D
A N I E L
CHAP. XI.
The
angel Gabriel, in this chapter, performs his promise made to Daniel in the
foregoing chapter, that he would "show him what should befal his people
in the latter days," according to that which was "written in the
scriptures of truth:" very particularly does he here foretel the
succession of the kings of Persia and Grecia, and the affairs of their
kingdoms, especially the mischief which Antiochus Epiphanes did in his time to
the church, which was foretold before (ch. viii. 11-12). Here is, I. A
brief prediction of the setting up of the Grecian monarchy upon the ruins of
the Persian monarchy, which was now newly begun, ver. 1-4. II. A prediction of
the affairs of the two kingdoms of Egypt and Syria, with reference to each
other, ver. 5-20. III. Of the rise of Antiochus Epiphanes, and his actions and
successes, ver. 21-29. IV. Of the great mischief that he should do to the
Jewish nation and religion, and his contempt of all religion, ver. 30-39. V.
Of his fall and ruin at last, when he is in the heat of his pursuit, ver.
40-45.
|
Ruin
of the Persian Monarchy.
|
B.
C. 534.
|
|
|
1 Also I in the first year of Darius the Mede, even
I, stood to confirm and to strengthen him. 2 And now will I show
thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and
the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and by his strength
through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia.
3 And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and
do according to his will. 4 And when he shall stand up, his
kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven;
and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he ruled: for
his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those.
Here, 1. The angel Gabriel lets Daniel know the good service he has done to
the Jewish nation (v. 1): "In the first year of Darius the
Mede, who destroyed Babylon and released the Jews out of that house of
bondage, I stood a strength and fortress to him, that is, I was
instrumental to protect him, and give him success in his ward, and, after he
had conquered Babylon, to confirm him in his resolution to release the
Jews," which, it is likely, met with much opposition. Thus by the angel,
and at the request of the watcher, the golden head was broken, and the
axe laid to the root of the tree. Note, We must acknowledge the hand of God in
the strengthening of those that are friends to the church for the service they
are to do it, and confirming them in their good resolutions; herein he uses
the ministry of angels more than we are aware of. And the many instances we
have known of God's care of his church formerly encourage us to depend upon
him in further straits and difficulties. 2. He foretels the reign of four
Persian kings (v. 2): Now I will tell thee the truth, that is,
the true meaning of the visions of the great image, and of the four beasts,
and expound in plain terms what was before represented by dark types. (1.)
There shall stand up three kings in Persia, besides Darius, in whose
reign this prophecy is dated, ch. ix. 1. Mr. Broughton makes these
three to be Cyrus, Artaxasta or Artaxerxes, called by the Greeks Cambyses,
and Ahasuerus that married Esther, called Darius son of Hystaspes. To
these three the Persians gave these attributes--Cyrus was a father, Cambyses a
master, and Darius a hoarder up. So Herodotus. (2.) There shall be a fourth, far
richer than they all, that is, Xerxes, of whose wealth the Greek authors
take notice. By his strength (his vast army, consisting of 800,000 men
at least) and his riches, with which he maintained and paid that vast
army, he stirred up all against the realm of Greece. Xerxes's
expedition against Greece is famous in history, and the shameful defeat that
he met with. He who when he went out was the terror of Greece in his return
was the scorn of Greece. Daniel needed not to be told what disappointment he
would meet with, for he was a hinderer of the building of the temple; but soon
after, about thirty years after the first return from captivity, Darius, a
young king, revived the building of the temple, owning the hand of God against
his predecessors for hindering it, Ezra vi. 7. 3. He foretels Alexander's
conquests and the partition of his kingdom, v. 3. He is that mighty
king that shall stand up against the kings of Persia, and he shall rule
with great dominion, over many kingdoms, and with a despotic power, for he
shall do according to his will, and undo likewise, which, by the law of
the Medes and Persians, their kings could not. When Alexander, after he had
conquered Asia, would be worshipped as a god, then this was fulfilled, that he
shall do according to his will. That is God's prerogative, but was his
pretension. But (v. 4) his kingdom shall soon be broken,
and divided into four parts, but not to his posterity, nor shall
any of his successors reign according to his dominion; none of them
shall have such large territories nor such an absolute power. His kingdom
was plucked up for others besides those of his own family. Arideus, his
brother, was made king in Macedonia; Olympias, Alexander's mother, killed him,
and poisoned Alexander's two sons, Hercules and Alexander. Thus was his family
rooted out by its own hands. See what decaying perishing things worldly pomp
and possessions are, and the powers by which they are got. Never was the
vanity of the world and its greatest things shown more evidently than in the
story of Alexander. All is vanity and vexation of spirit.
|
The
Affairs of Egypt and Syria; The Reign of Antiochus Magnus;
The Fall of Antiochus Magnus.
