SUPERSTITION VS FAITH

I would say that superstition is pretty much the opposite of faith or the imposter of faith. Superstition is usually born out of fear whereas faith comes from God. Faith is a gift from God. Like salvation, you can’t earn it. However, it grows, like a muscle, the more you use it.

Superstition is what people have who worship false “gods”. Often, the reasons they give for worshipping their false god is, “This is what we have always done in our family.” or “This is what my grandmother taught me.” or some such thing. In other words, their superstition in this belief is passed down from generation to generation! Isn’t that a clever trick of the devil!

Family is a strong, binding chain to superstition. The devil knows this and uses it to his advantage. We humans love our parents. Of course we do! We are totally dependent on them (or sudo parents) for the first decade or more of our lives!

And, who on earth would believe that their mother would tell them anything wrong? Whose mother is going to tell them to do something that’s really, really bad for them that could possibly send them to hell?

Right?

Not my mom! She LOVES me!

I’m not blaming it all on the moms. They passed on something they thought was good. Why? Because they are superstitious. They are afraid that if they don’t follow the tradition handed down to them, they will upset “god” and he may do something nasty, like withhold money from the family!

The devil likes to grab families by the money bags. Money is your entire subsistence, your means of survival! Money is the most important thing, right? You slave for it every day. You give your life for it so that you can put food on the table. In fact, don’t we worship money? --At least, to a certain extent?

You wanted the truth, didn’t you? Isn’t that why you’re reading this blog? If it’s too much for you, I understand. Years, thousands of years of tradition, blown up in one sentence. How can you take it?

The bottom line is, we need money to live. That’s how this planet is set up. There’s no getting away from it. Is there?   

As usual, the Bible has the answer. This is how Jesus looked at it: (I took the liberty of changing ‘th’ to ‘s’ so that those who have a tough time with old English will have an easier time.)

Luke 12:22 – 34 “And He said unto His disciples, ‘Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body what ye shall put on.  

(Take no thought? Well, at least don’t think fearfully or worriedly about it or even wonder where your next dollar is coming from. You can pray. He didn’t say you couldn’t pray about it. But, still, it should be the prayer of faith, not of doubt. And if you can get to the point where you don’t even think about what, where, how or when you’re going to eat or what you’re going to wear, all the better! It can be done!)

23 The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment. (If you think about it, our body is a miracle machine. All we have to do is put food into our pie holes to keep it running.)

24 Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them: how much more are you better than the fowls?

25 And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? If you then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest? (God is in control of our lives, whether we want to believe it or not and if you don’t believe it, some day, you will find out the hard way that it’s true.)

27 Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

28 If then God so clothe the grass, which is today in the field, and tomorrow is cast into the oven; how much more will He clothe you, O ye of little faith?

29 And seek not ye what you shall eat, or what you shall drink, neither be you of doubtful mind.

30 For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knows that you have need of these things.

31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Put God first. Put God’s people first and their needs.)

32 Fear not little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. (We have a generous God Who loves to take care of us and even spoil us! I speak from experience.)

33 Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that fails not, where no thief approaches, neither moth corrupts. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

It takes faith to break the chain of family superstition! But YOU CAN DO IT, with God’s help.

 

 

Your Free Gift!

Salvation is a gift! It’s yours! All you have to do is receive it, accept it, take it! Just grab it!

I kid you not that this is the most valuable gift one can ever receive. Not only is it for here and now but it’s for ever! It’s for eternity.

It has been bought and paid for by the Blood of the Lamb.

Now, I don’t want you to think that I’m talking to you like I would talk to a little child, but, this is one thing that I believe God wants to make very, very clear and simple so that everyone and anyone can understand it. Why would He want to make it difficult?

The difficult part has been done. God had to come down here to our planet and put on our human flesh in order to actually feel what it was like to be human. Then He had to suffer mockery, insults, beating and crucifixion in order to hand us the free gift of salvation.

No muss. No fuss. He did all the work. We get to enjoy it.

