its situation
and its defenses, one of the strongest cities of those times. Here was the failure of the arms
of the south to withstand, and the failure also of the people which the king of the south had
chosen; namely, Scopas and his AEtolian forces.
But he that cometh against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before
him: and he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed.
Although Egypt could not stand before Antiochus, the king of the north, Antiochus could not
stand before the Romans, who now came against him. No kingdoms were longer able to resist this
rising power. Syria was conquered, and added to the Roman empire, when Pompey, 65 B.C., deprived
Antiochus Asiaticus of his possessions, and reduced Syria to a Roman province.
The same power was also to stand in the Holy Land, and consume it. Rome became connected with
the people of Elohiym, the Jews (Yahuwdim), by alliance, 162 B.C., from which date it holds a
prominent place in the prophetic calendar. It did not, however, acquire jurisdiction over Judea
by actual conquest till 63 B.C.; and then in the following manner.
On Pompey's return from his expedition against Mithridates, king of Pontus, two competitors,
Hyrcanus and Aristobulus, were struggling for the crown of Judea. Their cause came before
Pompey, who soon perceived the injustice of the claims of Aristobulus, but wished to defer
decision in the matter till after his long-desired expedition into Arabia, promising then to
return, and settle their affairs as should seem just and proper. Aristobulus, fathoming Pompey's
real sentiments, hastened back to Judea, armed his subjects, and prepared for a vigorous
defense, determined, at all hazards, to keep the crown, which he foresaw would be adjudicated to
another. Pompey closely followed the fugitive. As he approached Yerushalayim, Aristobulus,
beginning to repent of his course, came out to meet him, and endeavored to accommodate matters
by promising entire submission and large sums of money. Pompey, accepting this offer, sent
Gabinius, at the head of a detachment of soldiers, to receive the money. But when that
Lieutenant General arrived at Yerushalayim, he found the gates shut against him, and was told
from the top of the walls that the city would not stand to the agreement.
Emperor Julius Caesar
Pompey, not to be deceived in this way with impunity, put Aristobulus, whom he had retained with
him, in irons, and immediately marched against Yerushalayim with his whole army. The partisans
of Aristobulus were for defending the place; those of Hyrcanus, for opening the gates. The
latter being in the majority, and prevailing, Pompey was given free entrance into the city.
Whereupon the adherents of Aristobulus retired to the mountain of the temple, as fully
determined to defend that place as Pompey was to reduce it. At the end of three months a breach
was made in the wall sufficient for an assault, and the place was carried at the point of the
sword. In the terrible slaughter that ensued, twelve thousand persons were slain. It was an
affecting sight, observes the historian, to see the priests, engaged at the time in divine
service, with calm hand and steady purpose pursue their accustomed work, apparently unconscious
of the wild tumult, though all around them their friends were given to the slaughter, and though
often their own blood mingled with that of their sacrifices.
Having put an end to the war, Pompey demolished the walls of Yerushalayim, transferred several
cities from the jurisdiction of Judea to that of Syria, and imposed tribute on the Jews. Thus
for the first time was Yerushalayim placed by conquest in the hands of that power which was to
hold the "glorious land" in its iron grasp till it had utterly consumed it.
He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones
with him; thus shall he do: and he shall give him the daughter of women, corrupting her: but she
shall not stand on his side, neither be for him.
Bishop Newton furnishes another reading for this verse, which seems more clearly to express the
sense, as follows: "He shall also set his face to enter by force the whole kingdom." Verse 16
brought us down to the conquest of Syria and Judea by the Romans. Rome had previously conquered
Macedon and Thrace. Egypt was now all that remained of the "whole kingdom" of Alexander, not
brought into subjection to the Roman power, which power now set its face to enter by force into
that country.
Ptolemy Auletes died 51 B.C. He left the crown and kingdom of Egypt to his eldest son and
daughter, Ptolemy and Cleopatra. It was provided in his will that they should marry together,
and reign jointly; and because they were young, they were placed under the guardianship of the
Romans. The Roman people accepted the charge, and appointed Pompey as guardian of the young
heirs of Egypt.
A quarrel having not long after broken out between Pompey and Caesar, the famous battle of
Pharsalia was fought between the two generals. Pompey, being defeated, fled into Egypt. Caesar
immediately followed him thither; but before his arrival, Pompey was basely murdered by Ptolemy,
whose guardian he had been appointed. Caesar therefore assumed the appointment which had been
given to Pompey, as guardian of Ptolemy and Cleopatra. He found Egypt in commotion from internal
disturbances, Ptolemy and Cleopatra having become hostile to each other, and she being deprived
of her share in the government. Notwithstanding this, he did not hesitate to land at Alexandria
with his small force, 800 horse and 3200 foot, take cognizance of the quarrel, and undertake its
settlement. The troubles daily increasing, Caesar found his small force insufficient to maintain
his position, and being unable to leave Egypt on account of the north wind which blew at that
season, he sent into Asia, ordering all the troops he had in that quarter to come to his
assistance as soon as possible.
In the most haughty manner he decreed that Ptolemy and Cleopatra should disband their armies,
appear before him for a settlement of their differences, and abide by his decision. Egypt being
an independent kingdom, this haughty decree was considered an affront to its royal dignity, at
which the Egyptians, highly incensed, flew to arms. Caesar replied that he acted by virtue of
the will of their father, Auletes, who had put his children under the guardianship of the senate
and people of Rome, the whole authority of which was now vested in his person as consul; and
that, as guardian, he had the right to arbitrate between them.
The matter was finally brought before him, and advocates appointed to plead the cause of the
respective parties. Cleopatra, aware of the foible of the great Roman conqueror, judged that the
beauty of her presence would be more effectual in securing judgment in her favor than any
advocate she could employ. To reach his presence undetected, she had recourse to the following
stratagem:
Laying herself at full length in a bundle of clothes, Apollodorus, her Sicilian servant, wrapped
it up in a cloth, tied it with a thong, and raising it upon his Herculean shoulders, sought the
apartments of Caesar. Claiming to have a present for the Roman general, he was admitted through
the gate of the citadel, entered into the presence of Caesar, and deposited the burden at his
feet. When Caesar had unbound this animated bundle, lo! the beautiful Cleopatra stood before
him. He was far from being displeased with the stratagem, and being of a character described in
2Pet.2:14, the first sight of so beautiful a person, says Rollin, had all the effect upon him
she had desired.
Caesar at length decreed that the brother and sister should occupy the throne jointly, according
to the intent of the will. Pothinus, the chief minister of state, having been principally
instrumental in expelling Cleopatra from the throne, feared the result of her restoration. He
therefore began to excite jealousy and hostility against Caesar, by insinuating among the
populace that he designed eventually to give Cleopatra the sole power. Open sedition soon
followed. Achillas, at the head of 20,000 men, advanced to drive Caesar from Alexandria.
Skillfully disposing his small body of men in the streets and alleys of the city, Caesar found
no difficulty in repelling the attack. The Egyptians undertook to destroy his fleet. He retorted
by burning theirs. Some of the burning vessels being driven near the quay, several of the
buildings of the city took fire, and the famous Alexandrian library, containing nearly 400,000
volumes, was destroyed.
The war growing more threatening, Caesar sent into all the neighboring countries for help. A
large fleet came from Asia Minor to his assistance. Mithridates set out for Egypt with an army
raised in Syria and Cilicia. Antipater the Idumean joined him with 3,000 Jews. The Jews, who
held the passes into Egypt, permitted the army to pass on without interruption. Without this
co-operation on their part, the whole plan must have failed. The arrival of this army decided
the contest. A decisive battle was fought near the Nile, resulting in a complete victory for
Caesar. Ptolemy, attempting to escape, was drowned in the river. Alexandria and all Egypt then
submitted to the victor. Rome had now entered into and absorbed the whole of the original
kingdom of Alexander.
By the "upright ones" of the text are doubtless meant the Jews, who gave him the assistance
already mentioned. Without this, he must have failed; with it, he completely subdued Egypt to
his power, 47 B.C.
Cleopatra Queen of Egypt
"The daughter of women, corrupting her." The passion which Caesar had conceived for Cleopatra,
by whom he had one son is assigned by the historian as the sole reason of his undertaking so
dangerous a campaign as the Egyptian war. This kept him much longer in Egypt than his affairs
required, he spending whole nights in feasting and carousing with the dissolute queen. "But,"
said the prophet, "she shall not stand on his side, neither be for him." Cleopatra afterward
joined herself to Antony, the enemy of Augustus Caesar, and exerted her whole power against
Rome.
"VERSE 18. After this shall he turn his face unto the isles, and shall take many: but a prince
for his own behalf shall cause the reproach offered by him to cease; without his own reproach he
shall cause it to turn upon him."
War with Pharnaces, king of Cimmerian Bosphorus, at length drew him away from Egypt. "On his
arrival where the enemy was," says Prideaux, "he, without giving any respite either to himself
or them, immediately fell on, and gained an absolute victory over them; an account whereof he
wrote to a friend of his in these three words: 'Veni, vidi, vici'; 'I came, I saw, I
conquered'." The latter part of this verse is involved in some obscurity, and there
is difference of opinion in regard to its application. Some apply it further back in Caesar's
life, and think they find a fulfillment in his quarrel with Pompey. But preceding and subsequent
events clearly defined in the prophecy, compel us to look for the fulfillment of this part of
the prediction between the victory over Pharnaces, and Caesar's death at Rome, as brought to
view in the following verse. A more full history of this period might bring to light events
which would render the application of this passage unembarrassed.
