Podcasts about antiochus iv

On todays show Texas Jim delved into the historical context of the New Testament, focusing on the fall of the northern kingdom, the rise of the Parthian Empire, and the impact of Alexander the Great's Hellenization. The conversation highlighted the divide between Gentiles and Jews, the influence of Antiochus IV's persecution, and the Maccabean revolt. The speakers also explored the messianic expectations among Jews, the role of Herod the Great, and the cultural clash between Greek and Jewish traditions. The conversation emphasized the radical nature of Paul's message to unite Jews and Gentiles under Christ, despite the strong Jewish resistance to Hellenization. The discussion explores the cultural and religious expectations surrounding Jesus' message. Speaker 3 notes that Jews anticipated a physical king, while Gentiles, accustomed to emperor worship, found the concept of a personal God revolutionary. Glenn Cox highlights the shift from a warrior God to a teacher who dies for sins, emphasizing the resistance to this change. Speaker 4 adds that both Greeks and Jews expected a military hero, not a crucified king. The conversation also touches on the honor-shame culture and the implausibility of the Jewish and Greek movements without the resurrection. The speakers agree on the importance of historical understanding and express interest in future discussions. While the rest of us try to keep up but still Fascinating talk, don't miss it!

This message highlights God's sovereignty in Daniel 8, showing how He orchestrates history, including the rise and fall of empires like Medo-Persia and Greece. It underscores the importance of humility, warning that pride leads to downfall—seen in the story of Antiochus IV, who opposed God and was ultimately defeated. The sermon also acknowledges the reality of persecution for believers, offering reassurance that God will triumph over evil. Rather than inspiring fear, prophecy should strengthen faithfulness. In closing, the message encourages trust in God's control and unwavering faith in uncertain times, reaffirming that He holds the final victory.

Daniel 8 offers us a powerful reminder of God's sovereignty amidst challenging times. This apocalyptic vision, filled with symbolic animals and horns, reveals the rise and fall of empires - specifically the Medes, Persians, and Greeks. At its core, the passage assures us that despite appearances, God remains in control. The vision of the 'little horn,' identified as Antiochus IV, serves as both a warning and a comfort. It prepares God's people for future persecution while assuring them of ultimate deliverance. This speaks to us today, reminding us that in our own trials and tribulations, we can trust in God's overarching plan. The passage challenges us to empathize with persecuted believers worldwide and to find hope in Christ's ultimate victory over evil. As we navigate our own challenges, let's remember that just as in Daniel's vision, appearances can be deceiving - our God triumphs in the end.

Pastor Jason discusses Daniel 8, and the vision of the ram and the goat as symbols of the Medo-Persian and Greek empires and the prediction of a fierce ruler, Antiochus IV, who will oppress the Jewish people. The sermon encourages listeners to seek Christ no matter the season. Jesus is the Hero of the story, the Savior of the world, and the Kings of Kings.

We look at Maccabees 1 & 2 to learn about Antiochus IV and the accounts of those martyred under his reign.

Send us a textDaniel sees, in a vision, the second and third world empire battling it out.  He also sees a historical villain named Antiochus IV, who persecuted the Jews and defiled their temple.  This person is a forerunner to the coming world leader who will, in many ways, mimic him with persecution and hate for the Chosen People.  

In this gripping shiur, Rabbi Dunner delves into the dramatic story of Chanukah. Drawing from Maccabees I and II, Josephus, and the Talmud, he unpacks the Jewish rebellion against Antiochus IV, the Maccabees' daring victories, and the miracle of the oil that defied logic. With insights into faith, resilience, and identity, Rabbi Dunner reveals why Chazal shifted the focus from swords to light—and what Chanukah teaches us about survival and hope today.

Web Description: Hanukkah is all about the Temple of God—what had happened to defile it and what they did to cleanse it and rededicate it. We too are a temple of God. We are to be a holy place in which God can dwell. But He cannot dwell within us if we are filled with defilement. Let us do today what Hanukkah celebrates. Let us enter into the promises that God will purify us and dwell in us. Then let us rededicate ourselves to walk with Him.   Show Notes: Christians need a greater understanding of Hanukkah. It occurs around Christmas time, but it existed as a celebration long before Christians conceived of Christmas. Hanukkah is the Feast of Dedication. And it remembers the time the Temple was rededicated to God after it had been defiled by Antiochus IV Epiphanes during the Seleucid dynasty. We as Christians should regard this time of rededication to the pure worship of God as something very applicable us. The people at the time of Antiochus IV rose up and fought against the defilement, and they removed it from their midst. What was at stake was the very presence of God in the place where He chose to dwell—the Temple. We must take it just as seriously today. We must fight against everything that is coming into our lives to defile us because the issue is still the same: Will God have a place to dwell in the earth? We are to be His dwelling place. We are to be His temple. And He cannot dwell in us if our temple is defiled. This Hanukkah should be a tremendous time for all of us. It was a lot of work to remove all the objects of defilement, clean and prepare the Temple, and rededicate it to the worship of God. And it may take a lot of work to do that in our own lives. But Hanukkah means that it can happen. We can separate ourselves from the defilement of this age. We can repent and He will cleanse us. We can be that place for Him to dwell.   Key Verses: Read 1 Maccabees 4:36–59. John 10:22–24. “The Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem; … and Jesus was walking in the temple.” 2 Corinthians 7:1. “Let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit.” John 2:14–16. “He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out.” 2 Corinthians 5:17. “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature.” 1 Corinthians 6:19–20. “Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.” 1 John 1:9. “He is faithful and righteous to … cleanse us.” 2 Corinthians 6:14–18. “We are the temple of the living God.” Ephesians 2:18–22. “You also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.”   Quotes: “As we enter into Hanukkah ourselves and find the importance in our own lives about it, we realize we begin with an energy, with a drive in our heart that says, ‘We must remove all defilement.'” “He is holy, and He must dwell within holiness. We cannot tolerate the defilement and the uncleanness. We must remove all defilement and dedicate ourselves to being the dwelling place of God on this earth.” “We must be dedicated to the fact that He must have a holy temple called the Body of Christ in whom He will dwell, having built us up together into that dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”   Takeaways: 1. Just as the Temple had been defiled in the days of the Maccabees, today there are many people who have been defiled so that they no longer qualify as a place in which God can dwell. 2. Just as the altar and the instruments of worship had to be remade and rededicated, so this is a time for us to remake our lives in God. It is time for us to begin again and rededicate ourselves to the Lord. 3. We must put the energy into tearing down and removing that which is defiled. We must be cleansed of the defilement within ourselves, and we must rededicate our lives in service to the Lord so that we might be that place in which He will dwell.

Daniel 11 covers a lot of history! This time we're covering Daniel 11:5-16; it discusses a war that begins between the King of the South and the King of the North. If we trace this throughout history, it looks like the Diadochi wars... Different sources list different generals as the 4 Generals who took over for Alexander the Great, but at the end of the day the important part is that the kingdom was split in to 4 regions, of which the Ptolemaic South and the Seleucid North became the most prominent, waging war against each other in the Diadochi wars until Rome took over. People Discussed:

The persecutions leveled by Antiochus IV against the Jewish people lead to the courageous resistance movement under the leadership of Judas Maccabeus. For the first time in salvation history we see serious religious persecution and martyrdom of God's people. Many suffer and die willingly for the faith, but just war is also an option to defend God and country. Enjoy this sample from Lesson 2, "Defending God and Country (1 Mac 1:1-9:22)," from Dr. Nick's course, "1-2 Maccabees: Zealous For The Faith." Anyone can join our community of students and stream the entire audio lesson and full course (and other courses too!) whenever they wish.

There is nothing like the Bible.   In this Sunday's sermon, we explore the prophetic insights of Daniel chapter 11, a text written around 530 B.C. This chapter is renowned for its intricate predictions of future events, many of which have already transpired with remarkable accuracy, showcasing Daniel's divine revelation. The chapter narrates the rise and fall of various kings and kingdoms, affirming that God orchestrates the course of history. Daniel's prophecies cover a span of 350 years, highlighting key historical transitions, such as the reigns of Persian kings and the subsequent dominance of Alexander the Great, whose empire was divided among his generals following his premature death.   Beyond ancient history, Daniel's prophecies extend to future events, focusing particularly on Israel. The text predicts the emergence of Antiochus IV, a despised ruler who would bring great suffering to the Jewish people and desecrate the temple. This prediction is later referenced by Jesus in the New Testament, who warns of a similar future abomination. The chapter also foreshadows the rise of an ultimate adversary, often identified as the Antichrist, who will exalt himself above all gods. This figure is depicted as a powerful and blasphemous ruler, marking a period of severe tribulation.   Despite the unsettling nature of these visions, Daniel's message ultimately offers reassurance. Believers are reminded of God's sovereignty and the promise of ultimate victory over evil. The accuracy of Daniel's prophecies underscores the reliability of the Bible, encouraging Christians to trust in God's plan amidst political turmoil and conflict. Furthermore, the hope of Christ's return and the establishment of God's kingdom provide a profound sense of peace and comfort, affirming that even in the darkest times, God's will prevails.

by Pastor Mark Mandarano. Daniel 11:21-35. recorded on 6/30/2024. Visit our website at https://obb.church/

Daniel 8:1-8 (ESV)1 Corinthians 13:12 (KJV)Acts 17:11 (KJV)Daniel 8:15-27 (ESV)Antiochus EpiphanesAntiochus IV assumed the title Epiphanes meaning, “illustrious” and alluding to deity. The ancient Jews twisted his name into “Epimanes” meaning, “madman.”Matthew 24:15 (ESV)Ephesians 1:20-23 (MSG)1. We Are To Praise God!1 Peter 2:9-10 (NKJV)2. We Are To Equip The SaintsEphesians 4:11-16 (NKJV)Colossians 1:28 (NKJV)Ephesians 5:22-23 (ESV)3. We Are To Disciple and EvangelizeMatthew 28:19-20 (NKJV)Mark 16:15 (NKJV)The dangers of an imbalanced churchA church that over-emphasizes worship at the expense of teaching of Scripture and evangelism will end up with inadequate Bible teaching for the believers, who will remain shallow in their understanding of Scripture, as well as in their understanding of the nature and purposes of God.A church that over-emphasizes evangelism at the expense of teaching and worship is in danger of neglecting the teaching of the Word and the worship of God. The church will end up with immature Christians who emphasize growth in numbers but lack true spiritual growth in their own lives.A church that over-emphasizes the equipping of believers at the expense of worship and evangelism easily minimizes the importance of worshipping God and reaching out to others. It will soon become ingrown and stagnant, for new believers are the lifeblood of the church!Revelation 12:11 (NKJV)2 Corinthians 1:2-5 (MSG)

Western Classical Music: Where did it come from and how did it "get that way?" We think we can answer the first question in two episodes, but the second one... well, you could build an entire show around that! Today, we trace the origins of WCM from the earliest notated fragments in the world to the first named composers in history. Join us as we overturn the claim that "Not a note of music has survived from the ancient world," and find out what deck-sanding and kosher lunch meats have in common (the answer will shock you!) CAVEAT 1: Correction: "Alexanders successors," not "Alexander's descendants" CAVEAT 2: Greek persecution of the Jews was almost exclusively under Antiochus IV, but it was severe. CAVEAT 3: The musical setting for the hymn to Caliope and Zeus stretches credibility. I mean, it does kinda sound like "Hush, Little Baby," doesn't it? The language is ancient though and, like we've said, the ancients are always surprising us. ;-) ==================== EARLY NOTATION LINKS What do we know about the oldest found melody? - Music: Practice & Theory Stack Exchange https://music.stackexchange.com/questions/91048/what-do-we-know-about-the-oldest-found-melody The World's Oldest Surviving Music from circa 1950 BC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAPC1tG2BKY&themeRefresh=1 (PDF) A Musical and Mathematical Context for CBS 1766 | leon crickmore - Academia.edu https://www.academia.edu/1618638/A_Musical_and_Mathematical_Context_for_CBS_1766 The Oldest Known Melody (Hurrian Hymn no.6 - c.1400 B.C.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpxN2VXPMLc&themeRefresh=1 History's Oldest Song Modernized for 2020 (Samurai Guitarist) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHGB8dS1OsI&themeRefresh=1 =========================== ANCIENT HEBREW MUSIC LINKS The Origins of the Israelites: Episode 3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_ao1i7LokM&list=PLuFO87ncQ_QQMmujr06QeRwMZC3goRd0n&index=6 The Pagan Origins of Judaism https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZECezMYug8c&list=PLuFO87ncQ_QQMmujr06QeRwMZC3goRd0n&index=4&pp=gAQBiAQB8AUB What Music might Moses have heard as a Child in Egypt? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At7jUZquUc0 King David's Lyre; Echoes of Ancient Israel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiA86HI-GLU&list=PLuFO87ncQ_QQMmujr06QeRwMZC3goRd0n&index=12 Jerusalem Shofar at Sunrise https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKQrBURDtQE The Sound of the Shofar calls us to worship https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVHQdKLbTXw The original musical notes found in the Old Testament, played right before your eyes! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh2KwEwaroc&list=PLuFO87ncQ_QQMmujr06QeRwMZC3goRd0n&index=19 The Original 3000 Year Old Melody of the Psalm 19 - Revealed? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M86lEfmVsEY&t=30s Chanticleer - Psalms 23:1-6 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOZ3SjHIUzw Lost Melodies - Hebrew Chanting - Psalm 95 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEfF8fr5stY Choral singing in ancient Israel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06rIvIBoNfM Trio Mandili - Psalm 50 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcbKoY7XpJE Mendelssohn: Variations Concertantes, Op. 17 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiocuaABrWc ========================== ANCIENT GREEK MUSIC LINKS "Minoan" Lyre - Improvisation by Claudio Quadros https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0GzWKUQAJU Minoan Theater - The Minoan Experience https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fe_RsPWIOro&t=6s Ancient Minoan Civilization ("Creep" by Radiohead) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz3d5x-MUT4 Hymn to Zeus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc109u7Zw8M&list=PLE619C0863B707DDD&index=4 Ancient Lyre - Kleopas : Hymn to muse Kalliope and Apollo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8Hpyov3Tt8 Rediscovering Ancient Greek Music: A performance reconstructs the past https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAmuQBnNty8&list=PLuFO87ncQ_QQMmujr06QeRwMZC3goRd0n&index=29 Cithara of the Golden Age - Michael Levy - Luthieros Music instruments https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8t1itGJ8Zpc Ancient Lyre - Barbiton Lyre of Sappho - Barbiton Lyre https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWLRqI9iM-E Roman water organ performance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=US50QmZaeyE Eminem straight up reciting the iliad of homer in ancient greek (video by @GavMac39) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ubSwbyd0uI KANUN https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iy-Xvzi2YAM Musique de la Grèce antique https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1z0zaGDzlQ The Euripides Orestes Chorus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_c2Ho9NvWY8

