THE LAST VISION OF PERSIA, GREECE AND THE END OF TIMES This chapter contains amazing prophetic details about the events that will take place in the world during a period of three centuries, which corresponded exactly to the historical events. As C. Larkin says: [This chapter is one of the most amazing chapters, more than any other chapter in the Holy Bible, because it presents the prophecies in details and with precision, which corresponds exactly to the history of the kings of Egypt and Syria for more than 350 years. Verses 5 through 31 relate the prophecies about the wars that erupted between the kings of the North (Syria) and the kings of the South (Egypt)1.] 1. Prophecies about Persia 1-2 2. Prophecies about Greece 3-4 3. Prophecies about the conflict between Egypt and Syria 5-35 4. The end of times, the antichrist 36-45 1. PROPHECIES ABOUT PERSIA “Also in the first year of Darius the Mede, I, even I, stood up to confirm and strengthen him” (1). Some people may think that this statement is about the strengthening of Archangel Michael to Archangel Gabriel. But this is not acceptable because this statement is directed to Archangel Gabriel who stood beside Darius the king and strengthened him to support Cyrus the king of Persia against the Babylonians. In other words, if some of the Persian kings have attacked God’s people and were victorious, we have to understand that this was with God’s permission and with the power granted to the kings through the angels of God. Here the angel does not brag about his power nor his own abilities but act as a steward of God and in the name of God who works through His angels. “And now I will tell you the truth: Behold three more kings will arise in Persia, and the fourth shall be far richer than them all; by his strength, through his riches, he shall stir up all against the realm of Greece” (2). All the prophecies in this chapter pertain to the kingdoms of Persia and Greece, then the conflict between Egypt and Syria. All these verses were to declare God’s care for His church and urge the believers to trust the Lord and His divine care even during the critical times. Truly, there were worldly struggles between many great countries like Babylon, Persia, Medes, and Greece, and between the two parts of the Greek Empire, which are the country of the Ptolomies, and the country of the Selucusians. Behind all these events, God’s hidden hand changes everything for the edification of the Church, and to proof that God gives priority and special concern to people, even if it is unnoticeable. Despite the fact that this prophecy was given in the third year of the reign of Cyrus (10: 1), still Archangel Gabriel refers to Darius and to the strength he gave him. Most of this happened during the time when Daniel was thrown in the den. 1 C. Larkine: The Book of Revelation, p. 113. 236 Some people think that the three kings who ruled Persia after Cyrus were: 1. Cambyses: the son of Cyrus (527 – 522 BC). It is believed that while he was in Egypt, his younger brother Magus (also called Smerdis) was murdered. 2. Smerdis (522 – 521 BC) married Pantaptes, the daughter of Cambyses and stayed in the reign for seven months. 3. Darius Hystaspes or Darius I (521 BC – 486 BC) became king and married Pantaptes, the wife of the previous king. He had a son called Ahasuerus who became one of the richest and most famous kings. Others see that when the angel mentioned the three kings, he meant Cyrus, his son Cambyses and Darius, ignoring Smerdis completely. The Archangel also talked about a fourth king who superseded the former three kings. This was Ahasuerus the son of Darius (480 –465 BC) who married Esther. St. Justine1 talked about the wealth of Ahasuerus who conquered Greece with an army of about 2,641,000 soldiers. The Greeks were determined to take their revenge, and they did. Ahasuerus spent four years gathering his army, but he was not successful in organizing it because of the exceedingly great number of the soldiers. Due to his pride, he was conquered in Salamis and managed to escape in a small boat but could not find any ship to rescue him, although his giant fleet covered the sea. His people considered him unfit to lead the army and they despised him for killing his brother and committing many crimes especially against his sister. The angel considered the remainder of the Persian kings as defeated, for the kingdom of Persia deteriorated and the kings had no prestige at all until Alexander the Macedonian ruled the world. St. Jerome said: [We have to note here that when Cyrus and the kings of Persia were defeated, the book did not mention anything about the other nine kings but mentioned Alexander right away. This is to say that the spirit of prophecy does not care about the historical details, but briefly presents only the very important events2.] 