B. C. 534.
|
|
|
|
5 And the king of the south shall be strong,
and one of his princes; and he shall be strong above him, and have
dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion. 6 And in
the end of years they shall join themselves together; for the king's daughter
of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement: but she
shall not retain the power of the arm; neither shall he stand, nor his arm:
but she shall be given up, and they that brought her, and he that begat her,
and he that strengthened her in these times. 7 But out of a
branch of her roots shall one stand up in his estate, which shall come
with an army, and shall enter into the fortress of the king of the north, and
shall deal against them, and shall prevail: 8 And shall also carry
captives into Egypt their gods, with their princes, and with their
precious vessels of silver and of gold; and he shall continue more
years than the king of the north. 9 So the king of the south shall
come into his kingdom, and shall return into his own land.
10 But his sons shall be stirred up, and shall assemble a multitude of great
forces: and one shall certainly come, and overflow, and pass through:
then shall he return, and be stirred up, even to his fortress.
11 And the king of the south shall be moved with choler, and shall come forth
and fight with him, even with the king of the north: and he shall set
forth a great multitude; but the multitude shall be given into his hand.
12 And when he hath taken away the multitude, his heart shall be lifted
up; and he shall cast down many ten thousands: but he shall not be
strengthened by it. 13 For the king of the north shall
return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former, and shall
certainly come after certain years with a great army and with much
riches. 14 And in those times there shall many stand up against
the king of the south: also the robbers of thy people shall exalt themselves
to establish the vision; but they shall fall. 15 So the king of
the north shall come, and cast up a mount, and take the most fenced cities:
and the arms of the south shall not withstand, neither his chosen people,
neither shall there be any strength to withstand. 16 But he
that cometh against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall
stand before him: and he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand
shall be consumed. 17 He shall also set his face to enter with the
strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; thus shall he do:
and he shall give him the daughter of women, corrupting her: but she shall not
stand on his side, neither be for him. 18 After this shall
he turn his face unto the isles, and shall take many: but a prince for his own
behalf shall cause the reproach offered by him to cease; without his own
reproach he shall cause it to turn upon him. 19 Then he
shall turn his face toward the fort of his own land: but he shall stumble and
fall, and not be found. 20 Then shall stand up in his estate a
raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom: but within few days he
shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle.
Here are foretold,
I. The rise and power of two great kingdoms out of the remains of Alexander's
conquests, v. 5. 1. The kingdom of Egypt, which was made considerable
by Ptolemæus Lagus, one of Alexander's captains, whose successors were, from
him, called the Lagidæ. He is called the king of the south,
that is, Egypt, named here, v. 8, 42, 43. The countries that at first
belonged to Ptolemy are reckoned to be Egypt, Phœnicia, Arabia, Libya,
Ethiopia, &c. Theocr. Idyl. 17. 2. The kingdom of Syria, which was set up
by Seleucus Nicanor, or the conqueror; he was one of Alexander's
princes, and became stronger than the other, and had the greatest dominion
of all, was the most powerful of all Alexander's successors. It was said
that he had no fewer than seven-two kingdoms under him. Both these were strong
against Judah (the affairs of which are particularly eyed in this prediction);
Ptolemy, soon after he gained Egypt, invaded Judea, and took Jerusalem on a
sabbath, pretending a friendly visit. Seleucus also gave disturbance to
Judea.
II. The fruitless attempt to unite these two kingdoms as iron and clay in
Nebuchadnezzar's image (v. 6): "At the end of certain years,
about seventy after Alexander's death, the Lagidæ and the Seleucidæ shall
associate, but not in sincerity. Ptolemy Philadelphus, king of Egypt, shall
marry his daughter Berenice to Antiochus Theos, king of Syria," who had
already a wife called Laodice. "Berenice shall come to the king
of the north, to make an agreement, but it shall not hold: She shall
not retain the power of the arm; neither she nor her posterity shall
establish themselves in the kingdom of the north, neither shall Ptolemy her
father, nor Antiochus her husband (between whom there was to be a great
alliance), stand, nor their arm, but she shall be given up and those
that brought her," all that projected that unhappy marriage between
her and Antiochus, which occasioned so much mischief, instead of producing a
coalition between the northern and southern crowns, as was hoped. Antiochus
divorced Berenice, took his former wife Laodice again, who soon after poisoned
him, procured Berenice and her son to be murdered, and set up her own son by
Antiochus to be king, who was called Seleucus Callinicus.
