I would like to address a political aspect of our physical world, but I have to tackle a tough aspect of the Spiritual world before I can do so. The subject I have to tackle is tough because many believers have a tendency to resist sound doctrine. They prefer to cling to the things that men have told them rather than to the Word of God. I am no exception, but I am trying to work on learning and embracing what God’s Word actually says. In this case, I am talking about the idea that Scripture foretells of a world leader who will be possessed by Satan and usher in the return of Christ and the end of this world as we know it. Those who believe this story know this figure as ‘The Anti-Christ.’ The problem is, Scripture does not speak of such a figure in prophecy. In fact, the term ‘anti-christ’ is only used four times in the entire Bible, and in all four cases, we are told it does not refer to a single person, but to a spirit. Many believers do not want to accept this, and they will point to other passages in Scripture to support their belief that prophecy does predict an Anti-Christ.’ Daniel 9:26 is one of the most common passages sited by those who refuse to accept John’s admonishments about the spirit of anti-christ. Unfortunately, if they had read Daniel a little closer, I think they would see that Gabriel has already settled this whole debate. So, before I address my worldly political topic, let’s look at Daniel 9;26 and ‘the prince who is to come.’
Now, I want to start by stating that I am not a prophet, nor do I claim to have any special revelation from God. I am just a simple disciple of Christ who seeks God’s guidance in my study of His Word. To that end, I do my best to let God’s Word speak for itself, and not to read into It anything that is not there. So let’s try this where Daniel and ‘the prince who is to come‘ are concerned. The passage is:
Daniel 9:26-27 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
26 Then after the sixty-two weeks the [a]Messiah will be cut off and have [b]nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And [c]its end will come with a flood; even to the end [d]there will be war; desolations are determined. 27 And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of [e]abominations will come one who [f]makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who [g]makes desolate.”
Now, I understand that it is natural to assume ‘the prince who is to come’ is a person, but Daniel uses some specific words to relate the revelation given to him by the angel, Gabriel. Let’s look at the next chapter to see if there are any clues as to what these words are and to what they refer.
[NOTE; the description of this messenger as given in Daniel 10:5-6 strongly suggests it was Christ Daniel saw in his vision. See the description of Christ in Revelation 1:13-15.]
Daniel 10:10-21 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Daniel Comforted
10 Then behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my [a]hands and knees. 11 He said to me, “O Daniel, man of [b]high esteem, understand the words that I am about to tell you and stand [c]upright, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. 12 Then he said to me, “Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words. 13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was [d]withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia. 14 Now I have come to give you an understanding of what will happen to your people in the [e]latter days, for the vision pertains to the days yet future…”
“18 …Then this one with human appearance touched me again and strengthened me. 19 He said, “O man of [i]high esteem, do not be afraid. Peace [j]be with you; take courage and be courageous!” Now as soon as he spoke to me, I received strength and said, “May my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.” 20 Then he said, “Do you [k]understand why I came to you? But I shall now return to fight against the [l]prince of Persia; so I am going forth, and behold, the [m]prince of [n]Greece is about to come. 21 However, I will tell you what is inscribed in the writing of truth. Yet there is no one who [o]stands firmly with me against these forces except Michael your prince.“
Now, let’s break this down. We have ‘princes‘ and ‘kings‘ and ‘kingdoms.’ We also know that the messenger is most likely Christ, and that He is not only battling with these princes, but they can delay Him on His mission. There is no man who can delay Christ, Who is God, so we know these princes must be spiritual beings. This is further affirmed when Christ tells Daniel that the prince of his nation/people, Israel, is the Arch Angel, Michael. We know Michael is a spirit being, and if he is a prince, then it stands to reason that the princes in these passages are spiritual beings.
Next, Daniel is told that these spiritual beings have dominion over kingdoms. Michael over Israel, the Prince of Persia over Persia and the Prince of Greece, who is yet to come at this point in history, will be over Greece. So who is the Prince who is to come? Well, we have other clues in Daniel. When Daniel sees the four beasts, he is told the beasts represent worldly kingdoms. He is then told the beasts are: Babylon (the lion), Medo-Persia (the bear), Greece (the leopard) and the fourth kingdom yet to come. Now, setting aside the identity of this fourth beast for another post, what matters here is that we now have Scriptural support to conclude the prince is a spiritual being who will control the kingdom that comes after Greece.