2. PROPHECIES CONCERNING THE GREEKS “Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will. And when he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken up and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not among his posterity nor according to his dominion with which he ruled; for his kingdom shall be uprooted, even for others besides these” (3-4). In the appropriate time, Alexander the Great (356 – 323 BC) will appear and will conquer Persia and other countries. Alexander the Great had great animosity toward the Jews. On his way to Judea, he saw a vision, which was fulfilled when he saw the chief priest, in his priesthood clothes, presenting him with the prophecies of Daniel to confirm that he has conquered Persia and will establish a great kingdom. From that moment, his enmity changed to friendship and he improved his dealings with the Jews. After many conquests and victories, he died all of the sudden while he was drunk. No one knows if he had died from a sudden disease, if he had committed suicide, or if Cassander had poisoned him. The angel told Daniel, “And when he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken up….” This means that after conquering all the countries in the 1 St. Justin: Apol. 1:10. 2 PL 25:701. 237 East and becoming the only king to rule them, by his sudden death his kingdom was demolished. We had previously talked about the conflicts, which happened after his death until his kingdom was divided among four of his generals shortly after the Ipsus battle. The angel said, “For his kingdom shall be uprooted, even for others besides these” (4). This prophecy was precisely fulfilled, for none of his children nor his relatives inherited the throne. Four generals, who are in no way related to Alexander the Great, took over the throne, although he had two sons, Hercules and Alexander II, but one was murdered before his father’s death and the other one after his death. St. Jerome said: [Besides the four kingdoms, which are Macedonia, Asia Minor, Syria, and Egypt, the Macedonian kingdom was split between other rulers less important and between small kings. Perdiccas, Lysimachus, Craterus and others ruled Cappadocea, Armenia, Bithynia, Heracleia and Bophorus. Later on, other regions have withdrawn from the Macedonian power and appointed their own kings1.] The angel has declared all that to Daniel the prophet many years before the birth of Alexander the Great. 3. SPECIAL PROPHESIES ABOUT THE WARS BETWEEN EGYPT AND SYRIA These prophecies talked about the wars between the Selucusians and the Ptolomies. Those two families were in constant war because of the geographical location of Palestine between Egypt and Syria. In most cases Palestine was the battleground, and the kings of Egypt were called the kings of the South and the kings of Syria were called the kings of the North. The war between the North and the South was extended over a long period - about two centuries - and when the angel talks about the king of the North or the king of the South, he does not mean one king for both countries. A. The First War “Also the king of the South shall become strong, as well as one of his princes; and he shall gain power over him and have dominion. His dominion shall be a great dominion” (5). The first king of the South, Ptolemy I Lagus (323 – 285 BC), was very strong, smart and rich, much stronger than Antiochus the son of Seleucus, the king of the North (Syria). However, later on Antiochus became stronger and richer, for Babylon and Medes were added to his kingdom. The angel knew that Antiochus would become much stronger than Ptolemy. St. Jerome said: [The person referred to as “Ptolemy” is Ptolemy Philadelphios, the second king of Egypt, and the son of Ptolemy I Lagus. It was noted that during his era, seventy scholars translated the Holy Bible into Greek (The Septuagint). He also sent many treasures to Jerusalem and vessels to the temple, to Lazarus the chief priest. His librarian was called Dimitrius of Phalrum, a man of fame among the Greeks as a great philosopher. It was also reported that Ptolemy Philadephios was stronger than his father Ptolemy I Lagus. His army counted 200,000 soldiers, 20,000 horses, 2000 chariots and 400 elephants, which he had imported from Ethiopia. His treasure of gold and silver was tremendous, and his annual income from Egypt was 14,800 silver pieces. The harvest of 1 PL 25:703. 238 wheat ranged between half a million to a million kilos1.] “And at the end of some years they shall join forces, for the daughter of the king of the South shall go to the king of the North to make an agreement; but she shall not retain the power of her authority, and neither he nor his authority shall stand; but she shall be given up, with those who brought her, and with him who begot her, and with him who strengthened her in those times” (6). Daniel prophesied about the end of the war between the kings of Egypt and Syria in the year 250 BC, when an agreement was reached between them by the marriage of the king of Syria with the daughter of the king of Egypt. Antiochus Theos (285–246 BC), the third king of Syria, divorced his wife Laodice to get married to Berenice or Betonice, the daughter of Ptolemy II (283–246 BC) who was called Philadelphios. Philadelphios gave his daughter a dowry of thousands of silver and golden pieces; he was also called Phernophorus, or dowry-giver (dotalis). The purpose for which Ptolemy allowed his daughter marry the king of Syria was for him to dominate Syria and all the kingdom of Antiochus. However, the plan failed because Laodice, whom Antiochus had divorced, was kept in the palace as a concubine and not as a queen. As a result, she stirred her friends