So, what does salvation do for you?

Here's the short list:

 

·         Instantly delivers you from having to suffer for your sins

·         Delivers you from hell

·         Washes away all your sins-- past, present and future

·         Introduces you to a lifetime relationship with the Creator of the Universe

·         Gives you eternal life

·         Fills you with love and mercy

·         Enables you to have love and mercy on others

·         Is a sample of heaven right here, right now

·         Takes away your guilt, shame and condemnation

·         Turns the light on in your life

·         Gives you the Truth

·         Sets you free from working for the devil

·         Sets  you free from the traditions of man

·         Sets you free from yourself

·         You no longer need to depend on your own self-righteousness and so-called good works

·         Fills you with peace and joy

·         Opens your eyes to see life in a new light with new purpose

·         You are born again like a baby into a whole new world of eternal truths

·         Gives you a greater understanding of why we are here

·         Gives you a greater understanding of why you are here

·         You can receive spiritual gifts; for example, the gift of tongues, the gift of prophecy, visions, prophetic dreams, healing, etc.

·         You have the authority to talk to God whenever you want to

·         God’s Spirit comes into your heart to speak through you and see through you and live in you

·         Instant forgiveness is  yours for the asking

·         You receive the wonderful gift of faith

·         You are protected as one of God’s kids

·         You have an anointing of power and you can command the devil to obey you

·         With God’s help, you have power over your own spirit and can learn how to control it

·         Your life is not your own so you don’t need to worry about providing for yourself or worrying about the future

·         God wants you to ask Him for everything and anything your heart desires

·         You can claim healing because Jesus paid for healing with his stripes

·         You have your own private guardian angel to protect you and intercede for you

·         Jesus is your Intercessor between you and God so that your prayers are heard immediately

·         Prayer is your lifeline to God, given freely to you for your constant use

·         Because God gave his own life for us, He shall also freely give us all things

·         Because you are a child of God, you inherit everything that Jesus inherits from His father

·         Faith is the title deed of things hoped for

·         The joy of the Lord is now your strength

·         You have power in the spirit to fight spiritual battles and to win because Jesus has already won

·         All things are yours in Christ Jesus

·         You have a place prepared for you in heaven

·         God has created a mansion for you so that you can be where He is

·         You are cordially invited to attend the wedding supper of the Lamb where we are going to eat, drink celestial wine and be merry

·         You now have a large family of brothers and sisters who love you

·         You now have an international fellowship of fellow believers

·         Hope is born in your heart

·         Perfect peace reigns in your heart where there was chaos

·         All your cares can be cast onto Jesus

·         Every concern, every detail, every minor difficulty is taken care of by faith so you no longer own them

·         All your needs are supplied by Christ Jesus according to his riches in glory

·         Nothing will move you

·         Fear is not an issue because God is with you

·         He gives you sleep

·         You have all the promises in the Bible to claim for your own

·         You can be used of God to help others learn about salvation

·         You can be a prince or princess in the kingdom of God

·         You can call on your spiritual helpers who are all around you watching

·         You have the help of angels, the Holy Spirit and spirit guides

·         If you thirst for knowledge, you have the opportunity to learn with the Holy Spirit Teacher

·         You can have true love, the love of God

·         You can bring your whole family with you to heaven by introducing salvation to them

·         You can have Christ help you to do everything all the time just by letting go

·         You no longer need to do anything in the arm of the flesh or by your own efforts

·         You can give up all the ties that bind and all the materialism that’s a drain on you

·         You can experience the feeling of true accomplishment

·         You can experience the satisfaction of a job well done for God’s glory

·         You can learn about the history of the world

·         You can view man’s education through the lens of God’s Word

·         You can experience a fully satisfied feeling of feasting on the Word

·         You can grow spiritually by exercising your faith (Faith is a gift but it grows by hearing the Word of God.)

·         You can claim the power to break any addiction

Religion vs Faith

Maybe I should call this post "Religion vs Relationship with God".

