Shuan wrote: This king is "predicted" to cause the sacrifices of the Temple
to cease (9:27) and to set up a "desolating sacrilege" in the Temple (12:11)
This can be non other than Antiochus IV Epiphanes.
Bob responded: Unfortunately, after these remarkably accurate "predictions"
Daniel goes awry at (11:40) when he predicts that this king will be attacked
by the king of the south etc. This does not accord with any historical event.
Allen responded: These certain prophecies of Daniel 11 have zero, zip, nada
to do with Antiochus Epiphanes. Any attempt to force the prophcies to fit
his reign is doomed to fail. ... The fact is that the prophecies of Daniel
2, 7, 8 and 11-12 all extend to "the day of the Lord" which lasts through
today unto the coming end of the world.
Shuan, I think you have pretty well nailed this. Though I also agree with
Allen who believes there is a lot more to be found in these prophecies.
Bob, I believe you are wrong about Daniel going awry in Dan. 11:40. I will
send you a greatly detailed verse by verse historical commentary of Daniel
11, which shows why I believe you are, if you are interested.
Allen, have you considered the possibility that God may have intended for
Antiochus IV and his supporters, whose actions apparently fulfilled Daniel's
prophecies in ancient times, to prefigure men who will oppose God in an even
greater way shortly before Christ's return? I have read commentary which
refers to Antiochus as "the Jewish antichrist" and which calls him the "type"
and the Antichrist who is yet to come as the "antitype." In other words, some
believe that these prophecies in Daniel had a "small scale" fulfillment in
ancient times and will have a "large scale" fulfillment shortly before
Christ's return. With this in mind, it may prove quite helpful for us to
study how exactly these prophecies may have been fulfilled in ancient times
so we can look the same sequence of events to be repeated by the Antichrist
and those who will assist him in the future. I've studied Daniel's prophecies
and ancient history and have found that Antiochus IV (Epiphanes) and some of
his Jewish supporters certainly appear to have perfectly fulfilled some of
Daniel's prophecies in ancient times.
Jewish history indicates that Daniel's various "day" prophecies very well fit
events which took place between the years 174 and 164 BC. In those historical
accounts we find strong reason to believe that the 2,300 days of Daniel 8:14,
as well as the 1,290 and 1,335 days of Daniel 12:11,12 were all literally and
precisely fulfilled during the reign of Syrian king Antiochus Epiphanes. The
following information can be easily obtained by reading a few Jewish history
books and Bible commentaries.
In 174 BC Jason, the brother of High Priest Onias III, secured the High
Priesthood for himself by bribing Syrian king Antiochus Epiphanes. Jason's
actions thereafter, such as promoting Jewish participation in athletic
competitions dedicated to the Greek god Hercules and sending silver from the
temple treasury to be sacrificed to that false god, caused the temple priests
to neglect the sacrifices which were required by Jewish law. History records
the fact that this corrupted Jewish worship, which began with the appointment
of Jason as High Priest, was not completely cleansed from the temple until
mid December of 168 BC when it was forcefully removed by the military forces
of the king of Syria, Antiochus Epiphanes, with the very willing and active
assistance of Jason’Äôs successor as High Priest, Menelaus.
Though history does not record the exact month and day of Jason's appointment
as High Priest in 174 BC, I believe Daniel's prophesies and Jewish history
combine to tell us that his appointment took place 2,300 days before the
temple was cleansed of corrupted Jewish worship in mid December of 168 BC.
Some 400 years earlier Daniel had prophesied, "After 2,300 days (or evenings
and mornings) the sanctuary will be cleansed." (Dan. 8:14 KJV) Many Bible
commentators believe that the "evenings and mornings’Äù here spoken of refer to
the evening and morning sacrifices which began to be neglected after the
appointment of Jason as High Priest.
In 171 BC, Menelaus, a Jew not born of the line of Aaron, managed to have
himself appointed as High Priest in place of Jason by offering Antiochus a
larger bribe than Jason had previously paid. Since Menelaus was not of the
line of Aaron, in fact not even a Levite, his being set up as High Priest was
"an abomination" to God. And since he was not permitted by Jewish law, as
were other High Priests, to "daily offer up sacrifices, first for their own
sins and then the sins of the people" (Heb. 7:27), "the daily sacrifice" was
then "abolished" in God's eyes.
Though history does not record the exact month and day of Menelaus'
appointment as High Priest in 171 BC, I believe Daniel's prophesies and
Jewish history combine to tell us that 1,290 days passed between the time
Menelaus became High Priest and the time he finished assisting Antiochus
Epiphanes in bringing about the total "desolation" of the Jewish religion.
Some 400 years earlier Daniel had prophesied, "From the time that the daily
sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up
there will be 1,290 days." (Dan. 12:11)
History tells us that it was in mid December of 168 BC that Jerusalem's
Temple was completely cleansed of corrupted Jewish worship brought about by
the actions of Jason and Menelaus. This cleansing took place when Antiochus
Epiphenes completely outlawed all practices of the Jewish religion. Jewish
history indicates that some 2,300 days of corrupted Jewish worship then came
to an end, a corruption which began with the appointment of High Priest Jason
in 174 BC. Jewish history also indicates that some 1,290 days had also then
passed since Menelaus, the "abomination" who had "abolished the daily
sacrifice" and caused the "desolation" of the Jewish religion, had first been
"set up" as High Priest.
Three years later, in mid December of 165 BC, the revolt of the Maccabees
finally reestablished undefiled Jewish worship in Jerusalem's temple. In the
year 164 BC Antiochus Epiphanes died and was succeeded by his son, Antiochus
Eupator. Later that same year Antiochus Eupator made a peace treaty with the
Jews which guaranteed them religious freedom.
Though history does not record the exact month and day that Eupator made that
peace treaty with the Jews, I believe Daniel's prophesies and Jewish history
combine to tell us that this peace treaty was made 1335 days after Antiochus
Epiphanes, with the assistance of High Priest Menelaus, completely cleansed
Jerusalem's Temple of all corrupted Jewish worship. Some 400 years earlier
Daniel had prophesied, "Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end
of the 1,335 days." (Dan.12:12)
History testifies that all of the "day" prophecies of Daniel very well fit
very important events which took place in Jewish history between the years
174 and 164 BC. Some have objected to this understanding because they feel
Jehovah could not have considered the sanctuary to have been ’Äúcleansed’Äù at
the time the pagan alter was erected in the temple in 168 BC. For they say at
that time the temple was more defiled than ever before. However, I disagree.
For the temple was completely cleansed of the corrupted worship of the one
true God at the time Menelaus assisted Syria's armies in removing all
vestiges of Jewish worship from Jerusalem's temple. The fact that the temple
was then converted into a temple of a false god, I believe, is totally
irrelevant. For, I believe God's only concern was to then "cleanse"
Jerusalem's temple of corrupt Jewish religious practices. How and by whom
Jerusalem's temple was used during the following three years is entirely
beside the point. To illustrate this fact, I will remind you of the fact that
cleaning solutions quite often contain ingredients which are poisonous. After
being used to cleanse a vessel of filth these cleansers almost always leave
behind residue which is itself harmful and must also be removed at a later
time before the cleansed vessel is finally again fit for use. However, no one
will deny that the dirty vessel was "cleansed" prior to the time that the
cleanser's poisonous residue was itself removed.
Mike
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