A Great War

Daniel 10:1 (534 BC)

1 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a revelation was given to Daniel (who was called Belteshazzar). Its message was true and it concerned a great war. The understanding of the message came to him in a vision. (Emphasis is mine)

Daniel received this vision in the closing years of his long and productive life (534 BC, the third year of Cyrus' reign over the Medo-Persian Empire). Daniel declares the vision to be true and states that the subject of the vision is a "great war." The phrase "it concerned a great war" is translated differently in the King James Version. The KJV uses the phrase "appointed time." This interpretation is problematical.

The Hebrew word used here is צָבָא (tzaba). Tzaba has several meanings. Below is a list of definitions of the word, tzaba, and how many times each is used in the King James version of the Bible are in parentheses:¹

• Host army/angel, war, army, battle, soldier (472 times)
• Appointed time (2 times in Job and once Daniel)
• Miscellaneous (5 times)

In The Pulpit Commentary² we find that "appointed time" is the incorrect interpretation:

צָבָא (tzaba) never means "appointed time," although it is twice translated so in Job, as here; but in all these cases with greater accuracy render "warfare."³

Albert Barnes, the noted theologian, wrote in his Notes on the Bible:

". . . the word means warfare, military service, a hard service, a season of affliction or calamity. See the notes at Job 7:1. It seems to me that this is the meaning here, and that Gesenius (Lexicon) has correctly expressed the idea: "And true is the edict, and "relates to long warfare;" ⁴

Note: See how different translations of the Bible interpreted tzaba below.⁵

At the very beginning of his record of the vision, Daniel informs us of its veracity and what the subject of the vision is, a long great war. He is speaking of what historians call the Syrian Wars (274-168 BC)⁶, a series of six wars between Ptolemaic Egypt and the Seleucid Kingdom. The body of the vision, Daniel chapter 11, goes into amazing detail of these wars, considering this vision was given to Daniel hundreds of years prior to these events (534 BC). It should be noted that Antiochus Epiphanes fought the last Syrian War between these two kingdoms. After Antiochus, the Seleucid Kingdom became a nonfactor in the region until it was finally absorbed into the Roman Empire.

Daniel Fasts and Prays at Passover

Daniel 10:2-4

2 At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks.

3 I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over.

4 On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris, (Emphasis is mine)

Daniel's three weeks of prayer and fasting corresponds to the Jewish holy day of Passover, which is celebrated on the first month of the year, Nisan (15-22 of Nisan). Passover must have been a very significant observance to Daniel and his fellow Jews in exile, since it celebrated the freeing of Israel from bondage and exile.

Daniel sees the Son of God.

Daniel Sees the Son of God

Daniel 10:5-8

5. I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist.

6. His body was like topaz, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude.

7. I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; those who were with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves. (Emphasis is mine)

As Daniel was standing on the banks of the Tigris river (See Map 3), he sees the Son of God.⁷ This is a similar experience that other prophets have had when they saw God.⁸ From Daniel's description, it is obvious that this is not an ordinary angel but a being of a much higher magnitude. It is also evident that this is not God Himself since, 'the man clothed in linen' 'swears by him who lives forever' toward the end of the vision (Daniel 12:6-7). If we read the description of the Son of God as seen by John the Revelator, we discover that He is the same person that Daniel saw. Daniel tries to describe Him with words, but they are far inadequate for mortals to attempt to describe the majesty of the Son of God. This is how John describes his visions of the Lord:

Revelation 1:12-15

12 I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands,

13 and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest.

14 The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire.

15 His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. (Emphasis is mine)

Revelation 2:18

18 "To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. (Emphasis is mine)

Revelation 4:1-3

1 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this."

2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.

3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. (Emphasis is mine)

Daniel had the extraordinary experience of seeing and talking with the Lord in His preexistent state, while John sees Jesus in His glorified resurrected form.

Daniel touched by an Angel while praying. Illustration for Cassell's Illustrated Family Bible Superior Edition (Cassell, Petter and Galpin, c 1880).

Daniel Sees the Vision and an Angel

Daniel 10:8-12

8. So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless.

9. Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground.

10. A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees.

11. He said, "Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you." And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling.

12. Then he continued, "Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. (Emphasis is mine)

Daniel now sees the vision of the great wars. Just as in his vision of the ram and goat, Daniel is exhausted and falls asleep (Dan. 8:27) and is awakened by an angel (Dan. 8:18). The angel is not identified but he could very well be the same angel, Gabriel, from the previous vision (Dan. 8:15-19). The angel tells Daniel that God had heard his prayers and was sent in response to his pleadings.

Patron Angel in the Persian Court of Xerxes

Patron Angels

Daniel 10:13

13. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. (Emphasis is mine)

Now the angel makes a marvelous revelation. The angel reveals to Daniel that God has assigned he and other angels to help with His work, or patron angels. Here we find that angels are not only messengers of God but that He also gives His angels tasks to guide and influence rulers and kingdoms to carry out God's purposes. The angel explains that he had been busy persuading the prince of Persia about something very pressing for 21 days while Daniel was fasting and searching for answers. This may very well be the episode of the intrigues instigated by the Samaritans and Israel's other enemies in the Persian royal courts when they tried to stop the construction of the temple by Zerubbabel. (Ezra 4) The task was so difficult the angel had to call upon Michael the Archangel to help in the matter.

The work of God's angel and their intercession in the Persian courts may explain why the Persian kings treated the Jews in exile with a light hand and allowed them to return to their home country and eventually rebuild the city of Jerusalem and the Temple.

Daniel 10:14-21; 11:1

14. Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come."

15. While he was saying this to me, I bowed with my face toward the ground and was speechless.

16. Then one who looked like a man touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and began to speak. I said to the one standing before me, "I am overcome with anguish because of the vision, my lord, and I feel very weak.

17. How can I, your servant, talk with you, my lord? My strength is gone and I can hardly breathe."

18. Again the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength.

19. "Do not be afraid, you who are highly esteemed," he said. "Peace! Be strong now; be strong." When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, "Speak, my lord, since you have given me strength."

20. So he said, "Do you know why I have come to you? Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia (Cyrus, or Cambyses?), and when I go, the prince of Greece will come;

21. but first I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. (No one supports me against them except Michael, your prince.

1. And in the first year of Darius the Mede, I took my stand to support and protect him.) (Emphasis is mine)

The angel explains to Daniel his purpose for coming. To explain about the great war Daniel saw in the vision and what will happen to the Jews after the last war. Daniel confesses to the angel that he is overcome with anguish for the trials and hardships he saw in the vision and the suffering of Israel at the hands of the little horn, Antiochus Epiphanes.

The angel says that he must return to the Persian courts soon to fight against the prince of Persia (Either Cyrus or Cambyses), and that Alexander the Great will soon invade their land.

The angel assures Daniel that his prayers on behalf of the Jews have been heard but that there is great opposition in the courts of the Persian Kings. Nevertheless, God will protect them.

Four Kings of Persia

Daniel 11:2

2 "Now then, I tell you the truth: Three more kings will arise in Persia, and then a fourth, who will be far richer than all the others. When he has gained power by his wealth, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece.

The angel now explains to Daniel that three kings will rule after Cyrus the Great: Cambyses, Bardiya, and Darius. After these, a fourth will rise who, with great wealth and power, will gather a great army to invade Greece and start a war that will eventually lead to the downfall of the Persian Empire. This king is Xerxes, who, with the wealth of the Persian Empire, gathered a great army of hundreds of thousands to invade Greece. This campaign lasted a year (480 BC–479 BC) as his army fought against the combined forces of the Greek city states. One of the most famous battles of Xerxes' campaign was the Battle of Thermopylae and the valiant last stand of the 300 Spartans.

After several defeats at the hands of the Allied Greek army, Xerxes withdrew from Greece, his hopes of conquering the west dashed. This invasion only brought anger and hatred of everything Persian into the hearts of the proud Greek people. A century later, Alexander invades Persia to exact retribution upon the Persian Empire for the previous war. After defeating the Persian army, Alexander sent a letter to Darius III, the last king of that great empire. In the letter, Alexander wrote of the bone of contention he had with the Persians:

"Your ancestors invaded Macedonia and the rest of Greece and did us harm although we had not done you any previous injury. I have been appointed commander-in-chief of the Greeks and it is with the aim of punishing the Persians that I have crossed into Asia, since you are the aggressors . . . My father died at the hand of conspirators instigated by you, as you yourself boasted to everybody in your letters, you killed Arses with the help of Bagoas and gained your throne through unjust means, in defiance of Persian custom and doing wrong to the Persians. You sent unfriendly letters to the Greeks about me, to push them to war against me, and sent money to the Spartans and some other Greeks, which none of the other cities would accept apart from the Spartans. Your envoys corrupted my friends and sought to destroy the peace which I established among the Greeks. I therefore led an expedition against you, and you started the quarrel."⁹

Where will the 3rd Temple be located? Get the answer by subscribing to the free Harvest at Earth's End Newsletter.

