(2) ‘The invader will do as he pleases; no one will be able to stand against him. He will establish himself in the Beautiful Land and will have the power to destroy it.’ (Dan 11:16) – As we saw in the end of the last issue, “the invader” refers to the king of the northern Syria Antiochus III Magnus who came against the king of the southern Egypt Ptolemy V Epiphanes. At the end of that issue, we studied that this invasion happened in 203 B.C. and also that Ptolemy V Epiphanes was powerless at that time to defend his kingdom (See Grace – Blossom 45:Aug’11,Para11). Historical records confirm this prophecy being fulfilled as the invading king of the North Antiochus III Magnus did whatever pleased him against Ptolemy V Epiphanes. No one was able to stop him. The phrase “Beautiful Land” is a reference to the Holy Land of Israel. Our readers might remember studying in the last issue about how during this invasion Antiochus III Magnus captured Israel from Egypt, with the aid of Israeli soldiers who fought on his side. Therefore, to celebrate that, he went on a victory parade into Israel. Historical records tell us that when he entered the city of Jerusalem, people welcomed him with cheers and applause. Thus, the entire land of Israel went into the hands of the king of the northern Syria Antiochus III Magnus.
(3) ‘He will determine to come with the might of his entire kingdom and will make an alliance with the king of the South. And he will give him a daughter in marriage in order to overthrow the kingdom, but his plans will not succeed or help him.’ (Dan 11:17) – Antiochus III Magnus was determined to bring the full might of his entire kingdom in continuing the fight against the southern Egypt. But he suddenly thought of a plot in place of a direct war. He wondered why not control Ptolemy V Epiphanes by giving him his daughter in marriage instead of doing battle? So he gave his daughter Cleopatra in marriage to Ptolemy V Epiphanes (This is not the historically famous Cleopatra who came in later times). So this Cleopatra is indeed the ‘daughter’ mentioned in this verse. But as history would have it, she ended up taking her husband’s side instead of supporting her father. So, as this verse predicted, she did not help with the plans of Antiochus III Magnus.
(4) ‘Then he will turn his attention to the coastlands and will take many of them, but a commander will put an end to his insolence and will turn his insolence back on him.’ (Dan 11:18) – As this verse predicted, when his plot against Egypt failed, the king of the North Antiochus III Magnus turned his attention to the regions of Greece then under the control of the Roman Empire. He took many of the coastlands by the Aegean Sea. But as prophesied (‘a commander will put an end to his insolence and will turn his insolence back on him’), the Roman commander Claudius Scipio defeated Antiochus III Magnus in 186 B.C. Indeed, the ‘commander’ prophesied in this verse is essentially this Roman commander Claudius Scipio.
(5) ‘After this, he will turn back toward the fortresses of his own country but will stumble and fall, to be seen no more.’ (Dan 11:19) – His rout at the hands of the Romans deeply distressed the king of the North Antiochus III Magnus. This was because the Romans levied a heavy tax on him in light of his defeat. Unable to find ways to pay for that tax, he started looting the properties of his own people. This verse predicted that. It also predicted that, as he plunders his own fortresses he would ‘stumble and fall, to be seen no more’. Indeed, in 187 B.C. when Antiochus III Magnus was pillaging a temple in his own kingdom, he was killed by the angered people of that region. Again, flawless fulfilment!
(6) “Then in his place one will arise who will send an oppressor (as per NASB footnote, this could also be translated as exactor of tribute) through the Jewel of his kingdom; yet within a few days he will be shattered, though not in anger nor in battle.” (NASB Dan 11:20) – After the death of Antiochus III Magnus in 187 B.C., his eldest son Seleucus IV Philopator came to power in the northern kingdom of Syria. As we saw earlier, Antiochus III Magnus had to pay Rome a heavy tax. And that tax burden now fell on the head of Seleucus IV Philopator. So, as this verse prophesied, he hiked taxes all across the kingdom. Here the phrase “the Jewel of his kingdom” refers to the the nation of Israel. And this verse predicted that he would send the oppressor – the exactor of the taxes – to Israel too. Likewise, he increased taxes on the Jewish people as well and sent his tax collector Heliodorus to Jerusalem. So, Heliodorus was the tax collector predicted by this prophecy. Furthermore, this verse forecast that Seleucus IV Philopator would be shattered within a short time, though not in anger (i.e. a crisis) nor in battle. Accordingly, historical records confirm that in 175 B.C. he was poisoned and assassinated in a plot by none other than the Heliodorus whom he had sent to Jerusalem to collect taxes. This incident too serves as a testimony to the precision and accuracy with which biblical prophecies get fulfilled. This verse accurately predicted, many centuries ahead, that the death of Seleucus IV Philopator would be neither in a field of battle nor in a burst of anger, but rather be the result of a calm and cunning plot. Isn’t that remarkable? Thus, as this verse foretold, Seleucus IV Philopator who ascended the throne in 187 B.C. remained in power only a few years as he was killed by a conspiracy in 175 B.C.
