Verses 15 to 45
Verse So the king of the north shall come, and cast up a mount, and take the most fenced cities: and the arms of the south shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, neither [shall there be any] strength to withstand.
In this verse we see the foretold change of scene (see verse 13), and the fourth kingdom is ready to take over world domination. Although we read verses 5 to 39 as merism, there is also a chiasm, in which a particular theme is repeated in a certain pattern: A1; B1; C1; C2; B2; A2. We are halfway through this chiasm, and that there will be a change of power is something that fits well into the story.
Verse 16 But he that cometh against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him: and he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed.
Here the military Roman Empire stands out, which is evident in the expression he shall stand in the glorious land, (see verse 41). There are many who want to interpret this verse so that it is Antiochus IV Epiphanes who is he that cometh against him. This presupposes that Antiochus is the one who sets up the abomination that maketh desolate as referred to in verse 31.
The next verses are undoubtedly about the military Roman Empire, but it is a fluid transition to the religious Roman Empire. Verse 27 tells us that the conflict has been lifted to a spiritual conflict through the fact that both kings, north and south, who originally were and still are enemies, now sit at the same table.
Verse 17 He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; thus shall he do: and he shall give him the daughter of women, corrupting her: but she shall not stand [on his side], neither be for him.
This verse is linked to Daniel 7,6, and it supports the idea that we have now arrived at the military Roman Empire. Many read Julius Caesar, who reigned from October 49 to March 15, 44, and Cleopatra into this verse. The expression … and he shall give him the daughter of women… is a very unusual expression and refers to female grace. The idea of Cleopatra is therefore very apt.
Verse 18 After this shall he turn his face unto the isles and shall take many: but a prince for his own behalf shall cause the reproach offered by him to cease; without his own reproach he shall cause [it] to turn upon him. Verse 19 Then he shall turn his face toward the fort of his own land: but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found. Verse 20 Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes [in] the glory of the kingdom: but within few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle.
It was Gaius Cassius Longinus who was behind the conspiracy which lead to the murder of Julius Caesar. After the death of Julius Caesar, a triumvirate took control of the empire, it was called the second triumvirate and was an alliance between Octavian (Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus), Marcus Antonius and Lepidus. This triumvirate retained power until Octavian took all the power which he held until he died in the year 14 AD. This is the person in verse 20 who is called a raiser of taxes, who is best known as Emperor Augustus, the emperor who demanded that the whole world be registered in the census, precisely because of tax considerations.
Verse 21 He will be succeeded by a contemptible person who has not been given the honour of royalty. He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue.
In the early days of Christianity, those who called themselves Christians were despised by the people, both in Jerusalem and in Rome, when they eventually gained a foothold there. Christians were seen as a despised sect, without any form of honour given by a kingdom. Eventually, the bishop manages to take both the place that the Western Roman emperor had and the title he had. By flatteries, therefore, the bishop of Rome succeeded in seizing the kingdom.
Verse 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.
Many people also put a contemptible personin connection with Antiochus IV Epiphanes, but that is wrong, because Antiochus IV Epiphanes has never been the prince of the covenant. Instead, it is now the Roman Catholic Church that gradually takes over the power as the Western Roman Empire collapses. Verse 22 shows to the three horns that were plucked up to make room for the little horn.
Harry A. Dawe writes in his book Ancient Greece and Rome, World Cultures in progress the following on page 188: In the west, the church took over the defence of Roman civilization. The emperor gave up the title of Pontifical Maximus (high priest) because no one worshiped the Roman gods anymore. The bishop of Rome took over these priestly functions, and this is the reason why the pope today is often referred to as the pontiff. When the Huns, a wild and fearsome tribe, led by the brutal Atilla, swept across Italy and threatened to take over and destroy Rome, it was Pope Leo, the leader of the Christian church, and not the emperor, who met the barbarian. Atilla was so impressed with Leo’s spiritual power that he turned around. We do not know what Leo said to Atilla, but what is important is the fact that it was the pope and not the emperor who stood at the gates of Rome.
