The King of the
North
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Let's pray together:
Father,
The servant of evil which Your prophetic word describes in the greatest detail is the «king of the North», found in Daniel
chapter 11.
Who is this king, and what is his work?
Please enlighten us by Your Holy Spirit, so that we may get precise answers to these
questions. In Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord we pray.
Amen.
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Daniel 10:1,14
In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message was
revealed to Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar.
The message was true, but the appointed time was long; and he understood the message, and
had understanding of the vision. (...)
«Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter
days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come.»
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At the age of 90, Daniel received his last vision, the last but not the least.
The content of this vision, presented in chapter 11, was the subject of our lesson «Daniel 11: the Perfect Portrait».
Let's review its highlights.
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Daniel 11:2
And now I will tell you the truth.
Behold, three more kings will arise in Persia, and the fourth shall be far richer than
them all.
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When Daniel received this vision, Babylon had already fallen. So the prophecy
begins with the ruling kingdom, that is, the Medo-Persian Empire.
As foretold, three more kings arose after Cyrus II the Great:
- Cambyses II (530 to 522 B.C.);
- the False Smerdis (522 B.C.);
- and Darius I (522 to 486 B.C.).
The fourth king, Xerxes I, also called Ahasuerus, was incredibly rich. He reigned from 486
to 465 B.C.
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Daniel 11:3,4
Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great
dominion, and do according to his will.
And when he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken up and divided toward the four winds
of heaven.
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Then the Medo-Persian Empire fell into the hands of the Greek Empire, led by
Alexander the Great.
But, exactly as foretold, his resounding reign was very short. Alexander the Great died at
the age of 32, giving way to his four generals:
- Lysimachus;
- Cassander;
- Ptolemy;
- and Seleucus.
Then, verses 5 to 15 describe the wars within the Greek Empire.
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Daniel 11:16,18
But he who comes against him shall do according to his
own will, and no one shall stand against him.
He shall stand in the Glorious Land with destruction in his power. (...)
He shall turn his face to the coastlands, and shall take many.
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The Roman Empire succeeded the kingdom of Greece, and some of its actions are
reported in verses 16 to 20.
The prophecy mentions the many conquests of Rome, among which was Palestine, «the Glorious Land», and many isles of the north coast of Africa
and Asia Minor.
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Daniel 11:21
And in his place shall arise a vile person, to whom they
will not give the honor of royalty.
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The Roman Empire gave way to a last power, the subject of the rest of the
prophecy, from verse 21 to verse 45.
This power, led by a man called the «king of the North»,
corresponds to the little horn of Daniel chapters 7 and 8.
Therefore, this power is the papacy.
As foretold, unlike the preceding empires which were all ruled by kings, the papacy
succeeded the Roman Empire without having «the honor of royalty».
But the prophecy is even more precise...
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Daniel 11:21
He shall come in peaceably, and seize the kingdom by
intrigue.
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When Emperor Constantine left Rome, in A.D. 330, to establish the new Roman
capital, Constantinople (now called Istanbul, in Turkey), the papacy was left alone in the
city of Rome.
To establish its authority over kings, it forged documents, the «False Decretals», among
which was the «Donation of Constantine». This document aimed at proving that Constantine
had officially bequeathed the city of Rome to Pope Sylvester I.
This is how the papacy «seized the kingdom by intrigue».
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Daniel 11:22
With the force of a flood they shall be swept away from
before him and be broken, and also the prince of the covenant.
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Daniel 8:11
He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the
host; by him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast
down.
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Claiming to represent God on earth, the papacy subjected kings and their armies
through fear, and also cast into shadow the work of intercession of Jesus, the «prince of the covenant», as we have seen in our last lesson.
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Daniel 11:23
And after the league is made with him he shall act
deceitfully, for he shall come up and become strong with a small number of people.
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Daniel 8:24
His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; he
shall destroy fearfully, and shall prosper and thrive; he shall destroy the mighty.
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Since it didn't have its own armies, the papacy made alliances with surrounding
nations.
Then it broke these alliances at will, favoring the kings who actively supported it, and
deposing the others.
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Daniel 11:24
He shall enter peaceably, even into the richest places of
the province; and he shall do what his fathers have not done, nor his forefathers: he
shall disperse among them the plunder, spoil, and riches.
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Thirsting for more and more power, the papacy did «what
his fathers have not done, nor his forefathers». It did not hesitate to put aside
Christian values, and commit serious crimes, as never before in the Church.
With the help of kings and their armies, it pillaged rich people and kings who resisted
its authority, and it redistributed their riches, greatly favoring its supporters.
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Daniel 11:24,25
He shall devise his plans against the strongholds, but
only for a time.
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.
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Then the papacy wanted to make Jerusalem a place of pilgrimage.
At that time Jerusalem was occupied by Muslims, ruled by caliphs (and then by sultans)
established in Egypt (the «king of the South»).
To achieve its aim, the papacy launched seven Crusades, from 1095 to 1250, to conquer the
Holy Land.
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Daniel 11:25,26
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 devise plans against
him.
Yes, those who eat of the portion of his delicacies shall destroy him; his army shall be
swept away, and many shall fall down slain.
