Well, if you have your Bibles with you this morning, open them to the penultimate chapter of the book of Daniel, Daniel chapter 11. We have almost arrived at the end of this great book. Here in chapter 11, we find a very unique chapter. It is a rather long prophetic exposition of things that are to come. It is a kind of history of the ancient Near East before it comes to pass. It is a prophetic look ahead for Daniel that is rather unique because as Daniel sits there in exile praying and waiting for God to bring an end to the exile and to take his people back into the land of promise, God gives him a vision of not just that land of promise, but really broadens the scope to a much larger region than that, to its north and to its south, and also gives him a picture wherein God's people and the land of promise play a very small part Daniel chapter 11 has very little to do with what God is going to do in Jerusalem or in Palestine, in Israel. It has very little to do with how that land will grow and expand, with how that land will be governed, with whom their leaders will be. It has almost nothing to do with that. And one would expect that if Daniel was going to receive a vision, And he's in exile, and God is going to bring his people out of exile, and you are going to spend this much time. This is a long chapter. There are, you know, 45 verses here dealing with what God is going to do in this region. You would think that perhaps there'd be some emphasis on Israel itself. Some emphasis on their rulers, on their leaders, some emphasis on their future direction, but that's simply not the case. Here in Daniel chapter 11, what we have ultimately is a picture of this ongoing, centuries-long battle for that part of the world, and really the rest of the world, because that was pretty much the known world. And who would control it? The Ptolemies in Egypt, or the Seleucids in the north. And what we have is the back and forth tug of war as these individuals try to gain dominance in this region and across the sea in the Mediterranean. But the fact that God lays these things out the way that he does also tells us a great deal about the way God sees events in the world and the way that God interprets and calls us to interpret world events. So as we look here, there are a number of issues to keep in mind. One issue to keep in mind is this. God is not giving us a newspaper rendering of what is going to happen. We're still in prophetic literature. So we're not getting a newspaper rendering with names and dates and places. By the way, that would be extremely problematic. And it would actually bear less weight, I believe, if he did it that way. Because if he gives us particular names and dates before these things come to pass, well then you could actually look back and say, these were kind of self-fulfilling prophecies. These people, you know, they saw this and they heard this, and so they named themselves accordingly, they named their kingdoms accordingly, and they worked to accomplish that which they had seen beforehand. But we don't have that. What we do have, though, is the clear outlines, a clear sketch of what is going to happen. And in some cases, we can put actual names and actual places and actual dates to what happens. Yet, we do not want to fall into the trap, because that's a trap. It's a trap for us to look at this from a newspaper perspective and say, let's look at the history of the ancient Near East and let's look at all of these events and try to plug them in to Daniel chapter 11 to see how accurately these things have been portrayed in this particular text. That's not the intent. It's not the intent at all. Remember also that Christ has made it very clear to us in a number of places, most prominently perhaps there in Luke chapter 24, that He is the interpretive key to all of Scripture. We preach Christ and Him crucified. Amen? So, ultimately, if all this is about is just some stuff that's already taken place, and we can sit here and plug in names and dates and then pat ourselves on the back because we're able to do a Google search or search, you know, microfilm or microfiche, if they still have those things nowadays, or whatever, then what have we accomplished? What have we accomplished if that's all we do, gathered here as the people of God? That's meaningless, that's useless. I don't know about you, but I need some good news today, amen? And just knowing the names and dates and places of the Ptolemies and the Seleucids and who came when and where, that's not good news, folks. That does not help me, amen? So it's here, it's important, but it's not the ultimate truth. that we are trying to ascertain. Also we know that as we move forward in this, toward the end there is a shift that goes from the ancient Near East to the future. Now some would argue it goes from the ancient Near East to the future Near East. Some, on the other hand, would argue that it goes from the ancient Near East, where we're talking about the people of God and the land of promise, to a future where the people of God are not limited to one particular geopolitical ethnic group, and the land of promise is also not limited to a geopolitical place. But more about that when we get there. There's another issue that we must address, and that is the issue of how we view and interpret world events. And how we view and interpret world events is determined by how we view and interpret the world. It's determined by our worldview. We talked about this just this past Wednesday night with the men, but let me just, for the sake of this text, for the sake of this chapter, give you an overarching view of what I'm talking about. Our worldview is the