October 10: CHAPTER 11 WRAP-UP (part 2)

And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him. Daniel 11:45

The king of the North—in plant[ing] the tents of his palace between those who are lost and those who are preaching/sharing the truth sent from heaven to save them—works systematically to achieve his goal. Satan is behind this evil work, dispatching his hordes of fallen angels. Their subtle attacks against the lost are for the purpose of keeping them from sensing the need of a Savior and a relationship with Him. There are also attacks against wavering believers in order to suffocate their relationship with God. Sometimes the most ferocious attacks are against deeply committed believers who live to share the message of Christ’s soon coming. That the judgment that precedes His coming has already begun is rejected by most mainline Protestant churches. In sanctuary language, this is known as the cleansing of the sanctuary (see Daniel 8:14).

While God’s faithful ones hold on to belief in the God of Creation, there is the joy of anticipation of the fullness of salvation when He comes back to get us. In the meantime, we often struggle with an illusion of “self-sufficiency” as though it is within our power to build a world of peace and happiness. The ongoing controversy between the two great cities, known spiritually as the earthly “Babylon” and the heavenly “Jerusalem” is often manifested within our hearts. We must invite the Holy Spirit daily to help drive out the lingering vestiges of Babylon within us, while remembering that this war concerns everyone in the world. It is an intense spiritual battle, and in these closing days of earth’s history, there is the constant echo of the Lord’s loving call to His people to come out of Babylon (Revelation 18:4).

This spiritual struggle, however, is not going to confine itself to the abstract realm of our personal spiritual lives. According to Daniel’s apocalyptic prophecy, the conflict will ultimately play out on a universal, political stage that is “decorated” with religious “props”. The remnant people of God will be viewed by the rest of the world as the common enemy. Jesus plainly stated that a time of trouble would come: “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake” (Matthew 24:9). The Savior encourages His followers to hold on: “But he who endures to the end shall be saved” (v.13).

As for those who reject God’s message, they share the fate of the king of the North: yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him. This is the effect of judgment for the unrepentant. This description here of the complete end of the king of the North parallels the destruction of the little horn (8:25) and the smashing of the feet of iron and clay (2:34-35)—indicating that these are all referring to the same entity: the persecuting power who will pay for its crimes.

Many of the Reformers attempted to help the Roman church correct her errors, but she has held fast to every false doctrine and ousted those who tried to help.

We would have healed Babylon, But she [refused to be] healed. Forsake her . . . for her judgment reaches up to heaven. Flee from the midst of Babylon, And every one save his life! Do not be cut off in her iniquity, For this is the time of the LORD’s vengeance; He shall recompense her. Jeremiah 51:9a,6