Daniel
11
1,2: Also I in the first
year of Darius the Mede, even I, stood to confirm and to strengthen him.
And now will I shew thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three
kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and by
his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of
Grecia.
Xerxes I Ahasuerus (486-465 BC) was
the fourth Persian king after Cyrus, who married a Jewess named Esther,
and attempted to conquer Greece in 480 BC but failed to conquer.
[Alexander the Great
(336-323 BC)]
3,4: And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great
dominion, and do according to his will. And when he shall stand up, his
kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of
heaven; and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he
ruled: for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those.
With
Alexander's premature death in 323 BC, the Grecian Empire was broken into
four separate divisions under the control of four former generals who
became kings sixteen years later, after considerable political wrangling
and the murder of all of Alexander's heirs.
1) Seleucus I - who began
the Seleucid (Syrian) empire, from Turkey to India
2) Cassander - who took over Macedonia (Greece)
3) Lysimachus - who took Thracia (between Greece and
Turkey)
4) Ptolemy I - who ruled over Egypt
[Ptolemy I Soter (323-285
BC)]
5:
And the king of the south shall be strong, and one of his princes; and he
shall be strong above him, and have dominion; his dominion shall be a
great dominion.
Ptolemy
I ruled over Egypt and Palestine for 38 years and Seleucus I ruled over
Babylonia, adding extensive territories both east and west. Ultimately,
Seleucus I united three of the four kingdoms under his control as king of
the North.
6: And in the end of years they shall join themselves
together; for the king's daughter of the south shall come to the king of
the north to make an agreement: but she shall not retain the power of the
arm; neither shall he stand, nor his arm: but she shall be given up, and
they that brought her, and he that begat her, and he that strengthened her
in these times.
Ptolemy Ceraunus, younger brother of Ptolemy
II Philadelphus (285-246 BC), killed Seleucus I. Antiochus I Soter
(280-261 BC) succeeded his father Seleucus I and was succeeded by his son
Antiochus II Theos (261-246 BC). Berenice II, daughter of the king of Egypt,
Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285-246 BC), married Antiochus II. Ptolemy II
died and Antiochus II restored Laodice and put away Berenice II. Antiochus II
was then poisoned by Laodice, and placed her son Seleucus II Callinicus (246-226 BC) on the
throne. Afterwards, Seleucus II killed Berenice and her son at Daphne near Antioch.
[Ptolemy
III Euergetes (246-221 BC)]
7,8: But out of a branch of her roots shall one stand up in his
estate, which shall come with an army, and shall enter into the fortress
of the king of the north, and shall deal against them, and shall prevail:
And shall also carry captives into Egypt their gods, with their princes,
and with their precious vessels of silver and of gold; and he shall
continue more years than the king of the north.
The
death of Berenice resulted in war between Seleucus II Kallinikos
"The king of the north" and Berenice's
brother Ptolemy III Euergetes "king of the
south" (246-221 BC), who became the king of Egypt
after the death of his father. He attacked Syria, Phoenicia, Cilicia,
Babylonia, and Mesopotamia, capturing each. Ptolemy III overtook Antioch
and/or Seleucia, the port of Antioch, where he recovered 2,500 Egyptian
gods and 40,000 talents of silver which had been carried off to Syria by
the Persian king Cambyses, when he conquered Egypt in 525 BC.
9,10: So the king of the south
shall come into his kingdom, and shall return into his own land. But his
sons shall be stirred up, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces:
and one shall certainly come, and overflow, and pass through: then shall
he return, and be stirred up, even to his fortress.
Seleucus
III Ceraunus (226-223 BC) and Antiochus III Magnus
"The king of the north" (223-187 BC),
respectively, succeeded their father Seleucus II. Ptolemy IV Philopater
(221-203 BC) succeeded Ptolemy III as king of Egypt, and, he was attacked
by Antiochus III, who beat the army of Ptolemy IV near Berytus. Fighting
with an army of 78,000 men, Antiochus III (the Great) took the battle as
far as the fortress of the city of Raphia in southern Palestine.
[Battle
for Raphia in 217 BC]
11,12: And the king of the
south shall be moved with choler, and shall come forth and fight with him,
even with the king of the north: and he shall set forth a great multitude;
but the multitude shall be given into his hand. And when he hath taken
away the multitude, his heart shall be lifted up; and he shall cast down
many ten thousands: but he shall not be strengthened by it.
