Title: CHRISTIANS AND
THE ANTI-CHRIST
Focus: Christians must live with struggles and trials, triggered by lawlessness and the Anti-Christ until Jesus’ final coming as triumphant King.
Function: To encourage the people to wait and pray for Christ’s final coming by being biblically formed, prepared, and on guard against opposition, struggles and trials.
John Bunyan, in his book Pilgrim’s Progress, pictured the Christian life as a pilgrimage—a journey through life. Even though Bunyan wrote his book in the 17th century, its popularity remains strong and its message vital. The story is about a man, his name is “Christian,” who is in search of rest or salvation. He finds that rest of salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
To reach his ultimate salvation, however, Christian must complete his journey of life. And during that journey, he encounters all kinds of opposition, mockery, lawlessness, and demonic temptations. Christian’s journey or pilgrimage is filled with struggles and trials.
Bunyan’s story is an allegory based on a very strong biblical theme or motif: Namely that Christians are pilgrims: Through faith in Christ Jesus, we are sons and daughters of Abraham, the pilgrim par excellence. And like Abraham and all God’s people throughout the centuries, we are on our way to the new heavens and new earth.
The Scriptures, however, tell us that our pilgrimage is not necessarily a “picnic.” In fact, from the book of Daniel we learn that Christians must live with struggles and trials, triggered by lawlessness and the Anti-Christ until Jesus’ final coming as triumphant King. That’s why I want to encourage us all tonight to wait and pray for Christ’s final coming by being biblically formed, prepared, and on guard against opposition, struggles and trials.
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Daniel is a man of God—a true son of Abraham. Daniel finds himself in exile, at the court of the most powerful ruler of Babylon. Daniel serves God in the midst of pagans. And God uses Daniel to be a witness to idolatrous kings. Daniel also speaks to God’s people in Israel as well as to those in exile--in foreign lands. And through Daniel, God speaks also to us today.
We know from Scriptures that Daniel trusts God. We also know that Daniel looks forward to see God’s promises realized: the promise of a remnant returning to Israel, of the temple being restored. Daniel also longs for God’s covenant promises and relationship being renewed and realized over time. In short, Daniel longed for salvation; he longed for God’s Messiah to come and restore all things.
Like us today, Daniel was waiting for the day that God’s kingdom would be fully revealed and realized in the world. In that sense, we have much in common with Daniel. As Daniel lived in exile, yearning for God’s kingdom to come, so do we today. As Daniel lived through tumultuous times, so do we today. And as Daniel had to learn to live with struggles and trials triggered by lawlessness and the Anti-Christ, so do we.
God speaks to Daniel in dreams and visions. And God prepares Daniel and his people for “things to come.” Daniel sees a two-horned ram, expressing dominance over the nations of the world. Daniel sees a shaggy goat, striking the dominant ram. The ram perishes; the goat rules—but only for a time, for the goat’s dominion splits in parts. And so it goes.
Historians are able—up to a point—to pinpoint the nations represented by the ram and the goat. They are also able to nail down this terrifying figure who raises himself up against God and his people.
The ram leads us to the Kings of Media and Persia who exert themselves at the end of Daniel’s life; The goat leads us to Alexander the Great, who “rams” the kings of Media and Persia and who sets up his awesome Greek empire. That empire, however, divides up in four parts when Alexander dies at the age of 33. One of those parts is Syria with its menacing rule by the name of Antiochus IV Epiphanes.
Antiochus IV Epiphanes made it his mission to secularize the Jews and to assimilate them to Greek culture. No more circumcisions; no more Sabbath observances; no more Feasts and Festivals commemorating the works of God; no more Torah (or Scripture) reading; no more sacrifices to God in the temple. In fact, no more temple either. Antiochus IV Epiphanes sought to destroy Israel’s relationship with God. He embodied everything that is opposed to God and his Christ. Antiochus IV Epiphanes personifies anti-God forces, and as such he symbolizes the Anti-Christ.
Before I say a few things about the Anti-Christ and anti-Christian forces, let’s take note of some references in Daniel 8.
a. In his vision, Daniel learns that “the vision concerns the time of the end” (vs. 17). In vs. 19 we hear the angel Gabriel say to Daniel: “I am going to tell you what will happen later in the time of wrath, because the vision concerns the appointed time of the end.”
b.
The vision also makes clear that God’s people will be
severely oppressed, and that the faith of the Jews would be severely tested by
forces that embody themselves into a historical figure. Listen to vs. 23: “…when
rebels have become completely wicked, a stern-faced king, a master of intrigue,
will arise. He will become very strong….” And in vs. 11 we learn that
this same ruler (signified by a horn) “…sets itself up to be as great as the
Prince of the host; it took away the daily sacrifice from him, and the place of
his sanctuary was brought low. Because of rebellion, the host of the saints and
the daily sacrifices were given over to it. It prospered in everything it did,
and truth was thrown to the ground.”
All these references lead us now to focus on Satan and the power of sin and lawlessness, which culminate at the very end of history in the rise of a historical figure called “the Anti-Christ.
