THE GOD OF FORCES

 “The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt himself and consider himself greater than any god, and he will utter monstrous blasphemies against the God of gods. He will prosper only until the period of wrath is over, for what has been determined must take place. 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 deal with the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign god. He will confer honor on those he acknowledges, causing them to rule over many and distributing land as a reward. Daniel 11.36-39

Forces – Hebrew = Moaz = refuge, stronghold, place of protection, strength, most strong.

Wicca (English: /ˈwɪkə/), also termed Pagan Witchcraft, is a contemporary Pagan new religious movement. It was developed in England during the first half of the 20th century and was introduced to the public in 1954 by Gerald Gardner, a retired British civil servant. Wicca draws upon a diverse set of ancient pagan and 20th-century hermetic motifs for its theological structure and ritual practices.

Wicca has no central authority figure. Its traditional core beliefs, principles and practices were originally outlined in the 1940s and 1950s by Gardner and Doreen Valiente, both in published books and in secret written and oral teachings passed along to their initiates. There are many variations on the core structure, and the religion grows and evolves over time. It is divided into a number of diverse lineages, sects and denominations, referred to as traditions, each with its own organisational structure and level of centralisation. Due to its decentralized nature, there is some disagreement over what actually constitutes Wicca. Some traditions, collectively referred to as British Traditional Wicca, strictly follow the initiatory lineage of Gardner and consider the term Wicca to apply only to similar traditions, but not to newer, eclectic traditions.

Wicca is typically duotheistic, worshipping a Goddess and a God. These are traditionally viewed as the Moon Goddess and the Horned God, respectively. These deities may be regarded in a henotheistic way, as having many different divine aspects which can in turn be identified with many diverse pagan deities from different historical pantheons. For this reason, they are sometimes referred to as the "Great Goddess" and the "Great Horned God", with the adjective "great" connoting a deity that contains many other deities within their own nature. These two deities are sometimes viewed as facets of a greater pantheistic divinity, which is regarded as an impersonal force or process rather than a personal deity. While duotheism or bitheism is traditional in Wicca, broader Wiccan beliefs range from polytheism to pantheism or monism, even to Goddess monotheism.

Wiccan celebrations encompass both the cycles of the Moon, known as Esbats and commonly associated with the Goddess (female deity), and the cycles of the Sun, seasonally based festivals known as Sabbats and commonly associated with the Horned God (male deity). An unattributed statement known as the Wiccan Rede is a popular expression of Wiccan morality, although it is not universally accepted by Wiccans. Wicca often involves the ritual practice of magic, though it is not always necessary. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicca

Note the description of the two deities as being regarded as an impersonal force rather than a personal deity. Many of the religions of “Mystery Babylon” view God as an impersonal deity. Islam, for instance, believes that God has no son. God, to a Muslim, is a remote supreme being with which they can have no personal relationship.

In the Masonic Craft it is only required that an initiate believe in a “Supreme Being” prior to induction. This being can initially be viewed as an impersonal being. As the initiate progresses in the craft he will learn that this “supreme being” is really Lucifer, the “Bearer of Light” and all wisdom.

All of the above “religions” worship multiple gods and goddess. The fact that these can also be regarded as an “impersonal force” rather than a personal deity is quite interesting when compared to Daniel 11.36-39.

Could the “god of forces” reflect these various pagan religions which are alive and well in our day?

The Antichrist shows no regard for the gods his ancestors worshipped. This would include Yahweh and His only begotten Son Yeshua—God incarnate. His god will be a “god of forces” which is an impersonal supreme being. The Antichrist will attempt to transform himself into god. This is the foreign god He will become—impersonal to all who do not submit. He will confer honor on those he acknowledges, causing them to rule over many and distributing land as a reward.

This brings to mind Joel 3.1-2: For, behold, in those days and in that time when I shall cause the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem to end,  I will gather together all the Gentiles, and will cause them to descend into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and there I will enter into judgment with them because of my people and of my heritage Israel, whom they scattered among the nations, and divided my land.

In the Book of 1 Maccabees it describes the time Daniel is speaking of in Chapter 11. The Greek King, Antiochus IV set up a statue of Zeus in the sanctuary of the Jewish Temple. The god dear to women was the Mesopotamian god Tammuz (Ezek 8.14).

Setting up Zeus in the Temple was alien both to Jewish and the ruling Seleucid dynasty, which had previously favored Apollo as their patron deity.

The Antichrist will consider himself above all gods of all religions and secret societies—but his religion will be based upon and incorporate the ancient mystery religions of “Mystery Babylon” which we have featured in the previous postings. The Antichrist will build it around HIMSELF and it will seem foreign to the inhabitants of the earth.

This is a way to look at and understand the time of the tribulation and the events of that time. This man will wage war on those who have the testimony of Yeshua but a place of safety will be provided for the remnant at this time:

And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman who brought forth the man child. And to the woman were given two wings of the great eagle that she might fly from the presence of the serpent into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time and times.

And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a river after the woman that he might cause her to be carried away by the river. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the river which the dragon had cast out of his mouth.

And the dragon was wroth with the woman and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Revelation 12.12-17

We are not raptured out—we will be waging intercessional war against the dragon in a wilderness “place.” This “place” is a place of captivity which in reality is a place of safety. Yeshua will take captivity captive and lead us out of Bozrah, the sheep pen place of safety, when He returns! Isaiah 63.1-4; Micah 2.12-13.

Think critically on these things and understand the time which is to come.