Prelude to a Despicable Rule

And we come this morning to Daniel chapter 11 verse 2, and my goal this morning is to cover verses 2 through the very first part of, verse 21 and the title of the message this morning is Prelude to a Despicable Rule. Prelude to a despicable Rule, and I hope you grabbed a hard copy of the notes this morning as you came in or during the greeting time so that you can follow along with us as we go. And I do have a PowerPoint. for this morning. Don't get your hopes up, but, because I think it'll be really helpful, with some of the things that we'll be talking about, this morning. But just by way of getting into the passage for today, I, I think you all agree that we live in a crazy time of political and international uncertainty. this is a time of conflict between, nations, a time of tariffs and counter tariffs, a time in which old alliances internationally are in a state of flux, and a time in which hostage releases. are being negotiated and we're finding ceasefires between nations and groups hard to come by. Sometimes there are political developments within and between nations that lead to hardship for everyone and even Christians, aside from developments on the national level and international level, perhaps you find yourself right now. In circumstances where it feels to you like somebody is playing an intense game of ping pong and you are the ball that is being slammed back and forth. Your life clearly is being governed by forces outside of your control and sometimes you're left wondering if God is in control after all. I believe our passage today will encourage you in the truth that God is in control of everything. That is happening in our lives and in our world today, and he is making sure that everything is working out for our good. And for his glory. If you were with us 3 weeks ago when we were in Daniel chapter 10, you will recall that during the 3rd year of Darius, the Persian king, An angelic being appears to Daniel after Daniel had been mourning and fasting and praying for 3 weeks and seeking to understand from the Lord. regarding the future of Daniel's people. Daniel has already learned in chapter 9 that God is going to visit. His people in their exile, and God is going to restore them to the land of promise. Daniel has learned that 483 years later, the Messiah is going to come. But it seems that Daniel wants to know what's going to happen to the people of God in the meantime. And then in the final 7 years, making it 490. And this seems to be what Daniel is praying for in chapter 10. And 3 weeks ago, we saw in chapter 10 how an angel presents himself to Daniel in answer to his prayer and begins to prepare Daniel for the revelation that he, the angel has come to give to him. In verse 14, the angel says to Daniel, I have come to give you an understanding. of what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision, in other words, the vision he's about to give to Daniel pertains to days yet future. Well, who is your people in verse 14? It's the Jews. Everything that the angel is about to reveal to Daniel in our passage today, he reveals to Daniel because it's relevant to the welfare of the Jews. After their return to the land of promise. And in terms of what he's gonna reveal, and this will help you to know where we're gonna stop for today, if you skip ahead in Daniel chapter 11 all the way to verse 21. At the beginning of verse 21, you see the angel saying to Daniel, after a lot of things that have preceded it, he's going to say in his place, a despicable person will arise. And this despicable person who will arise over the Jewish people after their return to the land will be a man named Antiochus the 4th Epiphanes, who is so significant that all of verses 21 through 45 will be devoted to him. But in verses 2 through 20. What we have is basically a prophetic foretelling regarding the flow of events over a 400 year period that lead from Daniel's day. All the way to this wicked man who will arrive at a place of rule over the land of God's people. And the way we're gonna break down our study of this passage this morning is we're gonna observe 4 movements, 4 movements of kings and kingdoms which lead to the rise of a despicable ruler who will bring suffering. To God's people and we'll learn about that suffering, next week. And the first of these movements, you can fill in the blank. Is this the Persian kingdom will prosper for a time, then give way to the divided kingdom of Greece. The Persian kingdom will prosper for a time, then give way to the divided kingdom of Greece. Observe what this angel says to Daniel, beginning in verse 2. The angel says, and now I will tell you the truth. Behold, 3 more kings are going to arise in Persia. Then a 4th will gain far more riches than all of them. As soon as he becomes strong through his riches, he will arouse the whole empire against the realm of Greece. At the time that this prophecy was given, Cyrus was already king over the land of Persia, and this angel is saying that there will be 3 more kings that arise after Cyrus. From history, we know that these kings were Cambysus, Smymyrtus, and Darius the 1st, Hitapes. You don't need to write that down. All you need to know is that then the 4th king. That will arise was Xerxes the first, Xerxes the first. Also known as A Hajarius that you see in the book of Esther. This is the very king, Xerxes the first is the very king featured in the book of Esther. And indeed history reveals that just as this prophecy predicts here