Tues.’s Devo - The End

Read: Daniel 11:36-12:13; 1 John 4:1-21; Psalm 123:1-4; Proverbs 29:2-4
The king they are referring to here is Antiochus who was a type of the Anti-Christ of the end of ages. He is the seventh head of the ten-horned beast of Revelation 13:1-18 and the beast of Armageddon in Revelation 16:13, 15 and 19:19.
Antiochus believed he himself to be the god Jupiter Olympius.
He forbade the Jews to worship with a wicked decree. He had no honor for the things his fathers had taught him or what the women of his empire wanted. He attacked the temple of the Syrian Venus, worshipped by women. Antiochus had begun erecting a fortress to Jupiter Capitolinus at Antioch.
He defended the monks and priests who upheld saint worship, and the worship of Jupiter Capitolinus, which he imported into his empire from Rome. Antiochus succeeded against Jerusalem, Sidon, Pelusium, Memphis. He divided the land of Israel and put the Jews under the rule of his subjects.
Antiochus marched against Ptolemy, but turned from his course to wreak his wrath on the Jew. He didn’t disturb Edom, Moab, and Ammon on the side of Judea but used their help in crushing the Jews, since he knew they were ancient enemies. The Turks under Selim entered Jerusalem on their way to Egypt, and retain "the glorious land" of Palestine to this day. But they never could conquer the Arabs, who are kin to Edom, Moab, and Ammon. So it will be in the case of the final Antichrist.
In Chapter 12, Israel’s guardian angel, Michael stood up to defend Israel and everyone that is written in the Book of Life. Then, the Tribulation will begin and the Rapture will rescue those that are marked throughout time.
When Daniel asked about when the things he saw would happen, God told him that they were not for now but for the end. They would be sealed or a mystery until the end when God would reveal them and what they mean. We are living in the day of revelation, when God is taking off the seal and letting us understand his mystery. That means we are very close to the end.
John gives us another clue as to what is a false spirit. It is one that doesn’t believe that God came in the flesh as Jesus. Many religions believe that Jesus was a man, just not God’s son. These are false religions.
Two other tests of whether we are God’s children are that we love one another and that we have God’s Spirit in us.
Lord, may we love you with all our hearts and other’s as you have loved us. May your Spirit rest on us and lead us today.