The Run Up to Armageddon

Daniel 11:36-45

Message #17

Back in Daniel, Chapters 7 and 8, we introduced the Antichrist. We looked at how he would come to power and some of what would happen during his brief reign on earth. Today we look at another piece of the puzzle. Here’s how prophecy works… All throughout the Bible, God puts the pieces of the puzzle together. All throughout the Bible, he puts pieces of the puzzle. And when you survey the whole Bible in a prophecy area and put all the information together, you go, “Oh, I get it!” The whole puzzle has been put together. The puzzle piece we are looking at this message ultimately defines the Antichrist and the end times.

Last week ("God's Word Proves True"), we looked at 100 prophecies in the previous 34 verses, and in rapid-fire fashion, I showed you how every one of them came to pass. They all came to pass in the 2nd and 3rd centuries B.C., which was the following 200 to 300 years after Daniel wrote them.

So, on the heels of one hundred percent accurate 100 prophecies in 34 verses, in Daniel 36, from verse 35 to 36, Daniel jumps from one mountaintop of prophecy to another mountaintop of prophecy 2,000 years later. We’ve told you this a number of times when the Old Testament prophets prophecy; they often prophecy as if looking across a set of mountaintops. So, they’ll look at a close mountaintop of prophecy, and then they’ll look at a far mountaintop, all in the same prophecy. That is what we see today.

Why did God put 100 prophecies in 34 verses prior to what we are going to look at today? One reason, one reason only, so that you’ll believe these. Prophecy is for one purpose. It’s not to sell supermarket tabloids; it’s not to make speakers famous on the speaking trail or give them subjects to write books about. Prophecy is so that you will believe that there is an end coming, and at that end, you will be on one side or the other. There are only two sides. There is no grey area. When the world ends, you will have either sided with Christ or against him, and you will get whatever reward comes from whatever side you choose. That’s the only purpose of prophecy.

Today, we go from Daniel prophesying 200 years in advance to 2,000 years in advance. Last message, we looked at all military battles. Do you remember? It was just like rapid-fire military battle after military battle covering the space of about 300 years. Well, today, we are still in the military battle vein. But now we are in military battles that have not yet occurred and, in fact, could occur at any moment. In fact, the world is being set up for these battles to occur today. Right now, every single day. And as these battles get ready to occur, the stage is being set for the last battle – Armageddon. Today these prophecies are about the run up to the final battle, Armageddon, and the physical return of Jesus Christ.

We are going to Daniel 11:36. Between verses 35 and 36, see that white space? That’s 2,000 years and counting.

Daniel 11:36 (NLT)
36 “The king 
(The Antichrist) will do as he pleases, exalting himself and claiming to be greater than every god, even blaspheming the God of gods. He will succeed, but only until the time of wrath is completed. For what has been determined will surely take place. 

Context determines interpretation. That’s a little bit of a hermeneutical truth. It’s the science of Biblical interpretation. Context determines interpretation. It requires the entire context from verse 36 to the end of chapter 12 to know that Daniel is now talking about the Antichrist and the last days.  And so, you have to back up, look at the whole context and say, “I get it. This is about the Antichrist.” So, you have to do your context homework to grasp this, and so you don’t misinterpret the scripture.

Starting in verse 36, Daniel is painting another “part of the picture” that makes up who and what the Antichrist is. Specifically, in the lead up, run up to Armageddon. Specifically, in his military maneuverings as the end of his time draws near.

So, first, verse 36 says He will DO AS HE PLEASES . . .

Revelation 17:13 says The 10 kings of the Revived Roman Empire (the Federation of Nations , that we call the E.U.,[European Union]who are ruling the world, ) will make him their supreme Ruler, and mid-way through the tribulation period he will exercise his supreme power and begins doing whatever he pleases.

Then verse 36 says He will EXALT HIMSELF and CLAIM TO BE GREATER THAN EVERY god - even BLASPHEMING THE GOD OF gods

Speaking of the Antichrist, 2 Thessalonians says:

2 Thessalonians 2:4 (NLT)
4 He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the Temple of God, claiming that he himself is God


That is your future ruler of the world!! You may think there are some rough rulers now, they aren’t anything compared to the final ruler, the Antichrist. Exalting himself and defying everything about God. Even placing himself in the Temple of God and ultimately demanding that the world worship him.

Daniel 11:36, again says He WILL SUCCEED – But ONLY UNTIL the Time of WRATH is COMPLETED

The Antichrist will be allowed to succeed, but only as far as God’s plan and God’s purpose will allow. The Antichrist is in charge, but God is in control. This time of God’s wrath is most probably speaking of the last three and a half years of the Tribulation. If the Great Tribulation is unfamiliar to you, just know there’s a seven-year period of tribulation as the Lord wraps up this world before Jesus returns. And the second half is called the Great Tribulation because that’s where it gets ugly. Really, really bad. Called the Great Tribulation – or time of Jacob’s trouble – because of the intense trials Israel will go through.