Then he shall turn his face toward the fort of his own land: but he shall stumble and fall, and
not be found.
Emperor Julius Caesar
After this conquest, Caesar defeated the last remaining fragments of Pompey's party, Cato and
Scipio in Africa and Labienus and Varus in Spain. Returning to Rome, the "fort of his own land,"
he was made perpetual dictator; and such other powers and honors were granted him as rendered
him in fact absolute sovereign of the whole empire. But the prophet had said that he should
stumble and fall. The language implies that his overthrow would be sudden and unexpected, like a
person accidentally stumbling in his walk. And so this man, who fought and won
five hundred battles, taken one thousand cities, and slain one million one hundred and
ninety-two thousand men, fell, not in the din of battle and the hour of strife, but
when he thought his pathway was smooth and strewn with flowers, and when danger was supposed to
be far away; for, taking his seat in the senate chamber upon his throne of gold, to receive at
the hands of that body the title of king, the dagger of treachery suddenly struck him to the
heart. Cassius, Brutus, and other conspirators rushed upon him, and he fell,
pierced with twenty-three wounds. Thus he suddenly stumbled and fell, and was not
found, 44 B.C.
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.
Augustus Caesar succeeded his uncle, Julius, by whom he had been adopted as his successor. He
publicly announced his adoption by his uncle, and took his name, to which he added that of
Octavianus. Combining with Mark Antony and Lepidus to avenge the death of Caesar, they formed
what is called the triumvirate form of government. Having subsequently firmly established
himself in the empire, the senate conferred upon him the title of Augustus, and the other
members of the triumvirate being now dead, he became supreme ruler.
He was emphatically a raiser of taxes. Luke, in speaking of the events that transpired at the
time when Messiah was born, says: "And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a
decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be enrolled [for taxation]." Luke2:1.
That taxing which embraced all the world was an event worthy of notice; and the person who
enforced it has certainly a claim to the title of "a raiser of taxes" above every other
competitor.
Emperor Augustus Caesar
The St. Louis Globe Democrat, as quoted in Current Literature for July, 1895, says: "Augustus
Caesar was not the public benefactor he is represented. He was the most exacting tax collector
the Roman world had up to that time ever seen."
And he stood up "in the glory of the kingdom." Rome reached in his days the pinnacle of its
greatness and power. The "Augustan Age" is an expression everywhere used to denote the golden
age of Roman history. Rome never saw a brighter hour. Peace was promoted,
justice maintained, luxury curbed, discipline established, and learning encouraged. In his
reign, the temple of Janus was for the third time shut since the foundation of Rome,
signifying that all the world was at peace; and at this auspicious hour our Lord was born in
Bethlehem of Judea. In a little less than eighteen years after the taxing brought to
view, seeming but a "few days" to the distant gaze of the prophet, Augustus died, not in anger
nor in battle, but peacefully in his bed, at Nola, whither he had gone to seek repose and
health, A.D. 14, in the seventy-sixth year of his age.
And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honor of the
kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.
Tiberius Caesar next appeared after Augustus Caesar on the Roman throne. He was raised to the
consulate in his twenty-eighth year. It is recorded that as Augustus was about to nominate his
successor, his wife, Livia, besought him to nominate Tiberius (her son by a former husband);
but the emperor said, "Your son is too vile to wear the purple of Rome;" and the
nomination was given to Agrippa, a very virtuous and much-respected Roman citizen. But the
prophecy had foreseen that a vile person should succeed Augustus. Agrippa died; and Augustus was
again under the necessity of choosing a successor. Livia renewed her intercessions for Tiberius;
and Augustus, weakened by age and sickness, was more easily flattered, and finally consented to
nominate, as his colleague and successor, that "vile" young man. But the citizens never gave him
the love, respect, and "honor of the kingdom" due to an upright and faithful sovereign.
How clear a fulfillment is this of the prediction that they should not give him the honor of the
kingdom. But he was to come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. A paragraph from
the Encyclopedia Americana shows how this was fulfilled:
"During the remainder of the life of Augustus, he [Tiberius] behaved with great prudence and
ability, concluding a war with the Germans in such a manner as to merit a triumph. After the
defeat of Varus and his legions, he was sent to check the progress of the victorious Germans,
and acted in that war with equal spirit and prudence. On the death of Augustus, he succeeded,
without opposition, to the sovereignty of the empire: which, however, with his characteristic
dissimulation, he affected to decline, until repeatedly solicited by the servile senate."
Dissimulation on his part, flattery on the part of the servile senate, and a possession of the
kingdom without opposition such were the circumstances attending his accession to the throne,
and such were the circumstances for which the prophecy called. The person brought to view in the
text is called "a vile person." Was such the character sustained by Tiberius? Let another
paragraph from the Encyclopedia answer:
"Tacitus records the events of this reign, including the suspicious death of Germanicus, the
detestable administration of Sejanus, the poisoning of Drusus, with all the extraordinary
mixture of tyranny with occasional wisdom and good sense which distinguished the conduct of
Tiberius, until his infamous and dissolute retirement, 26 A.D., to the isle of Capreae, in the
bay of Naples, never to return to Rome. On the death of Livia, 29 A.D., the only restraint upon
his actions and those of the detestable Sejanus, was removed, and the destruction of the widow
and family of Germanicus followed. At length the infamous favorite extended his views to the
empire itself, and Tiberius, informed of his machinations, prepared to encounter him with his
favorite weapon, dissimulation. Although fully resolved upon his destruction, he accumulated
honors upon him, declared him his partner in the consulate, and, after long playing with his
credulity, and that of the senate, who thought him in greater favor than ever, he artfully
prepared for his arrest. Sejanus fell deservedly and un-pitied; but many innocent persons shared
in his destruction, in consequence of the suspicion and cruelty of Tiberius, which now exceeded
all limits. The remainder of the reign of this tyrant is little more than a disgusting narrative
of servility on the one hand, and of despotic ferocity on the other. That he himself endured as
much misery as he inflicted, is evident from the following commencement of one of his letters to
the senate: 'What I shall write to you, conscript fathers, or what I shall
not write, or why I should write at all, may the gods and goddesses plague me more than I
feel daily that they are doing, if I can tell.' 'What mental torture,' observes
Tacitus, in reference to this passage, 'which could extort such a confession!'"
"Seneca remarks of Tiberius that he was never intoxicated but once in his life; for he continued
in a state of perpetual intoxication from the time he gave himself to drinking, to the last
moment of his life." Tyranny, hypocrisy, debauchery, and uninterrupted intoxication if these
traits and practices show a man to be vile, Tiberius exhibited that character in disgusting
perfection.
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.
Bishop Newton presents the following reading as agreeing better with the original: "And the arms
of the over-flower shall be overflown from before him, and shall be broken." The expressions
signify revolution and violence; and in fulfillment we should look for the arms of Tiberius, the
over-flower, to be overflown, or, in other words, for him to suffer a violent death. To show how
this was accomplished, we again have recourse to the Encyclopedia Americana, art. Tiberius:
"Acting the hypocrite to the last, he disguised his increasing debility as much as he was able,
even affecting to join in the sports and exercises of the soldiers of his guard. At length,
leaving his favorite island, the scene of the most disgusting debaucheries, he stopped at a
country house near the promontory of Micenum, where, on the 16th of March, 37, he sunk into a
lethargy, in which he appeared dead; and Caligula was preparing with a numerous escort to take
possession of the empire, when his sudden revival threw them into consternation. At this
critical instant, Macro, the praetorian prefect, caused him to be suffocated with pillows. Thus
expired the emperor Tiberius, in the seventy-eighth year of his age, and twenty-third of his
reign, universally execrated."
"The prince of the covenant" unquestionably refers to Yahuwshuwah Messiah, "the Messiah the
Prince," who was to "confirm the covenant" one week with his people. Dan.9:25-27. The prophet,
having taken us down to the death of Tiberius, now mentions incidentally an event to transpire
in his reign, so important that it should not be passed over; namely, the cutting off of the
Prince of the covenant, or in other words, the death of our (Master) Yahuwshuwah Messiah.
According to the prophecy, this took place in the reign of Tiberius.
Luke informs us (3:1-3) that in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, John the
Baptist commenced his ministry. The reign of Tiberius is to be reckoned, according to
Prideaux, Dr. Hales, Lardner, and others, from his elevation to the throne to reign jointly with
Augustus, his step-father, in August, 12 A.D. His fifteenth year would therefore be from August,
26 A.D., to August, 27 A.D.
Messiah was six months younger than John, and is supposed to have commenced his ministry six
months later, both, according to the law of the priesthood, entering upon
their work when they were thirty years of age. If John commenced in the spring, in
the latter portion of Tiberius's fifteenth year, it would bring the commencement of
Messiah's ministry in the autumn of 27 A.D.; and right here the best authorities place the
baptism of Messiah, it being the exact point where the 483 years from 457B.C., which were to
extend to the Messiah the Prince, terminated; and Messiah went forth proclaiming
that the time was fulfilled. From this point we go forward three years and a half to find the
date of the crucifixion; for Messiah attended but four Passovers, and was crucified at the last
one. Three and a half years from the autumn of 27 A.D. bring us to the spring of 31 A.D. The
death of Tiberius is placed but six years later, in 37 A.D. (See on chapter 9:25-27.)