lens through which we view, understand, and interpret everything, especially world events, especially history. And I will, let me just say this up front, I will use the term history as I relate to this passage of Scripture. But we all know that we're talking about things before they happen. So this is prophetic literature. This is not historic literature. I'm fully aware of that, but I will from time to time talk about historic events, future events, so on and so forth. But we all understand that Daniel chapter 11 is laying these things out, sketching these things out long before they took place. Amen. But he is trying, God is trying to help Daniel see what's really important about these future events, which in turn helps us understand what's really important about these historic events, which in turn helps us understand how to interpret our present reality and how to project forward into our future reality. When you're talking about the world and the way that it works, what's true? There are two main competing worldviews in our day, the worldview of Christian theism and the worldview of secular humanism. Now, there are a couple of ways that we can sort of divide these worldviews, a couple of ways that we can explain these worldviews. One is we can look at the elements of a worldview, its view of God and man and truth and knowledge and ethics. And so we can look at Christian theism on the one hand and secular humanism on the other and say that when we think about God or man or truth or knowledge or ethics, here's how we answer those ultimate questions. And you'll see two very different worldviews. Our view of God, over here we have a theistic view. Over here in secular humanism, there's an atheistic view, our view of man. Over here in Christian theism, there's a special creation view. In secular humanism, there's an evolutionary view, our view of truth. How do we know what is true? Well, over in Christian theism, there is reason and revelation. And so we know that there is general revelation, or what we would understand to be scientific observation, and special revelation, what we would understand to be Scripture, that governs our understanding of special revelation. And secondly, humanism, it would be naturalistic materialism. Nature is a closed system and matter is all that matters. The only things we know are the things that we can touch, taste, hear, smell, so on and so forth. Over here, when it comes to knowledge or ethics, we would have ethics that are absolute. Over here we would have ethics that are cultural and negotiated. And those would be the two worldviews if you looked at their elements, their understanding of God and man and truth and knowledge and ethics. And those two worldviews would look at the events of history differently. It would interpret those events differently. But there is another way that I believe we look at worldview that fits much better when it comes to interpreting broad sweeping events like this. And that is the metanarrative approach to worldview. Or instead of looking at the elements of your worldview, you look at the story that explains your worldview, the story that explains why things are the way that they are. And here in Christian theism, quite simply, we have creation, fall, redemption, and consummation. That's the way we explain the world. God created the world. Man fell into sin. And it affected and infected every aspect of not only humanity, but every aspect of our world itself. That even nature is yearning and crying out for its redemption. What is the answer? What is our hope? Well, the answer and our hope, of course, is redemption through the person and work of Jesus Christ. Where does it all end? It all ends in consummation, when Christ returns at the end of the age to judge the living and the dead and to set right all that which is wrong. That's how we explain and interpret the world. So when we look at historic events, we look through that lens. However, on the other hand, there is secular humanism and its explanation of the world. Instead of creation, you have Big Bang. Instead of fall, you have evolution. Instead of redemption, you have therapy. And instead of consummation, you have utopia. Ultimately, there was an accident. and the accident resulted eventually in you and me. We have problems, however. Our problems are a direct result of the way that we evolved. How do we solve those problems? Well, we need to come to grips with whatever these evolutionary issues are, and we need to find a therapeutic solution to dealing with what it is out there. Usually that therapeutic solution involves more and better education and more and better government. And ultimately, when we get more and better education and more and better government, we will come to a place of utopia where all things will be made perfect by man who figures out through education and government how to eliminate all of his problems. Those are the two competing worldviews and the way that we judge and interpret reality and judge and interpret world events. Hold on to those as we go through these passages of Scripture in this chapter. We begin at verse 2, and it gets good in a hurry. And now I will show you the truth. Behold, three more kings shall arise in Persia, and a fourth shall be richer than all of them. And when he has become strong through his riches, he shall stir up all against the kingdom of Greece. Then a mighty king shall arise who shall rule with great dominion and do as he wills. And as soon as he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken and divided toward the four winds of heaven. But not to his posterity, nor according to the authority with which he ruled. For his kingdom shall be plucked up and go to others besides these. Now, the first thing that we see here as we get this picture, I want you to notice something that happens. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven times in this one paragraph, you find the word shall. Seven times in this paragraph. But wait. more than 120 times in this chapter, you find the word shall. Not this is what might happen, not this is what could happen, not if you do this, this will follow, but shall, shall, shall, shall. Let me read it for you again. And now I will show you the truth. Three more kings, can you say that with me, shall arise in Persia. And a fourth together shall be richer than all of them. And when he has become strong through his riches, he altogether shall stir up all against the kingdom of Greece. Then a mighty king shall arise who shall rule with great dominion and do as he wills. And as soon as he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not to his posterity, nor according to the authority with which he ruled. For his kingdom shall be plucked up and go to others besides these." Isn't it amazing how somebody points something out to you, it just becomes obvious? More than 120 times. Now, let me just say, you're never gonna be able to read Daniel chapter 11 the same way again because you're gonna have shall, shall, shall running through your head. But what's the point there? God is sovereign over history. God is sovereign over history. He is sovereign over the affairs of men. Things don't happen by accident in God's universe. We've said it before and I'll say it again, God is not running for God. Amen. I hope all of us went to the polls on Tuesday. And if you went to the polls on Tuesday, with the little, you know, machines that we have in the polls on Tuesday, a couple of things happened. One, there were some generational differences that occurred when you got to the polls. Some of you who are in the younger generation, you went into the polls, and you saw that screen, and you tried to touch the screen, because it's supposed to be a touch screen, and that's how things are supposed to work, say you didn't. You know you did, especially those of you who were voting for the first time. But another thing happened. You saw a lot of people on that ballot. God wasn't one of them. He is sovereign in the affairs of men. This is incredibly important. By the way, it crushes the secular human worldview. Big bang, evolution, therapy, utopia. The sovereignty of God over the affairs of men crushes that worldview. From the word go, it crushes it. Unfortunately, that doesn't stop many Christians from thinking that way. But we see the sovereignty of God. Let me also show you this. Remember, I said that this is not sort of a newspaper account. So we go here and he says, behold, three more kings shall reign in Persia, and a fourth shall be richer than all of them. Okay, is he giving us a specific number of kings? I don't think he is. Proverbs chapter 30, verses 15 to 19. By the way, this happens also through the earlier parts of the book of Amos. We read, the leech has, Two daughters, give and give. Three things are never satisfied. Four, never say enough. Sheol, the barren womb, the land never satisfied with water, and the fire that never says enough. The eye that mocks a father and scorns to obey a mother will be plucked out by the ravens of the valley and eaten by the vultures. Three things are too wonderful for me, four, I do not understand. The way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a serpent on a rock, the way of a ship on a high seas, and the way of a man with a virgin. Three things I don't understand, four. Three things and then for four. For three transgressions and then for four. Remember that in Amos? For three and then for four. This is a rhetorical device. And so when he says here, three kings will arise and then a fourth, he's talking about a progression of kings. He's not giving you newspaper information. He's saying kings shall arise. Many kings shall arise. But there is another king who shall arise that is significant. And there's one who's more significant even than that. I also want you to understand this, with God's sovereignty over history, if somebody were to ask you about the importance or the important characters in the ancient Near East, you would probably go immediately to Alexander the Great. This is all he gets in Daniel chapter 11. Because the way God views things, Alexander the Great is not all that significant. We think he's significant because of how young he was and how much he conquered. And in our minds, that's how you stand out in history. But God does not look at the events of men the same way you and I look at the events of men. And what we find here in Daniel chapter 11 is a lesson in how to view the events of history and how to view current events and how to view future events through the lens of a sovereign God who raises up and puts down leaders when and where he pleases. God is sovereign. This does a couple of things. One, it ends moping. If you can't say amen, you ought to say ouch. It ends moping. Why mope over who's in leadership if you serve a sovereign God who raises up and puts down kings? Amen somebody. Why mope over that? Here's the other thing, it ends blaming. Again, if I hear one more person say, if the church had only... As though God is enthroned in heaven desiring to do one thing but having to do another because of what the church was not able to muster up. Help you if you believe that. The God I serve is sovereign. He sits enthroned in the heavens and He does whatever pleases Him. Does that mean that we don't