Alexander the Great and His Diadochi (Successors)

Daniel 11:3-4 (Alexander's reign, 336 to 323 BC)

3 Then a mighty king will arise (Alexander), who will rule with great power and do as he pleases.

4 After he has arisen, his empire will be broken up and parceled out toward the four winds of heaven. It will not go to his descendants, nor will it have the power he exercised, because his empire will be uprooted and given to others.

The angel explains Alexander's rise to power as he exacted vengeance upon the Persian Empire. Alexander did not stop with Persia. He swept south into Egypt, north into Armenia, and east into India.

Alexander's success is short lived. He dies at the age of 33 without an obvious heir to succeed him. The kingdom is divided up by his governors and closest advisors, the Diadochi (successors). His children receive nothing. After several wars of domination between the Diadochi, only four Diadochi remain: Ptolemy in Egypt, Cassander in Macedonia, Lysimachus in Thrace/Asia Minor, and Seleucus in Mesopotamia/Central Asia.

Map 1. The last four Diadochi: Lysimachus, Cassander, Ptolemy, and Seleucus.

The Wars of the Kings of the North and the South, "The Syrian Wars"

Daniel 11:5 (Seleucus I reign, 305–281 BC)

5 "The king of the South (Ptolemy I) will become strong, but one of his commanders (Seleucus I) will become even stronger than he and will rule his own kingdom with great power.

As I wrote in The Prophecies of Daniel: Part 5, Nebuchadnezzar's Image, Seleucus received one of the most wealthy satraps of the divided Alexandrian Empire, Mesopotamia. Unfortunately, he went up against one of the more powerful Diadochi, Antigonus I Monophthalmus, who bullied his way acquiring more satraps than his own. Seleucus lost the conflict to the older and more powerful Diadochi. Seleucus escaped with his family and 50 of his mounted troops to Egypt where he was welcomed by his friend, Ptolemy. While in Egypt, Seleucus served under Ptolemy and both became close allies. Seleucus was given command of 100 ships and thousands of men who he used to harass Antigonus and his allies and take several cities on the coast of the Aegean and Mediterranean seas for Ptolemy.

Seleucus eventually was able to retake Babylon and expand his borders to becomes the most powerful of the successors to Alexander, stretching his borders from the Aegean in the west, to the Sinai in the South, Armenia in the north and India to the east, rivaling the kingdom that Alexander ruled just before his death (See map 1).

At the Battle of Ipsus in 301 BC (See Map 5), a coalition made up of three of the more powerful Diadochi––Cassander of Macedon, Lysimachus of Thrace, and Seleucus of Babylonia and Persia, faced the army of Antigonus and his son, Demetrius. Both sides were equal in number but Seleucus had the numerical advantage in war elephants, Seleucus had 500 while Antigonus only had 75. Antigonus had his elephants spread out across the front of his line to disrupt the pike formations of the allies. Seleucus placed 100 of his elephants to counter Demetrius', then placed the rest in reserve and out of sight. Seleucus used his larger force of war elephants to cut off the right wing of Antigonus' army and brought his horse archers in to harass the heavy infantry while both armies clashed. Antigonus' center faltered, and he was killed in the intense fighting, after which the army broke apart and Demetrius fled.

After the Battle of Ipsus, Seleucus was given Coele-Syria (See Map 2) for his participation in the defeat of their common enemy, Antigonus. However, Ptolemy had other plans. While the Diadochi were fighting for domination of Asia at the Battle of Ipsus, Ptolemy sent an army to occupy the strategically important region of Coele-Syria for himself. Seleucus felt betrayed by his onetime friend, Ptolemy, but took no military action against his former ally. The Egyptian occupation of Coele-Syria became a bone of contention between the Ptolemy and Seleucid kingdoms that lead to a costly and bloody war that lasted generations. Historians call it the Syrian Wars, the last being fought by Antiochus Epiphanes.

Map 2. Location of Coele-Syria

The First Syrian War (274–271 BC)

The First Syrian War was fought between Ptolemy's son, Ptolemy II, and Antiochus I, Seleucus' son. Antiochus I took Ptolemaic regions along the southern coast of Anatolia during the initial fighting. However, Ptolemy was able to retake the region and hand the Seleucid kingdom a bitter defeat.

Second Syrian War (260–253 BC)

Daniel 11:6

6 After some years, they (King Ptolemy II Philadelphus and King Antiochus II Theos) will become allies. The daughter (Berenice) of the king of the South (Egypt) will go to the king of the North (Seleucia) to make an alliance, but she will not retain her power, and he (Antiochus II) and his power will not last. In those days she (Berenice) will be betrayed, together with her royal escort and her father (Ptolemy II) and the one who supported her.

During the Second Syrian War, the third king of Seleucia, Antiochus II Theos, allied with Macedonia to drive the Ptolemies out of the Aegean Sea and southern Asia Minor (See Map 4). The war ended with a marriage in an attempt to forge peace between the two countries. King Ptolemy II offered his daughter, Bernice, in marriage to Antiochus II. The only problem was that Antiochus was already married to a woman who he loved, Laodice. The peace agreement required that he divorce her. For purposes of peace, Antiochus divorced his wife and married Bernice in a public celebration.

Even though Antiochus and Bernice had had a son, the marriage was not a happy one. As soon as her father Ptolemy died and the treaty ended, Antiochus divorced Berenice and remarried Laodice. As you may have guessed, Laodice had become imbittered and cynical by the whole situation. It is said that "Hell has no fury like a woman scorned." The originator of this proverb may have had Laodice in mind.

Like a scene from Game of Thrones, Laodice poisoned her husband the king, Antiochus II, and plotted to place her son on the throne. However, Berenice objected since Antiochus had named her son as the heir on his death bed. As added insurance, Berenice asked her brother, the king of Egypt, Ptolemy III, to come to Antioch with an army to help place her son on the throne. Before the Egyptian army could arrive, Laodice had Berenice, her young son, and all her Egyptian attendants murdered and placed her eldest son, Seleucus II Callinicus, on the throne. As you may imagine this did not sit well with Berenice's brother, Ptolemy III, as well as her family in Egypt.

This leads to the Third Syrian War.

Map 3. Ptolemy III Euergetes invades the Seleucid Kingdom during the 3rd Syrian War, or the "Laodicean War."

Third Syrian War (246–241 BC)

Daniel 11:7-8 (246–241 BC)

7 "One from her family line will arise to take her place (Ptolemy III Euergetes). He will attack the forces of the king of the North (Antiochus II Theos) and enter his fortress (Seleucia and Babylon?); he will fight against them and be victorious.

8 He will also seize their gods, their metal images and their valuable articles of silver and gold and carry them off to Egypt. For some years he will leave the king of the North alone.

The Third Syrian War is known as the Laodicean War (See Map 3), launched for revenge for the murder of Berenice and her son. Ptolemy III entered the cities of Seleucia (in Pieria) and Antioch which were friendly to him and seized them for Egypt. Finding his sister and nephew murdered, Ptolemy III marched into the heart of the Seleucid Kingdom with the goal of conquering all of it. He crossed the Euphrates river and marched on the rich cities of Seleucia (on the Euphrates) and Babylon. A revolt in Egypt in 245 BC cut short Ptolemy's campaign and forced him to return to Alexandria. Ptolemy was able to strip the wealthy Seleucid cities of its riches, thus the Egyptians seized, "their gods, their metal images and their valuable articles of silver and gold and carry them off to Egypt." Ptolemy reportedly brought back with him 40,000 talents of gold ($83,635,200,000 in todays value!) and the statues of Egyptian gods which had been looted centuries before by the Persians.

Map 4. The greatest extent of the Ptolemaic kingdom ca. 250 BC

Daniel 11:9 (241 BC)

9 Then the king of the North (Seleucus II Callinicus) will invade the realm of the king of the South (Ptolemy III ) but will retreat to his own country.

Seleucus II made several attempts to reclaim his lost territory from Egypt but failed. In 241 BC Seleucus sued for peace and ended up giving Egypt the east coast of the Mediterranean, including Antioch, the ancestral burial place of the dynasty's founder, Seleucus I. The bitter catastrophe of Ptolemaic occupation of Antioch would eventually lead to the Fourth Syrian War.

Fourth Syrian War and Antiochus III the Great (219-217 BC)

Daniel 11:10-12

10 His sons (Seleucus III Ceraunus & Antiochus III the Great) will prepare for war and assemble a great army, which will sweep on like an irresistible flood and carry the battle as far as his fortress.

11 "Then the king of the South (Ptolemy IV) will march out in a rage and fight against the king of the North (Antiochus III), who will raise a large army, but it will be defeated.

12 When the army (Seleucid) is carried off, the king of the South will be filled with pride and will slaughter many thousands, yet he will not remain triumphant.

When Antiochus the Great, son of Seleucus II, took the throne in 223 BC, his first task was to reestablish control over the fragmented Empire that Seleucus I had forged together a half century earlier. Much of the kingdom had rebelled against the Seleucid rulers and gained autonomy. Much of Asia Minor had succeeded from the kingdom as well as Bactria, Parthia, Media, and Persia (See Map 6). By 221 BC, Antiochus the Great was able to bring most of the rebellious provinces to submission and prepared to go to war against his archenemy, Ptolemaic Egypt.