III. A war between the two kingdoms, v. 7, 8. A branch from the same
root with Berenice shall stand up in his estate. Ptolemæus Euergetes,
the son and successor of Ptolemæus Philadelphus, shall come with an army
against Seleucus Callinicus, king of Syria, to avenge his sister's quarrel,
and shall prevail; and he shall carry away a rich booty both of persons and
goods into Egypt, and shall continue more years than the king of the north.
This Ptolemy reigned forty-six years; and Justin says that if his own affairs
had not called him home he would, in this war, have made himself master of the
whole kingdom of Syria. But (v. 9) he shall be forced to come into
his kingdom and return into his own land, to keep peace there, so
that he can no longer carry on the war abroad. Note, It is very common for a
treacherous peace to end in a bloody war.
IV. The long and busy reign of Antiochus the Great, king of Syria.
Seleucus Callinicus, that king of the north that was overcome (v. 7)
and died miserably, left two sons, Seleucus and Antiochus; these are his sons,
the sons of the king of the north, that shall be stirred up, and
shall assemble a multitude of great forces, to recover what their father
had lost, v. 10. But Seleucus the elder, being weak, and unable to rule
his army, was poisoned by his friends, and reigned only two years; and his
brother Antiochus succeeded him, who reigned thirty-seven years, and was
called the Great. And therefore the angel, though he speaks of sons
at first, goes on with the account of one only, who was but fifteen
years old when he began to reign, and he shall certainly come, and
overflow, and over-run, and shall be restored at length to
what his father lost. 1. The king of the south, in this war, shall at
first have very great success. Ptolemæus Philopater, moved with indignation
at the indignities done by Antiochus the Great, shall (though otherwise
a slothful prince) come forth, and fight with him, and shall bring a
vast army into the field of 70,000 foot, and 5000 horse, and seventy-three
elephants. And the other multitude (the army of Antiochus, consisting
of 62,000 foot, and 6000 horse, and 102 elephants) shall be given into his
hand. Polybius, who lived with Scipio, has given a particular account of
this battle of Raphia. Ptolemæus Philopater, having gained this victory, grew
very insolent; his heart was lifted up; then he went into the temple of
God at Jerusalem, and, in defiance of the law, entered the most holy place,
for which God has a controversy with him, so that, though he shall cast
down many myriads, yet he shall not be strengthened by it, so as to
secure his interest. For, 2. The king of the north, Antiochus the Great,
shall return with a greater army than the former; and, at
the end of times (that is, years) he shall come with a mighty army,
and great riches, against the king of the south, that is, Ptolemæus
Epiphanes, who succeeded Ptolemæus Philopater his father, when he was a
child, which gave advantage to Antiochus the Great. In this expedition he had
some powerful allies (v. 14): Many shall stand up against the king
of the south. Philip of Macedon was confederate with Antiochus against the
king of Egypt, and Scopas his general, whom he sent into Syria; Antiochus
routed him, destroyed a great part of his army; whereupon the Jews willingly
yielded to Antiochus, joined with him, helped him to besiege Ptolemæus's
garrisons. They the robbers of thy people shall exalt themselves to
establish the vision, to help forward the accomplishment of this prophecy;
but they shall fall, and shall come to nothing, v. 14. Hereupon
(v. 15) the king of the north, this same Antiochus Magnus, shall
carry on his design against the king of the south another way. (1.) He shall
surprise his strong-holds; all that he has got in Syria and Samaria, and the
arms of the south, all the power of the king of Egypt, shall not be able to
withstand him. See how dubious and variable the turns of the scale of war are;
like buying and selling, it is winning and losing; sometimes one side gets the
better and sometimes the other; yet neither by chance; it is not, as they call
it, the fortune of war, but according to the will and counsel of God,
who brings some low and raises others up. (2.) He shall make himself master of
the land of Judea (v. 16): He that comes against him (that is,
the king of the north) shall carry all before him and do what he pleases, and he
shall stand and get footing in the glorious land; so the land of
Israel was, and by his hand it was wasted and consumed, for with the
spoil of that good land he victualled his vast army. The land of Judea lay
between these two potent kingdoms of Egypt and Syria, so that in all the
struggles between them that was sure to suffer, for to it they both bore ill
will. Yet some read this, By his hand it shall be perfected; as if
it intimated that the land of Judea, being taken under the protection of this
Antiochus, shall flourish, and be in better condition than it had been. (3.)