against the king and killed him. Laodice then enthroned her oldest son, Seleucus Callinicus, and appointed her youngest son, Hierax, governor over Asia Minor. The oldest son deceived Berenice and killed her as well as her son. Thus deceit and cheating entered the lives of the two kings and they both failed. Thus, the prophecy was literally fulfilled, for the plan of the king of Egypt completely failed when the king was not able to introduce his daughter to get married to the king of Syria, also she, her husband who supported her and her son were all murdered. B. The Second War “But from a branch of her roots one shall arise in his place, who shall come with an army, enter the fortress of the king of the North, and deal with them and prevail. And he shall also carry their god’s captive to Egypt, with their princes and their precious articles of silver and gold; and he shall continue more years than the king of the North. Also the king of the North shall come to the kingdom of the king of the South, but shall return to his own land” (7-9). The reference here is to a branch from the family of Berenice who will come with an army to conquer the king of the North. This truly had happened when Ptolemy III Euergetes, the brother of Berenice, the third king of Egypt who succeeded his father Philadelphios, prepared a great army to take revenge for his sister. He truly defeated the king of Syria, Callinicus, with his mother Laodice, and won many victories. Not only did he conquer Syria, but also Cecilia and other regions at the Euphrates. He almost dominated over all Asia2. The news from Egypt about a rebellion made Euregetus go back to Egypt dragging the captives, with two and a half thousand silver and golden statues, which Cambyses had brought from Egypt a long time ago. He also carried with him 40,000 talents of silver. Callinicus did not think of going into battle again with Euregetus, for he knew that he cannot conquer him or restore what he had carried away as a prey. Euregetus remained a king for 46 years. When Callinicus felt that Euregetus will 1 PL 25:703 2 PL 25:706. 239 defeat him, he asked for help from his brother Hierax, the governor of Asia Minor. But Hierax did not care about his brother’s cries for he felt that he is the one who deserves the throne. Later on, he battled against his brother Callinicus who fell dead on his horse, while Euregetus remained king of Egypt 4 years after the death of the king of Syria. In any case, Euregetus did not return to Syria. C. The Third War “However his sons shall stir up strife, and assemble a multitude of great forces; and one shall certainly come and overwhelm and pass through; then he shall return to his fortress and stir up strife. And the king of the South shall be moved with rage, and go out and fight with him, with the king of the North, who shall muster a great multitude; but the multitude shall be given into the hand of his enemy” (10-11). The prophecy in those verses is about the sons of the late king Callinicus, namely Seleucus II Ceraunus and Antiochus the Great, who assembled an army to take revenge from the Egyptians after the death of Euregetus. Ceraunus, with his army, was able to restore the Syrian land, but he was killed in Phyriga in the third year of his reign, for Nicanor and Apaturius deceived him while he was getting ready for the battle against Egypt, leaving his brother, Antiochus the Great, to rule the country. Antiochus the Great became an important king and led a huge army against Egypt. At that time, Ptolemy Philopator was the fourth king of Egypt. The name Philopator, synonym of shame, means “the lover of his father.” The people hated him for he was known to be coward and careless. For this reason, Antiochus the Great decided to battle against him in Rafah in the year 217 BC The king of Egypt, too, gathered a big army, the same size as the army of Syria and was getting ready for the battle. He won the victory over the army of Antiochus in a great massacre. Philopator did not win Antiochus the Great by his bravery and power, but because God allowed that to happen to abase the pride of the latter. Since Philopator was negligent in pursuing his victories and did not trust any of the people surrounding him, he decided to make peace with Antiochus in an inappropriate manner.“ When he has taken away the multitude, his heart will be lifted up; and he will cast down tens of thousands, but he will not prevail” (12). The historians say that Philopator could have invaded Syria very easily, but he indulged himself in his sexual desires, lust and committed many crimes. After returning from the war, he killed his wife, Eurydice, and yielded the rule to an evil lady called Agathoclea, who played music. He fell in love with her brother, Agathocles, and appointed him a general commander of Egypt. After he led many victories and the whole East used to fear him, he indulged in drinking with carelessness and his only concern was making banquets, thus his heart was full of disgrace. “For the king of the North will return and muster a multitude greater than the former; and shall certainly come at the end of some years with a great army and much equipment. Now in those times many shall rise up against the king of the South. Also, violent men of