Holy Scriptures and Israel

Guest (Male): Holy Scriptures and Israel is a ministry designed to share with the Jewish people the good news of the Lord Jesus Yeshua the Messiah and to instruct Christians on the Jewish roots of their faith. And now teaching God's word from a Hebrew Messianic perspective here is Gideon Levitan.

Gideon Levytam: The study of Daniel chapter 8 Now let me again remind you. You remember in the image of chapter 2 in the vision that King Nebuchadnezzar have seen what did he see the great image gold Babylon silver media Persia the the the the chest and the hands and then the thighs and the legs represented the kingdom of Grecia and the Greek represented by United Nation which have been divided later on. It is interesting to see how that here we see that this goat had a notable horn between his eyes notable horn between his eyes. What about chapter 7?

In chapter 7 when we have been speaking about the the four beasts that Daniel has seen where the lion represented Babylon the bear who was left -sided represented the meats and the Persian but the leopard it's corresponding the leopard is corresponding with chapter 8 and the and verse verse 5 the he goat correspond with the leopard of chapter 7. And you remember when we read about the leopard it says that I beheld and lo another like a leopard which had upon his back four wings of fowl and the beast had also four heads and dominion was given unto it.

In other words there was a speed with the four wings the speed in which Alexander the Great have conquered nation after nation and eventually took over the meats and the Persian. And so in verse 5 we see the appearance of the Greek Greek Greek people with their king the notable horn which representing Alexander the Great. He swiftly conquered nation after nation. In verse 5 it says that he came from the west on the face of the whole earth and touched not the ground. Now verse 6 and 7 then if verse 5 shows us his appearance verse 6 and 7 notice what what this goat does he destroy the ram the media Persian.

In verse 6 we read and he came this is the goat came to the ram that had the two horns which had seen which had seen standing before the river and he ran unto him in the fuel of his power and I saw him come close unto the ram and he was moved with rage against him and he smote the ram and he break his two horns and there was no power in the ram to stand before him but he cast him down to the ground and stamped upon him and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand.

And so the he goat represented of course the Greek with the king Alexander the Great. Notice the step by step in verse 7 he came close to the ram. He moved with rage against the ram. He smote the ram. He broke the two horns. That has to do with the meat and the Persian and then he cast him down to the ground and none could deliver the ram out of his hand. Verses 21 and 22 tells us exactly what we just read in those early verses. Verse 21 it says and the rough goat is the king of Grecia Grecia and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.

That is Alexander the Great. And so we find out that in this vision we get number one. Daniel was taken all the way from the time that he was in bodily in Babylon he was taken all the way if you will in spirit to see himself now in Shushan the palace the meats and the Persian. And then even beyond them he sees himself in a time where Alexander the king of the of Greek or Greece came and smote and totally destroyed the meats and the Persian in verses 6 and 7. Now notice what happened. In verse 8 is the third division of this part.

In verse 8 we see the divisions of the four horns in verse 8. Alexander died. And other generals took the kingdom. It took quite a while before it settled. There was a lot of wars in between. It took some said about 20 years before the the the generals really there was rest in a sense that every that the kingdom have been divided but notice it says in verse 8. Therefore the he goat walks very great. And when he was strong the great horn was broken. And for it came up four notable ones towards the four wings of heaven.

In verse 8 we have four generals ruled Alexander empire. After his death by 301 BC when Alexander died I understand that he died drunk young man about 32 years old or so and his four generals took over the kingdom. Again I want you to turn to verse 22 for a minute please. Verse 22 to see the interpretation immediately. In verse 22 we read now that being broken this is that first king he was broken. Four stood up for it. Four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation but not in his power. So you see what interesting it is here in this what is so interesting here is that the meats and the Persian took over the Babylonian.

The Grecians under the Alexander took over the meats and the Persian. Alexander was so swift so fast but he got drunk. He died very early and then four of his generals have taken the kingdom. And we read here in verse 8 that he was broken. Why? Because when he was very great. You know what pride and greatness brings a fall if there is no humility and acknowledge that it's all came from God. Remember that we read it in scripture God resists the proud but give it grace to the humble. Pride come before a fall we read it in the scripture.

And so when he works great it says in verse 8 very great. And when he was strong the great horn was broken. Alexander died. And what happened? Four notable ones came up after. And those by the way four notable ones are four horns which represented the four generals that came after the death of Alexander. And so verse 5 the appearance. Verse 6 and 7 the destruction of the ram by the he goat. Verse 8 the death of this Alexander which is that particular notable horn that was between the eyes of the he goat when he had been destroyed four notable horns came out.

Those four horns represent four kings and four kingdoms which will rule the kingdom of the Grecians. By the way the names of those four generals are Ptolemy he took Egypt and I mark it for myself. Salis Salu Salusas Salucas he took Syria. Lisimacos he took another area and then we have Casenda Casenda he took Macedonia in Greece. Ptolemy Salusas Salucas or Salusas Lisimacus and Casander the four generals that took over the kingdom after the death of Alexander the Great. Okay now verses 9 to 14 we have an additional information now notice that we are still speaking about the Grecian empire.

