Zechariah 7
KingCommentsZechariah 7:1
The Antichrist and His Religion
(Daniel 11:36) In this verse a leap is made to the end time, that is to say that the events described from this verse will have their full and real fulfilment in the end time. The expression “the king” without addition appears here for the first time in this chapter. Previously, there has always been talk of the king of the South or of the North. “The king” is still Antiochus Epiphanes. However, the term “the king” is used here because from this verse on he is clearly a type of the antichrist. What is said here about Antiochus Epiphanes, in reality applies in the full sense to the antichrist.
If we look at what is said in this verse and we know somewhat the character of the antichrist, we see how these things apply fully to him. To some extent what is said here is also true of Antiochus Epiphanes, but we have seen that he was forced by the Romans to retreat. We don’t see anything like that with the antichrist. The antichrist acts at his own discretion. This means that he acts completely independently and of self will. God is not mentioned at all. He is ignored.
The second characteristic of the antichrist is that he exalts himself and magnifies himself above every god. He does not tolerate anyone else being given honor other than himself. After ignoring God, he puts God aside and makes himself god instead of God. The third is that he speaks monstrous things against the supreme, and only, true God. Here he defies God. What Paul writes about the antichrist to the Thessalonians corresponds to what we read here in Daniel about “the king” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4; Revelation 13:11-18).
It seems that no one can stop him in his wickedness and silence him. It seems that he can go on doing his business undisturbed. But God’s judgment on him will come at the time appointed by God. The antichrist will be able to go his own way until what God has decided about His people is fulfilled. The wrath mentioned here is the wrath of God over His people because of their idolatry and the rejection of His Son. The antichrist is just like Antiochus Epiphanes a rod of discipline in the hand of God which he uses in His wrath (cf. Isaiah 10:5).
(Daniel 11:37) This verse is also about Antiochus Epiphanes, but above that it is about the antichrist. The antichrist is a Jew, but he does not heed the God of his fathers. By “the desire of women” is meant the Messiah, of Whom every Jewish woman wished to become the mother. So he also ignores God’s Messiah, because he will present himself as such. It is only about him. He claims all honor for himself. Once again it is emphasized that he sees himself as a god. He demands the upper place and tolerates no one beside him, let alone above him.
(Daniel 11:38) While on the one hand he tolerates no one above or beside him and wants to be the only object of worship himself, he himself also has an object of worship. His homage goes out to “a god of fortresses”. This refers to his military power. This god his fathers did not know, for they relied on God and not on their military strength.
The antichrist worships his military power as a god. That is his strength. He relies on that. This makes him the master of the surrounding hostile countries. In order to provide this god with the necessary supplies, he invests in it with all valuable materials. He has the technological knowledge and buys what is necessary to equip himself with the most advanced weapons.
(Daniel 11:39) Besides his own military apparatus, the antichrist also receives support from the autocrat of the restored Western Roman empire, the united Europe, with whom he will forge an alliance. As we have already seen, this will prove to be a covenant with death (Daniel 9:27; Isaiah 28:15a). He will reward all those who defend his politics. They will be given a considerable position in which they can exercise power over others.
To his faithful followers he “will parcel out land”, which is Israel, as a reward for their complicity. Only those who openly engage in idolatry and acknowledge the antichrist can buy and sell (Revelation 13:16-17). The most loyal servants receive great rewards. As far as the application of the end time is concerned, we now find ourselves in the second half of the last year-week.
Zechariah 7:2
The Antichrist and His Religion
(Daniel 11:36) In this verse a leap is made to the end time, that is to say that the events described from this verse will have their full and real fulfilment in the end time. The expression “the king” without addition appears here for the first time in this chapter. Previously, there has always been talk of the king of the South or of the North. “The king” is still Antiochus Epiphanes. However, the term “the king” is used here because from this verse on he is clearly a type of the antichrist. What is said here about Antiochus Epiphanes, in reality applies in the full sense to the antichrist.
If we look at what is said in this verse and we know somewhat the character of the antichrist, we see how these things apply fully to him. To some extent what is said here is also true of Antiochus Epiphanes, but we have seen that he was forced by the Romans to retreat. We don’t see anything like that with the antichrist. The antichrist acts at his own discretion. This means that he acts completely independently and of self will. God is not mentioned at all. He is ignored.
The second characteristic of the antichrist is that he exalts himself and magnifies himself above every god. He does not tolerate anyone else being given honor other than himself. After ignoring God, he puts God aside and makes himself god instead of God. The third is that he speaks monstrous things against the supreme, and only, true God. Here he defies God. What Paul writes about the antichrist to the Thessalonians corresponds to what we read here in Daniel about “the king” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4; Revelation 13:11-18).
It seems that no one can stop him in his wickedness and silence him. It seems that he can go on doing his business undisturbed. But God’s judgment on him will come at the time appointed by God. The antichrist will be able to go his own way until what God has decided about His people is fulfilled. The wrath mentioned here is the wrath of God over His people because of their idolatry and the rejection of His Son. The antichrist is just like Antiochus Epiphanes a rod of discipline in the hand of God which he uses in His wrath (cf. Isaiah 10:5).
(Daniel 11:37) This verse is also about Antiochus Epiphanes, but above that it is about the antichrist. The antichrist is a Jew, but he does not heed the God of his fathers. By “the desire of women” is meant the Messiah, of Whom every Jewish woman wished to become the mother. So he also ignores God’s Messiah, because he will present himself as such. It is only about him. He claims all honor for himself. Once again it is emphasized that he sees himself as a god. He demands the upper place and tolerates no one beside him, let alone above him.
(Daniel 11:38) While on the one hand he tolerates no one above or beside him and wants to be the only object of worship himself, he himself also has an object of worship. His homage goes out to “a god of fortresses”. This refers to his military power. This god his fathers did not know, for they relied on God and not on their military strength.
The antichrist worships his military power as a god. That is his strength. He relies on that. This makes him the master of the surrounding hostile countries. In order to provide this god with the necessary supplies, he invests in it with all valuable materials. He has the technological knowledge and buys what is necessary to equip himself with the most advanced weapons.
(Daniel 11:39) Besides his own military apparatus, the antichrist also receives support from the autocrat of the restored Western Roman empire, the united Europe, with whom he will forge an alliance. As we have already seen, this will prove to be a covenant with death (Daniel 9:27; Isaiah 28:15a). He will reward all those who defend his politics. They will be given a considerable position in which they can exercise power over others.
To his faithful followers he “will parcel out land”, which is Israel, as a reward for their complicity. Only those who openly engage in idolatry and acknowledge the antichrist can buy and sell (Revelation 13:16-17). The most loyal servants receive great rewards. As far as the application of the end time is concerned, we now find ourselves in the second half of the last year-week.