He shall still push on his war against the king of Egypt, and set his face
to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, taking advantage of
the infancy of Ptolemy Epiphanes, and the upright ones, many of the
pious Israelites, siding with him, v. 17. In prosecution of his design,
he shall give him his daughter Cleopatra to wife, designing, as Saul in giving
his daughter Cleopatra to David, that she should be a snare to him, and
do him a mischief; but she shall not stand on her father's side, nor be
for him, but for her husband, and so that plot failed him. (4.) His war
with the Romans is here foretold (v. 18): He shall turn his face to
the isles (v. 18), the isles of the Gentiles (Gen. x. 5), Greece
and Italy. He took many of the isles about the Hellespont-Rhodes, Samos,
Delos, &c., which by war or treaty he made himself master of; but a prince,
or state (so some), even the Roman senate, or a leader, even the
Roman general, shall return his reproach with which he abused the
Romans upon himself, or shall make his shame rest on himself,
and without his own shame, or any disgrace to himself, shall pay him
again. This was fulfilled when the two Scipios were sent with an army
against Antiochus. Hannibal was then with him, and advised him to invade Italy
and waste it as he had done; but he did not take hid advice; and Scipio joined
battle with him, and gave him a total defeat, though Antiochus had 70,000 men
and the Romans but 30,000. Thus he caused the reproach offered by him to
cease. (5.) His fall. When he was totally routed by the Romans, and was
forced to abandon to them all he had in Europe, and had a very heavy tribute
exacted from him, he turned to his own land, and, not knowing which way
to raise money to pay his tribute, he plundered a temple of Jupiter, which so
incensed his own subjects against him that they set upon him, and killed him;
so he was overthrown, and fell, and was no more found, v.
19. (6.) His next successor, v. 20. There rose up one in his place, a raiser
of taxes, a sender forth of the extortioner, or extorter. This
character was remarkably answered in Seleucus Philopater, the elder son of
Antiochus the Great, who was a great oppressor of his own subjects, and
exacted abundance of money from them; and, when he was told he would thereby
lose his friends, he said he knew no better friend he had then money.
He likewise attempted to rob the temple at Jerusalem, which this seems
especially to refer to. But within a few days he shall be destroyed,
neither in anger nor in battle, but poisoned by Heliodorus, one of his own
servants, when he had reigned but twelve years, and done nothing remarkable.
V. From all this let us learn, 1. That God in his providence sets up one, and
pulls down another, as he pleases, advances some from low beginnings and
depresses others that were very high. Some have called great men the foot-balls
of fortune; or, rather, they are the tools of Providence. 2. This
world is full of wars and fightings, which come from men's lusts,
and make it a theatre of sin and misery. 3. All the changes and revolutions of
states and kingdoms, and every event, even the most minute and contingent,
were plainly and perfectly foreseen by the God of heaven, and to him nothing
is new. 4. No word of God shall fall to the ground; but what he has
designed, what he has declared, shall infallibly come to pass; and even the
sins of men shall be made to serve his purpose, and contribute to the b
ringing of his counsels to birth in their season; and yet God is not the
author of sin. 5. That, for the right understanding of some parts of
scripture, it is necessary that heathen authors be consulted, which give light
to the scripture, and show the accomplishment of what is there foretold; we
have therefore reason to bless God for the human learning with which many have
done great service to divine truths.
|
The
Reign of Antiochus Epiphanes; Cruelty and Impiety of Antiochus;
The Death of Antiochus.
B. C. 534.
|
|
|
|
21 And in his estate shall stand up a vile
person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall
come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. 22 And
with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be
broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant. 23 And after the
league made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up,
and shall become strong with a small people. 24 He shall enter
peaceably even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that
which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers' fathers; he shall scatter
among them the prey, and spoil, and riches: yea, and he shall forecast
his devices against the strong holds, even for a time. 25 And he
shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south 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. 26 Yea, they that feed of the portion of his
meat shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow: and many shall fall down
slain. 27 And both these kings' hearts shall be to do
mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not prosper:
for yet the end shall be at the time appointed. 28 Then
shall he return into 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. 29 At the time appointed he shall return, and come
toward the south; but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter.
30 For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be
grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall
he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the
holy covenant. 31 And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall
pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice,
and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate. 32 And
such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but
the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.
33 And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they
shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many
days. 34 Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a
little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries. 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. 36 And the king shall do
according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above
every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and
shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is
determined shall be done. 37 Neither shall he regard the God of
his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify
himself above all. 38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of
forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and
silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things. 39 Thus
shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall
acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule
over many, and shall divide the land for gain. 40 And at the time
of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north
shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and
with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and
pass over. 41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many
countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even
Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. 42 He
shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt
shall not escape. 43 But he shall have power over the treasures of
gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans
and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps. 44 But tidings
out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go
forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.
45 And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the
glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.
