THE PROPHECY, PART II (Daniel 11)

Transcription

1 THE PROPHECY, PART II (Daniel 11) Daniel has being listening attentively to the message of the angel sent from God concerning the times ahead for Israel. As we have seen already, the prophecies have included exact and specific detail. Also, the various prophecies have not needed to be understood in any way other than by literal interpretation. The final prophecy is the most widely-encompassing, and it is significant the Lord has been continuously preparing Daniel throughout his course as a prophet. We have seen how, in the early chapters, he accurately interpreted the vision of Nebuchadnezzar and saw it came to pass. He also saw the fulfilment of the prophecies concerning how the Babylonian Empire would be replaced by the Medo-Persian Empire. He further prophesied concerning the kingdoms of Greece and then Rome which were future to him. We have also looked at how the Greek Empire under Alexander the Great was divided into four separate regions governed by four of his generals Cassander who ruled Greece and Macedonia, Lysimachus who ruled Thrace and Asia Minor, Seleucus who ruled Syria, and Ptolemy who ruled Egypt. We then saw the development of the two generals who had particular relevance to the nation of Israel. Both these generals, - at different times, - ruled over God s people. Seleucus is described as the king of the north, and Ptolemy as the king of the south. Ultimately, after many years of battles and conflicts, the Seleucid dynasty from the north became the dominant power. Now, Daniel was prophesying in 535 BC about such great historical characters as Ahasuerus (v.2), Alexander (v.3), Antiochus Theos (v.5), Antiochus the Great (v.10), and our present study will take us into the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes (v.21). To give him his full title Antiochus IV Epiphanes, which means Antiochus, the God Manifest (Ἀντίοχος Δ ὁ Ἐπιφανής). He lived from c BC, and reigned from BC. His birth-name was Mithradates which was the Greek form of a name that came from the ancient Parthian empire (modern Iran), which meant given by the deity Mithra. Mithra was the god of covenants. Antiochus Epiphanes is introduced, Dan. 11:21 And in his [i.e. the son of Seleucus Philopator (v.20), the son of Antiochus the Great (v.14-19)] estate [place, office] shall stand up [i.e. he will establish himself] a vile person [bazah contemptible,

2 2 despicable, disgusting, immoral, repulsive, etc]. In every sense of the word, this person was prophesied to be a thoroughly destructive and heinous individual. He has already been referred to in chapter eight, 8 Therefore the he goat [Alexander the Great] waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones [i.e. Cassander, Lysimachus, Seleucus, Ptolemy] toward the four winds of heaven. 9 And out of one of them [i.e. Seleucus] came forth a little horn [Antiochus Epiphanes], which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land. How did he become so influential and so formidable? Here s how, 21 And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. He will sneak in under the radar and take by stealth what is not rightly his. He will come in quietly. Initially, he will not cause a stir. He will hardly be noticed, - peaceably, shalvah. He will wheedle his way in and win the people over with his sweet-talk and flattery, slippiness and fine promises. In fact, the word for flatteries is chalaqlaqah, - it is a kind of a made-up word that duplicates itself. You might use it with a mischievous glint in your eye! And, in an underhanded way, he will take over the throne. True, his father was Antiochus the Great (the king over the region of Syria) but he, - Antiochus Epiphanes, - was not in line to succeed him. Instead, it was his older brother, Seleucus Philopator. Besides, Antiochus Epiphanes became a political hostage of the up-and-coming Roman Republic following the Peace of Apamea (188 BC), which came after Rome s victories at the battles of Thermopylae (191 BC) and Magnesia (190 BC). Antiochus Epiphanes older brother (Seleucus Philopator), therefore, - on his father s death (i.e. Antiochus the Great), - acceded to the throne in 187 BC. Obviously this was not to Antiochus Epiphanes liking. However, in the meantime, his older brother Seleucus Philopator was conveniently murdered by Heliodorus (Dan. 11:20) and Seleucus Philopator s son, - Demetrius I Soter [ Saviour ] (Antiochus Epiphanes nephew), - came to the throne And Antiochus Epiphanes took his opportunity, seized the throne, and proclaimed himself as co-regent with another son of Seleucus Philopator, - a young child called Antiochus who was another nephew of Antiochus Epiphanes However, true to form, he got a man called Andronicus to murder the young Antiochus and then Antiochus Epiphanes murdered him, Andronicus! Such was the calibre of this evil man this vile person!

