Daniel Lesson 22 - Fairhaven Baptist Church

Daniel Lesson 22

Text: Daniel 11:21-35

Intro: last study we entered into what some people refer to as the “silent years” of the bible. The time between Malachi and Matthew, the 400 years that separate the Old testament form the New Testament. However, for the student of the bible, we discover that these years were not ignored, they are spoken about in great detail. As the angel reveals to Daniel what will happen to the Jewish people, we see the rise and fall of Persia, Greece, and the entrance of Rome. This study will focus on the last power during this time frame, it is the power we see in command when we get into the New Testament. Last study we saw the kingdoms of the four generals of Alexander as they went through the generations. Until we finally get to Antiochus Epiphanies. Tonight we will go from vs.21 t0 vs.35, it is there the prophecies shift form Antiochus to the person he is a foreshadow of, the anti-Christ.

The Vile Person,
1. Antiochus IV-
  1. Epiphanies,
    1. the glorious one
    2. Although Gabriel called him “a vile person”
      - he is the one that I mentioned last lesson that helps lead to the wars of the Maccabees,
      - He had a particular contempt for the Jewish people
    3. he was known by Jewish people as Antiochus Epimanes- the mad man.
  2. His accent to the throne,
    1. It says in vs.21 he obtains the kingdom by flattering,
      - he was not an heir to the kingdom, the true heir was Demetrius Soter,
        
        however he was very young, so Antiochus claimed to be his protector, and claimed the throne for himself.
  3. His Military Prowess,
    1. He was talented as a military leader, a combination of strategy and brute force.
    2. Vs.22 refers to Ptolemy attacking him with a “flood of arms”
      - yet he was able to withstand,
      - the prince of the covenant mentioned here is a reference to the Jewish high priest that was killed then, Onias III
    3. Vs.23&24 the small people here is speaking of how he would divide the spoils of victory with his people,
      - and how can you win favor with the masses? Giving free stuff.
    4. Vs.25-28 recounts his first campaign against Egypt, the king of the south,
      - he would win, but not take the entire land,
      - this leads him to sit at the bargaining table with the Egyptian leaders,
        
        but as often happens today, they were both liars, and never intended to keep peace.
    5. On his return home, he turned his attention to Israel,
      - vs.28 His heart shall be against the holy covenant
      - he plundered the temple, killed many Jews, put a stop to daily sacrifice,
    6. Two years latter, he turned his attention again to Egypt,
      - this time only to encounter a fleet of ships, vs.30
      - he was stopped by the Egyptians,
      - but more importantly, he was also confronted by Rome.
        
        An ambassador was sent to him to tell him to stop his attack,
        
        Gaius Popillius Laenas was the ambassador that was sent,
        
        He drew a circle around him, and then told him that he needed an answer if he would stop his attack or not before he crossed the line, otherwise Rome would declare war on him.
        
        Drew a line in the sand,
    7. Reluctantly he stopped, so he returned home, and again turned his attention to the Jews,
      - vs.31, December 14^th 168 B.C. Antiochus desecrated the temple,
        
        he placed there an altar to Zeus, and offered a pig as a sacrifice,
      - Gabriel called this “the abomination that maketh desolate”
        
        this is foreshadowing how the Anti-Christ will put his own image in the temple.
        
        He used Jewish traitors to help him in his efforts against the Jews,
        
        promising them reward for their service,
        
        Did you know that Hitler was of Jewish linage, his grandfather was Jew.
      - Antiochus was not only trying to kill the Jews, but also destroy their religion,
        
        seems odd for a society that proclaims to be so tolerant,
        
        after all the Romans were famous for all the gods they worshiped???
      - vs.32, again the Jewish traitors were rewarded for their service,
      - But it also points to the Jews that stood firm in their faith,
  4. The Rise of the Maccabees, vs.32-35,
    1. Maccabees is not a typical Jewish name,
      - but the Hebrew word Maqqebeth is-
      - it means hammer, this is the way they fought.
      - A Jewish priest and his five sons (Mattathias)
        
        they gathered an army to fight back,
    2. after a long fight they finally did win,
      - On December 14th165 B.C (three years after the desolation) they dedicated the temple,
      - the celebrate this as the “feast of lights” or as we call it today “Hanukkah”
  5. Antiochus IV’s death,
    1. in 163 he passed in Persia,
    2. He would be judged by history as having been insane, not only by the Jews but by others as well.
    3. However, this is not the end of his legacy,
      - Gabriel closes this section by reminding Daniel that Antiochus had implications for the end times for the Jews,
      - Daniel would know that these things were just a shadow of things to come for the Jewish people,
      - next lesson we will look at some of those things in the latter days…