INVITATION OF EVIL

“And in his place shall arise a vile person, to whom they will not give the honor of royalty; but he shall come in peaceably, and seize the kingdom by intrigue” (Dan. 11:1 NKJV).

This verse is about the past, about prophesy, and about a principle. The past concerns Antiochus Epiphanes who became king of Syria by clever, deceitful means around 175 B.C. He terribly persecuted the Jews. The prophecy is about the Antichrist who is yet to appear on the world scene; he is prefigured by Antiochus Epiphanes. The Antichrist will cause great persecution of the Jews; so terrible will be the persecution that the Bible calls it the Great Tribulation. The principle has to do with how evil moves in to capture people. Thus, we want to note the appearance, the acceptance, and the awards of evil.

Appearance of evil – “A vile person, to whom they shall not give the honor of royalty.” When Antiochus first came on the scene, he was immediately rejected because he was so vile. He was not honored and was rightly despised. As long as he was viewed this way, the kingdom would not be defiled and ruined. So, it is with evil. When we first see evil, it is ugly and repulsive. As long as we see evil as vile, evil will not hurt us.

Acceptance of evil – “But he shall come in peaceably.” This is saying that Antiochus Epiphanes will want to be tolerated and accepted. This is always the appeal of evil: we can get along; we can live peaceably together. Evil does not come in and ask to rule; it simply asks to be tolerated, peaceful coexistence. However, evil must not be tolerated.

Awards of evil – “He shall . . . seize the kingdom by intrigue.” Evil wants to rule. Once evil is accepted, it will move to the next step. And it will do so quickly. It will with flatteries - deceitful promises of awards and honors - gain control over us. It will rule the “kingdom” of our lives. And it will not be a pleasant rule. Evil only rules with cruelty. So do not be deceived by evil’s awards. We need to heed what our text says about the practice of evil lest evil destroy us.

(Adapted from Butler's Daily Bible Reading 3)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“It is not only that sin consists in doing evil, but in not doing the good that we know!”

Henry Allan “Harry” Ironside (1876 – 1951)

Canadian American Bible Teacher, Preacher, Theologian, Pastor, and Author

Word Study

Endured

In Heb. 11:27 we read, “By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible!” (NKJV).

Endured is the Greek word karteréō (καρτερέω = kar-ter-eh'-o). It means to be strong, to be steadfast, to continue in a state without wavering. In classic Greek karteréō primarily means to be strong with the added connotation of being able to endure because of strength. In the Septuagint, karteréō carries the idea of holding firmly, to persevere. In the New Testament, karteréō was used in reference to Moses’ commitment to serve the God of his fathers. He rejected the pleasures of sin and the treasures of Egypt because he saw the invisible God. Moses had a faith that enabled him to “endure” in doing the will of God.

“Fear Nots” Found in the Bible

“And the king said unto her, be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth” (1 Sam. 28:13 KJV).

Did You Know…

In Bible times men would cast lots to settle arguments (Prov. 18:18).

Bible Quiz

According to the Lord Jesus, what is it that causes a man to be defiled?

**Answer to last week’s Bible Quiz: How much of his wealth did Zacchaeus give to the poor? Half (Luke 19:8).

Names For the Lord Jesus in the Bible

“AVENGER”

"That no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified!” (1 Thess. 4:6 NKJV).

1. Meaning – AVENGER speaks of the Lord as the One who will punish all wickedness.

2. Insights – “Defraud” means to take advantage of anyone, to circumvent, cheat. The Greek word prohibit all kinds of fraud, overreaching, or covetousness, and may refer to any attempts to deprive another of his rights, whether it be the right which he has in his property, or his rights as a husband, or his rights in any other respect. It is a general command not to take advantage of another, or in any way to deprive him of his rights. All who are guilty of such actions will be punished by the Lord. God is no respecter of persons; He must deal with His children when they sin

Did You Know – Christian History

William (Bill) R. Bright was born on October 19, 1921 in Coweta, Oklahoma. He was an American Evangelist, author and founder of the world’s largest Christian ministry, Campus Crusade for Christ.

Bright studied economics at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. While in his early 20s he moved to Los Angeles, California and founded a company called “Bright’s California Confections.” During the 1940s, Bright attended the First Presbyterian Church, Hollywood where he was converted to evangelical Christianity. Bright was influenced by Henrietta Mears, who served as the Director of Christian Education at First Presbyterian Church, and by Billy Graham, who would later became a prominent American evangelical leader.

In 1946, Bright quit his candy business to pursue Biblical studies and theology at Princeton and Fuller Theological Seminaries. While studying at Fuller seminary, Bright felt what he regarded as the call of God to reach out to university students and abandoned his academic studies. In 1951, after recruiting several volunteers from Fuller Seminary and Hollywood Presbyterian, Bright started Campus Crusade’s first chapter at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). In 1956, Bright wrote a 20 minute evangelistic presentation called “God’s Plan for Your Life,” which set the tone for Campus Crusade’s evangelism and discipleship program.

In 1965, Bright wrote The Four Spiritual Laws, an evangelistic Christian booklet that outlines his view of the essentials of the Christian faith concerning salvation. It is summarized as four spiritual laws or principles that govern what he sees as human beings’ relationship with God. The booklet ends with a prayer of repentance. Bright’s success at UCLA led him to establish Campus Crusade branches at several other US universities.

Bright produced the film Jesus in 1979, which was released by Warner Bros. in the United States. In 1983, Bright chaired the National Committee for the National Year of the Bible. He was named the 1996 recipient of the $1.1 million Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion. He donated the prize money to causes promoting the spiritual benefits of fasting and prayer.

Bright wrote more than 100 books and booklets, and thousands of articles and pamphlets that have been distributed in most major languages by the millions. Bright was awarded five honorary doctorate degrees. Bright died on July 19, 2003, in Orlando, Florida.

A Little Humor

David’s New Year’s resolution: “Done fighting lions and Philistines. Taking a safer job playing my harp for the King.”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“Life with Christ is an endless hope; without Him, life is a hopeless end!”