The Mystery of Lawlessness

Introduction:

As I talk to people today, I find that most people are pretty fragile. When I ask my waiter or waitress if there is something I can pray for and they start crying. We like to put on a front but just under the surface is a world of hurt, pain, and confusion. So, we have been walking through the book of Daniel in a series called “Unshakable.” Finding solid ground in an unstable world.

Today we are in Chapter 8 of Daniel if you would like to turn there in your Bibles. We noticed there are two major sections of the book of Daniel Chapters 1-6 deal with Daniel living in exile in a foreign land while chapters 7-12 deal with the prophecies of Daniel. So, before we dive into chapter 8 I want to say a few words about prophecy in general.

For years people have been using prophecies to strike fear into the hearts of people and control them. Sometimes their are scam artist and some times they are just crazy.

A couple of weeks ago, Kim and I watched “Sins of the Mother” on Netflix. It a true story of a mother in the LDS Church that began listening to a guy that thought he could rank everyones spirituality into good spirits and evil spirits and cause the end times to come. She ends up killing her to children because he discerned them to be evil spirits. They are about to stand trial for their crimes very soon.

In 1983, David Koresh claiming the gift of prophecy, started a cult following called the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas. They were killed in a raid in 1993.

In 1974 a group know as Heaven’s Gate led by Ti and Do claimed they were the two prophets from the book of Revelation and that you could be translated into an eternal state of being when the Hale-Bopp comet passed closest to the Earth in 1997. 39 Died in a mass suicide.

Not to mention Jim Jones and the People’s Temple where we get the phrase, “Don’t drink the Koolaid.”

No wonder people shy away from prophecy or those who preach on it. It can quickly become a doom and gloom message that cause fear in dismay in its hearers.

So why do we talk about it? Better yet why does God talk about it? Why not just share love and joy to the world? The answer is simple. That is not the reality we live in or the truth of the future. Our world is full of devision, strife, wars and rumors of wars, hatred, and bigotry all from the sinful nature of humanity. But this is not the end of the story.

Our Motto around here is “Ministry runs on the rails of relationships.” That is the reason for the train tracks under our name. But what if there were no warning signs on the train tracks. The flashing lights are a warning that a train is coming so you don’t get hit or killed by the on coming train.

If God’s design was to destroy everyone and everything there was be no reason for the warning. Warning are always given to save lives not to take lives.

Prophecy is God’s attempt to save people from their own destruction as well as the final purging of the world of all sin.

2 Peter 3:9–10 ESV

9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

So it is God’s graciousness to tell us of the coming destruction so we might be saved from it.

Prophecy is not a weapon for fear but a warning of hope.

All of the Bible is Prophetic in nature

form the first prophecy in Genesis 3 about the seed of the woman and Satan

to the promised seed of Abraham

to the birth of Jesus,

to the death, burial, and resurrection of the Messiah,

to the rapture of the Church

To the coming of the Antichrist

To the return of Christ to rule and reign for 1000 years

To the new Heaven and the new Earth.

The Apostle Peter wrote a letter to the churches on prophecy in his second Epistle.

2 Peter 1:16 ESV

16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

2 Peter 1:19 ESV

19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,

“Pay attention” to what is going on around you.

“As a lamp shining in a dark place.” You not supposed to know everything but you are supposed to be warned.

“Until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.” When Jesus comes it will all make since, but for now he has given us enough to pay attention.

Matthew 16:1–3 ESV

1 And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ 3 And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.

Matthew 24:36 ESV

36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.

We are not trying to predict the future but we are paying attention.

The Ram, The Goat, and the Little Horn

In Daniel 8 we have three main characters of prophecy two are past and one is still to come.

The Ram

Daniel 8:1–4 ESV

1 In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after that which appeared to me at the first. 2 And I saw in the vision; and when I saw, I was in Susa the citadel, which is in the province of Elam. And I saw in the vision, and I was at the Ulai canal. 3 I raised my eyes and saw, and behold, a ram standing on the bank of the canal. It had two horns, and both horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last. 4 I saw the ram charging westward and northward and southward. No beast could stand before him, and there was no one who could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased and became great.

Time Stamp: 2 years after the last vision.

Place: The citadel of Susa Mondern day Shushan in Iran.

