Holy Scriptures and Israel

Guest (Male): Shalom. 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 11 we are still under the the God's dealing or God's ruling over Israel during the first 69 weeks. We still receive information of Daniel still receive information about events that were going to happen to the Jewish people, to Daniel's people Israel during the 69 weeks which means from the time of the the Israel being going the Jewish people going back to the land up till the time that really the this the end of the 69 weeks and then of course we have the church age which is the period that is in between the 69 weeks and the final 70th week.

But notice interesting in verse 21 to verse 35 we we deal we we hear about another individual, another king that is really part of the kingdom of the north, the king of the north which is another wicked wicked king which we find in the history of the Jewish people, the history of our people, our Jewish people. And this king is none else but Antiochus Epiphanes. Let me read a little bit about him. First of all, how did he risen to power? In verses 21 to 24 we find out how did he arrive to power? First of all, it says in verse 21 he usurped usurped the throne.

It says here and in his place, this is in the place in the place of that other king that was prior to him, shall stand up a vile person. That evil vile person that is spoken about here is a man by the name of Antiochus Epiphanes. This man, it says here in verse 21, to whom they shall not give the honor of the kingdom, but he shall come in peaceably and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. You see that man Antiochus, he was a wicked king and he have obtained the kingdom by flatteries. We read here in verse 21.

So he usurped the kingdom. It was really not belong to him. He usurped it. He was and again you need to read details about this in history, how he have taken that place, how did he arrive to become that king of the the north. By the way, he reign from 175 to 163 BC. This was the reign of Antiochus that wicked man, that wicked Antiochus Epiphanes. It says in verse 22 now the description of his power, what kind of power he had, it says in verse 22 and with the arms of a flood shall they be overflowed from before him and shall be broken.

Yeah, also the prince of the covenant. By the way, he we read about his power here. We read about the fact that this particular king will will have will be very powerful and it says also that before him flood they flood shall with the arms of a flood shall they be overflowed from before him. In other words, when you talk about the flood has to do with power, with military power, he will will will will be the one that will force himself upon the kings before him, take the kingdom. And then it says here that even the prince of the covenant that has to do with the leaders of Israel who would, if you will, the the prince of the covenant, the the priests, the leadership of Israel would be influenced by that king who will who will try to to produce among the people of Israel, if you will, a Grecian influence, Hellenistic influence.

Then in verse 23 we read about the work of deceit, what he does. He's a deceitful king. In verse 23 and after the league made with him, he shall work deceitfully and he shall come up and shall become strong with a small people. Again, deceitfully he will work deceitfully and they will be made league. He will make league with some of the a few of the leaders of the people of the Jewish people, the people of Israel and they will be influenced by his Hellenistic influences. He will seek to take away everything that has to do with Jewish godly attitude and he will try to influence upon the Jewish people all kind of Hellenistic views.

And then notice in verse 24 we read about him as well. It says here and he shall he shall enter peaceably even upon the the fattest places of the province and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his father's fathers. He shall scattered among them the prey and spoil and riches. Yeah, and he shall, as it says, he shall forecast his devices against the strongholds even for a time. And so in verse 24 it says that he will do things which his fathers have not done nor his father's fathers. He will do certain things that even his forefathers even his forefathers have never done that wicked king by the name of Antiochus.

And so in verse in verse 21 to 24 we see his rise to power and how he have arrived to this position. Then in verse 25 to verse 28 we have the campaign against Egypt, the Egyptians. In verse 25 to verse 28 it was his first campaign. He shall stir up his power and his and his courage against the king of the south. The king of the south is the king of Egypt. With a great army and the king of the south shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army. But he shall not stand for they shall forecast devices against him.

Yeah, they that feed of the portion of his meat shall destroy him and his army shall overflow and many shall fall down slain. Apparently he will be tricked and and and and and those that have been fed by him that we see from him eventually eventually they they they have devices against him as it says in verse 25. And then verse 27 both of these kings hearts shall be to do mischief and they shall speak lies at one fable, but it shall not prosper for yet the end shall be at the time appointed. Then shall he return unto his land with great riches and his heart shall be against the holy covenant and he shall do exploits and return to his own land.

You notice on the way back that he's returning from Egypt, what he's going to do, he's going against through the land of Israel. And he notice what it says here in verse 28, he will return unto his own land with a great riches, verse 28, and his heart shall be against the holy covenant. Again, the holy covenant has to do with the people of Israel, with the Jewish people. And when he's going to return, he's going to to make havoc to the Jewish people. I marked for myself here on his return from Egypt he heard of the Jewish revolt desiring independence.