act? Does that mean that we don't do? Of course it doesn't mean that. But it means that when we look back at what God has done, we don't mope about it and we don't blame about it. Instead, we look for the sovereign hand of God. We look for his providence. We look for what it is that God is doing, what it is that God is about, what it is that God is orchestrating because he is active and he is orchestrating all things for his own glory. even Alexander the Great. Here's another thing I want you to notice. Daniel says, now I will show you the truth. This is the stuff, guys. This is the future. And what does he do? The first paragraph he goes, some more kings are gonna rise up in this kingdom. where we're in exile. And then there's gonna be a greater king. Wow, is that our king? No, it's this Greek dude, Alexander the Great. So even this greater king, who's gonna be greater than all these kings, that's not our king either. Whoa. Well, I mean, whoa. Well, what about us? Cause I mean, we're, you know, we're the people of God. So if we're the people of God, the apple of God's eye, of course we were sinful. God took us into exile, but he took us into exile so that he could purge and purify his people. But after he purges and purifies his people, he's going to bring us back into the land. He already told us that he's going to bring us back to the land. And certainly after he brings us back in the land, we are going to be the focal point of history and we are going to be the most powerful nation on the earth, right? No. No, you're not. You're going to be puny and insignificant and people are going to literally walk all over you. And by the way, that's what happens in the next major section. The next major section goes from chapter five down, from verse five down through verse 20. And from verse five down through verse 20, here's what you have. The kings of the north, and the kings of the south who literally walk all over Israel so that they can fight with one another because Israel is not worth fighting or fighting for. It's just a piece of highway. That's all. It's a piece of highway. That's their place in the grand scheme of things. It's a piece of highway to get to the real prize. What's the real prize? Well, if you're up in the North, the real prize is Egypt. What's the real prize? Well, if you're down in the South, in Egypt, the real prize is up in the North or over in the West, in the Mediterranean. But the real prize is not the land of promise that God's people have been looking forward to and waiting for forever. They are not the most significant players and they are not in the most significant place. And it's not because they weren't godly enough. Amen? Oh, if Israel had only—no, it's not what we read here in Daniel chapter 11. Look with me beginning in verse 5. And in this second section, here's what we see. God's people are at the crossroads of history. They're at the crossroads of history. They're not the focal point. The only way you look at and see history this way is if your presuppositions run in this direction. So if you have a biblical worldview, then when you look at the events of the world, you're going to ask yourself, what is God doing to work out his plan of redemption? If you don't have a biblical worldview, then all you have to look at is who's more powerful right now And what are the socioeconomic geopolitical issues that brought about their power so that we can predict who's going to be powerful next? That's all you've got. Look at the beginning of verse five. Then the king of the south shall be strong. There's Egypt. But one of his princes shall be stronger than he and shall rule. And his authority shall be great, a great authority. After some years, they shall make an alliance. And the daughter of the King of the South, his daughter is Bernice, the King of the South at this time is Ptolemy II, shall come to the King of the North, who is Antiochus II, to make an agreement. But she shall not remain the strength of her arm. he is in his arm shall not endure but she shall be given up by the way she's killed by the wife whom the king put away so that he could have her and her attendance he who fathered her and he who supported her in those times So here they're going to make an alliance. And so the king of the south sends his daughter, Bernice, up to marry the king of the north. And Antiochus II, who's married to Laodice, whom the city of Laodicea is named for, divorces her and disinherits their sons. and marries this other woman from the south for the purpose of alliance. This alliance doesn't work out too well. And Laodice, by the way, kills Bernice and her son before she is later killed by the Egyptian ruler. Sounds like some kind of soap opera, doesn't it? That's how the affairs of men are run. Scheming, conniving, lust, power, bribes. Many are either taken by force or they are somehow seduced by their desires. And that's what we have here. That's what this is a picture of. God puts this here so that we can see what's happening right here at the crossroads. Where is Israel in all of this? Right in the middle. Right there in the crossroads, all of it's happening right there. They're seeing it all. Again, we have Zerubbabel and we have Ezra and we have Nehemiah, we have God's people who go back to the land and their wall is rebuilt and they build this temple, which is a mere shadow of what it used to be. But again, they build this temple and to them, it's the center of the universe. It's the most important thing in the world. But to the rest of the world, what's important? What's important is this love triangle going on between the, Seleucids and the Ptolemies. And there are