Anteochus Epiphanes

          He will be succeeded by a contemptible person who has not been given the honor of royalty. He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue.  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. 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. 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. 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.

           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. At the appointed time he will invade the South again, but this time the outcome will be different from what it was before. Ships of the western coastlands will oppose him, and he will lose heart. Then he will turn back and vent his fury against the holy covenant. He will return and show favor to those who forsake the holy covenant.

          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. With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him. Those who are wise will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered. When they fall, they will receive a little help, and many who are not sincere will join them. Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time. (Daniel 11: 21-35)

 

            You may have heard of today's tyrant. His name was Antiochus IV (Epiphanes.) He wasn't supposed to inherit the throne. Demetrius I, the son of Seleucus IV was supposed to be king, but he was one of the hostages sent to Rome, so Seleucus' brother, Antiochus was made prince regent. Through intrigue and bribes, he secured approval for succession to the throne even though Demetrius was old enough to rule. When Antiochus was settled as king, he had his coins stamped "Epiphanes Theos" neaning "Illustrious, manifest God." With every coin minted, he declared himself to be god in the flesh.

            He offered friendship and a treaty with Ptolemy VI (son of Cleopatra I). When Ptolemy VII tried to retake the areas of Palestine that had been lost to Antiochus III. At first, the invasion was succesful because the Ptoloemys had a large, we-equipped army. Over time, expenses overwhelmed income and Ptolemy VII became Antiochus' prisoner.

            The Egyptians set Ptolemy's brother, Physcon, as king in his paces. Antiochus mounted an expeditionary force and reestablished Ptolemy as king. The two made an alliance that gave Antiochus power over Egypt. When this friendship wore thin, Ptolemy VII made peace with his brother, Physcon. Together they expelled the Seleucid army. Antiochus sent his army to subdue Egypt once and for all. Only the Roman fleet prevented this conquest.  

            In 172 BC, he suspended daily offerings in the Jewish Temple. In 168 BC, a man name Jason bribed Antiochus to make him high priest. Jason's brother, Menelaus, offered a bigger bribe for the same position. He sold some of the things from the Temple to pay the bribe. The rightful high priest protested and Menelaus killed him. The Jews sent a delegation to Antiochus to protest. Menelaus' agent was found guilty, but a bribe from Menelaus resulted in the delegation being killed instead. When Jason then tried to take over Jerusalem, Antiochus decided to suppress Judaism. He massacred 80,000 men, women, and children.  On December 16, 168 BC he and Menelaus profaned and looted the temple. He erected a statue, probably of Zeus, in the temple. This led, in 168 BC, to the Maccabbean Revolt. Four years after the temple was profaned, it was cleansed and rededicated. Hanukkah is the commemoration of that rededication.