Both countries raised huge armies, knowing that a decisive battle was coming. They met at Raphia near Gaza at what came to be known as the Battle of Raphia (217 BC, See Map 5). This was one of the largest battles ever fought in the ancient world. Ptolemy had raised an army of 70,000 infantry, 5,000 cavalry, and 73 war elephants. It should be noted that for the first time Ptolemy recruited native Egyptians to use as infantry which was made up of almost half of his number. Prior to this, only Greek mercenaries had been used in the classical phalanx formations. Antiochus brought 62,000 infantry, 6,000 cavalry and 102 war Elephants.

And just as the angel explained to Daniel, Antiochus the Great was defeated, losing 10,000 dead and 4,000 captured and was forced to sue for peace. Even though Antiochus III retreated to Syria, he was able to retain much of the Syrian coastline especially Seleucia and Antioch. Ptolemy returned to Egypt a conquering hero, but the celebration didn't last long.

The Battle of Raphia June 22, 217 BC

Antiochus III the Great Campaigns in Anatolia, Bactria, and India (216-203 BC)

Daniel 11:13

13 For the king of the North (Antiochus III) will muster another army, larger than the first; and after several years, he will advance with a huge army fully equipped.

After his defeat at Raphia, Antiochus the Great spent the next several years solidifying his rule in Anatolia putting down several rebellions. In 216 BC he set his sights north and east to reestablish the old Seleucid Empire once ruled by its founder, Seleucus I. He marched north into Parthia, Bactria and eventually to India by 205 BC (See Map 6).

Antiochus the Great now possessed a much larger army than before. He had expanded the Seleucid empire from the Aegean Sea in the west, to Tyre in the south, Armenia to the north and India to the east (See Map 6). He was now prepared to confront his old nemesis again, Ptolemaic Egypt.

Alexandrian Revolution (203 BC)

Daniel 11:14

14 "In those times many will rise against the king of the South (Ptolemy V). Those who are violent among your own people will rebel in fulfillment of the vision, but without success.

In this verse, the angel shows Daniel the rise of Ptolemy V Epiphanes, after the death of his father. Nationalist sentiment had increased among the native Egyptian troops who had fought at Raphia. Confident and well-trained, they spilt from Ptolemy in what historians call the 'Egyptian Revolt.' They attempted to establish their own kingdom in Upper Egypt but the rebellion was later put down by the Ptolemies.

Fifth Syrian War (202–195 BC) and the Battle of Panium

Daniel 11:15-16

15 Then the king of the North (Antiochus III the Great) will come and build up siege ramps and will capture a fortified city (Sidon?). The forces of the South (Ptolemaic Egypt) will be powerless to resist; even their best troops will not have the strength to stand.

16 The invader will do as he pleases; no one will be able to stand against him. He will establish himself in the Beautiful Land (Israel) and will have the power to destroy it.

Seeing Egypt embroiled by revolution, Antiochus the Great sought to take advantage of his enemies' disruption at home. He allied with king Phillip V of Macedonia to reduce Egyptian power in the Aegean and Mediterranean east coast. While the Macedonians attacked Ptolemy's territories in Asia Minor, Antiochus invaded Coele-Syria. The Seleucid and Ptolemaic armies met at the head waters of the Jordan at the now famous Battle of Panium in 200 BC (See Map 5). Antiochus the Great crushed the outnumbered and outmaneuvered Egyptian forces, forcing them to retreat. 10,000 men under the command of their general, Scopas, fled to the walled city of Sidon where they were surrounded and forced to surrender.

With the Ptolemaic army crushed, Antiochus marched through the "Beautiful Land," Israel, all the way to Gaza, conquering the entire region.

Cleopatra and Ptolemy (193 BC)

Daniel 11:17

17 He (Antiochus III the Great) will determine to come with the might of his entire kingdom and will make an alliance with the king of the South (Ptolemy V). And he will give him a daughter (Cleopatra I) in marriage in order to overthrow the kingdom, but his plans will not succeed or help him.

By the 3rd century BC, the young Roman Empire had become a growing, and powerful force, not only in Europe, but in Asia also. Rome had made itself a protectorate of Egypt since it was the breadbasket of the growing population of the empire and was worried that an invasion or further war would disrupt the critical monthly supply of grain. Therefore, Rome sent a diplomatic entourage to Antiochus and demanded that he not invade Egypt and return the territories conquered in the war. Antiochus rebuffed the Roman diplomats and informed them that he had already begun peace negotiations with Egypt and was about to conclude them. The Romans departed empty handed.

In return for cessation of hostilities, Egypt was forced to give up Judea, Coele-Syria, Phoenicia, and Samaria (See Map 2). In the vision, Daniel saw that, Antiochus, to finalize the peace accord, gave his daughter, Cleopatra I, to the sixteen-year-old king, Ptolemy V, in marriage. The wedding took place in Raphia, the location of Antiochus' greatest defeat at the hands of the Ptolemys. A defiant and humiliating gesture to Ptolemy and all of Egypt.

Antiochus III the Great verses Rome (192-188 BC)

Daniel 11:18-19

18 Then he (Antiochus the Great) will turn his attention to the coastlands (Asia Minor) and will take many of them, but a commander (Lucius Cornelius Scipio) will put an end to his insolence and will turn his insolence back on him (Battle of Magnesia).

19 After this, he will turn back toward the fortresses of his own country but will stumble and fall, to be seen no more.

Antiochus the Great, with all his southern, eastern, and northern borders secure, decided to move into Asia Minor and secure what remained of the overseas territories of the Ptolemaic kingdom and any independent Greek city states still remaining. Rome, too, had aspirations for Asia Minor. War broke out between the old empire of Seleucia and the new empire of Rome in 192 BC. The war ended with a humiliating defeat for Antiochus at the hands of Lucius Cornelius Scipio and his Roman legions at the Battle of Magnesia (See Map 5), where Antiochus lost 53,000 men killed, and 1,400 soldiers captured. Antiochus' defeat marked the end of the Macedonian phalanx's domination on the ancient battlefield and the supremacy of the Roman legion.

Antiochus the Great was forced to accept crippling concessions at the Treaty of Apamea where he was compelled to retreat from much of Asia Minor, destroy all his elephant who participated in the battle, reduce his navy to a mere 12 ships, pay a penalty of 3,000 talents plus 1,000 more each year for the next 12 years, plus turn over 20 hostages, his son, young Antiochus Epiphanes, being one of them.

Antiochus the Great died three years later, campaigning in the east.

Seleucia Begins its Fall (178-175 BC)

Daniel 11:20

20. "His successor (Seleucus IV Philopater) will send out a tax collector (Heliodorus) to maintain the royal splendor. In a few years, however, he will be destroyed, yet not in anger or in battle.

After Antiochus' death, Seleucus IV Philopater was given a much-weakened Seleucid Kingdom. To pay the punishing war-indemnity of 1,000 talents each year he inherited from his father, Seleucus went about taxing and plundering his people and their temples. One of which was the Temple in Jerusalem, where Seleucus IV Philopater sent his highest-ranking military leader and minister, Heliodorus, to loot the fabled treasures of the Temple.¹⁰

In the vision, Daniel sees Seleucus IV's death, "not in anger or in battle," but rather at the hands of Heliodorus, in a coup attempt to take the throne for himself.¹¹

The Rise of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the Little Horn (175 BC)

Daniel 11:21-22 (NIV)

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

22 Then an overwhelming army (Ptolemaic Egypt) will be swept away before him; both it and a prince of the covenant (Onias III) will be destroyed.

Daniel 11:21 (New Living Translation)

21. "The next to come to power will be a despicable man who is not in line for royal succession. He will slip in when least expected and take over the kingdom by flattery and intrigue." (Emphasis is mine)

This contemptible king that Daniel saw who was "not in line for royal succession", was none other than the little horn, Antiochus IV Epiphanes.¹²

After news of his brother's assassination by Heliodorus reached him in Athens, Antiochus saw an opportunity to take the kingdom for himself. His problem was, how was he going to travel through enemy territory in Asia Minor? Antiochus was able to, somehow, convinced his kingdom's mortal enemy, King Eumenes II of Pergamum, to help him get from Athens, through a hostile Asia Minor, to the capital of Antioch, and ascend the throne. Antiochus even persuaded Eumenes to provided him with a military detachment to get through the other opposing kingdoms in Asia Minor! Thus, Daniel saw the sweeping aside of "an overwhelming army" to get to the throne.

Immediately upon arrival, Antiochus had Heliodorus executed, and seized the throne, even though he was not in the line of succession. He did this by marrying his brother's widow, who happened to be his own sister. He then declared himself regent to his young nephew, completely bypassing Demetrius Soter, the oldest son and heir of the dead king who was conveniently, a hostage in Rome. Thus, Antiochus killed the usurper and passed over a presumptive to the throne, Demetrius Soter. A few years later he had his young regent killed. By devious planning and assassination, Antiochus Epiphanes seized "the kingdom by flattery and intrigue," passing over two legal heirs to the throne.

Prince of the Covenant

Now we come to a controversial phrase in verse 22. Who is the "prince of the covenant?" Some scholars believe it is the Messiah. Others think it is one of the High Priests of Jerusalem. The phrase "prince of the covenant" is a combination of two Hebrew words; Nagiyd (נָגִיד) meaning "leader, ruler, captain, prince" and B@riyth (ב' ית') meaning "covenant, alliance, or pledge."