This leaves us with only one term left to define, ‘kings.’ Again, without getting too deep into Scripture, a careful reading of Daniel 9 — 12 will show that ‘kings‘ most likely refers to actual men who reign as kings over the different kingdoms mentioned in Daniel. This means Scripture is telling us that this ‘prince who is to come’ is spiritual, which agrees perfectly with John who tells us the anti-christ is spiritual. And this brings me to the point I would like to make concerning the prevalent political agenda which now dominates the Western world and much of the rest of the globe, as well.
The spirit of socialism centers around the redistribution of wealth which has not been earned by and does not belong to those who receive it. In Scripture, this is associated with the spirit of destruction.
Isaiah 10:5-7, New American Standard Bible (NASB)
5 Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger
And the staff in whose hands is My indignation,
6 I send it against a godless nation
And commission it against the people of My fury
To capture booty and to seize plunder,
And to [a]trample them down like mud in the streets.
7 Yet it does not so intend,
Nor does [b]it plan so in its heart,
But rather it is [c]its purpose to destroy
And to cut off [d]many nations.
Ezekiel 38:10-12 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
10 ‘Thus says the Lord God, “It will come about on that day, that [a]thoughts will come into your mind and you will devise an evil plan, 11 and you will say, ‘I will go up against the land of [b]unwalled villages. I will go against those who are at rest, that live securely, all of them living without walls and having no bars or gates, 12 to capture spoil and to seize plunder, to turn your hand against the waste places which are now inhabited, and against the people who are gathered from the nations, who have acquired cattle and goods, who live at the [c]center of the world.’
Daniel 11:23-24 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
23 After an alliance is made with him he will practice deception, and he will go up and gain power with a small force of people. 24 [a]In a time of tranquility he will enter the richest parts of the [b]realm, and he will accomplish what his fathers never did, nor his [c]ancestors; he will distribute plunder, booty and possessions among them, and he will devise his schemes against strongholds, but only for a time.
These passages are all about figures who are under control of or doing the bidding of this prince who is to come. In every case, they seek to take what is not theirs, and in the last passage, it clearly states that he will distribute this plunder to his followers. This spirit of wanting what does not belong to you is not of God. It is of the prince who is to come and his people. This applies to all who embrace socialism or any form of redistribution. The spirit behind redistribution is of the prince who is to come, not of God. One way we can know this is by reading the parable of the talents. The master (in this case, God) did not punish the servant who was a good steward and who doubled his talents. He punished the servant who did nothing with what was given to him. Not only that, but He gave the one talent from that worthless servant to the one who had the most. Christ told this parable, and it was about Spiritual gains and rewards, but the principle applies. The material things God gives us are for us to steward over. If we are obedient and we prosper, then God has blessed us for being faithful. But if we do nothing with what little we have, we will be condemned and even that little will be taken away. This cuts to the heart of the socialist ideal, and the sword is wielded by none other than the hand of Christ.
So, please, if you are one of those who embraces the concept of sending the government to steal for you, I beg you to understand that you are selling yourself into slavery. The idea is to make you dependent on the government, which is a kingdom and that kingdom is controlled by a spirit that is not of God. If you are not of God, then you are of Satan. Socialism is of Satan. If you doubt me, I ask you to read this last passage and think of the things that the politicians (both Parties), business and social leaders do today that match the description in this Scripture. They may claim that what they do is for the poor or the oppressed, but their actions are the very things described here by Isaiah. So, before you follow after them, consider what God’s prophet tells us is the end result of following in their ways:
Isaiah 59:2-8 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
2 But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God,
And your sins have hidden His [a]face from you so that He does not hear.
3 For your hands are defiled with blood
And your fingers with iniquity;
Your lips have spoken falsehood,
Your tongue mutters wickedness.
4 No one sues righteously and no one pleads [b]honestly.
They trust in confusion and speak lies;
They conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity.
5 They hatch adders’ eggs and weave the spider’s web;
He who eats of their eggs dies,
And from that which is crushed a snake breaks forth.
6 Their webs will not become clothing,
Nor will they cover themselves with their works;
Their works are works of iniquity,
And an act of violence is in their [c]hands.
7 Their feet run to evil,
And they hasten to shed innocent blood;
Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity,
Devastation and destruction are in their highways.
8 They do not know the way of peace,
And there is no justice in their tracks;
They have made their paths crooked,
Whoever treads on [d]them does not know peace.
The Oil for Your Lamp 
Reblogged this on The Rio Norte Line.