SATURDAY, MARCH 25
Daniel 11:36-39
Daniel 9:26-27

"… he shall confirm the covenant with many…
he shall cause the sacrifice
and the oblation to cease…"

THE ANTICHRIST - A PRINCE AND A KING

In Daniel 9:26, the Antichrist is called "the prince." He is portrayed to "confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease" (Dan 9:27). He will make a covenant with Israel for seven years and then in the midst of these seven years, he will place an abomination of desolation inside the sanctuary. He will appear as a man of peace mimicking the Prince of Peace. Yet, he will show his true colours as he breaks his covenant.

Daniel made reference to the eschatological Antichrist as a king. He describes him as the wilful king in Daniel 11:36-38. This denotes the will power of this king to implement what he intends to do. He has the ability to execute without any help from any source or any man. But behind him is the backing of Satan. In other words, he is sovereign and powerful to decide on his own with Satan’s empowerment. He will exalt himself, meaning he will raise himself up and lift himself high above all the other gods. This provides a picture of a bird building a nest up on the high rocks and cliffs, where he thinks nobody can meddle with him. This wilful king, the Antichrist, is revealed in the Great Tribulation period.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is so different, He is incomparable! He came down from heaven to be born in a lowly manger; He was raised up in the poor family of Joseph and Mary; He grew up in an insignificant place of Nazareth; He was surrounded by uneducated followers; He went around with nothing on which to rest His head; He was crucified on a criminal’s cross, buried in a borrowed tomb, but He rose again from the dead after three days to conquer sin and death! Is He your Saviour? Will you meet Him as your King when He comes?

THOUGHT: Is the Jesus Christ of the Scriptures truly my Saviour?
PRAYER: "All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. For the kingdom is the LORD’S: and he is the governor among the nations" (Ps 22:27-28).