So many people are disillusioned with the so-called Christian religion. I guess I'm one of those people and I ask myself why.

The answer I get is: people are not perfect. People just don't live up to our idea of what a Christian should be. And, maybe we're just not supposed to.

What a Christian is supposed to be is a person like Jesus Christ. He was the original "prototype". And, honestly, how can anyone possibly live up to that?

Jesus is humble, patient, loving, sympathetic, perfect...

So, we try to put God in a box with nice neat labels on it. We try to schedule, organise, methodise, legalise, structure, and hinder God's spirit so that we can "cope" with it and thereby suck the juice right out of it.

Isn't that what the scribes and Pharisees of Jesus's day did?

They focused on the sins and failures of the common people and on setting the example of perfection that was demanded of those sinning failures. In order to compensate for their sins, the common people were required to make sacrifices. And, in order to obtain the correct sacrifice, they had to buy it from the temple.

It got to the point where the priests and Pharisees were becoming merchants, more intent on the tithes and payments than on worshipping God. Which is why Jesus made a hand-made whip to beat them and wake them up. He overthrew the money-changers' tables and tossed them out of the temple.

In Matthew chapter 23, Jesus is quoted as saying, "...woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in... Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves... Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel... even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity... Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?"

Does Jesus sound very religious to you? I get the picture of a radical revolutionary who is stirring up the pot! I get the picture of someone who is completely and utterly fed up with the church system! --Or, in those days, the temple system.

We're playing by different rules now. These are no longer Old Testament days. These are New Testament days, brethren. We have been set free from the law. There is something greater than the law now:

Love.

Love is the fulfilling of the law.

We're not supposed to go to church to judge one another and compare ourselves with others. We're not supposed to play the "I'm holier than thou" game. Going to church should be a celebration of thankfulness of God's great mercy and love! It should be a joyful experience, not a drudgery or a duty.

So, if the church you're attending is a bummer, find another one or make your own. Wherever two or more are gathered together in the name of Jesus, He is in the midst. There's your church. The church is people. It's not a building. It's not a system. It's not rules and regulations. In fact, it's not even about attendance and being faithful to one church and one church only. God's church is spread out all over the earth! Whoever prays in the name of Jesus is praying to the right God.

Saying that you are a Christian does not make you a Christian. I personally do not believe the statistics on the number of Christians around the globe. I believe there are few true believers among us. To be a true believer in Christ, you must be born again. (I'm not talking about water baptism because that's a separate issue and one does NOT need to be baptized with water to be saved! Being baptized is a way of testifying of your belief. But, what about those whose lives are in danger by becoming Christians? It takes wisdom to know when baptism is called for and in some cases, it can endanger entire communities to hold public baptisms. It's what's in the heart that counts.)

A truly born-again Christian is one who has accepted Jesus Christ as his/her personal Saviour and who understands why Christ died on the cross. They have to know that they need to be saved from their sins and that they are sinners.  

Jesus said, "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." (Matthew 9:13)

If you think about it, that's very deep. He's not saying here that those who think they are righteous are truly righteous in God's eyes, is He? That's not the way I see it. He's more-or-less inferring that they are so full of their own self-righteousness that He's not even going to bother calling them to repentance. Phew! And we know that without repentance, there is no remission of sins.

Thank God that you're a sinner! And all the sinners said, "AMEN!"

What makes a true Christian? Here's my idea:

1. Know you are a sinner and always will be until the day you die.
2. Accept salvation through Christ and only Christ. (Only the blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse us from all sin.)
3. Love. Love God. Love your fellow man. Love your enemies. (And, true Christians will have lots of enemies. That's just another mark of a true Christian.)

In order to make sure you have done #2, here's an example prayer you can pray:

"Dear Jesus, I believe You died for my sins. Please forgive me for all my mistakes and sins and come into my heart and my life. Give me Your Holy Spirit so that I can share Your love and mercy with others. Amen."

