11:29a “At the appointed time he shall return and go toward the south”
In 168 is the third invasion of the Sixth War. Some say he had actually placed the crown on the head of Euergetes in the last campaign and is coming this time ostensibly to correct that matter by crowning the rightful heir. Now, the rulers of Egypt have already come up with a plan for joint regency of the two brothers and even the mother! But Antiochus needs a reason. He returns to make things right, and works at it until winter stops him.
In the spring, he raises a siege of Alexandria and marches toward Memphis. Philometer is properly installed as king. But when Antiochus is gone, the brothers talk again and decide, with Mom, that they don’t need Antiochus telling them who will rule. The joint regency is re- established.
Antiochus, used to his own way, as was his dad, is not at all pleased. He attacks Memphis, then Alexandria, and has decided to crush this little satrapy in one blow, when he is inter- rupted, proving what God said, that
11:29b “it shall not be like the former or the latter .”
Not like former conquests of Egypt, not even like the last time he was here. Rome is on the scene again. The nemesis that had curbed his father’s ambitions is ready to squelch his too.
11:30a “For ships from Cyprus shall come against him;”
In between these two trips, Egypt has cemented its ties with Rome. When the triumvirate of Egypt hear that Antiochus is on the way, they get a message to their “Big Brother”. Ships sailing out of Cyprus carry a Roman embassy to within a mile of Alexandria, where they
wait for the approaching Epiphanes. Livy says that on their approach Antiochus salutes them and holds out his right hand to Popilius, but into that hand Popilius delivers to Antiochus the decree of the Senate: back off! Go home! Or else!
Popilius actually draws a circle where Antiochus stands and says, “Now choose before you come out of this circle, whether you will evacuate Egypt or attack her.”
It was an easy decision. Even a madman will not dare come against the rising might of Rome.
11:30b “therefore he shall be grieved, and return in rage against the holy covenant and do damage.”
Why is he so angry with Israel again and forever? What’s been going on down there? Hatred of Israel is a common thing through the years, and Satan works diligently to keep that feeling at fever pitch, but there is always the outline of a reason behind it, even in our day. We need a major background break here.
Among the wealthy upper class in the Judea of the days before Christ were those who were attracted by commercial opportunities opened by the Greeks and Greek ways. There were new fashions, new ideas. Some Jews assumed that a more powerful civilization must be a greater civilization. It is the myth under which we labor even in our own time.
Leading these “assimilationists”, the folk who wanted a foot in Judaism and in Hellenism at the same time, was the House of Tobiah, or the “Sons of Tobias” , a family that may well have dated its beginnings to the days of Nehemiah, when the Ammonite harasser of the work of God himself was alive, that is, Tobiah.
In the 250’s, one of this family named Joseph, a traditional Jew, but a moderate Hellenist too, came to the rescue of the High Priest of Israel , Onias II. Now Onias had refused to pay tribute to the current Ptolemy, and that sovereign was threatening to occupy Judah, reversing many years of self rule there.
Joseph, witty and skillful, was able to charm his way into the hearts of these powered men and avert a disaster. In the process, he takes upon himself some of the authority that Judea had normally found in its high priest. He rises to prominence at the Egyptian court, and learns how to compromise even more of his faith while at it.
Joseph’s son Hyrcanus through an illicit relationship, also becomes a court favorite. But during the days of his dealings with Egypt, there is a power shift. Antiochus takes Palestine and Hyrcanus must flee for his life.
Fortunately for them, all of Hyrcanus’s brothers are pro-Seleucid. These families also become favorites at the court, but at the court of Antiochus, not Ptolemy. Both sides of the family have sold out Judaism.
Onias III has become the High Priest and sole leader, though, since the days of Joseph, with much le ss power. His distant cousins, descendants of Joseph, are very assimilated by now. They belong to a pro-Seleucid Hellenistic party in Jerusalem, and they are led by Simon, who becomes the administrator of the Temple, Menelaus, and Lysimachus.
These are all sons of Tobiah! Though they have little popular support, they are politically favored, and become the arm on which Antiochus Epiphanes will lean.
Their next job is to get the High Priest position. They begin to spread stories that Onias is pro-Egyptian and is hiding untold wealth in the Temple treasury. It is this that entices Heliodorus to come check it out. He is refused entry, II Maccabees says, by angelic beings.