in Daniel 11, Xerxes attained to greater wealth than any prior king of Persia, so much so that in Esther, chapter 1, verse 4, you read about this king setting aside, get this, 180 days. To display, and I quote, the riches of his royal glory. And splendor of His great majesty. Imagine dedicating 180 days to show off the wealth of your kingdom. We also know that Xerxes the First, as this prophecy predicts, aroused his whole empire against the realm of Greece in 479 BC. His campaign featured 200,000 soldiers and hundreds of ships gathered from all over his vast empire. Nonetheless, as impressive as this was, his massive navy was defeated in 479 BC. And then his army was routed by the Greeks. And in the end, the reign of Xerxes the First was the high water mark for the Persian Empire, and his defeat at the hands of the Greeks represented the beginning of the end. The end which would come at the hands of the Greeks about 140 years later during the days of Alexander. The great Speaking of whom the angel says in verse 3, look at the text, and a mighty king will arise and he will rule with great authority and do as he pleases. This mighty king is Alexander the Great, who indeed did as he pleased as he raced across the known world of his day and led his armies in conquering the world, the known world for Greece. In 334 BC Alexander came against the Persian Empire with great bitterness and wrath, and he prevailed over the kingdom of Persia just as he prevailed everywhere he went. In the history of the world, no one has ever conquered more territory with greater speed than Alexander the Great did over an eight-year span. Resulting in an empire of over 2 million square miles under his control, as you see reflected on the map behind me. But as we all know, Alexander did not live long enough to enjoy his conquest. He died suddenly at the age of 32 or 33, and his kingdom ended up being divided into how many parts? 4 parts. This is exactly what this angel talking to Daniel foretells 260 years prior. In verse 4, saying, look at the text. But as soon as he, Alexander the Great, has arisen, his kingdom will be broken up and parceled out toward the four points of the compass, though not to his own descendants nor according to his authority which he wielded for his sovereignty will be uprooted and given to others besides them. This prophecy ended up being fulfilled in a most precise way in the years following Alexander's death, his two sons named Alexander the 4th and Heracles ended up being killed. Never to rule on the throne of their father's empire. Instead, Alexander's generals fought things out and ended up with a kingdom that is divided into four parts. Ptolemy the first ended up with Egypt. Palestine and parts of Arabia. And you see that reflected in the dark green on the map behind me. Cassander ended up with Macedonia and Greece. Lysimachus ended up with areas in the western part of what we know today as Turkey, and Seleucus the first ended up with the largest area of the four. Which included the region of eastern Turkey, Syria, and the areas of modern day Iran and Iraq. And that's reflected in, I think that's on my computer, it's bright green. There you go. Yeah, it looks blue on that screen. but you can hopefully identify that as the bright green on the map. That said, even though it was divided up ultimately into these four parts, just as this angel predicted to Daniel hundreds of years in advance, going forward from this point of the passage, the angel speaking with Daniel is going to focus on only 2 parts of this 4-part kingdom. The Seleucid kingdom. Which is the north. It'll be described as the north and the kingdom of the, the Ptolemy down in Egypt that will be described as the South. So you'll see the language of the North and the South, and as you see on the map there, that's what the angel will be speaking of. They are called North and South from this point going forward because of where these empires stand in relation to Israel. That is sandwiched in between them. The angel focuses on these two empires going forward in this prophecy because these two kingdoms ended up having the greatest impact on the land of Israel as they war with each other and Israel will be the ping pong ball that is going back and forth between the two. And this brings us to the 2nd movement of the kings and kingdoms which lead to the rise of a despicable ruler who will bring great suffering to God's people. Number 2, the kingdom of the South will enjoy supremacy over the North for a time. The kingdom of the South will enjoy supremacy over the North for a time. Observe what the angel says to Daniel beginning in verse 5. The angel says, then the king of the South will grow strong along with one of his princes who will gain ascendancy over him and obtain dominion. His domain will be a great dominion indeed. Now the king of the South is referring to one of Alexander's generals named Ptolemy the First, who took control of Egypt in 305 BC and who started off with possession. Of the Holy Land as you see reflected in the map. The subordinate prince whom the angel says would gain ascendancy over Ptolemy turned out to be a man named Seleucus the First. Who also had been one of Alexander's generals. Seleucus served under Ptolemy for about 4 years down in Egypt, but when Seleucus saw an opening, he ventured north and took control of Babylon and established the Seleucid Empire that stretched from Asia Minor to India. Again, that's the bright green on the map. In verse 6, the angel