“Rhabarberbarbara” Daniel 11:2-45 by William Klock On Wednesday a friend at the pool stopped me and asked if I'd watch a video on her phone and tell her what it was about.  It was in German and she didn't understand.  So she hit “play” and two men started singing and I laughed.  I said, “It's ‘Rhabarberbarbara' and they've set it to music.  “Rhabarberbarbara” is a German tongue twister poem.  Imagine “She sell seashells down by the seashore”, but it's all ba…ba…ba sounds, and with each stanza the tongue twisting part gets longer.  Barabara opens a bar to sell her rhubarb cake: Barbaras rhabarberbar”.  But pretty soon bald, bearded barbarians in need of a barber show up.  It's a funny poem and it's hard to say, but these two guys set it to music and sang the whole thing perfectly.  My friend said she liked how catchy it was, but had no idea what it meant.  I laughed, because this is how the Greeks came up with the word “barbarian” for foreigners.  Their languages just sounded like “Bar…bar…bar”.  If you don't know the language, your ear hears the repetitive sounds, but you have no idea what any of it means.  Imagine hearing “She sells seashells down by the sea shore” if you didn't speak English.  It's just rhyming repetitive gibberish. As I was walking away I started thinking how this is a metaphor for how a lot of people might hear Daniel 11, which is what we come to today.  It's the longest chapter in the book and most of it describes a long conflict between the King of the North and the King of the South.  The actual kings are never named.  The places involved aren't named.  It goes on and on, back and forth between north and south.  In this case the language is history, not German, but if you don't know the language it's not that different than my friend listening to that German tongue twister that's all bar…bar…bar.  It's just repetitive gibberish. But if you know the history, Chapter 11 describes the historical events that were whirling around Judah from the time of Daniel in the Sixth Century up to the 160s BC.  If you know the history a story emerges from the Rhubarberbarbara.  That said, knowing all the historical details isn't the important thing you need to take away.  I'll give you the big picture and skip the nitty-gritty.  If you want to know all the details, the actual historical events are well documented and you can look them up in a history book or Wikipedia.  If you've got an ESV Study Bible, it's all there with nifty maps and genealogies and historical outlines. But before we get into that, remember the lesson from Chapter 10.  That was the first part of this vision.  The lesson from that first part is that there's more going on than what we can see.  Daniel was frustrated and discouraged by earthly circumstances and—as we'll see—things weren't going to get any better.  It's easy to lose hope.  But the angel explained to him that the battles he saw being fought by kings on earth corresponded to battles being fought in the heavenlies.  The point of knowing this isn't to burden us with some new responsibility—as if there's something we can do to win those battles in the heavenlies.  Just the opposite.  Those battles in the heavenlies are not our responsibility.  Apart maybe from praying, there's nothing we can do to assist the angels.  God has given us things to do and battles to wage in our sphere and he and his heavenly forces will do battle in their sphere.  And the point is that we should find hope in that.  The battle here may feel hopeless.  But knowing that God fights a battle in the heavenlies that somehow corresponds to the one we fight here and that the outcome in the heavenlies corresponds to the outcome here—that should inspire hope to stand firm, to keep the faith, and to fight the good fight. Knowing that, the vision now continues with a summary of historical events.  Let's start with verses 2-4. “And now I will show you the truth. Behold, three more kings shall arise in Persia, and a fourth shall be far richer than all of them. And when he has become strong through his riches, he shall stir up all against the kingdom of Greece. Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion and do as he wills. And as soon as he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not to his posterity, nor according to the authority with which he ruled, for his kingdom shall be plucked up and go to others besides these.   There were more than four Persian kings following the time of Daniel.  This “three and a fourth” is a Hebrew way of talking about all the things.  We see it in Proverbs: “There are six things the Lord hates and a seventh is an abomination to him.”  The Lord hates more than seven things, but these seven are representative of all the things the Lord hates.  Just so with these four Persian kings.  The point is that the Persian empire will get bigger and bigger, richer and richer, more power and more powerful and eventually—and this is what happened historically—it will go up against Greece and be defeated.  Xerxes I invaded Greek territory.  He was defeated and that started a century of conflict that ended with the defeat of Persia by Alexander the Great.  And mighty Alexander, who like the beasts of earlier chapters rampaged and did what he willed—or so he thought—he fell almost as soon as he arose.  Alexander conquered the known world in fifteen years and suddenly died of a fever at the age of 32.  His generals fought over his empire and eventually divided it up four ways.  Two of those successor kingdoms would have a profound influence on the land of Judah: the Seleucid kingdom based in Syria—the King of the North—and the Ptolemaic kingdom based in Egypt—the King of the South.  That's the setup for the rest of the chapter, which rushes through about 160 years of the history that follows.  The Seleucid kings were Seleucus I-IV followed by Antiochus I-IV.  The Egyptian kings are easy: They were all named Ptolemy—Ptolemy I-VI.  (Actually there eventually thirteen Antiochuses and fifteen Ptolemies, the last being the son of Julius Caesar and Cleopatra VII.) Verses 5 to 20 move quickly through the first five Ptolemies, the first four Seleucuses, and the first three Antiochuses.  Fifteen verses sweep us through history from about 320BC to 175BC.  Here's the text: “Then the king of the south shall be strong, but one of his princes shall be stronger than he and shall rule, and his authority shall be a great authority. After some years they shall make an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement. But she shall not retain the strength of her arm, and he and his arm shall not endure, but she shall be given up, and her attendants, he who fathered her, and he who supported her in those times.   “And from a branch from her roots one shall arise in his place. He shall come against the army and enter the fortress of the king of the north, and he shall deal with them and shall prevail. He shall also carry off to Egypt their gods with their metal images and their precious vessels of silver and gold, and for some years he shall refrain from attacking the king of the north. Then the latter shall come into the realm of the king of the south but shall return to his own land.   “His sons shall wage war and assemble a multitude of great forces, which shall keep coming and overflow and pass through, and again shall carry the war as far as his fortress. Then the king of the south, moved with rage, shall come out and fight against the king of the north. And he shall raise a great multitude, but it shall be given into his hand. And when the multitude is taken away, his heart shall be exalted, and he shall cast down tens of thousands, but he shall not prevail. For the king of the north shall again raise a multitude, greater than the first. And after some years he shall come on with a great army and abundant supplies.   “In those times many shall rise against the king of the south, and the violent among your own people shall lift themselves up in order to fulfill the vision, but they shall fail. Then the king of the north shall come and throw up siegeworks and take a well-fortified city. And the forces of the south shall not stand, or even his best troops, for there shall be no strength to stand. But he who comes against him shall do as he wills, and none shall stand before him. And he shall stand in the glorious land, with destruction in his hand. He shall set his face to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and he shall bring terms of an agreement and perform them. He shall give him the daughter of women to destroy the kingdom, but it shall not stand or be to his advantage. Afterward he shall turn his face to the coastlands and shall capture many of them, but a commander shall put an end to his insolence. Indeed, he shall turn his insolence back upon him. Then he shall turn his face back toward the fortresses of his own land, but he shall stumble and fall, and shall not be found.   “Then shall arise in his place one who shall send an exactor of tribute for the glory of the kingdom. But within a few days he shall be broken, neither in anger nor in battle.   If that makes as much sense as “Rhabarberbarbara”, that's okay.  If you know the history this maps right on to it, but if you don't, all you really need to know is that this describes about a century and a half of the kings of Egypt and Syria fighting with each other.  And that's important because of what's right between Egypt and Syria.  Picture a map in your head.  What's between Egypt and Syria?  That's right: Judah.  Judah sat on the crossroads of the ancient world and so it went back and forth between Egypt and Syria and eventually many of the Jews themselves got caught up in the politics and the intrigue.  Some of them thought that by siding with these pagan kings they were fulfilling God's purpose.  Again, when we see things happening in the world around us—the things we can see—it's easy to get caught up in them, it's easy to compromise our faith and our values and what's right.  But Daniel reminds us that there's more going on than what we can see with our eyes.  Things are never truly hopeless for God's people, because God is ultimately in control and because his angels fight for us.  We need to remember that as things get worse, and get worse they did for little Judah, caught in the middle of all this. Verse 20 describes the Syrian King, Seleucus IV Philopater.  He sent a “tax collector”, a man by the name of Heliodorus, to collect the money needed to pay tribute to Rome, which was now involved in the intrigue.  Heliodorus tried to plunder the temple in Jerusalem, but had a nightmare that put him off the idea.  Instead, Heliodorus poisoned the king, Seleucus IV.  That opened the door to the real terror.  Look at verses 21-35: In his place shall arise a contemptible person to whom royal majesty has not been given. He shall come in without warning and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. Armies shall be utterly swept away before him and broken, even the prince of the covenant. And from the time that an alliance is made with him he shall act deceitfully, and he shall become strong with a small people. Without warning he shall come into the richest parts of the province, and he shall do what neither his fathers nor his fathers' fathers have done, scattering among them plunder, spoil, and goods. He shall devise plans against strongholds, but only for a time. And he shall stir up his power and his heart against the king of the south with a great army. And the king of the south shall wage war with an exceedingly great and mighty army, but he shall not stand, for plots shall be devised against him. Even those who eat his food shall break him. His army shall be swept away, and many shall fall down slain. And as for the two kings, their hearts shall be bent on doing evil. They shall speak lies at the same table, but to no avail, for the end is yet to be at the time appointed. And he shall return to his land with great wealth, but his heart shall be set against the holy covenant. And he shall work his will and return to his own land.   “At the time appointed he shall return and come into the south, but it shall not be this time as it was before. For ships of Kittim shall come against him, and he shall be afraid and withdraw, and shall turn back and be enraged and take action against the holy covenant. He shall turn back and pay attention to those who forsake the holy covenant. Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate. He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. And the wise among the people shall make many understand, though for some days they shall stumble by sword and flame, by captivity and plunder. When they stumble, they shall receive a little help. And many shall join themselves to them with flattery, and some of the wise shall stumble, so that they may be refined, purified, and made white, until the time of the end, for it still awaits the appointed time.   The other kings were bad, but this new king who arises is truly contemptible.  The heir of Seleucus IV was imprisoned in Rome and Antiochus IV bought and manipulated his way to the throne in his place.  He took the name “Epiphanes” meaning “Manifest One”.  In short, he thought he was God.  And Antiochus Epiphanes did his best to turn Jerusalem into a pagan Greek city.  The passage here refers to him deposing the high priest, Onias III.  His action against the holy covenant refers to his making it illegal to live by torah, his manipulation of Jewish collaborators, and to his defilement of the altar in the temple.  But Antiochus Epiphanes pushed too hard.  It's not that the earlier Greek kings weren't bad or that they, too, hadn't imposed pagan culture on Judah, but none had ever made the effort that this king did.  For the most part, they'd left Judah alone, under the rule of the high priest, as long as he coughed up tribute money every year.  Under the earlier kings, most people didn't feel compelled to make a choice between the Lord and the pagan gods, but under Antiochus Epiphanes, that's just what happened.  No one could sit on the fence anymore.  No one could say that this didn't affect them.  And so the vision tells of the wise in the community standing up and encouraging the people—not all (there were many who collaborated with Antiochus), but still a good many of them—these wise ones encourage them to stand firm.  They prepared the faithful to pay with their lives for doing so.  Those days tested the faith of the people and, in the end, revealed who was seriously committed to the Lord and who was not.  Again, in all this we're reminded that God was at work in the days of Antiochus just like he had been in the exile back in Daniel's day. And this brings the vision up to what was the present day for the author of Daniel, about 167BC.  So far the vision has been relating the history that led up to this point as if it were a prophecy given by Daniel back in the Sixth Century.  With verse 36 the vision transitions.  Now it looks into the future.  But the style changes, too.  Everything becomes more grandiose, but more importantly, the description of how this crisis will reach its climax uses imagery and language from the Prophets, especially Isaiah 10, Ezekiel 38-39, and Psalms 2, 46, 48, and 76.  The Prophets spoke of the “End” and Daniel's vision describes the present crisis as another embodiment of that great “End”. This is the point where evangelical interpreters disagree with each other.  Some see the change in style, the language of the End, and the fact that Antiochus didn't exactly meet his death the way it's described here, some see all this as reason to think that the vision is now turning from the events of the Second Century to events much further in the future.  It's no longer talking about Antiochus IV Epiphanes, but about a future “Antichrist”.  Other evangelical scholars see nothing in the text that justifies that kind of change in subject and timeframe and believe this is still talking about events in the Second Century. Either way, there are difficult problems and anyone who says otherwise simply isn't being honest.  I'll say that Daniel 11:36-12:13 is the most difficult Bible text I've ever wrestled with and every time you think you've made progress untangling the ball of yarn, you discover that you've just turned one big knot into half a dozen smaller ones that are just as tenacious.  If you know me, you know I think it's best to let the text speak for itself even if that makes things difficult.  I can't see anything within the text itself that justifies projecting this part of Daniel into the far future.  The text itself is pretty clear that it's looking to the immediate future—to the three or three-and-a-half years to come, to the death of Antiochus, and to the vindication of the Jews who were faithful in that crisis.  I might be wrong, but either way you end up with some problems that are hard to resolve—I just prefer going the route that lets the biblical text speak most naturally for itself.  So, verses 36-45: “And the king shall do as he wills. He shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods. He shall prosper till the indignation is accomplished; for what is decreed shall be done. He shall pay no attention to the gods of his fathers, or to the one beloved by women. He shall not pay attention to any other god, for he shall magnify himself above all. He shall honor the god of fortresses instead of these. A god whom his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. He shall deal with the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign god. Those who acknowledge him he shall load with honor. He shall make them rulers over many and shall divide the land for a price.   Antiochus Epiphanes wasn't unique in making claims of divinity and the description here about his idolatry is grandiose, but there's nothing in the text that suggests at all that this is suddenly about some other king, let alone an Antichrist figure in the distant future.  I think what's going on here is that the vision captures how it felt for the faithful Jews to live under Antiochus, because he was the first of these rulers to deliberately undermine their laws, their faith, their worship and to defile their temple.  We do the same thing in our political discourse all the time, turning bad politicians into over-the-top monsters, and our politicians aren't half the monster that Antiochus was.  It goes on:   “At the time of the end, the king of the south shall attack him, but the king of the north shall rush upon him like a whirlwind, with chariots and horsemen, and with many ships. And he shall come into countries and shall overflow and pass through. He shall come into the glorious land. And tens of thousands shall fall, but these shall be delivered out of his hand: Edom and Moab and the main part of the Ammonites. He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. He shall become ruler of the treasures of gold and of silver, and all the precious things of Egypt, and the Libyans and the Cushites shall follow in his train. But news from the east and the north shall alarm him, and he shall go out with great fury to destroy and devote many to destruction. And he shall pitch his palatial tents between the sea and the glorious holy mountain. Yet he shall come to his end, with none to help him.   We don't really know how Antiochus Epiphanes died.  The Greek historian Polybius and the books of 1 and 2 Maccabees give varying accounts of his being driven mad after an attempt to plunder a temple in Persia.  He seems to have died not long after.  1 and 2 Maccabees suggest that there was an element of divine wrath in his affliction and death.  The description here, again, seems grandiose and we know nothing of him pitching his tents between the sea and Mt. Zion.  Whatever we make of the specifics, what the author saw in the Prophets—and I think, too, that he was an astute observer of how the hubris of these Greek kings and their internal intrigues worked out in history—the author understood these things and could say with certainty that the wicked Antiochus Epiphanes would get his divine comeuppance. Whether this vision was actual prophecy or whether it was the author's attempt to exhort the faithful in Judah by working out a sort of pseudo-prophecy based on the visions of Daniel and the writings of Israel's prophets, the Spirit stands behind the text.  I've been wrestling with the difficulties here for months.  Is it prophecy?  Is it pseudo-prophecy?  Was it written in the Sixth Century or the Second?  Did the people who received it think it was written by Daniel hundreds of years before or did they know it was written by one of their own who was suffering under Antiochus just as they were?  These are hard questions and there's no easy solution.  But what I do know and what I keep coming back to is that the Holy Spirit stands behind these words and we know that, because Jesus drew on them as scripture and so did the writers of the New Testament.  I expect I'll get into this idea more next week, Lord willing, but I think Jesus' use of Daniel points us in the right direction, because Jesus used this last vision of Daniel to point to the future vindication and resurrection of his people.  In doing that I think Jesus was doing with Daniel what Daniel had done with the earlier prophets.  As I said a few minutes ago, the Prophets often pointed forward to the “End”—the End with a capital “E”—and it was usually associated with whatever historical events of judgement and vindication they were prophesying.  And those prophecies were fulfilled in history, those times of judgement and vindication came as they had said, but always that great End was still out there, always pointing to a time when there would be a great and final day, at the end of history, on which the wicked will be judged and the faithful will be vindicated and I think that's what's going on in this final vision of Daniel.  Through the judgement of the wicked and vindication of the just in his own day, the author of Daniel points even more emphatically than the prophets of old had, towards that final Day of the Lord.  And this, then, is what Jesus picks up from Daniel and makes his own.  In his death and resurrection, in his ascension and his judgement of faithless Jerusalem and the temple, Jesus is saying that that great eschatological End with a capital “E” is finally here.  The end of history has begun.  And in that he's much like the old Prophets and he's much like Daniel.  There's still time to go.  There are still things to be done on both earth and in the heavenlies before every last enemy has been put under his feet.  And in the meantime God's people—even now empowered by the gospel and the Spirit—God's people, like they always have, need this encouragement to stand firm, to keep the faith, and to fight he good fight—even if it means our death.  Our acclamation as we come to the Lord's Table gives us just this kind of exhortation and if you aren't accustomed to thinking of it that way, try to think of it that way from now on: Christ has died.  Christ has risen.  Christ will come again.  Jesus has fulfilled what the Prophets spoke.  He has inaugurated the End.  And now we live in that in between time—between the beginning of the End and the end of the End.  And that, Brothers and Sisters, is good news.  It is the exhortation we need to stand firm, to keep the faith, and to fight the good fight knowing that our Lord sits enthroned in the heavenlies and has already won the battle and decisively turned the tide of this war. Let's pray: Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the many and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

Most conservative Bible scholars believe verses 20-22 have been completely fulfilled in history. The sticking points of disagreement occur with verse 23 and following. In my opinion, verses 23-25 could represent a near-far view. The near fulfillment sees Antiochus IV as the historical persecutor as in vv 9-14 -MacArthur-. Antiochus as king in 164 BC was -in the latter period of their rule.- Rome conquered Greece in 146 BC and Antiochus died -broken without human agency- from insanity and disease of the bowels.