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At the end of the first Crusade, on July 15, 1099, Jerusalem fell into the
hands of the papacy, and the Muslims in the city were slaughtered.
Afterward, in spite of some traitors in the pope's pay, the Muslisms organized themselves
and retaliated during the following Crusades.
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Daniel 11:27
Both these kings' hearts shall be bent on evil, and they
shall speak lies at the same table; but it shall not prosper, for the end will still be at
the appointed time.
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During the years of the Crusades, many treaties were signed between the
papacy's armies and the Muslims, but all of them were broken when the opportunity
presented itself, by Crusaders more often than not.
Among the greatest treacheries is the Crusaders' breaking of the peace treaty concluded
between Sultan Saladin and Christian leader Gui of Lusignan.
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Daniel 11:28
While returning to his land with great riches, his heart
shall be moved against the holy covenant; so he shall do damage and return to his own
land.
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The Crusades allowed the papacy's armies to bring back riches from the Orient:
sugar, cotton, mirrors, fabrics, etc.
As the Crusades were going on, the papacy grew to like this type of action, and launched
little crusades in Europe, against those it called «heretics», that is, Christians who
remained faithful to God, firmly rejecting the pope's authority.
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Daniel 11:29,30
At the appointed time he shall return and go toward the
south; but it shall not be like the former or the latter.
For ships from Cyprus shall come against him; therefore he shall be grieved.
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During the seventh and last Crusade launched against the Middle East, devout
King Louis IX was taken prisoner, and capitulated in 1250.
The Muslims, who had made an alliance with the Greek naval strength («ships
from Cyprus», a Western land), finally overcame the Crusaders, and remained the
only rulers of Palestine until 1917.
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Daniel 11:30
He shall be grieved, and return in rage against the holy
covenant, and do damage.
So he shall return and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant.
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Frustrated by the failure of the Crusades, the papacy once more turned its fury
against the heretics, but this time with far more severity: this was the beginning of the
Inquisition.
Less than two years after the last Crusade, in 1252, Pope Innocent IV allowed the torture
of the heretics.
The Inquisition had the support of the apostate kings («those who
forsake the holy covenant»), notably the kings of France.
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Daniel 11:31
And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall
defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place
there the abomination of desolation.
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Daniel 8:12
Because of transgression, an army was given over to the
horn to oppose the daily sacrifices; and he cast truth down to the ground.
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Then, in 1343, the papacy instituted the system of additional works, that is,
the works one must perform to be saved, in addition to Jesus' sacrifice.
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Daniel 11:32,33
Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall
corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out
great exploits.
And those of the people who understand shall instruct many.
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Making alliances with apostate kings attracted to fame and power, the papacy
carried out a merciless campaign against those Christians who firmly refused to submit to
its authority, choosing, instead, to remain loyal to God's will as stated in the Bible.
At the peril of their lives, these Christians taught the truth to the ignorant population,
denouncing the errors and corruption of the papacy.
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Daniel 11:33
Yet for many days they shall fall by sword and flame, by
captivity and plundering.
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Daniel 7:21,22
The same horn was making war against the saints, and
prevailing against them, until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was made in favor
of the saints of the Most High.
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During the 1260 years of the papacy's reign, millions of believers paid with
their lives for their faithfulness to God.
Fortunately, after «many days», this terrible persecution
came to an end.
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Daniel 11:34
Now when they fall, they shall be aided with a little
help; but many shall join with them by intrigue.
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Revelation 12:16
But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its
mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.
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The faithful Christians who were persecuted by the papacy were «aided with a little help» by the Reformation which started in
the 16th century, and by the discovery of the New World which became a land of refuge and
religious liberty.
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Daniel 11:35
And some of those of understanding shall fall, to refine
them, purge them, and make them white, until the time of the end.
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Daniel 12:9,10
The words are closed up and sealed till the time of the
end.
Many shall be purified, made white, and refined.
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The papacy's reign finished in 1798, marking the end of the 1260 days (or 3½
times).
However, prophecy indicates that this power will come back in force: this second reign
will last «until the time of the end».
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Daniel 11:36
Then the king shall do according to his own will: he
shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God
of gods.
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2 Thessalonians 2:3,4
That Day will not come unless the falling away comes
first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts
himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the
temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
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The prophet Daniel, with the words «little horn»
and «king of the North», and the apostle Paul, with the
words «man of sin» and «son of
perdition», describe the arrogance of the papacy.
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Daniel 11:36
[He] shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished;
for what has been determined shall be done.
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Daniel 8:19,25
Look, I am making known to you what shall happen in the
latter time of the indignation; for at the appointed time the end shall be. (...)
Through his cunning he shall cause deceit to prosper under his hand; and he shall magnify
himself in his heart. He shall destroy many in their prosperity.
He shall even rise against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without human
hand.
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But, when He returns, Jesus will put an end to the papacy's arrogance.
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Daniel 11:37,38
He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the
desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall magnify himself above them all.
But in their place he shall honor a god of fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not
know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things.