Daniel uses nagiyd once to refer to the Messiah in Dan. 9:25 but in the very next verse, 26, he uses nagiyd to refer to a political leader. If we place Jesus Christ in verse 22, it contradicts the flow of history that Daniel is witnessing in the vision and defies the rules of exegesis. Besides, it is hard to imagine any leader or army that is able to sweep away Jesus Christ and His gospel. Both the Jews and Romans attempted to sweep Jesus Christ and His gospel away to no avail. The Romans did execute the Savior, but He rose again on the 3rd day, defeating sin and death. Is that being swept away? No. His twelve apostles were all killed except John. Did that stop the gospel of Jesus Christ from sweeping the earth? No. On the contrary, it is the kingdom of God that will sweep the earth and, as a stone cut without hands, roll down the mountain and crush all the earthly kingdoms, as Daniel saw in his interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream.

Trying to place Jesus as the "prince of the covenant" is like forcing a square peg into a round hole. It doesn't fit into the historical sequence of events we see in Daniel's vision. So, if the "prince of the covenant" is not the Messiah, then who is it?

Another, more reasonable exegesis of nagid beriyth, a "leader of the covenant", would be the office of the High Priest of Israel. This interpretation better fits in the context of the verse and the historical timeline being shown to Daniel in vision. After Antiochus Epiphanes took the throne, he threw out an honored and righteous High Priest, Onias III, and replaced him with a more wicked priest, Jason, who welcomed the Greek influence of pagan worship and evil practices. Onias opposed the wicked practices that Jason and his successor, Menelaus, imposed on their people, the Jews, and was murdered for his opposition to the wickedness the high priests were spreading.¹³

He Will Act Deceitfully (175 BC)

Daniel 11:23

23 After coming to an agreement with him, he (Antiochus Epiphanes) will act deceitfully, and with only a few people he will rise to power.

Identifying the "him" in verse 23 and the "agreement" is difficult. We do know that Antiochus Epiphanes rose to power quickly and with the help of just a few people. King Eumenes II of Pergamum certainly helped him get to Antioch through enemy territory. Did he make an agreement with Eumenes to help him if attacked but reneged on the agreement? Antiochus made agreements with Rome, assuring them he would not interfere in their advance into Asia Minor. This certainly helped him acquire the throne. No one doubts the deceit and intrigue with which Antiochus ruled and extended his kingdom.

Sixth and Last Syrian War (170-168 BC)

Daniel 11:24-28

24 When the richest provinces feel secure (Egypt), he (Antiochus IV Epiphanes) 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.

25 "With a large army he (Antiochus IV Epiphanes) will stir up his strength and courage against the king of the South (Ptolemy VI Philometor). 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.

26 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.

27 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.

28 The king of the North will return to his own country with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant (Israel). He will take action against it (Temple in Jerusalem) and then return to his own country.

While Antiochus was assuming the Seleucid throne, factions were plotting for control in Egypt. The Ptolemaic regime attempted to form a unity government in the face of the coming war. The young king, Ptolemy VI Philometor, was declared an adult (16 yrs. old) and his brother, Ptolemy VIII Euergetes (14 yrs. old) was made co-ruler. This internal intrigue only made the coming war more difficult for Egypt.

Seeking to take advantage of the political turmoil within the Seleucid kingdom from the assassination of their king and Antiochus' intrigues to usurp the throne, Egypt declared war and prepared an invasion army to retake the long-disputed region of Coele-Syria. The army gathered at Pelusium, the fortified city that defended the Nile delta from Seleucid aggression. However, they did not realize that Antiochus had swiftly solidified his rule and eliminated all opposition. Antiochus, eager to take on Egypt, had prepared for his own invasion of Egypt. This had been a goal of generations of Seleucid kings, and one that no other Seleucid king had ever been able to accomplish.

Leading his army across the northern Sinai desert, Antiochus met the Ptolemaic army at Pelusium while in preparation to invade Coele-Syria. The Seleucid army routed the surprised Egyptians in a decisive battle. Antiochus so routed the Egyptian army that it became a nonfactor in his march through Egypt to Memphis, the ancient capital of the pharaohs and then eventually on to Alexandria, the richest and largest city of the ancient world.

Antiochus, rather than marching straight to Alexandria, led his armies south to Memphis and easily took the strategic city and the whole delta with it. There he built a bridge across the river to blockade the Nile's delta and Alexandria. The Egyptians were now panicked. Antiochus had command of all of Egypt. In addition, Antiochus had captured Ptolemy VI and placed him on the throne as Antiochus' puppet in Memphis, making it the new capital of Egypt. In defiance, the officials in Alexandria then set up Ptolemy VI's younger brother, Ptolemy VIII Euergetes, as king of Egypt. This established discord between the two brothers that ended up with Ptolemy VIII expelling Ptolemy VI from Egypt in 164 BC. It is extraordinary how Daniel saw the Sixth Syrian war in detail and the intrigues in the Egyptian court.

Antiochus now had Egypt in a chokehold. His ambitions were much bigger than the border territory of Coele-Syria. Making Egypt a vassal state to Seleucia was the dream of generations of Seleucid kings. Now it was at his fingertips. Antiochus marched his army to Alexandria and laid siege to the city in a bid to conquer the whole kingdom.

Unfortunately for Antiochus, he could not force an effective siege on Alexandria. While his troops surrounded the landward side of Alexandria, his naval force was too meager to seal the seaward side of the city from relief. In addition, Antiochus knew that a full-scale assault on the largest city in the ancient world would be too costly. He did not have the manpower to fight a house to house, street-by-street bloody battle to take such a large city. Antiochus decided to lift his failed siege in 169 BC. Antiochus settled for leaving his puppet in Memphis, a decimated Egyptian army, and a divided Egypt, and withdrew his armies back to Antioch bringing back the riches of Egypt with him.

His heart will be set against the holy covenant, verse 28 (169 BC)

The angel now showed Daniel, that after returning from his successful campaign in Egypt, Antiochus IV, will be notified that the Jews had rebelled against the High Priest whom he himself had installed in Jerusalem, Menelaus. The previous high priest, Jason, had heard a rumor that Antiochus had been killed in the fighting in Egypt. Jason saw a chance to remove the corrupt and unpopular high priest, Menelaus, and raised a force of a thousand men with whom he attacked Jerusalem and placed himself as high priest.

When Antiochus heard of the revolt, he immediately led his army to Jerusalem. The Greek soldiers quickly stormed Jerusalem and sacked the city. This is how it is described in 2 Maccabees: "Raging like a wild animal… He ordered his soldiers to cut down without mercy those whom they met and to slay those who took refuge in their houses. There was a massacre of young and old, a killing of women and children, a slaughter of young women and infants. In the space of three days, eighty thousand were lost, forty thousand meeting a violent death, and the same number being sold into slavery… Antiochus carried off eighteen hundred talents from the temple and hurried back to Antioch."(2 Maccabees 5:11-21)

Popilius sent as an embassy to Antiochus Epiphanes to stop the course of its devastation in Egypt, Louis-Jean-François Lagrenée (1725–1805)

Antiochus's Second Invasion of Egypt

Daniel 11:29-32 (168 BC)

29 "At the appointed time he (Antiochus IV Epiphanes) will invade the South again, but this time the outcome will be different from what it was before.

30 Ships of the western coastlands (Rome) will oppose him, and he will lose heart. Then he will turn back and vent his fury against the holy covenant (Temple). He will return and show favor to those who forsake (wicked High Priests) the holy covenant.

31 "His (Antiochus IV Epiphanes) 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. 32 With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant (Levite Priests), but the people who know their God will firmly resist him (Mattathias).

The following year, Antiochus, realizing his attempt to incite a civil war in Egypt failed, as well as losing control of his puppet, Ptolemy VI Philometor, in Memphis, he decided to again invade Egypt. In a two-pronged attack, he sent a fleet to capture the strategic island of Cyprus and marched his armies into Egypt. With the Ptolemaic army still in a shamble, Antiochus again marched unopposed to Memphis. After securing Memphis, he turned north toward Alexandria. On his way, he was met by a Roman ambassador and friend, Gaius Popillius Laenas. The Roman Senate threatened Antiochus that he must leave Egypt immediately or risk war with Rome. Their encounter made "draw a line in the sand" a famous idiom we still use today. The Roman historian, Titus Livius, recorded the event:

"After receiving the submission of the inhabitants of Memphis and of the rest of the Egyptian people, some submitting voluntarily, others under threats, [Antiochus] marched by easy stages towards Alexandria. After crossing the river at Eleusis, about four miles from Alexandria, he was met by the Roman commissioners, to whom he gave a friendly greeting and held out his hand to Popilius. Popilius, however, placed in his hand the tablets on which was written the decree of the senate and told him first of all to read that. After reading it through he said he would call his friends into council and consider what he ought to do. Popilius, stern and imperious as ever, drew a circle round the king with the stick he was carrying and said, "Before you step out of that circle give me a reply to lay before the senate." For a few moments he hesitated, astounded at such a peremptory order, and at last replied, "I will do what the senate thinks right." Not till then did Popilius extend his hand to the king as to a friend and ally. Antiochus evacuated Egypt at the appointed date, and the commissioners exerted their authority to establish a lasting concord between the brothers, as they had as yet hardly made peace with each other." (Ab Urbe Condita", xlv.12.)