your people shall exalt themselves in fulfillment of the vision, but they shall fall” (13-14). Here the angel reveals to the prophet that many wars will arise. Egypt was found without a king after the death of Ptolemy Philopator, for his son Ptolemy Epiphanes the 240 Fifth (203–181 BC) was only four years old. Agathocles deviated and all the regions under Egypt’s rule rebelled and had many internal problems. Antiochus attacked Egypt at that time, for it became very weak. The Egyptians then turned to Rome to seek help. The Romans wanted to expand their authority over the entire world, so they asked Antiochus to stop the war. He failed in his war against Egypt and after several attempts he finally won the battle against the Egyptian Commander Scopas, on the boundaries of Judea. The angel clarified to Daniel that Antiochus the Great was not the only enemy of Egypt, but that there were many enemies in line. Antiochus made truce with Philip III the Macedonian, and asked for help from the Jews. The righteous Jews refused to help him, but some of the Jews supported him. What does the angel mean by saying, “Also violent men of your people shall exalt themselves in fulfillment of the vision, but they shall fall” (14)? St. Jerome1 says that this prophecy is about the high priest, Onias, who defiled the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem. He escaped to Egypt and took with him a great number of the Jews. Ptolemy received him in great honor and offered him the region of Hiliopolis, where he built an altar to the Lord, fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah that “there will be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt” (Is 19: 19). The book of Maccabees confirmed this fact as well as Josephus the historian. St. Jerome said that the temple remained in its place for 250 years until the era of Vesbesian. The city itself was called “Onias” and it was destroyed during the war between the Jews and the Romans. No traces of the temple or the city were found during the days of St. Jerome. “So the king of the North shall come and build a siege mound, and take a fortified city; and the forces of the South shall not withstand him. Even his choice troops shall have no strength to resist. But he who comes against him shall do according to his own will, and no one shall stand against him. He shall stand in the Glorious Land with destruction in his power. 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 to destroy it; but she shall not stand with him, or be for him” (15-17). St. Jerome said: [In order to restore Judea and some other cities belonging to Syria, Antiochus had to go in battle against Scopas, the Egyptian Commander, near Jordan, close to a city called Peneas. Scopas fled the battle but he was attacked in Sidon along with ten thousand of his soldiers, but the Egyptians were unable to fight back. Thus, Antiochus sat in the “Glorious Land,” Palestine, which fell under his domain. It was referred to in the Septuagint as the “land of desire” which meant the land of which God was pleased. God has revealed to Daniel what will happen, so when Palestine fell in the hands of Antiochus, the righteous man was not heart broken, but realized that God had previously revealed to him that all this will happen. Thus, the prophecy becomes a source of consolation the times of tribulations and persecutions. In order to have Egypt under his control, Antiochus gave his beautiful daughter Cleopatra to be the wife of the Egyptian Ptolemy, thinking that Egypt will then submit to his authority. But Cleopatra did not support her father and chose to support her husband. Therefore, Antiochus directed his attention to Asia Minor, instead of Egypt, where he headed with his navy fleet and invaded many of the islands. “After this, he shall turn his face to the coast-lands, and shall take many. But a 1 PL 25:707. 241 ruler shall bring the reproach against them to an end; and with the reproach removed, he shall turn back on him” (18). Asia Minor and the coast of the Mediterranean, Greece, Cyprus and all the islands in the sea are what it is referred to as coastlands. It was the custom of the Jews to call all the regions by the sea, coastlands. Antiochus, with his small army, was able to advance to Asia Minor. With him, was Hannibal, whose fame had spread to the Romans and terrified them. Therefore, it was not difficult to expel the Romans from every region they headed to. Hannibal became a close friend of Antiochus, however Antiochus had doubts about his loyalty. Antiochus then went to Greece where Hannibal married a beautiful girl and had a big wedding ceremony in full peace, as if he was in his own country. Due to his great fame, he invaded many countries and liberated them from the Romans as the angel told Daniel, “he shall turn his face to the coast-lands and shall take many” (18). When Antiochus rejected Hannibal’s counsel, he began to deteriorate and became a reproach. He used to mock the Romans and invaded some regions in Greece, which were allies of the Romans. The Roman general Lucius, or Acilius Scipio Nasica, along with his brother Publius Scipio Aficanus, were able to attract Antiochus beyond the Taurus Mountain and conquered him in Magnesia, thus taking their revenge for all the