says to Daniel, look at the text, after some years, they will form an alliance. In other words, the king of the north and the south, and the daughter of the king of the South will come to the king of the north to carry out a peaceful arrangement. And these words spoken hundreds of years in advance, literally came to pass around 252 BC when the king of the South, who was Ptolemy the Second at the time, formed an alliance with the king of the Seleucid Empire to the north, who at that time was Antiochus the 2nd. And as part of this agreement, Ptolemy the 2nd gave his daughter, whose name was Berenice. To Antiochus the 2nd in the hopes of establishing peace between Egypt and the Seleucid Empire to the north. He gave his daughter to Antiochus the 2nd with the one proviso that Berenice's son. would be the heir to the throne of the kingdom of the north after Antiochus II died. That's a really great plan, right? with one tiny hitch, which was that Antiochus the 2nd was already married. To a woman named Laodice. Antiochus the 2nd unfortunately solved that problem by divorcing Laodice and taking Berenice as his wife. As you can imagine, this did not go over well with Laodice. When Ptolemy the 2nd down in Egypt, died 6 years later. History tells us that Antiochus the 2nd no longer felt obligated to remain married to his daughter, Berenice, so he broke off his marriage to Berenice and returned to Laodice. But in so doing, he failed to appreciate the wrath of a woman scorned. Laodice happily got back together with Antiochus the 2nd. And then had him poisoned and killed. As for what will become of Berenice in the second half of verse 6, the angel says, look at the text, but she, Berenice, will not retain her position of power, nor will he, her father down in Egypt, remain with his power, but she will be given up along with those who brought her in and the one who sired her as well as he who supported her in those times. And history tells us. That after Ptolemy the 2nd's death, Berenice was abandoned by Antiochus the 2nd. And then she and her child and their attendants were killed by Laodice, who is now back together with Antiochus II, and all of Berenice's Egyptian supporters who had hoped to gain some advantage through her ended up suffering a horrible, devastating defeat. With hindsight, The whole alliance idea stunk to high heaven. And the stink is going to continue for now that Berenice and her child have been killed by Laodice, the king of the South is bent on revenge. In fact, in verse 7, the angel says to Daniel, look at the text, but one of the descendants of her, in other words, Berenice's line, will arise in his, in other words, her father's place, and he will come against their army, the army of the north, and enter the fortress of the king of the North, and he will deal with them and display great strength. So the opening line of this verse literally reads, but the sprouting of her Berenice's roots will arise. Speaking of someone who sprouts from the same root that she sprouted from. And we know from history that this was her brother, Ptolemy the 3rd, who came to power after her father's death. And seeking to avenge his sister's death, Ptolemy the 3rd launched a military campaign against the Seleucid Empire to the north, which was now being ruled over by Laodice's son Seleucus the 2nd. With Laodice serving as the queen mother in the kingdom of the north. The war that followed lasted 5 years, and in this war, Ptolemy the Third was successful enough that he actually reached the capital city of the Seleucid Empire, which was Antioch. And in the process, he was able to capture and kill Laodice. Even though he was not able to uproot Seleucus the 2nd from the throne of the kingdom of the North, Ptolemy the 3rd's military campaign was a smashing success and served as a remarkable display of strength from this Egyptian kingdom of the South. You guys tracking so far? All right. In verse 8, the angel talks about the fallout from this military campaign, saying, look at the text, also they're gods with their metal images and their precious vessels of silver and gold. He, Ptolemy the Third, will take into captivity to Egypt, and he on his part will refrain from attacking the king of the north for some years. This is literally what history tells us that Ptolemy I III did after his military victory. He looted the kingdom of the north, taking treasures and religious artifacts back with him to Egypt. Yet he did not press his victory and try to conquer the kingdom of the north, though that might have been his initial intention. But he for some reason was content to return home to Egypt and bask in the glow of his military triumph. And as you might expect, the king of the North, who is Seleucus the 2nd, tries to retaliate. In verse 9, the angel says to Daniel, then the latter, who is the king of the north, will enter the realm of the king of the South but will return to his own land. And we know from history that Seleucus II did attempt a military campaign against Egypt, but his campaign ended up being a total failure, given the weakened condition of his army and internal strife among his troops, so he had no choice but to retreat and return to his own land in defeat. Keep in mind That all this time, It is the kingdom of the South that has possession of the promised land. And you see that little red dot on the map, that represents Jerusalem and Judea. And that belongs to the kingdom of the South, but this is going to change in the coming verses as things take a