Zechariah 7:3
The Antichrist and His Religion
(Daniel 11:36) In this verse a leap is made to the end time, that is to say that the events described from this verse will have their full and real fulfilment in the end time. The expression “the king” without addition appears here for the first time in this chapter. Previously, there has always been talk of the king of the South or of the North. “The king” is still Antiochus Epiphanes. However, the term “the king” is used here because from this verse on he is clearly a type of the antichrist. What is said here about Antiochus Epiphanes, in reality applies in the full sense to the antichrist.
If we look at what is said in this verse and we know somewhat the character of the antichrist, we see how these things apply fully to him. To some extent what is said here is also true of Antiochus Epiphanes, but we have seen that he was forced by the Romans to retreat. We don’t see anything like that with the antichrist. The antichrist acts at his own discretion. This means that he acts completely independently and of self will. God is not mentioned at all. He is ignored.
The second characteristic of the antichrist is that he exalts himself and magnifies himself above every god. He does not tolerate anyone else being given honor other than himself. After ignoring God, he puts God aside and makes himself god instead of God. The third is that he speaks monstrous things against the supreme, and only, true God. Here he defies God. What Paul writes about the antichrist to the Thessalonians corresponds to what we read here in Daniel about “the king” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4; Revelation 13:11-18).
It seems that no one can stop him in his wickedness and silence him. It seems that he can go on doing his business undisturbed. But God’s judgment on him will come at the time appointed by God. The antichrist will be able to go his own way until what God has decided about His people is fulfilled. The wrath mentioned here is the wrath of God over His people because of their idolatry and the rejection of His Son. The antichrist is just like Antiochus Epiphanes a rod of discipline in the hand of God which he uses in His wrath (cf. Isaiah 10:5).
(Daniel 11:37) This verse is also about Antiochus Epiphanes, but above that it is about the antichrist. The antichrist is a Jew, but he does not heed the God of his fathers. By “the desire of women” is meant the Messiah, of Whom every Jewish woman wished to become the mother. So he also ignores God’s Messiah, because he will present himself as such. It is only about him. He claims all honor for himself. Once again it is emphasized that he sees himself as a god. He demands the upper place and tolerates no one beside him, let alone above him.
(Daniel 11:38) While on the one hand he tolerates no one above or beside him and wants to be the only object of worship himself, he himself also has an object of worship. His homage goes out to “a god of fortresses”. This refers to his military power. This god his fathers did not know, for they relied on God and not on their military strength.
The antichrist worships his military power as a god. That is his strength. He relies on that. This makes him the master of the surrounding hostile countries. In order to provide this god with the necessary supplies, he invests in it with all valuable materials. He has the technological knowledge and buys what is necessary to equip himself with the most advanced weapons.
(Daniel 11:39) Besides his own military apparatus, the antichrist also receives support from the autocrat of the restored Western Roman empire, the united Europe, with whom he will forge an alliance. As we have already seen, this will prove to be a covenant with death (Daniel 9:27; Isaiah 28:15a). He will reward all those who defend his politics. They will be given a considerable position in which they can exercise power over others.
To his faithful followers he “will parcel out land”, which is Israel, as a reward for their complicity. Only those who openly engage in idolatry and acknowledge the antichrist can buy and sell (Revelation 13:16-17). The most loyal servants receive great rewards. As far as the application of the end time is concerned, we now find ourselves in the second half of the last year-week.
Zechariah 7:4
The Future King of the North
(Daniel 11:40) History continues here. The king of the South will collide with “him”, that is the king of the previous verses. When we think of “him”, we first think of Antiochus Epiphanes as the king of the North. But even more clearly than can be seen in the previous verses, we see here that it is about the end time, because in this verse we read that it is about an event “at the end time”.
In Daniel 11:36-39, the characteristics mentioned there, we see the clear parallel between Antiochus Epiphanes and the antichrist. It is worth recalling that Daniel 11:36 refers to “the king” and that up to and including Daniel 11:39 it is always about “the king”, without the addition “of the North” which is always used in the verses before. The thought of “the king of the North” has therefore faded and disappeared into the background, leaving room to think of the antichrist.
As a type of the antichrist Antiochus Epiphanes has made the religion of the Jews a religion of apostasy of God. With this he has brought the apostate masses to a worship of the dictator of the restored Western Roman empire for whom he has erected an idolatrous image in the temple. The antichrist is the enemy inside of the people of God.
From Daniel 11:40 onwards, however, there is again talk of “the king of the North”, but now explicitly linked to the end time. This means that we should no longer think here of the historic Antiochus Epiphanes, but of someone who in the end time will behave like the enemy from outside of the Jewish people. Here Antiochus Epiphanes is seen from a different angle. He is not only the religious enemy of the Jews, he is also their political enemy. As the king of the North, he is out to wipe Israel from the face of the earth.
That is what we have before us in Daniel 11:40-45. In it we no longer see the historical Antiochus Epiphanes, but the future king of the North. This person will, as we have seen in the antichrist, perform entirely in the spirit of the historic Antiochus Epiphanes.
The reason for the revelation of his enmity against the Jewish people is an attack by the king of the South on “him”, the king of the North. It may also be that “him” means the antichrist. In any case, the initiative for this confrontation between the two kings in the end time comes from the king of the South. Any movement of the king of the South in the direction of the king of the North will be seen by the king of the North as a declaration of war.
The king of the North will mobilize his armies and also deploy his fleet and with a great display of power attack Egypt. He will also visit other countries and tie them to his triumph chariot. He will “overflow” these countries like an overwhelming flood (cf. Isaiah 8:7-8; Isaiah 10:22; Isaiah 28:17; Daniel 9:27).
(Daniel 11:41-43) In his bellicose actions in reaction to the attack of Egypt Syria will, besides many countries, also enter the land of Israel, which here is called “the Beautiful Land” (cf. Daniel 8:9; Daniel 11:16; Ezekiel 20:6). Three countries, however, will escape the king of the North’s desire to conquer: Edom, Moab and the foremost of the sons of Ammon. These countries are located in the area of present-day Jordan.
One reason these countries do not come under the power of the king of the North may be that God will judge these old enemies Himself. He will then do so by the God-fearing who are in the land (Isaiah 11:13-14). In this way God ensures that the former enemies of Israel receive their rightful retribution from the hands of the people they have tried to resist and disadvantage.
The king of the North then moves further south to attack Egypt. Unlike the three countries just mentioned, Egypt will not escape the grip of the king of the North. Egypt has great material wealth because of the country’s natural resources and also because this country has become the major center of western and eastern trade in that part of the world. Of all this wealth, the king of the North takes hold. Libya and Cush (or Ethiopia), Egypt’s southern allies, will share in the fate of Egypt and will be subjected to his power by the king of the North.
