and about the response of believers.
In Daniel 11:32, in the KJV we find this verse:
32 And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries; but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.This is a good example of a Bible passage that is barely understandable in the KJV. For example, what does it mean when it says that "those who know their God" should "do exploits"?
Interestingly, this passage is in the midst of a section considered
to be a description of the actions of the Antichrist of the last days.
If then, if those who become believers during the tribulation can be called upon to do certain things while enduring such persecution, martyrdom, chaos, and suffering, how much more should we be able to do them in our life of relative leisure.
Here are the surrounding verses, so we can pick up the context (Daniel 11:31-36):
31"Armed forces from him* will arise, and will desecrate (defile) the temple sanctuary and fortress, and will abolish the regular daily sacrifice [of the Jews]. Then they** will set up the abomination of [or, that causes] desolation. 32 By flattery and smooth words he* will corrupt and seduce those who [willfully] violate the covenant; but the people who know their God will display strength and take action. 33 Those among the [Jewish] people who are wise will give understanding and insight to many; though for a time they will fall by sword and by flame, by captivity and by plunder. 34 Now when they fall they will receive little help***, and many who are not sincere will join them. 35 Some of those who have insight will fall, so that they may be refined, purged and made pure until the time of the end; because [all this] is still to come at the appointed time.
36"Then the king**** will do as he pleases, and he will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will speak monstrous things against the one true and living God. He will prosper until the indignation (or, wrath) is finished, for that which is decreed and determined will be done.
* 'him' and 'he' may have a double meaning, both (1) a wicked ruler before the time of Jesus (see below), and (2) the Antichrist of the last days.
** 'they' means the forces of the evil ruler.
*** or, 'receive a little help'. Omitting the 'a' seems better in context.
**** 'the king' here is usually considered to be the Antichrist alone, a turning point in the complete passage, rather than sharing characteristics with Antiochus Epiphanes. In some versions, this king is called "the willful king".
It is important to know that 160-170 years before Jesus Christ came the first time, that there was a wicked ruler in the area surrounding Jerusalem known as Antiochus Epiphanes (an TIE o kus ~ e PIF an eez) who was determined to crush the Jews into submission in every way possible. During the campaign to take Jerusalem, Antiochus and his armies killed over 40,000 Jews. The spiritual low point of Antiochus' reign came when during 166 BC, he erected an altar to Zeus in the Jewish temple, and sacrificed a swine on it. To the Jews, who were prohibited by Antiochus from using their temple, this abominable action desecrated, defiled, and polluted their temple.
And yet, they were advised by Daniel that "the people who know their God will display strength and take action". This could only mean the Jews, since there were no Christians 166 years before Christ. And devout Jews took this admonition to heart, and strong men among them (the Maccabee family) indeed took action and eventually cleared out Antiochus and his armies from Jerusalem. The temple was restored and rededicated for sacrificial use during the time of the Maccabees.
We'll look at this verse again in a later post where we consider everything that Daniel has written about the Antichrist, which is considerable. As for now, let us likewise take this admonition to heart, and display strength and take action when and where needed for our God.
Finally, we will at some point discuss "double fulfillment" passages, where a passage about an event or person in the past can also refer to an event or person in the future. This particularly occurs in the Biblical prophetic passages.
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When you "pick up the context," did you ever consider that "the context" is within a larger and ever-larger context that ONLY the Bible can help you understand?
ReplyDeleteI would like for you to consider searching for those larger contexts before you conclude some short-sighted proposal.
I agree with your comments about the context completely. Here is what I said in post #45 (which should be taken in context):
ReplyDeleteFor instance, we should learn to not take things out of context. The three most important things in Bible study are context, context, and context.
1. The context of the passage within the immediate context (i.e. the chapter),
2. The context of the passage in the Bible book being read, and
3. The context of the passage in the whole Bible.
(And sometimes it takes the entire Bible to determine the context. The great and complex topic of the rapture / tribulation / second coming / judgment is so broad and so deep that it is like that.)
That is why we do not want to limit our search for the 7-year tribulation period just to the NT. It rarely happens quite as neat and clean as that. Nor as “clearly”.
I am sure that sometimes I fail to take my own advice, as we all fail in many ways. But often, because I am trying to write relatively short posts, I find I am unable to bring all of the context into a single post.
The points in each post need to be taken in context of the entire blog. The entire blog of all 61 posts (at present) can still be read in about an hour. And in many cases, the context is yet to come in a future post.
Larry