God's people at the crossroads. By the way, what is the crossroads? The crossroads is what God is doing in redemptive history, bringing about the redemption of His people and what man is doing to try to accomplish his own destiny, his own way, by his own means and for his own purposes. That's the crossroads of history. And where we get mixed up is when we get on the wrong road. Where do we belong? Where does our focus belong? On what God is doing in redemptive history. Remember, He's sovereign. After this, we go from the intrigue to just the sheer sin of man. Verse seven. and from a branch from her roots one shall arise in his place. He shall come against the army and enter the fortress of the king of the north. And he shall deal with them and shall prevail. He shall also carry off to Egypt their gods with their metal images and their precious vessels of silver and gold. And for some years he shall refrain from attacking the king of the north. Then the latter shall come into the realm of the king of the south, but shall return to his own land. So that's how that all works out. His sons shall wage war and assemble a multitude of great forces which shall keep coming and overflow and pass through and again shall carry the war as far as his fortress. Then the King of the South, moved with rage, shall come out and fight against the King of the North. And he shall raise a great multitude, but it shall be given into his hand. And when the multitude is taken away, his heart shall be exalted. And he shall cast down tens of thousands, but he shall not prevail. For the King of the North shall again raise a multitude greater than the first. And after some years, he shall come on with a great army and abundant supplies." Hear this, we just read about the deaths of perhaps hundreds of thousands of men who died for what? What are their names? Who were their descendants? What did they accomplish? What lasting impact did they have? Folks, that's the world of men. That's the world where men line up by the thousands and tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands and even millions to kill one another. and many times don't even know why. Where mothers raise sons and take great care and view in them hopes and dreams and a future. And where kings, angry and enraged because they've been offended or thwarted or didn't get what they want, come by and say, give me that boy in whom rest all those hopes so that he can go and satisfy my rage and my vengeance. And that boy who's barely become a man goes off and is gone like that. This is the world of men. This is the crossroads at which we find ourselves. Verse 14, in those times, many shall rise against the king of the south, and the violent among your own people shall lift themselves up in order to fulfill the vision, but they shall fail. Really not sure what exactly that means? But the violent among your own people, now maybe Israel, there's a lot of speculation as to what this refers to. And maybe we're seeing some kind of Maccabean revolt or something of that matter. But we know that this violence is involving now the people of Israel, but they will fail. Then the king of the north shall come and throw up siege works and take a well-fortified city, and the forces of the south shall not stand, or even his best troops. For there shall be no strength to stand, but he who comes against him shall do as he wills, and none shall stand before him. And he shall stand in the glorious land, there is Israel, with destruction in his hand. He shall set his face to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and he shall bring terms of an agreement and perform them. He shall give him the daughter of women to destroy the kingdom, but it shall not stand to his advantage. Afterward, he shall turn his face to the coastlands and shall capture many of them. But a commander shall put an end to his insolence. Indeed, he shall turn his insolence back upon him. Then he shall turn his face back toward the fortress of his own land but he shall stumble and fall and shall not be found. Then in verse 20, this cryptic note, then shall arise in his place one who shall send an exacter of tribute for the glory of the kingdom. But within a few days he shall be broken, neither in anger nor in battle. Where's Israel? Are there kings rising up in the midst of all of this? No. It was some kind of rebellion, but it wasn't really worth mentioning or explaining, and it had no impact. It was to no avail. Then someone stands there in the midst of this great land and makes a treaty, but it's not a treaty with Israel. It's a treaty between these two significant powers that are literally walking all over this land that meant so much to God's people. Then there's an exactor of tribute, so Israel's now having to pay tribute to someone. But that doesn't last for long. What's the point? God's people are here at the crossroads of history. And this is what's interesting. Just like here, as explained in Daniel chapter 11, in the history of the ancient Near East, God's people, Israel, God's geopolitical people stand there at the crossroads of history while all these things are going on, while they are in the midst of a reality that is far superior than anything these people are fighting for. They don't even know if these people knew what was going on. They are marching right past the most significant thing in the world to go and find that which they think will make them more significant. They don't know what's going on, and Israel all the while is in the midst of this land that has been promised to them, and they are worshiping the one true and living God. The same is true today. God's people today are