(Daniel 11:44-45) While the king of the North is waging war, he hears rumors from the East and from the North. What these rumors are is not entirely clear. However, there are some indications as to what these rumors might be. We read elsewhere about “the kings from the east” (Revelation 16:12). There is also something to be said for the suggestion that the rumors from the east are caused by the return of the fled remnant into the land driving back the occupying forces (Zechariah 12:4-6; Joel 3:11; Micah 5:4-8; Zechariah 10:3; 5-6a).
The rumors from the North can be attributed to the arrival of allies, who are rushing to Israel’s aid. We can think of the armies of the restored Western Roman empire, that is, the united Europe, which will come to the aid of their ally Israel and enter the land from the north. The armies of the united Europe will advance to Har-Magedon (Revelation 16:16).
They believe they are going in their own power, but it is the mysterious power of God that leads them there to judge them there. Har-Magedon is a plain in the north of Israel, a plain that is very suitable for a great battle. What will be presented by the news media as a relief operation for the threatened Israel, is in reality an advance to wage war against the Lamb (Revelation 19:19).
Because of these rumors, the king of the North will interrupt his triumphal march in the south. Roaring with rage, he will return to Israel to beat down the uprising that is going on there. He will spare nothing and no one. He intends to destroy many and neutralize them.
Then we read that he “will pitch the tents of his royal pavilion”, which is his headquarters, “between the seas and the beautiful Holy Mountain”. The king of the North will establish his headquarters “between the seas” – meaning the Mediterranean Sea, which in the Hebrew is called “seas” as a designation for “the great sea” – and the “Holy Mountain” – that is the temple mountain in Jerusalem.
When he besieges Jerusalem for the second time in this way, the need of the faithful remnant will come to a climax. They suffer enormous losses from the antichrist in the land and they are now also threatened by the king of the North. They share this last threat, the threat from outside, and the resulting battle with the godless masses. The faithful remnant has a double enemy to endure: one inside, the antichrist, and one outside, the king of the North.
But if the need is greatest, for the remnant the salvation and for the godless masses the final judgment is near. Salvation comes from the air, for this is the moment when the Lord Jesus comes to earth and puts His feet on the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:3-4). Then He kills the king of the North. It is not said in so many words here. It says simply and therefore penetratingly: “Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.” He who has been so boasting of his strength and thought he could do anything he wants, is killed without anyone standing up for him. No one is able to avert his judgment.
The fact that the future king of the North is killed near Jerusalem is further proof that it cannot be the historical Antiochus Epiphanes. According to non-biblical history, this historical figure was not killed in Jerusalem, but died of a disease in Persia.
Zechariah 7:5
The Future King of the North
(Daniel 11:40) History continues here. The king of the South will collide with “him”, that is the king of the previous verses. When we think of “him”, we first think of Antiochus Epiphanes as the king of the North. But even more clearly than can be seen in the previous verses, we see here that it is about the end time, because in this verse we read that it is about an event “at the end time”.
In Daniel 11:36-39, the characteristics mentioned there, we see the clear parallel between Antiochus Epiphanes and the antichrist. It is worth recalling that Daniel 11:36 refers to “the king” and that up to and including Daniel 11:39 it is always about “the king”, without the addition “of the North” which is always used in the verses before. The thought of “the king of the North” has therefore faded and disappeared into the background, leaving room to think of the antichrist.
As a type of the antichrist Antiochus Epiphanes has made the religion of the Jews a religion of apostasy of God. With this he has brought the apostate masses to a worship of the dictator of the restored Western Roman empire for whom he has erected an idolatrous image in the temple. The antichrist is the enemy inside of the people of God.
From Daniel 11:40 onwards, however, there is again talk of “the king of the North”, but now explicitly linked to the end time. This means that we should no longer think here of the historic Antiochus Epiphanes, but of someone who in the end time will behave like the enemy from outside of the Jewish people. Here Antiochus Epiphanes is seen from a different angle. He is not only the religious enemy of the Jews, he is also their political enemy. As the king of the North, he is out to wipe Israel from the face of the earth.
That is what we have before us in Daniel 11:40-45. In it we no longer see the historical Antiochus Epiphanes, but the future king of the North. This person will, as we have seen in the antichrist, perform entirely in the spirit of the historic Antiochus Epiphanes.
The reason for the revelation of his enmity against the Jewish people is an attack by the king of the South on “him”, the king of the North. It may also be that “him” means the antichrist. In any case, the initiative for this confrontation between the two kings in the end time comes from the king of the South. Any movement of the king of the South in the direction of the king of the North will be seen by the king of the North as a declaration of war.
The king of the North will mobilize his armies and also deploy his fleet and with a great display of power attack Egypt. He will also visit other countries and tie them to his triumph chariot. He will “overflow” these countries like an overwhelming flood (cf. Isaiah 8:7-8; Isaiah 10:22; Isaiah 28:17; Daniel 9:27).
(Daniel 11:41-43) In his bellicose actions in reaction to the attack of Egypt Syria will, besides many countries, also enter the land of Israel, which here is called “the Beautiful Land” (cf. Daniel 8:9; Daniel 11:16; Ezekiel 20:6). Three countries, however, will escape the king of the North’s desire to conquer: Edom, Moab and the foremost of the sons of Ammon. These countries are located in the area of present-day Jordan.
One reason these countries do not come under the power of the king of the North may be that God will judge these old enemies Himself. He will then do so by the God-fearing who are in the land (Isaiah 11:13-14). In this way God ensures that the former enemies of Israel receive their rightful retribution from the hands of the people they have tried to resist and disadvantage.
The king of the North then moves further south to attack Egypt. Unlike the three countries just mentioned, Egypt will not escape the grip of the king of the North. Egypt has great material wealth because of the country’s natural resources and also because this country has become the major center of western and eastern trade in that part of the world. Of all this wealth, the king of the North takes hold. Libya and Cush (or Ethiopia), Egypt’s southern allies, will share in the fate of Egypt and will be subjected to his power by the king of the North.
(Daniel 11:44-45) While the king of the North is waging war, he hears rumors from the East and from the North. What these rumors are is not entirely clear. However, there are some indications as to what these rumors might be. We read elsewhere about “the kings from the east” (Revelation 16:12). There is also something to be said for the suggestion that the rumors from the east are caused by the return of the fled remnant into the land driving back the occupying forces (Zechariah 12:4-6; Joel 3:11; Micah 5:4-8; Zechariah 10:3; 5-6a).
The rumors from the North can be attributed to the arrival of allies, who are rushing to Israel’s aid. We can think of the armies of the restored Western Roman empire, that is, the united Europe, which will come to the aid of their ally Israel and enter the land from the north. The armies of the united Europe will advance to Har-Magedon (Revelation 16:16).