Whether or not he believes in angels we do not know, but Onias quickly makes a trip up the road to appeal to the present ruler Seleucus. He did not mean for Heliodorus to be insulted. The temple is holy after all. We can’t allow persons to go in and out of it at will.
But while he is in Antioch, Seleucus is poisoned. Antiochus IV is soon enthroned. And the next thing we know, Onias is replaced by his brother Jason, who likewise has turned his back on orthodoxy, and has paid a higher price for the office.
Perhaps Jason, who considers himself a “good Jew” thinks he is helping his people by this betrayal. By selling out to these powers, he reasons, I will get untold privileges for these people who are helplessly tied to their past, and locked into an uncivilized life style. Not to mention the economic progress this move will make.
His cultural integration involves bringing a gymnasium to town. This was a sports stadium where players appeared naked and where sacrifices were offered to Greek gods. Another new building on the block would be the sports and military training center.
The holy Jews are stunned at losing Onias III. They reject the idea that royalty has some right over their priesthood. They do not like the fact that Jason is a brother and not a son, of the last High Priest. Further, they know Jason is estranged from the faith. And add to that the pagan stadium! Material benefits matter not to them if the price is their faith.
Many, like an aged priest named Mattathias and his five grown sons, leave Jerusalem about this time to head for villages where they can live out their faith, There are other separated Israelites , known as the Hasidim. Today the “Hasidic” Jews still trace their roots to these courageous men. The exodus from the city actually leaves the area desolate.
But others are saying Jason has not gone far enough. The temple is still “holy” . People are not being forced into Hellenism, just exposed to it. There is still too much compassion for Jewish traditionalism. Something has to be done.
Menelaus is the man designated each year to bring tribute to Antiochus. In 172, on his yearly trip he also casually mentions the state of the state of Judah. He hints that the territory would be a bit more Hellenistic if someone else were at the helm. He suggests that he, himself, could probably tap more financial resources, and thus pay higher tribute . Antiochus hears mu- sic. The switch is made. Jason flees.
Hellenization is now enforced. Many young Jews are drawn to the gymnasium. Naked of course. Exposing their Jewishness in such a shameful way that the more modest of them have “operations” to ensure that that portion of their body appears as the Gentiles.
In Menelaus’ 2nd year, he finds he cannot pay the tribute. He is summoned to Antioch, but Antiochus is gone. In a strange turn of fate, Onias III comes out of hiding and is killed. Menelaus is implicated in the murder.
Meanwhile Lysimachus, left in charge of Jerusalem , raids the temple treasury. This event adds fuel to the fire caused by Onias’ death, causes angry demonstrations. Lysimachus is killed. There is a petition for Menelaus to be removed. But he is not.
It is at this point that , in the year 168, Antiochus is marching home from Egypt. He hears that Jason is coming back, actually marching on Jerusalem to drive out Menelaus. The people are rising up. And the reason for their boldness? The rumor has circulated that Antio- chus himself has been killed in Egypt, thus the hasty retreat home. Just a year later, he takes the same trip through Judea, not as conqueror of Egypt, rising star, but as vanquished, heavily in debt, very embarrassed and in need of a win.
11:30c “so he shall return and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant.”
He falls in with these apostate Jews. Reading the above comments, perhaps it is easier to understand who these people are who forsake the holy covenant. Of course there will always be malcontents in a society, traitors. We know also that there were mercenaries with no con- science, also a rather regular commodity in the history of nations. But the Sons of Tobiah were the main problem.
11:31a “and forces shall be mustered by him”
Yes, 20,000 men under his general Apollonius are ordered to destroy Jerusalem. It is the Sabbath, so there will be no defense. 80,ooo are killed. 40,000 are taken prisoner. 40,000 more are taken for the slave market.
11:31b “and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress”
Also a great army of these unfaithful Jews gather to him (I Mac 1:21, II Mac 5:15)
11:31c “they shall take away the daily sacrifices”
Is this the fulfillment of Daniel 8:11? But Daniel 12:11 ties in the taking away of the daily sacrifice to the end of all things. The mystery certainly deepens here. It looks like this event will happen again, and we have the record of its happening here so we will know it when we see it in the future.
11:31d “and place there the abomination of desolation”
It’s not the first time Daniel sees it. See 8:13, 9:27, 12:11. An abomination is something God hates. It is something that God hates, sitting in the temple. He hates it so much that judgment comes so severely as to make desolate the land where it happens. Antiochus sets up, in the Temple of God, an altar to Zeus Olympius, the pagan god he worships. Then he orders that a pig –an abomination to the true Jews– be sacrificed under this abomination.