(7) “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.” (KJV Dan 11:21) – After the murder of Seleucus IV Philopator, the northern kingdom Syria’s throne was claimed by his brother Antiochus IV Epiphanes. As this verse states, the honour of the kingdom was not his. As per the customary tradition of kings, only the son of a king is his legitimate heir. Therefore, Seleucus IV Philopator should have been succeeded by his son Demetrius. But the Romans had been holding Demetrius hostage for the outstanding taxes that the northern Syrian kingdom owed them. So, making use of that opportunity, Antiochus IV Epiphanes proclaimed himself co-regent for another son of Seleucus IV Philopator, an infant named Antiochus, by means of ‘flatteries’ claiming to be just a guardian king for that infant. But within just a few years, he murdered the child and seized complete control of the throne. Thus, as this verse prophesied, Antiochus IV Epiphanes ‘came in peaceably, and obtained the kingdom by flatteries.’ His reign lasted from 175 B.C. till 164 B.C. Many of the following verses essentially describe the rule of this Antiochus IV Epiphanes. That’s because he is a much talked-about significant Gentile king in the history of the Jewish people. The main reason was the untold amount of persecutions that the Jewish people suffered under his reign. Thus, since he was to be a king who would very much impact the history of the Jews, this prophecy predicted ahead a lot of details about him.
(8) ‘Then an overwhelming army will be swept away before him; both it and a prince of the covenant will be destroyed. After coming to an agreement with him, he will act deceitfully, and with only a few people he will rise to power.’ (Dan 11:22,23) – These verses proclaimed that the king of the North Antiochus IV Epiphanes would defeat the armies that come against him and would also destroy a prince of the covenant. And what do they say about how he would go about achieving that? He would rise to power by acting ‘deceitfully’. Indeed, that’s exactly what happened. We saw earlier that he was not the rightful heir to the throne of the northern Syrian kingdom. There were many who competed for that throne, including Heliodorus who had murdered Antiochus IV Epiphanes’ brother and preceding king Seleucus IV Philopator. As prophesied here that Antiochus IV Epiphanes would defeat their armies and rise to power, he did so. Furthermore, the ‘prince of the covenant’ mentioned here refers to Onias, the Jewish High Priest of that time. Wasn’t the High Priest the head of God’s Law covenant? This verse forecast that Antiochus IV Epiphanes would deceitfully destroy Onias. And as predicted, within a few years of coming to power, he accepted bribes from the rivals of the upright and honest Onias and handed him over to them who murdered him. Thus, he destroyed Onias, placed his own supporters in all important posts and deceitfully rose to power even with only a few bribed loyalists.
(9) ‘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.’ (Dan 11:24) – Antiochus IV Epiphanes, like his predecessors, invaded the richest provinces of his own kingdom and plundered them. This was a widely prevalent habit of many kings of those times. But this verse announces that he would achieve what neither his fathers nor his forefathers did. Indeed, unlike his predecessors, Antiochus IV Epiphanes did not keep all the ‘plunder, loot and wealth’ for himself, but rather cleverly ‘distributed’ them among ‘his followers’ whom the previous verse essentially referred as ‘a few people’. Thus, he bribed those people with the looted wealth and further solidified their loyalty to him. Thus, by deceit he gained strength and for a time plotted the overthrow of the fortresses i.e. the fortified cities of his enemy, the southern kingdom of Egypt.