turn for the better for the northern kingdom. And this brings us to the 3rd movement of kings and kingdoms which lead to the rise of a despicable ruler who will bring suffering to God's people. Movement number 3, the king of the North will prevail over the South and regain the promised land. The king of the north will prevail over the South and regain the promised land. After the defeat of Seleucus the 2nd spoken about in verse 9, look at verse 10, his sons, Seleucus's sons, who will turn out to be a guy named Seleucus the 3rd and Antiochus the 3rd, his sons will mobilize and assemble a multitude of great forces. And one of them will keep on coming and overflow and pass through that he may again. wage war up to his, which is the king of the South's very fortress. And sure enough, history tells us that after the death of Seleucus the 2nd in the kingdom of the North, Seleucus the 3rd took power and shortly thereafter launched a military campaign into Asia Minor, but he perished in battle after a short 3-year reign. So his younger brother Antiochus III became king in his place, and he, for his part, turned his focus toward Egypt and actually experienced success against this kingdom of the south, and one of those military successes. was that he was able to gain possession of the land of promise, thus now bringing Israel under the control of the kingdom of the north right around 219 BC. At the end of verse 10, the angel tells Daniel that this particular son, Antiochus III, will wage war up to the very fortress of the king of the south, which is exactly what history tells us that Antiochus the 3rd did, pushing all the way up to the borders of Egypt's fortified cities. And as one might expect, this attack provoked a strong reaction from the king of the South. In verse 11, the angel continues speaking to Daniel, and he says to Daniel, the king of the South will be enraged and go forth and fight with the king of the north. Then the latter will raise a great multitude, but that multitude will be given into the hand of the former. History tells us that this is exactly what ended up happening. Ptolemy the 4th took an army of 70,000 men. 5000 men riding on horses and 73 elephants. And rose up against the army of Antiochus the 3rd, and he prevailed. Antiochus the 3rd ended up losing his entire army, yet he himself was able to escape into the desert without being captured. Speaking of how Ptolemy the 4th will respond to this great military victory, in verse 12, the angel says to Daniel, when the multitude is carried away, his, the king of the south, his heart will be lifted up and he will cause tens of thousands to fall, yet he will not prevail. In the flush of his victory over Antiochus III, Ptolemy the 4th, whom history tells us was a self-indulgent playboy, will be lifted up with pride. After all, only 2000 of his own soldiers fell in the military conflict, yet they killed 17,000. Enemy soldiers and took many more thousands prisoner back with them into Egypt. However, as the angel says to Daniel in verse 12, Ptolemy the 4th will not prevail, meaning that he will not prevail to the degree that he could have prevailed because he failed to press his advantage and chose instead to return to Egypt. But we do know from history that through his victory over the kingdom of the North, which happened in 217 BC, Ptolemy the Fourth regained power over Jerusalem and the region of Judea. And guys, this was not good news for the Jews living. In the land at this time. In fact, history tells us that when Ptolemy the 4th came to Jerusalem after regaining it from the Seleucid Empire to the north, he tried literally to enter the holy of holies in a prideful show of triumph. The Jews pleaded with him and did their best to prevent him, but he pressed forward despite their protest. And according to 2 Maccabees. Chapter 1 verses 22 to 29. As Ptolemy the 4th approached the holy of holies, he was suddenly struck with paralysis and terror and literally had to be carried out of the temple. This was a great humiliation for him. It led to his hatred of the Jews, a hatred that drove him in the months and years to come to imprison and execute many Jews, leaving many Jews longing for freedom from his tyranny over them. Ptolemy the 4th. Self-indulgence and pride led to Egypt's decline. Which began to give Antiochus the 3rd, who, remember, he's the king of the north, and he had escaped, though he had lost his army years before, it began to give Antiochus the 3rd an advantage that he is now going to exploit. Speaking of which, in verse 13, the angel says to Daniel, for the king of the north, this is Antiochus the 3rd, will again raise a greater multitude than the former, and after an interval of some years, he will press on with a great army and much equipment. And we learned from history, guys, that after a 14-year interval, Antiochus the Third raised up another army bigger than the army that he had 14 years prior, and he attacked Egypt once again. And the reason we know from history that he chose this moment to attack the kingdom of the South was because Ptolemy the 4th had died and his son, Ptolemy the 5th had become king in his place, and Ptolemy the 5th was only 4 years old. When he assumed the throne. So Antiochus. The third wisely figured this would be a decent moment to attack the kingdom of Egypt and reclaim the ground that he had lost to Egypt 14 years prior. And as you might expect, others. Decided that this was now the ideal time to also take advantage of this 4 year old king of