Antiochus IV was the 8th king of the Seleucid dynasty and he ruled as king from 175 to 164 BC -1 Macc 1-10- 6- 16-. He conducted military campaigns in all those directions. Here in Daniel 8, the vision begins to focus on future Israel and the Jews. In fact, much of this vision is future to Daniel, but the second half of the chapter is still yet future from our perspective. Antiochus was especially vengeful against the Jews whom he persecuted brutally -Constable- and Whitcomb notes he was one of Israel's worst persecutors ever.

With the Clouds of Heaven Daniel 7:1-28 by William Klock The seventh chapter of Daniel begins this way: In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter.   It's finally Daniel's turn to dream.  The storyteller rolls back the clock about a decade to the first year of Belshazzar, which would have been about 550 BC.  The implied audience, remember, is the faithful Jews living in Judah in the early 160s BC, during the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes.  The purpose of the book of Daniel was to encourage them and to exhort them to stand firm for the Lord, to stand firm for his law, even as this pagan king was making it illegal for them to live according to the law and to worship the Lord, even as many of their fellow Jews were caving in to the pressure and apostatizing.  The book of Daniel points them back to their ancestors who lived during the Babylonian exile and had their own struggles to remain faithful to the Lord.  The story is told through their eyes to encourage the current generation. We also need to understand that the book of Daniel now shifts its genre from tales about Daniel and his friends in the Babylonian court to apocalyptic visions.  There are four visions.  This first one in Chapter 7, a second in Chapter 8, a third in Chapter 9, and a fourth spanning Chapters 10-12.  In Greek, an apokalypsis is a revelation, an unveiling, of something.  It's related to prophecy, but it usually has—at least in the Bible—it usually has to do with current events and is God's way of pulling the curtain back to show that current events aren't just random or haphazard, but that he's at work behind them.  Biblical apocalyptic encourages the faithful to stand firm and to trust in the Lord knowing that even as evil seems like it's out of control, it's not.  God is sovereign and he—and his faithful people—will win the day.  It reminds us that God is king and that he will vindicate his people for their faith. And, as we saw with Revelation, one of the defining characteristics of apocalyptic literature is that it communicates through symbols.  And that can make it difficult for us.  The symbolism would have been obvious to the original hearers, but because it's very context dependent—things like culture and history, worldview and mythology and things like that—it can be very hard for us to understand.  One of the hard things for us, one of the things that gets lost in translation is the visceral reaction this symbolism would have created in the original audience.  For us it's just something to decode: this means that.  For them, the imagery would stir up emotions.  This wasn't about events thousands of years ago.  This was about what they were experiencing.  It was about their world, their not-too-distant past, and their not-too-distant future.  It was about the present affliction, the present persecution, the present pressures that confronted them.  Think of the feelings you might have as you watch the evening news: fear, dread, sadness, elation.  Those sorts of feelings were connected with this imagery.  The timing of this vision, at the beginning of Belshazzar's co-regency, means that Daniel's vision would coincide with big news.  For millennia the Assyrian empire had dominated the Near East.  The Babylonian Empire of Nebuchadnezzar and Nabonidus and Belshazzar was the last incarnation of Assyria.  To the north was the Median Empire and to the east the Persian.  Cyrus the Great, the Persian emperor was on the move, gobbling up parts of Media and Babylon.  In 550 BC the Medes fell to the Persians.  Now Babylon was in Cyrus' sights.  Here were Daniel and his people, bystanders in the middle of turbulent times.  We can imagine Daniel hearing the most recent news of the fall of the Medes, going to bed, tossing and turning, finally falling into restless sleep, and dreaming.  Let's continue with verse 2: Daniel declared, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another. The first was like a lion and had eagles' wings. Then as I looked its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and the mind of a man was given to it. And behold, another beast, a second one, like a bear. It was raised up on one side. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth; and it was told, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.' After this I looked, and behold, another, like a leopard, with four wings of a bird on its back. And the beast had four heads, and dominion was given to it. After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, terrifying and dreadful and exceedingly strong. It had great iron teeth; it devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.  (Daniel 7:2-8) In his vision, Daniel stands by the great sea.  In the Old Testament the “great sea” always means the Mediterranean.  It was the centre of the ancient world.  Imagine Daniel standing in a place jutting out into the sea, a place the Rock of Andromeda at Joppa.  The waters rage and the winds blow.  It's not an ordinary wind.  The winds rage from north and south, east and west all at the same time and the sea churns violently around him.  For all the ancient Near Eastern peoples, the sea represented chaos.  Genesis opens with the sea—formless and void—representing the chaos of the uncreated world into which the Lord speaks, separating the waters, raising dry land, bringing the order needed for humans to live and to flourish.  Now, in his dream, Daniel sees the sea raging.  Chaos threatens the order of God's good creation.  As we look at our own current events, it's not very hard to image what Daniel felt.  Turn on the news or look on the Web and so often it seems like chaos and evil are tearing the world apart.  In so many places humans languish when they should be flourishing, all because of war and corruption, because of poverty and greed and sickness.  Sometimes it seems like chaos has won the day. And who's at the heart of the chaos?  Daniel sees four ferocious beasts emerge from the sea.  The beasts are symbolic and it's hard to be certain exactly how all the symbolism here works.  A lot of it seems to come from the Old Testament prophets, but it could also be coming from the mythology and the symbols of the various peoples and empires that are symbolized.  Some of it is eerily similar to the symbolism of the Babylonian books Daniel would have studied in learning about divination and the symbolism of dreams.  What we do know—because Daniel is told in verse 17—is that these beasts represent four empires.   We know from what has preceded and what follows in Daniel that the sequence of empires begins with Assyria, of which Babylon was the last incarnation.  So a regal lion with the wings of an eagle emerges from the sea representing the greatness of Babylon.  Its wings are plucked off and it is set on two feet, which reminds us of Nebuchadnezzar in Chapter 4, ranging in the wilderness like a wild animal, but eventually restored to humanity and kingship by the Lord. From this point there's disagreement on how to interpret the symbolism and that's because of our distance from the original context.  We just can't be sure what the symbolism means and it then becomes very easy to look through history and cherry pick things that match the symbolism and squeeze it into our modern interpretations.  I'll just note that the rabbis and Christians for most of our history interpreted these four empires as Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome.  That was mostly because in the days of the rabbis and early Christians, Rome was the great global power and because Rome so often stood opposed to both the Jews and Christians.  Rome fell, but Byzantium—the eastern Roman empire—remained until the 15th Century.  And there were successors to Rome in the West.  In 800 Charlemagne was crowned Emperor of the Romans and it wasn't until 1806 that the Holy Roman Empire finally came to an end.  But as the years went by, connecting Daniel's fourth beast to Rome became more difficult, and since the early 19th Century folks have had to work especially hard to hold on to that interpretation, whether identifying the beast with the papacy or with the European Union—and those schemes have consistently ended up falling apart. History gives us a better basis for interpreting Daniel's beasts.  We know now that at the time Daniel was written there was a common scheme across the Ancient Near East for describing the succession of empires.  The four great empires were Assyria, the Medes, the Persians, and the Greek Macedonians.  In fact, as the Romans replaced the Greeks in the centuries that followed, they were added to the scheme as a fifth empire. So following this common pattern, the bear represents the Medes.  As in Nebuchadnezzar's statue, it was clearly inferior to the Babylonians.  The three ribs in its mouth may be a reference to Jeremiah 51:27-29, which describes the three nations that joined with the Medes in their attack on Babylon.  And the four-winged, four-headed leopard then represents the Persians.  The swiftness with which the Persians conquered the four corners of the earth contrasts with the ponderous bear imagery of the Medes.  But Daniel's vision really isn't very interested in the second and third kingdoms.  The focus of his dream is on the fourth.  This is the kingdom that raged and threatened the people of God at the time the book was written. And the fourth kingdom is different.  As we'll see in a bit, the first three beasts, despite appearances, were all under control.  But this fourth beast, it does what it wants to do—or at least, that's how it thinks of itself.  The imagery of the great beast, exceedingly strong, and stamping into oblivion what was left after breaking things apart with its iron teeth or tusks, suggests an elephant—a good image of Alexander's unstoppable army that conquered the territory of the other three empires.  The ten horns are fitting symbols of the ten kingdoms that arose from Alexander's empire after his death.[1]  But out of those horns there came up one king in particular, who was a menace to the people of God.  The little horn is, again, a fitting image of Antiochus Epiphanes.  He tried to abolish the law and the worship of the God of Israel.  He was the one who claimed divinity for himself.  He was the cause of all their woes. But then, in the midst of the chaos, as the sea churns and these ferocious beasts rage across the earth, a new image appears—a bit like Dad coming home to find his unruly children tearing apart the house.  Look at verses 9 and 10: “As I looked, thrones were placed,          and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow,          and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames;          its wheels were burning fire. A stream of fire issued          and came out from before him; a thousand thousands served him,          and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment,          and the books were opened.   The beasts are brought to heel as the God of Israel takes his seat as judge.  The one who tamed chaos in the first place established earthly kings to preserve his order and to promote human flourishing.  These kings have done the opposite and now what at first seemed like wild and ferocious beasts stand pitifully before the judgement seat of the Most High God, his fiery throne, and before the heavenly hosts.  Then verses 11 and 12: “I looked then because of the sound of the great words that the horn was speaking. And as I looked, the beast was killed, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire. As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.   Even as he stands before the Most High, that blasphemous little horn continues to speak.  The other beasts, for all their raging, served the Living God—as we've seen in the first six chapters.  They all, in some way and in the end, acknowledged him.  The Lord of history raised them up to serve his purposes.  But this horn on the fourth beast rages against the sovereign God and is judged: killed, destroyed, and burned to oblivion.  The vision gave hope to the faithful living under his reign of terror. But that's not all there is to it.  Daniel has a second vision and this one's not just about the bringing down of wicked rulers; this one is about the raising up of a righteous one.  As St. Paul writes in Romans, creation waits with eager longing for the sons of God to be revealed.  It's not enough to judge the wicked.  Creation longs for its rightful stewards.  Look at verses 13 and 14: “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven          there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days          and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion          and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages          should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion,          which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one          that shall not be destroyed.   History will not continue as a reign of terror and blasphemy, nor will it merely end in judgement.  In place of the raging kings represented by ferocious beasts, Daniel now sees one “like a son of man”.  In the beginning the Lord created human beings to rule his creation with goodness and wisdom as his stewards and that's what this new figure like a son of man represents.  After the Lord has judged the wicked empires of the world, this son of man arrives riding on the clouds—that's a dramatic image of the Lord's war chariot.  He is presented before the Ancient of Day, before the Most High God, and to him is given glory and an everlasting dominion—ultimately a kingdom that will not be destroyed. But what does this all mean?  The dream continues as one of the heavenly host explains the symbolism to Daniel in verses 15-27: “As for me, Daniel, my spirit within me was anxious, and the visions of my head alarmed me. I approached one of those who stood there and asked him the truth concerning all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of the things. ‘These four great beasts are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.'   “Then I desired to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the rest, exceedingly terrifying, with its teeth of iron and claws of bronze, and which devoured and broke in pieces and stamped what was left with its feet, and about the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn that came up and before which three of them fell, the horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke great things, and that seemed greater than its companions. As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them, until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom.   “Thus he said: ‘As for the fourth beast, there shall be a fourth kingdom on earth,          which shall be different from all the kingdoms, and it shall devour the whole earth,          and trample it down, and break it to pieces. As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise,          and another shall arise after them; he shall be different from the former ones,          and shall put down three kings. He shall speak words against the Most High,          and shall wear out the saints of the Most High,          and shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand          for a time, times, and half a time. But the court shall sit in judgment,          and his dominion shall be taken away,          to be consumed and destroyed to the end. And the kingdom and the dominion          and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven                   shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom,          and all dominions shall serve and obey him.' This is the hope of the saints.  The blasphemous little monster will put himself in the place of God.  He will torment the faithful.  He will have power and authority and, to all appearances, it will seem like his reign will last forever—or longer than those other kingdoms, at any rate.  A time, times—and that would go in sequence: four times and eight times and sixteen times and so on.  But no.  It's a time and times and suddenly a half.  That might be a reference to the roughly three-and-a-half years Antiochus Epiphanes terrorized Judah, but it's more likely the idea that his power is cut short at its height.  The Lord will give him enough rope to hang himself.  And his kingdom will be given to the saints, to the holy ones of the Most High—and his dominion, his kingdom will go on forever and ever. It's an image of the world set to rights.  Chaos is finally, once and for all given order in by the Lord, and human beings are restored to their rightful place, to serve before the Lord as his stewards—as priests and kings.  This is why the Jews saw the son of man here as a symbolic representative of Israel.  They were the people elect and set apart by the Lord, a people made holy to be a light to the nations—a people who, in living with the Lord in their midst—gave the world a glimpse of what creation was supposed to be like and who pointed forward to the day when it really would be set to rights and men and women would finally serve the Lord as the stewards and rulers of his creation. The chapter ends in verse 28: “Here is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly alarmed me, and my color changed, but I kept the matter in my heart.” This is the end of the first vision, but there's more to come.  This vision sets the scene and gives us the setting and timeframe for the visions that will follow.  But then—and I guess I'm jumping ahead to the end of Daniel—we realise as Christians that even as Daniel's visions end, it's not really the end of the matter.  The Lord did indeed bring down the evil Antiochus IV.  The Lord did indeed vindicate his people.  A new king would take the throne in Judah.  But as is so often the case with Old Testament prophecy, even though we see it obviously fulfilled in the events of those days, it's fulfilled in a way that leaves things open to a final and greater fulfilment.  Judah was only free for a century and then Pompey came, conquered Jerusalem for Rome, and deposed the Hasmonean dynasty.  And the people would wait again for the Lord to deliver them. It was in those dark days that Jesus was born and began his ministry and it shouldn't surprise us in the least that he took for himself this title from Daniel, son of man.  He was the embodiment of the humanity we forsook in the garden and the embodiment of the Israel that Israel could never manage to be.  In him, God became the first man to be what we were created to be.  And as our representative, he broke the bonds of sin by letting evil do its worst.  The chaos and the vicious beasts of fallen, sinful, rebellious humanity rose up around him and did their worst, they killed him, and they buried him in the earth, and for three days evil thought it had triumphed.  But on the third day, God vindicated his son, raising him from death.  And as Jesus rose from his grave, so Jesus also rose to take his throne.  The son of man has been given dominion and glory and his kingdom and as the good news of his death and resurrection goes out, the peoples, nations, and languages are being brought to him in faith, to serve him and to give him glory.  And in that, we see the people of God, the new Israel, the church empowered by word and Spirit, coming on the clouds—riding the Lord's war chariot, equipped with the gospel—the good news of Jesus, crucified, risen, and enthroned in glory.  And there, Brothers and Sisters, we ought to find hope and inspiration to stand firm in faith even as the seas rage today, as new beasts emerge from the dark waters, even as they speak vain and blasphemous things.  Jesus has won the decisive battle.  He now sends out: Onward!  Christian soldiers.  And on we go, taking up our crosses into the world, knowing that the one who humbled himself on the cross and who conquered by his blood not only stands with us, but has filled us with his own Spirit and now goes on before us. Let's pray again our Collect: Almighty God, consider the heartfelt desires of your servants, we pray, and stretch out the right hand of your majesty to defend us against all our enemies, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.   [1] Ptolemaic Egypt, Seleucia, Macedon, Pergamum, Pontus, Bithynia, Cappadocia, Armenia, Parthia, and Bactria.