And so here we have “the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet,” the very thing Jesus talked about… But when Jesus talked about it, he put it in the future. Jesus lived many decades after this incident. The Jews would live to see other abominations come to the temple. Jesus said that when you see it happen, be prepared to run. Yes, it happened in AD
70, but just like in BC 168, it was only a preview of the true abomination that makes desolate. For there is one thing worse than a false god, which is no god, being placed in the temple. And that is a man who calls himself the Lord God, sitting in the Holy Place.
The church has seen such a man, also a preview of the real thing, for some years. He calls himself “Lord God the Pope” and “Pontifex Maximus” and “Holy Father” and “Vicar” . He is none of these things. But he says he is.
One day a man will identify himself so closely with Almighty God as to finally call down the wrath of the true God on this planet. The scene is depicted by Paul and John.
But what actually happens on that day in ancient history? He enters the Temple. Removes all the holy furniture that he had left behind before. He converts it to a pagan Hellenist shrine. Dedicates it to Zeus, whose image stands above the new altar. He solemnizes the event by sacrificing there a pig. Sprinkles the hog’s blood in the Holy of Holies. Burns the holy scrolls. Eventually he institutes typical pagan worship, prostitution and all.
When Tobiah is allowed in, this is what will happen eventually. The temple is seeing the beginning of its defilement even in our day.
The years that follow are equally treacherous, as
11:32a “ Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery.”
This was the way he rose to power in his own land, and the way he lies to whomever will buy it. The end of verse 30 and this verse confirms the fact that Antiochus is to be helped by apostate Jews, which as we have seen clearly happened. Aided by his collaborators, Antiochus strengthens his resolve to consolidate his power in this land. It is becoming clear that he cannot expand his empire. Rome is seeing to that. So strength and unity at home become his goal. The Greek way of life for all! No exceptions! Judea is not responding to 7 years of Hellenistic influence. Religious “separatism” has to be done away with, lest it lead to political separatism also.
So the iron grip of Antioch begins. Jews will not be allowed to congregate in prayer. Observe Sabbath or festivals. Read sacred writings. Circumcise. Cater to dietary whims. Instead they must worship Greek images, partake in a monthly sacrifice in honor of the Emperor, and eat pork. All of this on pain of death.
11:32b “but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits”
Here begins the story of the heroic Maccabean family and those who follow them in the resistance to Hellenism.
From Al Maxey: “Not long after Antiochus defiled the Temple, the first stirrings of a revolt surfaced in an unexpected part of the Emp ire, led by a relatively unknown Jewish family. This would grow into a bloody struggle for Jewish independence which has come to be known in history by several names: The Maccabean Revolt, The Hasmonean Period, the Period of In- dependence.”
The curtain opens on the village of Modi’in, 17 miles northwest of Jerusalem. A descendant of Asmoneus (hence “Hasmonean”) named Mattathias, along with his sons John, Simon, Judas, Eleazar, and Jonathan, are soon to be the central figures in the revolt against Sa- tan’s man in the North. We noted above that these are a few of the thousands leaving for the hill country, the villages, to escape the Greek invasion of their culture.
But eventually the Seleucids awaken to the reality that they will have to “evangelize” Judea a bit more thoroughly, and they take to the road. In village after village the “new way” is introduced and initiated by ceremony and if necessary by sword.
It is assumed that the events in Modi’in will follow the norm, but there are quite a few surprises in that little town. In charge for Antiochus is one Apelles. He has an armed escort with him but this has proved to be a useless gesture as the Jews are either acquiescing or easily dying. There is no serious resistance to the plan. Until now. The villagers are told to wear Sabbath dress, and to gather in the market place. They comply. The proceedings begin and the eventual confrontation has to occur. Mattathias, as is expected, refuses the offer of a pork dinner. But before anything can be made of it, a Jew arises from the crowd and lets it be known that if the others will not go with the flow, he will! Apelles is pleased, and the young man is handed a knife to kill the pig himself. Just as he is about to end the pig’s life, Mattathias, man of God, has had enough. The desecration of the Te mple, the gymnasium, the restrictions. Enough. It all boils over, and in an instant he has grabbed the man’s knife and plunged it into him. His sons take the cue and begin killing Syri- ans. Including Apelles. The great exploits have begun.