He was so furious that what did he do? He killed 49,000 Jewish people and then he sold an additional 40,000 Jewish people as slaves. That's what he did when he came back from his war against Egypt on his first campaign against the Egyptians, against the king of the south. Again, in the middle the Jewish people, always in the middle. And again, the the suffering that we see here, the problems that the Jewish people had experienced from the king of the north and the king of the south. But specifically here we have that vile person is mentioned in verse 21 really namely Antiochus Epiphanes.

Now let me just make couple more points here before we we going to get get to verse 35. In verse 29 and the first part of verse 30 we see another campaign that he had against Egypt. It's not the second campaign, it's the third campaign against Egypt. And again, let me read that. For the ships of Shittim shall come I should say I should read verse actually verse 29. At the time appointed he shall return. You see he is going again again another war. And he will come towards the south. Again he's coming towards the south, but it shall not be as the former or as the latter.

For the ships of the Shittim shall come against him. Therefore he shall be grieved and return and have indignation against the holy covenant. Again, you notice again he's going to be upset and again he's coming back again against the holy covenant which again has to do with the people of Israel, the Jewish people. Now beloved this is history is being told Daniel before it's happening. And you and I of course look today back to events that have happened and there are some people who put it for us on paper to read history, but as far as Daniel is concerned, it was given to him to look to the future of events that were going to happen.

So his rise to power verses 21 to 24. The first campaign against the Egyptians, verse 25 to 28. The third campaign against the Egyptians, verse 29 and verse 38. Then fourthly in this connection the second part of verse 30 to verse 35 the persecution of the Jewish people. Look at this. Let me read that. It says in verse 30 B. It says this. He shall even return and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant. This will be some Jewish people who will really going to be what we call it apostate Jewish people who will agree to follow after him.

So if it says in verse 30 at the end they them that forsake the holy covenant, you know it is amazing in the history of Israel how you find out those that have been faithful to the word of God. But there were always those just the same like in the day of the church age in which we live in. There are those who willing to forsake the truth of the word of God. Well here we find out there were those who, as it says here, they forsook the holy covenant. There were Jewish individuals that agreed with the lifestyle that Antiochus have have introduced to the people of Israel, to the Jewish people in the land of Israel.

And so, as it says here in verse 30 B, he shall return and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant. Verse 31, arms shall stand on his part and they shall pollute the sanctuary and and of strength and shall take away the daily sacrifice. And they shall put or shall place there the abomination which maketh desolation. Now again I want you to notice this happened historically to the Jewish people in the land of Israel infect the whole feast which we call the feast of dedication, the feast of Hanukkah happened historically in the past.

After the abomination of desolation had been set in the temple in Jerusalem where this man by the name of Antiochus have really placed an image to to an image and and also a an altar and they and they and they put pigs the offer to Zeus in the temple of God. As it says here he have stopped, he have caused to stop the the the daily sacrifices. And then what he did, they shall place there the abomination which maketh desolation. Now what we see here is a picture, a mini picture of the future day when the Antichrist, the counterfeit Messiah will come and will also do even worse than what we see here in a in a time of Antiochus Epiphanes.

Now if you just for a minute go back to chapter 8 for a second. Just put your finger here and go back to chapter 8. So verse 30 and 31 which we have read is the persecution of the Jews. Just go back to chapter 8 of Daniel. We have studied that already. In chapter 8 we read in verse 9. Chapter 8 in verse 9. Out of one of them came a little horn which waxed exceeding great towards the south and towards the east and towards the pleasant land. That little horn is Antiochus Epiphanes. Verse 10 and it waxed great even to the host of heaven.

And again we remember there when it speaks about the host of heaven has to do with the host of heaven has to do with the Jewish people, the people of Israel. And it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground and he stamped upon them. And then verse 11 he magnified himself. He magnified himself. And then we continue and we says even to to the prince of the host and so and notice it says in verse 11 and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.

And a host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression and it cast down the truth to the ground and it practiced and prospered. And then you remember verse 13 of chapter 8 you said how long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice? And the answer was unto two verse 14 unto 2,300 days. Then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. You remember we talked about it already that the sanctuary had been cleansed in 165 BC. It was the persecution of the Jews and finally when the Maccabees, this was the the revolt of some of the Jewish people who revolted against the Greek Assyrian Greek Syrian a king and the army and eventually they have cleansed the temple from what Antiochus Epiphanes have done.

And so back to chapter 11 in verses 32 to to 35 notice the response of the Jewish people. You know when he put the abomination of desolation and image of Zeus and pigs have been have been offered on the altar there in verses 30 and 31. Then we have in verse 32 to 35 the response of the Jewish people. Notice first of all in verse 32 um the corrupting of some Jewish individual. Notice verse 32 and such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries. Again these some such which do wickedly against the covenant.