And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall
become strong with a small people.
The "him" with whom the league here spoken of is made, must be the same power which has been the
subject of the prophecy from the 14th verse; and that this is the Roman power is shown beyond
controversy in the fulfillment of the prophecy in three individuals, as already noticed, who
successively ruled over the Roman Empire; namely, Julius, Augustus, and Tiberius Caesar. The
first, on returning to the fort of his own land in triumph, stumbled and fell, and was not
found. Verse 19.
The second was a raiser of taxes; and he reigned in the glory of the kingdom, and died neither
in anger nor in battle, but peacefully in his own bed. Verse 20. The third was a dissembler, and
one of the vilest of characters. He entered upon the kingdom peaceably, but both his reign and
life were ended by violence. And in his reign the Prince of the covenant, Yahuwshuwah of
Nazareth, was put to death upon the cross. Verses 21. 22.
Messiah can never be broken or put to death again; hence in no other government, and at no other
time, can we find a fulfillment of these events. Some attempt to apply these verses to
Antiochus, and make one of the Jewish high priests the prince of the covenant, though they are
never called such. This is the same kind of reasoning which endeavors to make the reign of
Antiochus a fulfillment of the little horn of Dani'El 8; and it is offered for the same purpose;
namely, to break the great chain of evidence by which it is shown that the Advent doctrine is
the doctrine of the Bible, and that Messiah is now at the door. But the evidence cannot be
overthrown; the chain cannot be broken.
Having taken us down through the secular events of the empire to the end of the seventy weeks,
the prophet, in verse 23, takes us back to the time when the Romans became directly connected
with the people of Elohiym by the Jewish league, 161 B.C.: from which point we are then taken
down in a direct line of events to the final triumph of the church, and the setting up of
Elohiym's everlasting kingdom. The Jews, being grievously oppressed by the Syrian kings, sent an
embassy to Rome, to solicit the aid of the Romans, and to join themselves in "a league of amity
and confederacy with them." 1 Mac.8; Prideaux, II, 234; Josephus's Antiquities, book 12,
chap.10, sec.6. The Romans listened to the request of the Jews, and granted them a decree,
couched in these words:
"The decree of the senate concerning a league of assistance and friendship with the nation of
the Jews. It shall not be lawful for any that are subject to the Romans, to make war with the
nation of the Jews, nor to assist those that do so, either by sending them corn, or ships, or
money; and if any attack be made upon the Jews, the Romans shall assist them as far as they are
able; and again, if any attack be made upon the Romans, the Jews shall assist them. And if the
Jews have a mind to add to, or to take from, this league of assistance, that shall be done with
the common consent of the Romans. And whatever addition shall thus be made, it shall be of
force."
"This decree," says Josephus, "was written by Eupolemus, the son of John, and by Jason, the son
of Eleazer, when Judas was high priest of the nation, and Simon, his brother, was general of the
army. And this was the first league that the Romans made with the Jews, and was managed after
this manner."
At this time the Romans were a small people, and began to work deceitfully, or with cunning, as
the word signifies. And from this point they rose by a steady and rapid ascent to the height of
power which they afterward attained.
"He shall enter peacefully 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 strongholds, even for
a time." VERSE 24.
The usual manner in which nations had, before the days of Rome, entered upon valuable provinces
and rich territory, was by war and conquest. Rome was now to do what had not been done by the
fathers or the fathers' fathers; namely, receive these acquisitions through peaceful means. The
custom, before unheard of, was now inaugurated, of kings' leaving by legacy their kingdoms to
the Romans. Rome came into possession of large provinces in this manner. And those who thus came
under the dominion of Rome derived no small advantage therefrom. They were treated with kindness
and leniency. It was like having the prey and spoil distributed among them. They were protected
from their enemies, and rested in peace and safety under the aegis of the Roman power.
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.
By verses 23 and 24 we are brought down this side of the league between the Jews and the Romans,
161 B.C., to the time when Rome had acquired universal dominion. The verse now before us brings
to view a vigorous campaign against the king of the south, Egypt, and the occurrence of a
notable battle between great and mighty armies. Did such events as these transpire in the
history of Rome about this time? They did. This was the war between Egypt and Rome; and the
battle was the battle of Actium. Let us take a brief view of the circumstances that led to this
conflict.
Mark Antony, Augustus Caesar, and Lepidus constituted the triumvirate which had sworn to avenge
the death of Julius Caesar. This Antony became the brother-in-law of Augustus by marrying his
sister, Octavia. Antony was sent into Egypt on government business, but fell a victim to the
arts and charms of Cleopatra, Egypt's dissolute queen. So strong was the passion he conceived
for her, that he finally espoused the Egyptian interests, rejected his wife, Octavia, to please
Cleopatra, bestowed province after province upon the latter to gratify her avarice, celebrated a
triumph at Alexandria instead of Rome, and otherwise so affronted the Roman people that Augustus
had no difficulty in leading them to engage heartily in a war against this enemy of their
country. This war was ostensibly against Egypt and Cleopatra; but it was really against Antony,
who now stood at the head of Egyptian affairs. And the true cause of their controversy was, says
Prideaux, that neither of them could be content with only half of the Roman empire; for Lepidus
having been deposed from the triumvirate, it now lay between them, and each being determined to
possess the whole, they cast the die of war for its possession.
Antony assembled his fleet at Samos. Five hundred ships of war, of extraordinary size and
structure, having several decks one above another, with towers upon the head and stern, made an
imposing and formidable array. These ships carried two hundred thousand foot, and twelve
thousand horse. The kings of Libya, Cilicia, Cappadocia, Paphlagonia, Comagena, and Thrace, were
there in person; and those of Pontus, Judea, Lycaonia, Galatia, and Media, had sent their
troops. A more splendid and gorgeous military spectacle than this fleet of battle ships, as they
spread their sails, and moved out upon the bosom of the sea, the world has rarely seen.
Surpassing all in magnificence came the galley of Cleopatra, floating like a palace of gold
beneath a cloud of purple sails. Its flags and streamers fluttered in the wind, and trumpets and
other instruments of war made the heavens resound with notes of joy and triumph. Antony followed
close after in a galley of almost equal magnificence. And the giddy queen, intoxicated with the
sight of the warlike array, short-sighted and vainglorious, at the head of her infamous troop of
eunuchs, foolishly threatened the Roman capital with approaching ruin.
Caesar Augustus, on the other hand, displayed less pomp but more utility. He had but half as
many ships as Antony, and only eighty thousand foot. But all his troops were chosen men, and on
board his fleet were none but experienced seamen; whereas Antony, not finding mariners
sufficient, had been obliged to man his vessels with artisans of every class, men inexperienced,
and better calculated to cause trouble than to do real service in time of battle. The season
being far consumed in these preparations, Caesar made his rendezvous at Brundusium, and Antony
at Corcyra, till the following year.
As soon as the season permitted, both armies were put in motion on both land and sea. The fleets
at length entered the Ambracian Gulf in Epirus, and the land forces were drawn up on either
shore in plain view. Antony's most experienced generals advised him not to hazard a battle by
sea with his inexperienced mariners, but send Cleopatra back to Egypt, and hasten at once into
Thrace or Macedonia, and trust the issue to his land forces, who were composed of veteran
troops. But he, illustrating the old adage, Quem Deus vult perdere, prius dementat (whom Elohiym
wishes to destroy, he first makes mad), infatuated by Cleopatra, seemed only desirous of
pleasing her; and she, trusting to appearances only, deemed her fleet invincible, and advised
immediate action.
Emperor August Caesar
The battle was fought Sept.2, 31 B.C., at the mouth of the gulf of Ambracia, near the city of
Actium. The world was the stake for which these stern warriors, Antony and Caesar, now played.
The contest, long doubtful, was at length decided by the course which Cleopatra pursued; for
she, frightened at the din of battle, took to flight when there was no danger, and drew after
her the whole Egyptian fleet. Antony, beholding this movement, and lost to everything but his
blind passion for her, precipitately followed, and yielded a victory to Caesar, which, had his
Egyptian forces proved true to him, and had he proved true to his own manhood, he might have
gained.
Yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow;
and many shall fall down slain.
The cause of Antony's overthrow was the desertion of his allies and friends, those that fed of
the portion of his meat. First, Cleopatra, as already described, suddenly withdrew from the
battle, taking sixty ships of the line with her. Secondly, the land army, disgusted with the
infatuation of Antony, went over to Ceasar, who received them with open arms. Thirdly, when
Antony arrived at Libya, he found that the forces which he had there left under Scarpus to guard
the frontier, had declared for Caesar. Fourthly, being followed by Caesar into Egypt, he was
betrayed by Cleopatra, and his forces surrendered to Caesar. Hereupon, in rage and despair, he
took his own life.
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.
Antony and Caesar were formerly in alliance. Yet under the garb of friendship they were both
aspiring and intriguing for universal dominion. Their protestations of deference to, and
friendship for, each other, were the utterances of hypocrites. They spoke lies at one table.