The Christian church in Rome had now plundered the Roman Empire.
Verse 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.
After the emperor moved to Constantinople, the bishop of Rome took over both the throne and the title Pontifex Maximus after the emperor – and with the emperor’s blessing, the league was made, and now the little horn seriously begins to exalt itself and not least persecute which is the same as waging war against the saints of God. Yes, everything that chapters 2, 7 and 8 tell that the little horn will do, it is now beginning to do.
Verse 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 strong holds, even for a time. Verse 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. Verse 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.
I think we now have reached a point in history where we are in the transition between the physical war and the spiritual war, and soon the war between North and South will no longer take place on the battlefield but will develop into a battle to control the mind. But there are constantly fluid transitions, and not to forget, prophecies are not linear stories. But when it says that he shall do [that] which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers’ fathers, this indicates that a dramatic change has taken place. From defending the teachings of Jesus in the early church, the Roman Catholic Church is now beginning to persecute those who do not submit to the commandments of the Church.
If we look at the history of the church from the early church to the Roman church being established, we see that the Christians first were persecuted and killed for their faith (34 – 313), then Christianity became the state religion in the Roman Empire, and through that much of the paganism we see today came into this the church (313 – 538) then persecution and death are mixed with paganism (538 – the end). In this way we see how the devil works, he infiltrates the church and uses it as an instrument in the persecution of God’s faithful people.
Verse 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.
Here we find important information, difficult to understand perhaps, but it is said that these two kings, north and south, sit at the same table. It is a necessity that they sit at the same table in order to fulfil the principle of merism. Rhetorically, merism means a combination of two opposite words or objects that refer to a unit. This means that despite being enemies, they have the same goal, namely, to destroy the true worship of God.
As I said, these are two different ideologies that appear in a religious power structure and a secular power structure.
– North is a religious-political alliance to force God’s people away from right worship and over to the Babylonian idolatry, (see Daniel chapter 3).
– South is a secular alliance that represents atheism, philosophy, evolution, secularism, humanism, existentialism, etc. in other words all secular ideas that have the same goal as North, to prevent God’s people from worshiping the one true God.
Both want to introduce a mindset that goes against God. The war that is being waged between these two kings is not being fought on the battlefield, but it is a war that now is taking place fully within the minds of men. It is a struggle to control every single individual and thereby gain full control over the world, and in that way to put an end to all true worship. The term speak lies at one table must be understood in light of the fact that God has the truth. Both of these kings are therefore in opposition to God.
Verse 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. Verse 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. Verse 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. Verse31 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.
The holy covenant is the plan of salvation, and we must understand history in the light of this. We know that the Catholic Church introduced tariff penance at the very beginning of the 6th century. By doing this, the Roman Church takes away from seeking people the opportunity to reach God with its prayers, and thereby the plan of salvation with the arms of a flood shall be overflown(verse 22). Kittim is the son of Javan, and the grandson of Japheth and Noah’s great-grandson, referring to Cyprus where the Phoenician capital was known as Kt (in Phoenician), which is Kition in Greek and Citium in Latin. Although there are strong indications of the religious Rome already in verse 27, and that there is probably a fluid transition between the military and the religious Rome, it is only here in verses 28-31 that we can see that the religious Roman Empire really emerges , and the struggle has now definitely moved over to the religious plane. We see that the king of the North opposes, and advances in anger against the holy covenant, abolishes the daily (sacrifice) and sets up the abomination that maketh desolate, by imposing forced confession (tariff penance). In other words, the papacy takes from Christ his mediation and offering of grace.
Verse 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].
This verse tells us of an alliance that the king of the north enters into with all who are against God’s covenant. The king of the north has only one goal and that is to destroy the only true church that is faithful to God. But thank God, he will always raise someone who can withstand the destruction. Something history has shown us. (The Waldenses, the Reformers, the Millerites/SDA and more.)