Mattathias now rouses the rest of the town to follow him to a place of hiding and a head- quarters for further action. They move 13 miles further northeast into the hills of southern Samaria. There are about 40-50 able-bodied males to stand against the might of the Seleucid Empire.
Communication being what it is in those days, the events of Modi’in do not quickly get reported. When they do, there is not a major stir. Only a few men missing. For a year they are not bothered in their hillside hideout. It is a time to train, to recruit, to restore respect for the law, to be ready to defend and later to initiate.
The Hasidim are first to join the fledgling group, but are only accepted after they agree to fight on the Sabbath. Most others of this group have simply allowed themselves to be killed rather than break the holy day. Others join, and during the year the Maccabees become an annoyance, but not a real threat, to Antiochus, who is busy kingdom-building in places that “matter”.
The sons of Mattathias, in charge of military operations, especially Judas and Simon, perfect the science of guerilla warfare. There will be no open battles. When attacked, melt. Choose your encounters. Use the night. Strike and run. Spread fear. Give no rest. This all has a very modern sound to it.
Mattathias dies during that first year, but the spirit of the movement does not. Judas is placed in charge. The goals are to disrupt Seleucid rule in rural Judea and eventually to take back Jerusalem, and cleanse it.
What a mis-matching of forces! Syria with its swords and javelins and spears and bows and slings and engines for hurling stones, its battering rams, its huge trained army, camels, elephants, chariots, intelligence & service unit. The sons of Mattathias, with hammers, farm implements, and that’s about it. Plus Judas (himself nicknamed the “hammer” or “Maccabeus”), plus the faith of Gideon and David, plus the knowledge that their cause is of the Lord.
Seleucid troops are eventually sent to deal with Judas. They disappear. More are sent. They too do not return. Eventually the commanders at Jerusalem get the message that a rebel- lion is in full swing. A report is sent to General Apollonius, headquartered in Samaria. Instead of sending replacements, he comes himself, with 2,000 men. Judas kills the leader, grabs his sword, and scatters the 2,000 soldiers. A quick victory.
Next comes General Seron, commander of Seleucid forces in this part of Syria. 4,000 men. Here comes Judas again. Seron is killed. 800 dead, the rest fled. Incredible. The Jews who hear about it are encouraged and many fresh recruits flow into the cause.
Meanwhile Antiochus, occupied with plans for a new eastern campaign, is on his way
“out the door” when word comes of the tragedies in Judea. He is appalled, and assigns Lysias the job of complete extermination of every Jew in Judea. Uproot, destroy, blot out. The “final solution” mentality 165 years before Jesus, 2100+ before Hitler. Was ever a people so hated?
Generals Nicanor and Gorgias accompany Lysias , along with over 20,000 troops. They are joined along the way by slave dealers. Nicanor for one is so sure of victory that he has created a fund-raising program , in partial disobedience to the “kill all” command. He’ll take prisoners and sell them!
You may have guessed: Nicanor’s and Gorgias’s forces too are routed. 3000 are killed. Lysias must return and regroup.
The year is now 164. Lysias is back with 30,000 men. Judah’s ranks have risen to about one third of that. After Lysias loses 5,000 men, he retreats, intending to return. He does, but not before a couple of years have passed.
In the meantime, Judah swings into phase 2, and marches on Jerusalem. He goes straight to the temple Mount, finds it desolate , as an abomination will always create desolation event u- ally. The gates are destroyed, the courts are overgrown, the buildings are in ruin.
Immediately the rehab program begins. Its first event is the famed lighting of the menorah with only one day’s supply of oil. Reportedly, by a miracle, the oil lasts for eight days of a celebration that now is observed yearly as Hannukah , “dedication”, as in the “feast of dedication” mentioned in John 10:22 as being in the winter. It is 165 BC.
Within a relatively short time, all Judea becomes first safe, and then independent of Seleucid rule altogether, until the day when Rome changes that again. The story is as fascinating as it is inspirational.
And what of Antiochus Epiphanes? Are these glory years for him? Can we trace his career in subsequent verses in Daniel? I think not. I shall give reasons for this later. For now, let’s trace his end a bit, just for curiosity’s sake, just to see how it does not line up with Scripture.
The Seleucids are in trouble. Lysias does not return to Judah in 163 and more of the southern territories are lost. Antiochus himself is caught up in restoring the glory of Seleucus in the east. But he is wearing down. Money is running out.