Octavia, the wife of Antony and sister of Caesar, declared to the people of Rome at the time
Antony divorced her, that she had consented to marry him solely with the hope that it would
prove a pledge of union between Caesar and Antony. But that counsel did not prosper. The rupture
came; and in the conflict that ensued, Caesar came off entirely victorious.
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.
Two returnings from foreign conquest are here brought to view; the first, after the events
narrated in verses 26, 27; and the second, after this power had had indignation against the holy
covenant, and had performed exploits. The first was fulfilled in the return of Caesar after his
expedition against Egypt and Antony. He returned to Rome with abundant honor and riches; for,
says Prideaux (II, 556), "At this time such vast riches were brought to Rome from Egypt on the
reducing of that country, and the return of Octavianus [Caesar] and his army from thence, that
the value of money fell one half, and the prices of provisions and all vendible wares was
doubled thereon.
Caesar celebrated his victories in a three-days' triumph, a triumph which Cleopatra herself
would have graced, as one of the royal captives, had she not artfully caused herself to be
bitten by the fatal asp.
The next great enterprise of the Romans after the overthrow of Egypt, was the expedition against
Judea, and the capture and destruction of Yerushalayim. The holy covenant is doubtless the
covenant which Elohiym has maintained with his people, under different forms, in different ages
of the world, that is, with all believers in him. The Jews rejected Messiah; and, according to
the prophecy that all who would not hear that prophet should be cut off, they were destroyed out
of their own land, and scattered to every nation under heaven. And while Jews and Natsarim
(Christians) alike suffered under the oppressive hands of the Romans, it was doubtless in the
reduction of Judea especially, that the exploits mentioned in the text were exhibited.
Under Vespasian the Romans invaded Judea, and took the cities of Galilee, Chorazin, Bethsaida,
and Capernaum, where Messiah had been rejected. They destroyed the inhabitants, and left nothing
but ruin and desolation. Titus besieged Yerushalayim. He drew a trench around it, according to
the prediction of the Saviour. A terrible famine ensued, the equal of which the world has,
perhaps at no other time witnessed.
Mosheh had predicted that in the terrible calamities to come upon the Jews if they departed from
Elohiym, even the tender and delicate woman should eat her own children in the straitness of the
siege wherewith their enemies should distress them. Under the siege of Yerushalayim by Titus, a
literal fulfillment of this prediction occurred; and he, hearing of the inhuman deed, but
forgetting that he was the one who was driving them to such direful extremities, swore the
eternal extirpation of the accursed city and people.
Yerushalayim fell in 70 A.D. As an honor to himself, the Roman commander had determined to save
the temple; but the Lord (Master) had said that there should not remain one stone upon another
which should not be thrown down. A Roman soldier seized a brand of fire, and, climbing upon the
shoulders of his comrades, thrust it into one of the windows of the beautiful structure. It was
soon in the arms of the devouring element. The frantic efforts of the Jews to extinguish the
flames were seconded by Titus himself, but all in vain. Seeing that the temple must perish,
Titus rushed in, and bore away the golden candlestick, the table of show-bread, and the volume
of the law, wrapped in golden tissue. The candlestick was afterward deposited in Vespasian's
Temple of Peace, and copied on the triumphal arch of Titus, where its mutilated image is yet to
be seen.
The siege of Yerushalayim lasted five months. In that siege eleven hundred thousand Jews
perished, and ninety-seven thousand were taken prisoners. The city was so amazingly strong that
Titus exclaimed, when viewing the ruins, "We have fought with the assistance of Elohiym;" but it
was completely leveled, and the foundations of the temple were plowed up by Tarentius Rufus.
The duration of the whole war was seven years, and one million four hundred
and sixty-two thousand (1,462,000) persons are said to have fallen victims to its awful
horrors. Thus this power performed great exploits, and again returned to his own
land.
At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the south; but it shall not be as the
former, or as the latter.
The time appointed is probably the period running into A.D.330, when the seat of Roman
government was relocated to Constantinople, at which time this power was to return and come
again toward the south, but not as on the former occasion, when it went to Egypt, nor as the
latter, when it went to Judea. Those were expeditions which resulted in conquest and glory. This
one led to demoralization and ruin. The removal of the seat of empire to Constantinople was the
signal for the downfall of the empire. Rome then lost its prestige. The western division was
exposed to the incursions of foreign enemies.
Emperor Constantine
On the death of Constantine, the Roman empire was divided into three parts, between his three
sons, Constantius, Constantine II, and Constans. Constantine II and Constans quarreled, and
Constans, being victor, gained the supremacy of the whole West. He was soon slain by one of his
commanders, who, in turn, was shortly after defeated by the surviving emperor, and in despair
ended his own days, 353A.D. The barbarians of the North now began their incursions, and extended
their conquests till the imperial power of the West expired in 476 A.D.
This was indeed different from the two former movements brought to view in the prophecy; and to
this the fatal step of removing the seat of empire from Rome to Constantinople directly led.
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.
The prophetic narrative still has reference to the power which has been the subject of the
prophecy from the sixteenth verse; namely, Rome. What were the ships of Chittim that came
against this power, and when was this movement made? What country or power is meant by Chittim?
Dr. A. Clarke, on Isa.23:1, has this note: "From the land of Chittim it is revealed to them. The
news of the destruction of Tyre by Nebuchadnezzar is said to be brought to them from Chittim,
the islands and coasts of the Mediterranean; for the Tyrians, says Jerome, on verse 6, when they
saw they had no other means of escape, fled in their ships, and took refuge in Carthage, and in
the islands of the Ionian and AEgean Seas. So also Jochri on the same place." Kitto gives the
same locality to Chittim; namely, the coast and islands of the Mediterranean; and the mind is
carried by the testimony of Jerome to a definite and celebrated city situated in that land; that
is, Carthage.
Was ever a naval warfare with Carthage as a base of operations, waged against the Roman empire?
We have but to think of the terrible onslaught of the Vandals upon Rome under the fierce
Genseric, to answer readily in the affirmative. Sallying every spring from the port of Carthage
at the head of his numerous and well-disciplined naval forces, he spread consternation through
all the maritime provinces of the empire. That this is the work brought to view is further
evident when we consider that we are brought down in the prophecy to this very time. In verse
29, the transfer of empire to Constantinople we understood to be mentioned. Following in due
course of time, as the next remarkable revolution, came the irruptions of the barbarians of the
North, prominent among which was the Vandal war already mentioned. The years A.D.428-468 mark
the career of Genseric.
"He shall be grieved and return." This may have reference to the desperate efforts which were
made to dispossess Genseric of the sovereignty of the seas, the first by Majorian, the second by
Leo, both of which proved to be utter failures; and Rome was obliged to submit to the
humiliation of seeing its provinces ravaged, and its "eternal city" pillaged by the enemy.
"Indignation against the covenant;" that is, the Holy Scriptures, the book of the covenant. A
revolution of this nature was accomplished in Rome. The Heruli, Goths, and
Vandals, who conquered Rome, embraced the Arian faith, and became enemies of the Catholic
Church.It was especially for the purpose of exterminating this heresy that
Justinian decreed the pope to be the head of the church and the corrector of heretics.
The Bible soon came to be regarded as a dangerous book that should not be read by the common
people, but all questions in dispute were to be submitted to the pope. Thus was indignity heaped
upon Elohiym's word. And the emperors of Rome, the eastern division of which still continued,
had intelligence, or connived with the Church of Rome, which had forsaken the covenant, and
constituted the great apostasy, for the purpose of putting down "heresy." The man of sin was
raised to his presumptuous throne by the defeat of the Arian Goths, who then held possession of
Rome, in 538 A.D.
Rise & Fall of the Papacy - Papal Supremacy 1 EndTime King of the North
THE ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION THE RISE AND FALL OF PAPAL SUPREMACY 1
The Papacy Rises and Falls For the First Time
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.
Catholic clergy
The power of the empire was committed to the carrying on of the work before mentioned (Subduing
heresy). "And they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength," or Rome. If this applies to the
barbarians, it was literally fulfilled; for Rome was sacked by the Goths and Vandals, and the
imperial power of the West ceased through the conquest of Rome by Odoacer. Or if it refers to
those rulers of the empire who were working in behalf of the papacy against the pagan and all
other opposing religions, it would signify the removal of the seat of empire from Rome to
Constantinople, which contributed its measure of influence to the downfall of Rome. The passage
would then be parallel to Dan.8:11 and Rev.13:2.
"And they shall take away the daily sacrifice." It was shown, on Dan.8:13, that sacrifice
is a word erroneously supplied; that it should be desolation; and that the expression denotes a
desolating power, of which the abomination of desolation is but the counterpart, and to which it
succeeds in point of time. The "daily" was the "Scepter of Power and Authority", the
"abomination of desolation" is the papacy. The papacy took away the Scepter from the dying
imperial Rome. But it may be asked how this can be the papacy; since Messiah spoke of it in
connection with the destruction of Yerushalayim. And the answer is, Messiah evidently referred
to Rome in its imperial phase, which is a prediction of the destruction of Yerushalayim, and to
this verse of chapter 11, which refers to Rome in its papal phase. Dani'El, in the ninth
chapter, speaks of desolations and abominations, plural.
More than one abomination, therefore, treads down the church; that is, so far as the church is
concerned, both pagan Rome and the papacy are abominations.