This is a good prayer that you can also share with family members and friends who do not yet know Jesus on a personal level.

Once you have received Jesus into your life, get to know Him by reading His Words. The Words of Christ are found in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Quoting God

Not only did God speak to several people throughout the Old Testament days, but He has been known to monologue! Not that God's monologues are boring. Au contraire!

Take a look at what He had to say to Job!

By the way, the book of Job is an amazing book full of deep spiritual truths and it even has the devil himself appearing before God to ask God's permission to attack Job. And, as the story goes along, you start to see some of the wisdom of God in allowing the tests of the enemy. Poor Job! They don't couple his name with the word "patience" for nothing! He really was tested.

For now, though, let's take a look at chapter 38 where God actually speaks in words to Job.

Job 38

1 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, (We apparently can't see the Almighty because He's inside of a whirlwind of some kind.)

2 Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?

3 Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. (Get dressed and be a man.)

4 Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if you have understanding.

5 Who has laid the measures thereof, if you know? or who has stretched the line upon it? (You think you know so much? Are you God?)

6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;

7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Sons of God are angels. I guess there was a big celebration when God created the earth!)

8 Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb?

9 When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it,

10 And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors,

11 And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?

12 Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; and caused the dayspring to know his place;

13 That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, that the wicked might be shaken out of it?

14 It is turned as clay to the seal; and they stand as a garment.

15 And from the wicked their light is withholden, and the high arm shall be broken.

16 Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? or hast thou walked in the search of the depth?

17 Have the gates of death been opened unto thee? or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death?

18 Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth? declare if you know it all.

19 Where is the way where light dwells? and as for darkness, where is the place thereof,

20 That you should take it to the bound thereof, and that you should know the paths to the house thereof?

21 Do you know it because you were born then? or because the number of your days is great?

22 Have you entered into the treasures of the snow? or have you seen the treasures of the hail,

23 Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?

24 By what way is the light parted, which scatters the east wind upon the earth? (Deep question. Does that mean that light affects air movement?)

25 Who hath divided a watercourse for the overflowing of waters, or a way for the lightning of thunder;

26 To cause it to rain on the earth, where no man is; on the wilderness, wherein there is no man;

27 To satisfy the desolate and waste ground; and to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth?

28 Has the rain a father? or who has begotten the drops of dew?

29 Out of whose womb came the ice? and the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it?

30 The waters are hid as with a stone, and the face of the deep is frozen.

31 Can you bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?

32 Can you bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? or can you guide Arcturus with his sons?

33 Do you know the ordinances of heaven? can you set the dominion thereof in the earth?

34 Can you lift up thy voice to the clouds, that abundance of waters may cover thee?

35 Can you send lightnings, that they may go, and say unto thee, Here we are?

36 Who has put wisdom in the inward parts? or who has given understanding to the heart?

37 Who can number the clouds in wisdom? or who can stay the bottles of heaven,

38 When the dust grows into hardness and the clods cleave fast together?

39 Will you hunt the prey for the lion? or fill the appetite of the young lions,

40 When they couch in their dens, and abide in the covert to lie in wait?

41 Who provides for the raven his food? when his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat.

God is really going out of His way here to paint a clear picture of the difference between Job (man) and God. It's pretty hard to miss His point.

On the one hand: the all-powerful, all-knowing GOD. On the other hand: man

I really love it when God gets into describing his crowing creations, the dragons and dinosaurs! Yes, Job is apparently the oldest book of the Bible. Although most people believe dinosaurs disappeared long before man, that's not how the Word of God tells it.

According to Genesis, chapter one, our universe was created in six days. And on the seventh day, God rested.

Was the Bible Written by God?

Although the Bible was written by men, men were used by God to write it. Like holding a pen to write the words, God's Spirit held the man while His words poured out of the oracle like ink out of a pen onto the page.

Why would anyone believe that?

There is plenty of proof for it! And it's all in the Bible. All you have to do is read it to find the proof.

