©Michael Player
Chapter 11:21-35 (ESV) - “In his place shall arise a contemptible person to whom royal majesty has not been given. He shall come in without warning and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. Armies shall be utterly swept away before him and broken, even the prince of the covenant. And from the time that an alliance is made with him he shall act deceitfully, and he shall become strong with a small people. Without warning he shall come into the richest parts of the province, and he shall do what neither his fathers nor his fathers' fathers have done, scattering among them plunder, spoil, and goods. He shall devise plans against strongholds, but only for a time. And he shall stir up his power and his heart against the king of the south with a great army. And the king of the south shall wage war with an exceedingly great and mighty army, but he shall not stand, for plots shall be devised against him. Even those who eat his food shall break him. His army shall be swept away, and many shall fall down slain. And as for the two kings, their hearts shall be bent on doing evil. They shall speak lies at the same table, but to no avail, for the end is yet to be at the time appointed. And he shall return to his land with great wealth, but his heart shall be set against the holy covenant. And he shall work his will and return to his own land.
“At the time appointed he shall return and come into the south, but it shall not be this time as it was before. For ships of Kittim shall come against him, and he shall be afraid and withdraw, and shall turn back and be enraged and take action against the holy covenant. He shall turn back and pay attention to those who forsake the holy covenant. Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate. He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. And the wise among the people shall make many understand, though for some days they shall stumble by sword and flame, by captivity and plunder. When they stumble, they shall receive a little help. And many shall join themselves to them with flattery, and some of the wise shall stumble, so that they may be refined, purified, and made white, until the time of the end, for it still awaits the appointed time.
Question to consider: Where can we find out the historical details of Antiochus Epiphanes?
One thing to keep in mind in this chapter is that the LORD was elaborating on the visions of chapter seven and eight to give Daniel a greater understanding of the events to come. Today’s passage brings us to the “time of the end” of the third beast (the Greek empire) and the beginning of the fourth (the Romans). I think it is a mistake to interpret all “time of the end” references as the end of the world. Daniel’s visions were specifically divided up into kingdom ages, and the time of the end of all of these ages gave way to a heavenly king whose kingdom would fill the earth and have no end.
Codified in the Apostles Creed is the statement that Christ will one day return to raise the dead and judge the world in righteousness. In the meantime, the last age to end was the age of the earthly temple which recognized Christ’s heavenly rule according to Hebrews 12:22-24, “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.”
The contemptible person who arose in place of the one who exacted tribute was Antiochus IV Epiphanes who is thought to have murdered his brother, Seleucus III. He was of a vile, cruel, and flattering nature, and usurped the kingdom without the consent of the people. He would be the little horn coming out of the 3rd beast. Predictions of much intrigue and many power plays follow, but the details most important to Israel also follow. He would “profane the temple,” “take away the regular burnt offering,” and “set up the abomination that makes desolate.” He was an incredibly wicked king who was a type of anti-Christ. While I argued in chapter nine that the one who put an end to sacrifice and offering in Gabriel’s promise was Christ, Christ did so by fulfilling the very purpose of the sacrifices and offering. He fulfilled the Law and offered Himself as the sacrifice. In this, our sin was nailed to the cross, and all who enter into the New Covenant are given by grace the righteousness of Christ. In this case, however, Antiochus IV Epiphanes practiced lawlessness and defiled the sacrifice by putting a statue of Zeus in the temple and murdering Israelites who circumcised their babies.
The LORD has provided details of the horrible reign of Antiochus IV Epiphanes in the books of Maccabees in the Apocrypha. While they may not be included in the canon of scripture, they do provide valuable historical context for today’s passage.
Dear Lord, thank You for putting an end to sacrifice and offering through its fulfillment. Please grant us wisdom and discernment to understand the difference between truth and error, Christ and anti-Christ. May we be Your image bearers in the world and joyfully proclaim that truth to our neighbor. Amen.