DANIEL: THRIVING IN A GODLESS CULTURE

XV: God's Encouraging Details Of Antiochus IV's Rule

(Daniel 11:21-35a)

I. Introduction

A. We believers living in a spiritually decaying, godless culture, need to live affirmatively in victory over sin.

B. Daniel as a young man was taken captive by godless Babylonians, and he lived through Persia's conquest of Babylon, righteously and wisely serving the Lord in a godless culture as a great example for us.

C. One of the great encouragements we can glean from Daniel's life experiences was the revelation God gave him on His vast sovereignty over Israel's most heinous overlords, what Daniel 11:21-35a provides us (as follows):

II. God's Encouraging Predictions Of Antiochus IV's Rule, Daniel 11:21-35a.

A. The Daniel 7-12 visions predict trials God's people would face after Daniel's era under godless empires until the arrival of Christ’s Kingdom. Daniel 11:22-35a predicted the details of vile Antiochus IV Epiphanes' horrible reign over Israel, revealing God's great sovereignty over even rulers like him down through history.

B. We view that insight given by God's powerful angel to Daniel for our edification, Daniel 11:21-35a:

1. Antiochus IV Epiphanes was a "contemptible person" who seized the throne for turning aside an invading army, using intrigue to gain power over the true heir to the throne. He also deposed the high priest Onias III, called in Daniel 11:22b the "prince of the covenant," Dan. 11:21-22; Bib. Know. Com., O. T., p. 1369.

2. Unlike his predecessors in power, Antiochus IV took wealth from the rich and gave it to his few followers, resulting in his great rise in prestige and power, Daniel 11:23-24; Ibid.

3. Antiochus IV then moved his army against Egypt only to sit at a table professing friendship with his vanquished foe's leader while the goal of both men was to deceive the other, Daniel 11:25-27; Ibid.

4. Frustrated in not having conquered all of Egypt, Antiochus IV returned from Egypt only to express his fury against the Hebrews, desecrating the Jerusalem temple before returning to his land, Dan. 11:28; Ibid.

5. Two years later, Antiochus Epiphanes again moved against Egypt, but he was opposed by the Romans who had come in ships from western coastlands, Daniel 11:29-30a; Ibid. The Romans ordered him not to war against Egypt, and when Antiochus asked for time to consider this order, "the emissary drew a circle in the sand around Antiochus and demanded that he give his answer before he stepped out of the circle," Ibid., p. 1369-1370. Antiochus heeded Rome's demands, a humiliating defeat for him, Daniel 11:30b.

6. Infuriated once again, Antiochus IV returned home, and on the way unleashed his fury against the Mosaic Law, favoring any "renegade Jews who turned to help him," Daniel 11:30c; Ibid., p. 1370. He banned the observance of much of the Law, he ordered that copies of the Law be burned, he erected an altar to Zeus on the altar of burnt offering and had a pig offered on it, defiling it, Daniel 11:31; Ibid. Antiochus IV then sent his general with 22,000 soldiers into Jerusalem, attacking it on the Sabbath, killing many Hebrews, taking many women and children as slaves and plundering and burning the city, Daniel 11:32; Ibid.

7. Hebrews who refused to submit to Antiochus' false religion were persecuted and martyred, and Mattathias, a priest and father of five sons, fled from Jerusalem and began the Maccabean revolt, Daniel 11:33.

8. In time, many joined them, some with good motives and others with false ones, and it was a time of short duration but of severe refining until the persecution ran its course and Antiochus IV died insane in Persia in 163 B. C. just three years after Mattathias and his sons had fled from Jerusalem, Ibid.; Dan. 11:34-35a.

C. In retrospect, this era was a brief preview of sorts of the coming antichrist's reign of terror that will last for 3 ½ years in the last half of the 70^th prophetic week of Daniel 9:27. The redistribution of wealth, the intrigue, the cruelty toward the Hebrews and false idolatry in the temple with many Hebrews being purified all anticipate likely similar events in the coming Great Tribulation Period that is yet to occur.

Lesson: Though Antiochus IV was a type of the final antichrist to come, spawning terrible persecution for the Hebrew people, God sovereignly used it to refine many Hebrews as He will refine Israel through antichrist's reign.

Application: (1) Noting that the sins of Antiochus IV were like the sins of many leaders now such as (a) the forced redistribution of wealth (socialism; Dan. 11:23-24), (b) favoring the few, sinful supporters (elitist progressives; Dan. 11:23-24), (c) brazen deceit (mainstream media, many officials; Dan. 11:25-27) and (d) venting unjust anger at the upright (slandering conservatives, evangelicals) (Dan. 11:28, 30c-33), yet noting that Antiochus IV came to an end, we can take heart that God will eventually punish all such evils that are being committed today. (2) We should live uprightly like the Hebrews who were opposed to Antiochus IV's sins and were refined, Dan. 11:33-35a.