The Desecration of the Temple, from the book, Historie des Ouden en Nieuwen Testaments

After his second campaign in Egypt, Antiochus sent his army into Jerusalem a second time to completely eradicate Jewish culture and religion and the complete desecration of the Temple;

• Antiochus plundered the Temple and stripped it bare of its treasure and furnishings, and as Josephus says, "left nothing at all remaining".¹⁴
• He looted the city and set fire to it, demolished many houses and Jerusalem's surrounding walls.¹⁵
• Desecrated the Temple by sacrificing swine on its sacred altar and then making. broth and sprinkling it around the Temple.¹⁶
• He killed and enslaved tens of thousands.¹⁷
• Banned the daily sacrifices in the Temple.¹⁸
• Erected a statue of Zeus on the Temple's altar and forced all to worship it.¹⁹
• Tortured and crucified any who would not deny their faith in God.²⁰
• Turned the rooms of the Temple into a public brothel.²¹
• Put to death any woman who had their child circumcised by hanging the baby from her neck and then throwing them both off the high wall of the city.²²
• Destroyed any copy of the scriptures that were found and executed those hiding them.²³
• He forced the Jews to adhere to Greek customs on pain of death.²⁴
• Antiochus IV, in his effort to completely Hellenize the Jews, forced them to abandon their calendar of Holy Days and Feasts and adopt the Greek calendar, thus fulfilling another prediction of Daniel that he would "change the set times and the laws"(Dan. 7:25).²⁵

Antiochus IV Epiphanes corrupted the Levite priests and forced many to make sacrifices to pagan gods.²⁶ However one priest, Mattathias, and his five sons refused and began a rebellion that eventually freed their nation of the Seleucid persecution.

Judah, Woodcut from "Die Bibel in Bildern", 1860.

Maccabee Rebellion (167 BC)

Daniel 11:33-35

33 "Those who are wise will instruct many (Maccabees), though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered.

34 When they fall, they will receive a little help, and many who are not sincere will join them.

35 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.

The rebellion that Mattathias began was not just a war against Seleucid oppression. The revolt was also a civil war––fought between the Jews who had embraced Greek customs and pagan gods²⁷, against those righteous Jews, like Mattathias and his five sons, who wanted to keep the covenants they had made with God and not follow corrupt Greek practices²⁸. Many of the Jewish rebels and their families were killed in the outset of the war, but as the war progressed, many joined the rebellion leading to many victories. Some of those who joined the fighting were "not sincere", but did it for fame and fortune, not for the ideals of religious freedom²⁹.

"Until the time of the end" "appointed time"

The key to understanding these two phrases is to place them into context. The angel explained to Daniel that many faithful would "fall" in battle (verse 34) and the wise would "stumble" by losing heart and faith that they could ultimately defeat a great kingdom like the Seleucid Empire. Daniel's vision promises these future Israelites that the Israeli nation would be refined and purified through their trials until "the time of the end", when the war would be won and would certainly come "at the appointed time", exactly 2,200 mornings and evening from the desecration of the Temple to its rededication, 3 ½ years (A time, times, and a half time, or 1260 days) from the first sacking of the Temple to its rededication.

God gave Daniel the length of the "appointed time" and when it would end in four places:

Daniel 8:14 He said to me, "It will take 2,300 (2,200) evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be reconsecrated."³⁰ (Emphasis is mine)

Daniel 7:25 He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time. ³¹(Emphasis is mine)

Daniel 12:7 The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, "It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed." (Emphasis is mine)

Daniel 12:11 "From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. (Emphasis is mine)

The writer of the Book of Maccabees gives the exact date of "the time of the end" and its "appointed time":

1 Maccabees 4:52-55

52 They rose early on the morning of the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month, that is, the month of Kislev, in the year one hundred and forty-eight,

53 and offered sacrifice according to the law on the new altar for burnt offerings that they had made.

54 On the anniversary of the day on which the Gentiles had desecrated it, on that very day it was rededicated with songs, harps, lyres, and cymbals.

55 All the people prostrated themselves and adored and praised Heaven, who had given them success. (Emphasis is mine)

He will exalt and magnify himself above every god

Daniel 11:36

36 "The king (Antiochus Epiphanes) will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take place.

In this verse the angel perfectly describes Antiochus Epiphanes. Just the name he gave himself, Epiphanes, illustrates his hubris. Epiphanes literally means 'god manifest' making himself equal to the Roman god Jupiter, who he worshiped. Whenever Antiochus needed to refill his treasury, he made it a habit to loot the temples of the people he ruled. He looted the temple of Nabu in Babylon³², the temple in Jerusalem twice³³, the temple of Atargatis in Bambyke³⁴, and the temple of Nanaia in Elam³⁵. And these are the only ones we have in the historical record. Who knows how many more were looted?

Antiochus Epiphanes spoke against and did despicable 'things against the God of gods,' Jehovah, placing a statue of Jupiter in God's temple and desecrated it by sacrificing swine on its alters, and burning all of the scriptures he and his men could find. All this continued until the end of the period that was prophesied and decreed by God.

Some Biblical scholars believe that this king is not Antiochus IV Epiphanes but rather the future Antichrist of John's revelation. This would be another instance of taking a verse out of context and hammering a square peg into a round hole. Not only does this verse describe Antiochus to a tee but there is no indication of a change from the obvious historical narrative in this chapter. Besides, there is nowhere in scripture where the Antichrist is ever called 'king.' Such a drastic transition from the historical telling of the abuses of Antiochus and then jumping thousands of years into the future is unwarranted and illogical. This king is obviously Antiochus IV Epiphanes.

He will show no regard for the gods of his ancestors

Daniel 11:37-39

37 He will show no regard for the gods of his ancestors or for the one desired by women, nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above them all.

38 Instead of them, he will honor a god of fortresses; a god unknown to his ancestors he will honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts.

39 He will attack the mightiest fortresses with the help of a foreign god and will greatly honor those who acknowledge him. He will make them rulers over many people and will distribute the land at a price. (Emphasis is mine)

The years that Antiochus Epiphanes spent in Rome as a hostage must have made a great impression on the young man. Once Antiochus became king, instead of honoring the Greek gods of his fathers, he ordered the construction of a temple to the Roman Jupiter 'the Olympus' in the capital, Antioch³⁶, not Zeus the Olympus. Jupiter is the Roman equivalent of Zeus. The Olympian gods were the deities of Greece, the Seleucid kings, not Rome. Antiochus also had a statue of Jupiter 'the Olympus' placed on the altar of the Jerusalem Temple and forced the Jews to worship it and even changed the name of the Jerusalem Temple to 'the temple of Jupiter Olympus.'³⁷ Antiochus placed himself equal to or even above the gods. He gave himself the name, God Manifest, as well as looted temples at will.

"he will honor a god of fortresses, a god unknown to his ancestors"

So, who is the' god of fortresses' that Antiochus worshiped? Some have postulated that this refers to the Roman god of war, Mars. However, there is no historical or archaeological evidence that Antiochus worshiped Mars. We do know that he worshiped Jupiter, the king of gods in the Roman pantheon. Jupiter has a connection to war. Victorious generals would place tokens of their victory at the feet of Jupiter's statue³⁸. A few of Jupiter's epithets were: Jupiter Victor, "he who has the power of conquering everything,"³⁹ and Jupiter Stator, "he who bestows the power of resistance, making people, soldiers, stand firm and fast."⁴⁰

Albert Barnes, the American theologian, explained Antiochus' adoration of Jupiter this way:

"Next to mammon, the god that is most adored in this world is the "god of force" - this Mauzzim that Antiochus so faithfully served. In illustration of the fact that seems here to be implied, that he would introduce such a god as would be a fit representative of this purpose of his life, it may be remarked that, when in Rome, where Antiochus spent his early years, he had learned to worship the Jupiter of the Capitol, and that he endeavored to introduce the worship of that foreign god into Syria. Of this fact there can be no doubt. It was one of the characteristics of Antiochus that he imitated the manners and customs of the Romans to a ridiculous extent (Diod. Sic. Frag, xxvi. 65); and it was a fact that he sent rich gifts to Rome in honor of the Jupiter worshipped there (Livy, lxii. 6), and that he purposed to erect a magnificent temple in honor of Jupiter Capitolinus in Antioch - Livy, xli. 20."⁴¹

"He will attack the mightiest fortresses"

Antiochus did attack and take many fortified cities during his military campaigns (See Map 5) as king of the Seleucia. Jerusalem, Sidon, Pelusium, and Memphis are just a few of these fortresses. As an incentive to recruit mercenary troops, Antiochus would 'distribute land' and promise rich booty from pillaged lands to his troops.

Map 5. The Military Campaigns of Antiochus IV Epiphanes

Antiochus IV Epiphanes Military Campaigns (175-164 BC)

Daniel 11:40-43

40 "At the time of the end the king of the South (Ptolemy VI Philometor) will engage him in battle, and the king of the North (Antiochus IV Epiphanes) will storm out against him with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood.