From the very beginning of time, when God created Adam and Eve, Satan has shown up as God’s adversary or enemy. Ever since Adam and Eve yielded to Satan’s temptation, the power of sin with its misery of death has been at work in our lives and world. That power shows itself in lawlessness, violence and the pursuit of self-interest.
The history of the world is rife with stories of nations waging war against nations, of kings and tyrants dominating peoples and tribes. Lawlessness is like an ugly beast that pops up its head here and there and everywhere. We see it also at work in our nation today.
If you divide history in periods or stretches of time, you can identify certain periods or ends of time as worse than other times.
So it is also with Daniel’s vision. The vision’s reference to time identifies Antiochus IV Epiphanes, for example, with the end time or “time of wrath” mentioned in the passage. Yet, the Bible’s references to time allows us to place Antiochus IV Epiphanes also as an Anti-Christ figure at the very end of history, when Christ will come again.
Lawlessness—in all its forms—and especially in its embodied type of Antiochus IV Epiphanes—fit the N.T. teachings on the signs of the times. For example, signs indicating opposition to God include tribulation, apostasy, and the Anti-Christ himself. Signs that indicate divine judgment in our world include wars, earthquakes, and famines. And signs that show evidence of God’s grace in our world include the proclamation of the gospel to all nations, and the salvation of the fullness of Israel (cf. Hoekema, p.137).
Daniel 8 reminds us today that God’s people must learn to live with struggles and trials triggered by lawlessness and the Anti-Christ until Jesus’ final coming as triumphant king. Instead of staring ourselves blind on the particulars of Daniel’s visions, we must keep in mind the larger picture. We live in a later time than Daniel. We live in the “age of salvation,” in the “last days.”
Jesus and the apostles teach us to pay attention to the signs that display themselves throughout the ages. God gives us these signs of the times so that we navigate our journey or pilgrimage of life in a helpful way. Dr. Anthony Hoekema (a Reformed theologian) has this to say about the signs of the times (p.133ff):
1. Though we commonly think of the signs of the times as pointing to the future, these signs point first of all to what God has done in the past. The signs of the times reveal that God is at work in the world, busy fulfilling his promises and bringing to realization the final consummation of redemption. Note, for example, God’s hand at work in the midst of chaos and lawlessness: Speaking of the Anti-Christ, the text says (vs. 25) “He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power.” God is at work, past, present, and future.
2. The signs of the times also point forward to the end of history, particularly to the return of Christ. But they point forward on the basis of what God has already done in the past. Thus we read in II Thess. 2:3, for example that the day of the Lord (the great Judgment Day) “will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.”
3. The signs of the times reveal the continuing struggle in history between the kingdom of God and the powers of evil. Thus today, for example, we see the sign of preaching the gospel clashing with the sign of apostasy. There is constant struggle and tension between the rule of God and the powers of lawlessness and sin.
4. The signs of the times call for decision and for constant watchfulness. The signs confront us with God’s work and with our response to God’s work in history. Will we respond in faith to God’s mighty works of salvation? Will we yield our lives to him as we await the return of Jesus, our Lord? Or will we be part of the enemy’s forces, opposing the rule or kingdom of God. What will you do?
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I suggest that we do what Daniel does. We wait and pray for Christ’s final coming by being biblically formed, prepared, and on guard against opposition, struggles and trials. Note the text:
1. The angel instructs Daniel to “seal up the vision.” To seal up does not mean to put away or store up the vision in some cave or safe. No, Daniel is instructed to seal or engrave or treasure the vision. He must guard it and teach it and preserve it as God’s Word of truth. That vision of truth guides Daniel and God’s people all throughout the ages. That vision will help us to wait and pray for Christ’s final coming by being biblically shaped. Seal up the vision or God’s Word of truth. Let it form and shape you!
2. As Daniel obeys the angel’s instruction and seals up the vision, we note that “Daniel was exhausted and lay ill for several days.” What does that mean in light of the vision? It means that Daniel took to heart the message of God in that vision. He wrestled with the truth; he agonized over the apostasy, the lawlessness, and the signs of opposition that would as yet come.
Daniel’s response teaches us to embrace, embody and breathe the God’s Word of truth and make it our daily “bread.” Daniel is not like those of us who say on any given Sunday: “That was a nice sermon, pastor. Thanks!” And then go their merry-own way, doing their own thing, paying no attention to God’s Word in their work or daily living.
No, the Word of God must shape, form, and prepare us in our pilgrimage each day to live for God. The preached Word of God calls us to be on guard against the presence of evil. It calls us to pay attention, to heed the signs of the times.
3. Note also that closing sentence in chapter 8 of Daniel: “Then I got up and went about the king’s business.” Having sealed up God’s Word and vision, wrestling with it as he takes God’s Word to heart, Daniel then resumes his vocation. He goes about doing the business of King Belshazzar. Herein lies a message for us as well.
We go about our business here on earth. We use our talents and treasures; we do our daily work as we await and pray for Christ’s final coming. How? By being biblically shaped, prepared and on guard against opposition, struggles and trials.
Glory be to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Both now and forevermore. Amen!