also at the crossroads of history. God's people in every place and in every land, and as men go back and forth trying to battle over that which they think is most significant, there is nothing for which men are fighting and dying out there that is more significant than what we are doing today in here. But no one can take this by force. No one can have this just because they want it. The other stuff men go and take by forcing other men to bow the knee to them. This one men can only have when they voluntarily bow the knee to God. So here we are at the crossroads of history. It's not time for us to moan and whine. It's time for us to remember that that which we possess is that which is most significant. There is a third truth. God's people will inevitably, as a result of this, be targeted, seduced, and opposed by evil men. And in the next section, verses 21 to 35, we see all about Antiochus IV Epiphanes. And here he is. And here is the abomination that makes desolate. This is the individual. Now we see Israel. So we've seen all this stuff that's going on and Israel's at the crossroads. First we see these kings arise, these important kings. Israel's king is not one of those kings. Now after we see these kings arise and Alexander the Great and this kingdom spread out, now we see Israel at the crossroads while men go back and forth and literally trample over Israel to fight one another, because Israel's not significant enough to fight or to fight over. Now, We come to a point where God concentrates on Israel, and we think, great, now Israel is going to have its 15 minutes of fame, its moment in the sun. Not exactly. When Israel becomes the focal point, it is because of her persecution by godless men. And in this case, Antiochus or Antiochus IV. Verse 21, in his place shall arise a contemptible person to whom royal majesty has not been given. He shall come in without warning and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. Armies shall be utterly swept away before him and broken. Even the prince of the covenant And from the time that an alliance is made with him, he shall act deceitfully, and he shall become strong with a small people. Without warning, he shall come into the richest parts of the province, and he shall do what neither his fathers nor His father's fathers have done Scattering among them plunder spoil and goods. He should devise plans against strongholds but only for a time and he shall stir up his power and his heart against the king of the south with a great army and The king of the south shall wage war with an exceedingly great and mighty army But he shall not stand for plots shall be devised against him. Even those who eat his food Shall break him His army shall be bent on doing evil. They shall speak lies at the same table, but to no avail, for the end is yet to be at the time appointed. And he shall return to his land with great wealth, but his heart shall be great against the holy covenant. And he shall work his will and return to his own land." Three times there, there's a reference to Israel or the people of Israel. At the time appointed, he shall return and come into the south, but it shall not be this time as it was before. For ships of Kittin shall come against him, and he shall be afraid and withdraw, and shall turn back and be enraged and take action against the holy covenant." There's against Israel. He shall turn back and pay attention to those who forsake the holy covenant. Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offerings, and shall set up the abomination that makes desolate, and shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant. But the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action, and the wise among the people shall make many understand. though for some days they shall stumble by sword and flame, by captivity and plunder. When they stumble, they shall receive a little help, and many shall join themselves to them with flattery, and some of the wise shall stumble, so that they may be refined, purified, and made white until the time of the end, for it still awaits the appointed time. This is not that great leader that was spoken of at the end. We read about him in the final section. This is Antiochus, and this is what he does. So here, Israel becomes a focal point. What's the focal point for Israel? Well, the focal point thus far has been Israel as a land that was trampled over by those who were more significant and fighting for more significant things. Now when we finally see a focus on the people of God, what do we see? We see that they become the target. We see that the people of God are persecuted. We see that the people of God are scattered, that they are opposed. We see that the people of God are manipulated. We see that some of the people of God actually went the wrong way on this. But the fact of the matter is the only time we focus on Israel in this chapter is when we focus on her persecutor. And understand this, this is true for the people of God throughout the rest of time. There is no geopolitical kingdom of God. There is no geopolitical land or place that is the place of promise. There are no theocracies. The people of God belong to the kingdom of God and they are a spiritual people who belong to a spiritual kingdom. So throughout history, when you look at those who rise and fall and those who take and give and have taken from them, you're not seeing the people of God. I don't even care if they call themselves the people of God. I don't care how many popes have marched into war. That wasn't the people of God. Where did the people of God go to war? For what do the people of God go to war? How do you raise an army