41 He will also invade the Beautiful Land (Israel). Many countries will fall, but Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon will be delivered from his hand.

42 He will extend his power over many countries; Egypt will not escape.

43 He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, with the Libyans and Cushites in submission. (Emphasis is mine)

Here the angel describes Antiochus Epiphanes' military campaigns once he came to power. Antiochus' first campaign was the last war in the series of the 'Syrian Wars' between Ptolemaic Egypt (Kingdom of the South) and Seleucid Syria (Kingdom of the North). Seleucid armies swept through Egypt twice, 'with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships.' After his sweeps through Egypt, Antiochus marched through Armenia, Elam, Media, Persia and Parthia with a large force seeking their homage and treasure from the former provinces of the Seleucid Empire.

Between his Egyptian and eastern campaigns, Antiochus invaded Israel, 'the Beautiful Land.' Many countries fell before Antiochus' armies but the lands of 'Edom, Moab and Ammon' he left alone (See Map 5). During Antiochus' two invasions of Egypt, he took 'the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt.'

'with the Libyans and Cushites in submission'

"The Vulgate renders this, "And he shall pass also through Libya and Ethiopia." The Greek, "and he shall have power over all the secret treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the desirable things of Egypt, and of the Libyans, and of the Ethiopians, in their strongholds." Lengerke renders it, "And the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow his steps." The proper sense of the Hebrew would be, that they accompanied him; that they marched with him or followed him; and the phrase would be applicable either to those who were allies, or who were led captive."⁴²

When Antiochus made his first invasion of Egypt and routed the Ptolemaic army at Pelusium, he captured many of the Egyptian troops and persuaded them to join his attack on Egypt. At least half of the Egyptian army were native Egyptians, Libyans and Cushites. In light of the many rebellions against their Greek oppressors, it is no wonder that these conquered natives would be more than willing to join with Antiochus to overthrow their Greek rulers and take back the spoils to their home countries.

Antiochus Takes Jerusalem

Daniel 11:44-45

44 But reports from the east and the north will alarm him (Antiochus IV Epiphanes), and he will set out in a great rage to destroy and annihilate many.

45 He will pitch his royal tents between the seas (Mediterranean and Dead Seas) at the beautiful holy mountain (Mount Zion). Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.

On his return from his invasion of Egypt, Antiochus heard of the rebellion by the high priest, Jason, who, with a thousand followers, attacked Jerusalem and threw out the high priest Antiochus had appointed, Menelaus:

2 Maccabees 5:11-14

11 When these happenings were reported to the king, he thought that Judea was in revolt. Raging like a wild animal, he set out from Egypt and took Jerusalem by storm. 12 He ordered his soldiers to cut down without mercy those whom they met and to slay those who took refuge in their houses. 13 There was a massacre of young and old, a killing of women and children, a slaughter of young women and infants. 14 In the space of three days, eighty thousand were lost, forty thousand meeting a violent death, and the same number being sold into slavery.

After subduing Israel (168 BC), Antiochus 'came to his end,' and died while still in the east just a few short years later in 164 BC.

Daniel 12

Note: Some Biblical scholars believe that the first four verses of chapter twelve should have been the last verses of chapter eleven. These four verses are the final words of explanation of the vision Daniel witnessed and belongs in chapter eleven with the rest.

Daniel 12:1

1 "At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered.

At that time

Now comes another disputed phrase used by the angel, "at that time." Some suggest that he is speaking of the last days, thousands of years in Daniel's future. It is understandable since the Savior echoes the words of the angel to Daniel as He describes what will soon occur in Jerusalem (Matt. 24:15-21).

Events often echoes down the corridors of time. We can find other events in history that followed the same pattern as the depredations of Antiochus Epiphanes. These events are always preceded by what God calls an "abomination that causes desolation" (Daniel 11:31), that the abominations and wickedness of the people of Israel causes God to withdraw His protection and allows an enemy to cause desolation upon their nation. There are four notable events in history, and the future, where these types of events repeat:

• Nebuchadnezzar's destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple.
• Antiochus Epiphanes' destruction of Jerusalem⁴³ as well as his persecution and depravations upon the Jews.
• The Roman destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 AD.
• The Antichrist and the tribulations of the last days.

St. Michael the Archangel, Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico City

Michael, the Great Prince

In Daniel 10:13 we learned that Michael was one of the 'chief princes' in Heaven who God uses to help the nations on earth as 'patron angels.' (See above https://www.theharvestatearthsend.com/The-Prophecies-of-Daniel-Part-8.html#Patron ) The angel told Daniel that Michael will come to help the Jewish people at their time of trial and deliver them from their suffering and 'time if distress'. In Daniel 10:20-21 we are told that Michael is "your prince" who supported the angel in his efforts to help Israel in the Persian court when no one else could. In Daniel 12:1 the angel says that Michael, the great prince, will rise to protect Israel at a time of great distress, the persecutions of Antiochus Epiphanes.

This means that the Maccabee rebels did not fight without the help of God⁴⁴. Daniel is promised that Michael the Archangel would be sent as a patron angel to assist them. The angel also informs Daniel that the trials that the Jews will suffer are to be the worst their people have ever experienced up until that time. The Babylonian destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem may have been terrible but at least Nebuchadnezzar had not attempted to wipe out the Jewish faith, culture, scriptures and practices as Antiochus had.

Through Daniel, these future Israelite would know that they would be ultimately delivered. I sometimes wonder if Mattathias and his sons had not read Daniel and knew that the 'appointed time' would come, and their suffering would come to an end after a specific period of time?

The resurrection of the just and unjust. The Last Judgement, by John Scott

Sleep in the dust

Daniel 12:2-4

2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.

3 Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.

4 But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge." (Emphasis is mine)

This is an obvious reference to the resurrection which will occur at the last days, when good overcomes evil and the Savior returns. In the interpretation to Nebuchadnezzar's dream, Daniel saw that His kingdom would roll down the mountain and engulf the earth and destroy and replace all the other earthly kingdoms.

Is the angel using the metaphor of resurrection for those who suffered the indignities of Antiochus and hid in the caves⁴⁵, 'in the dust of the earth,' to escape the persecutions? Some rose from the caves and hiding places and 'awoke,' to fight for freedom and for their God. Mattathias led many in righteousness against the evil priests and Greeks who desecrated the Temple and willingly bowed down to pagan gods. Those who were righteous and did not give in to the persecution, would, at the last day, 'shine like the brightness of the heavens.' As a final instruction, the angel told Daniel to 'seal up the words of the scroll' and make an end to his record. The truth of Daniel's words would all be proven as history unfolds. Many will read his book and seek for more knowledge not understanding it.

Daniel with two angels and the Son of God.

A Second Angel Joins the First

Daniel 12:5-6

5 Then I, Daniel, looked, and there before me stood two others, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank.

6 One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, "How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?"

7 The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, "It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed."

8 I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, "My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?"

9 He replied, "Go your way, Daniel, because the words are rolled up and sealed until the time of the end. (Emphasis is mine)

After the angel finished his explanation of the vision, Daniel sees a second angel join the first, each standing on either side of the river. One of them asks the Son of God, who is still above the river, how long before "these astonishing things are fulfilled?" What are these astonishing things the angel is asking about? For one, the great war that lasted through generations of Ptolemaic and Seleucid kings that was shown in such great and astonishing detail to Daniel. This war lasted a total of a hundred and six years, from 274-168 BC. Another 'astonishing thing' was the wickedness and abominations of the people of Israel and the resulting desolation caused by Antiochus Epiphanes. Also, the astonishing exactness of the timing of the beginning and the end of the period of desolation.

In answer, the Son of God makes a solemn oath to God that the period of time will be 'a time, times and a half,' of 3 ½ years. This is the period of time that the persecutions of the Jews under Antiochus lasted, from June of 168 BC to December of 164 BC⁴⁶. The desecration itself, when Antiochus had the statue of Jupiter place on the altar of the temple, was 1,100 days⁴⁷.

Daniel replies that he still did not understand the meaning of the vision and what the final outcome would be. He, just like any other student of the Bible who has studied the vision, was confused as to its meaning and the timing of the events. It is only when history is studied do we find who and what the vision is about, the Syrian Wars and the kings of the Ptolemaic and Seleucid Empires. Daniel lived centuries before these events and didn't have the advantage we do of studying the history of the kingdoms and empires which ruled in Asia and North Africa in ancient times.

The Lord assures Daniel that in time, all will be made known and that he should be at peace with the knowledge he was given and to make an end of his record and to seal it up.

The Refiner's Fire and the Pride Cycle

Daniel 12:10

10 Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand.

The Son of God warns Daniel that the tribulations at the time of Antiochus Epiphanes will be like a refiner's fire, a time of testing the faith of those in Israel. The wicked will fail the test, but the righteous will pass through the fire cleansed and purified.