(10) “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. 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.” (Dan 11:25, 26) – When Antiochus IV Epiphanes came to power, the southern kingdom of Egypt was ruled by Ptolemy VI Philometor who had ascended the throne at a very young age when his father Ptolemy V Epiphanes died in 181 B.C. Considering the Egyptian king’s young age, the king of the northern Syria Antiochus IV Epiphanes thought that he could easily defeat him. So, after he had built up his strength as we saw in the last verse, he went to war with a large army against the southern kingdom of Egypt in 170 B.C. The king of the South Ptolemy VI Philometor too gathered a large and very powerful army and faced him. But being a young boy, he was very much dependent on the counsel of his court advisers. This verse prophesied that due to the plots devised against him even his friends who ate from his provisions would conspire against him, causing the fall of his army in battle. As predicted, due to the plots of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, many advisers of Ptolemy VI Philometor sold themselves out and betrayed him during the war by giving him bad counsel. Therefore, historical records indicate that, not only did the king of the north Antiochus IV Epiphanes easily defeat the armies of the southern Egypt’s king Ptolemy VI Philometor, but also captured the Egyptian king himself as a prisoner.
(11) ‘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.’ (Dan 11:27) – This verse too serves as a beautiful testimony to the precision and accuracy with which this prophecy predicted significant historical events. Isn’t it unusual for a victorious king to sit at the same table with the king whom he defeated and captured as a prisoner? One can never blindly prophesy such an event by fluke. But this verse predicted this incredibly strange dining many centuries ahead. As foretold, in 170 B.C. the triumphant king of the northern kingdom Antiochus IV Epiphanes and the prisoner king of the southern kingdom Ptolemy VI Philometor sat at the same table for a peace dinner party. As this verse forecasts, both of them deceitfully lied to each other for outward appearances sake, while their minds were cooking up plots to hurt each other. Antiochus IV Epiphanes made plans to control the southern kingdom of Egypt by portraying himself as a friend and mentor to the still young boy king Ptolemy VI Philometor. As a matter of fact, this Ptolemy VI Philometor was actually the son of the sister of Antiochus IV Epiphanes. As we saw earlier, Antiochus III Magnus, the father of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, gave his daughter Cleopatra in marriage to the then king of the South Ptolemy V Epiphanes. Ptolemy VI Philometor was the child of that marriage. Thus, the king of the northern Syria Antiochus IV Epiphanes was the uncle of the king of the southern kingdom of Egypt Ptolemy VI Philometor. So, claiming that blood relation, he lied to his nephew that he was supporting him as an uncle. The young Ptolemy VI Philometor had many enemies within his own country including a brother of his own. Antiochus IV Epiphanes assured him that he would fight against those enemies. But his actual thoughts were toward militarily occupying many portions of Egypt and also to divide the kingdom of Egypt by blowing up the rivalry between Ptolemy VI Philometor and his brother, thereby furthering his own domination. Ptolemy VI Philometor understood his deceitful intentions. But he was a prisoner then. So, in such a situation he put up a show of going along with whatever Antiochus IV Epiphanes told him. But in his mind, he plotted evil ways to drive Antiochus IV Epiphanes out of his nation. However, this verse prophesied that the evil plots of both the kings would come to no avail. And that’s exactly what happened. Antiochus IV Epiphanes was unable to create much chaos in Egypt through his conspiracies. Why so? Because, Ptolemy VI Philometor wisely made peace with his rival brother within a short time. At the same time, Ptolemy VI Philometor could not fulfil his desire to completely drive Antiochus IV Epiphanes out of Egypt. History tells us that Antiochus IV Epiphanes did invade Egpyt yet another time. Thus, as God predicted here, an end to the rivalry between these two kingdoms was kept on hold till His appointed time.
(12) ‘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.’ (Dan 11:28) – Antiochus IV Epiphanes returned back with the great wealth he had looted from Egpyt. Then, as this verse predicted, he turned his attention against the holy covenant i.e. the Jews, the people of the holy covenant. Jerusalem and other regions of Israel were essentially under his kingdom. There were some power-hungry Jews in Jerusalem who acted in his favour and bribed him to come there in order to destroy their own enemies. So he invaded the city, haughtily entered the Temple, showing no respect, plundered all its gold and treasures. Historical records indicate that this happened in 168/169 B.C. They also confirm that Antiochus IV Epiphanes massacred thousands of Jews during this invasion.