The historian Polybius recorded that during
the battle for Raphia in 217 BC, the raging defensive forces of Ptolemy IV,
"The king of the south,"
which numbered 75,000 men defeated the attacking forces of Antiochus III,
"The king of the north,"
and killed 10,000 infantrymen. However, subsequently, a force of Egyptians
fought internally against Ptolemy IV who was puffed up with pride and
living in luxury after his victory over Antiochus III. The civil battles
resulted in the death of 60,000 Egyptian citizens.
[Ptolemy
V Epiphanes (203-181 BC)]
13,14: For the king
of the north shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than
the former, and shall certainly come after certain years with a great army
and with much riches. And in those times there shall many stand up against
the king of the south: also the robbersH1121,H6530
[violent, tyrannical sons] of thy people shall exalt
themselves to establish the vision; but they shall fall.
After the death
of Ptolemy IV, he was succeeded by his son Ptolemy V Epiphanes (203-181
BC), who proceeded to battle with Antiochus III over Syria and Phoenicia.
Palestinian Jews joined the forces of Antiochus III in the battle against
Ptolemy V, but were defeated by the Ptolemaic general Scopas in 200 BC.
15-17: So the king of
the north shall come, and cast up a mount, and take the most fenced
cities: and the arms of the south shall not withstand, neither his chosen
people, neither shall there be any strength to withstand. [The
next year, Antiochus III defeated general Scopas, capturing the port city
of Sidon, recovering Syria and Phoenicia.] But he that
cometh against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall
stand before him: and he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his
hand shall be consumed. He shall also set his face to enter with the
strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; thus shall he
do: and he shall give him the daughter of women, corrupting her: but she
shall not stand on his side, neither be for him.
Antiochus III was in command of a very large
army, easily conquering Palestine, and obtaining the voluntary loyalty of
the Jews without any resistance. While preparing for war with the Romans,
Antiochus III came to the city of Raphia on the Palestinian border of
Egypt and made peace with Ptolemy V. In an effort to gain control in
Egypt, Antiochus III offered his daughter Cleopatra I in marriage to
Ptolemy V in 194 BC, however, after the marriage Cleopatra I became loyal
to her husband, who sustained his control over Egypt.
[Fall of
Antiochus III Magnus in 187 BC]
18,19: After this shall he turn
his face unto the isles, and shall take many: but a prince for his own
behalf shall cause the reproach offered by him to cease; without his own
reproach he shall cause it to turn upon him. Then he shall turn his face
toward the fort of his own land: but he shall stumble and fall, and not be
found.
The
following year, Antiochus III turned his attention to Asia Minor and
mainland Greece where some Grecian cities were under Roman control. The
fleet of Antiochus III was twice defeated at sea by the Roman fleet near Phoceia and near Ephesus. Ptolemy V and Cleopatra I then sent an embassy
to Rome to congratulate the Romans on their victory and to encourage the
Romans to press on with the war in Asia. According to the First Book of
Maccabees 1:10, during the war, Epiphanes, son of Antiochus III was
captured and was taken to Rome as a hostage. Ultimately defeated in 190 BC
by the Roman consul Lucius Cornelius Scipio Asiaticus in the battle of
Magnesia in Asia Minor, Antiochus III retired to the remainder of his
kingdom and was killed three years later by the Persians, as he was
robbing the temple of Jupiter Belus in Elymais, to raise money to pay the
tributes imposed by the Romans.
[Seleucus IV Philopator (187 - 175 BC)]
20: Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes in the glory of
the kingdom: but within few daysH3117 he shall be destroyed, neither in anger,
nor in battle.
Antiochus
III was succeeded by his son Seleucus IV Philopator (187 - 175 BC). As a
tributary of the Romans, Seleucus IV sent his tax collector, Heliodorus,
to rob the temple of Jerusalem to obtain money, however, Heliodorus
engineered a conspiracy against Seleucus IV and killed him. Shortly before
the death of Seleucus IV, he sent his son Demetrius to Rome in a hostage
swap for his brother Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-164 BC), who succeeded
him.
[Antiochus
IV Epiphanes (175-164 BC)
- Type of the antichrist]
21-23: 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. 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. And after the league made with him he
shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with
a small people.