We don't go beyond that in this chapter. It is interesting that while chapter 7 took us to from Babylon to media Persia from media Persia to Greece and from Greece to the Roman empire. Chapter 8 does not go beyond here beyond the Grecian empire when it's come to the to the first 14 verses. It takes us all the way up till the Grecian empire. You notice that after we read the interpretation in verse 20 the ram was media Persian and in verse 21 it was the the king of the king of Grecia Grecia. We don't have any beyond the king of Grecia in this chapter except the four generals and out of those four generals it's still the empire of the of Greece.

And so now verse 9 to 14 we have an additional little horn. Now verses 9 to 14 we have an additional little horn. We'll divide it into two sections. First of all verses 9 to 12 we see the activities of another little horn that is rising up. Verse 9 says and out of one of them which one one of the four kingdoms that have took over the kingdom of Greece after the death of Alexander. One out of one of those kingdoms came a four came fourth a little horn. In other words out of one of them came a little horn and this little horn we read in verse 9 works exceedingly great.

And so if you just it's just imagine out of one of these four kingdoms came another little horn who became another king that was the descendants of one of those four general kings. And so it says here in verse 9 first of all notice notice this one how he his activities of this little horn it says here he he works great towards the south that's towards Egypt towards the east this is the word Mesopotamia and then towards the pleasant land. The pleasant land in verse 9 is the glorious land it is the land of Israel.

In other words that little horn that little king or that king that became very powerful he came out of one of those four kingdoms which came out of the one of the one kingdom which was Alexander the Great the Grecian kingdom. And so he came and it's very much this particular person this little horn in verse 9 is none other but Antiochus Epiphanes. Antiochus the Fourth the one who became the king of Assyria or Syria the Grecian Syrian king. His name was Antiochus. He called himself Antiochus Epiphanes which is really saying the he called himself a person who is God manifest.

Antiochus Epiphanes he wanted to exalt himself. He wanted the he considered himself God manifest. And so as we read here in verse 9 Antiochus reign from 175 BC to 163 BC. Antiochus was a wicked wicked man wicked man who hated the people of Israel the Jewish people. He hated so much the Jewish people that he persecuted the Jewish people in such a way that that Israel became a battleground. You notice it says here in verse 9 he works exceedingly great towards the south. Apparently he had constant fight against Egypt Syria king of the north Egypt king of the south and they had constant fight between the king of the north and the king of the south and in between was the land of Israel.

And then we read so he walks towards the south Egypt towards the east Mesopotamia and notice he walks very great towards the glorious land. It says here in verse nine. So he is the kingdom of Assyria the king of Assyria which rose and became very powerful. His name is Antiochus Epiphanes and he is the wicked kings that oppressed the Jewish people. Now just for a minute I want you to go to the prophet Jeremiah in chapter three. Jeremiah chapter 3 In Jeremiah chapter 3 we read in verse 19 we are speaking about we want to know where is that pleasant land or glorious land as we read in verse nine.

It says in in Jeremiah chapter 3 in verse 19 but I said how shall I put thee among the children and give thee a pleasant land a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations. And I said thou shall call me my father and shall not turn away from me. And give thee a pleasant land. The pleasant land has a reference to the land of Israel. Also please go to Ezekiel chapter 20 and verse 6. Ezekiel chapter 20 and verse 6. Ezekiel chapter 20 verse 6 and I'm reading verse 6 in the day that I lifted up mine hand unto them to bring them forth of the land of Egypt into a land that I had a spies for them flowing with milk and honey which is the glory of all lands.

Again when God brought Israel out of Egypt God had brought Israel into this glorious land. He calls it the glory of all lands when he brought Israel outside of the land of Egypt. One more verse Zechariah chapter 5 Zechariah chapter 7 and verse 14 the last verse. But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. Thus the land was desolate after them that no man passed through nor returned for they laid the pleasant land desolate. And so beloved when we are talking about the pleasant land in the scriptures it has a reference here in chapter 8 to none else but the Holy Land the land of the Bible the land the Promised Land the land that God had promised to give to the nation of Israel.

Of course when we call it Holy we only mean that it's Holy when God has in his authority in the land. Unfortunately it become unholy when the when Israel disobeyed God when the nations have done what they have done to the land it become unholy but it is that pleasant land the land that is flowing with flow with milk and honey. And so in verse 9 we see the rise to power by this Antiochus Epiphanes. Now let me just remind you for a second before I'm going to go to verse 10. We are now exactly celebrating the Jewish holiday which is called Hanukkah the feast of dedication.