mocking which he had uttered against the Romans. Therefore, the angel said, “But a ruler shall bring the reproach against them to an end; and with the reproach removed, he shall turn back on him” (18). Antiochus was then defeated before the Greeks who were the allies of the Romans. At this point, many people blame General Scipio because he left the Roman prestige under the leadership of Philip the Macedonian. “Then he shall turn his face toward the fortress of his own land; but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found” (19). Antiochus, defeated by the Roman general Scipio, went back to his country to get support after the undergone loss. On his way home, he tried to plunder the temple of Jupiter Dodoneus in Elymais, close to Shushan, in order to pay the duty to the Romans. But, the people rebelling against him killed him, and his soldiers. Therefore the angel said, “But he shall stumble and fall and not be found” (19). Antiochus died in the year 187 BC His first son, Seleucus Philopator, also known as Ceraunus, succeeded him (187 – 176 BC). The second son was called Dimitrius, and the third was called Antiochus Epiphanes. Now the angel will talk about Seleucus Philopator. “There shall arise in his place one who imposes taxes on the glorious kingdom; but within a few days he shall be destroyed, but not in anger or in battle” (20). Seleucus Philopator, Antiochus’s successor, had exaggerated in imposing taxes on people (20), to pay the duty to Rome. So he sent his Prime Minister Heliodorus to Jerusalem to plunder the temple. Afterwards, Heliodorus robbed his master and Antiochus Epiphanes succeeded his brother as ruler of Syria. “And in his place shall arise a vile person, to whom they will not give the honor of royalty; but he shall come in peaceably, and seize the kingdom by intrigue” (21). All the historians agree that Antiochus Epiphanes was a crafty person and very stubborn. He even used to bluff the Romans. When the news of the death of his father reached Rome, they released him for they were content with his brother Dimitrius. At his arrival in his country, the people greeted him with great welcome. His brother, Seleucus, 242 did not stay in power for a long time and left his son to succeed him. Antiochus, with his deceitfulness, was able to take over the rule without right. Therefore, the angel said, “To whom they will not give the honor of royalty….” Furthermore, he said, “and seize the kingdom by intrigue.” How did it happen? Antiochus Epiphanes pretended to be a man of peace to his nephew, who was the legitimate heir of the kingdom and its guardian. Thus, he was able to withdraw the kingdom from him. “With the force of a flood they shall be swept away from before him and be broken, and also the prince of the covenant” (22). Antiochus realized that his people were attacking him because they discovered his deceitfulness and the way he excluded his nephew from ruling Syria. He also encountered many difficulties from the surrounding countries like Egypt, whose king was Ptolemy Philometor. His advisors were in good terms with his nephew, the son of Seleucus, whom he dismissed. They, and other people from the surrounding countries, sent a secret help to the son of Seleucus to attack Antiochus. But all these attacks were defeated, as the angel said. All of the above was not due to the power of Antiochus, but with God’s permission, he was allowed to take over the rule to chasten the Jews at that time. Who was the prince of the covenant who was defeated before Antiochus? The prince of the covenant meant Ptolemy Philometor for he was a relative of the legitimate heir, the son of Seleucus. Ptolemy Philometor was the son of Ptolemy Philopator and Cleopatra, the sister of Seleucus. Though he was a small child who could not rule by himself, yet he was the prince of the covenant, being the king of Egypt. “And after the league is made with him he shall act deceitfully, for he shall come up and become strong with a small number of people” (23). At the beginning, Antiochus was despised in Syria, and there were attempts, supported by Egypt, to restore the kingdom to “Ibn Seleucus” the legitimate ruler. But Antiochus approached the king of Egypt (his nephew). asking for his friendship, especially that Cleopatra, his mother and the sister of Antiochus, was still alive. Ptolemy Philometor felt safe with his uncle Antiochus and became his friend. As soon as Antiochus secured the friendship of his Egyptian nephew, he made a riot on Egypt and invaded some Egyptian cities. He occupied them by force when his nephew did not expect such a move. “He shall enter peaceably, even into the richest places of the province; and he shall do what his fathers have not done, nor his forefathers; he shall disperse among them the plunder, spoil, and riches; and he shall devise his plans against the strongholds, but only for a time” (24). Through his deceitfulness, not with a great army, he was able to occupy some cities belonging to his nephew and carry their spoil and riches to his country, for the Egyptians lived in luxury. Antiochus thought about a way to attack Egypt again as a second round. Antiochus surpassed his fathers and forefathers in deceiving people, especially in the East where breaking oaths