“In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a fierce-looking king, a master of intrigue, will arise. He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy those who are mighty, the holy people. He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power. Daniel 8:23-25 (NIV).
Pay attention to this indeed. These verses aren’t just about Alexander or yet another ancient kingdom yet to come. This could be about our time, or our children’s, or our grandchildren’s.
Near the end of time, man will become completely depraved again. In many ways, things will be as depraved as they were before the great flood. At that time, a man will come to power who will embody all that is evil. This man will become the most powerful political leader the world has ever known. At first, he will seem peaceful. He’ll say the right words and impress billions of people with his knowledge, wisdom, and insight. We don’t know what he will look like, but given how people flock to good looking leaders, chances are he’ll be dashing and handsome. That smile will cause millions, even billions of others to smile along with him.
That smile will hide vicious teeth. Fangs ready to inflict damage, and tear, and kill.
And he will have deceived a large majority of humanity already. The world will have already seen extraordinarily wicked days, maybe not unlike our own. Other than “wicked,” how else could someone describe a world that glamourizes violence, scorns faith in God, idolizes the legal ability to kill babies, and celebrates what so many other generations considered to be vile and repugnant? It isn’t much of a stretch to think that this deceived generation could be like our own…or maybe even be our own.
Make no mistake: this ‘man of the world’ will be defeated by Jesus. THAT is the final destination of all evil, and it’s unavoidable. When eternity resumes on earth, Jesus will be the Prince of Peace and Lord forever. Until that peaceful time, evil will rise. And grow. And conquer. And murder. And blaspheme the Ancient of Days. It will test us, sift us like wheat. Evil will personify itself in the one who will be called Antichrist, and he will wield unearthly Satanic power to kill and destroy on a scale humanity has never known. And still, many will put their misguided faith in him. It happened before in Antiochus Epiphanes. It will happen again in the time of the evil one.
For further reading: Daniel 8:26
Lord Jesus, my faith is in You alone. Only You. Always You. Forever You.
If you’d like to know more about Practical Proverbials, please contact aspiringwriterdt@gmail.com for more information
Practical Proverbs 