But trust me, when God’s time of wrath is finished, the Antichrist will be finished. The moment that God’s plan and purpose is finished on earth and God is done with him, he will be gone.

And then, the last sentence of verse 36 says, - For what has been determined will surely take place.

This is interesting that the Hebrew for this sentence is actually written in the past tense, for what has been determined by God has already been done. (It’s already finished, in the books.) Let that sink in for a moment… God writes the future as if it were the past. It can be paraphrased as “For what has been determined by God has already been done.” Some of your translations say “will surely be accomplished,” but it’s actually written as if it’s already finished. Let that sink in for a minute. What God has determined has already come to pass, where God exists. And it is not going to change. God is unchangeable.

Verse 37 continues:

Daniel 11:37 (NLT)
37 He will have no respect for the gods of his ancestors, or for the god loved by women, or for any other god, for he will boast that he is greater than them all. 


If you know anything about the Antichrist, you know this is who he is. Because he is the embodiment of Satan just as Jesus Christ is the embodiment of God, Satan reproduces in a false way, the messiah. And so, the Antichrist is Satan’s messiah as Jesus Christ is God’s messiah.

He will have no respect for the gods of his ancestors

This most probably is not referring to the One True God, but to the pagan gods of mankind.

Next - He will have no respect - for the god loved by women

If you’re reading New King James, you just read through; you might think oh, he just doesn’t like women. In fact, I heard one really respected Bible teacher who probably hadn’t checked the original language, and he said, “You know it seems like the Antichrist might be homosexual.” But that is NOT what it says. The Hebrew says he will have no respect for the god that is loved by women. What god would be loved by women? It might not make a lot of sense to you, but it might make a lot of sense to a Jewish mind. Because Jewish women wanted badly to give birth to the messiah, and so this is most likely a reference to the Messiah of Israel because HE was the God loved by women.

Finally – verse 37 says - He will have no respect for any other god, for he will boast that he is greater than them all. 

This is Satan’s crazy doomed plan, to get the world to worship him as “greater than ANY other god.” This is, in essence, what got him thrown out of heaven in the first place because he wanted to be “like God.” And during his short reign in the tribulation, he will boast that he is GOD of this earth and he will force the people to worship him, because he is the embodiment of Satan. But God is going to allow people to choose, not for Satan’s benefit, but because of God’s love for you, he’ll give you free will. And if you choose to worship Satan, then God will allow you to experience Satan’s eternity, with him, for eternity, because God loves you enough to allow you to choose.

Satan wants his anti-messiah to be worshipped. And so, he thinks he’s greater than any other God, and will in fact force people to worship him.

Revelation 13:2 (NLT)
2 . . . And the dragon
(Satan) gave the beast (Antichrist) his own power and throne and great authority.

So, he’s trying to replicate Christ, who is God in expression, the Word, the Logos. And so, Satan says, I’ll make a guy. And I’ll give him my authority, my power, my throne, and if I can get the world to worship him, it will be as if they are worshipping me.

Revelation 13:8 says (NLT)
8 And all the people who belong to this world worshiped the beast. They are the ones whose names were not written in the Book of Life . . . 


I know that some of you, when you were younger, were rockin’ out to AC/DC, saying, “Yeah, I’m on a highway to hell. My buds are going to be there, be partying.” That’s a lie of the devil. There’s nothing better than for the devil to have you think that hell would somehow be enjoyable. That is the worst eternal manipulation, deception, ever.

Those who are not written in the book of life are the ones that worship him. And they do worship him. Why? Because Revelation 13:15 says, anyone who does not worship the Antichrist will be killed! (A little added motivation, there.)

In any case, the Antichrist will briefly get what he wants, and then for eternity, he will get what he deserves.

Continuing now in Daniel.

Daniel 11:38 (NLT)
38 Instead of these 
(meaning all other gods), he will worship the god of fortresses—a god his ancestors never knew—and lavish on him gold, silver, precious stones, and expensive gifts. 

Verse 37 says the Antichrist will have no regard for any god, so this “god of fortresses” is not an actual pagan god, but instead is most likely a “symbolic god” of pure military strength. His worship will be the exaltation of human power and attainment by sheer military force to an extent that none of his ancestors ever knew. He will lavish on this “symbolic god” all the wealth he has access to, like the worst addict spending every dollar he has on his addiction. Nothing will stop him because he is feeding the God of military strength.

You and I battle idols in our lives. If you want to know if you have an idol in your life, look at your checkbook. Because where you spend your money is what you love.