was considered a disgrace. “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 devise plans against him” (25). After his conquest, Antiochus prepared a great army to attack Egypt again and its 243 cities. He needed a long time to build up an army after he had occupied many countries by his deceitfulness. In the meantime, his nephew realized the interests of his uncle in Egypt, so he made himself ready with a big army. Verses 21–25 focused on Antiochus Epiphanes, whom we talked about earlier in chapter 8, and who was the antichrist of the Old Testament. The men at the castle called him Epiphanes, or the exalted, for he was very interested in art and in buildings. Some people used to change one letter in his name and call him “Epimanus” which means “the crazy,” for he was violent, deceitful, and insane in his behavior. “Yes, those who eat of the portion of his delicacies shall destroy him; his army shall be swept away, and many shall fall down slain” (26). God allowed that Ptolemy be defeated before Antiochus, for he was indulging in delicacies without any concern at all for his country. “Both these kings’ hearts shall be bent on evil, and they shall speak lies at the same table; but it shall not prosper, for the end will still be at the appointed time” (27). The two kings, the uncle and his nephew, were evil and deceitful. Therefore, when Ptolemy was defeated, the two kings asked for reconciliation to become friends again, so that each can plot to destroy the other. Antiochus conquered his nephew, but he was unable to continue the journey, for he was afraid to be defeated before the rest of the fortified cities. The two sat on one table, but their hearts were full of hatred and detest. That is what politics does to many people, and consequently one loses his confidence even in the closest ones to him. The angel said that the end will be at the appointed time (27), meaning that all what had happened was within a timeframe so that God’s plan will be fulfilled, for the end has not yet come because God had appointed a time for everything. “While returning to his land with great riches, his heart shall be moved against the holy covenant; so he shall do damage and return to his own land” (28). Antiochus returned to his land, Syria, and did not rule over Egypt, but he carried with him many riches, then he went to stir a war against Jerusalem, the holy temple and all the Jews. He had to leave Jerusalem and many treasuries behind, as was stated in 2 Kings 5: 2, where God made many wonders. He added what he had plundered from the temple to what he had robbed from Egypt and went back to Syria with the intention to come back to attack the holy covenant, that is, to attack God Himself. “At the appointed time he shall return and go toward the south; but it shall not be like the former or the latter. For ships from Cyprus shall come against him; therefore he shall be grieved, and return in rage against the holy covenant, and do damage. So he shall return and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant” (29-30).Soon after the agreement on a truce between Antiochus and his nephew was reached and after they sat together at one table, Antiochus prepared a big army, broke the covenant and invaded Egypt as well as besieged Alexandria. At that time, a Roman mission arrived in Egypt under the leadership of Publuis or Popilus, from Macedonia or Greece or Italy. Antiochus as usual, greeted him very kindly, but Publuis was not deceived by Antiochus asked that he immediately departs, as an order from the Roman Senate. Antiochus asked to be given a break until he counsels with his friends, but Publuis drew a circle with his rod and asked to call the meeting with the counselors and 244 negotiate with them before leaving that circle, or else he will declare the war against Antiochus. Antiochus did not hesitate, surrendered himself in the hands of the Senator and left Egypt. Those are the historical facts, which the angel had declared to Daniel the prophet. Antiochus did not sate his greediness in Egypt, but returned to Syria in shame, for he had to evade the Roman Senator on one word from him and left Egypt immediately. Therefore, he redirected again all his energies against Jerusalem and the holy temple. This time, he returned with much more violence to look for the Jews who forsook the holy covenant to use them against the Jewish nation and the holy matters. This was fulfilled as stated in the second book of Maccabees chapters three to five. “And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation” (31). The forces, which supported Antiochus, were the ones who denied God and forsook the covenant, thus they supported the evil king against the divine truth (2 Mac 4). The Jews mistakenly heard that Antiochus was killed, so they rejoiced. On his return to Jerusalem, when he heard that, he treated them very brutally. The Jews resorted to Rome asking for support. Rome sent an army, while Antiochus went to attack the Jewish powers. Antiochus submitted to Rome and promised to keep peace. But as soon as the Roman powers left Jerusalem, he betrayed the covenant. Some Jews also helped him in that betrayal. Due to his known craftiness, he did not forbid the worship of the Living God, but he mingled God’s worship