According
to the Second Book of
Maccabees 3:1, Jerusalem was in complete peace under Seleucus IV who
provided kingdom revenues in support of the daily sacrificial services.
After the murder of Seleucus, Heliodorus, treasurer of the kingdom,
assumed interim leadership. Antiochus IV who was in Athens at the time of
his brother's death, negotiated directly with the Romans, convincing them
to keep Demetrius, rightful heir to the throne, in Rome as hostage.
Through the Romans, as a part of a private friendship agreement with the
king of Pergamus, who was given a portion of the kingdom of Antiochus III
in return for assisting the Romans, it was determined that Antiochus IV
would become king, in return for annual tribute to the Romans and the king
of Pergamus. The king of Pergamus expelled Heliodorus and placed Antiochus
IV on the throne.
Not the direct heir to the throne, Antiochus IV
distinguished himself, as more of a commoner, by stealing from the palace
treasury, rambling around town in Roman officer disguise, and drinking and
carousing with people of the lowest rank. Taken for a madman by many in
Syria, he deposed Onias the Jewish high-Priest, and sold the priesthood to
Jason, the younger brother of Onias for 440 talents of silver. Onias was
subsequently killed by Andronicus, deputy to Antiochus IV in Antioch.
While Antiochus IV was away in Egypt, a false rumor spread that he was
dead, sending Judea into revolt. Antiochus IV returned to Jerusalem with
his vast army and indiscriminately killed 80,000 Jews from young to old,
and sold another 40,000 Jews into slavery.
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.
Antiochus IV exacted tributes from the
Palestinian nations, advanced the Grecian ideals and worship of pagan gods
throughout his kingdom, appointed his cronies to positions of power as
tribute collectors, allowed his friends to plunder the temple wealth, and
he set his sights on capturing all of Egypt. He allowed the position of
Jewish high-Priest to be bought and sold by the highest apostate bidder,
and, according to the Second Book of
Maccabees 4:30, he gave the peoples of Tarsus and Mallus to his
mistress, as a gift.
25,26: 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. Yea, they that
feed of the portion of his meat shall destroy him, and his army shall
overflow: and many shall fall down slain.
Upon
the death Antiochus's sister Cleopatra I, the eunech Eulaeus, personal
governor of Cleopatra's son, claimed Phoenicia and Coelosyria from
Antiochus IV as a dowery for the young boy king. In 170 BC, Antiochus IV
attacked and overtook the Egyptian army between Pelusium and the mountain
Casius. Capable of destroying the whole Egyptian army, Antiochus IV spared
many as a friendly gesture, and, soon after, he captured all of the
Egyptian cities, which he also befriended. Antiochus IV blamed the war on
Eulaeus, personal governor to Ptolemy VI Philometer (181-146 BC), so as to
make friends with the young boy king.
27: And both of these kings' hearts
shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it
shall not prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.
Antiochus
IV entered into an outward, sycophant uncleship with the young king
Ptolemy VI and let him assist with affairs of the kingdom, from the
Egyptian city of Memphis. Egyptians in the city of Alexandria, seeing that
Ptolemy VI was in the custody of Antiochus IV, declared Euergetes, younger
brother to Ptolemy VI, to be the next king of Egypt. Pretending to
establish Ptolemy VI on the Egyptian throne, Antiochus IV made war upon
Euergetes and beseiged him and Euergetes's sister in Alexandria, defeating
the Egyptian navy at sea. At the same time, the Egyptians in Alexandria
sent emissaries to Rome to request assistance.
28: Then
shall he return into his land with great riches; and his heart shall be
against the holy covenant; and he shall do exploits, and return to his own
land.
Antiochus
IV returned to Syria in the spring of 169 BC, leaving Ptolemy VI to rule
from Memphis. During the winter, Ptolemy VI and his brother Euergetes
reconciled and were reunited in Alexandria, where Ptolemy VI assumed the
role of the king of Egypt. While in Judea on the way to Syria, Antiochus
IV directed his captains to make spoil of the Judean and Jewish wealth,
capturing 1,800 talents of gold and silver, including the gold altar from
the temple in Jerusalem, to be taken to Antioch. He ordered Apollonium, a
captain of 22,000 men, to enter Jerusalem on the sabbath in a parade of
arms, killing grown men who came out to see them, taking young men and
women captive, and selling them as slaves for money.