They believe they are going in their own power, but it is the mysterious power of God that leads them there to judge them there. Har-Magedon is a plain in the north of Israel, a plain that is very suitable for a great battle. What will be presented by the news media as a relief operation for the threatened Israel, is in reality an advance to wage war against the Lamb (Revelation 19:19).
Because of these rumors, the king of the North will interrupt his triumphal march in the south. Roaring with rage, he will return to Israel to beat down the uprising that is going on there. He will spare nothing and no one. He intends to destroy many and neutralize them.
Then we read that he “will pitch the tents of his royal pavilion”, which is his headquarters, “between the seas and the beautiful Holy Mountain”. The king of the North will establish his headquarters “between the seas” – meaning the Mediterranean Sea, which in the Hebrew is called “seas” as a designation for “the great sea” – and the “Holy Mountain” – that is the temple mountain in Jerusalem.
When he besieges Jerusalem for the second time in this way, the need of the faithful remnant will come to a climax. They suffer enormous losses from the antichrist in the land and they are now also threatened by the king of the North. They share this last threat, the threat from outside, and the resulting battle with the godless masses. The faithful remnant has a double enemy to endure: one inside, the antichrist, and one outside, the king of the North.
But if the need is greatest, for the remnant the salvation and for the godless masses the final judgment is near. Salvation comes from the air, for this is the moment when the Lord Jesus comes to earth and puts His feet on the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:3-4). Then He kills the king of the North. It is not said in so many words here. It says simply and therefore penetratingly: “Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.” He who has been so boasting of his strength and thought he could do anything he wants, is killed without anyone standing up for him. No one is able to avert his judgment.
The fact that the future king of the North is killed near Jerusalem is further proof that it cannot be the historical Antiochus Epiphanes. According to non-biblical history, this historical figure was not killed in Jerusalem, but died of a disease in Persia.
Zechariah 7:6
The Future King of the North
(Daniel 11:40) History continues here. The king of the South will collide with “him”, that is the king of the previous verses. When we think of “him”, we first think of Antiochus Epiphanes as the king of the North. But even more clearly than can be seen in the previous verses, we see here that it is about the end time, because in this verse we read that it is about an event “at the end time”.
In Daniel 11:36-39, the characteristics mentioned there, we see the clear parallel between Antiochus Epiphanes and the antichrist. It is worth recalling that Daniel 11:36 refers to “the king” and that up to and including Daniel 11:39 it is always about “the king”, without the addition “of the North” which is always used in the verses before. The thought of “the king of the North” has therefore faded and disappeared into the background, leaving room to think of the antichrist.
As a type of the antichrist Antiochus Epiphanes has made the religion of the Jews a religion of apostasy of God. With this he has brought the apostate masses to a worship of the dictator of the restored Western Roman empire for whom he has erected an idolatrous image in the temple. The antichrist is the enemy inside of the people of God.
From Daniel 11:40 onwards, however, there is again talk of “the king of the North”, but now explicitly linked to the end time. This means that we should no longer think here of the historic Antiochus Epiphanes, but of someone who in the end time will behave like the enemy from outside of the Jewish people. Here Antiochus Epiphanes is seen from a different angle. He is not only the religious enemy of the Jews, he is also their political enemy. As the king of the North, he is out to wipe Israel from the face of the earth.
That is what we have before us in Daniel 11:40-45. In it we no longer see the historical Antiochus Epiphanes, but the future king of the North. This person will, as we have seen in the antichrist, perform entirely in the spirit of the historic Antiochus Epiphanes.
The reason for the revelation of his enmity against the Jewish people is an attack by the king of the South on “him”, the king of the North. It may also be that “him” means the antichrist. In any case, the initiative for this confrontation between the two kings in the end time comes from the king of the South. Any movement of the king of the South in the direction of the king of the North will be seen by the king of the North as a declaration of war.
The king of the North will mobilize his armies and also deploy his fleet and with a great display of power attack Egypt. He will also visit other countries and tie them to his triumph chariot. He will “overflow” these countries like an overwhelming flood (cf. Isaiah 8:7-8; Isaiah 10:22; Isaiah 28:17; Daniel 9:27).
(Daniel 11:41-43) In his bellicose actions in reaction to the attack of Egypt Syria will, besides many countries, also enter the land of Israel, which here is called “the Beautiful Land” (cf. Daniel 8:9; Daniel 11:16; Ezekiel 20:6). Three countries, however, will escape the king of the North’s desire to conquer: Edom, Moab and the foremost of the sons of Ammon. These countries are located in the area of present-day Jordan.
One reason these countries do not come under the power of the king of the North may be that God will judge these old enemies Himself. He will then do so by the God-fearing who are in the land (Isaiah 11:13-14). In this way God ensures that the former enemies of Israel receive their rightful retribution from the hands of the people they have tried to resist and disadvantage.
The king of the North then moves further south to attack Egypt. Unlike the three countries just mentioned, Egypt will not escape the grip of the king of the North. Egypt has great material wealth because of the country’s natural resources and also because this country has become the major center of western and eastern trade in that part of the world. Of all this wealth, the king of the North takes hold. Libya and Cush (or Ethiopia), Egypt’s southern allies, will share in the fate of Egypt and will be subjected to his power by the king of the North.
(Daniel 11:44-45) While the king of the North is waging war, he hears rumors from the East and from the North. What these rumors are is not entirely clear. However, there are some indications as to what these rumors might be. We read elsewhere about “the kings from the east” (Revelation 16:12). There is also something to be said for the suggestion that the rumors from the east are caused by the return of the fled remnant into the land driving back the occupying forces (Zechariah 12:4-6; Joel 3:11; Micah 5:4-8; Zechariah 10:3; 5-6a).
The rumors from the North can be attributed to the arrival of allies, who are rushing to Israel’s aid. We can think of the armies of the restored Western Roman empire, that is, the united Europe, which will come to the aid of their ally Israel and enter the land from the north. The armies of the united Europe will advance to Har-Magedon (Revelation 16:16).
They believe they are going in their own power, but it is the mysterious power of God that leads them there to judge them there. Har-Magedon is a plain in the north of Israel, a plain that is very suitable for a great battle. What will be presented by the news media as a relief operation for the threatened Israel, is in reality an advance to wage war against the Lamb (Revelation 19:19).
Because of these rumors, the king of the North will interrupt his triumphal march in the south. Roaring with rage, he will return to Israel to beat down the uprising that is going on there. He will spare nothing and no one. He intends to destroy many and neutralize them.
Then we read that he “will pitch the tents of his royal pavilion”, which is his headquarters, “between the seas and the beautiful Holy Mountain”. The king of the North will establish his headquarters “between the seas” – meaning the Mediterranean Sea, which in the Hebrew is called “seas” as a designation for “the great sea” – and the “Holy Mountain” – that is the temple mountain in Jerusalem.
