Please turn with me in your Bibles to Daniel chapter 11. We're going to continue our study of verses 38 through 39, but let us pick up the context in verse 36. as we again focus upon this king that is revealed and the identifying marks that are given to us of this king in these verses. And the king shall do according to his will and he shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god and shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods, shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished, for that that is determined shall be done. Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any God, for he shall magnify himself above all. But in his estate shall he honor the God of forces, and a God whom his fathers knew not shall he honor with gold, silver, and with precious stones and pleasant things. This shall he do in the most strongholds with a strange God, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory, and he shall cause them to rule over many and shall divide the land for gain. How did images of Christ, images of Mary, images of the Christian martyrs come to be used in worship? That's a question we're going to be looking at today and in future sermons. And it's really a very pertinent question. You may wonder, what does that have to do with what we're looking at here concerning this king in Daniel chapter 11? Well, it has a lot to do with this king. And we have continued to show and demonstrate is the papal king, the papacy. And as we continue to consider the identifying marks of this papal king, those marks that are revealed in verses 36 through 39, we began to consider that identifying mark that is found in verse 38 in the previous sermon from Daniel 11 which says that he shall honor the God of forces and we continue this Lord's day to seek to understand what that means that He, this papal king, shall honor the God of forces. You'll remember in the previous sermon from this text, we noted that there are two primary interpretations of the phrase, the God of forces. The first, which we considered in the previous sermon, is that the God of forces may be used in a military sense, of wars raged and waged by the papal king against those who oppose his will, which we saw was realized in history for centuries. In the papacy, as armies were raised by the papacy, crusades were raised by the papacy against enemies for hundreds of years, like no ministerial leader in the church has ever done, unique to the papal king. But we also mentioned there's a second possible interpretation, though that fits very well with what we know about the papacy. There is a second interpretation which we want to consider today and in subsequent sermons. The God of forces also may be used in a religious sense. In a religious sense of venerating in worship, the martyrs and the saints that have passed from this life. And the Roman Catholic Church uses saints in an unbiblical sense. Saints is used by the Church of Rome as an exclusive category of Christians canonized by the Church of Rome, contrary to what the Bible teaches that all believers are called saints. Romans chapter 1 verse 7 says, to all And this is the greeting of Paul to the church, to the believers in the church of Rome, to all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints. Grace to you and peace from God, our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. All who believe are called saints. Similar greetings to what I just read in Romans 1, 7 are used by the apostle Paul in his greeting to the Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians and in 2 Corinthians to the Ephesian church in the letter to the Ephesians. Likewise, in the letter to the Philippians, likewise to the letter to the Colossians, the same kind of greeting with regard to the saints, God's people are called saints. So again, biblically, saints are not those who are canonized by the Church of Rome, but are all believers. in Jesus Christ. Saints means holy ones, those who have been set apart unto Jesus Christ in order to serve him, serve Christ. And so as I look out across the congregation today, I'm preaching to the saints. to the saints, it's not those who are canonized and have some special category, qualifications that are in heaven. I'm speaking to the saints even now. As we shall see, whether one interprets that phrase, the God of forces, in a military sense, as in the previous sermon, or in a religious sense, as in the present sermon, in either case, that phrase marks out and identifies the papacy as the king that is revealed to Daniel by the angel Gabriel in Daniel chapter 11, verses 36 through 39. Let's turn our attention then to the religious interpretation of that phrase, the god of forces. And our main points are these. First of all, an examination of the text, and then secondly, a brief summary of history. We've read Daniel 11 verses 38 through 39 already, and so let us now begin to look more closely at the religious interpretation of this particular text. When we began verse 38, It says, but in his estate, that is in the estate of the Papal King, shall he honor the God of forces, in his estate, or perhaps better translated, in his place, in his place, shall this Papal King honor the God of forces, in whose place? in the place of the God of his fathers, the one true living God. Instead of honoring the one true living God, the text is saying, in his place, which The God of his fathers is mentioned in verse 37, neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, verse 38, but in his estate, in his place, in the place of the God of his fathers, shall he, the papal king, honor the God of forces. He won't honor the God of his fathers, the fathers being the apostles. but he'll honor, he'll glorify in worship the God of forces. As we see here, because he's falling away from the God of his fathers, the religion of his fathers, the apostles, that this is again referring to a great apostasy, a corruption of the one true religion given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ. As