with the pagan worship inside the temple. He defiled the temple by putting the statue of Jupiter Olympius in it. Then gradually he stopped the Jewish worship, made himself a god and offered a pig on the altar. The faithful people revolted against him, under the leadership of the Maccabees. Thousands of the Maccabees were killed during this revolution. That was considered “the abomination of desolation of the temple,” a symbol of the abomination of desolation which will happen at the end of days and which the Lord Jesus Christ referred to in Matt. 24: 25. “Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits” (32). The angel clarifies how the priest and the people were divided into two groups, one group was deceived by the flattery of Antiochus, and the other group abided in God’s knowledge, therefore God granted them more power and understanding. St. Jerome said that he has no doubt that this will happen again during the time of the antichrist, where many will attack him and escape from him. The Jews explained the abomination of desolation of the temple through Vasbesian and Titus. They say that many people kept their faith in the Lord and were killed for keeping the covenant1. St. Jerome said: [We read in the Maccabees that the Jews who pretended to be the guardians of the covenant of God, had in fact entered in a covenant with the Gentiles. In my opinion, this is what will happen during the time of the antichrist when the love of God of many people will cool off. The Lord Jesus Christ said, “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18: 8) 2.] “And those of the people who understand shall instruct many; yet for many days 1 PL 25:717. 2 PL 25:716. 245 they shall fall by sword and flame, by captivity and plundering. Now when they fall, they shall be aided with a little help; but many shall join with them by intrigue” (33- 34). The wise peoples (mostly priests) rejected the intrigues of Antiochus and taught many people to consider all kinds of sufferings, whether burning or plundering their possessions, captivity, or killing by the sword as glory and honor for them. This was the call to the faithful people about their relationship with God, does not get fooled by the flattery of any person, no matter how high his position is. This was the call of the priests and the leaders to accept the sword and the fire and not lose their loyalty to God and their abiding by the divine commandment. Though the believers seem to have failed and have no support except from few, like the Maccabees, yet they should not care about the temporal glories and the love of praise. “And some of those of understanding shall fall, to refine them, purify them, and make them white, until the time of the end; because it is still for the appointed time” (35). In this verse, the angel confirms that some people will fall. Perhaps he means that they will fall by the sword or by burning in the fire, but this does not mean that God will not support them. God permits that to happen during the tribulation for their salvation and their purification so that they may become white. They are considered martyrs, who go through the fire so they may be purified as pure gold. Thus God was preparing the souls of the Maccabees, not only since they were born, but also before they were even created. So when they see the attack coming very vigorously, they go back to Daniel’s prophecies and they become strengthened with good courage.St. Hippolytus of Rome said: [Antiochus became king over Syria. He ruled in the year 107 of the Greek calendar. In the meantime, he stirred a war against Ptolemy, the king of Egypt, and conquered him. On his return from Egypt, he went to Jerusalem in the year 103, carrying with him all the treasures of the house of God and went to Antioch. Two years later, the king sent a tax collector to Judea to force the Jews to forsake the covenant of their fathers and to submit to the king’s decree. He tried to force them to obey by saying, “Obey the commands of the king, so you may live.” But they replied, “No, we do not obey the king’s decree, but we are willing to die in purity.” So he executed thousands of them (1 Macc. 2:32). Thus, what Daniel prophesied was fulfilled, “They shall fall by sword and flame, by captivity and plundering” (33). Daniel added, “They shall be aided with a little help” (34), for Mattias and Judas the Maccabees went to help them and deliver them from the hands of the Greek1.] All of a sudden, the vision was switched to the end of days and to the coming of the antichrist, with full details of his evil deeds. 4. THE END OF DAYS, THE ANTICHRIST [36-39] provide the same personal in (da 7: 8; 9:26) about the "little horn", here he calls the king, who works according to His will. [36]. “Then the king shall do according to his own will; he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be 1 AN Frs., vol. 5, p. 183. 