As things get desperate, he remembers what his father had tried when he too needed fast cash. He ignores the price his father had to pay for this trick, and decides to do it again: he will raid the temple at Elymais. Unfortunately for him, the locals get wind of his plan, chase him away, and he gratefully takes his life and runs.
But he is now a broken man. The disintegration of the South, the present campaign in the East, and now Elymais. It is just too much. Here in Persia he comes to his end after a last vow to kill all the Jews, says II Maccabees 9. The record says that he is struck with an incur- able bowel problem and falls out of his chariot, every joint in his body dislocated.
From this humiliation he is brought to a bed where the deterioration of his body is not only swift, but too disgusting to report here. One is reminded of the New Testament monarch who is “eaten of worms.”
Other accounts say that he simply goes totally mad under the pressure of failure. Both Josephus and Maccabees indicate that there is a “repentance” of a sort at his death. At least a recognition of a political mistake. He seems to understand that his ills started when he came so seriously against the Jews. It is said that he even dictates a friendly letter to the Jews while he is dying. Also at his death he appoints Philip as regent, a move that will save the Jews much trouble in the years to come.
Now Lysias, who had been originally empowered by Antiochus , has a score to settle. He finally does attack the South, with 30,000 men. Then at the last minute he hears that Philip is about to take the regency. Distracted, he makes a truce with Judah that eventually leads to the independent state every Jew has longed for .
But we digress. For in fact the details mentioned just above are not mentioned by Daniel! There is a major shift away from Antiochus and independence and Ro me in verse 35. Now let’s backtrack a bit and talk of the time when
11:33a “those of the people who understand shall instruct many”
Before the revolt, lives of consistent persistence against evil are a daily instruction to the people. Also there has been recently formed a society for propagating the Divine knowledge called the Assideans, godly men that are both knowing of and zealous for the law of Moses. These instruct many.
11:33b “ yet for many days they shall fall by the sword and flame, by captivity and plundering.”
We must return for a moment to 168, when Antiochus endures his shame in Egypt, then pours his rage on Judea. There is the slaughter of many, the selling of survivors into slavery, razed houses, the breaking into the temple treasury, the stolen funds and vessels.
It is during this time that the temple fortress, the Citadel is put up for strategic control of what seems to outsiders to be the “power center” of Jerusalem. This fort becomes a safeguard for the Hellenic traitors and mercenaries also.
Much cruelty takes place. As the rules change and are severely enforced, Jews are put to death for merely studying their Bibles. Sacred scrolls are torn to shreds and put to the torch. Worshiping Jews are burned alive when their secret prayer chambers are discovered and set on fire. They are struck down on the spot if they fail to worship a foreign deity. Women are put to death for having their children circumcised. Their circumcised infants are hung around their necks.
11:34a “Now when they fall, they shall be aided with a little help;”
There is no active resistance in the first months. The people of Israel simply lay down and die. Their martyrdoms inspire many, and Hellenism still is having trouble catching on, so Antiochus decides it will be good to make examples of more key figures.
Like Eleazar for example, a priest, an expert in the law. This old saint is told to eat pork. No! So he is tortured and beaten, burned and stretched.
Well that doesn’t work. Maybe younger men? A mother who has 7 sons watches as An- tiochus’s men scourge them, maim them, hack off their limbs, burn them. They and their mother eventually all die.
Then comes Judas and the others to the rescue. Truly Israel is helped after the fall of these many. But when it is all said and done, it is but a little help. Rome takes over, and event u- ally destroys Jerusalem again in AD 70. It is only in our day that the Jews got over that one, and came back to their land. 11:34b “but many shall join them by intrigue.” (flatteries)
That is, some will profess faith in their cause, only to help bring it down , as opposed to the ones like Judas who bring true help. Infiltrators, worldly- minded people join themselves to every cause of God and weaken it. These are the men who want to ride the sure winner, and are one day with Antiochus, one day with the Jews. We saw it all again in the Middle Ages, as un- regenerate hordes of pagans were swept into the church under the threat of death. Better a live Christian , they reason, than a dead idol- worshiper.
The Jewish Hellenists, caught in the Citadel as Judas sweeps over Judea, go from “Imperial favorites to beleaguered defaulters” and loathed outcasts, overnight. What anguish fills the hearts of these lukewarm Jews to see the devastation they have brought to the city!
During these days, some actually join the Maccabean movement. Menelaus himself, however, stands firm and collaborates with the Seleucids.
Verse 35 seems to be a new chapter in the saga...