This wasn't the first time that Israel went through a purification process, nor will it be the last. As mentioned above [see above], I cited four events of a similar magnitude as to the one perpetrated by Antiochus Epiphanes. Besides these four, Israel has been through many cycles of wickedness and righteousness that I like to call the 'pride cycle', where men grow prideful and wicked during a period of peace and prosperity. During this period of wickedness (or an abomination that causes desolation), God will abandon man to suffer the consequences of his actions which then leads to destruction and suffering (the desolation). This is the refiner's fire (Isaiah 48:10), when men again remember their God, humble themselves, repent and return to Him and back to the covenants the people made with Him. With humility and repentance comes peace and prosperity. Unfortunately, this prosperity only lasts a generation before the next becomes prideful again and the cycle repeats itself.

We find this same cycle in American history. Historians have identified four phase of humility and repentance in our past and have named them 'the great awakenings'. Robert Fogel identifies four of these awakenings in his book, The Phases of the Four Great Awakenings⁴⁸. Man has repeated this cycle down through history and will continue until the Second Coming because of the generational cycle of this fallen world⁴⁹.

The events of the vision are similar to what has been prophesied to occur in the last days. The end times will be another pride cycle but greater than all the others as the pride and wickedness of the world ushers in the return of the Christ.

The author of 2 Maccabees understood the purpose of trials brought on by the consequences of pride and sin:

2 Macc. 6:12-16

12 Now I urge those who read this book not to be disheartened by these misfortunes, but to consider that these punishments were meant not for the ruin but for the correction of our nation.

13 It is, in fact, a sign of great kindness to punish the impious promptly instead of letting them go for long.

14 Thus, in dealing with other nations, the Sovereign Lord patiently waits until they reach the full measure of their sins before punishing them; but with us he has decided to deal differently,

15 in order that he may not have to punish us later, when our sins have reached their fullness.

16 Therefore he never withdraws his mercy from us. Although he disciplines us with misfortunes, he does not abandon his own people. (Emphasis is mine)

For more information on pride cycles in the Bible and history see:

Judges: a cycle of sin and deliverance

The Pride and Prosperity Cycles

The Four Turnings

Just as nations go through pride cycles, so can we. As individuals, we will often forget God and the promises we made with him, especially in times of prosperity and ease. But when trials come into our life, we remember God and return to our knees in humility and prayer. Thus, individuals as well as nations often go through this cycle of pride.

Two examples of Pride Cycles in the Book of Judges

Pride and Wickedness: Judges 2:10-13 and Judges 3:12

Destruction and Suffering: Judges 2:14-23 and Judges 3:13-14

Humility and Repentance: Judges 3:9-10 and 3:15

Blessings and Prosperity: Judges 3:11 and Judges 3:30

The Pride Cycle in the Book of Maccabees

Pride and Wickedness: 1 Macc. 1:11-15

Destruction and Suffering: 1 Macc. 1:20-61

Humility and Repentance: 1 Macc. 3:43-54; 2 Macc. 6:12-17

Blessings and Prosperity: 1 Macc. 9:71-73

The Pride Cycle of the Last Days

Pride and Wickedness: 2 Tim. 3:1-8

Destruction and Suffering: Rev, Chapters 8-9 and 16-19

Humility and Repentance: Rev. 20:4

Blessings and Prosperity: Rev. 20:6

The 1,290 and 1,335 Days

Daniel 12:11-13

11 "From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.

12 Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days. (Emphasis is mine)

Note: If we are to take the Son of God's word literally, the daily sacrifices are the two sacrifices made each day on the altar of the Temple, one in the morning and another in the evening⁵⁰.

The Lord, after concluding His explanation of the vision, now gives a different time period for the desolation. He says that from the abolishing of the daily sacrifices to the end of the desolation will be 1,290 days. This is 30 days longer than the 3 ½ years, or 1,260 days, given to Daniel sixteen years prior in the vision of the four beasts¹⁹. It is also 190 days longer than the 1,100 days given to Daniel fourteen years prior in his vision of the ram and goat¹⁸. Was Daniel given the wrong time periods by the previous angels which now is being corrected by the Son of God himself? Or, are the starting and end points different? I believe the latter to be the case.

I explained in Part 6 of my series of articles on Daniel that the time period for the 3 ½ years begins with the first attack on Jerusalem in June of 168 BC and ends in December of 164 BC with the rededication of the Temple by Judas Maccabee¹⁹.

The 1,100 days is a correction of a scribal error¹⁸. That period began on a different date, when the statue of Jupiter was placed on the altar of the Temple on the 15th of Kislev (December) 168 BC and ended the day before the resumption of the daily sacrifices on the 24th of Kislev in 164 BC, making exactly 1,100 days.

So, when does the 1,290 days begin and end? There are two possible starting points: June of 168 BC, the starting point of the 'time, times, and half a time' (3 ½ yrs.), or December of the same year, the starting point of the 2,200 daily sacrifices (1,100 days). There are also two possible end points: first, the day the Temple was rededicated and second, as some have speculated, the day Antiochus Epiphanes died. No existing records give the date of Antiochus' death, but we do know it was soon after the rededication of the Temple. It is possible that Antiochus died in January of 163, a month after the rededication of the Temple. If so, then June of 168 BC to January of 163 BC could add up to 1,290 days, but this is only speculation. There is no exact date for beginning or the end, therefore no way to determine exactly this time period.

We arrive at a similar problem with the 1,335-day prophecy. If taken literally this would extend the 3 ½ years (1,260 days), another 2 ½ months (75 days). We have no exact start or end date for this prophecy. The significant events for these dates may have been lost in history and we have no way to establish them. Does it extend the 3 ½ year prophecy from June of 168 BC to March or April of 163 BC? Does it begin with the erecting of the Jupiter statue on the Temple's altar in December of 168 BC and end in September of 164 BC? We have no idea because of the lack of a start or end date.

This lack of information has not stopped Bible scholars from speculating about the beginning or end date of these time periods.

Other Non-literal Interpretations of the 3 ½ years––1,260 days, 1,290 days, and the 1,335 days

The speculations for interpreting the prophetic time periods given to Daniel by angels and the Lord are endless. Many of these use the day-year principle found in Daniel's 70-week prophecy, making the time periods 1,260 years, 1,290, years, and 1,335 years, respectively. The great majority do not take the abolition of the 'daily sacrifices' as the literal daily sacrifices in the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, but rather some other symbolic event.

Here are a few examples of the different interpretations:

Futurists and Dispensationalists theorize that in the future, an Antichrist will appear and cause the sacrifice to cease in a fully functional Third Temple and bring the abomination of desolation once again. This is proposed to occur in the middle of Daniel's last week or 3 ½ years prior to the second coming. Thus, confuse the "midst of the week" in Daniel 9:27 with the 3 ½ years (A time, times, half a time) of Daniel 7:25. I have shown that Daniel's 70th week is not in the future but rather fulfilled to the precise day with the crucifixion of the Savior in 33 AD⁵¹.

Historicists see the abolition of the 'daily sacrifices' as a figurative event, not literal, usually dealing with the beginning of the rise in power of the papacy (or Islam) to its waning in secular power. Here are just a few examples:

312 AD to 1572: Benedictus Aretius––When Constantine embraced Christianity to the Second Coming.⁵²

538 AD to 1798: William Miller––Belisarius' defeat of the Ostrogoths to Napoleon's overthrow of Pope Pius VI.⁵³

570 AD to 1830: William Ward––Pope's temporal dominion to the Second Coming.⁵⁴

606 AD to 1866: Jonathan Edwards––Pope Gregory to the end of the Papacy's power.⁵⁵

630 AD to 1860: Samuel Osgood––The length of Islamic Power.⁵⁶

756 AD to 2016: Adam Clarke––Donation of Pepin (Pope Stephen II gaining secular power), the rise of the papacy to equivalence of a head of state to a presumed fall of Papacy. ⁵⁷

800 AD to 2060: Sir Isaac Newton––Charlemagne is crowned Holy Roman Emperor by the Pope to Second Coming.⁵⁸

Preterists believe that the 1290 days began around the 6th of Av of A.D. 66 when the Zealot leader, Eleazar, terminated the daily sacrifice to Nero, through the arrival of the Roman legions of Vespasian and Titus in Israel, until the fall of Jerusalem on Shabat of A.D. 70.⁵⁹ Of course the daily sacrifices did not end in the Temple as it did during the persecutions of Antiochus Epiphanes, only those offered for the pagan Romans.

As you can see, if we do not take Daniel's 1260 days literally, there are as many ways to interpret the time periods as there are biblical scholars. Taking Daniel out of context allows anyone to pick an arbitrary date in history, add the appropriate days/years, then announce to the world that you have solved Daniel's 1,260-day, 1,290-day, or the 1,335-day prophecy. However, if we take Daniel in a literal sense, we see that the 1,260/1,290 days was the time period of Antiochus Epiphanes' persecution of the Jews. All others are speculation.

The Lord's Promise to Daniel

Daniel 12:13

13 "As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance."

