The problem comes when we get to verses 21-35; the modern shepherds claim that Antiochus 4 Epiphanes, of the Seleucid kingdom, fulfilled these verses. While it is true that he was a �type� of the man of sin, he may actually be much more representative of the False Prophet, and he did not fulfill all of these verses. Here are some proofs of this.
Dan.11: 21) �And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.�
Remember now, this speaks of the succession of the kings of the north, not Israel. It is true that Antiochus did trick the Jews by claims of peace, and that was how he acquired the city of Jerusalem, but in the kingdom of the Seleucids he was the rightful heir to the throne. He was the younger son of Antiochus the Great. His brother ruled before him in their father�s estate. When his brother, Seleucas 5 Philopater died, Antiochus rightfully ascended the throne. He did have the honour of the kingdom, so he did not fulfill Daniel 11: 21.
There is more proof; Daniel 11: 31 mentions the abomination of desolation taking place. It is mentioned only twice in the book of Daniel, here and in Dan.12: 11. This should not be confused with the overspreading of abominations in Dan.9: 27 as we learned earlier. So then, did Antiochus fulfill the abomination of desolation? In a way yes he did, but Christ tells us, in Matthew 24: 15, that its fulfillment is yet future. Why do the shepherds tell us that everything has been fulfilled up to
Dan. 11: 36? Antiochus, by the way,...set up idols and commanded that the Jews worship his Greek gods, as well as sacrificing swine on the Holy alter of G-d. He represents the false prophet, for that will be his function when he arrives on the world scene.
The third and final proof is Dan.11: 23) �And after the league with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people.�
So now we see finally that there will be a league with the man of sin, but a league, or pact, is by no means a covenant. We are not told that this pact is seven years, or any specific amount of time. We are not even told of whom this league is with. Daniel 11:27 sheds a little light on this topic.
Dan.11: 27) �And both these kings hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.�
This �league� will not include Egypt, it also seems to be mentioned in Psalm 83,
Psalms 83:1-8,
1) �Keep not thou silence, O G-d: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O G-d.
2) For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.
3) They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4) They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5) For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:
6) The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7) Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre;
8) Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of lot. Selah.�
Apparently this league will be between the king of the north and the kings of the nations surrounding Israel. However, the kings of the north and south, (Egypt), will both be liars and will have no pact, notice that Egypt is not mentioned in Psalm 83. Assur was Assyria, (Iraq-Syria-Jordan), the children of Lot are Jordan, (Moab and Ammon), and it is no mistake that these confederate Arabs today call themselves the Arab League. But now, besides all of this, back to the reason that I quoted
Dan.11: 23.
�For he shall come up, and become strong with a small people,� Antiochus did not fulfill this statement either. The man of sin will come into his kingdom through peace initiatives and come up with a small people; this was not Antiochus Epiphanes. In fact, Dan.11: 21-24 apply more to Yassir Arafat than they do to Antiochus! Think about it. I�m not saying that I think Arafat is the Antichrist� yet, but it is a possibility that we must watch. Arafat has somewhat fulfilled these verses in the West Bank and Gaza, but not in the kingdom of Seleucid Empire.
There is more evidence pertaining to this possibility that should be noted here. king Herod the Great was part Arab, if not entirely. His place of birth was Ashkelon, on the coast of the Philistines. As we all know he was responsible for the murder of all male children two years and under in Bethlehem around the time of Christ�s birth. His son, Herod Antipas, could have prevented the crucifixion of the Messiah. He even declared that Christ was not guilty of any crime, but instead, he had his soldiers mock our L-rd, and sent Christ back to Pilate to be killed. We may have overlooked something here.