29,30: At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the south;
but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter. For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: 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.
Returning
to Egypt in the spring of 168 BC to besiege Alexandria and the two young
boy Egyptian kings, Antiochus IV was met by the Roman ambassadors, Popilius Loena, C. Decimius, and C. Hostilius. Prior to accepting a kiss
on the hand from Antiochus IV, Popilius gave written tables to Antiochus
IV upon which the Roman Senate had issued a decree of support for Egypt.
Popilius drew a circle on the ground around Antiochus IV, and directed him
to immediately offer his decision regarding his intentions toward the
Egyptians, before leaving the circle he was standing in. Shocked by the
approach of Popilius, Antiochus IV acknowledged the Roman demands and then
he kissed the hand of Popilius, with the agreement to retreat to Syria.
Antiochus IV returned to Syria, sulked at his treatment by the Romans, and
vented his anger on his subjects the Jews by setting up the worship of
heathen gods in all Judea, and, he killed those who would not worship his
gods.
31: And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the
sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they
shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.
According to the First Book of
Maccabees 1:44 - 1:57, Antiochus IV sent word to Jerusalem to stop all
burnt offerings and sacrifices. He ordered an end to circumcision, burned
the books of the Law, erected altars in the sacred precincts of the temple
of Jerusalem for the sacrifice of hogs and unclean cattle, erected a
dreadful desecration upon the altar in the temple of Jerusalem, erected
pagan altars in all Judean towns, and ended the burning of incense. And,
according to the Second Book of
Maccabees 6:2 - 6:6, the forces of Antiochus IV forbade Sabbath
worship, covered the altar of the temple in Jerusalem with abominable
offerings, amused themselves by lying with prostitutes in the sacred
precincts of the temple, and renamed the temple as Zeus Olympius. The
dreadful desecration, known as the abomination that causes desecration,
set up in the location of the altar in the temple of Jerusalem in 168 BC,
was an altar and statue to the pagan god Jupiter (Zeus Olympius).
32,33: 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. 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.
The
Jews were forced underground in order to keep the sabbath and Antiochus IV
openly rewarded apostate Jews with positions of responsibility. In
2 Maccabee 6 & 7, the stories of the deaths of Eleazar, a leading
scribe, and a mother and her seven sons are told. Eleazar set an example
for others by refusing to eat pork and voluntarily submitting to the
torture wheel. The mother and her seven sons each refused to submit and
were skinned alive, dismembered, and boiled in a hot pan. Despite attempts
by Antiochus IV to convince the youngest son with flattery and promised
riches, the son set an example for other youths to follow the laws of
their fathers and forefathers, even unto death.
34: Now when
they shall fall, they shall be holpenH5826 with a little help: but many shall
cleave to them with flatteries.
Observing
the cruelties of Antiochus IV, Judas, who was called Maccabeus, and his
followers secretly entered the villages of Judea and called on their
kinsmen to join them in revolt. By enlisting those who had clung to the
Jewish religion, they mustered 6,000 men, and were joined by the Hasideans,
who were war-like Israelite volunteers. At the same time, Judas selected
Eupolemus and Jason to go to the Roman Senate as emissaries to request
assistance. The Roman Senate was sympathetic and sent brass tablets to
Jerusalem with a written testimony of Roman support for the Jews.
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.
The
story of the death of the elderly scribe Eleazar in the Second Book of
Maccabees, Chapter 6, is the most poignant story regarding the
willingness of the wise to stumble under the Law. Given the choice of
violating his conscience by eating pork to extend his natural life, or
violating Jewish law by submitting to obvious suicidal death, Eleazar went
straight to the torture wheel and ordered his oppressors to send him down
to Hades at once. As he was dying, he said, "The Lord, in his holy
knowledge, knows that, though I might have escaped death, I endure
dreadful pains in my body from being flogged; but in my heart I am glad to
suffer this, because I fear Him." Similarly, one of the seven tortured
sons, at the point of death, said to his oppressors, "Do not be falsely
deceived; for we suffer these things because of ourselves, for we sin
against our own God, so these amazing things have happened. But you must
not suppose that you will go unpunished for having attempted to fight
against our God."
Could it be that Edom, Moab and the chief of the children of
Ammon are the destination of protection in the wilderness for the
remnant of the children of Israel that flee the
time of Jacob's
trouble?