246 done. He shall regard neither the God of his father’s nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all” (36-37). The Jews differed in their explanation of the previous statement. Some thought that the angel meant Antiochus Epiphanes, while others thought that he meant some of the Romans like Vesbesian and his son Titus, or even the exalted Roman Empire of which some emperors made themselves gods and asked the people to worship their statues. However, the church fathers agreed that the angel meant here the antichrist and not Antiochus, because what was stated after that does not apply to Antiochus. This man, who acts according to his own will and above all, is like Lucifer who glorified himself (Is 14: 13,14). He blasphemes against God and does not regard the God of his fathers. This statement made some people say that the antichrist will be a Jew blaspheming against the faith. Saying that the antichrist is a ruler who will reestablish the Roman Empire and attack the Jews, made some people think that he will be a Christian denying the faith. The Hebrew word for “The God of his fathers” is “Elohim.” “The desire of women.” St. Jerome said that there are two interpretations for this sentence. Either the angel means asking the desire of women or denying this desire. The antichrist will pretend to be chaste in order to deceive many1. Some people think that the sentence reflects the desire of the Jewish women to conceive and give birth to the Messiah. Probably, it means that the antichrist does not care about women and their desires; Hitler was a man of this kind. In the sixteenth century, there was two opinions that Calven rejected, the first that the Pope is the one meant here, for in the rules concerning the Pope Siricius there came in chapter seven volume one of Councils that those who follow the body do not please God, considering marriage is nearly adultery. As for the second opinion is the desire of women where it is permitted to each person to be married legally with more than one woman. Some think that this talks concerns the Roman emperors who were famous for their hatred to their wives and to women in general. St. Jerome also said that this statement refers to the Antichrist and not to Antiochus, for the latter attempted to oblige the Jews and the Samaritans to feast for his gods; he even made statues for the Greek gods. However, the antichrist does not care about the god of his fathers, but he makes himself a god. “But in their place he shall honor a god of fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver; with precious stones and pleasant things. Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain” (38-39). In those verses, the angel talks about the antichrist. The god whom his fathers did not know is the antichrist himself. He refers the divine honors to himself and seeks all the riches and the authority. Thus, he is the strange god who presents gifts to all who submit to him and are deceived by him. Some people say that this applies to the Roman Empire, which rejected the worship of the True Living God. Its god was the power, the fortresses and the love of authority by collecting taxes and financial gains from its colonies. The emperors made golden or silver statues for themselves and for their gods. They considered themselves 1 PL 25:719B. 247 better and stronger than the gods. They looked up toward Rome as the god whom everyone should honor. The Greeks never dared to attack the gods. The Romans, however, often pretended that they honor the strange gods of other nations, but in fact they mocked them and called for their denial, considering their country above all considerations. “At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon. He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; also the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall follow at his heels. But news from the east and the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many. And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him” (40-45). Here we discern three personalities: 1. The antichrist 2. The king of the South (Egypt) 3. The king of the North (Syria) St. Jerome said: [Antiochus had partially fulfilled that prophecy. “The Libyans and the Ethiopians shall follow at his heels.” Antiochus did not conquer Libya, which most authors interpret as North Africa, nor did he conquer Ethiopia1.] The center of the antichrist will be in Jerusalem and his dominion will extend across the seas, especially the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. He will be stationed at the glorious holy mountain, which is Mount Zion. In spite of all the power and authority he has; yet no one will support him. He will collapse before Elijah and Enoch who supported the church at that time and who prepare the believers for the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus. St. Jerome said: [Our school of thought insists that the antichrist will perish in the same place where the Lord Jesus ascended to heaven, the Mount of Olive2.] 1 PL 25:721. 2 PL 25:723. 248 FROM THE INSPIRATION OF DANIEL (11) MAY HISTORY PASS AND THE END OF TIMES COME! All the history is under Your control, and nothing is hidden from You. Giants arise and many perish. Covenants are established, some keep them while others break them. Kingdom arises against kingdom, and all is past history. May all the events of the history pass away, and may the End of Times come. The Antichrist will poison all, but the Conqueror One, the Christ is certainly coming! May You, the Victorious One, come and may Your believers be glorified!
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