(13) “At the appointed time he will return and come into the South, but this last time it will not turn out the way it did before. For ships of Kittim will come against him; therefore he will be disheartened and will return and become enraged at the holy covenant and take action; so he will come back and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant.” (NASB Dan 11:29,30) – In 168 B.C. Antiochus IV Epiphanes invaded the southern Egypt again. But these verses prophesied that this time the outcome would be different from that of his previous invasion. Unlike before, when he had returned home with the spoils of victory, he returned empty-handed this time. But this did not mean that southern Egypt defeated him. These verses predicted that ships of Kittim that would come against him would be the reason for his empty-handed return. Likewise, the Roman Empire that did not like the rise of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, sent Popillius Laenas as their envoy by ships from an island named Kittim (Cyprus). Historical records document that this envoy gave Antiochus IV Epiphanes a stern and imperious warning that if he attacked the southern Egypt, Roman Empire would declare war against him. Antiochus IV Epiphanes did not have the might to fight Rome. So, as these verses predicted, he had to return back disheartened. And as the verses further prophesied, he turned all his rage against the Jews, the people of the holy covenant. Truly, the persecution he let loose upon Jerusalem and the Jewish people around 168/167 B.C. was very brutal. He massacred a lot of the Jews. He profaned the Jerusalem Temple by installing an abominable idol of the Greek god Zeus inside. He committed many such atrocities. He also ‘showed regard for those who forsook the holy covenant’ i.e. some among the Jewish people, due to their greed for power, forsook the Law and acted in support of Antiochus IV Epiphanes. As these verses predicted, he favoured such people and gave them prominence. Thus, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, as this prophecy foretold ahead, subjected the Jews to untold suffering. With that message, the prophetic section on Antiochus IV Epiphanes ends. But many biblical scholars consider that some of the subsequent verses also pertain to him. That is not right. Why so? Previously the prophecy stated that ‘end will still come at the appointed time’ (Dan 11:27) and herein events happen at that ‘appointed time’ signalling the end event of this stream of prophecy about Antiochus IV Epiphanes. We shall discuss the other reason when we study the next verse. A major Jewish revolt rose against the oppression unleashed by Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Indeed, that’s the historically famous Maccabean Revolt. As a result of this revolt, the Jewish rebels achieved almost complete independence for the nation of Israel from 164 B.C. and established the Hasmonean dynasty that lasted from 164 B.C. till 63 B.C. Since this prophecy is essentially a prophetic history of kings, the events of this revolt have not been foretold here. But we might remember studying in an earlier issue of Grace that other biblical sections do mention the Maccabean Revolt and the Hasmonean dynasty, both of which are significant in Jewish history (See Grace – Blossom15:Apr’09,Paras4,5).
(14) “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.” (Dan 11:31) – Many biblical scholars opine that this verse too referred to Antiochus IV Epiphanes. They say it elaborated further on the atrocities he would commit against the Jewish people. But we disagree with that. Why so? When we study Old Testament prophecies, New Testament writers come to our aid in shining light on certain places. It has been our long-held belief that we should definitely follow the guidance of the New Testament in such places. This is essentially such a place. How so? Starting with this verse, the prophecy talks about a certain ‘he’/‘his’ and this ‘he’ is also essentially ‘the king’ mentioned in verses 36 and 37. But those (Daniel 11:36,37) are the two verses that Paul quotes in his second epistle to the Thessalonians to compare with the Anti-Christ, the man of lawlessness (See 2 Thess 2:3,4). Thus, if ‘the king’ mentioned in Daniel 11:36,37 indeed refers to the Anti-Christ, then shouldn’t the section starting from verse 31 that talks about the same king also refer to the Anti-Christ? Truly, when we analyse each of these verses individually, we would appreciate how beautifully they match with the Anti-Christ. Thus, taking directions from the New Testament, it’s our opinion that the prophetic part starting this verse essentially talk about the Anti-Christ. A question might arise in some minds. How does this interpretation fit into the context of the 31st verse? Let us start answering that question by clarifying one thing first. In certain old translations of the Bible like the KJV, this 31st verse starts with the conjunction ‘And’. This ‘And’ is not found in the original Hebrew manuscripts and modern translations like the NIV do not have it. Thus the verse starts with the phrase “His armed