October 1: CONTROL THROUGH EARTHLY MEANS
Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain. Daniel 11:39
The Hebrew translated act is asah, meaning do. Normally, asah is followed by the Hebrew preposition be, meaning in, and together they suggest antagonistic acts of war. But here asah is followed by the preposition le, meaning to or for, suggesting a relationship. This strategy is purposely ambiguous, communicating to the reader the particularly ambiguous character of the king of the North. The alliances he forms are framed in deceptive “goodness”. His actions against the strongest fortresses are empowered with [the help of] a foreign god, that is, Satan himself; he is the ultimate foreign god and is the impetus behind every foreign god that occupies the minds of the deceived. This relationship strategy has allowed the king of the North to use the strongest fortresses for his own purposes. His actions are, in reality, against them, but they do not perceive it, nor do they perceive his acknowledgement of Satan. Nevertheless, the desire of Satan to advance [his] glory is achieved in the eyes of admiring proponents of the king of the North.
…and he shall cause them to rule over many… The Hebrew word meaning cause to rule is himshil. It echoes the concept behind the introductions of the kings of the North and South (vv.5-6). Their success depends upon the influence of their proponents over the crowds. The rule of the Church over God’s people during the 1260 years of papal supremacy depended upon the Church’s control over the monarchs of Europe, including the use of their militaries (these powers are symbolized by horns [with] crowns in Revelation 13:1). An interesting side note for chess players: the placement of the bishops on either side of the king and queen is a token of the close watch, by order of the pope, that was kept over the political and religious activities of those monarchs. The local bishops were instructed to reinforce the “absolute necessity” of maintaining good standing with the Church in order to be admitted into heaven. The dominion over the minds of people held by the Church was patterned after the rule of Roman imperialism in its pagan phase. The actual presence of Roman soldiers throughout the empire foreshadowed the presence of bishops and clergy in later times. This part of Daniel’s prophetic vision unveils the presence of the Church in the persecutions to come, such as the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Saint Bartholomew’s Day massacre, etc. In this illicit union of church and state, this systematic persecution foreshadows the eschatological time of trouble (12:10).
...and divide the land for gain… denotes Satan’s usurpation of God’s original ownership of the land (see Joshua 19:51). There is an undeniable economic element on the agenda of each king, North and South. Reliance on wealth, influence, and force is never the means to accomplish the salvation that only God provides. But be sure that the resurgence of the false church from its deadly wound (Revelation 13:3) will be temporary. It will wane before Jesus returns.
The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. Revelation 17:4 (see also v.16)