When he besieges Jerusalem for the second time in this way, the need of the faithful remnant will come to a climax. They suffer enormous losses from the antichrist in the land and they are now also threatened by the king of the North. They share this last threat, the threat from outside, and the resulting battle with the godless masses. The faithful remnant has a double enemy to endure: one inside, the antichrist, and one outside, the king of the North.
But if the need is greatest, for the remnant the salvation and for the godless masses the final judgment is near. Salvation comes from the air, for this is the moment when the Lord Jesus comes to earth and puts His feet on the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:3-4). Then He kills the king of the North. It is not said in so many words here. It says simply and therefore penetratingly: “Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.” He who has been so boasting of his strength and thought he could do anything he wants, is killed without anyone standing up for him. No one is able to avert his judgment.
The fact that the future king of the North is killed near Jerusalem is further proof that it cannot be the historical Antiochus Epiphanes. According to non-biblical history, this historical figure was not killed in Jerusalem, but died of a disease in Persia.
Zechariah 7:7
The Future King of the North
(Daniel 11:40) History continues here. The king of the South will collide with “him”, that is the king of the previous verses. When we think of “him”, we first think of Antiochus Epiphanes as the king of the North. But even more clearly than can be seen in the previous verses, we see here that it is about the end time, because in this verse we read that it is about an event “at the end time”.
In Daniel 11:36-39, the characteristics mentioned there, we see the clear parallel between Antiochus Epiphanes and the antichrist. It is worth recalling that Daniel 11:36 refers to “the king” and that up to and including Daniel 11:39 it is always about “the king”, without the addition “of the North” which is always used in the verses before. The thought of “the king of the North” has therefore faded and disappeared into the background, leaving room to think of the antichrist.
As a type of the antichrist Antiochus Epiphanes has made the religion of the Jews a religion of apostasy of God. With this he has brought the apostate masses to a worship of the dictator of the restored Western Roman empire for whom he has erected an idolatrous image in the temple. The antichrist is the enemy inside of the people of God.
From Daniel 11:40 onwards, however, there is again talk of “the king of the North”, but now explicitly linked to the end time. This means that we should no longer think here of the historic Antiochus Epiphanes, but of someone who in the end time will behave like the enemy from outside of the Jewish people. Here Antiochus Epiphanes is seen from a different angle. He is not only the religious enemy of the Jews, he is also their political enemy. As the king of the North, he is out to wipe Israel from the face of the earth.
That is what we have before us in Daniel 11:40-45. In it we no longer see the historical Antiochus Epiphanes, but the future king of the North. This person will, as we have seen in the antichrist, perform entirely in the spirit of the historic Antiochus Epiphanes.
The reason for the revelation of his enmity against the Jewish people is an attack by the king of the South on “him”, the king of the North. It may also be that “him” means the antichrist. In any case, the initiative for this confrontation between the two kings in the end time comes from the king of the South. Any movement of the king of the South in the direction of the king of the North will be seen by the king of the North as a declaration of war.
The king of the North will mobilize his armies and also deploy his fleet and with a great display of power attack Egypt. He will also visit other countries and tie them to his triumph chariot. He will “overflow” these countries like an overwhelming flood (cf. Isaiah 8:7-8; Isaiah 10:22; Isaiah 28:17; Daniel 9:27).
(Daniel 11:41-43) In his bellicose actions in reaction to the attack of Egypt Syria will, besides many countries, also enter the land of Israel, which here is called “the Beautiful Land” (cf. Daniel 8:9; Daniel 11:16; Ezekiel 20:6). Three countries, however, will escape the king of the North’s desire to conquer: Edom, Moab and the foremost of the sons of Ammon. These countries are located in the area of present-day Jordan.
One reason these countries do not come under the power of the king of the North may be that God will judge these old enemies Himself. He will then do so by the God-fearing who are in the land (Isaiah 11:13-14). In this way God ensures that the former enemies of Israel receive their rightful retribution from the hands of the people they have tried to resist and disadvantage.
The king of the North then moves further south to attack Egypt. Unlike the three countries just mentioned, Egypt will not escape the grip of the king of the North. Egypt has great material wealth because of the country’s natural resources and also because this country has become the major center of western and eastern trade in that part of the world. Of all this wealth, the king of the North takes hold. Libya and Cush (or Ethiopia), Egypt’s southern allies, will share in the fate of Egypt and will be subjected to his power by the king of the North.
(Daniel 11:44-45) While the king of the North is waging war, he hears rumors from the East and from the North. What these rumors are is not entirely clear. However, there are some indications as to what these rumors might be. We read elsewhere about “the kings from the east” (Revelation 16:12). There is also something to be said for the suggestion that the rumors from the east are caused by the return of the fled remnant into the land driving back the occupying forces (Zechariah 12:4-6; Joel 3:11; Micah 5:4-8; Zechariah 10:3; 5-6a).
The rumors from the North can be attributed to the arrival of allies, who are rushing to Israel’s aid. We can think of the armies of the restored Western Roman empire, that is, the united Europe, which will come to the aid of their ally Israel and enter the land from the north. The armies of the united Europe will advance to Har-Magedon (Revelation 16:16).
They believe they are going in their own power, but it is the mysterious power of God that leads them there to judge them there. Har-Magedon is a plain in the north of Israel, a plain that is very suitable for a great battle. What will be presented by the news media as a relief operation for the threatened Israel, is in reality an advance to wage war against the Lamb (Revelation 19:19).
Because of these rumors, the king of the North will interrupt his triumphal march in the south. Roaring with rage, he will return to Israel to beat down the uprising that is going on there. He will spare nothing and no one. He intends to destroy many and neutralize them.
Then we read that he “will pitch the tents of his royal pavilion”, which is his headquarters, “between the seas and the beautiful Holy Mountain”. The king of the North will establish his headquarters “between the seas” – meaning the Mediterranean Sea, which in the Hebrew is called “seas” as a designation for “the great sea” – and the “Holy Mountain” – that is the temple mountain in Jerusalem.
When he besieges Jerusalem for the second time in this way, the need of the faithful remnant will come to a climax. They suffer enormous losses from the antichrist in the land and they are now also threatened by the king of the North. They share this last threat, the threat from outside, and the resulting battle with the godless masses. The faithful remnant has a double enemy to endure: one inside, the antichrist, and one outside, the king of the North.
But if the need is greatest, for the remnant the salvation and for the godless masses the final judgment is near. Salvation comes from the air, for this is the moment when the Lord Jesus comes to earth and puts His feet on the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:3-4). Then He kills the king of the North. It is not said in so many words here. It says simply and therefore penetratingly: “Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.” He who has been so boasting of his strength and thought he could do anything he wants, is killed without anyone standing up for him. No one is able to avert his judgment.