He refers to the pope. Flattery (Hebrew chalaqqath is pronounced: khal-ak-kaw ‘) has always been Satan’s method of offering humans an easier or simpler way through life on earth. That is why the devil’s agents use the same tactics – flattery. They say that salvation is only to be found in the Catholic Church, and in the Catholic Church there are many who can help with this, and it is only to choose between Mary, all the saints in the Catholic Church – yes even the pope himself, but God himself says that there is only one way to salvation, and that the way is narrow and difficult to walk…… but it is worth following anyway, when we hold on to Jesus.
Verse 33 And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, [many] days.
Here we see those who opposed the papacy from 538 onwards until the Reformation. These are the ones who clung to the word of God and who kept it pure, no matter what it would cost. As the text of the verse says, many were killed for God’s sake during this period. Shall instruct many see Matthew 28,19. Many days, this expression obviously represents the same time period as the 1260 days in Daniel 7,25; 12,7; Revelation 12,6.14; 13,5.
The next two verses show us the Reformation and give a good picture of what happened. As the Reformers were imprisoned or killed, new ones emerged and took the reformation further.
Verse 34 Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries. Verse 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.
There were many who stood with the Reformers as long as they were not persecuted, but when the persecution came they turned their backs on the Reformation, and many of these referred the Reformers to the authorities. See 2 Corinthians 11,13; 1 Timothy 4,1.
The wise ones in verse 35 refer to those who uphold the word of God. Of these, many millions were killed by the papacy during the 1260 years the papacy ruled world with its reign of terror. See Daniel 12,3; 12,10; Malachi 3,3.
A time appointed (Hebrew mo´ed) is also translated, or preferably with, the agreed time and is used in connection with Israel’s encounter with God (Exodus 23,15; Leviticus 23:,). The word mo´ed is used for both the time of the meeting (Hosea 12:10) and the place of the meeting (Psalm 74: 8). Most important, however, is that there really is a set time (mo´ed) – the end time in the broadest sense – which is a time set in God’s plan of salvation.
The next four verses describe the characteristics and nature of the king in the north (the papacy) and we see that the king in the north exalts himself above everything and everyone and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods. This is a clear parallel to Daniel 7,8 and 8,11-12. A god of fortresses referred to in verse 38 is Lucifer. The king of the north and the king of the south are both enemies of God and therefore have the same goal, even though they are enemies. These are also theses, antitheses and syntheses. This is about worship, and with the help of his allies, the king of the north gets the worship that only the true God should have. Just as Nebuchadnezzar in chapter 3 wanted everyone to worship him, The type, so also the king of the north demands that everyone should worship him, the antitype.
The king of the north thus represents a religious power, while the king of the south, which is apparently the enemy of the king of the north, is a secular power, and represents atheism, philosophy, evolution, secularism, humanism, existentialism and more. It is not the king of the south who is solely responsible for the destruction of God’s people. Verses 40-45 show that he must perish or literally enter into an alliance with the king of the north so that they together can complete their intentions.
Verse 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. Verse 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. Verse 38 Instead of them, he will honour a god of fortresses; a god unknown to his fathers he will honour with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts (NVI 1984). Verse 39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds 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.
This is a description the little horn is worthy. The little horn uses a false religion to gather all other religions in the world under its rule. See Daniel 7,8; 8,11; 8,12; Revelation 13,1; 13,5.
Martin Luther said of the king of the north in verse 36 the following: The king in Daniel 11,36 who exalts himself as the sun is above the moon, so is the pope above the emperor. For as the vassal kisses the pope’s feet, so also the emperor kisses the pope’s feet. He sits over the holy scripture, or as Daniel says; he will speak marvellous things against the God of gods. Other tyrants who have persecuted the Word of God have done this in ignorance, the pope does it with knowledge and will. The pope wants to rule over the Word of God therefore he calls himself god on earth.
