God’s Word for You

Daniel 11:38-39 Objections and answers

by Pastor Timothy Smith on Saturday, January 24, 2026

38 He will honor the god of fortresses instead of these. He will honor a god that his ancestors did not know, with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. 39 He shall deal with the strongest fortresses by the help of a strange god. He will honor those who acknowledge him, and he will appoint them as rulers over many, and he will distribute the land for a price.

Who is “the god of fortresses”? Is this some ancient deity like Baal or Zeus? No. It isn’t even Ares or Mars, who were gods of war. It is just war itself, power, seizing what he wants whenever he wants it—that is the way of the Antichrist. For when man abandons the true God, he is left without an object for his trust and faith (even atheism has a kind of faith; it simply isn’t faith in God). And for the Antichrist, his faith is in power and authority. The object of his conquests will include the usual loot and treasure, “gold and silver, precious stones and costly gifts,” but power itself will be the main object of his heart; the true violation of the First Commandment. This is the “strange god” of verse 39, the god that isn’t a god at all, even in the conceptions of the pagans, but is revered and worshiped as if it is a god. The habits of the Antichrist include being generous with his toadies, as we see here with the distribution of land as well as wealth, which still happens today and which has been more and less frequent at different points of history. Luther writes: “As to outward appearances… Practical and clear sermons hold an audience, but neither [their] people nor [their own] clergy have ever understood [their] teaching. The real adornment of the churches is godly, practical, and clear teaching, the godly use of the sacraments, ardent prayer, and the like. Candles, golden vessels, and ornaments like that are fitting, but they are not the peculiar adornment of the church. If our opponents (the Catholic clergy) center their worship in such things rather than in the proclamation of the Gospel, in faith, and in its struggles, they should be classified with those whom Daniel describes (here in Daniel 11:38) as worshiping their God with gold and silver” (Apology XXIV:51).

Here we should answer various objections to our understanding and our confession that the papacy is clearly the Antichrist.

Objection 1: Isn’t the Antichrist some political oppressor, like Nero, Stalin, or Napoleon Bonaparte? We answer: But all of them were outside the church, and Paul speaks of a spiritual falling away on account of a spiritual tyranny, not necessarily a political tyranny (2 Thessalonians 2:4).

Objection 2: Isn’t the Antichrist an individual, since Paul talks about him in the singular (2 Thessalonians 2:3,4,8)? We answer: But Paul speaks of his secret beginnings in his own day, and yet also speaks of his destruction at the end of the world. We can only conclude that an institution is being described, and therefore we say “the papacy” and not “the pope” is the Antichrist.

Objection 3: The pope cannot be the Antichrist because Paul talks about a complete “falling away.” The Catholic church adheres to many godly and fundamental articles of faith: The Trinity, the person and natures of Christ, and so on. We answer: But this simply agrees with and conforms with Paul’s statement that the Antichrist “sits in the temple of God” (2 Thessalonians 2:4). And when Justification by the grace of God (the pillar upon which the church stands or falls) is rejected, then the articles mentioned cannot save a sinner. For Paul also writes: “All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law’” (Galatians 3:10).

Objection 4: The papacy cannot be “the man of sin” because many of the popes were pious men. We answer: But the very righteous Pharisees were the bitterest opponents of Jesus (Mark 3:6), and Paul points out the deceptiveness of the Antichrist, “who deceives those who are perishing” (2 Thessalonians 2:10).

Objection 5: At the very least, this conclusion that the papacy is the very Antichrist must not be preached as an article of faith, since the name “pope” is not mentioned. We answer: But it is the nature of prophecies that they should be believed by those who believe in Christ and trust in him. “If you believed Moses,” Jesus said, “you would believe me, for he wrote about me” (John 5:46). And the Scripture should be used to refute false teachers. “He vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ” (Acts 18:28). And Jesus proved his own identity not by holding up his name and forcing the conclusion, but by holding up his preaching and his miracles as proof that he fulfilled the prophecies about himself, and he did this even with the disciples of John (Matthew 11:2-6). Paul places the identification of the Antichrist in the future, “He [will] be revealed at the proper time… then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow” (2 Thessalonians 2:6,8).

Some Catholics and many millennialists hold that the Antichrist will be an individual who will appear only in the very last days, shortly before the return of Christ. This was put forward by Francisco Ribera of Spain (1537-1591). Our Lutheran Confession states: “The papacy will be a part of the kingdom of Antichrist if it maintains that human rites justify. They take honor away from Christ when they teach that we are not justified freely for his sake but by such rites, and especially when they teach that for justification such rites are not only useful but also necessary” (Apology XV:18). And we have shown that Antichrist is an institution and not just one man.

We can see sin in our own lives in two ways in this passage. First, we understand what a danger there would be should any of us ever begin to honor power and worldly might over God and his holy will. Also, there is the sinful danger of uniting in fellowship with a church that does not recognize the danger of the papacy, the Antichrist, or that denies that this is the meaning of the prophecy, not only here in Daniel were it might be difficult to see, but also in 2 Thessalonians, 1 John and 2 John, where it is revealed clearly and with undisputable terms.

We also know and understand that some have become involved with the Roman church through marriage, and especially through the very difficult, almost insurmountable conditions that the Catholic church puts on its members about marrying anyone outside of their fellowship. May God show his grace, patience, compassion, and pure doctrine to them as to all, and assure them that his blessings come to those who trust in him and who believe in him, whose silent prayers are heard and will be answered. For our Lord’s love is not reserved only for those whose lives appear to be perfect and that line up straight and true with the holy Yardstick of the Scriptures, but with all who trust in Jesus, whose lives may be difficult, with challenges that seem insurmountable. “The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.”

In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith

 

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