Standing Firm

29 “At the time appointed he shall return and come into the south, but it shall not be this time as it was before. 30 For ships of Kittim shall come against him, and he shall be afraid and withdraw, and shall turn back and be enraged and take action against the holy covenant. He shall turn back and pay attention to those who forsake the holy covenant. 31 Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate. 32 He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.
Daniel 11:29-32
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Standing Firm
History often repeats itself in the rise and fall of godless rulers. Daniel’s vision foretells the persecution of God’s people under Antiochus IV Epiphanes, whose deceitful flattery and desecration of the temple were aimed at leading many into apostasy. Yet, amid this chaos, “the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.” The faithful remnant did not cave to cultural pressure or false promises, they endured because they knew the Lord. Today, the world still flatters and deceives, urging compromise and the abandonment of truth. But we do not stand by our strength, we stand by the cross of Christ. He endured the ultimate desecration, bearing our sin and shame to redeem us. Because He stood in our place, we now stand firm in Him. Let us daily cling to the Word and Sacraments, where Christ fortifies us to resist evil and remain steadfast in faith.