View source for Incredible History Unveiled

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Now comes fascinating knowledge. You  have almost certainly never heard it. History reveals that the idol Antiochus placed in the Temple—or  &ldquo;holy place&rdquo;—was a statue of Zeus or Jupiter  Olympus, the chief deity of pagan Hellenists of Greece and Macedonia.<br>
  
Volume Four of&nbsp;<em>A Dictionary of Christian Biography,  Literature, Sects and Doctrines</em>&nbsp;makes this clear. The context has to  do with Simon (Magus) the sorcerer, described in&nbsp;Acts 8:1-40 &ldquo;When Justin Martyr wrote [AD 152] his&nbsp;<em>Apology</em>&nbsp;[his  book] the sect of the Simonians [from Simon Magus] appears to have been  formidable, for he speaks four times of their founder, Simon [Magus]…and we  need not doubt that he identified him with the Simon of the [book of] Acts. He  states that he was a Samaritan [Acts  8:1-40&nbsp;makes that clear], adding that  his birthplace was a village called Gitta; he describes him as a formidable  magician, and tells that he came to Rome in the days of Claudius Caesar [which  is AD 45], and made such an impression by his magical powers, that he was  honoured as a god, a statue being erected to him on the Tiber [River], between  the two bridges, bearing the inscription &lsquo;Simoni deo Sancto&rsquo;&rdquo; (p. 682). This  inscription means &ldquo;Holy God Simon.&rdquo; Also note that Simon&rsquo;s  followers generally called him Jupiter.<br>
  
We can ask: Is this the very same  statue placed by Antiochus?<br>
  
Following the journey of this statue is  vital. Do not miss the flow of events. Remember, God expects they be  understood!<br>

<strong>Statue Reappears</strong><br>
It has been well reported that many  centuries ago a statue of the pagan god Jupiter was found in Rome. The large bronze statue was altered and  renamed St. Peter.  One strong indication of this comes from John Parker: &ldquo;…by some writers it is  affirmed to be no other than the statue of Jupiter, with a new head and hands;  others stating that this famous statue was melted down by order of Pope Leo I.  in the middle of the fifth century, and recast into this figure of S. Peter,  holding the keys of heaven with one hand, whilst the other is raised in the act  of benediction in the Roman manner, with the first and second fingers extended&rdquo;  (<em>The Archaeology of Rome</em>, p. 38).<br>
  
Ralph Woodrow, author of&nbsp;<em>Babylon Mystery Religion</em>,  goes further: &ldquo;This statue is looked upon with most profound veneration and its  foot has been&nbsp;<em>kissed</em>&nbsp;so many times [by devotees] that the toes  are nearly worn away!&rdquo; (It is more than interesting to note that the Catholic  religion has a long tradition of kissing idols—feet, rings and crosses—yet  the&nbsp;<em>pagan origin</em>&nbsp;of this practice can clearly be found  in&nbsp;I Kings 19:18&nbsp;and&nbsp;Hosea  13:1-2.)<br>
  
Incredible! Yet these are the facts  from history. This same statue—directly related to the abomination of  desolation—is now prominently displayed in Rome!<br>
  
Remember, Jesus  said His servants—those who understand God&rsquo;s prophecies and know what to watch  for—shall &ldquo;see&rdquo;&nbsp;the  abomination of desolation. This must be referring to something that is  physically set up and visible in the holy place.<br>
  
Will this statue be brought back,  full-circle, to Jerusalem  to fulfill this end-time prophecy? God, through the initial fulfillment, has  almost certainly provided the answer for those willing to believe His Word and  plain accounts of history regarding the role of this image and its connection  to the end-time civil ruler (Beast), and the religious leader (False Prophet)  who will direct that it be placed—with himself—in Jerusalem.<br>

<strong>In Place of God</strong><br>
Ezekiel 28:1-26&nbsp;provides a fuller picture of the&nbsp;<em>audaciousness</em>&nbsp;of  the False Prophet when he enters Jerusalem: &ldquo;The word of the Lord&nbsp;came again unto me, saying,  &lsquo;Son of man, say unto the&nbsp;<em>prince of Tyrus</em>&nbsp;[a man, not to be  confused with the&nbsp;<em>king</em>&nbsp;of Tyrus referenced in&nbsp;Eze 28:12, who is clearly Satan]…Thus says the Lord&nbsp;God; because your heart is lifted up,  and you have said, &lsquo;I am a God, I  sit in the seat of God,&nbsp;<em>in the midst of the seas</em>&rdquo; (Eze 28:1-2).<br>
  
Daniel 11:45&nbsp;explains that the king of the north will  &ldquo;plant the tabernacles of his palace&nbsp;<em>between the seas</em>&nbsp;in the  glorious holy mountain…&rdquo; Of course, the Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea are  about equidistant on either side of Jerusalem,  east and west. Any map of the Middle East  shows this. The False Prophet will obviously participate in this move and join  him.<br>
  