All this is a prophecy of the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes, the little horn
spoken of before (ch. viii. 9) a sworn enemy to the Jewish religion,
and a bitter persecutor of those that adhered to it. What troubles the Jews
met with in the reigns of the Persian kings were not so particularly foretold
to Daniel as these, because then they had living prophets with them, Haggai
and Zechariah, to encourage them; but these troubles in the days of Antiochus
were foretold, because, before that time, prophecy would cease, and they would
find it necessary to have recourse to the written word. Some things in this
prediction concerning Antiochus are alluded to in the New-Testament
predictions of the antichrist, especially v. 36, 37. And as it is usual
with the prophets, when they foretel the prosperity of the Jewish church, to
make use of such expressions as were applicable to the kingdom of Christ,
and insensibly to slide into a prophecy of that, so, when they foretel the
troubles of the church, they make use of such expressions as have a further
reference to the kingdom of the antichrist, the rise and ruin of that. Now
concerning Antiochus, the angel foretels here,
I. His character: He shall be a vile person. He called himself Epiphanes--the
illustrious, but his character was the reverse of his surname. The heathen
writers describe him to be an odd-humoured man, rude and boisterous,
base and sordid. He would sometimes steal out of the court into the city, and
herd with any infamous company incognito--in disguise he made himself a
companion of the common sort, and of the basest strangers that came to town.
He had the most unaccountable whims, so that some took him to be silly, others
to be mad. Hence he was called Epimanes--the madman. He is called a vile
person, for he had been a long time a hostage at Rome for the fidelity of
his father when the Romans had subdued him; and it was agreed that, when the
other hostages were exchanged, he should continue a prisoner at large.
II. His accession to the crown. By a trick he got his elder brother's son,
Demetrius, to be sent a hostage to Rome, in exchange for him, contrary to the
cartel; and, his elder brother being made away with by Heliodorus (v.
20), he took the kingdom. The states of Syria did not give it to him
(v. 21), because they knew it belonged to his elder brother's son, nor
did he get it by the sword, but came in peaceably, pretending to reign
for his brother's son, Demetrius, then a hostage at Rome. But with the help of
Eumenes and Attalus, neighbouring princes, he gained an interest in the
people, and by flatteries obtained the kingdom, established himself in
it, and crushed Heliodorus, who made head against him with the arms of a
flood; those that opposed him were overflown and broken before
him, even the prince of the covenant, his nephew, the rightful
heir, whom he pretended to covenant with that he would resign to him whenever
he should return, v. 22. But (v. 23) after the league made
with him he shall work deceitfully, as one whose avowed maxim it is that
princes ought not to be bound by their word any longer than it is for their
interest. And with a small people, that at first cleave to him, he
shall become strong, and (v. 24) he shall enter peaceably
upon the fattest places of the kingdom of Syria, and, very unlike his
predecessors, shall scatter among the people the prey, and the
spoil, and riches, to insinuate himself into their affections; but, at the
same time, he shall forecast his devices against the strong-holds, to
make himself master of them, so that his generosity shall last but for a time;
when he has got the garrisons into his hands he will scatter his spoil no
more, but rule by force, as those commonly do that come in by fraud. He that
comes in like a fox reigns like a lion. Some understand these verses of his
first expedition into Egypt, when he came not as an enemy, but as a friend and
guardian to the young king Ptolemæus Philometer, and therefore brought with
him but few followers, yet those stout men, and faithful to his interest, whom
he placed in divers of the strong-holds in Egypt, thereby making himself
master of them.
III. His war with Egypt, which was his second expedition thither. This is
described, v. 25, 27. Antiochus shall stir up his power and courage
against Ptolemæus Philometer king of Egypt. Ptolemy, thereupon, shall be
stirred up to battle against him, shall come against him with a very
great and mighty army; but Ptolemy, though he has such a vast army, shall
not be able to stand before him; for Antiochus's army shall overthrow
his, and overpower it, and great multitudes of the Egyptian army shall fall
down slain. And no marvel, for the king of Egypt shall be betrayed by his
own counsellors; those that feed of the portion of his meat, that eat
of his bread and live upon him, being bribed by Antiochus, shall forecast
devices against him, and even they shall destroy him; and what
fence is there against such treachery? After the battle, a treaty of peace
shall be set on foot, and these two kings shall meet at one council-board,
to adjust the articles of peace between them; but they shall neither of them
be sincere in it, for they shall, in their pretences and promises of amity and
friendship, lie to one another, for their hearts shall be at the same
time to do one another all the mischief they can. And then no marvel that it
shall not prosper. The peace shall not last; but the end of it
shall be at the time appointed in the divine Providence, and then the
war shall break out again, as a sore that is only skinned over.
IV. Another expedition against Egypt. From the former he returned with
great riches (v. 28), and therefore took the first occasion to
invade Egypt again, at the time appointed by the divine Providence, two
years after, in the eighth year of his reign, v. 29. He shall come towards
the south. But this attempt shall not succeed, as the two former did, nor
shall he gain his point, as he had done before once and again; for (v.