Daniel 11:39 (NLT)
39 Claiming this foreign god’s help, he will attack the strongest fortresses. He will honor those who submit to him, appointing them to positions of authority and dividing the land among them as their reward. 


The Antichrist will systemically attempt to bring this world under his control by force. He will use materialism, bribery, and manipulation to keep the world under his control for a time (a brief time.) And of course, he’ll have the power and authority of hell that Satan has given him as well.

Now hold on, because it gets kind of wild from here. The next verse, Daniel 11:40, is a difficult verse to translate, and it causes plenty of opinions in the prophetic world. So, let me remind you (or tell you for the first time) context determines interpretation. We do not interpret the Bible outside of the context it was written in.

Start to finish, beginning in Daniel 11:36 all the way to the end of Chapter 12, it’s all about the Antichrist. The context here is clearly the Antichrist and his systematic efforts at controlling the earth. The question is who is being referred to when these verses use the words “he” and “him.” But it makes the easiest sense and the most sense to continue the context that has already been established. So, the “he’s” and the “him’s” in the next six verses refer to the Antichrist. That is the context. The clearest meaning is almost always the correct meaning.

Also, whenever we get to “difficult interpretation” passages, we have to switch to the ESV, a literal translation.

Daniel 11:40 (ESV)
40 “At the time of the end, the king of the south shall attack him 
(Antichrist), but the king of the north shall rush upon him (Antichrist) like a whirlwind, with chariots and horsemen, and with many ships. And he (Antichrist) shall come into countries (countries around Israel) and shall overflow and pass through.

What we have are armies from the South and the North simultaneously attacking Israel and the Antichrist coming to Israel’s rescue. Prior to this point, the Antichrist has been based in Rome. But he had made an iron-clad agreement with Israel at the very beginning of the tribulation period. This iron-clad agreement allowed Israel to rebuild their Temple (which is ultimately for the Antichrist to be worshipped in), and this agreement most certainly would have guaranteed Israel’s safety from attacking countries.

So, the countries to the South and to the North simultaneously attack Israel (and Israel has this so-called “peace agreement” with the Antichrist.) So, when Israel gets attacked the Antichrist is getting attacked because he has a commitment to protect Israel. He has a commitment to protect Israel because he has an interest in the Temple, and he is going to set himself up there as god.

The closer we get to end times, the more we recognize who these nations to the South and the North might be who will attack Israel. If you ever look at a map, you might notice, “Hey. Every country that surrounds Israel is a radical Islamic régime (except Jordan and Egypt who are kind of teetering), but I mean surrounding them are a radical religion of Islam, and they would love to destroy Israel.

All these countries want so badly to destroy Israel. And then we look to the North (the armies come from the North and the South), and at the extreme North is Russia. And we see Russia aligning themselves with countries like Iran and Iraq (to the East) as well as radical Islamic nations to the South in Africa and most of these Islamic Nations to the North and South of Israel (along with Russia) will not be part of the Federation of Nations the Bible calls the Revived Roman Empire from which the Antichrist will become the World Ruler.

Let me paint a picture for you. There is a European Union of Nations, who have all made agreements to protect each other. And there is radical Islam. Radical Islam, and Russia, for the most part, will not be part of the ten-nation Federation that is in essence controlling the world. So, you have a ten-nation Federation with the Antichrist at the top, who wants to protect Jerusalem so he can set himself up as God, there, and then you have radical Islam and Russia who are not part of this Federation and who wake up every morning thinking of new ways to destroy Israel.  

That is the stage set for mass world war, major wars, in the last days. And please, believe me, if our former President was successful in giving Iran a nuclear bomb, it would have set the stage for these wars much sooner than later. (I mean, after all, our former President’s life goal was to make every country in the world equal. Worldwide Socialism courtesy of “Dreams from My Father.”) You know, often, God’s judgment can be described as “giving people what they ask for.” Sometimes that’s God’s worst judgment.

Anyway, without getting all political, we can easily see the groundwork being laid today for these large-scale wars in the End Times, which the Bible says absolutely will happen.

Guys, world peace is coming. But not until the King of Peace returns to take his rightful position on this earth’s throne. Until then, wars will continue… until the time of the end.
So, these nations all surround Israel. They are not part of the Antichrist’s Federation of Nations, and they wake up every morning looking for a way to destroy Israel. And here, armies from both the South and the North attack Israel. And Daniel 11:40 says “HE” (The Antichrist) - shall come into countries and shall overflow and pass through. Meaning the Antichrist comes to get involved supposedly to protect Israel and keep up his end of the treaty.

Daniel 11:41 (ESV)
41 He 
(The Antichrist) shall come into the glorious land (Israel). And tens of thousands shall fall, but these shall be delivered out of his hand: Edom and Moab and the main part of the Ammonites. 