Dan.11: 22) �And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant.�
Who is the prince of the covenant? Jesus Christ of course! Now we know by the scriptures that Christ was put to death under the watch of Herod Antipas, for he was Tetrarch of Galilee, (Luke 3: 1), and Jesus was a Galilean. That is why Pilate sent Jesus to stand before Herod in Jerusalem, (Herod was in Jerusalem because of the feast of Passover). If it is a possibility that Herod Antipas fulfilled Dan.11: 22, then we would expect to see that his father, Herod the Great, fulfilled Dan.11: 20, the �raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom.�
In Luke 2: 1, we read that Augustus Caesar had made a decree that all his dominion should be taxed, and in the next verse we read a curious statement,
Luke 2: 2) �(and this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was Governor of Syria).�
Why was this important enough for G-d to have it written down by Luke? This was at the time of Christ�s birth, and Herod the Great was the king of the Jews, but even though the Jews had a king, the Romans set up Judea and Samaria as a province of Syria. (Israel was also a province of Syria in the days of Antiochus 4 Epiphanes). The taxes that Judea and Samaria had to pay went to Herod, then to Cyrenius of Syria, then to Rome, but Herod was the one who had to raise the taxes.
So then, where was Yassir Arafat born? Some say Jerusalem, some say Cairo Egypt, but Arafat himself has claimed in the past, that he was born in Gaza. This is the most likely version of his checkered past, for his father was from Gaza. Now Gaza is another ancient town on the coast of the Philistines; are we missing something here? Ekron, Ashdod, Gaza, and Ashkelon, were all ancient cities of the Canaanite kings!
It seems we have come full circle from the time of Herod the Great and his son Antipas. We now have, once again, an Arab ruler from the coast of the Philistines, ruling Judea and Samaria! Look at a map of present day Israel; the West bank is basically Judea and Samaria! Yassir Arafat is the elected President of the Palestinian Authority that is in charge of the West Bank! He won his elected post by promising peace! On top of all this, he is in league with the Lebanese Hizballah, and Syria! He and the Palestinians also supported Iraq�s Saddam Hussein in the Gulf War against the world and the United States! Am I overstating the possibilities here? I think not. See also: Herodian Dynasty.
According to the prophet Zechariah, the Canaanites will be a thorn in the side of Israel until the
L-rd returns. The very last words of his entire book are telling, speaking of the Day of the L-rd he says this:
Zech.14: 21b) �and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the L-rd of hosts.�
We shall now look at the entire ninth chapter of Zechariah, for it assumes the exact scenario we see unfolding before us today in the Middle East. Amazingly this passage includes the first coming of our L-rd in verse nine, and the fulfillment of his return in the following verses, showing us that the conditions in the Holy Land will be very similar at both visitations.
Zechariah 9:1-17,
1) �The burden of the word of the L-rd in the land of Hadrach, and Damascus shall be the rest thereof: when the eyes of man, as of all the tribes of Israel, shall be toward the L-rd.
2) And Hamath also shall border thereby; Tyrus, and Zidon, though it be very wise.
3) And Tyrus did build herself a strong hold, and heaped up silver as the dust, and fine gold as the mire of the streets.
4) Behold, the L-rd will cast her out, and he will smite her power in the sea; and she shall be devoured with fire.
5) Ashkelon shall see it, and fear; Gaza also shall see it, and be very sorrowful, and Ekron; for her expectation shall be ashamed; and the king shall perish from Gaza, and Ashkelon shall not be inhabited.
6) And a bastard shall dwell in Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines." (Notice G-d's specifically directed anger here? Towards Ashkelon and Gaza?)
7) And I will take away his blood out of his mouth, and his abominations from between his teeth: but he that remaineth, even he, shall be for our G-d, and he shall be as a governor in Judah, and Ekron as a Jebusite.
8) And I will encamp about mine house because of the army, because of him that passeth by, and because of him that returneth: and no oppressor shall pass through them any more: for now have I seen with mine eyes.
9) Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
10) And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.
11) As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water.
12) Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee;
13) When I have bent Judah for me, filled the bow with Ephraim, and raised up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece, and made thee as the sword of a mighty man.
14) And the L-rd shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the L-rd G-d shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south.
15) The L-rd of hosts shall defend them; and they shall devour, and subdue with sling stones; and they shall drink, and make a noise as through wine; and they shall be filled like bowls, and as the corners of the altar.
