June 17, 2022

Passage Read: Daniel 4-7
Meditation Verses: 7:11-12

Thought

The last beast, the Antichrist, he is destroyed by Christ, but the other nations are allowed to endure, though they lose their authority. Those other kingdoms survive for a season and a time, longer than a time, times and half a time, which is considered to be three and a half years, the time that the saints are given into the hand of the Antichrist. Jesus establishes His kingdom when He defeats the Antichrist, and this seems to imply that those other nations will yet survive to enter Jesus' reign, that He will rule over them and all other nations. This would seem to support the idea that Christ's millennial reign will be over nations that didn't worship Him, that once terrified the earth but will no more.

Application

The Israelites and Christians have been promised to rule over those who formerly oppressed and hated them. The only time where that could happen, according to all that is written in the Scriptures, is during the reign of Christ. Only then will Israel be exalted over all other nations, only then will believers be priests of God and reign with Christ. But in order to reign over their enemies, their enemies must enter into the reign of Christ, yet unwillingly. They will not have accepted Jesus as Lord before his return, they will be forced to accept His rule against their will, they will bow the knee to Him but not gladly, not willingly. And we will rule over them for a thousand years, until Satan is released and deceives those nations who have chaffed under Jesus' rule, they mount their rebellion and are completely destroyed.