The fact that the future king of the North is killed near Jerusalem is further proof that it cannot be the historical Antiochus Epiphanes. According to non-biblical history, this historical figure was not killed in Jerusalem, but died of a disease in Persia.
Zechariah 7:8
The Future King of the North
(Daniel 11:40) History continues here. The king of the South will collide with “him”, that is the king of the previous verses. When we think of “him”, we first think of Antiochus Epiphanes as the king of the North. But even more clearly than can be seen in the previous verses, we see here that it is about the end time, because in this verse we read that it is about an event “at the end time”.
In Daniel 11:36-39, the characteristics mentioned there, we see the clear parallel between Antiochus Epiphanes and the antichrist. It is worth recalling that Daniel 11:36 refers to “the king” and that up to and including Daniel 11:39 it is always about “the king”, without the addition “of the North” which is always used in the verses before. The thought of “the king of the North” has therefore faded and disappeared into the background, leaving room to think of the antichrist.
As a type of the antichrist Antiochus Epiphanes has made the religion of the Jews a religion of apostasy of God. With this he has brought the apostate masses to a worship of the dictator of the restored Western Roman empire for whom he has erected an idolatrous image in the temple. The antichrist is the enemy inside of the people of God.
From Daniel 11:40 onwards, however, there is again talk of “the king of the North”, but now explicitly linked to the end time. This means that we should no longer think here of the historic Antiochus Epiphanes, but of someone who in the end time will behave like the enemy from outside of the Jewish people. Here Antiochus Epiphanes is seen from a different angle. He is not only the religious enemy of the Jews, he is also their political enemy. As the king of the North, he is out to wipe Israel from the face of the earth.
That is what we have before us in Daniel 11:40-45. In it we no longer see the historical Antiochus Epiphanes, but the future king of the North. This person will, as we have seen in the antichrist, perform entirely in the spirit of the historic Antiochus Epiphanes.
The reason for the revelation of his enmity against the Jewish people is an attack by the king of the South on “him”, the king of the North. It may also be that “him” means the antichrist. In any case, the initiative for this confrontation between the two kings in the end time comes from the king of the South. Any movement of the king of the South in the direction of the king of the North will be seen by the king of the North as a declaration of war.
The king of the North will mobilize his armies and also deploy his fleet and with a great display of power attack Egypt. He will also visit other countries and tie them to his triumph chariot. He will “overflow” these countries like an overwhelming flood (cf. Isaiah 8:7-8; Isaiah 10:22; Isaiah 28:17; Daniel 9:27).
(Daniel 11:41-43) In his bellicose actions in reaction to the attack of Egypt Syria will, besides many countries, also enter the land of Israel, which here is called “the Beautiful Land” (cf. Daniel 8:9; Daniel 11:16; Ezekiel 20:6). Three countries, however, will escape the king of the North’s desire to conquer: Edom, Moab and the foremost of the sons of Ammon. These countries are located in the area of present-day Jordan.
One reason these countries do not come under the power of the king of the North may be that God will judge these old enemies Himself. He will then do so by the God-fearing who are in the land (Isaiah 11:13-14). In this way God ensures that the former enemies of Israel receive their rightful retribution from the hands of the people they have tried to resist and disadvantage.
The king of the North then moves further south to attack Egypt. Unlike the three countries just mentioned, Egypt will not escape the grip of the king of the North. Egypt has great material wealth because of the country’s natural resources and also because this country has become the major center of western and eastern trade in that part of the world. Of all this wealth, the king of the North takes hold. Libya and Cush (or Ethiopia), Egypt’s southern allies, will share in the fate of Egypt and will be subjected to his power by the king of the North.
(Daniel 11:44-45) While the king of the North is waging war, he hears rumors from the East and from the North. What these rumors are is not entirely clear. However, there are some indications as to what these rumors might be. We read elsewhere about “the kings from the east” (Revelation 16:12). There is also something to be said for the suggestion that the rumors from the east are caused by the return of the fled remnant into the land driving back the occupying forces (Zechariah 12:4-6; Joel 3:11; Micah 5:4-8; Zechariah 10:3; 5-6a).
The rumors from the North can be attributed to the arrival of allies, who are rushing to Israel’s aid. We can think of the armies of the restored Western Roman empire, that is, the united Europe, which will come to the aid of their ally Israel and enter the land from the north. The armies of the united Europe will advance to Har-Magedon (Revelation 16:16).
They believe they are going in their own power, but it is the mysterious power of God that leads them there to judge them there. Har-Magedon is a plain in the north of Israel, a plain that is very suitable for a great battle. What will be presented by the news media as a relief operation for the threatened Israel, is in reality an advance to wage war against the Lamb (Revelation 19:19).
Because of these rumors, the king of the North will interrupt his triumphal march in the south. Roaring with rage, he will return to Israel to beat down the uprising that is going on there. He will spare nothing and no one. He intends to destroy many and neutralize them.
Then we read that he “will pitch the tents of his royal pavilion”, which is his headquarters, “between the seas and the beautiful Holy Mountain”. The king of the North will establish his headquarters “between the seas” – meaning the Mediterranean Sea, which in the Hebrew is called “seas” as a designation for “the great sea” – and the “Holy Mountain” – that is the temple mountain in Jerusalem.
When he besieges Jerusalem for the second time in this way, the need of the faithful remnant will come to a climax. They suffer enormous losses from the antichrist in the land and they are now also threatened by the king of the North. They share this last threat, the threat from outside, and the resulting battle with the godless masses. The faithful remnant has a double enemy to endure: one inside, the antichrist, and one outside, the king of the North.
But if the need is greatest, for the remnant the salvation and for the godless masses the final judgment is near. Salvation comes from the air, for this is the moment when the Lord Jesus comes to earth and puts His feet on the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:3-4). Then He kills the king of the North. It is not said in so many words here. It says simply and therefore penetratingly: “Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.” He who has been so boasting of his strength and thought he could do anything he wants, is killed without anyone standing up for him. No one is able to avert his judgment.
The fact that the future king of the North is killed near Jerusalem is further proof that it cannot be the historical Antiochus Epiphanes. According to non-biblical history, this historical figure was not killed in Jerusalem, but died of a disease in Persia.
Zechariah 7:9
The Future King of the North
(Daniel 11:40) History continues here. The king of the South will collide with “him”, that is the king of the previous verses. When we think of “him”, we first think of Antiochus Epiphanes as the king of the North. But even more clearly than can be seen in the previous verses, we see here that it is about the end time, because in this verse we read that it is about an event “at the end time”.