forces”. We saw that this ‘his’ denotes the Anti-Christ. Who is this Anti-Christ? As we know, the Anti-Christ is essentially the Christian Roman Catholic Empire that rose around the middle of the sixth century. Keeping that in mind, let us take a moment to think further. Isn’t there a remark about the same Roman Empire in the previous 30th verse? We might remember studying that the ‘ships of Kittim’ essentially meant the Romans. As a continuation of that, it certainly fits into the context that this verse carries on recording the prophecy on the Roman Empire. It’s also remarkable that the next significant empire to rise in history was the Roman Empire indeed. We also need to pay attention to another point. Till now, the fleshly Jews were the people of the covenant – God’s people. But starting this verse, the prophecy is about the times of the Anti-Christ. So from now on, we have to start interpreting everything on the basis of Christians who are the spiritual Jews. Now let us start our study from the 31st verse. We saw earlier that the ‘his’ denotes the Roman Empire here. This verse predicted that the armed forces of the Roman Empire would rise up to desecrate the temple fortress, abolish the daily sacrifice and set up there the abomination that causes desolation. Here the ‘temple fortress’ essentially denotes Christ’s Church which is the spiritual temple. And what is the ‘daily sacrifice’ of that Church? Isn’t Christ himself the daily sacrifice for his Church? Yes, it is his sacrifice that purifies us daily and justifies us. Thus, this verse predicted that the Roman Empire’s armies would remove Christ and establish an abomination that causes desolation in his place. How was this fulfilled? Originally, the Roman Empire was a heathen empire that persecuted Christians for a long period of time. But, in the fourth century after Christ, this heathen Roman Empire converted to Christianity for political reasons and started operating as the Christian Roman Empire. That being the case, what was the abomination that causes desolation set up by the armies of the Roman Empire in place of Christ? In 533 A.D. the decree of Roman Emperor Justinian essentially declared the Bishop of Rome as the Head of Christianity. But to enforce that decree, armed forces were needed. The city of Rome was in the hands of enemies at that time. So, in 536 A.D. Justinian’s General Belisarius charged into Rome with his armies and defeated the Ostrogoths who had been opposing the Pope. And later in 538 A.D. he left Rome under the Pope’s control. Furthermore, by conquering the Ostrogoth capital of Ravenna in 539 A.D., he destroyed the last-remaining challenge to the Pope’s authority. After that, having firmly established the authority of the Pope, General Belisarius returned home victorious in 540 A.D. And that institution of the Papacy is essentially the abomination that causes desolation predicted by this verse. Only Christ is supposed to be the solitary head of the spiritual temple that is the Church. But, as this verse foretold about a 1000 years ahead, it was indeed the Roman armed forces under the command of General Belisarius that removed Christ and set up the Papacy in his place as the abomination that devastates the true faith. How exquisitely matching is this prophecy! New Testament writings too fit into this. The Book of Revelation says that the abominable woman sits on seven hills (Rev 17:9). Historically, even till today, Rome is called the City of Seven Hills. This is a startling match! To recap, Rome came under Pope’s control in 538 A.D. And when the Ostrogoths who challenged him were routed in 539 A.D., Pope became the undisputed ruler of Rome. It was basically in 539 A.D. that the abominable anti-Christ woman i.e. Papal system took her seat on the seven hills. 539 A.D was the year that the Roman armies established the abomination that causes desolation, as this verse had prophesied about 1000 years ahead. As soon as he was set up in power, the Pope declared himself to be the religious head/king of the Roman Empire. So he exercised great authority over the Roman Empire and later over the many kingdoms that arose when the Roman Empire broke up. Therefore, the upcoming verses talk about the Papal system that ruled for a long time as a religious Roman king.
(15) ‘With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him.’ (Dan 11:32) – By means of flattery i.e. by exploiting people’s desire for authority and titles, Papal system was able to corrupt those who had already been violating the Christian covenant, essentially those who had not been in the right faith in the first place. And this verse predicted that. Likewise, as history tells us, power-hungry namesake Christians seeking powerful posts and haughty titles were attracted by the Papacy’s flattery and joined the Papal system with glee. Truly, it was indeed the times of the Anti-Christ! But, as this verse prophesied, even amidst such a period of time, those who knew the actual Truth about God did not let go of their true faith and lived by it, firmly resisting the Papal system and its devious doctrines.
-To be continued –