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"And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book."
When the world is focused on the election of a new president in the United States, God's people are focused on the events taking place in the world that are foretold by Bible prophecy. When Michael stands up it is of great interest to Seventh-day Adventists who understand what happens when Michael stands up. And, now that the prophecy in Daniel 12:1 tells us when this happens, we can know the end is very near. The great question then is what does the verse point us to as to when Michael will stand up? We read "And at that time" shall Michael stand up. What time? Let us go back and read the verse prior to 12:1 which is 11:45.
"And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him." Daniel 11:45.
Who shall plant the tabernacles of his palace? Who is the "he"? Let us go back to Daniel 11:40 to understand who the "he" is.
11:40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
It is the king of the north that "shall overflow and pass over."
11:41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many [countries] shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, [even] Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.
The "glorious land" is Israel.
11:42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
| The king of the north (Turkey) defeated Egypt |
The king of the north (Turkey) defeated Egypt with the help of England:
Meanwhile, the English government, as the ally of the Turks, had resolved to wrest Egypt from the French. March 13, 1801, and English fleet disembarked a body of troops at Aboukir. The French gave battle the next day, but were forced to retire. On the 18th Aboukir surrendered. On the 28th reinforcements were brought by a Turkish fleet and the grand vizier approached from Syria with a large army. On the 19th, Rosetta surrendered to the combined forces of the English and the Turks. At Ramanieh a French corps of 4,000 men was defeated by 8,000 English and 6,000 Turks. At Elmenayer 5,000 French were obliged to retreat, May 16, by the vizier, who was pressing forward to Cairo with 20,000 men. The whole French army was now shut up in Cairo and Alexandria. Cairo capitulated June 27, and Alexandria, September 2. Four weeks afterward, October 1, 1801, the preliminaries of peace were signed in London. Thoughts on Daniel and the Revelation; pg 112, Uriah Smith
11:43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians [shall be] at his steps.
11:44 But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.
11:45 And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.
So we can say that the "he" in verse 11:45 is indeed the king of the north. But, then who is the king of the north? It is he who occupies the territory that the king of the north has occupied in the past. It the territory to the north of Israel. And where shall the "glorious holy mountain" be? Glorious is a name associated with Jerusalem or Israel. In this case it is more pointed than the "glorious land." It is the glorious holy mountain, upon which Jerusalem sits.
The king of the north, Turkey is going to establish his palaces in Jerusalem! Since Turkey is a member of
| Turkey is going to establish his palaces in Jerusalem! |
NATO, it would be impossible for Turkey to do battle with Israel! Not when the Bible tells us it is going to happen. We shared in Part 1 of this series some events that have taken place in Turkey, a once Western leaning nation. Today, she is no longer a Western leaning democratic republic. She is an Islamic State that claims to be the leader of the Muslim world.
There is concern in the Middle East that Turkey is on a roll and has made great success in re-establishing The New Ottoman Empire. Erdogan is seeking to reverse the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, which officially ended the Ottoman Empire. "Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has lofty ambitions. He wants to take his country back to what he perceives as the glory days of the Ottoman Empire." source
In 1991 I watched as Turkish workmen were removing Islamic paintings in the Hagia Sophia, a Christian cathedral in Constantinople (now Istanbul). The Islamic paintings covered Christian paintings from before the Ottoman Empire conquered the Eastern Roman Empire headquartered in Constantinople. In 1934 the Hagia Sophia became a museum until Erdogan now has made it into a Muslim Mosque.
In his national address President Erdoğan said: “Today, Hagia Sophia is having another resurrection, many of which it has witnessed since its construction. The resurrection of Hagia Sophia heralds the liberation of the al-Aqsa Mosque [from Israel]. The resurrection of Hagia Sophia is a [sign] of the will of Muslims across the world to emerge from the interregnum.” The al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam, is a frequent flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Turkish president often invokes the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City to rally the Islamic world. source
Notice that Erdogan says "The resurrection of Hagia Sophia heralds the liberation of the al-Aqsa Mosque [from Israel]." Erdogan is using the recent moving of the capitol of Israel to Jerusalem to rally the Islamic world to join his caliphate to liberate Jerusalem. Erdogan has styled himself as the leader in the fight to liberate Jerusalem and the Palestinians. He appears to have gained support from what appears to be the election of one who supports Iran and the Palestinians in the United States. Could it be that probation for the world is about to close? "At that time Michael shall stand up......and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book."
And if you think that it will be only Jerusalem that is attacked, think again. God has warned apostate Rome in the seven trumpets to turn from her sins and she never did. In trumpets five and six the warning was to Eastern Rome, Constantinople. Her refusal to repent led to the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire, the fulfillment of those prophecies. The fifth and sixth trumpets are called the first and second woes. Is God warning Babylon? Of course, God has many in Babylon that He loves, many of which will come out of her. So, not only do we call them out, but God warns of impending punishment just as in all of the trumpets. Is it possible that the third woe, the seventh-trumpet will warn of judgments from Islam again as in the first and second woes? Rather than running ahead of the fulfillment when not sure, how about waiting to see if Islam will be allowed to attack those who will make an image to the Beast?
Is it possible that in response to the healing of the wound and the apostasy in that great nation that was greatly blessed who has turned her back in God, that we have already seen attacks by Islam on the United States? I am not saying something like a train bombing as in Spain or a bus bombing as in London, but something of spectacular destruction, such as the falling of two great fireproof buildings such as the New York City Trade Towers?
Does Turkey under Erdogan want to go into Jerusalem as the Bible tells us? Published October 1 of this year:
| Jerusalem belongs to Turkey |
"Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday implied that Jerusalem belongs to Turkey, referring to the Ottoman Empire’s control over the city for much of the modern era." source
In my formal education I learned nothing of world history. It was not until I began to study how God worked with countries, cities, and people that I learned some world history. When we study the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation it is not good enough to know our Bibles, we need to see how the Bible interacts with world history. Many are in the very same situation I found myself in, ignorant of the history of this world outside of what is written in Scripture or the Spirit of Prophecy. It is with much joy that I share that God has not left us without help in this area of study.
We have as a people very good information on history that pertains to the prophecies in Daniel and Revelation. When a prophet recommends a book, that is a very good recommendation that we ought to take to heart. Ellen White tells us that the book by Uriah Smith is to be widely circulated.
Daniel and Revelation, Great Controversy, Patriarchs and Prophets, and Desire of Ages should now go to the world. The grand instruction contained in Daniel and Revelation has been eagerly perused by many in
| No other book that can take the place of this one |
Australia. This book has been the means of bringing many precious souls to a knowledge of the truth. Everything that can be done should be done to circulate Thoughts on Daniel and Revelation. I know of no other book that can take the place of this one. It is God’s helping hand.—Manuscript 76, 1901.
May God bless your study as you seek to understand the prophecies found in the eleventh and twelfth chapters in the book of Daniel. They are markers in time that we might know of the soon coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus cannot come until He has a people who love Him supremely and will cease to sin so that He can cleanse the heavenly sanctuary and they can go through the time of trouble such as never was. Let us hasten that day.
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