Why Daniel? 1 Maccabees 1:41-61 & Zechariah 8:1-8, 20-23 by William Klock The world is not what it once was.  My great-grandmother—the only one of my great-grandmothers I ever knew— was born in 1896.  When she died in 1993, I remember everyone talking about how much the world had changed in her lifetime and how she'd seen it all.  She was the daughter of Portuguese immigrants from the Azores, one of thirteen children in a close-knit family.  She grew up in Mission San Jose, a little town on the east side of San Francisco Bay.  It was centred on a church established by Father Junípero Serra, the 18th Century Franciscan missionary.  It was the Catholic California version of one of those New England Puritan towns centred on a white, clapboard Congregational church.  She could remember the days when no one had ever seen an automobile.  And she'd seen Neil Armstrong put that first human foot on the moon.  The Christmas I finally got the Atari 2600 I'd been begging for, she sat patiently and played Pac-Man with me, this woman who had grown up in a world not only without television, but even radios.  Hers was a lifetime of change.  It happened so fast.  From kerosene lamps to computers, from horse-drawn buggies to space shuttles, all in one lifetime. Everyone talked about that century of progress in technological terms.  I don't remember anyone talking about my great-grandmother having also seen the century of regress that happened simultaneously in religious, spiritual, and philosophical terms.  My grandmother had seen church attendance peak in the 1950s and then slowly decline.  The church that had once been the centre of the community in which she grew up is now little more than a tourist attraction.  She saw the decline of the family, the rise the “me” generation, and the sexual revolution.  She didn't have the education that would have given her the philosophical language to describe those changes, but she knew them and felt them in her bones—and her bones ached terribly.  She knew sacrifice.  Her mother died when she was ten years old.  She dropped out of school after the fifth grade to take care of her family, doing most of the cooking and baking and housekeeping for her father and twelve brothers and sisters.  She knew what it meant to be part of and committed to a family and a community, to give and to sacrifice for the sake of others, and she couldn't help but notice as her grandchildren and great-grandchildren and their (our) generations became focused on ourselves, on consumption, on materialism, unwilling to give, unable to comprehend the life she knew growing up.  Even though these things weren't what people were talking about, these were far more significant, far more profound changes that took place during the Twentieth Century—far more important than telephones and TVs and airplanes and computers. As a people we've adapted pretty readily from buggies to cars, from trains to aeroplanes, from telegraphs to texting.  It's not to say technology hasn't introduced its own problems.  But the other changes: the spiritual, the religious, the philosophical?  That's another story.  And as much as the sexual revolution and the rise of rabid individualism were shocking and disorienting in a broad cultural sense for my great grandmother, the continuing spread and evolution of those same social, spiritual, and philosophical trends—and not least their acceleration—leaves most of us, I think, feeling like someone's pulled the rug out from under us. The pace of all this change spiritual and philosophical change is staggering.  The folks who promote all these changes like to pretend that nothing's changed, but the rest of us are left breathless, troubled, even with anxiety about where things are headed and what it will mean for us.  There's a cartoon where a Leftist, Progressive, Liberal man accusingly asks a traditionalist: “Who radicalised you?”  And the traditionalist leans in and says: “No one.  I'm just a normal person from five years ago.”  I think every one of us here can identify with that.  Just a few years ago the idea of people telling you their “pronouns” and expecting you to seriously play along was absurd.  Just a few years ago, most people would think you were crazy if you said that one day the City of Courtenay would be flying a rainbow “pride” flag from city hall and painting rainbow crosswalks downtown.  Just a few years ago, to look at the world and sort everyone into classes of “oppressor” and “oppressed”, to judge everyone on the basis of power and privilege or the lack thereof, that was the purview of a handful of Marxist academics.  And now, if you don't support these things, people ask, “Who radicalised you?”  “Why can't you get with the programme?”  Or they “cancel” you—something else we'd never heard of until a few short years ago.  If only we had the confidence to stand firm and respond like the man in the cartoon: “I'm just a normal person from five years ago.  You're the ones who have lost your minds.”  Instead, we often feel as if we've been thrown into deep, murky water and are struggling to stay afloat while our feet scramble to find something solid on which to stand. And speaking of something solid on which to stand, where is the Church in all of this?  We're increasingly side-lined.  Our part of the world has always been the least-churched part of Christendom.  I like to think that there's something providential in that—that God has us right where he wants us to teach us and to prepare us for the days ahead.  (This is, after all, why I think we need to study Daniel.)  Christianity has, at least in the eyes of the world out there, become pretty much irrelevant.  When I meet people in our community and talk to them about what I do, I realise that even a lot of older people, have no idea what we're about.  They have as much idea of what goes on in a church as I have what goes on in the Legion Hall or the Masonic Lodge.  And they have as much interest in what goes on here as I have interest in the Legion or the Masons.  I've talked to people who don't recognise a clerical collar, who don't know what a pastor is, who know nothing about the Bible, and—one woman I talked to a few years ago—who thinks Jesus was a nice man who lived “a couple hundred years ago” and was “riffing off Buddha”.  The Dutch missiologist Stephan Paas describes this attitude towards the Church as “apatheism”.  Most people aren't hostile towards us.  They just don't care.  They think we're quaint and maybe a little weird and that's about it. But when the Church does stand up for something: for the gospel, for Jesus, for right and wrong, for truth—when we do make ourselves heard.  When we openly challenge the gods and kings of the pagans.  Well, then we're in trouble.  People get angry and nasty.  And there are people in the church who will jump overboard lest any of the anger or nastiness fall on them, lest people “out there” think less of them or call them haters or bigots for refusing to go along with this rapid-onset cultural insanity.  And so we end up sidelined even more and to communicate with the world around us becomes an even more uphill battle than it was before.  Like the Christians in the First and Second Centuries who were falsely accused of being atheists (because they worshipped only one god, which was as good as worshiping no god in the Greco-Roman world); who were accused of incest (because they called each other Brother and Sisters); who were accused of cannibalism (because they ate the body and drank the blood of the Lord); who were accused of being politically disruptive troublemakers (because they refused to worship Caesar).  The accusations today are a little different: we're “haters” because we insist that sin is sin and truth is truth; we're “bigots” because we believe that Jesus, crucified and risen, is the only way to the Father; and we're patriarchal, sexist, misogynists, because we talk of God as Father and Jesus as Son and believe that God created men and women to be different, but complimentary. And it's even more troubling—like the rug being pulled out again—when fellow Christians give in and capitulate to this increasingly anti-Christian culture.  For most of my life, the division between the liberal Mainline churches and orthodox Evangelical churches has been in the past.  As Evangelicals we've watched those churches that capitulated to the culture a hundred years ago become less and less relevant as they've dwindled down to almost nothing.  And we've thought the church was done with those sorts of mistakes—with capitulating to the demands of the culture to get by or to become socially acceptable.  You cannot worship Yahweh and Zeus at the same altar—not and keep your soul.  Our generation (yours and mine) not only recognised that move as a betrayal of Jesus and the gospel, but also that it didn't work.  And yet a new generation is trying it all over again.  My own seminary, a bastion of Evangelicalism when I went there, seems now to be turning out pastors who are reshaping the church and the gospel in light of those Neo-Marxist categories of oppressor and oppressed, of privileged and unprivileged; and embracing expressive individualism and all that means in terms of identity politics and postmodern sexual ethics and ideas of sexual identity.  I'm part of an alumni group on Facebook.  If you dare to say the things the seminary upheld thirty years ago, you'll be woke-scolded and shut down in that infuriatingly post-modern passive aggressive way we're all starting to know so well.  They sound remarkably—and creepily—like the Director of N.I.C.E. in C. S. Lewis' That Hideous Strength.  I listen to the sermons of some of those younger alumni and hear pastors who are leading their congregations in the process of “Deconstruction”, promoting a false gospel having more to do with Marx than with Jesus, and even defending sexual immorality.  Many of us here were forced out of the mainline Anglican churches as they followed a similar path decades ago, but now once strongly Evangelical denominations like the Christian and Missionary Alliance, the Mennonites, and the Canadian Baptists are spiralling that same drain—and their pastors, even as the go down the drain into apostasy and irrelevance, they're rebuking and scolding those of us who are holding to the Bible with everything we've got, our solid rock in the midst of this raging sea.  Even our own Anglican Church in North America hasn't been immune.  Barely a decade after our founding, having experienced all this wickedness, and we're already having to confront a young generation who, with no personal experience of our old struggles, is ready to run straight back into that old folly. What do we do?  The world is largely ambivalent to our message.  (I hand-delivered over a hundred invitations to Christianity Explored a few years ago to our neighbourhood and not a single person followed up, let alone showed up.)  And when we do speak up, when we do make ourselves noticeable, we're shouted down, falsely accused of all sorts of things, and sent to go sit in the corner like bad children—and sometimes that's exactly what we end up doing, because we don't know what else to do.  So what do we do? Brothers and Sisters, we're not the first believers to face this, although after two thousand years of Christendom, it certainly feels like we're the first.  And after two thousand years of Christendom, I think we're struggling with how to respond to our world and with what to do.  Do we defend ourselves from the false accusations or do we go and sit in the corner?  How do we proclaim the good news when people are predisposed to dismiss it?  What do we do when our traditional methods of evangelism no longer work?  What do we do when the world pressures us to go along to get along?  And, I think the most important question of all, where is the Lord in all of this?  Brothers and Sisters, again, we're not the first. We could look back to the letters John wrote in the book of Revelation to the churches in Asia Minor—letters exhorting them to stand firm in faith, on Jesus and the gospel, because a storm of persecution was coming.  We looked at those letters two years ago.  Let's look at another time of trouble for God's people that most of us probably aren't nearly so familiar with.  The books of First and Second Maccabees in the Apocrypha tell the story of Judah about 160 years before Jesus was born—in the time between the testaments.  The Jews had returned from the Babylonian exile, rebuilt Jerusalem and the temple, but still lived under Persian Rule.  The Greek conqueror, Alexander the Great, defeated the Persians in 331 BC and Judah became part of his empire.  Alexander, however, didn't live very long and his generals divvied up his empire and then they and their descendants fought with each other for two-and-a-half centuries.  Poor Judah ended up caught in the middle of that.  Those Greek kings, for the most part, left Judah alone.  She had a special status as sort of a temple state, ruled by the high priest.  But things slowly went downhill.  The priesthood was bought and sold by corrupt men.  A lot of Jews gradually adopted the pagan ways and ideas of the Greeks and became less and less faithful to the torah.  But things really went bad for Judah under a king named Antiochus IV.  People called him “Epiphanies”—just like our current season of the church year—because he believed he was Zeus manifest (epiphany) in the flesh.  Antiochus was at war with Egypt and he wanted Judah to know that she belonged to him, not to the Egyptians.  He also wanted to get his hands on the temple treasury to fund his war efforts.  So Antiochus pillaged the temple, desecrated it with an altar of Zeus, and actively suppressed their Jewish way of life—their ability to live by the torah—and tried to turn them into good Greeks.  Here's how the author of First Maccabees tells it.  Listen and see if any of this sounds uncomfortably familiar.   Then the king wrote to his whole kingdom that all should be one people, and that all should give up their particular customs. All the Gentiles accepted the command of the king. Many even from Israel gladly adopted his religion; they sacrificed to idols and profaned the sabbath. And the king sent letters by messengers to Jerusalem and the towns of Judah; he directed them to follow customs strange to the land, to forbid burnt offerings and sacrifices and drink offerings in the sanctuary, to profane sabbaths and festivals, to defile the sanctuary and the priests, to build altars and sacred precincts and shrines for idols, to sacrifice swine and other unclean animals, and to leave their sons uncircumcised. They were to make themselves abominable by everything unclean and profane, so that they would forget the law and change all the ordinances. He added, “And whoever does not obey the command of the king shall die.”     In such words he wrote to his whole kingdom. He appointed inspectors over all the people and commanded the towns of Judah to offer sacrifice, town by town. Many of the people, everyone who forsook the law, joined them, and they did evil in the land; they drove Israel into hiding in every place of refuge they had.     Now on the fifteenth day of Chislev, in the one hundred forty-fifth year, they erected a desolating sacrilege on the altar of burnt offering. They also built altars in the surrounding towns of Judah, and offered incense at the doors of the houses and in the streets. The books of the law that they found they tore to pieces and burned with fire. Anyone found possessing the book of the covenant, or anyone who adhered to the law, was condemned to death by decree of the king. They kept using violence against Israel, against those who were found month after month in the towns. On the twenty-fifth day of the month they offered sacrifice on the altar that was on top of the altar of burnt offering. According to the decree, they put to death the women who had their children circumcised, and their families and those who circumcised them; and they hung the infants from their mothers' necks.  (1 Maccabees 1:41-61) Immense pressure was put on the people to conform.  Many of their leaders were in on it.  Many, feeling the pressure and fearing men rather than God, capitulated.  But not everyone. But many in Israel stood firm and were resolved in their hearts not to eat unclean food. They chose to die rather than to be defiled by food or to profane the holy covenant; and they did die. Very great wrath came upon Israel.   In the midst of that nightmare of persecution the book of Daniel was written.  (I know, you were starting to wonder what any of this has to do with Daniel.)  People were asking those questions: What do we do?  How do we remain faithful?  Where do we draw the line with these pagans and their demands?  And that all-important question above all else: Where is God in all of this?  Why is he allowing this to happen to us?  And so some anonymous writer, inspired by the Spirit, undertook to exhort his people by looking back to the last time Judah had faced tragedy and had been tempted to compromise with pagans: the Babylonian exile.  Specifically, he looked back to a man named Daniel. In the centuries since Daniel had lived, he'd become the popular subject of stories about faithfulness and wisdom.  This man living during the reign of Antiochus collected some of those stories to form the first part of his book—stories written in Aramaic, which had become the common language of the Jews since their exile.  And then he wrote (in Hebrew) an apocalypse in the style of a prophecy told by Daniel, and in that apocalypse he recounts the history of Judah's recent troubles, and through it all reminds the people that no matter what things look like, the Lord is sovereign over all—even pagan kings—and that he is with his people, even when it doesn't seem like it.  And in the end, knowing the faithfulness of the God of Israel, he looks forward in hope to the vindication of his people and to the Lord finally setting things to rights.  Daniel is really quite a bit more complicated than that, but that's it in a nutshell.  We'll crack open the nut in the coming months and I trust we'll be blessed, encouraged, and exhorted by what we find inside, especially knowing that it was written to people who felt as though the rug had been pulled out from under their feet and who were asking many of the same hard questions that we're asking as God's people today. The answers aren't always easy.  Sometimes we have to work out the math ourselves—like a “story problem”.  One of the interesting things about Daniel is that while we classify the book with the “Prophets” in Christians Bibles, the Jews placed this book in the section they call the “Writings”—all the books that aren't Law or Prophet.  Not everyone agrees on why this happened, but the prevailing view seems to be that Daniel was seen early on as wisdom literature—like Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes—those books where the big questions are worked out.  Where is God?  How does faithfulness work out practically in life?  Daniel does just that and one of the things I appreciate about the book of Daniel is that it shows us how we work out these questions, how we work out how to be faithful to the Lord in difficult times and difficult places, in light of what the big story of God and his people teaches us.  I had originally planned for our Old Testament lesson to be something from Daniel, but as I looked at the lectionary and the lesson it gives us from Zechariah 8, I realised that it's perfect.  Whoever compiled and composed Daniel as an exhortation to the people of Judah living under Antiochus Epiphanies, not only looked back to Daniel's experience in the Exile, but he also knew the story and the promises the Lord had made to his people before and during that exile—promises like the one we heard earlier from Zechariah: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath. Thus says the Lord: I will return to Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts shall be called the holy mountain. Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of their great age. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets. Thus says the Lord of hosts: Even though it seems impossible to the remnant of this people in these days, should it also seem impossible to me, says the Lord of hosts? Thus says the Lord of hosts: I will save my people from the east country and from the west country; and I will bring them to live in Jerusalem. They shall be my people and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness.   He knew that there were parts of this prophecy yet to be fulfilled and in those dark days, that unfulfilled prophecy gave him hope, because he knew from the history of people that the Lord always does what he promises.  In particular, there's the second half of our lesson, from verses 2-23: Thus says the Lord of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, the inhabitants of many cities; the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, “Come, let us go to entreat the favor of the Lord, and to seek the Lord of hosts; I myself am going.” Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to entreat the favor of the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days ten men from nations of every language shall take hold of a Jew, grasping his garment and saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”   The author of Daniel looked around at his people.  Even though many of the people he knew were doing their best to be faithful, he saw so much compromise.  No one was looking to the people of Judah and seeing the Lord in their midst.  The nations looked at Judah and saw a people who were conquered—and that meant their god was conquered too.  But because he knew that the Lord is faithful, he could look forward in hope to that day when the Lord would restore his people and make them what they were—what they are—supposed to be.  He could look forward to that day that you and I have seen fulfilled in Jesus the Messiah, when the men and women of the nations would finally, at last, take hold of a Jew—the Jew—and plead, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.” Brothers and Sisters, we have seen these prophecies fulfilled in Jesus. We are the gentiles who have grabbed hold of his blood-soaked garments and he has led us to the God of Israel.  We who were not a people, have through him, become his people.  We see promise after promise fulfilled in him, fulfilled in the pouring out of the Spirit, fulfilled as the gospel has gone out to the nations.  And we, too can look forward in faith knowing the Lord's faithfulness—knowing, for example (again, just one of so many) that one day the knowledge of glory will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.  Friends, no matter how difficult or dark the days, whether we walk beside still waters or through the valley of the shadow of death, though we know blessing or we know cursing, though we experience his approval or his discipline, the Lord is with us.  He has given his Son for our sake.  He has poured out his Spirit to equip us for his work.  He has given us his gospel to proclaim for the life of the world.  And he has done none of that in vain.  I think Daniel will help us answer those hard questions, but before we hear him speak, let's commit to holding fast to the solid rock, to the basic truths we already know, revealed in Jesus the Messiah himself: that the Lord loves us, that the Lord has a glorious future for us and all of creation, that the Lord is with us no matter what.  And most of all that great truth revealed in Jesus and in his death and resurrection: that the Lord will go to any length to keep his promise to us. As we prayed in our Collect, let us pray again: Almighty and everlasting God, you govern all things both in heaven and on earth:  Mercifully hear the supplications of your people, and in our time grant us your peace (and fill us with faith and hope); through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