16) And the L-rd their G-d shall save them in that day as the flock of his people: for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land.
17) For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty! corn shall make the young men cheerful, and new wine the maids.�
The shepherds tell us that Nebuchadnezzar fulfilled all of the prophecies concerning Tyre. Why then, does Zechariah prophesy their destruction? The word of the L-rd came to Zechariah during the building of the second temple; long after Nebuchadnezzar was gone! Most of Zechariah nine is yet unfulfilled, and this is obvious by the rest of the text. So Tyrus, which is mentioned in the female sense here, (did build herself a strong hold), has to be Tyre.
The other critical point here is that the final battle is between the sons of Zion and the sons of Greece! This is another confirmation to us that the Roman Empire is not the final world empire! (It may become the seventh but remember Revelation 17; the eighth is the final beast that rises out of the bottomless pit!) We must keep our eyes on Greece also, that nation may also be were the man of sin comes from. Greece will probably play a role in future peace initiatives in the region, one way or another, they will be involved. Another interesting passage of scripture is quite telling:
John 12:20-23
20. �And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast:
21. The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.
22. Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus.
23. And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.�
There is no record of Yeshua ever meeting with these Greek men! Now the shepherds teach that this passage means that when the Gentiles came seeking Jesus then truly Christ knew that his message had been heard and it was time for His death and resurrection. Although this interpretation may be correct, it sounds kind of conceited to me, the passage is also prophetic in nature. The reason why is because Yeshua does not meet with the Greek men who where seeking him. What then does this passage say prophetically? It says this: when the Greeks come to Jerusalem, the Son of G-d will be glorified!
Now there is some evidence that the Palestinians may have Greek origins. Also; the Greeks of John 12 came to worship at the feast of Passover, this would have been in the court of the Gentiles at the Jerusalem temple. Today the Palestinians want all of Jerusalem and the temple mount for themselves! But the reference to Greece is more likely a reference to the Greco-Assyrian-Seleucid-Babylonian Empire, which may not be lead by the AntiChrist, but by the false prophet. America is now headed toward fulfilling that unholy mission.
The story of king David is also very prophetic, we all believe that he was of the typology of Yeshua, yet the typology I am about to show you I have never heard preached by the modern shepherds before. It is about David and Goliath but the story begins in Genisis.
Genesis 6:1-9
1 �And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
2 That the sons of G-d saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
3 And the L-rd said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of G-d came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
5 And G-d saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6 And it repented the L-rd that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
7 And the L-rd said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the L-rd.
9 These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with G-d.�
The first thing I notice is that not only were there �giants� in the earth in those days, but the scripture also says that there were these �giants� also after those days. This had to do also with the fact that the sons of G-d came unto the daughters of men and impregnated them, causing the offspring of these giants! What is going on in this story? The clue is the fact that Noah was �perfect� in his generations. Does this mean that he was a perfect man like Yeshua? No way possible! The intent of Lucifer and his fallen angelic counterparts had one goal in mind, to destroy or taint the lineage of the Messiah who was to come! If G-d had allowed this plan to succeed then the lineage of Christ would have been tainted by these sons of G-d cohabiting with women. So then, the text of Gen. 6:9 says that Noah was �perfect in his generations,� meaning that his bloodline was still pure! And it is quite possible that his was the only pure bloodline left of all the tribes of earth! The tainting of all of the other people, except Noah and his sons and their wives, caused G-d to repent that he had made man on the earth, and so G-d destroyed that wicked generation, saving Noah, his sons, their wives, and the all-important bloodline of Yeshua.
Now this is where the story of king David comes into much better focus, for if Gen. 6:4 says that there were also giants after those days, then we may expect to see them mentioned again in scripture. In the story of king David we find that Goliath was a giant, and he represents the antichrist! And guess what else, he was a Philistine of the lineage that the modern Palistinians claim! I believe that the Palestinians are correct in their lineage, where does the scripture say they were ever completely wiped out? It does not say they were ever wiped out, we therefore shall take a closer look at the story of David and Goliath.