Egypt. In verse 14, the angel says to Daniel, now in those times, many will rise up against the king of the south, and we do know from history. That others did try to take advantage of Egypt's weakness during this time, including rebel forces from within this kingdom of the south. On top of that, the angel says to Daniel in the middle of verse 14, that look at the text, the violent ones among your people. will also lift themselves up in order to fulfill the vision, but they will fall down. The violent ones Among Daniel's people are his fellow Jews who will rise up against Egypt as revolutionaries on the side of the kingdom of the north in the hopes of gaining their independence from the kingdom of the South that is now currently controlling them, and they're going to do this just as the vision here in Daniel 11 predicts. But the angel says that these Jewish revolutionaries will fall down and history tells us that this is exactly what ended up happening. Though the kingdom of the North. That they were seeking to help ended up prevailing in this military conflict. Many of these Jews lost their life in the fight, and we will see how they certainly failed to bring a lasting peace to Jerusalem. Speaking about Antiochus the Third's campaign against Egypt, the angel says to Daniel in verse 15, then the king of the north will come, cast up a siege ramp, and capture a well-fortified city, and the forces of the south will not stand their ground, not even their choicest troops, for there will be no strength to make a stand. What you just read here is the perfect description of what ended up happening with Antiochus the Third's invasion of Egypt's territories that would have included Jerusalem and Judea. The well-fortified city that they came against was the very important coastal city of Sidon, which was a key stronghold that was located in what is now modern Lebanon. And this city is about 140 miles from Jerusalem. And as this angel predicts, history tells us that Antiochus III used siege works to breach the defenses of this well fortified city, forcing the Egyptian garrison inside the city to surrender. And after the fall of Seidon, history tells us that Egyptian power in this region collapsed, leading now to Antiochus III's control over all this area, including the land of Canaan, which is now back. Under the control of the kingdom of the north. The angel continues in verse 16, saying, but he who comes against him, in other words, he who comes against the king of the South. This is Antiochus III who came against him. will do as he pleases and no one will be able to withstand him. He will also stay for a time in the beautiful land with destruction in his hand. So what is the beautiful land? What's the land of Israel? Which is beautiful, which is glorious because it is central to God's plan for the ages. The angel is telling Daniel here that after his victory, Antiochus III is going to stay for a time in the Land of Promise. And that he will have destruction in his hand. History tells us that when Antiochus the TII marched into Jerusalem in 198 BC, the people of Jerusalem and Judea welcomed him as their liberator from Egyptian rule. They were happy to have him as their ruler, but not every Jew was happy. Yet wherever there were Jews that would dare to resist him, Antiochus the 3rd unleashed destruction on them. To put a seal to his victory now that he's triumphed over the kingdom of the South. To put a seal to his victory over the kingdom of the South, observe what the angel predicts hundreds of years in advance that Antiochus the 3rd is going to do in verse 17. Look at the text. He, Antiochus the 3rd, will set his face to come with the power of his whole kingdom, bringing with him a proposal of peace, which he will put into effect. He, which is the king of the north, will also give him, the king of the South, the daughter of women to ruin it. In other words, to ruin the kingdom of the South, but she will not take a stand for him, the king of the North, or be on his side. And all God's people said, Amen. This is amazing. What's being described here? Well, Antiochus the 3rd has now prevailed, obviously over the region. That once belonged to Egypt and he's killed many Egyptians in the process. He definitely does not want Egypt rising up. In revenge and attacking his kingdom to the north down the road, so he offers a proposal of peace to the kingdom of the south and tied to this proposal of peace, this angel says that Antiochus III will give to the king of the South, the daughter of women. To run it. And this daughter of women, we know from history is Antiochus the Third's preeminent daughter whose name was Cleopatra. Whom he gave to Ptolemy the 5th to be his wife. This is not the famous Cleopatra who came 150 years later. So don't confuse the two. But he gave his daughter. His preeminent daughter Cleopatra to Ptolemy the Fit to be his wife. This gift of his daughter might have seemed like a noble gesture on Antiochus' part, but the angel tells Daniel that his motive in offering his daughter to the king of the South would be to ruin it. In other words, to work to the detriment of the kingdom of the South. In other words, he gave his daughter to Ptolemy the 5th, figuring that his own daughter would serve as a secret agent for the kingdom of the north and seek to further. Antiochus III's interest there. That's a wonderful strategy. But it didn't work. Just as the angel predicts at the end of verse 17, when he says to Daniel, but she will not take a stand for