30) the ships of Chittim shall come against him, that is, the navy of
the Romans, or only ambassadors from the Roman senate, who came in ships.
Ptolemæus Philometer, king of Egypt, being now in a strict alliance with the
Romans, craved their aid against Antiochus, who had besieged him and his
mother Cleopatra in the city of Alexandria. The Roman senate thereupon sent an
embassy to Antiochus, to command him to raise the siege, and, when he desired
some time to consider of it and consult with his friends about it, Popilius,
one of the ambassadors, with his staff drew a circle about him, and told him,
as one having authority, he should give a positive answer before he came out
of that circle; whereupon, fearing the Roman power, he was forced immediately
to give orders for the raising of the siege and the retreat of his army out of
Egypt. So Livy and others relate the story which this prophecy refers to. He
shall be grieved, and return; for it was a great vexation to him to be
forced to yield thus.
V. His rage and cruel practices against the Jews. This is that part of his
government, or mis-government rather, which is most enlarged upon in this
prediction. In his return from his expedition into Egypt (which is prophesied
of, v. 28) he did exploits against the Jews, in the sixth year
of his reign; then he spoiled the city and temple. But the most terrible storm
was in his return from Egypt, two years after, prophesied of v. 30.
Then he took Judea in his way home; and, because he could not gain his point
in Egypt by reason of the Romans interposing, he wreaked his revenge upon the
poor Jews, who gave him no provocation, but had greatly provoked God to permit
him to do it, Dan. viii. 23.
1. He had a rooted antipathy to the Jews' religion: His heart was against
the holy covenant, v. 28. And (v. 30) he had indignation
against the holy covenant, that covenant of peculiarity by which the Jews
were incorporated a people distinct from all other nations, and dignified
above them. He hated the law of Moses and the worship of the true God, and was
vexed at the privileges of the Jewish nation and the promises made to them.
Note, That which is the hope and joy of the people of God is the envy of their
neighbours, and that is the holy covenant. Esau hated Jacob because he
had got the blessing. Those that are strangers to the covenant are often
enemies to it.
2. He carried on his malicious designs against the Jews by the assistance of
some perfidious apostate Jews. He kept up intelligence with those that
forsook the holy covenant (v. 30), some of the Jews that were false
to their religion, and introduced the customs of the heathen, with whom they
made a covenant. See the fulfilling of this, 1 Mac. i. 11-15, where it is
expressly said, concerning those renegado Jews, that they made themselves
uncircumcised and forsook the holy covenant. We read (2 Mac. iv. 9) of
Jason, the brother of Onias the high priest, who by the appointment of
Antiochus set up a school at Jerusalem, for the training up of youth in the
fashions of the heathen; and (2 Mac. iv. 23, &c.) of Menelaus, who
fell in with the interests of Antiochus, and was the man that helped him into
Jerusalem, now in his last return from Egypt. We read much in the book of the
Maccabees of the mischief done to the Jews by these treacherous men of their
own nation, Jason and Menelaus, and their party. These upon all occasions he
made use of. "Such as do wickedly against the covenant, such as
throw up their religion, and comply with the heathen, he shall corrupt with
flatteries, to harden them in their apostasy, and to make use of them as
decoys to draw in others," v. 32. Note, It is not strange if those
who do not live up to their religion, but in their conversations do
wickedly against the covenant, are easily corrupted by flatteries
to quit their religion. Those that make shipwreck of a good conscience will
soon make shipwreck of the faith.
3. He profaned the temple. Arms stand on his part (v. 31), not
only his own army which he now brought from Egypt, but a great party of
deserters from the Jewish religion that joined with them; and they polluted
the sanctuary of strength, not only the holy city, but the temple. The
story of this we have, 1 Mac. i. 21, &c. He entered proudly into the
sanctuary, took away the golden altar, and the candlestick, &c.
And therefore (v. 25) there was a great mourning in Israel; the
princes and elders mourned, &c. And (2 Mac. v. 15, &c.) Antiochus
went into the most holy temple, Menelaus, that traitor to the laws and to his
own country, being his guide. Antiochus, having resolved to bring all
about him to be of his religion, took away the daily sacrifice, v.
31. Some observe that the word Tammidh, which signifies no more than daily,
is only here, and in the parallel place, used for the daily sacrifice,
as if there were a designed liberty left to supply it either with sacrifice,
which was suppressed by Antiochus, or with gospel-worship, which was
suppressed by the Antichrist. Then he set up the abomination of desolation
upon the altar (1 Mac. i. 54), even an idol altar (v. 59),
and called the temple the temple of Jupiter Olympius, 2 Mac. vi. 2.