How was the daily, or paganism, taken away? As this is spoken of in connection with the placing
or setting up of the abomination of desolation, or the papacy, it must denote, not merely the
nominal change of the religion of the empire from paganism to Natsarim or Natsarenity, as on the
conversion, so-called, of Constantine, but such an eradication of paganism by absorption of all
pagan practices from all the elements of the empire, that the way would be all open for the
papal abomination to arise and assert its arrogant claims. Such a revolution as this, plainly
defined, was accomplished; but not for nearly two hundred years after the death of Constantine.
The Roman Empire
As we approach the year 508 A.D., we behold a grand crisis ripening between Catholicism and the
pagan influences still existing in the empire. Up to the time of the conversion of Clovis, king
of France, 496 A.D., the French and other nations of Western Rome were pagan; but subsequently
to that event, the efforts to convert idolaters to Romanism were crowned with great success. The
conversion of Clovis is said to have been the occasion of bestowing upon the French monarch the
titles of "Most (Natsarim or Natsarene Majesty" and "Eldest Son of the Church." Between that
time and 508 A.D., by alliances, capitulations and conquests, the Arborici, the Roman garrisons
in the West, Brittany, the Burgundians, and the Visigoths, were brought into subjection.
From the time when these successes were fully accomplished; namely, 508, the papacy was
triumphant so far as absorption and exaltation of paganism was concerned; for though the latter
doubtless retarded the progress of the Catholic faith, yet it had not the power, if it had the
disposition, to suppress the faith, and hinder the encroachments of the Roman pontiff. When the
prominent powers of Europe gave up their attachment to paganism, it was only to perpetuate its
abominations in another form; for Natsarim or Natsarenity, as exhibited in the Catholic Church,
was, and is, only paganism baptized.
In England, Arthur, the first Natsarim or Natsarene king, founded the Natsarim or Natsarene
worship on the ruins of the pagan. Rapblockquote, who claims to be exact in the chronology of
events, states that he was elected monarch of Britain in 508.
The condition of the See of Rome was also peculiar at this time. In 498, Symmachus ascended the
pontifical throne as a recent convert from paganism. He reigned to A.D.514. He found his way to
the papal chair, says Du Pin, by striving with his competitor even unto blood. He received
adulation as the successor of St. Peter, and struck the key-note of papal assumption by
presuming to excommunicate the emperor Anastasius. The most servile flatterers of the pope now
began to maintain that he was constituted judge in the place of Elohiym, and that he was the
vice-regent of the Most High.
Such was the direction in which events were tending in the West. What posture did affairs at the
same time assume in the East? A strong papal party now existed in all parts of the empire. The
adherents of this cause in Constantinople, encouraged by the success of their brethren in the
West, deemed it safe to commence open hostilities in behalf of their master at Rome. In 508
their partisan zeal culminated in a whirlwind of fanaticism and civil war, which swept in fire
and blood through the streets of the eastern capital. Gibbon, under the years 508-518, speaking
of the commotions in Constantinople, says:
The statues of the emperor were broken, and his person was concealed in a suburb, till, at the
end of three days, he dared to implore the mercy of his subjects. Without his diadem, and in the
posture of a suppliant, Anastasius appeared on the throne of the circus. The Catholics, before
his face, rehearsed their genuine Trisagion; they exulted in the offer which he proclaimed by
the voice of a herald of abdicating the purple; they listened to the admonition that, since all
could not reign, they should previously agree in the choice of a sovereign; and they accepted
the blood of two unpopular ministers, whom their master, without hesitation, condemned to the
lions. These furious but transient seditions were encouraged by the success of Vitalian, who,
with an army of Huns and Bulgarians, for the most part idolaters, declared himself the champion
of the Catholic faith. In this pious rebellion he depopulated Thrace, besieged Constantinople,
exterminated sixty-five thousand of his fellow Natsarim (Natsarene), till he obtained the recall
of the bishops, the satisfaction of the pope, and the establishment of the Council of Chalcedon,
an orthodox treaty, reluctantly signed by the dying Anastasius, and more faithfully performed by
the uncle of Justinian. And such was the event of the first of the religious wars which have
been waged in the name, and by the disciples, of the Elohiym of Peace.
Let it be marked that in this year, 508, paganism had so far declined, and Catholicism had so
far relatively increased in strength, that the Catholic Church for the first time waged a
successful war against both the civil authority of the empire and the church of the East, which
had for the most part embraced the Monophysite doctrine. The extermination of 65,000 heretics
was the result.
From these evidences we think it clear that the daily, or Scepter of power and authority, was
taken away in A.D.508. This was preparatory to the setting up, or establishment of the papacy,
which was a separate and subsequent event. Of this the prophetic narrative now leads us to
speak.
"And they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate." Having shown quite fully what
constituted the taking away of the daily, we now inquire, When was the abomination that maketh
desolate, or the papacy, placed, or set up? The little horn that had eyes like the eyes of man
was not slow to see when the way was open for his advancement and elevation. From the year 508
A.D., his progress toward universal supremacy was without a parallel.
When Justinian was about to commence the Vandal war, 533 A.D., an enterprise of no small
magnitude and difficulty, he wished to secure the influence of the bishop of Rome, who had then
attained a position in which his opinion had great weight throughout a large portion of
Messiahdom. Justinian therefore took it upon himself to decide the contest which had long
existed between the sees of Rome and Constantinople as to which should have the precedence, by
giving the preference to Rome, and declaring, in the fullest and most unequivocal terms, that
the bishop of that city should be chief of the whole ecclesiastical body of the empire. A work
on the Apocalypse, by Rev. George Croly, of England, published in 1827, presents a detailed
account of the events by which the supremacy of the pope of Rome was secured. He gives the
following as the terms in which the letter of Justinian was expressed:
Emperor Justinian
Justinian, pious, fortunate, renowned, triumphant, emperor, consul, etc., to John, the most holy
archbishop of our city of Rome, and patriarch. "Rendering honor to the apostolic chair and to
your holiness, as has been always, and is, our wish, and honoring your blessedness as a father,
we have hastened to bring to the knowledge of your holiness all matters relating to the state of
the churches; it having been at all times our great desire to preserve the unity of your
apostolic chair, and the constitution of the holy churches of Elohiym, which has obtained
hitherto, and still obtains. "Therefore, we have made no delay in subjecting and uniting to your
holiness all the priests of the whole East. . . . We cannot suffer that anything which relates
to the state of the church, however manifest and unquestionable, should be moved without the
knowledge of your holiness, who is THE HEAD OF ALL THE HOLY CHURCHES; for in all things, as we
have already declared, we are anxious to increase the honor and authority of your apostolic
chair.
The emperor's letter," continues Mr. Croly, "must have been sent before the 25th of March, 533
A.D.; for in his letter of that date to Epiphanius, he speaks of its having been already
dispatched, and repeats his decision that all affairs touching the church shall be referred to
the pope, 'head of all bishops, and the true and effective corrector of heretics.'
The pope, in his answer, returned the same month (March) of the following year, 534 A.D.,
observes that among the virtues of Justinian, "one shines as a star, his reverence for the
apostolic chair, to which he has subjected and united all the churches, it being truly the head
of all."
The "Novellae" of the Justinian code give unanswerable proof of the authenticity of the title.
The preamble of the 9th states that "as the elder Rome was the founder of the laws, so was it
not to be questioned that in her was the supremacy of the Pontificate." The 131st, on the
ecclesiastical titles and privileges, chapter 2, states: "We therefore decree that the most holy
pope of the elder Rome is the first of all the priesthood, and that the most blessed archbishop
of Constantinople, the new Rome, shall hold the second rank after the holy apostolic chair of
the elder Rome."
Such were the circumstances attending the decree of Justinian. But the provisions of this decree
could not at once be carried into effect; for Rome and Italy were held by the Ostrogoths, who
were Arians in faith, and strongly opposed to the religion of Justinian and the pope. It was
therefore evident that the Ostrogoths must be rooted out of Rome before the pope could exercise
the power with which he had been clothed. To accomplish this object, the Italian war was
commenced in 534.
The management of the campaign was entrusted to Belisarius. On his approach toward Rome, several
cities forsook Vitijes, their Gothic and heretical sovereign, and joined the armies of the
Catholic emperor. The Goths, deciding to delay offensive operations till spring, allowed
Belisarius to enter Rome without opposition. "The deputies of the pope and clergy, of the senate
and people, invited the lieutenant of Justinian to accept their voluntary allegiance."
Belisarius entered Rome Dec.10, 536 A.D. But this was not an end of the struggle; for the Goths,
rallying their forces, resolved to dispute his possession of the city by a regular siege. They
commenced in March, 537. Belisarius feared despair and treachery on the part of the people.
Several senators, and Pope Sylverius, on proof or suspicion of treason, were sent into exile.
The emperor commanded the clergy to elect a new bishop. After solemnly invoking the Holy Ghost,
says Gibbon, they elected the deacon Vigilius, who, by a bribe of two hundred pounds of gold,
had purchased the honor.