him, for her dad, or be on his side. And history actually does reveal that after she married Ptolemy the 5th, Cleopatra did not stand for her father, but rather became a proper wife to her husband. She became decidedly pro-Egyptian and actually joined her husband in working against the interest of her father's kingdom to the north. In fact, history tells us that when Antiochus the 3rd will find himself in battle against Rome, in the next few years, Egypt is happily going to provide aid to Rome. To help Rome in its efforts against Antiochus III. And this brings us to the 4th movement of kings and kingdoms which lead to the rise of a despicable ruler who will bring great suffering to God's people. Number 42 kings of the North will fall. And a despicable king will arise in their place. Two kings of the north will fall, and a despicable king will arise. In their place. This is fascinating. Speaking of the king of the north, Antiochus the 3rd, in verse 18, the angel says to Daniel, Hundreds of years in advance of these things happening, then he and Tiaus III will turn his face to the coast lands and capture many, but a commander will put a stop to his scorn against him. Moreover, he will repay him for his scorn. We know from history that Antiochus the 3rd actually did turn his attention toward Asia Minor, the western part of modern day Turkey, and even parts of Greece and the islands of the Mediterranean. He captured cities like Ephesus and Smymyrna, even crossing into Greece and trying to rally the Greek cities. Against Rome, which turned out to be a huge mistake on Antiochus's part. The Romans had warned him. To stay out of Greece, but he ignored Rome's warnings and invaded Greece anyway in 192 BC. Ultimately, this turned out to be Antiochus the Third's Waterloo. For just as the angel predicts in 190 BC. The Roman general whose name was Lucius Cornelius Scipio Asiaticus. Delivered Antiochus the 3rd, a crushing defeat at the Battle of Magnesia, bringing a humiliating end to Antiochus' ambitions in the West. And to add insult to injury, this Roman general forced Antiochus the 3rd to surrender all territories west of the Taurus Mountains, and you see that in red on the map, to surrender all of those territories that he had gained back to Rome, and he made him agree to pay a massive fine of 15,000 talents over 12 years to Rome. And in terms of economic impact, this would be like forcing a country today to pay a $550 billion fine. Antiochus the 3rd was also forced to give up his war elephants and all of his navy to Rome, and he was forced to send hostages to Rome, among whom was one of his sons, Antiochus the 4th Epiphanes. This was a humiliating blow to Antiochus the 3rd, causing him to retreat to his own lands just as the angel talking to Daniel right now predicted. In verse 19, the angel says to Daniel, so he, Antiochus the 3rd, will turn his face toward the fortresses of his own land, but he will stumble and fall and be found no more. And this is exactly what ended up happening. Antiochus III returned to his homeland and tried to stabilize his kingdom after his crushing defeat, but the massive amount of debt that he now owed to Rome imposed a crushing burden on his empire. Desperate to raise money to make his payments to Rome in 187 BC, Antiochus the Third attempted foolishly to plunder a temple. In the city of Elimaas in modern day Iran, the local population around this temple did not take too kindly to this. They rose up and they killed him. And in the end, Antiochus the 3rd stumbled and he fell and was found no more. Just as the angel predicts here to Daniel in verse 19. What happens after the death of Antiochus the 3rd? In verse 20, the angel says to Daniel, then in his place, one will arise who will send an oppressor. And depending on the translations you have, that word oppressor can mean taskmaster, an exactor of tribute. The New King James, translates this as one who imposes taxes. So this is a person who imposes taxes or collects those taxes. So, let me read again. Then in his place, one will arise who will send an oppressor, one who is imposing, collecting taxes through the jewel of his kingdom, yet within a few days he will be shattered, though not in anger, nor in battle. Amazingly, this is exactly what happened. After the death of Antiochus the 3rd, his son Seleucus the 4th became king. Yet his reign was defined by a crushing tax burden that he imposed on his people in order to have the money to pay to Rome for the debt. that his father incurred. The angel tells Daniel that Seleucus the 4th will send an oppressor, an exactor of taxes through the jewel of his kingdom. And in all likelihood, guys, the jewel of his kingdom. Is the Jerusalem temple. Which house many precious items of gold and silver of enormous value, and for a king who has a huge debt to pay to Rome, the treasures housed inside the Jerusalem temple would be a huge temptation impossible to resist. And sure enough, history tells us that in his desperation for money to pay to Rome, Seleucus the Fourth sent his chief minister, Heliodorus was his name, to Jerusalem in 176 BC to seize treasure from the temple in Jerusalem. But, and we're so grateful to have record of this in 2 Maccabees chapter 3, verses 7 through 40, we learned that when Heliodorus tried to enter the Jerusalem temple, two angels appeared and began striking Heliodorus, causing him to collapse. Showing compassion for Heliodorus, the high priest offered sacrifices and prayed over him, and in response, the two