In biblical thought, the woman’s desire will be for her husband (Genesis 3,16), and put in the context of the cosmic conflict, it means that the woman, who is a symbol of the church/congregation, should have her desire for God. But also the literal meaning lies implicit in this verse. Just look at the celibacy of monks and nuns where they are deprived of the blessings of marriage, an institution that God established in the Garden of Eden before man sinned.
Verse 38 tells of the god of fortresses. This expression must be read in light of the fact that Nimrod was the founder of Babylon and that Babylon was the fortress. In other words, Nimrod was the god of fortresses, which is a picture of Satan. The Bible tells us that God has his throne in the North. The king of the north refers to the power that wants to seize that place, and the worship that only God the Creator is worthy. The king of the south is the opposite of the king of the north, and is not so careful about worship, he just wants to lead all people away from the true God and the true worship of God. As the king of the north has soon gathered all denominations and religions in his power, so the king of the south has absorbed in addition to atheism, all sorts of other things that oppose religion such as philosophy, evolution, secularism, humanism, existentialism and much, much more.
The backdrop here must be that it is the devil who stands behind the scenes and pulls the strings. The devil’s goal is to gain control over human minds, not primarily to make them worship him, but to make them turn away from God the Creator. See Daniel 8,9; Revelation 13,7.
In verses 40-45 there is a drastic change, even if we keep the same principle. Here, too, the king of the south attacks the king of the north, and then the king of the north goes against the king of the south. All of this is in harmony with what has happened before, but now something unexpected is happening. Now the king of the north receives disturbing news from the north and east. The north is where God’s throne is, while the east is where Jesus comes from when he returns. This is disturbing for the king of the north because he now knows that the return of Jesus is immediate and therefore he begins his last attack against the faithful remnant of God and therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly as many of them as possible. At this point, North and South have allied with each other, only to finally see God win a final victory over evil.
Verse 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.
Here we see that when we come to the end times, the king of the south, who represents atheism, philosophy, evolution, secularism, humanism, existentialism, will go to a final attack on religion, but will not succeed. We now have a visible conflict between two mindsets, this attack on the king of the north that verse 40 talks about happened in 1798! (note the year) when the pope was arrested by the atheist nation of our time – France, a state that banned religion and burned all Bibles. The king of the south, literally Egypt, enslaved God’s people and denied them to worship their God, denying the existence of the God of Israel, but Pharaoh did not force Israel to worship the gods of the Egyptians. The king in the north, however, launches a counterattack on the king in the south, and strengthens his power over the people of the world. Ships are a picture of the economy, and control over the world economy.
Verse 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.
Here we see that the king of the north, or the religious system that the papacy represents, will gain a foothold in all religions, and finally after the war between north and south is over, and the two have allied, the papacy will also control atheism, philosophy , evolution, secularism, humanism, existentialism. Even the glorious land will be taken, and many will fall. In other words, the false doctrines of the papacy will gain ground even among God’s remnant in the end times. The glorious land is an image of God’s people, the little remnant in the end times. Malachi 3,12 is an important verse for understanding that God’s people in the end times truly are the glorious land: Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,» says the LORD Almighty.
Edom, Moab and Ammon all have some connection to Abraham. Edom is a descendant of Esau, Moab and Ammon are descendants of Lot. This means that it is not only the descendants of the promise, Isaac, who are to be called children of God, something Paul also says.
Verse 42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. Verse 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.
Here it is said that the king of the north will stretch forth his hand … which means to gain influence over, or control something or someone – in this context it is religious dogmas that win over atheism. Egypt is the very image of atheism, philosophy, evolution, secularism, humanism, existentialism, etc. North takes control of the south, that is, defeats the king of the south. Typologically, the king of the north represents the religious-political alliance that will force God’s people to worship false gods, and we are then literally in Babylon (Daniel 3).
Egypt is used figuratively elsewhere in the Bible, as in Revelation 11,8 where Egypt is mentioned together with Sodom, and which refers to paganism and the conditions under which the children of Israel lived when they were slaves in Egypt.