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Casting a shadow over Jesus' work of intercession, the papacy decided to offer
a very rich and sumptuous worship to the Virgin Mary, «a god which
his fathers did not know».
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Daniel 11:39
Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a
foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to
rule over many, and divide the land for gain.
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The papacy strengthened the worship of the Virgin Mary by adopting two great
dogmas:
- first, the Immaculate Conception, maintaining that Mary was conceived and
was born free from the original sin;
- then, the Assumption, maintaining that Mary was caught up to heaven.
And still today, the papacy has a higher regard for the nations which support the worship
of Mary.
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Daniel 11:40
At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack
him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind.
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Revelation 13:3
I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally
wounded, and his deadly wound was healed.
And all the world marveled and followed the beast.
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After the temporary interruption of its reign in 1798, the papacy was healed of
its «mortal wound» in 1929, by the Lateran Treaty.
«At the time of the end», it is active once again, and
attacks the «king of the South».
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Daniel 11:40
At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack
him.
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Exodus 5:2
Pharaoh said, «Who is the Lord, that I should obey His
voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go.»
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Daniel chapter 11 ends with the papacy's work «at the time of the end», and especially since it became a
political power again, in 1929.
Its enemy, the «king of the South», no longer symbolizes
Egypt, but a power which recalls Egypt, among other things by its rejection of God.
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Isaiah 31:1
Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, and rely on
horses, who trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very
strong, but who do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the Lord!
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The enemy of the papacy at the time of the end, symbolized by the king of the
South, calls to mind Egypt because of its rejection of God, and its confidence in its
military strength.
This power is Communism, which was adopted by Russia in 1917, and by China in 1921, that
is, shortly before the «healing» of the papacy in 1929.
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Daniel 11:40
At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack
him.
And the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots,
horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass
through.
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As foretold, the papacy struggled fiercely against Communism.
The efforts and influence of Pope John Paul II led to the fall of the Berlin Wall, much to
everyone's surprise, in November 1989.
Communism then took a very severe blow, from which it will never recover.
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Daniel 11:41
He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries
shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent
people of Ammon.
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By saying that the king of the North will attack the inhabitants of «the Glorious Land», the prophecy indicates that the papacy will
once again attack God's faithful believers.
Future lessons will show us how this will take place.
But what is the meaning of the fact that «Edom, Moab, and the
prominent people of Ammon» are saved from the hands of the papacy?
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Jeremiah 40:11,12
When all the Jews who were in Moab, among the Ammonites,
in Edom, and who were in all the countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a
remnant of Judah, and that he had set over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of
Shaphan, then all the Jews returned out of all places where they had been driven, and came
to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and gathered wine and summer fruit in
abundance.
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When Babylon invaded Judah and took its inhabitants prisoner, it left behind a
remnant.
Then, leaving the pagan nations of Moab, Ammon, and Edom, many Jews joined this remnant of
Judah, and gathered a great harvest.
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Zechariah 2:6,7,11
«Up, up! Flee from the land of the north,» says the
Lord; «for I have spread you abroad like the four winds of heaven», says the Lord.
«Up, Zion! Escape, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon. (...) Many nations shall
be joined to the Lord in that day, and they shall become My people.»
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Likewise, in the last days, people from «Edom, Moab, and
Ammon» will escape from the hands of Babylon, the «king of
the North», because they will respond to God's call, and join the faithful remnant
proclaiming God's last message before the return of Jesus Christ.
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Daniel 11:42,43
He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and
the land of Egypt shall not escape.
He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious
things of Egypt; also the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow at his heels.
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Revelation 13:3
And all the world marveled and followed the beast.
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As people from «Edom, Moab, and Ammon» join the
faithful remnant, all the other inhabitants of the world will choose instead to follow the
papacy.
This worldwide seduction is already perceptible.
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Daniel 11:44
But news from the east and the north shall trouble him;
therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many.
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Revelation 16:12,15
Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great
river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, so that the way of the kings from the east
might be prepared. (...)
«Behold, I am coming as a thief.»
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And as we have seen in the lesson «The King
Coming From the East», «news from the east», troubling
the papacy, is the announcement of the coming of Jesus, the King from the east, bringing
about the fall of Babylon.
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Daniel 11:44,45
He shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate
many.
And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy
mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him.
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Daniel 8:25
He shall destroy many in their prosperity.
He shall even rise against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without human
hand.
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When the papacy tries, for a last time, to annihilate God's faithful people,
Jesus Christ will return and destroy this apostate system.
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Daniel 12 presents a happy conclusion to
the prophecy of Daniel 11:
«At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince
who stands watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such
as never was since there was a nation, even to that time.
And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the
book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to
everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.
Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn
many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.» (DANIEL 12:1-3)
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Let's pray together:
Our Lord,
The prophecy of Daniel 11 amazes us greatly by its
astonishing accuracy.
Through the power of Your Holy Spirit and Your inspired Word, please help us to properly
prepare ourselves for the time of the end, so that, in spite of the difficulties which
await us, we may remain faithful to You until the return of Your Son Jesus Christ.
In His precious name we pray.
Amen.
The test of Lesson 65 is waiting for you!