1 Samuel 17:1-11
1. �Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle, and were gathered together at Shochoh, which belongeth to Judah, and pitched between Shochoh and Azekah, in Ephesdammim.
2. And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched by the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines.
3. And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them.
4. And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.
5. And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass.
6. And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders.
7. And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam; and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him.
8. And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me.
9. If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us.
10. And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.
11. When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.�
Now the first thing to confront us in this story is the enormous size of Goliath, six cubits and a span! This would be about nine feet tall or so, when we see professional basketball players they tower over us by a foot or two, and they seem huge to us. This Goliath would have towered two feet over the modern baskatball players, and he was not thin like them, he was a muscle-flexing killing machine with a giant sword in his hand. The fear that the Israelites had may be summed up in the same words that are said of the antichrist in the book of the Revelation, �who can make war with him?�
The next thing I notice is that Goliath was six cubits and a span, and his spear head of six hundred shekels of iron. The number six is associated with Goliath as well as with the antichrist, and as with the great image of Nebuchadnezzar. The next part of this passage is the fact that here we have the brass and the iron mentioned together, (once again) as the weapons and shields of Goliath the great beast of a man. The last thing I will make mention of is the fact that here we have the mention of the armies of Israel ready to go into battle but no mention of G-d in this part of the passage, and when Goliath says to the Israelites �am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul?� The armies of Israel could have said �we serve the Living G-d of Israel,� but instead they all became afraid.
1 Samuel 17:12-16
12. �Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehemjudah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man went among men for an old man in the days of Saul.
13. And the three eldest sons of Jesse went and followed Saul to the battle: and the names of his three sons that went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next unto him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.
14. And David was the youngest: and the three eldest followed Saul.
15. But David went and returned from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem.
16. And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days.�
Here we have the typology of Christ already evident in the first words about David: he was a shepherd over his father�s sheep, and he was from Bethlehem. Now the forty days that Goliath presented himself to oppose the armies of Israel is also important, for this is indicative of the timeline of the two-thousand years that Satan will oppose the true armies of Yeshua, the congregation of Yeshua, the body of Christ is the armies of G-d. How is the number forty indicative of two-thousand years? Two-thousand years is forty Jubilees. So then with the thirty Jubilees that came before Christ we will end up with a total of seventy Jubilees altogether. When our forty Jubilees end, Satan will be kicked out of heaven and no longer be able present himself before G-d and accuse us!
1 Samuel 17:17-33
17 �And Jesse said unto David his son, Take now for thy brethren an ephah of this parched corn, and these ten loaves, and run to the camp to thy brethren;
18 And carry these ten cheeses unto the captain of their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare, and take their pledge.
19 Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.
20 And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the trench, as the host was going forth to the fight, and shouted for the battle.
21 For Israel and the Philistines had put the battle in array, army against army.
22 And David left his carriage in the hand of the keeper of the carriage, and ran into the army, and came and saluted his brethren.
23 And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them.
24 And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid.
25 And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's house free in Israel.
26 And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living G-d?
27 And the people answered him after this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man that killeth him.
28 And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle.
29 And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause?
30 And he turned from him toward another, and spake after the same manner: and the people answered him again after the former manner.
31 And when the words were heard which David spake, they rehearsed them before Saul: and he sent for him.
32 And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.
33 And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.�
Here again we have the story of Jesus Christ portrayed in the life of David, he is sent by his father to his brethren with food and sustenance, and to inquire for his father of their well-being. He hears what Goliath says and this is David�s inquiry: who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defie the armies of the living G-d? And he is condemned by his own brothers who accuse him of pride and leaving the flock, and coming just to watch the battle at hand. So far the story flows perfectly and here is where it gets really interesting:
1 Samuel 17:34-36
34 �And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:
35 And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.
36 Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living G-d.�
Where else do we read about a lion and a bear being destroyed by Christ at his return? Isn�t Christ Jesus the rock that smote the great image of Nebuchadnezzar? Remember the four great beasts of Daniel chapter seven? This is truly the typology of Christ being played out by David, he says that a lion and then a bear came after the flock and took one of the sheep, but notice when he explains to Saul how he smote the lion and the bear he says; �And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me.� David refers to the lion and the bear as if they were one beast, yet later tells Saul that he slew them both! He also says that Goliath will be as one of them.
