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DANIEL — LESSON 15
In Lesson 14 we studied the prophecies of Alexander the Great taking Babylon, how he died in Babylon and his kingdom was then divided by his four major generals who called themselves kings. The prophecy then focuses on the two generals or kings that at different times ruled over Israel. The prophecy has taken us through Daniel 11:20. As we move into the next verses, we will study the prophecy and history of the King of the North who was Antiochus Epiphanes.
[Daniel 11:21-24] (21) He will be succeeded by a contemptible person who has not been given the honor of royalty. He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue. (22) Then an overwhelming army will be swept away before him; both it and a prince of the covenant will be destroyed. (23) After coming to an agreement with him, he will act deceitfully, and with only a few people he will rise to power. (24) When the richest provinces feel secure, he will invade them and will achieve what neither his fathers nor his forefathers did. He will distribute plunder, loot and wealth among his followers. He will plot the overthrow of fortresses, but only for a time.
Antiochus Epiphanes became ruler of the northern territory of Syria in 175 BC. In Daniel chapter 8:9-14 he is referred as the “little horn”. The deceiving Little Horn with the mouth that lies. Fulfilled by Antiochus Epiphanes, the prophecy looks forward to the Antichrist The power of the Greek territories was declining as Rome began to rise. Antiochus was power hungry and money hungry. Like his predecessors he robbed the territories under his control. He disliked the Jewish people and his goal was to convert Jerusalem into a center for Greek culture.
[Daniel 11:25-28] (25) With a large army he will stir up his strength and courage against the king of the South. The king of the South will wage war with a large and very powerful army, but he will not be able to stand because of the plots devised against him. (26) Those who eat from the king’s provisions will try to destroy him; his army will be swept away, and many will fall in battle. (27) The two kings, with their hearts bent on evil, will sit at the same table and lie to each other, but to no avail, because an end will still come at the appointed time. (28) The king of the North will return to his own country with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant. He will take action against it and then return to his own country.
In 170 BC, Antiochus gathered a large army and moved against the King of the South which was Egypt conquering all except the city of Alexandria. At that time he captured King Ptolemy but in order to avoid any problems with Rome he allowed Ptolemy to continue to rule as a puppet king. The two countries made these agreements but neither was faithful to keep them. Antiochus plundered Egypt and took great riches back to Syria. In verse 28, it says that Antiochus really wanted to focus his power and energies against Jerusalem. He removed the High Priest and appointed one of his choosing.
[Daniel 11:20-30] (29) At the appointed time he will invade the South again, but this time the outcome will be different from what it was before. (30) Ships of the western coastlands will oppose him, and he will lose heart. Then he will turn back and vent his fury against the holy covenant. He will return and show favor to those who forsake the holy covenant.
In 168 BC Antiochus once again invaded Egypt. This time he his goal was to capture Cyprus on the Mediterranean Sea. Gaius Popillius Laenas, an old ambassador of Rome met him and demanded that he leave Egypt and if he did not leave, he would be attacked by Rome. He left. This map shows the coin with Antiochus’ picture, and the meeting with the Roman ambassador near Alexandria, Egypt.
[Daniel 11:31-35] (31) “His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation. (32) With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him. (33) “Those who are wise will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered. (34) When they fall, they will receive a little help, and many who are not sincere will join them. (35) Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time.
While Antiochus was in Egypt, a rumor spread in Jerusalem that he had died. The former High Priest Jason attacked Jerusalem and retook the position of High Priest. When Antiochus returned from Egypt in 167 BC, he attacked Jerusalem, put his man back in as High Priest, and executed many of the Jews. He banned Jewish religious practices such as animal sacrifice, keeping the Sabbath feasts and circumcising the infant boys. Mothers who still circumcised their babies were killed and their families with them. The Jews were required to worship Zeus as their supreme god. The Jews refused to give up their worship of Jehovah and to worship Zeus, so Antiochus sent an army in to enforce it. Antiochus sacrificed a pig on the altar at the temple and put a statue of Zeus in the Holy of Holies.
The Maccabees were a Jewish religious group that led a revolt against Antiochus and won. Following their victory they came into Jerusalem triumphantly. In Greek and Roman mythology, he is the king of the gods The green area is the territory that the Maccabees ruled They set up Jonathan Maccabeus as High Priest and he ritually cleansed the temple and reestablished the sacrificial system and Jewish religious feasts.
When they were preparing to start the temple worship again they only had enough oil to burn in the Menorah, the seven branch candle stick that lit the Holy Place for one day. It took seven days to prepare the oil and during these seven days this one day supply continued to burn. From this miracle came the Feast of Lights or Feast of Dedication. It is today called Hanukah and the Hanukah menorah has eight candlesticks representing the eight days this oil burned. Jews celebrate Hanukah on December 25th the same day as Christians celebrate Christmas. The Maccabees ruled until 160 BC.
[Daniel 11:36-45] (36) “The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take place. (37) He will show no regard for the gods of his ancestors or for the one desired by women, nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above them all. (38) Instead of them, he will honor a god of fortresses; a god unknown to his ancestors he will honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. (39) He will attack the mightiest fortresses with the help of a foreign god and will greatly honor those who acknowledge him. He will make them rulers over many people and will distribute the land at a price. (40) “At the time of the end the king of the South will engage him in battle, and the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood. (41) He will also invade the Beautiful Land. Many countries will fall, but Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon will be delivered from his hand. (42) He will extend his power over many countries; Egypt will not escape. (43) He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, with the Libyans and Cushites in submission. (44) But reports from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in a great rage to destroy and annihilate many. (45) He will pitch his royal tents between the seas at the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.
The prophecies up through verse 35 have been fulfilled in history. The rest is yet to come. The lesson of Daniel chapter 11 is that God knows the future and gave these accurate prophesies to Daniel. We can be sure that the prophesies given later that have not come to pass yet, will in God’s time.
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