God abandoned the Jewish people because of their sins, resulting in their desolation. He does this to show that He is holy and dwells in a high and holy place. - SERMON TRANSCRIPT - This morning as I was thinking about preaching this text, I decided to write a quick two-page startup guide to today's sermon. Have you ever had a complex piece of equipment and you get a sheet of paper that gives you that quick startup guide? I thought it might be helpful for today's sermon. This is my version of the quick startup guide. I hope it's helpful. One of the things that I marvel at of the Word of God is the division of the Word of God into two categories, milk and meat. I marvel at the simplicity of the Word of God, and I marvel at the complexity of the Word of God. The essential doctrines of the Bible are so simple, a child can understand them and receive forgiveness of sins in a right relationship with God by understanding the milk, but there's more in the Bible than just milk. There is also meat or complexity. My approach to pulpit ministry is to sequentially go through books of the Bible and take whatever's there. As we come this morning to Mark 13:14 and the phrase, “abomination of desolation," we come to what I consider to be a very deep and complex topic. I love preaching to you. I love preaching in this church because you love the Word of God and are willing to follow where it leads. I don't ever get any pushback on asking much of my hearers. This morning I'm going to ask much of you, so I am leading you into a quick startup guide. The first thing I want to say to you is, as we resume our study in the Gospel of Mark, I'd like to ask you to turn to the Gospel of Matthew. I know what I'm doing, I understand that we're in Mark. The problem is a lot of the details that I want to get, as I explain the abomination of desolation, come from Matthew. Instead of having you flip back and forth, the passages are essentially the same, but there's some phrases and there's some lead-up that is only found in Matthew. So I'm going to ask you, as you return to the Gospel of Mark, to turn to the Gospel of Matthew. Our focus this morning is on one phrase, “the abomination of desolation.” The context of this complex phrase, “abomination of desolation,” is Jesus' prediction of the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem. He said, "Not one stone will be left on another," and what followed, the private inquiry on the part of Jesus' disciples to ask Him about that and then Jesus' complex answer recorded for us in Matthew 24 and 25 and in Mark 13 on the Mount of Olives, sometimes called the Olivet Discourse because it was on the Mount of Olives. It falls into the theological category of eschatology or the study of end-time things. I believe that Jesus traces out the events between his First and Second Coming in some very helpful detail, and it's good for us to walk through that. It's a prophetic roadmap of what was still to come when Jesus was alive, and I believe very important for me to say to you now, what is still to come for us as well. Not everyone believes that, but I do. In Mark 13:5-13 and in Matthew 24:4-14, we have some general description of the two millennia between the First and Second Coming, and the centerpiece is the spread of the gospel to all nations. The gospel will be preached in the whole world as a testimony of all nations and then the end will come, so — the work of the gospel between the First and Second Coming of Christ, attended by great suffering on the part of the messengers, persecution, difficulty, being arrested and brought before tribunals, et cetera. That is something that we've already seen. We get specifically then in Matthew 24:15, Mark 13:14, the focus on the destruction of the Temple and then signs that are unique to just that generation. Whereas, the overview that He gives in Mark 13:4-13 and also Matthew 24:4-14 is true of every generation there have been since Jesus ascended to heaven until now. As we venture now into the “abomination of desolation," we're speaking about events that are particular to a specific group of people who are going to experience some things that not everybody experiences. That's what we're trying to understand, the destruction of the temple and the phrase, “abomination of desolation”. That phrase comes from the prophet, Daniel, as Jesus says in the Gospel of Matthew, though He doesn't say it in Mark. Simply put, if you are living in Judea and Jerusalem at that point when the “abomination of desolation” is established, set up, et cetera, if we could put it simply— run for your lives. That's where we're going next week, God willing. I'm not going to get into “run for your lives.” Today, I'm effectively preaching on a phrase and a half sentence. "When you see the “abomination of desolation” spoken of by the prophet, Daniel, “let the reader understand” ... What? The answer is: run for your lives. The topic is essentially a sober one and a sad one. It's very, very difficult. As I give you this quick startup guide, we have to look at the phrase itself, “abomination of desolation.” I want you to understand that the essence of the desolation is a broken relationship with almighty God, an emptiness that comes from not having a right relationship with God and God's decision to withdraw Himself from His people, from Israel because of their sins. That's the essence of the desolation, but it's more complex than that. "The essence of the desolation is a broken relationship with almighty God, an emptiness that comes from not having a right relationship with God and God's decision to withdraw Himself from His people, from Israel because of their sins." It has earthly ramifications in the destruction of the Temple, the destruction of the city of Jerusalem by invading Gentile armies as a direct act of judgment from almighty God for their sins. It's a very sobering topic. The point of connection to us, though we are not Jews, though we don't live in Judea, in Jerusalem, the “abomination of desolation” is not on Earth right now. The point of connection to us is twofold. First of all, we need to understand, big picture, what God is doing in the universe, what God is doing with you. What is His whole purpose for creating everything? His whole purpose is a love relationship with you, with us, with His people. He wants an intimate love relationship with us. When we instead turn to idolatry, when we turn to wickedness, He withdraws. There's a desolation that comes from that, and you can be experiencing that desolation right now, that emptiness right now, though it doesn't specifically relate to the historical events of the “abomination of desolation.” It is something we experience whenever we sin, and God withdraws. It is also the terror of hell. The worst part of hell is that God is not there in any way to bless the people that are there. It's a place of utter darkness. It's a tragedy that we're talking about here, a desolation of the Jews and of Jerusalem. It's also part of that long and complex story of God's relationship with the Jewish people, the physical descendants of Abraham, a very complex story and heartbreaking for God. This is why Jesus wept over Jerusalem, because of these things that were going to happen. Though for us, we're somewhat removed from it. We should care about it because we should care about all people. We should care about the Jews. We should care about the story of God and the Jews, and we should realize, I believe, there's still more to come. That's vital, the phrase, “abomination of desolation.” I've talked briefly about desolation. I'm going to do the intro of the sermon on the topic of desolation in a moment. Abomination has to do fundamentally with idolatry and desecration. It has to do with wickedness in the place where there should be holiness. It's talking about a literal place of worship, a temple, a tabernacle and then a temple, a literal place that is then desecrated or defiled through idolatry and blasphemy and wickedness. That's what the phrase means, “abomination of desolation.” It comes from Daniel. So if we're going to do Daniel, I have to go over to Daniel and walk through it. Daniel is a very complex book. It's one of the most complex books in the Bible, and we have to roll up our sleeves to do that. Jesus urges us to work hard at this. He urges us right in the text when He says, "Let the reader understand." It's an odd aside. Jesus doesn't usually say that kind of thing. "When you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet, Daniel, let the reader understand." What He's saying is this isn't going to be easy. This isn't low-hanging fruit. You have to work at this to understand it. You have to work at Daniel. You have to work at the words to understand what this is about, but you need to know. What I'm going to argue is the “abomination of desolation” is not a one-off. I believe it's a regular pattern in God's relationship with the Jewish people. Again and again and again and again this has happened. I will argue in this sermon that it happens in five phases. This is where I risk many of you glazing over as we walk through those five phases. I'm asking you not to do that. But there are five different phases of the “abomination of desolation,” the dynamic of God withdrawing His active presence from a holy place, the Gentiles pouring in like a flood to destroy it. All of that is a judgment by God, so I believe that we need to pay attention. I also believe because I think the fifth and final phase hasn't happened yet, it's yet to come. Therefore, it will be relevant, if not for you, it'll be relevant for your kids and, if not for them, for your grandkids and, if not for them, for your great-grandkids, so you should care about this. We need to understand it. There's the startup guide. On July 21, 1969, Buzz Aldrin became the second human being to walk on the moon just moments after Neil Armstrong became the first. Aldrin stepped off the ladder of the lunar module and began walking around on that lunar landscape, feeling the somewhat weightlessness of the one-sixth gravitational pull and looking out at that eerie, strange lunar landscape. As he did, he uttered a famous phrase. He called it “magnificent desolation,” magnificent desolation. From a biblical point of view, those two are essentially a contradiction. There's an essential contradiction or irony to them. To God, there is nothing magnificent about emptiness. There's nothing magnificent about desolation. God created the universe, and it's amazing that the most common attribute of the physical universe that God made is its apparent emptiness. The lunar landscape was indeed desolate. It was desolate of life, of trees, of water, animals, birds, other human beings. It was crater-marked with centuries of asteroid assaults. It was empty, empty, empty. But still, it was there. You could walk on it, reach down and scoop up the lunar dust. The real desolation was outer space itself. C.S. Lewis talked about this in his classic, The Problem of Pain. This is what he wrote, "Not many years ago when I was an atheist, if anyone had asked me, 'Why do you not believe in God?' my reply would have run something like this. Look at the universe we live in. By far, the greatest part of it consists of empty space, completely dark and unimaginably cold. The bodies which move in this space are so few and so small in comparison with the space itself that even if every one of them were known to be crowded as full as it could hold with perfectly happy creatures, it would still be difficult to believe that life and happiness were more than a byproduct to the power that made the universe. Why would I be an atheist, I look at outer space and it's mostly empty, cold and empty.” Truly, the desolation of the universe is absolutely terrifying. The nearest star is 4.3 light years away from us. Between the solar system and that star is literally nothing." So for CS Lewis, the desolation of the universe made it difficult to believe in a God of love and light. I believe the irony of that phrase, “magnificent desolation,” biblically would be similar to a phrase like this, “beautiful darkness." Beautiful darkness. Biblically, there's nothing beautiful about darkness. God created the light and reveals Himself in light as it says in 1 John 1:5, "God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all." I would say, in a similar sense, God is fullness and in Him there's no emptiness or desolation at all. God did not create the universe to be empty or desolate. In Isaiah 45:18, it says, "For this is what the Lord says, He who created the heavens, He is God, He who fashioned and made the Earth. He founded it. He did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited. He says, 'I am the Lord, and there is no other.'" The Bible reveals the omnipresence and immensity of God, the omnipresence, the immensity of God. In Jeremiah 23, He says, "'Am I only a God nearby?' declares the Lord, 'and not a God far away? Can anyone hide in secret places so I cannot see Him?' declares the Lord. 'Do I not fill heaven and Earth?' declares the Lord.” God, therefore, is a full being who overflows His fullness to us as creatures so that we would drink of His fullness in a love relationship. He wants to fill every portion of the universe with His glory. He wants to fill every portion of your life with His glory. Most especially, God created sentient beings, angels and humans, to have an intimate love relationship with Him that we would know Him as He really is and see His glory and love Him with all of our hearts. But tragically, humanity has sinned and God is relationally distant from us. As the Bible says, "The wicked He knows from afar.” Yet, God has worked in redemptive history to draw near to us. The history of redemption is God coming back in to be close to sinners. He chose out a nation, the Jewish people, Abraham's descendants, to reveal that desire that God has to draw near and to have an intimate love relationship with sinful people to display this closeness. Central to that relationship with Israel was His establishment of a holy place, holy ground, so to speak. That idea began in Exodus 3 where Moses saw the burning bush and God said to him, "Take off your sandals for the place where you're standing is holy ground." Friends, what does that mean, “holy ground"? Especially when we consider what I've already said, the omnipresence of God, God fills heaven and Earth, what then is holy ground? I believe it is a location, a place where God chooses especially to reveal Himself relationally in His glory for the purpose of our relationship with Him. It's a place chosen, like the burning bush, where God shines in some unique way and attracts us into a relationship with Him. Jonathan Edwards put it this way, "God, considered with respect to His essence, is everywhere. He fills both heaven and Earth. But yet, He is said, in some respects, to be more especially in some places than in others. He was said of old to dwell in the land of Israel above all other lands and in Jerusalem above all other cities of that land and in the temple above all other buildings in that city and in the Holy of Holies above all other apartments in the temple and on the mercy seat over the Ark of the Covenant, above all other places in the Holy of Holies.” God specifically chose to reveal His unique presence with His people by a glory cloud that descended into the tabernacle where the Ark of the Covenant was to be housed. The glory cloud showed that that place had become holy ground, a sacred space, and that glory cloud revealed it. Later, the same thing happened when Solomon built his temple, and he said, "Even the highest heavens can't contain you. How much less this temple I've built?” Yet, despite all of that, God chose in His kindness and His goodness to appear in a cloud of glory and fill the Temple, as though God was there in some special way. But sadly, tragically, because of the sinfulness of the Jewish people, God withdrew His presence from them as was seen by Ezekiel the prophet when the glory cloud left or departed from the Temple. When God moved out, He left those places desolate. He left those places relationally empty. That's the nature of the desolation. That desolation symbolizes God's departing from His people, leaving us desolate, leaving us empty, apart from God. This sermon seeks to understand that desolation and how it relates to the destruction of Jerusalem and, indeed, to our salvation. The passage looks back at the prediction of Christ concerning the destruction of the temple, "Not one stone will be left on another." Why it happened, it wasn't an accident. It's something that God actually did in space and time. But also, I believe it looks ahead to a reenactment of it right before the Second Coming of Christ in this passage most clearly taught in 2 Thessalonians 2. That's why I believe there's not four phases of the abomination of desolation, but one yet to come. It hasn't happened yet. Look at the text again from Matthew 24. I could do it from Mark. They're almost identical except for some phrases. Matthew 24:15-22, "So when you see standing in the holy place the abomination that causes desolation spoken of through the prophet, Daniel, let the reader understand, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one in the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. How dreadful it would be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers. Pray that your flight will not take place in the winter on the Sabbath for then there will be great distress unequal from the beginning of the world until now and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be shortened.” I. Key Eschatological Principle: “As it was …so it will be.” We're going to zero in and try to understand from the Book of Daniel the phrase, “abomination of desolation.” A key eschatological principle I'm giving, I'm going to give you two principles. Principle number one in Matthew 24:37, "As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man." To keep it simple, “as it was, so it will be.” That's recurring themes, things that happen and then happen again and happen again to teach some prophetic truth. “As it was, so it will be.” The second is Jesus' statement in Matthew 24:25, "Behold I have told you ahead of time.” God wants His people who read the Bible to know ahead of time what's going to happen. That's why I consider 2 Thessalonians 2 and also these passages to be important reading for Christians because I believe many of the terrifying events haven't happened yet. The protection that we're going to have, that we'll not be deceived by the Antichrist and his miracles and all of that drawn in, Jesus says very plainly is because He's told us ahead of time. We know what's coming. Forewarned is forearmed. Those are the basic eschatological principles. These things happen again and again. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will been the coming of the Son of Man. The things that happen right before the flood will be pictures of what will happen right before the Second Coming. We get these acted out— “types.” They're called “types”, prophetic actions in history. Things are acted out, like Abraham's near sacrifice of his son, Isaac, is a picture of the giving of Jesus Christ on the cross for our sins. So also the blood of the Passover lamb painted on the houses of the Jewish people, a picture of Christ's sacrifice for us. So also the Exodus itself, a rescue of the people from slavery and bondage, a picture of our deliverance from slavery to sin. These are the kinds of things that are acted out. God acts out history. He acts out prophecies in history. So also it is with the Temple and its desolation. As it was, so it will be. In Jesus' time, Daniel's prophecy had already, to some degree, come true in the Greek era between the time of Daniel and the time of Jesus. It had already come true. But Jesus said, "Yeah, but there's one more to come and then another beyond that." So there is the one with the Romans, and yet beyond it. He's already operating from that same principle— As it was, so it will be. The words of Daniel have yet more fulfillment yet to come, Jesus is saying, in His time. I'm saying that it's still to come, yet still. II. What is the “Abomination of Desolation”? Let's zero in on this phrase, “abomination of desolation.” If you're in Matthew, look back at Matthew 23 and you look at 37-39 after Jesus has given His sevenfold woe against the scribes and Pharisees who represent the Jewish nation, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites," because of their rejection of Him and their hatred of Him and their plotting to kill Him and they will kill Him. Because of all that, He has turned away from the Jewish nation. Because they have rejected Him, He is rejecting them. He says very tragically in verses 37-39, Matthew 23, "Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Behold, your house is left to you desolate." That's an important word, isn't it? Look, “behold,” your house is desolate now. What do you mean? “The reason I say that is you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’ Then Jesus left the temple.” The essence of the desolation is Jesus leaving physically, walking out of the Temple. Why is that significant? Remember in Ezekiel, the glory cloud, which symbolized the presence of God, left from the Temple. Jesus is the radiance of God's glory in the exact representation of His being. Jesus is a greater display of the glory of God than any cloud ever was. Because they have rejected Him, He is walking out, and He's not coming back. That means that that space is not sacred space anymore, it’s just a pile of stones. At that moment, the disciples came up and said, "Look, Teacher, what massive stones. What magnificent buildings." Right at that moment, Jesus said, "Do you see all these things? I tell you the truth. Not one stone here will be left on another. Every one will be thrown down." Not an accident. It's a judgment of God on the Jewish nation for their rebellion against Him, their hatred of His messengers, the prophets, and especially their hatred of the Son who was sent to them. The judgment is coming. As He's privately on the Mount of Olives, the disciples come to Him, Peter, John, James, and Andrew in particular come and ask Him, "When will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" The threefold question is in Matthew, not in Mark. Those three questions woven together in Matthew 24 and 25, also Mark 13, constitute His answer. Three topics, when will these things happen, the destruction of the temple, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? In their mind, they conflated all of them as though they're all at the same time, but we know now that they're not. The destruction of the Temple happened at least roughly two millennia before the Second Coming, which hasn't happened yet. The signs of the Coming which we're going to cover, God willing, in the next number of sermons in Mark 13, we'll talk about in detail. Those are yet to come in His discourse. We're zeroing in now in this phrase, “abomination of desolation.” A parallel in Luke helps us to understand. This is in Luke 21. Listen to these words very carefully. "When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near." Do you see the link in Jesus' mind between Gentile armies invading and the desolation? That's how He thinks, Gentile armies invading and desolation. When you see, you know that Jerusalem's desolation is near. "Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let those in the city get out. Let those in the country not enter the city. For this is the time of punishment and fulfillment of all that has been written. