The Counterfeit
One Year Bible: Dec. 4
Daniel 11:36-12:13
The Counterfeit
“The best way to easily identify a counterfeit currency is to have full exposure to the original currency. If you don’t know your true vision, any satanic vision can cross your way, and you might not know it.”--Israelmore Ayivor
Do you know how they check for counterfeit currency? They hold it up to the light!
There is training involved to recognize the counterfeit. When they hold it up to the light, they check for the watermark.
As we take a closer look at the “false-christ” today, we need to make sure and “hold it up to the light” and check the watermark!
The prophecy given in Daniel 11 and 12 is long and complex, with much symbolism that can be interpreted in light of Isaiah and the book of Revelation. When it is held up to the light, it “lines up” perfectly.
Daniel 11:1-35 tells prophecies that are already fulfilled about Persia, Greece, Egypt and Syria, and Antiochus Epiphanes. All of these prophecies have come to pass. So, much so that people doubt because they can’t fathom how a prophet could so specifically detail the events that would come to pass after the time in which it was written. That is the mark of the true prophet!
Daniel was a TRUE prophet whose life was dedicated to seeking “The true light.” He held everything up to the light to inspect it carefully. His life and ministry are summed up in Daniel 1:8, “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself.”
Daniel not only believed that God was SOVEREIGN, but he also disciplined himself to seek God daily by opening his window to “seek the light” on all of his decisions. He prayed at nine o’clock in the morning, noon, and three o’clock in the afternoon (the third, sixth, and ninth hours) even when he was taken captive to Babylon. This habit of prayer and refusing to bow and worship the king is what landed him in the Lion’s Den.
This was Daniel’s training that made him the man that God chose to reveal “secret, hidden things” through visions. He was elevated to a position of receiving an explanation from Gabriel, the arch-angel of God, and to have a heavenly visitation with the “Son of Man.”
Daniel participated in Spiritual Warfare before any man even knew there was such a thing. He prayed with a broken, contrite heart for the protection of God’s chosen people when the news of persecution was revealed to him through the vision. It was revealed to him that his prayers were heard even when the answer was delayed due to Spiritual Warfare in the heavenlies. Daniel was faithful, resolute, and actively involved in the Kingdom of God.
Daniel’s name means “God is my judge,” and he lived up to that name throughout his entire life. As a young man, he was placed in a position of high authority in a pagan kingdom, but he always chose to serve and place God as the King on the throne of his life. He stood up to kings and spoke words that could place him in peril. He knew that no man was worthy of his worship and that it would ultimately be God who would be his judge. He took all things and held them up “to the light” to test their validity.
While the first thirty-five verses in Daniel 11 are now history, Daniel 11:36-12:3 will be the background that will unfold in the “final day of the Lord.” These end-time revelations will bring about the tribulation and the Antichrist.
What will this time look like?
“The king will do as he pleases, exalting himself and claiming to be greater than every god, even blaspheming the God of gods. He will succeed, but only until the time of wrath is completed. For what has been determined will surely take place. He will have no respect for the gods of his ancestors… he will boast that he is greater than any of them.” (11:36 )
Antichrist. Attack. Anguish. Anxiety. These are the words!
How will all of this turnout?
“Then there will be a time of anguish greater than any since nations first came into existence. But at that time, every one of your people whose name is written in the book will be rescued. Many of those whose bodies lie dead and buried will rise up, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting disgrace. Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever.” (12;1-3)
“Antichrist.” Against Christ. Anti to all things of Christ.
How long will “his time of terror” last?
“A time, times, and a half a time,” when “the shattering of the holy people has finally come to an end, all these things will have happened.” (12:12:7)
How are we to be prepared for this false Christ who will come to deceive the world, and how will we face a “Shattering of God’s holy people”?
Daniel left us a great example to follow… When the furnace heats up, remember there is a fourth man in the fire. When the lions are swirling around the den, remember who shuts the lion’s mount. When you are asked to bow your knee to evil, open your windows and pray morning, noon, and night! Intercede in the day of evil for the Kingdom of God.
How can you recognize the counterfeit of God?
Study God’s Word daily and listen to His Spirit speaking to your heart. Know the real person… Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten son!! Come quickly, Lord Jesus!
What are we to do during these final days on the Restless Sea?
Take what you see and hold it up to the light and check for the watermark. Identify the “Counterfeit’ by knowing “The Original”.
Alpha. Omega. Beginning. End.