Daniel 7:2-7
2. �Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.
3. And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
4. The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.
5. And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.
6. After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.
7. After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.�
Now we have already learned that the third beast was to be Greece and in its fourth and final form it would rule the entire planet under the control of the man of sin. So what does the story of David and Goliath point to? Goliath represents the revived Grecian-Assyrian-Seleucid-Babylonian empire of the antichrist. And it cannot be missed that one simple little fact remains; Goliath was a Philistine from Gath! David obviously represents to us the first advent of our L-rd when he was rejected by his own, and the second advent of our L-rd when he returns to save his own and slay the Philistine and his army!
1 Samuel 17:37-58
37. �David said moreover, The L-rd that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the L-rd be with thee.
38. And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail.
39. And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.
40. And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.�
Now what does the stone represent? David will only need one stone to strike down Goliath, the stone we know represents Yeshua. Why is it smooth? It was buffeted and polished as Christ was for us. The stones are even taken from the brook, I wonder if this represents the brook of life, the water of life, the Holy Spirit? What do you think?
41. �And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield went before him.
42. And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance.
43. And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
44. And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.
45. Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the L-rd of hosts, the G-d of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.
46. This day will the L-rd deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a G-d in Israel.
47. And all this assembly shall know that the L-rd saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the L-rd's, and he will give you into our hands.
48. And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came, and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.
49. And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.
50. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.
51. Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.
52. And the men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until thou come to the valley, and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even unto Gath, and unto Ekron.
53. And the children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they spoiled their tents.
54. And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armour in his tent.
55. And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said unto Abner, the captain of the host, Abner, whose son is this youth? And Abner said, As thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell.
56. And the king said, Inquire thou whose son the stripling is.
57. And as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand.
58. And Saul said to him, Whose son art thou, thou young man? And David answered, I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.�
The last thing I will say about this passage is that if the stone that the biulders rejected is this same stone of David then the stone represents not only Yeshua, but also the word, remember that the word became flesh and dwelt among us. Isn�t this exactly what the book of the Revelation tells us will happen? Yeshua the word will slay the wicked with breath and his word as he returns. Not by spears, nor by the sword, but by the Spirit of the L-rd, the double edged sword that comes from his mouth. Now David was a typology of Christ in a spiritual way, but the stone he slung represented the typology of Christ in the real and physical way that Yeshua is about to impact our world in this last of the great days. Goliath the Philistine from Gath represented the antichrist and his armies being defeated at the final great day of judgment.
The Greco-Assyrian-Seleucid-Babylonian empire is now in view. Here is what we know from Daniel eleven, about the beginning of the Antichrist�s career:
#1) He will become strong with a small people.
#2) They will not give him the honour of the kingdom, but he will come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. This indicates he is an elected official, until he gets what he wants.
#3) He shall enter peaceably on the fattest places of the province. Now this use of the word �province� could mean Israel, for it was a province of Syria.
#4) He will scatter among them the prey, spoil, and riches, and forecast his devices against the strong holds.
These things we learn from Daniel 11: 21-24, and Antiochus did not fulfill them with the possible exception of point number three listed above.
Daniel 11:25-35
25) �And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the south shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand: for they shall forecast devices against him.
26) Yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow: and many shall fall down slain.
27) And both these kings' hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.
28) Then shall he return into his land with great riches; and his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall do exploits, and return to his own land.
29) At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the south; but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter.
30) For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant.
31) And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily, [sacrifice] and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.
32) And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their G-d shall be strong, and do exploits.
33) And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days.
34) Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries.