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers. There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people that will fall by the sword and be taken as prisoners to all nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles," listen, "until the times of the Gentiles has been fulfilled." That is essential reading for us to understand the “abomination of desolation.” Jerusalem is going to be destroyed by surrounding Gentile armies. He's talking about the circumstances of the destruction of the Temple and, indeed, of the city of Jerusalem in the year AD 70, about a generation after Jesus. He calls it the “times of the Gentiles." The physical desolation of Jerusalem comes after Christ has left it spiritually desolate. It involves military conquest by the Gentiles, specifically by the Roman legions, the most powerful military nation in history. The “abomination of desolation”, Mark 13:14 and Matthew 24:15, is at least about the destruction of the city of Jerusalem by the Romans. But I also believe that it will be an issue right before His coming at the end of the world. Then He said, "Let the reader understand." By that, He means the reader of Daniel. So now we have to roll up our sleeves and go back to Daniel and try to understand it. "Let the reader of Daniel understand." Let me just tell you something about the Book of Daniel. Daniel himself didn't understand it, not fully. Daniel himself didn't understand it. You say, "Well, what hope do we have?" Here's what I believe about the mysteries of Daniel. It's on a need-to-know basis, the more you need to know, the more you'll understand Daniel. If we are alive when the final “abomination of desolation” comes, you're going to understand aspects of Daniel that this congregation right now will not understand no matter how well I preach today. It's on a need-to-know basis. But there are levels of complexity and timing that Daniel wanted to know, but he couldn't understand because it wasn't for him. So it's complex. Daniel would often ask for insight, and sometime it would be given him, but other times he was told to seal up the vision for a future generation. Daniel 12:4, "But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end." Close it up and seal it. In other words, Daniel, it's not for you. It's for the time of the end, for people who will live at the time of the end. There are portions of Daniel's prophecy that will only be fully intelligible to the generation that actually goes through it. Let's talk about where this phrase, “abomination of desolation," comes from. It actually is a repeated phrase in Daniel, it’s not just one time. The desolation comes again and again, this use of the word, “desolation.” Who is Daniel? Daniel was a Jewish prophet who lived in exile in Babylon after Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had destroyed the city of Jerusalem, and had taken the Temple artifacts out and eventually destroyed the Temple. Daniel lived at that time, the time of Nebuchadnezzar and on down until the Medo-Persian empire, so roughly around the year 620 to 538 BC, somewhere in there. Anyway, that's what Wikipedia told me about when Daniel lived, I don't know. That’s about right, 600 to 500 BC. In Daniel chapter 8, it's the first time we have the phrase, “desolation.” In Daniel 8, Daniel sees a vision of Alexander the Great, a great king coming from the west from Greece, who will destroy the Persian empire, including the promised land. One of Alexander's successors will viciously persecute the Jewish nation, becoming extremely arrogant, making claims that reach up to heaven. Daniel is told that a huge number of his own people would be given over to this man because of their transgressions. This individual who makes arrogant boasts that reach up to heaven is a “type” or a picture of the Antichrist. He is not the Antichrist, but he's a type or picture of the mentality of Antichrist, an arrogant Gentile leader that blasphemes and makes claims that go beyond all proportion. This is predicted in Daniel 8. At one point in Daniel 8:13, he's asking for information. By the way, Alexander the Great's conquest happened about 200 years after Daniel died. So it was future for Daniel, but it's past for Jesus and for us. He's looking ahead to Alexander the Great about 200 years after Daniel would die. In Daniel 8:13, this is the first time that the word is used. "For how long is the vision concerning the regular burnt offering, the transgression that makes desolate and the giving over to the sanctuary and the host to be trampled underfoot." That's the first time we have that desolation. There's the sanctuary, the animal sacrifices, and desolation connected with that. That's Daniel 8:13. In Daniel 9, he rolls up his sleeves and really talks about the desolation. He talks about it a lot. Daniel 9 is the first saturated chapter on the concept of desolation. What happens is the prophet, Daniel, reads from the scroll of Jeremiah that the judgment on Jerusalem will last 70 years. The clock was ticking, and the time was drawing near. Daniel figures out, he's an old man by this point, hey, the time is coming near for God to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple, so he prays toward Jerusalem three times a day for the rebuilding of Jerusalem and specifically rebuilding of the Temple. Why? Because the Temple is where animal sacrifice happened. That was the center of their religion, and they couldn't do it while there was no temple. He's praying and confessing the sins of his people, and he uses this phrase, “desolate.” He talks about the desolation of Jerusalem in verse 2. He talks about it again in Daniel 9:17-18, "For your own sake, Lord, make your face shine upon your sanctuary," that's the temple, "which is desolate. Oh, my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see the desolation and the city that is called by your name." He’s praying about a desolate sanctuary and a desolate city. The Lord dispatches an angel to tell Daniel with amazing clarity about the 70 weeks of Daniel. That's a timetable about the coming of the Messiah, the Anointed One, about His death and the desolation that would follow His death. He says that after the 69th week, Daniel 9:26, "An Anointed One," that's Christ, "shall be cut off and have nothing [killed] "and the people of the prince who is to come," so that the Gentile ruler, "the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.” There it is again. This Gentile ruler comes in to destroy the city and the sanctuary after the death of the Messiah. "Its end shall come with a flood and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed." Friends, this is exactly the prediction Jesus made. After the Messiah's cut off, the Temple is going to be destroyed by the ruler who is to come. That's the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 predicted in Daniel 9:26. But there's more to come, 9:27. It speaks of the final week, a seven-year period. The last stretch is seven years. The weeks are seven-year stretches that many believe refer to the final seven years of human history. Again, the concept of desolation figures prominently. Listen to Daniel 9:27, "And he" [the prince of the people that'll come, the wicked ruler] "shall make a strong covenant with many for one week. And for half of the week, he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering.” Sacrifice and offering's animal sacrifice. "And on a wing of abomination shall come one who makes desolate" [a person who makes desolate] "until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator." I told you this was meat and not milk. You're reading this and like, "What in the world is this even talking about? Daniel 9:26 talks about a Messiah who's cut off, killed, but then chapter 27 talks about animal sacrifice and desecrations. The concept is that a powerful and evil ruler will make a seven-year covenant concerning the sacrifices of the Temple and that in the middle of that period of seven years, he shall put an end to sacrifice offering in the Temple, and he shall, in some striking way, abominate or desecrate the Temple. But the end decreed by God shall be poured out on this evil person. Then in Daniel 11, the Lord reveals to Daniel the specific history of Israel under the dominion of Greek rulers that followed Alexander the Great. One of those Greek rulers who lived about a couple of centuries after Alexander, about the year 175 or so BC, was a man named Antiochus IV. He called himself Epiphanies, “the manifest one.” He thought he was a god. The Greeks were like this. Alexander thought he was a god. They had this kind of mentality. He thought of himself as a god, and he's there in Jerusalem. Daniel 11:31 predicts him. Again, this is centuries before it even happened. This is the amazing aspect of predictive prophecy. Daniel 11:31, "His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation." There's the phrase exactly in Daniel 11:31. Finally, in Daniel chapter 12, the concept is mentioned once again, but this time it seems to be in connection with the end of the world and the eternal state of glory that the saints will enjoy. In Daniel 12:1, it mentions a great tribulation greater than any that Israel had ever endured. It also predicts the rising up of Michael, the great prince, the archangel who protects Israel. The chapter goes on to unfold the deliverance of Israel, the resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked, some to everlasting glory and others to everlasting shame. At the end of the chapter, the angel asks about the timetable for all of this. Daniel 12:8-12, "I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, 'Oh my Lord, what will the outcome of these things be?' He said, 'Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end.'" There it is again. "Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly and none of the wicked shall understand. But those who are wise shall understand. From the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days. Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days." There's not a person on Earth who can tell us with absolute certainty what those days mean. 1,290 days, what is that? 1,335 days, what is that? I already told you, it’s on a need-to-know basis, and you don't need to know or you would know. Daniel didn't need to know and didn't know. But they're odd. The numbers are odd ... More later in Mark 13. The most heretical thing your pastor believes is that I think actually the people who are alive at the time of the Second Coming will be counting down days until He comes. So though we do not know the day or hour, they will. That's my own thought. If you disagree, that's fine. Then you tell me what the 1,290 days and the 1,335 days signify. It's in there for a reason, friends. Nothing's in there for nothing, and no one has ever been able to understand because, I told you, it's on a need-to-know basis. If you need to know, woe to you, it’s going to be a hard time. Jesus said, "If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive." That's how bad that time is going to be. It's a terrifying thing that He's talking about. That's Daniel, summarizing, the abomination is some kind of idolatrous desecration by a Gentile ruler connected with Gentile military power. What is the abomination? It is an idol or an idolatry. What is the desolation? It is, first and foremost, spiritual emptiness that comes from God and then the physical destruction of the temple. That's what I believe Daniel teaches us. III. Dress Rehearsals: The Abomination of Desolation: Across History Let’s go through the dress rehearsals, and then we'll be done. This is something God has done again and again. Let me just bring you through them quickly. The first phase was in Shiloh. Do you remember in the days of the judges? In the days of the judges, God judged Israel for their wickedness and sin again and again. Because of their sins, He brought Gentile invaders. In 1 Samuel, the Gentile invaders are the Philistines, He brings the Philistines. Do you remember what happened? The Philistines won the first day's battle, so the Jews decided to bring the Ark of the Covenant from the tabernacle. They bring the Ark of the Covenant, and they say, "The Ark will deliver us." It was like it was a good luck charm. The Philistines were terrified. "Oh, no, those gods that destroyed the Egyptians are here. Well, what can we do? The best thing we can do is try. So be like men, Philistines, and let's find out if we can win." They did win and what did they do? The Philistines captured the Ark. Do you remember what Eli the priest did when he found out about it? He died. He fell over backward and died, broke his neck because he was terrified about this very thing. The Ark of the Covenant was captured by the Philistines. In his family, a pregnant woman gave birth and died in the birth, and they named the baby, Ichabod, “the glory has departed from Israel” because the Gentiles had captured the Ark of the Covenant. Remember what happened? They couldn't do much with the Ark. The Ark did a lot with them and gave them tumors and all kinds of things until they finally sent it back. It was like the Ark can take care of itself. But that was that. It was phase one. Phase two happened in the days of Jeremiah right before the Babylonian exile. In Jeremiah 7, the prophet was dispatched by God to go deal with, disabuse the Jews, of a basic concept and a theory. The concept was, because of Solomon's beautiful temple, there is no way that God would ever let this city be captured or destroyed. God will defend this temple. He will protect it. “We have the Temple of the Lord. We're never going to lose.” Jeremiah had the hardest ministry in the Old Testament. He had to go and say, "That whole thing is false. Do not say the Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord. Go to Shiloh and see what God did to the Ark. You think He's not going to let the Ark get captured? You think He's not going to let the Temple get destroyed?" Needless to say, Jeremiah was not a very popular man, but he spoke the truth. God did, in fact, let the Babylonians swarm in and, as the psalmist said, "Cut it apart with hatchets and burn it and destroy it." There in Jeremiah 7, God said, "I will bring an end to the sounds of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride and bridegroom in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem, for the land will be desolate.” As a matter of fact, the very beginning of the Book of Lamentations, which Jeremiah wrote after all of it was done, he looked down in Lamentations 1:1 and said, "How desolate lies the city once so full of people." The emptiness was because of their wicked and their sins. That's second phase. Phase three is the Greeks in Jerusalem under the time of Antiochus IV, Epiphanies, the very thing predicted in Daniel 8, also Daniel 11. The Greek king came, Antiochus IV called Epiphanies, and he reigned from the year 175 to 164. The prediction we've already seen in Daniel 11:31, "His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation." The apocryphal book 1 Maccabees tells us what happened. Antiochus IV set up an altar to Zeus in the Holy of Holies and sacrificed a pig to Zeus there, open blasphemy and defilement of the Holy of Holies directly in God's face. He did it specifically to enrage the Jews and the God of the Jews. This is what I believe is the spirit of the Antichrist. Antiochus IV believed he was a god, and he wanted to take on the Jewish god ,and he did so with blasphemy and with an ending of the animal sacrifice. Phase four was the Romans under Titus and the days of Jerusalem, the very thing we're talking about. The Jewish zealots and revolutionaries had pushed the Roman occupiers so far. Titus said, "Enough is enough," and comes in with the legions. They defeat the zealots militarily. Though he didn't want the Temple destroyed, it was destroyed and not one stone was left on another. It was completely desecrated. When these pagans came in, they brought the effigies, the images of Caesar, and set them up in the Temple. So this is that desecration, that idolatry and the fulfillment of the abomination of desolation. IV. Final phase: The “Abomination of Desolation” and the AntiChrist Those are the four phases that are passed. Is there yet one more to come? I believe there is. Here I would urge you to look at 2 Thessalonians 2, and we'll finish with that. First of all, you need to understand the significance of Jesus' death on the cross. The moment that Jesus died, the curtain in the Temple is torn in two from top to bottom. Jesus said, "It is finished." What is finished? The old covenant is finished. Animal sacrifice is finished. A new and living way has been opened for us into the presence of God. What was restricted in the old covenant is now open to us by the blood of Jesus. The author of the Book of Hebrews makes it very plain that the old covenant is obsolete, and animal sacrifice as pleasing to the God is done forever. God will never again be pleased with the blood of bulls and goats, ever. It would be a direct affront to the blood of His Son, which was offered. "The moment that Jesus died, the curtain in the Temple is torn in two from top to bottom. Jesus said, "It is finished." What is finished? The old covenant is finished. Animal sacrifice is finished. A new and living way has been opened for us into the presence of God." The author of Hebrews tells us again and again, “once for all,” never to be offered again. It says in Hebrews 8:13, "By calling this covenant new, He's made the first one obsolete.” What is obsolete will soon disappear. When not one stone is left on another, the Temple itself destroyed. The problem is that when the curtain in theTemple was torn into from top to bottom, the priests that were there watching it, most of them didn't believe in Jesus. Certainly, they must have reported it back to the high priest, Caiaphas. He didn't believe in Jesus either. He had no explanation for the miraculous tearing of the curtain from top to bottom. But what do you think they did? They repaired it. They replaced it. So animal sacrifice went on for another generation after Jesus. What do you think God thought about that? That's an affront to His Son, and it's an affront to the new covenant. It's affront to everything He stood for. Yet, the Jews did it because they didn't believe that Jesus was the consummation of the animal sacrificial system. They didn't believe that His blood ended for all time animal sacrifice. So in come the Romans, and they destroy the Temple, putting a physical end to animal sacrifice. It can't be done. It hasn't been done for almost 2,000 years since then. Yet, from all over the world, Jews go to Jerusalem. They go to the Wailing Wall, and many of them pray for ... What do they pray for? A rebuilding of the Temple. For most of my Christian life, I had heard that the Temple was going to be rebuilt. Then when I read the Book of Hebrews and studied it, it's like, "That's awful." God doesn't want animal sacrifice ever again. When Jesus said, "It is finished," He meant it. When the curtain in the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom, that was it. When the author says, "A new and living way has been open for us into the presence of God through the body and blood of Jesus," that's it. It's finished. Yet, we've got this tragic unbelief and blindness on the part of the Jewish nation and a desire to re-establish animal sacrifice. I came to realize just because it's an affront to God and an affront to the finished work of Christ, doesn't mean it won't happen. Didn't the curtain itself get repaired or replaced? Why not the whole Temple? Then you study 2 Thessalonians 2, and this kind of, in my opinion, cinches it. I don't really have a good interpretation of 2 Thessalonians 2 apart from one final act of the “abomination of desolation.” There's one left to come. Look what Paul says. By the way, the Thessalonians had some false teachers there that told them, unfortunately, they had missed the day of the Lord. How depressing is that? They missed the end of all things. I don't even know how you make that teaching, but I would find that depressing. Imagine if I got up next week, "By the way, we missed it. We missed it all, not just the rapture now. We missed the whole thing." This was strange false teaching and Paul came in to refute it. He writes very clearly in 1 Thessalonians 4 about the Rapture, and he writes very clearly in 2 Thessalonians 2, I would say, pumping the brakes on a sense of immediacy about the Second Coming. He said, "Don't let anyone deceive you." Look what he says in 2 Thessalonians 2, 3, and 4. "Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction." 2 Thessalonians 2:4 sounds exactly like Daniel 11:36 to me. Listen to what Paul writes about the man of sin, "He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or His worship so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” The end can't come until that happens, and it hasn't happened yet. I'm saying it still hasn't happened yet. How do I know? Look at verse 8, 2 Thessalonians 2:8, "This man of lawlessness who opposes and exalts himself over everything that is called God and sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God, Jesus is going to destroy with the breath of his mouth and the splendor of His coming.” I know that some reform scholars or others spiritualized this. They saw the Pope as Antichrist. They saw the spread of the true gospel as a fulfillment, it isn't. The Second Coming is something in physical space and time that we'll be able to see with our own eyes, and part of His agenda will be to destroy the beast from the sea, the Antichrist who, 1 John 2 tells us is coming, who sets himself up in God's temple. He's going to destroy Him with the breath of His mouth and the splendor of His coming. That hasn't happened yet. I don't think it's helpful to spiritualize it. I'm all in favor of sound doctrine. I'm all in favor of that doctrine spreading around the world. I believe that sound doctrine pushes back the spirit of Antichrist. I believe in all of that. I believe many antichrists have come, and we need to fight them in every generation by sound doctrine. But there is an Antichrist coming. John tells us that. “You have heard that Antichrist is coming. Even now, many antichrists have come. There is one that is yet to come,” and 2 Thessalonians 2-4 describes him and Daniel 11:36 describes him. "The king will do as he pleases." This is Daniel 11:36. "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." One of the things he will do, according to verse 31 of Daniel 11, is to abolish daily sacrifice. The way I put all that together is the Jews will get what they wanted throughout every century, a reestablishment of the animal sacrificial system. We know from the Book of Hebrews what God thinks about that, but it doesn't mean it won't happen and that it will be enacted, it seems, by the prince of the people who will come. That is the Antichrist who will make a covenant with them. Halfway through that time, he will put an end to it and he will take its place and he'll set himself, and I think of it as air quotes. He'll set himself up in so-called God's temple declaring himself to be so-called God and that will be considered blasphemy. I think it is also essential to the Jews turning genuinely to Christ as they will do right before the Second Coming. But that's another story for another time. V. Application “Let the reader understand.” That's what all of that meant. “Let the reader understand.” What are we supposed to do with it? Jesus says, "Behold, I have told you ahead of time." What are we supposed to do with that information? First, let me go back to the point I started with. Understand the desolation that comes from not living in a right relationship with God. That's the real problem here, the emptiness. God is a full being, and He wants to fill you with Himself. He wants to fill you with the Spirit of Christ. He wants to fill you with the Holy Spirit. The clearest teaching on this is Ephesians 3:17-19. Paul prays for the Ephesian Christians, "I pray that you may be rooted and established in love and may have power together with all the saints to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ and that you may know that love that surpasses knowledge so that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." That's what salvation is, friends, filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. God is a full being, and He wants to fill you. It is idolatry, the abomination that makes desolate. So what idolatry is in your life driving out the fullness that you could experience with Christ? That's the question you have to ask. Now, I believe in a geopolitical actual military aspect of this. I believe in physical history, but I also think it's spiritual as well. I urge you, come to Christ and trust in Him while there's time. Believe that His death on the cross ended forever the need for blood sacrifice. Jesus' blood is the blood of the new covenant. By faith in that blood, you can be washed and cleansed of all your sins and know the fullness of God. Finally, marvel at the intricacies of redemptive history. I've been looking forward to and dreading this sermon for weeks now. I decided it was not best to preach it in December. I think you all agree now. It probably was best to preach a couple of good Christmas sermons in December. But now we've gone through the intricacies here. It's a marvel, isn't it? Don't you share with me a marveling at the simplicity and the complexity of the Bible? Close with me in prayer. Father, we thank you for this deep dive that we've had through the Book of Daniel, redemptive history, the things that Jesus wanted us to know. The fact of the desecration of the holy space by the Gentiles again and again and again has been a display of your holiness, a display of the fact that you don't dwell in temples built by human hands, but you want to dwell in our hearts by the Spirit. So I pray that you would help us, oh Lord, help us to walk with you, help us to put to death all the idols and the sins in our lives, and help us to be faithful to share the message of the simple gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world that needs it so desperately. In Jesus' name, amen.