angelic figures that had beaten Heliodorus appeared to him again and restored him to health and spoke encouraging words to him. After Heliodorus was restored to health, he gave glory to God and then returned to his king, Seleucus the 4th, and said to him, basically, don't ever ask me to do anything like this again. God was gracious to Heliodorus, but he wasn't so gracious towards Seleucus the 4th. The angel tells Daniel in verse 20 that Seleucus the 4th will be shattered in a few days, though not in anger, nor in battle. And sure enough, history tells us that Seleucus the Fourth did not die in war, but he was murdered in 175 BC and many historians believe that Heliodorus was the one who did the deed. Once Seleucus the 4th was killed, a vacuum of power was created. Which would be filled by his infamous younger brother, feel free to hiss, a man named Antiochus the 4th, Epiphanes. In fact, the first words of verse 21 say, in his place, in other words, in the place of Seleucus the 4th, a despicable person. Will arise And that despicable person is Antiochus the 4th Epiphanes, who proved to be so consequential to the Jewish people that the next 25 verses will be devoted to him. And we will study those 25 verses, Lord willing, next Sunday, and we will stop here for today. All in all, in the 400 years of history predicted in these verses that we've covered today, the land of Israel is going to change possession. It's going to change hands 5 times. But all the while God's eyes. are on this land. That belongs to him. And the people of this land who belong to him. God's eyes are upon this land to whom the Messiah is going to come in about 200 years from where we've left off in the text today. I'm sure we all know people who are history buffs who were dazzled by their knowledge of Of history But here in this passage, we see that God knows history amazingly well before it even happens. Amen. Down to the tiniest detail. In fact, as I studied this passage over the last few weeks and, and then saw how precisely all of it was fulfilled, I found myself thinking, I don't know if this is right or not, but I found myself thinking, OK, Lord, you're kinda showing off here. It's, it, this passage is amazing. It's crazy. Guys, and these detailed prophecies spoken hundreds of years in advance were fulfilled with such specificity that liberal scholars conclude that there is no way that Daniel could have written these verses in 536 BC. These liberal scholars conclude that these words must have been written after these events took place by someone who saw how history unfolded, wrote it down as if it were prophecy and tried to pass it off as prophecy. What should we make of that claim? Well, write down the reference Matthew 24:15. Where Jesus, and we'll get into this probably next week, Jesus is literally in Matthew 24:15 referring to Daniel 11, to something inside of Daniel 11, and he will speak of what he quotes as that which was spoken of through Daniel, the prophet, unquote. So Jesus says Daniel wrote the words that we have studied today. And I would trust Jesus over any liberal scholar, any day of the week. Daniel received this revelation in 536 BC and God gives it to him, guys, in advance because God wants Daniel to know, he wants us to know, he wants his people to know. That he knew all of these events would happen before they came to pass, that none of these events are going to take him by surprise, and he is letting them know in advance so that when these events happen to his people, some of them extremely difficult. And heartrending that his people would be assured that God knew all of this was gonna happen and he is very much in control. As the commentator Dale Ralph Davis says, in this passage we find an overflowing dossier of lies and schemes and conspiracies, of victories and disasters and tragedies of never, of the never ending hurly-burly confusion of wars and political turmoil. Sounds like today, right? Yet God knew it all in advance. And used all of it. To accomplish his purposes. Teaching us even today that God already knows about the rise and the fall of nations. God knows everything before it even happens. God knew in advance about all the events. That are happening on the international stage in our world today before those things came to pass. We also see in this passage that it is not beneath God to care. About the movements of history. Especially when those movements have direct bearing upon his people. And this is still true today. God knows everything that pertains to you. If you have believed in Christ. Whether those changes Are those things be a health diagnosis that you have recently received, changes in government, changes at your company, changes in our economy, or some other trial that has come your way. You would be amazed at how much of an expert God is about everything that impacts. You to any degree. And how conversant he is, how fluently he could speak about all of the details of everything that has any impact upon you because he cares about you. Because you As a believer in Jesus are precious to Him. If you have believed in Jesus, God promises you in Romans 8:28 that he will only allow things to happen to you that he fully intends to work together for your good and for his glory. Nothing ever takes him by surprise. He is never in heaven looking at your circumstances and wringing his hands, saying, Whoa, I didn't expect that. God knows everything, even before it comes to pass, and He will work it together for your good and for His glory. On