3 Yes but, nevertheless, his rule was God s will, Rom. 13:1 For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Even the most wicked and cruel, for God has a purpose and plan in it all! He shapes and forms the nations, the kings and the presidents and in everything He does, He does it ultimately for His own glory. And there is no doubt about it Antiochus Epiphanes was successful and if you and I would have lived in those days, we might have had a major problem seeing God s hand at work in it all! 22 And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant. 23 And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people. 24 He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers' fathers; he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and riches: yea, and he shall forecast his devices against the strong holds, even for a time. When he establishes himself, he will come in like a flood and sweep away everything before him. His father was Antiochus the Great but he was Antiochus Epiphanes, Antiochus, the God Manifest! History records how he set about adopting a friendlier softly-softly policy with the Ptolemy in Egypt but he sneaked behind backs and violated it. He broke every promise he made. He plotted and schemed. In fact, the description of him being a vile person could have been amplified many times! When he saw something he wanted, he put on the smiles and charm and he got it! And afterwards, any opposition was completely obliterated. Yes, and it was to the fattest places of the province he went. He didn t want scraps, - he had to have the very best whatever the cost to anyone else! Who was the prince of the covenant? At the start of the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes, for the sake of political and religious expediency, he made a pact with the Ptolemy in Egypt and also the Jews in Jerusalem. As we have seen, he did not honour that agreement with the Ptolemy. And neither did he keep his word with the Jews. He deposed the rightful high priest (Jason), and made an arrangement with a man called Menelaus, who he elevated to the post of high priest, - the prince of the covenant, notice, the prince (small p ) relating to the covenant of the Law of Moses who is altogether different to the Prince of princes in 8:25. Unsurprisingly, Menelaus degraded that office by being committed to the vile Antiochus Epiphanes, and subsequently the 3

4 4 religion of Judaism, - officially, - became outright apostate, and committed abominable acts with no regard or respect for Jehovah. The whole society was rotten from the bottom to the top! And that is how Antiochus Epiphanes polluted the Jewish nation and their religion That is how he governed. He was so vile, he wouldn t hesitate from carrying out the most obscene cruelty and yes, he had his supporters even though they were not too many, for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people. He had a group of people around him who manipulated everything for his purposes. And none of his predecessors, - even the worst of them, - would match his depravity for he would be in a class all of his own! He would head down towards Egypt, 25 And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the south shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand: for they shall forecast devices against him. He would start a row in an empty house! At the Battle of Pelusium (173 BC), his trickery brought the downfall of the Egyptian armies and navy under the command of Ptolemy VII Physicon (the younger brother of Ptolemy Philometor). Notice how Daniel prophesied concerning the numbers involved, the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the south shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army The numbers who were following Antiochus Epiphanes had graduated from being a small people (v.23) to being a very great and mighty army (v.25). He was seemingly invincible! Evil was increasing. It was taking over the whole region such was the power of this vile person! And Antiochus was helped by some of the Ptolemy s family who turned traitor to their country and army, 26 Yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat shall destroy him. Some of them betrayed the Egyptian leader and his battle plans to Antiochus, - Ptolemy s own people plotted against him. That was the kind of society it was, - people making promises they never intended to keep. Fools and conspirators gathered around a table plotting with the most powerful and vile individual! 26 Yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow: and many shall fall down slain. 27 And both these kings' hearts [Antiochus and Philopator] shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table [i.e. diplomatic discussions]; but it shall not prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed [i.e. divine purpose]. Speaking lies, - promises they never intended to keep! Imagine having politicians and leaders like that!! Nonetheless, God knows what they are up to, and He is in control!