The holiday of Chanukah commemorates the triumph of the Maccabean Revolt over the oppressive regime of Antiochus IV and the Seleucid Empire. In this podcast we tell the story of this miraculous victory of the weak over the mighty; the few over the many; the pure over the impure; and the righteous over the wicked. NOTE: This Podcast […]

The holiday of Chanukah commemorates the triumph of the Maccabean Revolt over the oppressive regime of Antiochus IV and the Seleucid Empire. In this podcast we tell the story of this miraculous victory of the weak over the mighty; the few over the many; the pure over the impure; and the righteous over the wicked.NOTE: This Podcast was originally recorded in 2017.– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –DONATE: Please consider supporting the podcasts by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –Email me with questions, comments, and feedback: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –SUBSCRIBE to my Newsletterrabbiwolbe.com/newsletter– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –SUBSCRIBE to Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe's PodcastsThe Parsha PodcastThe Jewish History PodcastThe Mitzvah Podcast This Jewish LifeThe Ethics PodcastTORAH 101 ★ Support this podcast ★

In Episode 91 of The Jewish Road Podcast, titled "Why This Hanukkah Is Different...And The Same," we look into the essence of Hanukkah, connecting its historical roots to the present-day challenges facing the Jewish people. Hanukkah began as a story of resistance against Antiochus IV, a ruler intent on eradicating Jewish identity and practices. This year, as we light the menorah, our reflections take on a deeper, more urgent tone. We find ourselves amid a continued conflict following the October 7 war, where the threat to Jewish existence is ever-present, this time posed by a radical Islamist group, Hamas, a recognized terrorist organization. What makes this Hanukkah different isn't the nature of the threat -historically, the Jewish people have faced numerous existential threats -but its global reach. The shadows of hatred and violence extend beyond Israel, seeping into streets and campuses worldwide, affecting Jews in every corner of the globe. Yet, amidst these sobering realities, Hanukkah remains a beacon of hope and resilience. It's a time to recall and celebrate the enduring miracle of Jewish survival and God's unwavering protection. As we gather to remember the Maccabees' triumph, we're also reminded of a greater miracle: the persistent preservation of the Jewish people against all odds. Drawing inspiration from Psalm 125, "As the mountains are around Jerusalem, so the Lord is all around His people," we invite you to understand the deeper significance of Hanukkah. It's more than a commemoration of a past victory - it's a reaffirmation of faith and a call to solidarity in a world where challenges to Jewish safety and identity persist. Join us in this episode as we explore the relevance of Hanukkah, its significance in today's world, and the unbreakable spirit of a people who have withstood the tests of time.

Please join us for Bridge's presentation of Hannuka, also known as the, Feast of Dedication.Please feel free to email us. Please feel free to join us in the live chatroom. Please feel welcome. We are here to be available.Holly Baglio contact, YHVHsHollyBaglio@protonmail.com.Bridge's contact, ProcessionOutOfDeception@protonmail.com.Venmo @Holly-BaglioCashapp $HollyBaglioPayPal HollyBaglio11@gmail.com*Please feel free to donate to Bridge at the above. She will recieve your blessings. Please use the note section.

When the Maccabees celebrated the recapture of Jerusalem from the Macedonian emperor Antiochus IV, they lit a menorah in the city's holy temple. The date, in the ancient Hebrew calendar, was the twenty-fifth day of the third month of Kislev 3597… the first Hanukkah.  Hanukkah's significance waned in some early Jewish texts due to the favourable portrayal of Romans in the Book of Maccabees, but gained prominence in the Diaspora during the late 19th century, as it offered a distinct celebration for Jews in Western societies during the festive season.  In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly consider whether the Maccabees were freedom fighters or religious fundamentalists; explain why donuts may have played a crucial role in the widespread adoption of Hanukkah; and recall Adam Sandler's totemic contribution to Hanukkah lore… Further Reading: ‘The story of Hanukkah: how a minor Jewish holiday was remade in the image of Christmas' (The Conversation, 2019): https://theconversation.com/the-story-of-hanukkah-how-a-minor-jewish-holiday-was-remade-in-the-image-of-christmas-127620 ‘Hanukkah: 20 Facts You Probably Didn't Know' (Entertainment Tonight, 2021): https://www.etonline.com/20-facts-you-probably-didnt-know-about-hanukkah-137874 ‘Saturday Night Live: Adam Sandler on Hanukkah' (NBC, 1994): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KX5Z-HpHH9g Love the show? Join

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The Maccabees // The Hasmonean Dynasty emerged in response to Antiochus IV's oppressive measures, led by the Maccabees, to restore true worship, culminating in the rededication of the Temple.

Pastor Mike Summers

Join us, tonight, as Pastor Ben continues his teaching out of the book of Daniel. Similar prophecies concerning Antiochus IV and the coming antichrist. Scripture Reference: Daniel 9:27; Revelation 19:20, 22:10 If you'd like to join us, please visit us at 4218 Boston Ave. Lubbock Texas. You can also call us at (806) 799-2227, email us at calvarylubbock@hotmail.com, or visit us online at CalvaryChapelLubbock.church. Please feel free to let us know about your walk with Jesus. If you'd like to donate to help us bring the Gospel to the world, just click on the donate button on our website.

In our study of Daniel 8, Pastor Mathew challenged the traditional interpretation of the little horn in Daniel 8, arguing that the little horn is actually the end time Antichrist. In this message, Pastor Mathew explains the methodology that led to his interpretation of the little horn in Daniel 8. This methodology, along with associated principles, can provide a helpful approach to the interpretation of biblical prophecy in general. Click here for a chart that compares Antiochus IV, the Little Horn of Daniel 8, and the Antichrist. East Memorial Student Ministry | Pastor Mathew Wronski | April 16th, 2023

On today's Bible Answer Man broadcast (02/07/23), Hank answers the following questions:How does the thousand-year reign of Christ fit into your understanding of the end times? Are you saying the Millennium is a metaphor for something else?Do you think the beast and the mark of the beast are alluding to Antiochus IV?What are your thoughts on those who profess Christ and are involved in serious sins, but simply say they are not perfect? Shouldn't we have remorse over our sin?How can there be different punishments in hell when the Bible says unbelievers will all be thrown into the lake of fire?What do you say to a preacher who believes the only way to heaven is through Jesus, but hell is a fairytale?

Christmas is for Troubled People The word Hanukkah means “Dedication” in Hebrew. The holiday celebrates the heroic recapture and rededication of the Jewish Temple (December 25, 165 B.C.) after it had been desecrated by Greco-Syrian forces under Antiochus IV. Antiochus IV called himself Theos Epiphanes (the visible God). His opponents called him Epimanes (Madman). It is fitting that December 25th was the day they had cleansed the Temple – because the Temple represented the place you could go to and experience God (Even Non-Jew Gentiles – see Solomon's dedication in 2 Chronicles 6:32-33). Read Matthew 1:18-25 Christmas is for troubled people Let's Pray! There are about a dozen scenes in the 5 chapters in Matthew and Luke's gospels that tell the Christmas story. As we look at the Christmas passages, we hear a lot about salvation, peace, joy, commitments to live righteously and serve God. But many references also tell us that those who experienced the first Christmas were troubled and fearful. Why was all Jerusalem troubled with Herod? Many of them had already compromised to gain Herod and Rome's favor – If the real Jewish God-King Messiah showed up right now, they were not spiritually ready! The message of Christmas is meant to turn our lives upside down and bring us from fear to faith, and from troubled hearts to hearts filled with peace and joy!

This week marks the start of Hanukkah, so listen to our rerun episode that looks at the history and customs related to the annual Jewish festival which falls in December each year. It's often known as the festival of Lights, and its origins go back as far as 22 centuries!  The celebration is synonymous with commemorating a miracle. According to rabbinic tradition and ancient texts, Hanukkah represents the victory of the Jewish people over Greek invaders. In the 2nd century BC, Jewish peoples only accounted for a small portion of the vast territory governed by Greek king Antiochus IV. He ordered a campaign of repression against the Jewish religion, in favour of Hellenisation, meaning assimilating Greek traditions. He forbade rites and customs like circumcision, the Shabbat and even reading the Torah. What did the Jewish community do? What happened next? How is Hanukkah celebrated? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! To listen to the latest episodes, click here: Why do Christmas decorations make me feel happier? How can I choose the perfect gift, according to science? Why is the latest wave of Covid-19 destabilising the Chinese regime? A Bababam Originals podcast, written and produced by Joseph Chance. In partnership with upday UK. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since Abraham, the first monotheist, the war against emuna has been never-ending. There are times in history when the vast majority of Jews succumbed to political correctness and assimilation at the expense of their faith. One such time was nearly 2300 years ago, when the Seleucid monarch Antiochus IV tried to Hellenize all of Judea. He nearly succeeded, but the Maccabees foiled his plan. Today's Emuna Hour scans the War of Emuna and tells the story of Chanukah. This story continues to this day.

In Romans 12, Paul exhorts us not to be conformed to this world. That is what Hanukkah is all about. It expresses the refusal of the Jewish people to be converted into something that was against the will of God and against the teachings of God. We as believers in Yeshua (Jesus) should have the same resistance to the culture that is set to move us away from the Scriptures, away from our Christian values, and convert us to a different way of life. Hanukkah is not a substitute for Christmas. It is an observance very applicable to Christianity today.   Show Notes: Many people think that Hanukkah is just a celebration for Jewish people to compete with Christmas during December. That is not true. Hanukkah existed before the celebration of Christmas. It is a historically based and scripturally based event that was observed by Yeshua (Jesus). Biblically, Hanukkah is referred to as the Feast of Dedication because it celebrates the rededication of the Temple after the Maccabean revolt when the Jews recaptured Jerusalem, recaptured the Temple, and purified it from its defilement.   At a time when Israel was under the suppression of the Seleucid Empire, Antiochus IV (known as Epiphanes) determined to wipe out all the practices and beliefs of the Jewish people and replace them with the paganism of the Greek people. A small band of Jewish men and women who refused to be Hellenized and converted into pagans rose up and fought against the armies of the Greeks and won, taking Jerusalem, and cleansing and rededicating the Temple. This spirit is what Hanukkah celebrates.   That is why I think it is important for Christians to celebrate Hanukkah. To celebrate Hanukkah is to follow after those who refused to be converted to the paganism of the Greek culture. We likewise should refuse the demands of today's culture and the pressures of society that would force us to deny our faith and convert us to the paganism of today's world, which is quickly abandoning the Scriptures, abandoning morals, abandoning pure thought, and the right ways of life. We, as believers in Christ, along with the Jewish people, should shine as a light on a hill, as those who hold forth the Word of God and the promises of God and the prophecies to come.   Key Verses:   John 10:22-23. “At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem; it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple.” Romans 12:1-2. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Matthew 5:11-16. “You are the light of the world. … Let your light shine before men.” Matthew 24:22. “Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved.”   Quotes:   “We are the salt of the earth. We are to be the light. And that is what you can say about those who participated in the Maccabean Revolt, that refused to be removed off of their faith.” “We are believers, and we are not to be conformed to this world. We are not to be conformed to its cultures, its beliefs, and its ways of life when they are contrary to God and to His Word.” “Let us rededicate and purify everything that has been touched and destroyed during these days under the attempts of satan to bring about his purpose.”   Takeaways:   Hanukkah reminds us that as believers, we are not to be conformed to this world. We are not to be conformed to its cultures, its beliefs, and its ways of life when they are contrary to God and to His Word. Hanukkah reminds us that we are to be a light to this world—we should shine brightly as a light on a hill. We cannot let our light go out, and we certainly cannot live in fear and intimidation and hide our light under a bushel basket. Hanukkah reminds us that we are the salt of the earth. What we are to do today is preserve the culture of the Kingdom of God. We are to preserve the ways of God. We are to preserve the love and the Word of God in this day and age. Hanukkah reminds us that we must put our faith into service. Like the ancient Maccabees, we must go in and cleanse the Temple—to rededicate and purify everything that has been touched and destroyed as satan has attempted to bring about his purposes in our world.