The Lord closes His instructions to Daniel with direction to 'go your way.' That no more information about these things will be added. Only time would reveal more and explain all that Daniel has seen and heard. The Lord assures Daniel that he would have rest till the rest of his days and at the last day of judgement he would receive his inheritance. Albert Barnes put it well:

"This seems to be a gracious assurance to him that he had nothing to fear from these troubles personally, and that whatever should come, he would have peace, and would occupy the position in future times which was due to him. His lot would be happy and peaceful; his name would be honored; his salvation would be secured. It seems to be implied that, with this pledge, he ought to allow his mind to be calm, and not suffer himself to be distressed because he could not penetrate the future, and foresee all that was to occur; and the truth, therefore, with which the book closes is, that, having security about our own personal salvation - or having no ground of solicitude respecting that - or having that matter made safe - we should calmly commit all events to God, with the firm conviction that in his own time his purposes will be accomplished, and that being then understood, he will be seen to be worthy of confidence and praise."⁶⁰

Conclusion:

Daniel's last vision was about a great war, the Syrian Wars, a series of six wars lasting generations between Ptolemaic Egypt and Seleucid Syria. At the end of these wars an abomination that caused desolation was set up by the wickedness of the priests and the rejection of the covenants the people of Israel made with God. The desolation itself was perpetrated upon Israel by the Little Horn, Antiochus Epiphanes, an archetype of the Antichrist of the last days.

See also:

The Prophecies of Daniel: Part 1, The Historical Setting

The Prophecies of Daniel: Part 2, Who was Daniel

The Prophecies of Daniel: Part 3, Daniel and Alexander the Great.

The Prophecies of Daniel: Part 4. Chapter 9, 70 Weeks-The Coming of the Messiah.

The Prophecies of Daniel: Part 5. Chapter 2 Nebuchadnezzar's Image.

The Prophecies of Daniel: Part 6. Chapter 7, Daniel's Four Beasts.

The Prophecies of Daniel: Part 7. Chapter 8, The Ram, Goat and the Little Horn.

The Prophecies of Daniel Part 9. Daniel's Fourth Beast was not Rome. It was the Seleucid Empire.

Notes:

1. Brown, Francis, 1849-1916. The Brown, Driver, Briggs Hebrew And English Lexicon : with an Appendix Containing the Biblical Aramaic : Coded with the Numbering System from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Peabody, Mass. :Hendrickson Publishers, 1996. Tzaba.
2. The Pulpit Commentary is one of the largest homiletic set of commentaries on the Bible. It was created during the nineteenth century under the direction of Rev. Joseph S. Exell and Henry Donald Maurice Spence-Jones. It consists of 23 volumes with 22,000 pages and 95,000 entries and was written over a 30-year period with 100 contributors.
3. Spence-Jones, H. D. M. (Henry Donald Maurice), 1836-1917, editor. The Pulpit Commentary. New York : London :Anson D.F. Randolph; Kegan Paul, Trench, 1883, Daniel 10:1
4. Barnes, Albert, Notes on the Bible, 1834, Daniel 10:1.
5. How the many different translations of the Bible interpreted tzaba. From Bible Hub:

"a great war" New International Version

"times of war and great hardship" New Living Translation

"it was a great conflict" English Standard Version

"it concerned a great conflict" Berean Study Bible

"one of great conflict" New American Standard Bible

"about a great conflict" Christian Standard Bible

"about a dreadful war" Contemporary English Version

"about a great conflict" Holman Christian Standard Bible

"concerned a great conflict" International Standard Version

"concerned a great war" NET Bible

"a great war" New Heart English Bible

"about a great war" GOD'S WORD® Translation

"even a great warfare" JPS Tanakh 1917

"one of great conflict" New American Standard 1977

"even a great warfare" American Standard Version

"a great warfare" English Revised Version

"the time appointed was long" Webster's Bible Translation

"a great warfare" World English Bible

"the warfare is great" Young's Literal Translation

"the appointed time was long" New King James Version

"the time appointed was long" King James Bible

"the time appointed was long" A Faithful Version

"the time appointed was long" King James 2000 Bible

"the time appointed was long" American King James Version

"great power" Brenton Septuagint Translation

"great strength" Douay-Rheims Bible

"the appointed time of trial is long" Darby Bible Translation

6. See: The Syrian Wars, by John Grainger
7. Gill, John, John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible, 1746-63, Daniel 10
8. The prophets who saw God: Adam (Genesis 3), Enoch (Genesis 5:24), Abraham (Genesis 18:1), Jacob (Genesis 32:30), Moses (Exodus 33:11), Seventy elders of Israel (Exodus 24:10-11), Aaron and Miriam (Numbers 12:5), Joshua (Joshua 5:12-15), Solomon (1 Kings 9:2) Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1:1,3,24-28; 43:2), Amos (Amos 9:1), John the Revelator (Revelation 1:12-15; 2:18; 4:1-3), and Stephen (Acts 7:55-56).
9. "In November 333, Alexander defeated the Persian king Darius III Codomannus. After this battle of Issus, Darius offered to surrender half of his empire. The Macedonian king considered this not enough; the Greek author Arrian of Nicomedia describes Alexander's reply in chapter 2.14 of his Anabasis. The text of the reply is probably not authentic, but contains the general gist of Alexander's letter." The translation was made by M.M. Austin.
10. See: The Prophecies of Daniel: Part 6, Daniel's Four Beasts; 2 Maccabees chapter 3
11. Rawlinson, George, A Manual of Ancient History, 1880, 256
12. See Antiochus' Rise to Power and The Little Horn (Antiochus IV Epiphanes)
13. 2 Maccabees 4:7-14
14. Josephus, Flavius, Antiquities of the Jews, Book XII, Ch. 5, 4
15. 2 Maccabees 5:11-21
16. 1 Maccabees 1:47
17. 2 Maccabees 5:11-14
18. Josephus, Flavius, Antiquities of the Jews, Book XII, Ch. 5, 4
19. 2 Maccabees 6:1-2
20. 2 Maccabees 6:6-9
21. 2 Maccabees 6:4
22. 1 Maccabees 1:60-61; 2 Mac. 6:10
23. 1 Maccabees 1:56-57
24. 1 Maccabees 1:44-50
25. Vanderkam, J.C., "2 Maccabees 6, 7A And Calendrical Change in Jerusalem," Journal for the Study of Judaism in the Persian, Hellenistic, and Roman Period, Vol. 12, No.1 (1981) pp. 52-74
26. See, Josephus, Flavius, Antiquities of the Jews, Book XII, Ch. 5, 4 and 1 Macc. 1:51-53
27. 1 Macc. 1:43
28. 1 Macc. 1:62-64
29. 1 Macc. 5:55-57
30. See: 2,200, 2,300, or 2,400 Days/Evenings and Mornings, from The Prophecies of Daniel; Part 7. Chapter 8, The Ram, Goat and the Little Horn.
31. See: A Time, Times, and Half a Time, from

    The Prophecies of Daniel: Part 6. Chapter 7, Daniel's Four Beasts.

32. Astronomical Diaries, no. 168
33. 1 Macc. 1:20-28; 2 Macc. 5:21; Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, Book 12, Chapter 5:3-5
34. Granius Licinianus 28, 6, 1
35. 2 Macc. 1:13-15
36. Livy, History of Rome, XLI.20
37. 2 Maccabees 6:2
38. Roman Triumphs and Etruscan Kings: the Changing Face of the Triumph, in Journal of Roman Studies 60 1970 pp. 49–66 and tables I–VIII.
39. Augustine, De Civitate Dei VII 11.
40. St. Augustine, The City of God, Books 1-10.
41. Barnes, Albert, Notes on the Old Testament. London, Blackie & Son, 1884. Daniel 11:38
42. Barnes, Albert, Notes on the Old Testament. London, Blackie & Son, 1884. Daniel 11:43
43. 1 Maccabees 1:31
44. 1 Maccabees 4:8-11, 24-25
45. 2 Maccabees 10:6
46. See: 1 Maccabees 1:29-51, and A Time, Times, and Half a Time
47. See: 2,200, 2,300, or 2,400 Days/Evenings and Mornings
48. See: Fogel, Robert William The Phases of the Four Great Awakenings
49. The Four Turnings, The Generational Theory by William Strauss and Neil Howe.
50. Exodus 29:38-39
51. See: Timeline of Daniel's 70-weeks, from The Prophecies of Daniel: Part 4. Chapter 9, 70 Weeks-The Coming of the Messiah.
52. Aretius, Benedictus, Commentarii in Apocalypsin, LePreux, 1581, p. 250.
53. White, Ellen, The Great Controversy, Pacific Press, 1888, p266.
54. Ward, William, The Fulfillment of Revelation; or Prophetic History of the Declensions and Restoration of the Christian Church, Diss, Ipswich, 1810-20, vol. 5, pg. 74.
55. Withrow, B., A Future of Hope, Trinity Journal: Spring 2001 pp 75-98.
56. Osgood, Samuel, Remarks on the Book of Daniel, Greenleaf Press, 1794 page 253, 323.
57. Adam Clarke, The Holy Bible, New York: Lane and Scott, 1850, vol. IV, Introduction to Chapter VII, page 592.
58. Grayling, A.C., The Age of Genius: The Seventeenth Century and the Birth of the Modern Mind. 2016.
59. The Exact Fulfillment of the 1290 and 1335 Days Prophecy and More! from Revelation Revolution
60. Barnes, Albert, Notes on the Bible, 1834, Analysis of chapter 12, IV, 4, d.

Comments

THEE Commenting and Discussion Guidelines