The Antichrist comes from Rome to Israel, really, to protect his ultimate plan of setting himself up in the Temple, to force the world to worship him as God. And he comes with his military might, and tens of thousands fall as e battles the surrounding nations, IN the land of Israel. However, Edom, Moab, and the main part of the Ammonites are delivered out of his hand. Where are these nations? All three of these Nations are across the Dead Sea in the area that is now Jordan, and all three have been the enemies of Israel throughout history. And so, the Antichrist (being the devil’s “embodiment”) gives them a nod for all they’ve done on his behalf.

So, now the Antichrist begins his military rampage to set up his safe zone in Jerusalem from which he can rule the world. And Daniel 11:42-43 says:

Daniel 11:42-43 (NLT)
42 He will conquer many countries, and even Egypt will not escape.
43 He will gain control over the gold, silver, and treasures of Egypt, and the Libyans and Ethiopians will be his servants.


This double attack on Israel from the North and the South has forced the Antichrist to “show his hand” and so he starts conquering the surrounding countries to make sure he’s got his “place” to be worshipped from – in Jerusalem.

But then something he is not expecting occurs.

Daniel 11:44 (NLT)
44 “But then news from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in great anger to destroy and obliterate many. 


There are some who see this verse as a reference to the incredible battles described in Ezekiel Chapters 38 and 39. Remember, Russia is the number one backer in the world of the radical Islamic Countries, bent on Israel’s destruction. And the enemy in Ezekiel 38 and 39 is a coalition of Nations put together by a Nation to the Far North (Russia) and includes the nations of Iran, Libya, Turkey, and even Northern Sudan will join them.

But wait, there’s more…

From the North comes Russia and radical Islam, and from the East comes… China. China (today) is feverishly working on a new Silk Road. A real Silk Road meant to connect China to the Middle East for billions of dollars of trade annually. They’ve completed this road into Afghanistan already, headed to the heart of the Middle East, with plans for over eight thousand miles of trade roads into the countries surrounding Israel.

Well, Revelation 9:16 makes a reference to an army 200 million strong coming from the East toward Israel in the last days. China has long claimed an army of 200 Million, which would need a big road to travel all the way to Jerusalem, and that road is being built today. All ultimately, in preparation for Armageddon.

Revelation 16:12–16 (ESV)
12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east. 
. . .
14 . . . [and] demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty.  . . .            
16 And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon. 


Armageddon is a transliteration of two Hebrew words HAR – MAGIDDO which means “Hill of Megiddo.” We have stood on this great Hill of Megiddo overlooking the Valley of Armageddon.

When Napoleon stood on this same Hill of Meggido – He said:
“There is no place in the whole world more suited for war than this...all the armies of the world could maneuver for battle here... [It is] the most natural battleground of the whole earth.”

And Napoleon was right. And in this very battlefield, Jesus Christ himself will return (with us in tow), and Jesus will wipe out all the armies of the world as they ultimately join forces against him in this valley. And that is what our last verse today is referring to.

Daniel 11:45 (NLT)
45 He 
(Antichrist) will stop between the glorious holy mountain (Jerusalem) and the sea and will pitch his royal tents. But while he is there, his time will suddenly run out, and no one will help him. 

The Antichrist will set up camp in Jerusalem, commanding the world to worship him. But while he is there, his time will suddenly run out, and there will be no one to help him.

Revelation 19:19-21 puts it this way.

Revelation 19:19–21 (NLT)
19 Then I saw the beast 
(Antichrist) and the kings of the world and their armies gathered together to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army (Jesus Christ).
20 And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet . . . Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.
21 Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came from the mouth of the one riding the white horse 
(Jesus). And the vultures all gorged themselves on the dead bodies. 

That is how the Battle of Armageddon finally ends.

And guys, can we be clear on one thing please, Jesus WINS! And all who are identified with him, win with him! All these battles Daniel has prophesied have not yet occurred, but the victory has already occurred. And here is the greatest news of all: those of us, who have been identified with Jesus through faith, are not even going to be here! Before all this happens, we are going to be CAUGHT UP to meet the Lord in the air – BEFORE all of this “Run Up to Armageddon.”

1 Thessalonians 4:16–18 says (NLT)
16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves.
17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.
18 So encourage each other with these words.


Be encouraged!! If you have already put your full faith in Jesus Christ, be encouraged, this is your future!!

If you have not yet put your full faith in Jesus Christ, be encouraged because it’s not too late --- yet. None of us are guaranteed to see tomorrow, but we can be identified with Jesus Christ today. And we can be guaranteed to share in his victory both over sin and death AND over the Great Tribulation of the last days.