Rev. Steven Theiss, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in New Wells, MO, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Daniel 11:1-35. The vision interpretation which began in the last chapter continues for Daniel in chapter 11. The prophet sees three kings, followed by a wealthy fourth king. The identities of these kings are dubious, but Daniel's foretelling of the rise of “a mighty king” in verse three is undoubtedly Alexander the Great. Daniel's prophetic descriptions of historical events, which have since come to pass, astounds even unbelievers. The end of this part of the vision points to Antiochus IV, who persecuted God's people and profaned the temple over 300 years later. Despite all the chaotic and often horrifying things going on in history, God has remained in control. Can we trust that God is sovereign even over the troublesome events in our lives? Mysterious dreams carry a foreboding warning. A disembodied hand writes a cryptic message on the wall. Visions of beasts predict the falling of great kingdoms. And an apocalyptic prophecy foretells the end of time. Thy Strong Word now opens up the Book of Daniel and delves into the life of one of God's prophets exiled in a Babylon. He speaks truth to power in a way that proclaims the providence and power of God. Daniel's writings also leave for us visions of the Antichrist and God's ultimate redemption of his people.

Rev. John Lukomski, co-host of Wrestling with the Basics on KFUO Radio, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Daniel 8. Find Wrestling with the Basics at kfuo.org/WrestlingWithTheBasics. Two years have passed since Daniel's vision in our last chapter. Whereas in the previous vision, each of the four beasts represented Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome, respectively, now the vision is of two animals: a ram and a goat. Thankfully Gabriel interprets the vision for Daniel. The ram is Medo-Persia and the goat is Greece. 200 years before Alexander the Great's conquests and 350 years before Antiochus IV's persecutions, Daniel sees it all. Does this vision give us comfort or concern for the future? Mysterious dreams carry a foreboding warning. A disembodied hand writes a cryptic message on the wall. Visions of beasts predict the falling of great kingdoms. And an apocalyptic prophecy foretells the end of time. Thy Strong Word now opens up the Book of Daniel and delves into the life of one of God's prophets exiled in a Babylon. He speaks truth to power in a way that proclaims the providence and power of God. Daniel's writings also leave for us visions of the Antichrist and God's ultimate redemption of his people.

On today's Bible Answer Man broadcast (09/13/22), Hank answers the following questions:Is the prophecy in Daniel chapter 9 referring only to Antiochus IV, or is it about Jesus as well?Why do some Bible translations capitalize Messiah and others do not?Is it okay for Christians to be involved in bodybuilding? Is this vanity?What are your thoughts on those who were born to fulfill God's purposes, like Judas? Was Judas predestined to betray Christ or could he have chosen differently?In light of Luke chapter 8 and the demons that entered into the pigs, is it necessary for a demon to possess a body?

Today's program: ITW Season 5 Ep# 674: The War Continues After The Death Of Antiochus IV - 1 Maccabees 7-8 & 2 Maccabees 12-15. Join us today at www.IntoTheWord2020.com or via your favorite podcast platform. Produced by ReSermon.com.

Today's program: ITW Season 5 Ep# 673: Hannukah & The Death Of Antiochus IV - 1 Maccabees 4-6 & 2 Maccabees 8-11. Join us today at www.IntoTheWord2020.com or via your favorite podcast platform. Produced by ReSermon.com.

Today's program: ITW Season 5 Ep# 670: Antiochus IV & The Hellenizing High Priests - Antiquities 12, Chapter 5; 1 Maccabees 1 & 2 Maccabees 4-5. Join us today at www.IntoTheWord2020.com or via your favorite podcast platform. Produced by ReSermon.com.

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PODCAST SATELLITETHE VOICE OF ISRAELTevet 7, 5782 Prince HandleyPresident / Regent University of Excellence LOCATION OF THE JEWISH TEMPLE ~ PART 1 JOSEPHUS & EYE WITNESSES VS. TRADITION עדי עיניים To LISTEN, click on center of pod circle at top left. (Click “BACK” to return.) OR, LISTEN TO THIS MESSAGE NOW >>> LISTEN NOW Prince Handley 24/7 Commentary (FREE) > BLOG _________________________ DESCRIPTION The construction of the Third Jewish Temple could begin immediately IF the Jewish leaders ... and the Temple Institute ... understood that the First and Second Jewish Temples were NEVER located on the Dome of the Rock Complex; Haram al-Sharif. This is Part One in a Series to develop a construct proving that the Jewish Temple was NOT on the traditional location (referred to as the Temple Mount), but was in the City of David. _______________________ LOCATION OF THE JEWISH TEMPLE ~ PART 1 JOSEPHUS & EYE WITNESSES VS. TRADITION I want to talk to you today about a brand new series that I want to present to you. I want to talk to you about the Third Temple in Jerusalem … and specifically about where the Third Temple will be (should be) built. In a previous podcast teaching, I taught about Third Temple: Timing and Terrorists. We talked about the timing of its construction on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and the effect of terrorism with relation to its construction. Plus the question that nobody asks! Just to give you a brief background, the New Global Governance leader will appoint a Head of Global Religion who will be the False Prophet, who persecutes Jews and real Christians. The Head of Global Religion―the False Prophet―will demand people worldwide to worship the new global governance leader, who will be the FALSE messiah referred to in the New Testament as The Beast. The False Prophet will construct an image of the Beast and demand the populace to worship the image. Also, after the Third Temple is completed … about 42 months later in the middle of the seven year covenant―that's the seven year treaty that the anti-Christ Beast will make between the Jews and Palestinians―the New Global Governance Leader (the anti-type actually of Antiochus Epiphanes IV who in 168 BCE sacrificed a sow on the altar in the temple―will go into the temple and declared that he is God (just like Antiochus IV did). He will profane the temple. So after the temple is built―around 42 months into the seven year covenant (about halfway through)―the anti-christ FALSE Messiah will go into the Third Temple and declare that he is god. He will blaspheme the REAL GOD. The Bible tells us in the Book of Daniel Chapter 11, verse 31: ”For the day will not come until after apostasy has come and the man who separates himself from Torah has been revealed. The one destined for doom. He will oppose himself to everything that people call a God or make an object of worship. He will put himself above them all so that he will sit in the Temple of God and proclaim that he himself is God.” Now it's at this time that Israel will go into the time of Jacob's trouble, but Israel will be delivered at the end of the last 42 months of that seven year period when Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah appears at the end of the seven-year covenant. The New global governance with regional Islamic horses will attack Israel. These forces will be marshaled by what scripture calls the Beast, who is the FALSE messiah; the New Global Governance Leader. However, at the last nanosecond, the REAL Messiah will appear from Heaven and He will defeat the anti-Israel armies. Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) will set up his kingdom where peace, prosperity and purity will abound. Israel wins permanently. Now let me ask you the question that nobody asks: “Will the REAL Messiah cleanse the Third Temple which has been profaned by the the Beast―the anti-christ―or will He make a NEW Fourth Temple during his rule?” What do you think? Let me quote to you from Jeremiah Chapter 33:14: “Behold, the days are coming, says, Adonai, when I will fulfill this good promise which I have proclaimed for the House of Israel and the House of Judah.” My friend, good things are coming. But before they do, there's going to be some very bad times. Now let's go back to what I was talking about when I opened this segment. I want to start a new series on the Third Temple … where it's going to be located. You probably ask me, “Why do you say that; it's on the Temple Mount.” Wait a minute, my friend, I'm go to share some new things that I have researched … I have discovered. Anyway, I'm going to share some things in this new series that will completely revolutionize the geopolitics of the end times. And I'm going to share with you some things that could absolutely revolutionize thinking about “time tables” of the lAst Days … and it might even move things up a little more quickly. Let me share with you some interesting things. First of all, let's talk about the Temple Mount. In a mass of over 375 literary descriptions from several versions of the Bible, and the Talmud, and other Jewish sources, plus pseudepigrapha and Apocrypha. They all demonstrate the First and Second Jewish temples stood in the city of David above the Gihon Springs … and NOT where the Dome of the Rock (the Temple Mount) is located now. Not where many scholars say the Temple was located. I'm going to verify this, and I'm going to give you lots of teaching on this' I'm talking about the traditional view (current belief) that many hold about the Temple Mount or Haram Al-Sharif as compared with Josephus' description that the Roman Fort Antonio was where the Dome of the Rock is now … and NOT the location of the Jewish Temple. Now, why am I saying that? Because I would rather believe what a person who was there when Jerusalem stood, when the temple stood … and was there when Jerusalem was destroyed … and was there after Jerusalem was destroyed. I would rather hear what Josephus has to say. Josephus is probably the most popular Jewish historian of the ages. I would rather listen to what he says than what some 21st Century “scholars?” and rabbbis might say about ithe Temple location (be they Jewish or Gentile). To give you a little background of Josephus ... he lived in Jerusalem. He was there, during the destruction ot the Temple. He saw it after the temple was destroyed. And he was even given the records, the Jewish records of the construction of Fort Antonio by king Herod. He was also given the Roman records of Jewish wars. What happened, when they happened, and where they happened. Josephus is impeccably accurate. He's a first century eyewitness observant. And not as I said, a 21st century guesser! Josephus definitely said that the Jewish temple was in the City of David, not where people think it is now. Now, why am I sharing this? And why is it so important in this series we're getting ready to cover? Here's why? If the Jewish people understand that the Temple never stood on the Dome of the Rock complex (or what they call the Temple Mount), then the construction of Third Temple could begin immediately in the city of David on the Southeast Ridge of Jerusalem. Tradition is probably stronger than historical fact. In other words, tradition is stronger than what an eye witness named. Josephus said! Only something supernatural―maybe some NEW archaeological findings―or some other dynamic happening can change the traditionalist thinking problem. But my purpose in this series is to change that. Will the spirit of tradition override the spirit of truth?! The Temple, my friend, was not where they say it is now at the Temple Mount. It was in the City of David. There are archaeologists, historians, and academics convinced that the First and Second Jewish Temple NEVER stood on what is recognized NOW as the Temple Mount. Let me tell you something to think about. If they could get Mount Zion's location wrong for so many years, isn't it possible they could get the location of the Temple wrong? So we're going to cover that in this series. We're going to discuss some important things. And we're going to delve into a lot of what Josephus, the Jewish historian, taught about where the Jewish temple stood. Okay, my friend, buckle up and hang on for the ride. Baruch haba b'Shem Adonai. Your friend, Prince Handley President / RegentUniversity of Excellence ___________________________ Rabbinical & Biblical Studies[Scroll down past English, Spanish and French] The Believer's Intelligentsia ___________________________

Many Jews were gently persuaded (at first!) to drop their Jewish practices in favor of Greek ones, that seemed innocent enough at the time. (Sports, youth groups,etc.) They let the outside culture influence THEM, instead of the other way around. Antiochus IV Epiphanies' persecution of the Jews from 168-164BC was the cause for the writing of ‘Daniel' during that same time frame, to comfort the Jews during that persecution. We also see veiled reference to Antiochus IV in Revelation (Rev. 11:2). 1,2 Maccabees are not in most Protestant bibles. (We will answer why they were taken out of the bible by Protestants when we finish 2Maccabees.) There would be no references to Hanukkah in the OT without 1 and 2 Maccabees. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/catholicbiblestudy/support

Question Time Stamps for Quick Reference: 0:00 - Introduction 1. 1:20 [Kalam Cosmological Argument] When using the Kalam Cosmological Argument, how can I convince skeptics that this argument should lead to belief in the God of the Bible specifically, and not just "a creator" in general? 2. 7:58 [About the Antichrist, Antiochus, & Daniel] Is there any biblical support for the idea that Daniel 11: 36-45 is talking about the antichrist instead of Antiochus IV? 3. 16:08 [Old Ages in Genesis – Literal?] How do you address the advanced ages found in the book of Genesis? My wife and I were discussing this last night. She takes them literally, while I view them more symbolically. How do you view it? 4. 23:15 [Is Tradition as Authoritative as Scripture?] I was speaking with Orthodox Christian friends about tradition, and they said John 21: 24-25 was the best example of the Bible mentioning oral tradition as being as authoritative as itself. Thoughts? 5. 27:52 [Mark & Revelation – Passage Comparison] Are Mark 13: 24-27 and Revelation 6: 12-17 describing the same event? 6. 31:37 [How to Tell when Scripture Directly Applies] How do we determine the difference between text in the Bible that only relates to the cultural context of the time vs. text that is trans-cultural and relevant for all time? 7. 37:41 [“The Restrainer” / Eschatology] When the restrainer is removed, will non-believers lose their compassion and morals? (See 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7) 8. 41:40 [Should Atheist Philosophers Shake our Faith?] Are you ever shaken by why there are brilliant philosophers of religion, like Graham Oppy, who are atheists? I sometimes feel like I must be missing something. 9. 48:39 [The “Sinner's Prayer”] I was wondering, what is a good alternative to the “sinners prayer”? How should we lead someone to salvation? 10. 49:46 [Molinism, Free Will, Circumstances] In Molinism (or your soteriology), is people's choice to believe only dependent upon the circumstances God places them in? If so, why doesn't God make circumstances that makes everyone believe? 11. 53:44 [Difficult Passages – Deut. 22, Rape] A friend of mine points to the law on women and rape in Deuteronomy 22: 23-24 as an example of "flawed teaching" in the Bible. How should we understand this verse? 12. 59:19 [What is the point of the book of Esther?] Why is Esther in the Bible? I see no moral purpose, no mention of God anywhere, and the last two chapters have dangerous implications. 13. 1:04:02 [The Significance/Importance of Baptism] A friend who is a recent Christian hasn't chosen to be baptized yet. He seems to not understand the importance of baptism. How can I explain the importance of baptism without being pushy? Ultimately, it's his decision. 14. 1:06:57 [What does it Mean to "Wait on the Lord"?] What does it mean to "wait on the Lord," and how (in general) would you counsel someone who's in that season? 15. 1:08:53 [How to Differentiate between Our Mind and the HS] Can you speak to how to tell the difference between the Spirit burdening your heart & just being obsessive about something? A friend broke contact with me during great pain a long time ago, and I still worry. 16. 1:12:54 [Is it O.K. to Accept a Trial Instead of Praying?] My unborn baby has a serious birth defect. Several friends are praying for a miracle. Is it o.k. if we don't? I do believe God could heal that way, but I'm just trying to live with what's real right now. 17. 1:15:45 [1 Corinthians 5: 11, Family Gatherings] What is your perspective on the application of the “Do not even eat with them…” passage when it comes to family (1 Corinthians 5: 11)? Do you think this includes not going to family gatherings? 18. 1:19:48 [How to Help Someone who Doesn't “Walk the Talk”] How do I talk to my wife, who believes in Jesus & prays “In Jesus Name, Amen,” but doesn't read the Bible or know the true meaning & story behind Jesus Christ? Her lifestyle doesn't add up with the script. 19. 1:21:10 [Do Politics Bel

In this episode we take a deeper look into Antiochus IV and his impact on second temple Judaism in the 160's leading to the Maccabean Revolt

On today's Bible Answer Man broadcast from (12/13/19), Hank answers the following questions:Is the prophecy in Daniel chapter 9 referring only to Antiochus IV, or is it about Jesus as well?Why do some Bible translations capitalize Messiah and others do not?Is it okay for Christians to be involved in bodybuilding? Is this vanity?What are your thoughts on those who were born to fulfill God's purposes, like Judas? Was Judas predestined to betray Christ or could he have chosen differently?In light of Luke chapter 8 and the demons that entered into the pigs, is it necessary for a demon to possess a body?