4. He persecuted those who retained their integrity. Though there are many who
forsake the covenant and do wickedly against it, yet there is a
people who do know their God and retain the knowledge of him, and they
shall be strong and do exploits, v. 32. When others yield to the
tyrant's demands, and surrender their consciences to his impositions, they
bravely keep their ground, resist the temptation, and make the tyrant himself
ashamed of his attempt upon them. Good old Eleazar, one of the principal
scribes, when he had swine's flesh thrust into his mouth, did bravely spit
it out again, though he knew he must be tormented to death for so doing, and
was so, 2 Mac. vi. 19. The mother and her seven sons were put to death for
adhering to their religion, 2 Mac. vii. This might well be called doing
exploits; for to choose suffering rather than sin is a great exploit. And
it was by faith, by being strong in faith, that they did those
exploits, that they were tortured, not accepting deliverance, as the
apostle speaks, probably with reference to that story, Heb. xi. 35. Or it may
refer to the military courage and achievements of Judas Maccabæus and others
in opposition to Antiochus. Note, The right knowledge of God is, and will be,
the strength of the soul, and, in the strength of that, gracious souls do
exploits. Those that know his name will put their trust in him, and by
that trust will do great things. Now, concerning this people that knew their
God, we are here told, (1.) That they shall instruct many, v.
33. They shall make it their business to show others what they have learned
themselves of the difference between truth and falsehood, good and evil. Note,
Those that have the knowledge of God themselves should communicate their
knowledge to those about them, and this spiritual charity must be extensive:
they must instruct many. Some understand this of a society newly
erected for the propagating of divine knowledge, called Assideans,
godly men, pietists (so the name signifies), that were both knowing and
zealous in the law; these instructed many. Note, In times of persecution and
apostasy, which are trying times, those that have knowledge ought to make use
of it for the strengthening and establishing of others. Those that understand
aright themselves ought to do what they can to bring others to understand; for
knowledge is a talent that must be traded with. Or, They shall instruct many
by their perseverance in their duty and their patient suffering for it. Good
examples instruct many, and with many are the most powerful instructions. (2.)
They shall fall by the cruelty of Antiochus, shall be put to the
torture, and put to death, by his rage. Though they are so excellent and
intelligent themselves, and so useful and serviceable to others, yet Antiochus
shall show them no mercy, but they shall fall for some days; so it may
be read, Rev. ii. 10, Thou shalt have tribulation ten days. We read
much, in the books of the Maccabees, of Antiochus's barbarous usage of the
pious Jews, how many he slew in wars and how many he murdered in cold blood.
Women were put to death for having their children circumcised,
and their infants were hanged about their necks, 1 Mac. i. 60, 61. But
why did God suffer this? How can this be reconciled with the justice and
goodness of God? I answer, Very well, if we consider what it was that God
aimed at in this (v. 35): Some of those of understanding shall fall,
but it shall be for the good of the church and for their own spiritual
benefit. It shall be to try them, and to purge, and to make them
white. They needed these afflictions themselves. The best have
their spots, which must be washed off, their dross, which must be purged out;
and their troubles, particularly their share in the public troubles,
help to do this; being sanctified to them by the grace of God, they are means
of mortifying their corruptions, weaning them from the world, and awakening
them to greater seriousness and diligence in religion. They try them, as
silver in the furnace is refined from its dross; they purge them, as wheat in
the barn is winnowed from the chaff; and they make them white, as cloth
by the fuller is cleared from its spots. See 1 Pet. i. 7. Their sufferings for
righteousness' sake would try and purge the nation of the Jews, would
convince them of the truth, excellency, and power of that holy religion which
these understanding men died for their adherence to. The blood of the
martyrs is the seed of the church; it is precious blood, and not a drop of it
should be shed but upon such a valuable consideration. (3.) The cause of
religion, though it be thus run upon, shall not be run down. When they
shall fall they shall not be utterly cast down, but they shall be
holpen with a little help, v. 34. Judas Maccabæus, and his
brethren, and a few with them, shall make head against the tyrant, and
assert the injured cause of their religion; they pulled down the
idolatrous altars, circumcised the children that they found uncircumcised,
recovered the law out of the hand of the Gentiles, and the work prospered in
their hands, 1 Mac. ii. 45, &c. Note, Those that stand by the cause of
religion when it is threatened and struck at, though they may not immediately
be delivered and made victorious, shall yet have present help. And a little
help must not be despised; but, when times are very bad, we must be
thankful for some reviving. It is likewise foretold that many shall
cleave to them with flatteries; when they see the Maccabees prosper some
Jews shall join with them that are no true friends to religion, but will only
pretend friendship either with design to betray them or in hope to rise
with them; but the fiery trial (v. 35) will separate between
the precious and the vile, and by it those that are perfect will be
made manifest and those that are not. (4.) Though these troubles may
continue long, yet they will have an end. They are for a time
appointed, a limited time, fixed in the divine counsels. This warfare
shall be accomplished. Hitherto the power of the enemy shall come, and no
further; here shall its proud waves be stayed.