another front, we learn in our passage today that we should be very careful about putting too much trust in the rulers of this world, right? In verse 14, we see Jewish insurgents joining forces with Antiochus III, trying to cast off Egyptian rule over the land of Israel. And they ended up succeeding. They ended up helping Antiochus III reconquer the land of Israel, little realizing that in 20 years from that moment they would be subject to the worst oppression and humiliation that they had ever known at the hand of Antiochus III's son. Antiochus the 4th Epiphanes. So let us be forewarned. Let us put our trust in God, not in princes. Let us trust in Christ as our Messiah, not in men. Human rulers will let us down and may even turn on us. But Jesus never will. He is always worthy of our trust. What we have in our passage today is the account of the convolutions of kingdoms that led to the rise of the despicable Antiochus Epiphanes, who's going to do terrible things to the Jews and to the temple in Jerusalem in the years to come. In the same way, the events that are Happening in our world today are merely serving to move history forward toward the rise of the ultimate despicable one, the Anti-Christ, whose coming will precede the coming of Jesus Christ at his second coming. History, guys, is heading somewhere. And things will get worse before they get better. But history is relentlessly moving toward the coming of Jesus Christ, who is going to make all things new when he comes, and we can be sure of this. In our passage today, we see many earthly rulers rising to power and then they die or they're defeated. We see some having hearts that are lifted up with pride and others who make strategic blunders that end up costing them dearly. This is the way of earthly rulers, but we never have to worry about any of this with our ruler. Jesus Christ. He is perfect in every way, he never makes a strategic blunder. He lives forever and his kingdom is going to endure forever when it comes. The only question is, will you put your trust in him as your Lord and Savior? Will you pay homage to him? As your king I hope that you will. In our passage today, we learned that Ptolemy the 2nd gave his daughter to Antiochus the 2nd, hoping for peace. But only made matters worse. And Tiachus the 3rd gave his daughter to Ptolemy the 5th, hoping for peace, but it didn't work. But the Bible teaches us that God sent his son. Into our world and gave him over in death. To bring about peace between us and God through Jesus shed blood at the cross. Which was shed at the cross for our sins. That made us at enmity with God and the Bible teaches us. That for those who believe in Jesus, God's plan. In sending his son to us to make peace. That that plan will fully succeed in the lives of all those who put their trust in Jesus. And one day Jesus is going to come again from heaven to earth, and he will destroy all evil, even on this earth, and usher in a kingdom that will endure forever and be characterized by perfect righteousness. And there's only one right response. To this gift of God's Son to us all, and that is to believe in Him. As our Lord, as our Savior, and as our King. As the psalmist says in Psalm 118 verses 8 and 9. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in men. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes. And may God give us the grace to do just that. Day by day by day. Because only Jesus is worthy of that trust. Amen. Let's pray together Lord, in some ways, this passage that we've looked at today reads like a soap opera. full of drama and intrigue. And it's just a startling thing to have a passage like this and observe how sovereign you are, how conversant you are with all things that are directly and indirectly related to your people. And just how fluently you can just speak through this angel and just say, here's what's going to happen over the next 4 centuries. And for some reason, We panic and we worry and we fret, and when circumstances come our way, we're worried about what circumstances might come our way tomorrow or a year from now. Lord, you got this. And you have us in the palm of your hand. Jesus is the beautiful one. He is the jewel, the apple of your eye, and we who believe in Him are in Him, accepted in the beloved and precious to you. And you care about us and all things that have to do with us. Lord, I pray that you would help us as Christians that yes, we can be concerned about things that are happening around us, but never panicky. Help us as Christians to act like we know something. And that is that there is a God in heaven who is absolutely sovereign, who is in control, who already knows the future. And he has us in the palm of his hand. And he is moving history in the direction. That he wants it to go, which is toward the second coming of his son. Who will establish his reign over all the earth. We know, Lord, how this story ends because you have told us. Help us to live like it. May this competent knowledge be reflected in our countenance as we navigate. The circumstances of our lives. And the turmoil that plagues our world today. That we might even through our confidence and trust shine as a light. In the midst of this crooked and perverse generation in which we live. As we exhibit the light of Christ. And speak of him to others. And point people to this savior King who is perfect in every way. And who can save eternally. We ask, Lord, all of these things of you in the mighty name of Jesus, and all God's people said, man.