First of all, you'll find miracles that have been recorded in the Bible to prove its veracity. There are dozens of miracles that were witnessed by many and passed down from generation to generation to encourage faith.

In fact, the first verse of the first chapter of the first book of the Bible records a miracle:

Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth."

That one sentence, containing ten words, has sparked controversy and arguments down through the ages.

More evidence that the Bible is God's Word is prophecy. The Bible is full of it! Prophecy proves that what was written by the prophets came directly from the mouth of God. And what makes prophecy prophecy is the fulfilling of prophecy.

When a prophecy has been fulfilled, it proves that it was indeed a prophecy and that the man who recorded it was a prophet. Prophecy also shows us where we are on God's timeline. The prophecies yet to be fulfilled are very few.

The reason why we call the prophets of the Bible prophets is because their prophecies have been fulfilled throughout history, exactly as they were predicted. Only God can do that because only God is "Omnipresent" (existing in every time).

(That's not to say that false prophets don't also prophecy the future accurately. Many false prophets are gone out into the world and we need the help of the Holy Spirit to be able to discern between godly prophets and evil ones.)

The words of Jesus are enough evidence of themselves. His words are spirit and life. He spoke like no other man has ever spoken.

"Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's and unto God the things which are God's."

"Suffer little children and forbid them not to come unto Me for of such is the kingdom of God."

"I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by Me."

"Give and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over shall men give into your bosom, for with what measure you mete, it shall be meted unto you."

"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me."

"Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth."

The Bible can prove itself to you. But, you have to be willing to read it.

The Last Chapter of Daniel

Daniel 12

1 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.

("At that time" is talking about the previous verse in chapter 11. "...yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him." That was the last part of the last verse.

This confirms that this person they are referring to here has not yet arrived on the world political scene. It's definitely not Antiochus Epiphanes because Michael hasn't stood up yet. -- Not to my knowledge, anyway.

When Michael "stands up" there shall be a "time of trouble" that has never happened before. Again, this is the "Great Tribulation" Jesus spoke of.

This is an encouraging verse because it says "thy people shall be delivered". If your name is in the book and you happen to be alive at that time, you'll be delivered, one way or the other. These are exciting times, people! And nothing to be afraid of if you've done your homework!)

2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.

(How do we "turn many to righteousness"? Well, considering that humans have no righteousness of their own, we turn them to Jesus! We share the Good News of salvation.)

4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

(This book has been "sealed" until now. Now is when things will begin to open up so the people that need to know will be able to read and understand it.

"many shall run to and fro" - just look up and imagine how much sky traffic is going by all the time these days, not to mention the cars running to and fro.

"knowledge shall be increased" - Until 1900, knowledge was doubling every 100 years but now, they say our knowledge is doubling every13 months!)

5 Then I Daniel looked, and behold, there stood other two, the one on this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the bank of the river.

6 And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?

7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be fore a time, times, and an half: and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.

(A "time" is a year, according to other Bible prophecy. This "time of trouble" will last 3 1/2 years.)

8 And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?

9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.

10 Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.

11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.

(As we read in chapter 11:31, the Antichrist will take away the daily sacrifice and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate. The time remaining after that will be 1,290 days. That's a little more than 3 1/2 years.)

12 Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.

(If you're still alive at that time, you will be blessed!)

13 But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.

Thus concludes the book of Daniel. Most of the prophecies contained in Daniel have been fulfilled. Like a cup of coffee that's full almost all the way to the brim, there is only a little tiny drop of prophecy yet to be fulfilled! And we may be here to see it!

Prophecies Concerning the Antichrist

Daniel 11

21 And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.

(Some people may think that this verse is referring to Antiochus Epiphanes who succeeded Seleucus Philopator. However, if we take into consideration the preceding chapters in Daniel, we'll note that the dreams covered the entire history of the world, ending with the ten toes.

So, although Antiochus Epiphanes may have partially fulfilled the prophecies concerning this "vile" person, it seems reasonable to believe that another possibly even more vile person will rise up to fully complete the prophecy, closing the loop to end all of the history of the world.