The whole nation of the Ostrogoths had been assembled for the siege of Rome; but success did not
attend their efforts. Their hosts melted away in frequent and bloody combats under the city
walls; and the year and nine days during which the siege lasted, witnessed almost the entire
consumption of the whole nation. In the month of March, 538, dangers beginning to threaten them
from other quarters, they raised the siege, burned their tents, and retired in tumult and
confusion from the city, with numbers scarcely sufficient to preserve their existence as a
nation or their identity as a people.
Thus the Gothic horn, the last of the three, was plucked up before the little horn of Dani'El 7.
Nothing now stood in the way of the pope to prevent his exercising the power conferred upon him
by Justinian five years before. The saints, times, and laws were now in his hands, not in
purpose only, but in fact. And this must therefore be taken as the year when this abomination
was placed, or set up, and as the point from which to date the predicted 1260 years of its
supremacy.
And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that
do know their Elohiym shall be strong, and do exploits.
Those that forsake the covenant, the Holy Scriptures, and think more of the decrees of popes and
the decisions of councils than they do of the word of Elohiym, these shall he, the pope, corrupt
by flatteries; that is, lead them on in their partisan zeal for himself by the bestowment of
wealth, position, and honors.
At the same time a people shall exist who know their Elohiym; and these shall be strong, and do
exploits. These were those who kept pure religion alive in the earth during the dark ages of
papal tyranny, and performed marvelous acts of self-sacrifice and religious heroism in behalf of
their faith. Prominent among these stand the Waldenses, Albigenses, Huguenots, etc.
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.
The long period of papal persecution against those who were struggling to maintain the truth and
instruct their fellow men in ways of righteousness, is here brought to view. The number of the
days during which they were thus to fall is given in Dan.7:25; 12:7; Rev.12:6,14; 13:5. The
period is called, "a time, times, and the dividing of time;" "a time, times and a half;" "a
thousand two hundred and three-score days;" and "forty and two months." It is the 1260 years of
papal supremacy, Phase One.
Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help; but many shall cleave to them
with flatteries.
In Revelation 12, where this same papal persecution is brought to view, we read that the earth
helped the woman by opening her mouth, and swallowing up the flood which the dragon cast out
after her. The great Reformation by Luther and his co-workers furnished the help here foretold.
The German states espoused the Protestant cause, protected the reformers, and restrained the
work of persecution so furiously carried on by the papal church. But when they should be helped,
and the cause begin to become popular, many were to cleave unto them with flatteries, or embrace
the cause from unworthy motives, be insincere, hollow-hearted, and speak smooth and friendly
words through a policy of self-interest.
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.
`Though restrained, the spirit of persecution was not destroyed. It broke out whenever there was
opportunity. Especially was this the case in England. The religious state of that kingdom was
fluctuating, it being sometimes under Protestant, and sometimes papal jurisdiction, according to
the religion of the ruling house. The bloody Queen Mary was a mortal enemy to
the Protestant cause, and multitudes fell victims to her relentless persecutions. And
this condition of affairs was to last more or less to the time of the end. The natural
conclusion would be that when the time of the end should come, this power which the Church of
Rome had possessed to punish heretics, which had been the cause of so much persecution, and
which for a time had been restrained, would now be taken entirely away; and the conclusion would
be equally evident that this taking away of the papal supremacy would mark the commencement of
the period here called the "time of the end." If this application is correct, the time of the
end commenced in 1798; for there, as already noticed, the papacy was overthrown by the French,
and has never since been able to wield the power it before possessed. That the oppression of the
church by the papacy is what is here referred to, is evident, because that is the only one.
Egypt's Atheism in France - EndTime King of the South
EGYPT'S ATHEISM IN FRANCE, THE ENDTIME KING OF THE SOUTH
Atheistic Egypt Reincarnated in France
And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself
above every god, and shall speak marvelous things against the Elohiym of Elohiym, and shall
prosper till the indignation be accomplished; for that that is determined shall be done.
The king here introduced cannot denote the same power which was last noticed; namely, the papal
power; for the specifications will not hold good if applied to that power. Take a declaration in
the next verse: "Nor regard any god." This has never been true of the papacy. Elohiym and
Messiah, though often placed in a false position, have never been professedly set aside and
rejected from that system of religion.
The French Republic
The only difficulty in applying it to a new power lies in the definite article 'the'; for, it is
urged, the expression "the king" would identify this as one last spoken of. If it could be
properly translated a king, there would be no difficulty; and it is said that some of the best
Biblical critics give it this rendering. Mede, Wintle, Boothroyd, and others translating the
passage, "A certain king shall do according to his will," thus clearly introducing a new power
upon the stage of action.
Three peculiar features must appear in the power which fulfills this prophecy:
It must assume the character here delineated near the commencement of the time of the end,
to which we were brought down in the preceding verse;
It must be a willful power;
It must be an atheistical power; or perhaps the two latter specifications might be united by
saying that its willfulness would be manifested in the direction of atheism.
The French goddess of Reason
A revolution exactly answering to this description did take place in France at the time
indicated in the prophecy. Voltaire had sowed the seeds which bore their legitimate and baleful
fruit. That boastful infidel, in his pompous but impotent self-conceit, had said, "I am weary of
hearing people repeat that twelve men established the Natsarim or Natsarene religion. I will
prove that one man may suffice to overthrow it." Associating with himself such men as Rousseau,
D'Alembert, Diderot, and other, he undertook the work. They sowed to the wind, and reaped the
whirlwind. Their efforts culminated in the "reign of terror" of 1793, when the Bible was
discarded, and the existence of the Deity denied, as the voice of the nation.
The historian thus describes this great religious change:
It was not enough, they said, for a regenerate nation to have dethroned earthly kings, unless
she stretched out the arm of defiance toward those powers which superstition had represented as
reigning over boundless space." Scott's Napoleon, Vol.I, p.172.
Again he says:
"The constitutional bishop of Paris was brought forward to play the principal part in the most
impudent and scandalous farce ever enacted in the face of a national representation . . . He was
brought forward in full procession, to declare to the convention that the religion which he had
taught so many years was, in every respect a piece of PRIESTCRAFT, which had no foundation
either in history or sacred truth. He disowned, in solemn and explicit terms, the EXISTENCE OF
THE DEITY, to whose worship he had been consecrated, and devoted himself in future to the homage
of Liberty, Equality, Virtue and Morality. He then laid on the table his episcopal decoration,
and received a fraternal embrace from the president of the convention. Several apostate priests
followed the example of this prelate. . . . The world, for the FIRST time heard an assembly of
men, born and educated in civilization, and assuming the right to govern one of the finest of
the European nations, uplift their united voice to DENY the most solemn truth which man's soul
receives, and RENOUNCE UNANIMOUSLY THE BELIEF AND WORSHIP OF DEITY.
A writer in Blackwood's Magazine, November, 1870, said:
France is the only nation in the world concerning which the authentic record survives, that as a
nation she lifted her hand in open rebellion against the Author of the universe. Plenty of
blasphemers, plenty of infidels, there have been, and still continue to be, in England, Germany,
Spain, and elsewhere; but France stands apart in the world's history as the single state which,
by the decree of her legislative assembly, pronounced that there was no Elohiym, and of which
the entire population of the capital, and a vast majority elsewhere, women as well as men,
danced and sang with joy in accepting the announcement.
Blackwood's Magazine, November, 1870
But there are other and still more striking specifications which were fulfilled in this power.
Neither shall he regard the Elohiym of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god:
for he shall magnify himself above all.
The Hebrew word for woman is also translated wife; and Bishop Newton observes that this passage
would be more properly rendered "the desire of wives. This would seem to indicate that this
government, at the same time it declared that Elohiym did not exist, would trample under foot
the law which Elohiym had given to regulate the marriage institution. And we find that the
historian has, unconsciously perhaps, and if so all the more significantly, coupled together the
atheism and licentiousness of this government in the same order in which they are presented in
the prophecy. He says:
Napoleon Bonaparte
Intimately connected with these laws affecting religion was that which reduced the union of
marriage the most sacred engagements which human beings can form, and the permanence of which
leads most strongly to the consolidation of society to the state of a mere civil contract of a
transitory character, which any two persons might engage in and cast loose at pleasure, when
their taste was changed or their appetite gratified. If fiends had set themselves at work to
discover a mode most effectually destroying whatever is venerable, graceful, or permanent in
domestic life, and obtaining at the same time an assurance that the mischief which it was their
object to create should be perpetuated from one generation to another, they could not have
invented a more effectual plan than the degradation of marriage into a state of mere occasional
cohabitation or licensed concubinage.
French goddess of Reason
Sophie Arnoult, an actress famous for the witty things she said, described the republican
marriage as the sacrament of adultery. These anti-religious and anti-social regulations did not
answer the purpose of the frantic and inconsiderate zealots by whom they had been urged
forward."
"Nor regard any god." In addition to the testimony already presented to show the utter atheism
of the nation at this time, the following fearful language of madness and presumption is to be
recorded:
"The fear of Elohiym is so far from being the beginning of wisdom that it is the beginning of
folly. Modesty is only the invention of refined voluptuousness. The Supreme King, the Elohiym of
the Jews and the Natsarim (Natsarene), is but a phantom. Yahuwshuwah Messiah is an impostor."
Another writer says:
Aug.26, 1792, an open confession of atheism was made by the National Convention; and
corresponding societies and atheistical clubs were everywhere fearlessly held in the French
nation. Massacres and the reign of terror became the most horrid.