among the people of God? How do you do that? And what on earth would the people of God fight for in this war? And if we fought for it and gained it, how would we occupy it? Why would we occupy it? And how could we then go about the business that God has called us to be about after we have so profaned who we are by taking up arms as the people of God? Can't get there from here. Now, let me be very careful. Those of you who know me know this, but some of you may not. I did not say that the people of God cannot or should not bear arms. This is not my point. I didn't say that the people of God cannot engage in geopolitical wars. We have people of God serving in our military right now today. There are some of you here today who are veterans of the military, some who have served in wars and in combat. Praise God for you. But you were fighting for a geopolitical entity. You were not fighting on behalf of the kingdom of God, trying to win that which Christ has already won. You were defending your family. You were defending your country. And God bless you for it. Amen? I'm not talking about pacifism here. Understand what I'm saying is that as the people of God, we are not a geopolitical people, but we belong to nations all over this world. And as the people of God, here is the great irony. We don't fight against anybody, but everybody fights against us. Amen? And it doesn't matter where we are. The world finds us, and the world fights against us, and the world persecutes us, no matter where we are. And in most places, we accept this as the norm. It's just here in America that we're having a hard time adjusting. And praise God for that, by the way. For this unique place in all of history where we have not experienced what the rest of the people of God has experienced. Praise God for that. But it's not owed to us. It's not guaranteed. And it's not changing because of what the church is not doing or not being. Finally, History will not end in utopia. It will end in conflict. History will not end in utopia. It will end in conflict. Man is not moving toward improving himself and becoming better. We're not. We're not better. We're not better. We think we are. We're not better. Yes, we have mobile phones. Yes, we have televisions. Yes, we have satellites. Yes, we have anti-lock brakes. Yes, we fly around in 747s and 737s and 777s and now the new 787s and yes, the Airbus 380 and we can move more of us further and faster than we've ever been moved before. Absolutely all of that is true. But on the inside, we are exactly the same as we've always been. And the factor of the matter is, we still crush and kill one another. We've just found ways to do it where you don't have to be there and see it. Amen? We can kill one another from thousands of miles away now, but we're still killing each other. That hasn't changed. We still brutalize each other. We still make alliances. We still lie and cheat and steal and all the rest of the stuff. It's just that now we have technological capabilities that make it a lot neater and cleaner. We're not moving toward utopia. We're moving toward conflict. Here's the good news. The good news is God is sovereign over the affairs of man, sovereign over history. God's people are at the crossroads of history because ultimately what God is doing is He is working out His plan of redemption. within the context and confines of history. So everything that happens and has happened in this world, God is using to bring about his plan of redemption. And all these guys that we've read about in all these chapters and all these wars, these people were establishing what would eventually become the Greco-Roman world. And when he establishes the Greco-Roman world, there's a power that arises. And when this power arises, they are so powerful that there's one language spoken among all the people of the world. They're so powerful that they have a system of roads that allow them to go all throughout the known world. And so when the fullness of time comes, God sends his son, born of a woman, born under the law, and he gives this mandate After living a perfect sinless life dying on a tree for his people being Resurrected again on the third day number one. Everybody is able to hear about it Number two on the day of Pentecost people from all over the world travel those roads built by Roman pagans so that they can get there and Hear the gospel in their own language and then afterwards travel those same roads throughout the entire known world and spread the gospel. And there was no other time in history where the table was set more perfectly for that to happen. And a lot of it has to do with King of the North fighting the King of the South, and King of the South getting mad about losing, and then going and fighting the King of the North, and these people going out West. And by the way, what's out West? What's out West of the Mediterranean? What do you find out there? Europe. Rome. God's people are at the crossroads of history. They're persecuted, and that won't stop until the end comes. There's a change here. Many argue and debate over what type of change comes in this text, and whether or not we're talking about the Antichrist, an Antichrist, or the spirit of Antichrist, whether we're still talking about Antiochus IV, whether we're still whatever. Let me just say this. I believe we're talking about the future. I believe we're talking about the end, and the clue is there in verse 35. until the time of the end, for it still awaits the appointed time." And I believe that what we saw in Antiochus was really sort of a type, if you will, of this war and battle that will continue to rage against the people of God and