5 28 Then shall he [Antiochus] return into his land [Syria] with great riches; To return home to Syria he had to pass from Egypt through Israel. As was often the case he would pay Jerusalem a visit and see what he could rob Egypt also had the same practice each time they passed through the area. However, the Jews in Jerusalem had received a false report that Antiochus had been killed and they were exuberant with joy! Antiochus was neither dead nor amused, and he took the city by storm (168 BC), plundered it, and massacred 80,000 men, women, and children... and his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall do exploits, and return to his own land. He also took 40,000 prisoners and sold many of them into slavery. He went back home to Syria. 29 At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the south; but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter. Once again, Daniel s prophecy highlights the sovereignty of God, At the time appointed. It was no accident what Antiochus was doing, - it was all in the will of God. In spite of the actions of this evil man, the sovereign controlling purpose and power of God was being upheld. Satan was never in control! Antiochus was never out of control God was in charge, - totally, completely, and absolutely! No matter how bad the situation might seem, God had never relinquished His authority never! It was to be by sovereign appointment this vile person would take this course. And also in this verse twenty-nine we see a very unsettled man. Antiochus has no sooner arrived in Syria till he is on the move again southward, which would take him through Israel and Jerusalem, on his way to Egypt. It is going to be different this time though, because he shall return, and come toward the south; but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter. Things will change for him, and not for his good! By now, understandably, the Ptolemies were fed up with him, and they appealed to Rome for help, and Rome sent warships, 30 For the ships of Chittim [ bruisers, a general term for islanders in the Mediterranean Sea] shall come against him and Antiochus is not pleased! So, he would come back down through Israel, - to Jerusalem, - and re-establish the alliance he had made previously with the apostate Jews (with Menelaus), therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant. He won t be satisfied though, because his heart shall be against the holy covenant He despises the Jews, so he sets upon a plan of horrendous cruelty, 31 And arms [i.e. armed forces, his soldiers] shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the 5

6 6 sanctuary of strength [i.e. the holy place in the temple], and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination [the detestable idol] that maketh desolate [i.e. that causes the people to be absolutely appalled an unadulterated insult]. In fulfilment of this prophecy, Antiochus Epiphanes entered the temple in 168 BC and set up a statue of Jupiter Olympus, - the supreme god of the Roman Pantheon equivalent to the Greek Zeus the god that Antiochus Epiphanes ( God Manifest ) identified himself with. He sacrificed a sow on the altar, boiled its unclean flesh, sprinkled the whole temple with the broth, and made the priests eat it. Those who wouldn t were killed! He prohibited all Jewish offerings and sacrifices, and he declared he alone was to be worshipped (cf. I Macc. 1:44-54). In the city of God, he made idolatry mandatory! This is the abomination that maketh desolate. Jesus, - over five hundred years later, - would prophesy such a similar event will take place in the end times, Mt. 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) And Paul prophesied about it too, II Thess. 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. History repeats itself! We learn nothing from history if we do not learn from history! But that is what Daniel prophesied Antiochus Epiphanes would do and he would be foreshadowing what the final antichrist would also do. And Daniel predicted there would be two types of Jew in Jerusalem during Antiochus raids, - one unfaithful to God, and one faithful 32 And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. Some will willingly follow Antiochus Epiphanes, - regardless of how depraved he demonstrates himself, for they will be hopelessly corrupted by his flatteries. They are sold on him completely! They cannot and will not see how abominably wicked he is! How reminiscent it is of the Scriptural teaching concerning the final Antichrist of the last days! And yet, on the other hand, God kept a righteous remnant, led by a family known as the Maccabees, of the Hasmonean dynasty. They recognised how reprobate Antiochus was and they stood against him! Isn t it encouraging how God always keeps and maintains His remnant, regardless of the wickedness and evil! Yes, many of the religious people followed the false religion but God kept faithfully those who were His. Yes, there will be unprecedented times of persecution and Daniel made no

7 7 secret of it, but informed the faithful in order to encourage them, 33 And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days. No matter how hard he tries, Antiochus will not be able to put the flame out, for God s promise to His people is that He will keep the fire burning! 34 Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries. When God s true people will need assistance and encouragement, they will be offered a little help here and a little there but it will be so insincere pretence so paltry, it will be pathetic. It will be pretending, evasive, and hypocritical, - worthless. 35 And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed. And yes, the times will be so difficult some who will have a true zeal for God will stumble, - and fear, and doubt, and their faith will be dented, - but God in His mercy will refine and purify them. That is the promise old Daniel was being given. Despite the cruelty of Antiochus Epiphanes, God would keep His faithful remnant. I know we have only skirted out an outline of these events prophesied thus far in this chapter but it is highly significant how we can look into history and see how these prophecies came to pass every little detail. In fact, the liberals say the detail is so accurate, it must have been written sometime far later than Daniel. But they are wrong for God gave Daniel this prophecy ahead of the events, and that is the reason they are so accurate. History is His Story, and He has written, directed, and produced it. In the next verse we move forward into a time not yet, to another man who will exceed the evil exploits of Antiochus Epiphanes. And, since each of the events thus far were fulfilled literally, so also I believe, we must apply the same hermeneutical principle and conclude these remaining verses will also be fulfilled literally. Amen.