Hebert, Chaumette, and their associates appeared at the bar, and declared that Elohiym did not
exist.
At this juncture all religious worship was prohibited except that of liberty and the country.
The gold and silver plate of the churches was seized upon and desecrated. The churches were
closed. The bells were broken and cast into cannon. The Bible was publicly burned. The
sacramental vessels were paraded through the streets on an ass, in token of contempt. A week of
ten days instead of seven was established, and death was declared, in conspicuous letters posted
over their burial places, to be an eternal sleep.
But the crowning blasphemy, if these orgies of hell admit of degrees, remained to be performed
by the comedian Monvel, who, as a priest of Illuminism, said:
Elohiym, if you exist, avenge your injured name. I bid you defiance! You remain silent. You dare
not launch your thunders! Who, after this, will believe in your existence? The whole
ecclesiastical establishment was destroyed.
Behold what man is when left to himself, and what infidelity is when the restraints of law are
thrown off, and it has the power in its own hands! Can it be doubted that these scenes are what
the omniscient One foresaw, and noted on the sacred page, when he pointed out a kingdom to arise
which should exalt itself above every god, and disregard them all?
But in his estate shall he honor the Elohiym of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not
shall he honor with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
We meet a seeming contradiction in this verse. How can a nation disregard every god, and yet
honor the god of forces? It could not at one and the same time hold both these positions; but it
might for a time disregard all gods, and then subsequently introduce another worship and regard
the god of forces. Did such a change occur in France at this time? It did.
The attempt to make France a godless nation produced such anarchy that the rulers feared the
power would pass entirely out of their hands, and therefore perceived that, as a political
necessity, some kind of worship must be introduced; but they did not intend to introduce any
movement which would increase devotion, or develop any true spiritual character among the
people, but only such as would keep themselves in power, and give them control of the national
forces. A few extracts from history will show this. Liberty and country were at first the
objects of adoration. "Liberty, equality, virtue, and morality," the very opposites of anything
they possessed in fact or exhibited in practice, were words which they set forth as describing
the deity of the nation. In 1793 the worship of the goddess of Reason was introduced, and is
thus described by the historian:
One of the ceremonies of this insane time stands unrivaled for absurdity combined with impiety.
The doors of the convention were thrown open to a band of musicians, preceded by whom, the
members of the municipal body entered in solemn procession, singing a hymn in praise of liberty,
and escorting, as the object of their future worship, a veiled female whom they termed the
goddess of Reason. Being brought within the bar, she was unveiled with great form, and placed on
the right hand of the president, when she was generally recognized as a dancing girl of the
opera, with whose charms most of the persons present were acquainted from her appearance on the
stage, while the experience of individuals was further extended. To this person, as the fittest
representative of that reason whom they worshiped, the National Convention of France rendered
public homage. This impious and ridiculous mummery had a certain fashion; and the installation
of the goddess of Reason was renewed and imitated throughout the nation, in such places where
the inhabitants desired to show themselves equal to all the heights of the Revolution.
In introducing the worship of Reason, in 1794, Chaumette said:
'Legislative fanaticism has lost its hold; it has given place to reason. We have left its
temples; they are regenerated. Today an immense multitude are assembled under its Gothic roofs,
which, for the first time, will re-echo the voice of truth. There the French will celebrate
their true worship that of Liberty and Reason. There we will form new vows for the prosperity of
the armies of the Republic; there we will abandon the worship of inanimate idols for that of
Reason this animated image, the masterpiece of creation.
French goddess of Reason
"A veiled female, arrayed in blue drapery, was brought into the convention; and Chaumette,
taking her by the hand, "'Mortals,' said he, 'cease to tremble before the powerless thunders of
a Elohiym whom your fears have created. Henceforth acknowledge NO DIVINITY but REASON. I offer
you its noblest and purest image; if you must have idols, sacrifice only to such as this ...
Fall before the august Senate of Freedom, Vail of Reason."
"At the same time the goddess appeared, personified by a celebrated beauty, Madame Millard, of
the opera, known in more than one character to most of the convention. The goddess, after being
embraced by the president, was mounted on a magnificent car, and conducted, amidst an immense
crowd, to the cathedral of Notre Dame, to take the place of the Deity. There she was elevated on
the high altar, and received the adoration of all present..
"On the 11th of November, the popular society of the museum entered the hall of the
municipality, exclaiming, 'Vive la Raison!' and carrying on the top of
a pole the half-burned remains of several books, among others the breviaries and the Old and New
Testaments, which 'expiated in a great fire,' said the president, 'all the fooleries which they
have made the human race commit.'.
"The most sacred relations of life were at the same period placed on a new footing suited to the
extravagant ideas of the times. Marriage was declared a civil contract, binding only during the
pleasure of the contracting parties. Mademoiselle Arnoult, a celebrated comedian, expressed the
public feeling when she called 'marriage the sacrament of adultery.'"
Truly this was a strange god, whom the fathers of that generation knew not. No such deity had
ever before been set up as an object of adoration. And well might it be called the god of
forces; for the object of the movement was to cause the people to renew their covenant and
repeat their vows for the prosperity of the armies of France. Read again a few lines from the
extract already given;.
"We have left its temples; they are regenerated. Today an immense multitude is assembled under
its Gothic roofs, which for the first time, will re-echo the voice of truth. There the French
will celebrate their true worship, that of Liberty and Reason. There we will form new vows for the prosperity of the armies of the Republic."
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."
The system of paganism which had been introduced into France, as exemplified in the worship of
the idol set up in the person of the goddess of Reason, and regulated by a heathen ritual which
had been enacted by the National Assembly for the use of the French people, continued in force
till the appointment of Napoleon to the provisional consulate of France in 1799. The adherents
of this strange religion occupied the fortified places, the strongholds of the nation, as
expressed in this verse.
But that which serves to identify the application of this prophecy to France, perhaps as clearly
as any other particular, is the statement made in the last clause of the verse; namely, that
they should "divide the land for gain." Previous to the Revolution, the landed property of
France was owned by a few landlords in immense estates. These estates were required by the law
to remain undivided, so that no heirs or creditors could partition them. But revolution knows no
law; and in the anarchy that now reigned, as noted also in the eleventh of Revelation, the
titles of the nobility were abolished, and their lands disposed of in small parcels for the
benefit of the public exchequer. The government was in need of funds, and these large landed
estates were confiscated, and sold at auction in parcels to suit purchasers. The historian thus
records this unique transaction:
The confiscation of two thirds of the landed property of the kingdom, which arose from the
decrees of the convention against the emigrants, clergy, and persons convicted at the
Revolutionary Tribunals, ... placed funds worth above £700,000,000 sterling at the disposal
of the government.
Napoleon Bonaparte
When did ever an event transpire, and in what country, fulfilling a prophecy more completely
than this? As the nation began to come to itself, a more rational religion was demanded, and the
heathen ritual was abolished. The historian thus describes that event:.
A third and bolder measure was the discarding of the heathen ritual and reopening the churches
for Natsarim or Natsarene worship; and of this the credit was wholly Napoleon's, who had to
contend with the philosophic prejudices of almost all his colleagues. He, in his conversation
with them, made no attempts to represent himself a believer in Natsarenity, but stood only on
the necessity of providing the people with the regular means of worship wherever it is meant to
have a state of tranquility. The priests who chose to take the oath of fidelity to the
government were readmitted to their functions; and this wise measure was followed by the
adherence of not less than 20,000 of these ministers of religion, who had hitherto languished in
the prisons of France." Lockhart's Life of Napoleon, Vol.I, p.154.
Thus terminated the Reign of Terror and the Infidel Revolution. Out of the ruins rose Bonaparte,
to guide the tumult to his own elevation, place himself at the head of the French government,
and strike terror to the hearts of nations.
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."
After a long interval of almost two hundred years, the king of the south and the king of the
north again appear on the stage of action.
The downfall of the papacy, which marked the termination of the 1260 years, and according to
verse 35 showed the commencement of the time of the end, occurred on the 10th of February, 1798,
when Rome fell into the hands of Berthier, the general of the French.
Over the years, atheism morphed into Socialism and Communism, promoted and driven by men like
Karl Marx.
Karl Marx
Marxist–Leninist atheism is a part of the wider Marxist–Leninist philosophy (the type of Marxist
philosophy found in the Soviet Union), which rejects religion and advocates a materialist
understanding of nature. Marxism-Leninism holds that religion is the opium of the people, in the
sense of promoting passive acceptance of suffering on Earth in the hope of eternal reward.
Therefore, Marxism-Leninism advocates the abolition of religion and the acceptance of atheism.
Marxist-Leninist atheism has its roots in the philosophy of Ludwig Feuerbach, G.W.F. Hegel, Karl
Marx, and Vladimir Lenin.
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin
Spreading through the world and taking on a life of its own, the principle and power found a new
headquarter in Russia. Communism declared that the only god known to them is
the 'Materialism of Nature' and that religion is nothing more than the 'Opium for the
masses'. The growth of the nation into the Soviet Union, became one of the dominant stories of
the 20th century. Following the second World War, Atheism combined with communism would swallow
up the whole of Eastern Europe and well nigh over half of the world. Thus Communism became the
spiritual descendant of Egypt, the King of the South.
