Wed.’s Devo - Confidence in God

Read: Daniel 11:36-12:13; 1 John 4:1-21; Psalm 123:1-4; Proverbs 29:2-4 The angel continues his explanation of the end. The king, Antiocus will exalt himself and claim to be the highest God. This is the Antichrist or the 7th head of the 10-horned beast in Revelation 13:1-8. He will not have any respect for other gods. Instead, he will worship the “god of fortresses”. Antiochus built a temple to the Roman god Mahazzim who was a protector god. Antiochus would promote only the men who worshipped this god with him. *** The king of the south (vs. 40) was king of the Saracean Arabs who came from the south and attacked Antiochus. They took Egypt and Syria and were headed to Israel but many came to help Antiochus. Two of his vassals from the north and the east rebelled against him so he went bring them back under his control and died when he returned. *** The archangel Michael stood up and there will be anguish like at no other time in history. At that time, everyone whose name is written in the book will be rescued and rise to meet the Lord in the air. It will be the time of judgment and the books will be opened. Some will be rewarded and some shamed according to how they lived their lives. *** Daniel asked the angels how long until these shocking events will be over. One of them asked the Lord who was standing above the water. He said, “It will be for a time, times, and half a time. When the shattering of the holy people has finally come to an end, all these things will have happened.” *** Daniel didn’t understand and he asked how it would finally end. He was told to go for now and keep secret and sealed what he had seen until the end. Many would be cleansed by these trials, but the wicked would continue in their wickedness. Only the wise would know what it means. *** From the time that the daily sacrifice is stopped and the sacrilegious object is set up to be worshiped there will be 1,290 days. And blessed are those who endure till the end of the 1,335 days. At the end, all the ones who were in the cloud of witnesses will be rewarded. *** From the time that Antiochus offered the pig on the Lord’s altar to the day Judas Maccaeus restored the worship of God was 1,290 days. Forty-five days later, Antiochus died making it 1,335 days. *** In John, he tells us how to tell if a New Testament prophet is from God. If he acknowledges that Jesus came in the flesh. If he doesn’t then he has the spirit of the Antichrist. *** The way to tell if a person is a child of God is if he has love. Only God’s children can love. God has given us his spirit as proof that we are his. *** Since God is love, we who live in him, grow in our love. Love is the opposite of fear so we are not afraid of the judgment that is coming upon all mankind. With confidence, we can live like Jesus did here on earth. *** Lord, thank you for freedom over fear and death. May we with confidence stand for you in this world of craziness. The world may be uncertain, but we know with confidence where we are going and whose we are.