Continuing in&nbsp;Ezekiel 28:1-26&nbsp;about the False Prophet: &ldquo;Yet you are a man,  and&nbsp;<em>not</em>&nbsp;God, though you&nbsp;<em>set your heart as the heart of  God</em>: behold, you are wiser than Daniel  [this man will think he is]; there is no secret that they can hide from you  [describing his proud thinking]. With your wisdom and with your understanding  you have gotten you riches, and have gotten gold and silver into your  treasures&rdquo; (Eze 28:2-4).<br>
  
Let&rsquo;s pause to summarize. A United  Europe will transform the crashing global economy and usher in a time of world  prosperity unlike any previous time. The False Prophet will proclaim himself to  be God. Amazingly,&nbsp;<em>hundreds of millions</em>&nbsp;will believe him,  having been seduced by accompanying miracles. The world will rejoice and also  worship the Beast because he will bring peace and prosperity back to the world.<br>
  
Eze 28:5-8&nbsp;describe more of this religious leader&rsquo;s  pride in the context of what his end will be: &ldquo;By your great wisdom and  traffick have you increased your riches, and your heart is lifted up because of  your riches: therefore thus says the Lord&nbsp;God;&nbsp;<em>because  you have set your heart as the heart of God</em>; behold, therefore I will bring  strangers upon you…they shall bring you down to the pit.&rdquo;<br>
  
Antiochus Epiphanes was a forerunning&nbsp;type&nbsp;of the False Prophet (but also of the Beast  because he too is worshipped).<br>

<strong>Future Fulfillment</strong><br>
The&nbsp;ultimate&nbsp;fulfillment of the abomination of desolation  is not only the statue, it is the final leader of the religious system—the  human personification of the Babylonish whore herself—who enters into Jerusalem and says, &ldquo;I am  God.&rdquo;<br>
  
In fact, the entire&nbsp;<em>Babylonish  system</em>&nbsp;that this False Prophet—supported by the Beast—represents is<em>twice</em>&nbsp;referenced  regarding &ldquo;abominations.&rdquo; A previously referenced passage is important to  revisit in this context: &ldquo;So he [an angel] carried me [the apostle John] away  in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored  beast full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the  woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and  precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of&nbsp;<em>abominations</em>&nbsp;and  filthiness of her fornication: and upon her forehead was a name written,&nbsp;mystery, babylon the great, the mother of  harlots and&nbsp;<em>abominations</em>&nbsp;of the earth&rdquo; (Rev. 17:3-5).<br>
  
God does not just describe this false  religious system as abominable, but refers to it as &ldquo;the&nbsp;<em>mother</em> of...abominations.&rdquo;<br>
  
This religious leader is described in  II Thessalonians and there referred to as the &ldquo;man of sin.&rdquo; Quoted previously,  this passage reappears because of the broader application it brings to this  chapter. &ldquo;Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day [Christ&rsquo;s Return]  shall not come, except there come a&nbsp;<em>falling away</em>&nbsp;first [a  prophecy fulfilled in the twentieth century] and that&nbsp;<em>man of sin</em>&nbsp;be  revealed, the<em> son of perdition</em>…Who opposes and exalts himself&nbsp;<em>above  all that is called God</em>, or that is worshipped; so that he&nbsp;<em>as God</em>&nbsp;sits  in the temple of God,&nbsp;<em>showing himself that he</em>&nbsp;is God&rdquo; (2Thes 2:3-4).<br>
  
2Thes 2:9-10&nbsp;explain how this deceiver will sway great  numbers to worship him and the civil leader: &ldquo;Even him, whose coming is after  the working of&nbsp;<em>Satan</em>&nbsp;with&nbsp;<em>all  power and signs and lying wonders</em>, and with&nbsp;<em>all deceivableness</em>&nbsp;of  unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of  the&nbsp;<em>truth</em>…&rdquo; The allure of miracles will seduce the masses into  supporting and even worshipping the Beast. (See also&nbsp;Revelation 13:11-14&nbsp;and&nbsp;19:20.)<br>
  
This is clearly the False Prophet  of&nbsp;Revelation 16:13,&nbsp;<em>not</em>&nbsp;the Beast. But do not be  confused. They <em>both</em>&nbsp;are seen as divine. Remember, Antiochus  Epiphanes—the&nbsp;<em>civil</em>&nbsp;ruler—as well as the statue—representing  the&nbsp;<em>religious</em>&nbsp;system of Babylon in Jerusalem—was a&nbsp;type&nbsp;of the coming Beast and False  Prophet.<br>
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