35) And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.�
This particular passage has been said by many to have been fulfilled by Antiochus IV Epiphanes. I do not agree with this point of view, this passage will be fulfilled in our future.. As a matter of fact, this passage contains the abomination of desolation that Christ said was yet future. Also, please take notice of the covenant mentioned in this passage, the shepherds say this is the covenant with death. That cannot be true, for the scripture says here, �holy covenant.� Would G-d call a treaty with the Antichrist a �holy covenant?� No way! The holy covenant that this man of sin will be against is the holy covenant between Jesus Christ and us, (Anti-christ will demand that we worship him or die), or it is the land covenant that G-d promised to Abraham, ("land for peace" is against this covenant)......or it will be both. Now verse twenty-nine is where I think the future man of sin will stand up.
Dan.11: 29a) �At the time appointed he shall return,� This is where it appears that the future fulfillment part of this prophecy begins. Antiochus did return to the Holy Land and make war with Egypt, and the ships of Chittim did come against him, but was it at the appointed time? Appointed times are reserved for the fulfilling of prophecy. Since Antiochus did not fulfill the entire passage of Dan.11: 21-45, which is the entire career of the man of sin, then he did not return at the �appointed time� to go to the south.
In fact, there is more evidence that Antiochus 4 Epiphanes came earlier in the passage. He was more likely the king who had "the finish in his hand," or as rendered in the KJV: "he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed," (Dan. 11:16b). Herodian Dynasty gives a full detailing of this point of view.
So then, when we read �At the appointed time he shall return, and come toward the south,� it is most likely telling us that this is the appointed time for the AntiChrist to take over the kingdom set up for him by the Assyrian false prophet. This is when he will return to his former kingdom, (at the time appointed he shall return) of the Seleucid Empire, and his kingdom will have been resurrected stretching from Babylon to Tyre. Once his kingdom is in order, his first campaign will be to come against Egypt, but the ships of Chittim will come against him.
UPDATE: President Bush is now the new ruler of Babylon, Iraq! The implications are staggering! Will he set up the Assyrian kingdom? Is he himself the Greco-Assyrian? It looks like that's where this is all heading! Be sure and go to TimeLineCharts for a major update!
Who will be the ships of Chittim? Chittim is the island of Cyprus; the ships of Chittim could be the United States Navy, but the evidence is so overwhelming that US President G. W. Bush has now become the Assyrian that it is unlikely. But this is where it all starts, and these are the things to watch for.
Now the shepherds will say that the appointed time of verse twenty-nine cannot be right because of verse thirty-five.
Daniel 11:35) �And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.�
This is why the shepherds say that the Antichrist picks-up at verse thirty-six. However, we already know that the Assyrian�s career will start with the 2300-day prophecy. The man of sin will stand up at the appointed time of Dan.11: 29, and he might not be empowered by Satan yet, but this is the beginning of his career.
Then the AntiChrist will come against Egypt and the ships of Chittim will put a stop to his action. Enraged he will enter Jerusalem and take away the daily, (the verse does not include the word �sacrifice�), and set up the abomination of desolation. This, we are told, in Dan.12: 11, will be 1290 days before Christ returns. It will be around the time of Purim. Then at Passover of that same year the man of sin will be slain, and on the third day Satan will raise him. This will be 1260 days before Christ returns and 1335 days before the temple is justified at Hanukah, (the same year of Christ�s return). Then he shall aquire the world army of the Assyrian, and his next trip to Egypt will result in the destruction of the king of the south.
The man of sin will demand, at his resurrection, that all mankind worship him only, breaking both the old and new covenants. It is at this juncture that the book of Daniel intersects with the book of the Revelation. The white horse of Rev.6: 2 is the Lion, the first beast of Daniel 7, the Assyrian arriving on the scene. So we now know that Rev.6: 2, (the first seal), is the start of the 2300 days. I now believe that the pale horse is the Philistine AntiChrist, for the name of its rider is Death and Hell follows with him. Ironically G-d will, in a sense, �shorten the days� for the shepherds, for they say we still have 2520 days to go! They believe we still have the whole seventieth week to go, instead of half, which is 1260 days.