we noted in the previous sermon, the Hebrew word for forces, the God of forces, is ma'uzim. And though it's used in a military sense, as we've already noted, it is also used in a religious sense. God of forces is also used in a religious sense. The Hebrew word ma'ozim can refer to a refuge. It can refer to a protector. It can refer to a patron. A patron is one who protects someone under their care. God himself is called our ma'oz. which is the singular form in Hebrew of the plural, ma'uzim. God has called our ma'uz in the singular in many places in the Old Testament. For example, in Nahum 1.7, we read, the Lord is good, a stronghold, ma'uz. That is, a stronghold is a protector a patron in the day of trouble, and he knoweth them that trust in him. Psalm 37, verse 39. Again, we read, but the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord. He is their strength, mauz. He is their strength, their protector, their patron in the time of trouble. Jeremiah 16, 19. Oh Lord, my strength and my fortress, my fortress, my protection, my protector, my patron, and my refuge in the day of affliction. Even classic Hebrew lexicons, These may not be familiar to you, but maybe to some they will. But classic Hebrew lexicons, like Brown, Driver, and Briggs, and Gesenius, mention that the god of forces, Mahuzim, here in Daniel 11.38 is used in a religious sense to refer to some false god that this king will honor and glorify. If we understand the phrase the God of forces in a religious sense, how would this relate to the papacy? How would it relate to the papal king? Well, as we will see, the papacy replaced a biblical Christianity that was void that was void of veneration of saints and martyrs. And that was void of making and worshiping before images of the saints and martyrs. The papacy replaced biblical Christianity and fell into the heathen pagan practice of making the saints and martyrs like gods. before whom they worshiped and unto whom they prayed and sought the protection of these saints and martyrs as patron saints, which is a very common phrase in Roman Catholic writings and literature, patron saints. Patron saints are protector saints, protector martyrs. who even are said to perform miracles, to heal, to protect from danger, and even to intercede and to forgive sin as well. In fact, some church fathers referred to the saints and martyrs as ma'uzim, patrons and protectors. So the religious interpretation I would submit to you also fits very well with the rest of what is said in Daniel 11 verses 38 and 39 and so let's just work our way through these two verses one at a time. In Daniel 11, 38, but again, we have noted this, but in his estate, in the place of the God of his fathers, the one true living God, he shall honor the God of forces. And if, again, in a religious sense, the God of patrons, the God of protectors, and a God whom his fathers knew not. This was unknown to the apostles. This was unknown to Jesus Christ and the apostles, patron saints. praying to, interceding on behalf of those who are living here upon the earth. This was not a religion that the apostles knew anything about by way of what was practiced in the New Testament. And then when it says he shall honor, This speaks again of the veneration that we see of patron saints and their images in the Church of Rome. He shall honor, he shall venerate these patron, these protector saints and their images. When we see in verse 38, When it says, but in his estate shall he honor the God of forces and, we can use the word even, that's another possible interpretation of the word and, even a God whom his fathers knew not. Same God as the God of forces, but a God whom his fathers knew not shall he honor. And notice it says, that he shall honor, the papal king shall honor these patron saints with gold and silver and with precious stones and pleasant things. So the images, as we see again historically, the images, the relics, of the saints, of the martyrs, their bones, their possessions, the articles that they allegedly had while they were living. These were adorned. They were adorned with gold throughout history. They've been adorned with gold, with silver, with precious stones, and with pleasant things. with the pleasant things referring likely to the ornamentation, the lavish clothing that is placed upon so many of these patron saints, the images of these patron saints, pictures, et cetera. Likewise, when we think of how these patron saints were honored with gold, silver, precious stones, pleasant things. Historically, we also see how lavish shrines were built in cathedrals to glorify and to venerate the mauseme, the patron saints. In fact, it is stated in the Catholic encyclopedia that Pope Boniface IV in 609 converted that which was the pagan pantheon of gods in Rome into a cathedral and dedicated the pantheon to Mary and to all the martyrs. So that they simply replaced all of these images of their various gods with images of Mary and the martyrs and the saints that have been canonized by the Church of Rome. The Catholic Encyclopedia goes on to say that 28 cartloads of sacred bones were said to have been removed from the catacombs and placed in a base and beneath a high altar within the cathedral. Then as we move to verse 39, where we read, thus shall he do in the most strongholds with a strange God, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory and he shall cause them to rule over many and shall divide the land for gain. Let's look at what is said there and how what is said there likewise, points to the religious interpretation of that phrase, the God of forces. Under the leadership of the papal king, strongholds, that is cathedrals, shrines, fortresses, if you will, were built to house this strange God that was not known to the apostles. And as we continue in verse 39, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory, increasingly more and more honor and glory and veneration and worship were given to this strange God of images, patron saints, icons, relics of Christ, Mary, Joseph, the