ultimately be expressed at the end of time where there will be great persecution before the Lord comes at the end of the age. Verse 36, The king shall do as he wills. Secondly, he shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every God and shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods. Thirdly, he shall prosper till the indignation is accomplished. For what is decreed shall be done. Next, he shall pay no attention to the gods of his fathers or to the one beloved by women. He shall not pay attention to any other god, for he shall magnify himself above all. He shall honor the god of fortresses instead of these. A God whom his fathers did not know, he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. And then finally, he shall deal with the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign God. Those who acknowledged him, he shall load with honor. He shall make them rulers over many and shall divide the land for a price. This is absolutely the spirit of anti-Christ. This is anti-Christian. And this is what we have seen time and time again, and we'll see at the end of the age. But watch this. At the time of the end, the king of the south shall attack him. But the king of the north shall rush upon him like a whirlwind, with chariot and horsemen, and with many ships." That's why I don't believe for a moment that this is Antiochus, because you've got the king of the south and king of the north opposing this individual. If you're talking about a literal individual, and this is not futuristic, apocalyptic language, talking about a spiritual battle, then you're definitely talking about somebody who's not Antiochus. If this apocalyptic language is speaking of the last days in more general terms, you still aren't talking about Antiochus. He shall come into countries and shall overflow and pass through. He shall come into the glorious land and tens of thousands shall fall, but these shall be delivered out of his hand. Edom and Moab and the main part of the Amorites, by the way, Moab is long gone by now. We know that that's not being literal. He shall stretch out his hand against the countries and of the land of Egypt shall not escape He shall become ruler of the treasures of gold and silver and all the precious things of Egypt. And the Libyans and the Kushites shall follow in his train. But news from the east and the north shall alarm him, and he shall go out with great fury to destroy and devote many to destruction. and he shall pitch his palatial tents between the sea and the glorious holy mountain, yet he shall come to his end with none to help him. Amen. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. We win. Who's this? I don't know. And I don't care. If it's an individual, he loses when Christ comes at the end of the age. If it's spiritual forces, they lose when Christ comes at the end of this age. If it's many individuals, they lose when Christ comes at the end of the age. That's what I know. That's what I know. And that's what matters. Again, there is a lot of information here. And I told you that we wouldn't go into all the particular dates and names and places. You see now it's because we just didn't even have time to do that. But it's also because they really don't matter. What matters? Here's what matters. Our God is sovereign over the affairs of men. He is sovereign over history. Nothing takes Him by surprise. Here's what matters. God's people are at the crossroads of history. They always have been and they always will be. Why? Because God is working out redemption of His people in the midst of the conflict of sinful men. And so that crossroads of sin and redemption, that's where we are. That's where we live. That's our gospel, by the way. We proclaim our gospel in the midst of that crossroads so that God is working out his redemption in the midst of sinful men who are going their own direction. And one by one, they are halted and transformed that Christ may have the fullness of the reward for which he died. Here's what I know. The people of God are always targeted. And always persecuted by sinful men. Because the fact of the matter is we belong to a kingdom that they cannot conquer. And we will not bow the knee to them. Therefore, we will always be targeted by them. Here's what we know finally. History will not end in utopia, folks. Things are not going to get better. Let me say that again. Things are not going to get better. Large scale. Will things get better individually? Will things get better in pockets? Amen, they will. Praise God. Yes, they will. They will in places, in pockets. There'd be times in your families and there are families who will have, you know, great spiritual dynasties for lack of a better word. Absolutely, those things are real and those things are true and praise God for those things. But there's a difference between having hope that God does that and God will do that and believing that the way the arc of history is moving is toward men improving themselves. It's not the case. Wickedness will increase. Sin will increase. Wars will increase. Oppression will increase. But when it does, always be reminded that it will end. Because ultimately, there is a king who is coming, not from the north or from the south, or from the east or from the west. There is a king who is coming from the right hand of the throne of his father, and he will set all things right. That's the one in whom we hope. That's the king to whom we bow. That's the direction to which we look. Anything else that we receive from the hand of men that is good is but an extension of the grace and mercy that we receive from Christ, who is our hope, and it's just gravy. Let's pray.