Now you can ask yourself how did we arrive to celebrate the feast of Hanukkah? You know one thing for sure we know that we do not know when Jesus was born into this world the exact date we do not know and I can assure you it was not on the 25th of December. But one thing we do know that the Lord Jesus when he came to this world he was walking in a temple in Jerusalem and in in when he was walking in a temple in Jerusalem he was walking in a temple that once needed to be cleansed and dedicated.

In the year of 165 BC the temple in Jerusalem had been cleansed and dedicated by a man by the name of Judah Yehuda Ha Maccabee. Yehuda the Hammer and his family. You know this man by the name Antiochus Epiphanes that we read about him in chapter 8 and verse 9. That wicked man works great exceeding great. And he went towards Egypt and he went all the way towards the east and he went all the way to the Promised Land to the pleasant land. And what do you think he have done there? Antiochus Epiphanes have done such a wicked thing.

He have killed so many Jewish people. It was unbelievable. If you read the story of Hanukkah or the feast of dedication it is amazing how that feast came about. This man Antiochus this man that works so great went into Israel into the pleasant land. And he forbade our Jewish people our own people he forbade them to be circumcised. He forbade them to keep the Shabbat. He forbade them to keep the holidays. He forbade them to keep the religious order and the sacrificial system to go ahead. He stopped this because he wanted to be worshipped and to take the place of God in the temple in Jerusalem.

As you go on now please turn to verse 10 in Daniel chapter 8. Let just see what happened. Let's see what happened. When we are speaking about the feast of dedication in the present day we have to realize that it came from somewhere. There's a history behind it. And the history behind it has to do with chapter 8 of Daniel and verses specially verses 9 to verse 14. Notice now verse 10. We read verse 9 and we see the rise to power of this wicked man in the kingdom of Assyria by the name of a of a Antiochus Epiphanes Antiochus the Fourth.

He reigned from 175 BC to 163 BC and notice what it says in verse 10 and it of course this is this is this horn which you represented Antiochus it worked great. In other words it grew even to the hosts of heaven. In verse 10 we see his war against the Jewish people my people our people. He works against the hosts of heaven. The hosts of heaven really represent the high priest that were representing God in the temple in Jerusalem. He worked against the worked to the to against the hosts of heaven. And then it says that and it cast down some of the hosts of the stars to the ground and he stamped upon them.

Verse 10 really teaches us the war against the Jewish people that that Assyrian king Grecian king Antiochus Epiphanes have made. Notice let me just show you some of the things here. They they worked a great even to the hosts of heaven. The word hosts of heaven has to do with the people of Israel the Jewish people who were here called the hosts of heaven. Now how do I know that the word hosts of heaven here represent the Jewish people? Remember it says in verse 9 he worked exceedingly great towards the pleasant land. So he went to the pleasant land and he worked grew great even to the hosts of heaven.

Now if you underline the word the hosts of heaven and I want you to look at two verses in the Old Testament with me. The first verse is found in Genesis chapter 15 and verse 5. In Genesis chapter 15 and verse 5 God makes a covenant with Abraham the father of the nation of Israel. God made a covenant with Abraham and notice what God says to Abraham in verse 5. And he brought him forth abroad and he said look now towards heaven and tell the stars if thou are able to number them. And he said unto him so shall thy seed be.

Abraham look towards the stars. Can you number the stars? That's how many your descendants are going to be. Now of course I know that many time we take the stars of heaven to represent the heavenly company or the believers from among the Gentiles. And we look at the sand of the sea because he told him can you number the sand of the sea. We usually represent the Jewish people the nation of Israel. But in Antiochus coming to the pleasant land and going against the hosts of heaven this in the pleasant land when it's coming to the time that Antiochus reign has a reference to the Jewish people to the people of Israel.

Now look with me to another interesting verse in Exodus chapter 12 now. Again we're looking at what is the hosts of heaven represent that this wicked king which have been waxing great. What does it represent? Again notice chapter 12 of Exodus. And this time verse 40 chapter 12 and verse 41. Let me read verse 40 also. Now the sojourning of the children of Israel who dwell in Egypt was 430 years. In other words Israel became slaves in Egypt for 430 years. Then verse 41. And it came to pass at the end of the 430 years even the self same day it came to pass that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.

The hosts the armies of the Lord in Exodus 12 and verse 41 is none else by but the children of Israel who came out of Egypt.

Guest (Male): You have been listening to the Holy Scriptures and Israel with Gideon Levitan. Gideon teaches God's word from a Hebrew Messianic perspective. For more information about this ministry write to Holy Scriptures and Israel box 1411 Niagara on the Lake Ontario L0S 1J0 or visit our website at holyscripturesandisrael.com. You are also invited to Gideon's weekly Bible teaching on Fridays at 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. and Saturdays at 1:00 p.m. at Willowdale Christian Assembly Hall 28 Martin Ross Avenue in Toronto. Holy Scriptures and Israel is made possible by your prayers and financial support. If you would like to support the program visit holyscripturesandisrael.com.

God bless you. Shalom Shalom.