angels, the saints and the martyrs. In a future sermon, we will see that a battle ensued, an ecclesiastical battle ensued between those in the church who opposed the veneration of images and icons and worship and those who embraced it. The position of the papacy prevailed in that controversy at the Second Council of Nicaea in 787. Likewise, under the administration of the papal king, the patron saints and martyrs were bestowed with power by which to rule and exercise power, as it says in verse 39, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory and he shall cause them to rule over many. Cities and nations were allotted certain patron saints to rule over them, to whom they could again go for protection, for help, for safety, to whom they could pray. And so we see, again, this fits very well with the religious interpretation of the God of forces. Not only cities and nations, but families will claim to have patron saints. Individuals will claim to have patron saints. Churches will claim to have patron saints, as well as nations. The patron saints did indeed, as it says here, increase in power and rule. Finally, cities and nations were given over to these patron saints to protect them. St. George, for example, is named as the patron saint of England. St. Andrew. is said to be the patron saint of Scotland and on and on and on. So indeed, the nations of the world were divided, as it says in verse 39, and shall divide the land for gain. The land, the nations were divided among the patron saints by the Church of Rome. As a further identifying mark, of the papal king that's mentioned in Daniel 1139. In fact, there's almost, as we said, a patron or protector saint for every part of the world, for all classes of individuals, for all circumstances in which one may find oneself in. This is simply, I would submit to you, This is simply exchanging the patron gods, the protector gods of the pagan religions of ancient times with the patron saints who accomplish and do basically the same thing. This was, I submit to you, unknown to God's people in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. This is a new religion. This is a religion contrary to the God of our fathers. Let me give to you, having gone through the text with that religious interpretation of the text, let me just give to you a brief summary. We'll have in future sermons a little more history that will be shared. But let me just give you an overview at this point. The veneration of saints and martyrs and of angels and of their images in worship was not recorded as a practice by the Christian church prior to the edict of Milan in 313, at which time Emperor Constantine decriminalized Christianity and made it a protected religion together with all the pagan religions within the Roman Empire, which were already protected. And as Christianity at that time grew in its influence, greatly enhanced, no doubt, by Constantine, his role as a professed Christian emperor, many from pagan religions began to flood their way, find their way into the church, bringing also the practice of venerating of images into Christian worship, which in earlier centuries had been condemned by the church fathers, as we will see in a future sermon. In the Edict of Thessalonica in 380, Emperor Theodosius decreed that Christianity be from that time forward the official religion of the Roman Empire. A religion incidentally by that time that was gradually now beginning to adopt more and more the veneration of the saints and the martyrs and their images in worship. The name Sir Isaac Newton, who lived from 1642 to 1727, is well known to all of us as a scientist, renowned scientist, but perhaps lesser known as a notable biblical scholar, though I would say not orthodox in all of his theology. He wrote commentaries on the book of Daniel and on the book of Revelation. And interestingly, he traced the 1260 year reign of the papal antichrist from 800 to 2060. He also interpreted the king that's mentioned in Daniel 11, 36 and following to be the papacy. And he believed that the God of forces, the Ma'uzim, were the patron saints and their images that were venerated by the papal king. Very helpful portion of his work on the book of Daniel, is that he traces the progressive history of how the veneration of the saints and the martyrs and their images came to be included in the worship within the church. And I don't have time, this covered many pages, but let me summarize for you just very, very briefly the stages, gradual growth, and how this came about within the church, which had not known the veneration of saints and martyrs and their images and their relics prior to 313. He traces that progressive history in the stages of the veneration of the saints and martyrs in this way. First of all, there was the influx of pagans into the church at the time of Constantine as Christianity became an acceptable religion and Constantine professed himself to be a Christian. And along with that came the veneration. of their, previously, their pagan gods and their images that was brought into the church. Next, there was the celebration of the birthdays, he says, the birthdays of the martyrs. And not only in a general sense, but at the tombs, at the tombs of the martyrs. We're moving again from that which we might think is not of such a serious nature celebrating the birthday of someone from the past, but celebrating the birthday of someone from the past at their tomb. Next, he notes there was the practice of making the tombs of the martyrs holy places, where prayers were offered, where worship was offered at that holy place. Next, he speaks of, Newton speaks of the attributing to the martyrs then a mediatorial and intercessory function in heaven for living Christians here upon the earth. So they began to have this mediatorial intercessory type of function. And then next step, calling upon the martyrs, the saints, through their images, through their relics as protectors and patrons and defenders of those living here upon the earth. And