Again these are some Jewish individuals that have been corrupted by him through flatteries. Oh, you know he's talking he's a he's a he's a great talker that king have been. Then in verse 32 B we have the faithful Jewish people. It says but the people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits. You know there will be those who would believe in the God of Israel and will not allow him to do and not not not submit to Antiochus and to his flattery. Then verse 33 the godly Jewish people will teach others the proper way, verse 33.

And they that understand in Hebrew the word maskil last skill to understand, they that understand among the people shall instruct many. They will instruct many. Yet they shall fall by the sword and by flame, by captivity and by spoil for many days. You know there will be those godly Jewish people in the time of Antiochus. They will not follow after him, but they will pay a price for that. They will pay a price for that. By the way, the you know the Mattathias the story, you know the story of the Maccabees, there was a man by the name of Mattathias.

And Mattathias lived in an area not too far from Jerusalem. And there he had five sons and one of them was Judah, Judah the Maccabee. They called them Maccabee means Maccabee means the hammer, the hammers. And they were the ones that were hammering against the Syrian army. They had the they have arranged a kind of a military army that was really they were they were fleeing or running away and then attacking the Syrian every time they were attacking the the armies of the Syrian, the Greek Syrian who were who were influencing the people of Israel.

Now those the those are the ones that they have they have attacked and they have attacked they have instructed the people of Israel. They have not offered any pigs on the altar. They have not worshipped Zeus and so on. But you know what happened? They they say that all the sons of Mattathias have died, but none of them have died through natural way. All of them have died for the sake of fighting the fight against the Assyrian. And the beauty was a beautiful story. There is a there is a story that we often read at home the story of Hanukkah, the feast of dedication, how because of these Maccabees, because of these men who stood for the truth of God, we have a temple.

We had a temple and not too many years later guess who came to this temple and was walking in the temple in the feast of dedication. John chapter 10 the Lord Jesus the Messiah walking in this temple in John chapter in the feast of dedication. But of course by that time the vast majority of the the influence of the the the the Pharisaic influence had been when the Messiah had come Israel did not recognize that the Lord Yeshua, the Lord Jesus is truly the Messiah. But when we are speaking here about the daily sacrifice in verse 31, the abomination which make us desolate in verse 31, is we are speaking about the temple.

And we are speaking about the the image of Zeus placed in the temple. The daily sacrifices which God had given the people of Israel to be placed upon the altar stopped because of Antiochus Epiphanes. Well quickly a few more points here that we want to mention. In verse 34 there is a help that the people of Israel received from that Maccabees that I have been mentioned in verse 34. Now when they shall fall they shall be helped with a little help. But many shall cleave to them with flatteries. You see again the help that they will receive they will receive from the Maccabees who will not follow Antiochus.

But somehow, as it says here, many shall cleave to them with flatteries. And then verse 35 God sometime allow persecution for his people in order to chasten them and to bring him to himself. God sometime allows it. In verse 35 and some of them of understanding shall fall to try them and to purge and to make them white even to the time of the end because it is yet for a time appointed. Now as you as we study this, as you look at these verses, you know sometime we ask the reason why does God allow persecution to his people?

Why does God allow us as believers today sometime to go through persecutions and trials? Well you know we can read some verses like Romans 8:28 for we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Well God had a purpose for Israel and that's what God is telling Daniel through this man, this angel. There are certain events that are going to happen to your people until the fullness of time will come and no more. And so verse 35 it says listen some of them of understanding shall fall to try them to purge, to make them white.

Even notice his expression, even to the time of the end because it is yet for a time appointed. God was telling to Daniel through this man when Daniel was so much concerned about what's going to happen with the future of the people of God, the people of Israel. God says listen, here's what's going to happen. Chapter 11 verse 1 all the way to verse 35, I should say verse 2 all the way to verse 35 has to do with events that were going to happen to the Jewish people during the 69 weeks of Daniel of of of Daniel chapter 9.

69 weeks take them all the way up till when? Up till the time of the if you will up till the time when the 70th week began and the 70th week which we began has to do with the tribulation period. Which means that as far as you and I concerned the 70th week is still in the past in the future. What's happening from verse 2 to verse 35 is is totally has to do with history. In fact most Bible teachers believe that between verse 35 and verse 36 there's a gap of time which is really the church age today.

Verse 36 takes us all the way to the future. As far as we are concerned, verse 35 and before verse 35 of verse 2 is still past tense. Take us all the way to the history of the Jewish people up till the time like including even today, but the church age is not seen here in this in this junction in these verses.

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 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.