Wednesday, March 05, 2014

BIBLE PROPHECY: DANIEL


IS BIBLE PROPHECY IN DANIEL 11
ABOUT END-TIME FULFILLMENTS?

I understand Daniel chapter eleven to be prophetic of (1) the origin of the Arab Empire (Muslims) in the 7th century A. D. and that (2) the ultimate source of the "Little Horn" (Antichrist, per 11:21-45) is the northern area of the Middle East. In my book, NOT ONE STONE (page 27) I refer to Clarence Larkin, H. A. Ironside, and Arthur W. Pink who held this latter view. Larkin calls the Antichrist the "Syrian Horn" (The Book of Daniell, page 248, unabridged edition).

1. Daniel 11:5, 6 is "key" to the view that 11:5-45 focuses on the Arab Empire's Arabian origin in the 7th century and the eventual rise of the end-time Antichrist who takes control of the Middle East countries and builds his "palace" in Jerusalem before he is destroyed (verses 41-45). The "SOUTH" in Daniel 11:5, 6 refers to Arabia, not Egypt. Notice this example: The "queen of the SOUTH" (Matthew 12:42; Luke 11:31) was the queen of SHEBA, located in southern Arabia,"the uttermost parts of the earth." So "The South" refers to Arabia, not Egypt.

2. The first Muslim "king of the SOUTH" [Arabia] was ABU BAKR (632-634 A. D.), the father of AISHA, the favorite wife of Muhammad. The second king, or caliph, was OMAR (634-644 A.D.), also a father-in-law of Muhammad. During these few years following the death of Muhammad in 632, in the SOUTH (Arabia) a "great dominion" originated, even greater than any previous Middle East empire, according to Sir John B. Glubb's history, "The Empire of the Arabs." You can find more information on these two Caliphs on Wikipedia. The "SOUTH" in Daniel 11 (negeb; see Strong's Dictionary #5045) refers to the vast desert called "ARABIA," where the cities of Mecca and Medina are located. AISHA, Muhammad's favorite wife, was the daughter of Abu Bakr -- therefore, she was the "king's daughter of the SOUTH" (11:6). Her opposition to Ali (Muhammad's son-in-law who was married to Fatima) helped create the South vs North Muslim division which has lasted ever since -- Sunni vs Shia. Shiites believe that direct descendants of Muhammad thru Ali's lineage are qualified to be "caliph" in Islam, whereas Sunnis believe direct lineage is not essential to being "caliph." See Wikipedia for information on this split among the Muslims.
 
3. In Daniel 11:6, I understand the unique expression, "END OF YEARS," to be indicative of the Muslim calendar of time. It begins in 622, the year in which the migration (Hegira) by Muhammad and his disciples from Mecca to Medina took place. The Muslim calendar thereby indicates an "end of years." I understand the "king's daughter of the south" in Daniel 11:6 is applicable to AISHA, daughter of the first Caliph of the South, ABU BAKR. I think this verse refers to the battle between Aisha's forces and Ali's forces, known as the "Battle of the Camel," which introduces the history of the Muslims from the seventh century,(11:5-45) -- out of which eventually arises the Little Horn or Antichrist (11:21-45). The "Battle of the Camel" took place in 656 A. D. in the "end of years" perind of time, and was the initial civil war in Islam between Sunni and Shiites. This was a battle between Arabs allied with Aisha, Muhammad's widow who rode around on a prized red camel named Askar, and Arabs which supported Ali, Muhammad's son-in-law, the "Solomon of the Shiites." See the particulars about this battle on Wikipedia.

4. Contrary to the view that the Ptolemies, Seleucids (332-168), and Antiochus Epiphanes somehow fulfill much of Daniel 11, the prophecy does not refer to them. Rather, the "north" refers to the northern division of the Arabs and the "south" to the southern (Early Islam by Desmond Stewart, page 63)

5. The "Abomination of Desolation" (Dan. 11:31) is yet in the future, according to Jesus (Matthew 24:15). The idea that it was fulfilled by Antiochus derives from Jewish presumptions in First Maccabees 1:54 in the Apocrypha, uninspired Jewish writings before the first coming of Christ. A supposed "chronology" is presented by Solomon Zeitlin in The Rise and Fall of the Judean State). Keil and Delitzsch Commentary on Daniel cites historical inaccuracies in this chronology.

6. The supposed "restored Holy Roman Empire," or the "European Union," is not in Daniel 11. There are 27 nations in the EU, and none of them is in the Middle East. Daniel eleven does not mention any nation except those in the Middle East. The EU theory was championed by the late Herbert W. Armstrong and is perpetuated by his followers such as Gerald Flurry and the "Philadelphia Church of God."

7. The two legs in the image of Daniel chapter 2 are not Rome, but rather they correspond to the two divisions which arose among the 7th century Arabs -- the southern Arabs and northern Arabs (EARLY ISLAM by Desmond Stewart, page 63). The ten toes of the image represent Arab nations which developed thru "mingling" of "seed," according to Daniel 2:43: the word "mingle" in the original is "ARAB." (See Strong's Hebrew Dictionary #6151). Islamic polygamy "Arabized" the Middle East countries from the 7th century A. D. -- Bob L. Ross (713) 477-2329

posted by Bob L. Ross @ 1:21 PM 0 comments