then, venerating, venerating as acts of worship, the relics and the images of the martyrs. The gradual process of the veneration of the saints and martyrs and of their relics and images, in other words, didn't happen overnight. It was very slow and it grew over centuries until it was accepted by both the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Church of Rome at the Second Council of Nicaea in 787. As I said, this had not always been the practice of the church for the Synod of Elvira in 305, prior to that 313 date that I had used earlier where Constantine proclaimed Christianity as a protected religion. Before that time in 305, the Synod of Elvira It forbade the use of pictures and by extension images to be used in worship. Canon 36 states, there shall be no pictures in the church, lest what is worshiped and endured should be depicted on the walls. To the contrary, the Catechism of the Catholic Church states this. The Christian veneration of images is not contrary to the first commandment. Remember, in their understanding of the first commandment, they combined the first and the second commandment as one commandment. Thou shalt have no other gods before me, the first commandment, and then in our I think rightful right understanding the second command that shall not make into the any graven image that shall not bow down. They combine both of those into the first commandment. So when that's what they're saying the Christian veneration of images is not contrary to the first commandment which prescribes idols forbids idols. Indeed the honor rendered to an image passes to its prototype. to who it represents. And whoever venerates an image, venerates the person portrayed in it, the Catechism of the Catholic Church says. So basically, what is being said is that the image is not worshipped. That's what the Catechism of the Catholic Church is saying. The image is not worshipped. It is simply a representation, like a window, through whom or through which the respect, the honor, the veneration of who that represents is given that honor. But as we will see in a future sermon, That view that I just stated is no different from the explanation of pagans and heathens who likewise said they do not pray to the image itself, the statue of the God. They're not praying. They don't believe that that image itself is the God. The heathens even believed that that image represents the gods. And so what the Catholic Catechism is saying, and which again, Council, Second Council of Nicaea, the Council of Trent, what they are saying is basically exactly what heathens said with regard to how they venerated the images of their gods. But as we'll see next Lord's Day, God willing, it is a violation of the second commandment that's found in Exodus 20 verses four through six. Thou shalt not make into thee any graven image. or any likeness of anything that is in the heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth, thou shall not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them. For I, the Lord thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments. Everyone's idolatry, As we close and come to our application in just a moment, idolatry is not simply worshiping a false god. It's not simply worshiping a pagan god. It's not simply worshiping the sun, the moon, or the stars. But idolatry also is claiming to worship the one true living God of the Bible by means of images, pictures, icons, statues, just as Aaron did and the children of Israel there at Mount Sinai when they formed the image of a golden calf and said, this is Jehovah who brought us out of the land of Egypt. They were worshiping the one true living God by way of an image. They weren't worshiping a false God. God condemns that as idolatry. The early church father, Origen, who lived from 185 to 253, wrote this. Being taught in the school of Christ, we have rejected all images and statues. Let me give to you, as we draw to a close, three applications. Idolatry and corruption of the true religion happen slowly. very slowly, which is why it is so important that we not compromise what we believe in order to have ecclesiastical unity with other churches, which ecclesiastical unity we pray for. And these brethren we love in the truth, but we cannot compromise. what has been given to us. We cannot move the landmark of our forefathers. You see, seemingly little changes in doctrine and worship can lead to further departures, serious, far more serious departures from the truth. That's why we cannot be innovative in worship. That is why we are not to keep up with the times and make worship so-called relevant to each succeeding generation. There is a practice of worship which God has passed down to us now. that was given to us thousands of years ago that unites us with our forefathers because we practice the same worship, we believe the same things. That passage, again, that I've mentioned, It's found in Proverbs 22, 28 that we're not to remove the ancient landmarks of our fathers. That's not simply talking about real estate. It's not just talking about physical land. It's talking about not moving the spiritual, doctrinal, worship landmarks that our forefathers have passed on to us. from the apostles and through history. Likewise, in Jeremiah 6.16, we are commanded by the Lord to walk not in the new paths, but commanded to walk in the old paths, the old paths of our fathers, our faithful forefathers. Let me illustrate this for you very quickly, how this happens over many years. That seemingly small changes become something very, very significant. If I were to introduce one innovation, for example, hypothetically, into our observance of the Lord's Supper, If I were to, at the time that we have the Lord's Supper, and you come to the table, and along with partaking of the bread and the wine, I put a straight pin right there for everybody to use, and I said, before you partake of the bread and the wine, I want you to prick yourself, just to feel a little pain, in order to understand how in some small way, the pain that