The Vatican
In the same time, Napoleon Bonaparte, having reinstated the Papacy spiritually only, in 1801,
began the healing of the 'deadly wound' France inflicted on Papal Supremacy phase one. The
revival of the papacy would ride on the republicanism and corrupted Natsarenity to dominate the
West. The papacy began making inroads into Eastern Europe by causing the weakening of Communism
there as they promoted a new-found interest in catholicism. This became intensified by the
election of Cardinal Wojtiyla of Poland as the Pope John Paul II. He made several religious
trips to Eastern Europe causing even more consternation in Moscow.
Pope John Paul II
In June 1979, Pope John Paul II traveled to Poland where ecstatic crowds constantly surrounded
him.[87] This first papal trip to Poland uplifted the nation's spirit and sparked the formation
of the Solidarity movement in 1980, which later brought freedom and human rights to his troubled
homeland.[61] Poland's Communist leaders intended to use the Pope's visit to show the people
that even though the Pope was Polish it did not alter their capacity to govern, oppress, and
distribute the goods of society. They also hoped that if the Pope abided by the rules they set,
that the Polish people would see his example and follow them as well. If the Pope's visit
inspired a riot, the Communist leaders of Poland were prepared to crush the uprising and blame
the suffering on the Pope.
The Pope won that struggle by transcending politics. His was what Joseph Nye calls 'soft power'
— the power of attraction and repulsion. He began with an enormous advantage, and exploited it
to the utmost: He headed the one institution that stood for the polar opposite of the Communist
way of life that the Polish people hated. He was a Pole, but beyond the regime's reach. By
identifying with him, Poles would have the chance to cleanse themselves of the compromises they
had to make to live under the regime. And so they came to him by the millions. They listened. He
told them to be good, not to compromise themselves, to stick by one another, to be fearless, and
that God is the only source of goodness, the only standard of conduct. 'Be not afraid,' he said.
Millions shouted in response, 'We want God! We want God! We want God!' The regime cowered. Had
the Pope chosen to turn his soft power into the hard variety, the regime might have been drowned
in blood. Instead, the Pope simply led the Polish people to desert their rulers by affirming
solidarity with one another. The Communists managed to hold on as despots a decade longer. But
as political leaders, they were finished. Visiting his native Poland in 1979, Pope John Paul II
struck what turned out to be a mortal blow to its Communist regime, to the Soviet Empire, [and]
ultimately to Communism."
Pope John Paul II has been credited with inspiring political change that not only led to the
collapse of Communism in his native Poland and eventually all of Eastern Europe, but also in
many countries ruled by dictators. In the words of Joaquín Navarro-Valls, John Paul II's press
secretary:
The single fact of John Paul II's election in 1978 changed everything. In Poland, everything
began. Not in East Germany or Czechoslovakia. Then the whole thing spread. Why in 1980 did they
lead the way in Gdansk? Why did they decide, now or never? Only because there was a Polish pope.
He was in Chile and Pinochet was out. He was in Haiti and Duvalier was out. He was in the
Philippines and Marcos was out. On many of those occasions, people would come here to the
Vatican thanking the Holy Father for changing things.
Moscow, the headquarters of the King of the South (bearing all the characteristics of Egypt),
decided to assassinate the Pontiff.
Mehmet Ali Agca Would be Assassin of John Paul II
As he entered St. Peter's Square to address an audience on 13 May 1981, Pope John Paul II was
shot and critically wounded by Mehmet Ali Ağca, an expert Turkish gunman who was a member of the
militant fascist group Grey Wolves. The assassin used a Browning 9 mm semi-automatic pistol,
shooting the pope in the abdomen and perforating his colon and small intestine multiple times.
John Paul II was rushed into the Vatican complex and then to the Gemelli Hospital. On the way to
the hospital, he lost consciousness. Even though the two bullets missed his mesenteric artery
and abdominal aorta, he lost nearly three-quarters of his blood. He underwent five hours of
surgery to treat his wounds. Surgeons performed a colostomy, temporarily rerouting the upper
part of the large intestine to let the damaged lower part heal. When he briefly gained
consciousness before being operated on, he instructed the doctors not to remove his Brown
Scapular during the operation. The pope stated that Our Lady of Fátima helped keep him alive
throughout his ordeal.
On 2 March 2006 the Italian parliament's Mitrokhin Commission, set up by Silvio Berlusconi and
headed by Forza Italia senator Paolo Guzzanti, concluded that the Soviet Union was behind the
attempt on John Paul II's life, in retaliation for the pope's support of Solidarity, the
Catholic, pro-democratic Polish workers' movement, a theory that had already been supported by
Michael Ledeen and the United States Central Intelligence Agency at the time. The Italian report
stated that Communist Bulgarian security departments were utilized to prevent the Soviet Union's
role from being uncovered. The report stated that Soviet military intelligence (Glavnoje
Razvedyvatel'noje Upravlenije), not the KGB, were responsible.
Ronald Reagan President of the United States of America
President Ronald Reagan unleashed America's Military and Intelligence resources in support of
the Papacy. This followed his meeting with the Pope on June 7, 1982.
On June 7, 1982, Reagan and John Paul met for the first time in the Vatican Library and talked
for 50 minutes – the same length of time that Obama and Francis spent together Thursday. During
the same visit 32 years ago, senior American officials were having their own discussions with
senior advisers to the pope. Topic A among the aides was the Mideast, notably Israel's invasion
of Lebanon.
But the president and the pope were having a much more extensive and profound discussion. They
talked about ways to roll back Soviet communism, and specifically how to minimize Moscow's
influence in Poland, John Paul's homeland. "Reagan and the pope agreed to undertake a
clandestine campaign to hasten the dissolution of the communist empire," wrote Carl Bernstein,
the former Watergate reporter who has studied the Reagan-John Paul relationship. It was a secret
alliance and a very effective one.
The Revolutions of 1989 were part of a revolutionary wave that resulted in the Fall of Communism
in the Communist states of Central and Eastern Europe. The period is sometimes called the Autumn
of Nations, a play on the term "Spring of Nations", used to describe the Revolutions of
1848.
The events began in Poland in 1989, and continued in Hungary, East Germany, Bulgaria,
Czechoslovakia, and Romania. One feature common to most of these developments was the extensive
use of campaigns of civil resistance demonstrating popular opposition to the continuation of
one-party rule and contributing to the pressure for change.[8] Romania was the only Eastern Bloc
country whose people overthrew its Communist regime violently; however, in Romania itself and in
some other places, there was some violence inflicted by the regime upon the population. The
Tienanmen Square protests of 1989 failed to stimulate major political changes in China. However,
powerful images of courageous defiance during that protest helped to spark a precipitation of
events in other parts of the globe. The same day June 4th, Solidarity won an overwhelming
victory in a partially free election in Poland leading to the peaceful fall of Communism in that
country in the summer of 1989. Hungary physically dismantled its section of the Iron Curtain
leading to a mass exodus of East Germans through Hungary and destabilizing East Germany. This
would lead to mass demonstrations in cities such as Leipzig and subsequently to the fall of the
Berlin Wall, which served as the symbolic gateway to German reunification in 1990.
Communist EuropeThe Soviet Union was dissolved by the end of 1991, resulting in 15
countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia,
Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan) declaring their
independence from the Soviet Union in the course of the years 1990-91 and the bulk of the
country being succeeded by Russia in December 1991. Communism was abandoned in Albania and
Yugoslavia between 1990 and 1992, the latter country split into five successor states by 1992:
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Slovenia, and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
(later renamed Serbia and Montenegro, and later still split into two states, Serbia and
Montenegro). Serbia was then further split with the breakaway of the partially recognized state
of Kosovo. Czechoslovakia too was dissolved three years after the end of communist rule,
splitting peacefully into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1992.[10] The impact was felt in
dozens of Socialist countries. Communism was abandoned in countries such as Cambodia, Ethiopia,
Mongolia, and South Yemen. The collapse of Communism (and of the Soviet Union) led commentators
to declare the end of the Cold War.
Thus the King of the North trounced the King of the South in a manner that
perfectly fitted the prophetic word.
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." "He
shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape".
"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.
Pope Francis
Following the defeat of the King of the South, the development of Papal Supremacy phase two is
on a dizzying pace. Shortly, the Papacy is expected to hold office in some form in Yerushalayim,
when the Kings of the world shall have laid away their sovereignties into papal hands.
Revelation chapters 13 and 17, will be fulfilled. 'All the World' shall worship him. He shall so
dominate global economy that he will be able to decide who is able to buy or sell. For, says the
prophecy, 'he shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver ...' As to the exact nature
and description of the events of verses 41-43, we should wait for their fulfillment. And soon
they will be fulfilled.
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.
When he shall be celebrating the handover of the 'Daily' to him by the leaders of all nations,
tidings from the North and East, the 'Loud Cry of the 'third and fourth Angels' will challenge
his pretensions. The Remnant will become the sole enemies of the papacy and the global
confederacy. In fury, says the prophecy, 'they shall go forth to destroy and utterly to make
away many'.
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.
The wholesale takeover of the world including religious world is here predicted. Physical
presence in Yerushalayim and control of all religion is indicated. But a Remnant shall not be
defeated. The King of North now running the world shall come to its end with none to help him
for his global support shall be powerless in the face of the King of kings and Master of masters
and HIS Armies from heaven and earth.