Before we get as far as verse 42, the king of the north has gathered under his umbrella all denominations and religions in the world, with the slightest exception we have talked about, and it is they who keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus, (ASV 1901). Here, in these two verses, we see that the king of the north has won the war against the king of the south and that the king of the south submit to the king of the north´s supremacy. We have now come to the spot on the timeline where the world is divided into two groups, the great group, the one who follows the beast who had been mortally wounded (Revelation 13,3), and the small faithful remnant, those who follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth (Revelation 14,4). The Sunday laws will also be implemented at this time, and everyone must then choose who to worship.
Verse 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.
Now the king in the north gets scary messages: Messages from East and North… Here we find the original, the real North. God has his throne in the North, and the East is the place where Jesus comes from when he returns to deliver his faithful people. Therefore, the king of the north becomes afraid, and makes one last desperate attempt to destroy God’s faithful remnant. This is really a funny situation, but with the help of the Bible we can understand what is meant. If we look at Isaiah 14,12; 14,13 and Jeremiah 1,14; 6,1; 10,22; 46,10; 47,2; 50,3 we see that the destruction always comes from the north. We know that Satan has always wanted to imitate God in every possible way, and that Satan has always wanted to occupy the North. But the real North, it belongs to the Lord God, the Creator of heaven and earth, and now it is said that the Creator of the universe is soon on his way back to earth to redeem his faithful people, and in that lies the implication that Satan’s time is out.
Satan, who is behind all the misery in the world and who gives his power to the king of the north, now knows that when Jesus returns in glory to fetch His faithful remnant, and then Satan’s devilish plans will be destroyed forever and ever. It is because of this that he incites the king in the north to make a final attack on God’s faithful remnant, to kill everyone if possible. It is only in this way that he can win a victory over Jesus, but it will not succeed, because now the remnant of God has been sealed with the seal of the living God and is therefore beyond the reach of evil.
Verse 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.
There are many who claim that he shall plant the tabernacles is a military siege of Jerusalem. But is it really so? If we look at verse 15, which speaks of a military siege, the text is as follows: So the king of the north shall come, and cast up a mount, and take the most fenced cities: and the arms of the south shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, neither [shall there be any] strength to withstand.
For the expression cast up a mount here in verse 15 the Hebrew word ve-yish·poch has been used meaning a mound in the sense of a siege ramp and describe a real siege as it was in Daniel’s time. An embankment was raised against the city walls so that one could enter the city which was under siege.
In verse 45 we find the Hebrew word ve·yit·ta which means to cast up a mount. This means that there are two very different events that are described. It could not possibly be a military siege mentioned in verse 45 because then Daniel would have used the same word, because God’s word, which includes the book of Daniel, is harmonious and unambiguous, and God himself is a God of order. We can therefore rule out that there will be disorder and confusion in God’s prophecies. Since we are dealing with prophecies, then we cannot understand the term to cast up literally. We must interpret it in a figurative sense.
In this verse it is told what way the king of the north uses to, if possible, make God’s faithful remnant fall. I think the English translation based on King James 1611, and the Spanish Reina Valera 1909, (based on 1569/1602) gives the best picture of what is happening. German Luther 1912 is also a good translation. The Norwegian Bible BGO is imprecise, and it seems that the Norwegian edition believes that the king in the north will plant the tabernacles of his palacebetween the Mediterranean and Mount Zion in Jerusalem.
- English: And he shall plant the tabernacle of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.
- Spanish: Y plantará las tiendas de su palacio entre los mares, en el monte deseable del santuario; y vendrá hasta su fin, y no tendrá quien le ayude
- German: Und er wird den Palast seines Gezielten aufschlagen zwischen zwei Meeren um den werten heiligen Berg, bis es mit ihm ein Ende werde; und niemand wird ihm helfen.
- Norwegian: Han skal slå opp teltene til sitt slott mellom havet og det herlige hellige berget. Likevel skal han komme til sin ende, og det er ingen som hjelper ham.