The tomb of Daniel is located here.

Nehemiah was serving the King in Susa when he got word of the state of Jerusalem.

Horns are always a symbol of power in the Bible.

The Male Goat

Daniel 8:5–8 ESV

5 As I was considering, behold, a male goat came from the west across the face of the whole earth, without touching the ground. And the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. 6 He came to the ram with the two horns, which I had seen standing on the bank of the canal, and he ran at him in his powerful wrath. 7 I saw him come close to the ram, and he was enraged against him and struck the ram and broke his two horns. And the ram had no power to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled on him. And there was no one who could rescue the ram from his power. 8 Then the goat became exceedingly great, but when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and instead of it there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven.

The Little Horn

Daniel 8:9–14 ESV

9 Out of one of them came a little horn, which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the glorious land. 10 It grew great, even to the host of heaven. And some of the host and some of the stars it threw down to the ground and trampled on them. 11 It became great, even as great as the Prince of the host. And the regular burnt offering was taken away from him, and the place of his sanctuary was overthrown. 12 And a host will be given over to it together with the regular burnt offering because of transgression, and it will throw truth to the ground, and it will act and prosper. 13 Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the one who spoke, “For how long is the vision concerning the regular burnt offering, the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled underfoot?” 14 And he said to me, “For 2,300 evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state.”

The End Times

Daniel 8:15–17 ESV

15 When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it. And behold, there stood before me one having the appearance of a man. 16 And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of the Ulai, and it called, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” 17 So he came near where I stood. And when he came, I was frightened and fell on my face. But he said to me, “Understand, O son of man, that the vision is for the time of the end.”

When you seek understanding God will enlighten you.

Most Christians do really want to know or don’t care to know.

Choosing not to know is choosing ignorance over wisdom.

We are to seek wisdom and understanding.

Prophecy in the Past

Daniel 8:19–22 ESV

19 He said, “Behold, I will make known to you what shall be at the latter end of the indignation, for it refers to the appointed time of the end. 20 As for the ram that you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of Media and Persia. 21 And the goat is the king of Greece. And the great horn between his eyes is the first king. 22 As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his nation, but not with his power.

The Ram with 2 Horns = Medo-Persian Empire

The Male Goat = The Grecian Empire

The Great Horn = Alexander the Great

The 4 Kingdoms = The division of the Grecian to the 4 Generals at Alexander’s death

These prophecies are now history and are undisputed facts.

Daniel didn’t know these facts only the prophecies.

We know them because they are history.

God’s prophecies of scripture have a 100% accuracy rate.

If His Word is 100% accurate in all prophecies thus far we should pay attention to the ones still to come.

Prophecy for the Future

Daniel 8:23–26 ESV

23 And at the latter end of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their limit, a king of bold face, one who understands riddles, shall arise. 24 His power shall be great—but not by his own power; and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints. 25 By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his own mind he shall become great. Without warning he shall destroy many. And he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but by no human hand. 26 The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been told is true, but seal up the vision, for it refers to many days from now.”

10 Revelations about the Antichirst:

He is bold

Understanding Riddles

Dark Magic

Ancient Mysteries

Revealer of Secrets

Empowered by Another (The Red Dragon)

A Destroyer

A Persecutor of the Saints

Deceitfulness shall Prosper

He shall exalt Himself as God

He Turns on Many without Warning

He challenges Christ

He is Broken by Christ the King of kings and Lord of lords.

The Man of Lawlessness

2 Thessalonians 2:3–10 ESV

3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.

The prophecy is fully confirmed by prophets of Old and the New Testament Apostles.

The warning of God’s coming judgment is clear.

The reason for God’s warning is clear.

He doesn’t desire any to parish but for all to come to repentance.

John 3:16–18 ESV

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

Final Questions:

Are you paying attention?

Are you paying attention to the warning God is so graciously giving?

Are you paying attention to world around you as prophecy is being fulfilled?

Are you ready for the coming of the Lord?

Readiness is not about your righteousness, but about the righteousness of Christ.

Readiness is placing your faith and trust in Jesus to save you from the wrath to come.

Are you willing to ask Jesus to save you from yourself and the wrath to come?

Romans 10:9–10 ESV

9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.