Antiochus Epiphanes was a precursor to the Antichrist and demonstrated what kind of person we should expect. In a sense, the coming "beast" will have the same attributes as ancient Rome's dictators. Nevertheless, he shall come in peaceably. His theme will be "World Peace".

We can also note that this chapter uses the words "the time of the end" (verse 35 and verse 40) which usually refers to the end of time as we know it today. Then, Daniel chapter 12 begins at the "Great Tribulation" that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24:21.)

22 And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant.

(A flood could represent a crowd of people or a huge army and the prince of the covenant is probably someone in favour of the seven-year peace covenant that is signed.

[Daniel 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week...]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and take a guess that the "prince of the covenant" is the Pope, because he's really determined to have a unification of all the world's religions, which is abominable. This prince could also be a major religious leader of Israel.)

23 And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people.

(The Antichrist is often referred to as being deceptive and it looks like he's quite an artful liar. To become strong with "a small people" he'll deceive them in some way, possibly by professing to believe in their god.)

24 He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers' fathers; he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and riches: yea, and he shall forecast his devices against the strongholds, even for a time.

(Again, the word peaceably is used here. Peace is a keyword in politics these days, that is "peace" and "security". Look for someone who is sharing the wealth with his armies and boasting of his future conquests.)

25 And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the south shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand: for they shall forecast devices against him.

(Who is the king of the south? Your guess is as good as mine. My guess is the king of Saudi Arabia or his son the prince of Mecca or one of those kings in the south. I'm thinking it's not a king of Egypt or Africa. But it's a king of the south anyway.)

26 Yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow: and many shall fall down slain.

(Sadly, another huge loss of life.)

27 And both these kings' hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.

(This is not an uncommon sight, two politicians lying to each other at a table.)

28 Then shall he return into his land with great riches; and his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall do exploits, and return to his own land.

(The Antichrist is starting to resent the covenant that he confirmed, which was probably concerning Israel.)

29 At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the south; but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter.

30 For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant.

(The ships of Chittim or Kittim are ships from the coastal areas surrounding the Mediterranean. These may even be American or British ships. They will be attacking the Antichrist. But the AC will continue to gather like-minded people to himself to break the holy covenant, thus beginning the Tribulation of 3 1/2 years.)

31 And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.

(This is a hugely significant sign to watch out for! In Matthew 24, Jesus tells us when we see the abomination of desolation, flee! Don't hang around waiting to see what comes next! GET OUTTA THERE. And FAST. RUN! Don't even stop to pack a bag.

It seems likely that the "sanctuary of strength" will be the temple that the Jews are intending to build in Jerusalem near the temple mount near the Dome of the Rock. And this is where the Antichrist will place his idol for everyone to worship.)

32 And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits.

(Do you know your God? Have you been getting to know Him?)

33 And they that understand among the people shall instruct man: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days.

(If you understand what's going on, you have a responsibility to instruct others, right?)

34 Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries.

(Those who fall will be helped and when God helps you, it's not just a little help. Watch out for spies.)

35 And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.

36 And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.

(The Antichrist will exalt himself above every god. This seems to be a trend with world leaders only this guy is really stuck on himself big time. God's going to allow him his moment in the spotlight.)

37 Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.

(He's just not into women. Maybe he doesn't want to be distracted and maybe he sees himself as above all of those needs of the flesh.)

38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.

(So, he does regard the "God of forces" = Satan.)

39 Thus shall he do in the most strongholds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.

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.

(The king of the south will both come against the Antichrist. So, I guess his popularity polls are shrinking.)

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 probably Palestine or Israel. Edom, Moab and Ammon are areas to the Northwest of Saudi Arabia.)

42 He shall stretch forth his hand also, upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.

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.

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.

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.

(He shall come to his end. After all, he's only human. And that will be the end of life as we know it. But with every ending there comes a new beginning!)