The king in the north is thus in the process of doing something. But what has he planned to entice God’s faithful to fall? When we are dealing with prophecies, it is usually pictorial text, so it should not be taken literally, but in a figurative sense. It says in the KJV that the king will plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain.
What does it mean when the king of the north, shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas, or in the glorious holy mountain? Exodus 29,45 states that God will dwell among the children of Israel. This was said in connection with the construction of the tabernacle. If we are to translate the Hebrew word that is used to dwell among, it is literally translated to tabernacle, a word that does not exist in English, therefore it is translated to dwell among. I do not mean that the papacy should set up a tabernacle in the literal sense, for we must remember what is written in Ephesians 6,12: For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places]. This means that what the papacy will try to plant is its unbiblical teachings even among God’s faithful remnant especially when we have entered the end times. These are doctrines that are not based on Bible teaching, and some of these dogmas will be so close to the truth that it will be difficult to see if we do not live close to Christ. This is exactly what Jesus and the Bible warn us against several times. When the king of the north wants to plant the tabernacles, this refers to tabernacle, which in turn shows that the king of the north also wants to take the place God wants to have in our lives – through his false teachings. The King of the North will dwell, literally tabernacle, among the people as God did when He “tabernacled” among His people in Old Testament times and receive the worship that God the Creator received from Israel in ancient times.
Malachi 3,12 says: And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts. Malachi makes it very clear that the expression a delightsome land is a picture of God’s people. Verse 45 tells precisely about the glorious holy mountain, which also refers to the glorious land.
When something, like here a mountain, is declared holy, it means that God’s presence rests over it, because only God can do something holy by his presence. There can therefore be no mountain other than Zion in question. This is where Abraham was to sacrifice Isaac (see Genesis 22,2), and this is where Solomon built the temple (see 2 Chronicles 3,1). But this was before the cross, and then God’s special nearness lay over the temple even though God was not physically present all those years in the way He was in the beginning. After the cross, God dwells in the hearts of those who accept Jesus as their Saviour and keep God’s commandments. Therefore, the expression between the seas in the glorious holy mountain will be the correct translation because this refers to the people who are holy because they have God in their heart. When the prophecy says: He will pitch the tents of his castle between the sea and the glorious holy mountain, it means that the king in the north is trying to take God’s place and thereby wants us to worship him so we will fall. The event described in verse 45 is that even the holy mountain, which is a picture of God’s faithful people, will be surrounded by false doctrines when we come to the end time.
But when the night looks darkest, the faithful remnant of God sees a light coming nearer and nearer and help and rescue are closest. Daniel 12,1 tells: 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.
That time refers back to the time of the end in verse 40. Then Michael will appear, which is synonymous with Jesus’ return. In the last period just before Jesus returns, the prophecy says that His people will experience the worst tribulation any human being has ever experienced, but then the final deliverance will also come.
A summary so far.
God has given us a complete overview of the history that His faithful people must go through from the time of Daniel, the year 605 BC. and until the return of Jesus, which happens sometime in the near future. Through Daniel God tells us about the different kingdoms that will oppress God’s people, Babylon 605 – 539 BC. Medo-Persia 539 – 331 BC Greece 331 – 168 BC and the Roman Empire 168 BC. to the return of Jesus, and we see the growth and fall of the various kingdoms. It is clear that the focus of these prophecies is on the Roman Empire, the fourth kingdom in Daniel chapter 2. It is this kingdom that inflicts the most troubles and sufferings of God’s faithful people, it even make war against God’s saints, and gets naturally more attention alone than the other three kingdoms combined. In the first part of the prophecies, from 605 BC. and until the Roman Empire is divided and the Western Roman Empire disintegrates towards the end of the 5th century, it is the military-political powers who want to destroy God´s faithful people. From the beginning of the 6th century, it is the religious-political phase of the Roman Empire that suppresses God’s faithful remnant, and this will continue, and the persecutions will intensify until the return of Jesus. When Jesus returns in all his glory, the tribulation will cease, and the saved will be taken to heaven for 1000 years.