Yesterday I was lecturing on Daniel 8 which looks ahead to the reign of the little horn which, in the first instance, found fulfilment in the devastation wreaked by Antiochus IV Epiphanes in the second century BC. Concerning this little horn it is said:
He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the mighty men and the holy people. He will cause deceit to prosper, and will consider himself superior. Wheny they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes (Daniel 8:24-25).
In 1986 Moshe Rosen, founder of Jews for Jesus, reflected back on the days of Hitler’s blitzkrieg:
The blitzkrieg was effective because it was calculated to strike terror in the hearts of Germany’s opponents.
It was a war of nerves. Special equipment had been attached to the otherwise slow Stuka dive bombers to produce a bone-chilling shriek as they dived. Similar whistles were also attached to the bombs themselves. Upon hearing that sound, potential victims would tend to freeze rather than run for cover.
In such a context of demoralizing psychological warfare Franklin Roosevelt’s words uttered in 1933 were oft quoted:
First of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is, fear itself – nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed effort to convert retreat into advance.
Roshen applies this to spiritual warfare, noting the way that Satan seeks to demoralize Christians:
He shows his hideous strength, our horrible inadequacies, and makes himself appear invincible. The Scriptures call Satan ‘the father of lies.’ He is the originator of the proverbial ‘snow job.’ His tactic is to produce a storm of lies that buries us to the neck in a drift of freezing fear.
Christians need to steel themselves to withstand such assaults:
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings (1 Peter 5:8-9).
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes (Ephesians 6:10-11).
The last thing said about the little horn in Daniel 8 is this: “Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power” (verse 25b). In similar vein the topping of the statue in Daniel 2, which represents all anti-God blasphemous rule throughout all human history, is effected by “the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands – a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces” (Daniel 2:45).
There may be times in our personal lives when we are overwhelmed by the immensity of the forces that seem to be arrayed against us. David shares with us what helped him in such circumstances:
As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He who makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great. You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn (Psalm 18:30-36).
Posted September 21, 2011
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