Study Desk

"In his place will arise one who will send a tax collector through the Glorious Kingdom; but within a few days, he will be broken, though neither in anger nor in battle.

"There will arise in his place a despicable man not entitled to inherit the majesty of the kingdom, but he will come without warning and gain the kingdom by intrigue.

Without warning, he will assail the most powerful men in each province and do things his predecessors never did, either recently or in the distant past; he will reward them with plunder, spoil and wealth while devising plots against their strongholds, but only for a time.

"He will summon his power and courage against the king of the south with a great army, and the king of the south will fight back with a very large and powerful army; but he will not succeed, because of plots devised against him.

Yes, those who shared his food will destroy him; his army will be swept away; and many will fall in the slaughter.

Then the king of the north will return to his own land with great wealth; with his heart set against the holy covenant, he will take action and then return home.

because ships from Kittim will come against him, so that his courage will fail him. Then, in retreat, he will take furious action against the holy covenant, again showing favor to those who abandon the holy covenant.

Armed forces will come at his order and profane the sanctuary and fortress. They will abolish the daily burnt offering and set up the abomination that causes desolation.

Those who act wickedly against the covenant he will corrupt with his blandishments, but the people who know their God will stand firm and prevail.

He will show no respect for the gods his ancestors worshipped, or for the god women worship — he won't show respect for any god, because he will consider himself greater than all of them.

But instead, he will honor the god of strongholds; with gold, silver, precious stones and other costly things he will honor a god unknown to his ancestors.

He will also enter the Land of Glory, and many [countries] will come to grief, but these will be saved from his power — Edom, Mo'av and the people of ‘Amon.

He will reach out his hand to seize other countries too. The land of Egypt will not escape —

Finally, when he pitches the tents of his palace between the seas and the mountain of the holy Glory, he will come to his end, with no one to help him.

The man dressed in linen who was above the water of the river raised his right and left hands toward heaven and swore by him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times and a half, and that it will be when the the power of the holy people is no longer being shattered that all these things will end.

Afterwards, the people of Isra'el will repent and seek Adonai their God and David their king; they will come trembling to Adonai and his goodness in the acharit-hayamim.

But the cohen will fare no better than the people; I will punish him for his ways and pay him back for his deeds.

Isra'el's arrogance will testify in his face; Isra'el and Efrayim will stumble in their crimes; Y'hudah too will stumble with them.

When Efrayim saw his sickness and Y'hudah his wound, Efrayim went to Ashur and sent envoys to a warring king; but he can't heal you or cure your wound.

After two days, he will revive us; on the third day, he will raise us up; and we will live in his presence.