In Daniel 11:36-39, the characteristics mentioned there, we see the clear parallel between Antiochus Epiphanes and the antichrist. It is worth recalling that Daniel 11:36 refers to “the king” and that up to and including Daniel 11:39 it is always about “the king”, without the addition “of the North” which is always used in the verses before. The thought of “the king of the North” has therefore faded and disappeared into the background, leaving room to think of the antichrist.
As a type of the antichrist Antiochus Epiphanes has made the religion of the Jews a religion of apostasy of God. With this he has brought the apostate masses to a worship of the dictator of the restored Western Roman empire for whom he has erected an idolatrous image in the temple. The antichrist is the enemy inside of the people of God.
From Daniel 11:40 onwards, however, there is again talk of “the king of the North”, but now explicitly linked to the end time. This means that we should no longer think here of the historic Antiochus Epiphanes, but of someone who in the end time will behave like the enemy from outside of the Jewish people. Here Antiochus Epiphanes is seen from a different angle. He is not only the religious enemy of the Jews, he is also their political enemy. As the king of the North, he is out to wipe Israel from the face of the earth.
That is what we have before us in Daniel 11:40-45. In it we no longer see the historical Antiochus Epiphanes, but the future king of the North. This person will, as we have seen in the antichrist, perform entirely in the spirit of the historic Antiochus Epiphanes.
The reason for the revelation of his enmity against the Jewish people is an attack by the king of the South on “him”, the king of the North. It may also be that “him” means the antichrist. In any case, the initiative for this confrontation between the two kings in the end time comes from the king of the South. Any movement of the king of the South in the direction of the king of the North will be seen by the king of the North as a declaration of war.
The king of the North will mobilize his armies and also deploy his fleet and with a great display of power attack Egypt. He will also visit other countries and tie them to his triumph chariot. He will “overflow” these countries like an overwhelming flood (cf. Isaiah 8:7-8; Isaiah 10:22; Isaiah 28:17; Daniel 9:27).
(Daniel 11:41-43) In his bellicose actions in reaction to the attack of Egypt Syria will, besides many countries, also enter the land of Israel, which here is called “the Beautiful Land” (cf. Daniel 8:9; Daniel 11:16; Ezekiel 20:6). Three countries, however, will escape the king of the North’s desire to conquer: Edom, Moab and the foremost of the sons of Ammon. These countries are located in the area of present-day Jordan.
One reason these countries do not come under the power of the king of the North may be that God will judge these old enemies Himself. He will then do so by the God-fearing who are in the land (Isaiah 11:13-14). In this way God ensures that the former enemies of Israel receive their rightful retribution from the hands of the people they have tried to resist and disadvantage.
The king of the North then moves further south to attack Egypt. Unlike the three countries just mentioned, Egypt will not escape the grip of the king of the North. Egypt has great material wealth because of the country’s natural resources and also because this country has become the major center of western and eastern trade in that part of the world. Of all this wealth, the king of the North takes hold. Libya and Cush (or Ethiopia), Egypt’s southern allies, will share in the fate of Egypt and will be subjected to his power by the king of the North.
(Daniel 11:44-45) While the king of the North is waging war, he hears rumors from the East and from the North. What these rumors are is not entirely clear. However, there are some indications as to what these rumors might be. We read elsewhere about “the kings from the east” (Revelation 16:12). There is also something to be said for the suggestion that the rumors from the east are caused by the return of the fled remnant into the land driving back the occupying forces (Zechariah 12:4-6; Joel 3:11; Micah 5:4-8; Zechariah 10:3; 5-6a).
The rumors from the North can be attributed to the arrival of allies, who are rushing to Israel’s aid. We can think of the armies of the restored Western Roman empire, that is, the united Europe, which will come to the aid of their ally Israel and enter the land from the north. The armies of the united Europe will advance to Har-Magedon (Revelation 16:16).
They believe they are going in their own power, but it is the mysterious power of God that leads them there to judge them there. Har-Magedon is a plain in the north of Israel, a plain that is very suitable for a great battle. What will be presented by the news media as a relief operation for the threatened Israel, is in reality an advance to wage war against the Lamb (Revelation 19:19).
Because of these rumors, the king of the North will interrupt his triumphal march in the south. Roaring with rage, he will return to Israel to beat down the uprising that is going on there. He will spare nothing and no one. He intends to destroy many and neutralize them.
Then we read that he “will pitch the tents of his royal pavilion”, which is his headquarters, “between the seas and the beautiful Holy Mountain”. The king of the North will establish his headquarters “between the seas” – meaning the Mediterranean Sea, which in the Hebrew is called “seas” as a designation for “the great sea” – and the “Holy Mountain” – that is the temple mountain in Jerusalem.
When he besieges Jerusalem for the second time in this way, the need of the faithful remnant will come to a climax. They suffer enormous losses from the antichrist in the land and they are now also threatened by the king of the North. They share this last threat, the threat from outside, and the resulting battle with the godless masses. The faithful remnant has a double enemy to endure: one inside, the antichrist, and one outside, the king of the North.
But if the need is greatest, for the remnant the salvation and for the godless masses the final judgment is near. Salvation comes from the air, for this is the moment when the Lord Jesus comes to earth and puts His feet on the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:3-4). Then He kills the king of the North. It is not said in so many words here. It says simply and therefore penetratingly: “Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.” He who has been so boasting of his strength and thought he could do anything he wants, is killed without anyone standing up for him. No one is able to avert his judgment.
The fact that the future king of the North is killed near Jerusalem is further proof that it cannot be the historical Antiochus Epiphanes. According to non-biblical history, this historical figure was not killed in Jerusalem, but died of a disease in Persia.
Zechariah 7:11
A Time of Distress
The words at the beginning of the verse, “at that time”, make it clear that we are still in the same time of the previous verses, that is the end time. At the end of the previous chapter, we saw how much “the sons of your people”, the people of Daniel, the faithful remnant, will be oppressed. On the one hand, they are severely persecuted by their apostate fellow countrymen, which are the antichrist and the unbelieving mass. On the other hand, life is made unbearable for them by an enemy outside the people, the king of the North, who besieges and distresses Jerusalem.
This oppression is called here “a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time”. It will be a time of unprecedented distress. The Lord Jesus, who calls this time the time of “a great tribulation”, also speaks of the fact that this time is unparalleled in world history (Matthew 24:21; Jeremiah 30:7).
While the distress of the faithful remnant is great because of the siege, that remnant receives support from the invisible world. To his encouragement, Daniel was told that his hard-tested fellow countrymen were being assigned someone who “stands” over them. That he ‘stands’ there, means that he is reliable and makes their case his own. He is there for them and is committed to them. They are not alone. With this announcement it becomes clear that the faithful remnant is not a plaything of the evil powers, although it may seem so. The actual warfare takes place in the heavenly places, as we saw in Daniel 8.