Jesus endured for us. Prick yourself, and maybe a little drop of blood that comes from it. Now, if that was something we started in this, say, particular congregation, perhaps another congregation would say, hey, that's a pretty neat idea. Let's do it likewise, and then another. And then after 40, 50, 100 years, it spread because so many thought, it's a great idea to feel a little pain so we can identify with what Christ went through on our behalf. And pretty soon, vast portions of the church are doing the same thing, and it's become a part of the ordinance of the Lord's Supper. That's how, again, something seemingly insignificant becomes something when we begin to introduce innovations into worship. That's how it happens over many, many years. And that's what we have to note with regard to this papal king. These patron saints, the mauseme, developed over many years. They were not part of the history of the church for the first three centuries, but again, began to be gradually introduced as the church was flooded, again, with those coming from pagan religions into the church. The second application, we were to honor, according to the fifth commandment, we were to honor father and mother. We're honored father and mother, I believe both our physical father and mother, but we're also, I would say by way of a further application, we're to honor our spiritual father and mother as well. Those who have had a particular impact upon us spiritually, whether presently living, even those in the past, we are to honor them. but that's quite different from venerating them. You see, venerating has to do with praying unto them, calling for them to intercede on our behalf, calling them to save us from danger, to rescue us, to lead us into everlasting life. various things of that nature, even forgiveness of sins, especially in the part of Mary. And yet, scripture teaches us that Jesus is the only mediator between God and man in 1 Timothy 2.5. We ought to, again, I want to make it clear, we ought to honor our faithful forefathers. okay, who have gone before us. Not by making images of them before whom we worship, not by kissing them, those images, not by praying through them to the saints and the martyrs, not bowing down before them. How do we honor our faithful forefathers? By walking in their footsteps. by walking in their footsteps, that as they followed the Lord Jesus Christ, even to death, so it is our desire, likewise, to walk in faithfulness to Jesus Christ. As the Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11.1, be ye followers of Christ. of me even as I am of Christ. That's how we honor Paul. That we follow him as he followed Christ. We don't venerate the Apostle Paul. We honor him. We honor our faithful forefathers by walking in the example that they have set before us in walking in faithfulness to the Lord Jesus Christ. and we ought in that respect to honor our forefathers. And lastly, the essence of idolatry is not thy will, not my will, but thine be done. The essence of idolatry is not God's will, but mine be done. That's the essence of idolatry. It's exalting the will of the creature over the will of the creator, over the will of God, thus making the creature God. Because whoever has the last say, whoever has the ultimate authority is the God that we bow down to and worship. And if it's our will, not God's will, than we have honored ourself as being God. That's the essence of idolatry. When we must have, therefore, dear ones, our will over God's will, we're led perhaps into what many consider a more acceptable form of idolatry because you're not actually bowing down before a statue or an image or worshiping the sun, the moon, whatever, it's not more acceptable. It's not more acceptable to God that we honor ourselves over the sun, the moon, the stars, over him. You see, idolatry is saying my will, not God's will. Go through the 10 commandments. Look at the commandments and focus upon, for example, keeping the Sabbath. My will or God's will. Not taking God's name in vain. My will or God's will. honoring father and mother, honoring grandfather, grandmother, honoring our elders. Is it my will or is it God's will? Not killing, we may not kill, literally, But Jesus says we can kill with our anger, with our hate, with our despising one another. Are we gonna hold on to that bitterness? Are we going to hold on to that resentment toward others? My will or God's will? And so again, never forget what the essence of idolatry is. But the good news is this, dear ones. The gospel of Jesus Christ is all about changing us from the inside to the outside, to declare, not my will, but thine be done. That's what the gospel of Christ accomplishes in our life. That's the beauty of the gospel. It changes us from not thy will, but mine be done. It changes to not my will or not thy will, but mine be done to not my will, but thine be done. You see through the gospel, we are indeed forgiven all our sin. We are imputed the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. We are granted everlasting life, and those are wonders of our inheritance, which we should relish and cherish, but also never forget that the gospel also changes our desires and changes our will by the power of the resurrected Christ. to want to do His will rather than to rebel against His will. And when we do rebel against His will, we repent, we grieve, we sorrow over the fact that we have rebelled against His will and not followed His will. And the Lord forgives. and the Lord brings us back into that blessed place of communion and fellowship with him. In fact, as I close now, that's the evidence. That's the evidence that we are truly trusting in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, that we more and more and more want his will to be done and less and less and less want our will to be done. That's where true delight and joy come from when our will is becoming God's will. There is such a peace and a contentment that overwhelms us as God's people. That's the power of the gospel to change us.