The outcome for “your people” is also given: they will be rescued. That too is a great encouragement. The salvation from all misery will happen. However, this salvation does not apply to all those who belong externally to God’s earthly people. The wicked mass will perish. The salvation, the rescue, is only the part of “everyone who is found written in the book”. These are those who are known to God as His own and whose “names are recorded in heaven” (Luke 10:20), “in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:27; Revelation 13:8).
Zechariah 7:12
The Resurrection
In the previous verse it is about the people of God in the land in the end time and especially about the faithful remnant. It is about the Israelites in the land who have escaped persecution and who will enter alive the kingdom of peace. It is also indicated that they are known by God. He wrote them in His book. That segregates them from all those who are not written in His book: that is the unbelieving, apostate mass.
In Daniel 12:2 it is about those of God’s people who “sleep in the dust of the ground” outside the promised land, that means, that they have died (cf. Genesis 3:19; Psalms 22:15b). Here it says “many”, because it is not about all deceased people, but about the deceased from Israel. They all will awake. But we also see a division in that group. This division appears when they “will awake”, i.e. when they arise. There are “these” who awake “to everlasting life” and there are “others” who awake “to disgrace [and] everlasting contempt” (cf. Matthew 25:46).
These who awake to everlasting life will share in the blessing of the kingdom of peace (cf. Psalms 133:3b). Everlasting life here is the atmosphere of life, life in a fearless glory, without pain and sorrow, with only pleasure in fellowship with the Lord Jesus, the reigning Prince of peace. These awakened ones are not in the earthly part of the kingdom of peace – that is for those who enter the kingdom of peace alive – but in the heavenly part of it (Matthew 13:43a).
By describing the part of the unbelievers as “to disgrace [and] everlasting contempt” the contrast with that glory is presented in the sharpest and most poignant way. The fate of the lost is as everlasting as that of those who have been saved. And as glorious as the destiny of the elect is, so terrible is the destiny of the lost. On the basis of this verse, both the doctrine of universalism or universal salvation and that of the annihilation of the soul is clearly contrary to God’s Word and therefore reprehensible.
It is important to point out that the resurrection to everlasting or eternal life and the resurrection to everlasting or eternal contempt will not take place at the same time. There is no such thing in Scripture as a general resurrection of believers and unbelievers together at the same time. On the contrary, Scripture speaks of a “first resurrection” (Revelation 20:5b), making it clear that there is another resurrection.
The first resurrection is in phases: first Christ, “then those who are of Christ, at His coming” (1 Corinthians 15:23). The coming of Christ also takes place in phases. He first comes to take His own unto Himself in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18). On that occasion, all believers who have slept since Abel are raised up and the living believers are changed. Then the wedding of the Lamb takes place (Revelation 19:7). Then the Lord Jesus comes for the second time from heaven, together with the church and the other believers, to defeat His enemies and establish His kingdom.
That is the moment when the martyrs killed during the last year-week will rise up to also participate in the reign of Christ (Revelation 20:4). Then the first resurrection is complete. The unbelievers will only become alive after the kingdom of peace and be judged before the great white throne, before which only unbelievers stand (Revelation 20:5a; 11-15).
There are two resurrections. Thus Paul says to Felix, “that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked” (Acts 24:15; Luke 14:14). There is a period of a thousand years between the two resurrections. The same applies to what the Lord Jesus calls the “resurrection of life” and the “resurrection of judgment” (John 5:29).
Zechariah 7:13
Those Who Have Insight
Among those who form the faithful, God-fearing remnant, “those who have insight” have a special place (Daniel 11:33; 35). During their lives they have taken that place among the people and they take that place in the heavenly part of the kingdom of peace when it has come. We can see that from the way they are presented. They “shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven” and “like the stars”. This place they will receive as a reward for their service on earth. They will also be signposts in the firmament in the kingdom of peace, giving directions for life on earth.
Through their service on earth “those who have insight” have led “the many to righteousness”. They were taught by and from the Lord Jesus, and by this they got insight and obtained understanding and wisdom. This understanding and this wisdom have been of great importance in a time of enormous trials and temptations of all kinds. They have been able to teach the believers the right way, that is the way of the righteous. Leading the many to righteousness means that they have taught many how to live righteously.
It will be clear that the leading to righteousness of others is not meant to teach the way in which one can be justified before God. How a man can be righteous with God is discussed in detail in the letter to the Romans. But the doctrine of righteousness before God does not stop with the knowledge a person has that God no longer sees sin in him. The latter is an important and necessary teaching and must first be known and accepted. But it must be followed by a righteous life, which is a life in which God gets what He is due and in which people get what they are due. It is about the teaching by those with insight and that they show how to live in a world in which doing unrighteousness is the most natural thing, must live as one for whom doing righteousness is the most natural thing.
Understanding and wisdom are especially needed in the end time, that is the time in which we live. That is why it is also important for us to let our minds be shaped by and be taught in wisdom. This is only possible at the feet of the Lord Jesus. He is the perfect Understanding and Wise. Those who have insight are also those who can teach others, who can pass on their wisdom to others. Paul writes in his second letter to Timothy, a letter about the end time, that people are needed who are able to teach others (2 Timothy 2:2).
Those who have insight are people who have been taught and who also teach themselves. The end time is so corrupt that we need God-fearing people more than ever who can make a distinction between good and evil. In the end time in which we live, these things are reversed. Evil is called good and good is called evil (Isaiah 5:20). If we think we can decide for ourselves, we have already been affected by this reversal (Isaiah 5:21). This difference must be made clear to us. We only learn this in the presence of God.
With this announcement about those who have insight, the explanation to Daniel about the things to come has come to an end. The kingdom of peace as such is not a part of what Daniel has been told. He is the prophet in the times of the nations. What concerns him is how his people will fare during those times. That is what has been told to him and that is what we have been told by him. The comments that follow are instructions to Daniel on what to do with what has been made known to him. A few more questions arise from that and there will be an answer to that as well.
Zechariah 7:14
The Book Must Be Sealed Up
Daniel is ordered to keep secret what he has heard by concealing the words and to seal up the book. This means that the time of fulfilment of these things has not yet arrived. The fulfilment will take place in the end of time. Then many will go back and forth and examine what has been said here to Daniel. This will increase their knowledge and give them insight into the circumstances of the end time. This book will give them enormous support in the time of the end.
For us, New Testament believers, the book is not sealed up. We live in the end time (2 Timothy 3:1; 1 John 2:18a). In addition, the Holy Spirit has come Who discloses what is to come (John 16:13). Future things are explained to us in the book of Revelation. For us, the words about the future are not sealed up. From the book of Revelation we know that time is near (Revelation 22:10), while it will take a long time for Daniel and his people.