5. He grew very proud, insolent, and profane, and, being puffed up with his
conquests, bade defiance to Heaven, and trampled upon every thing that was
sacred, v. 36, &c. And here some think begins a prophecy of the
antichrist, the papal kingdom. It is plain that St. Paul, in his prophecy of
the rise and reign of the man of sin, alludes to this (2 Thess. ii. 4), which
shows that Antiochus was a type and figure of that enemy, as Babylon also was;
but, this being joined in a continued discourse with the foregoing prophecies
concerning Antiochus, to me it seems probably that it principally refers to
him, and in him had its primary accomplishment, and has reference to the other
only by way of accommodation. (1.) He shall impiously dishonour the God of
Israel, the only living and true God, called here the God of gods. He
shall, in defiance of him and his authority, do according to his will
against his people and his holy religion; he shall exalt himself above
him, as Sennacherib did, and shall speak marvellous things against him
and against his laws and institutions. This was fulfilled when Antiochus
forbade sacrifices to be offered in God's temple, and ordered
the sabbaths to be profaned, the sanctuary and the holy
people to be polluted, &c., to the end that they might
forget the law and change all the ordinances, and this upon pain of death,
1 Mac. i. 45. (2.) He shall proudly put contempt upon all other gods,
shall magnify himself above every god, even the gods of the nations.
Antiochus wrote to his own kingdom that every one should leave the gods he had
worshipped, and worship such as he ordered, contrary to the practice of all
the conquerors that went before him, 1 Mac. i. 41, 42. And all the heathen
agreed according to the commandment of the king; fond as they were of
their gods, they did not think them worth suffering for, but, their gods being
idols, it was all alike to them what gods they worshipped. Antiochus did not regard
any god, but magnified himself above all, v. 37. He was so
proud that he thought himself above the condition of a mortal man, that he
could command the waves of the sea, and reach to the stars of heaven,
as his insolence and haughtiness are expressed, 2 Mac. ix. 8, 10. Thus he
carried all before him, till the indignation was accomplished (v.
36), till he had run his length, and filled up the measure of his iniquity;
for that which is determined shall be done, and nothing more, nothing
short. (3.) He shall, contrary to the way of the heathen, disregard the god of
his fathers, v. 37. Though an affection to the religion of their
ancestors was, among the heathen, almost as natural to them as the desire
of women (for, if you search through the isles of Chittim, you will
not find an instance of a nation that has changed its gods, Jer. ii.
10, 11), yet Antiochus shall not regard the god of his fathers; he made
laws to abolish the religion of his country, and to bring in the idols of the
Greeks. And though his predecessors had honoured the God of Israel, and given
great gifts to the temple at Jerusalem (2 Mac. iii. 2, 3), he offered the
greatest indignities to God and his temple. His not regarding the desire of
women may denote his barbarous cruelty (he shall spare no age or sex, no,
not the tender ones) or his unnatural lusts, or, in general, his contempt of
every thing which men of honour have a concern for, or it might be
accomplished in something we meet not with in history. Its being joined to his
not regarding the god of his fathers intimates that the idolatries of
his country had in them more of the gratifications of the flesh than those of
other countries (Lucian has written of the Syrian goddesses), and yet that
would not prevail to keep him to them. (4.) He shall set up an unknown god, a
new god, v. 38. In his estate, in the room of the god of his
fathers (Apollo and Diana, deities of pleasure), he shall honour the god of
forces, a supposed deity of power, a god whom his fathers knew not,
nor worshipped; because he will be thought in wisdom and strength to excel his
fathers, he shall honour this god with gold, and silver, and precious
stones, thinking nothing too good for the god he has taken a fancy to.
This seems to be Jupiter Olympius, known among the Phœnicians by the name of Baal-Semen,
the lord of heaven, but never introduced among the Syrians till Antiochus
introduced it. Thus shall he do in the most strong holds, in the temple
of Jerusalem, which is called the sanctuary of strength (v. 31),
and here the fortresses of munitions; there he shall set up the image
of this strange god. Some read it, He shall commit the munitions of
strength, or of the most strong God (that is, the city Jerusalem), to a
strange god; he put it under the protection and government of Jupiter
Olympius. This god he shall not only acknowledge, but shall increase with
glory, by setting his image even upon God's altar. And he shall cause
those that minister to this idol to rule over many, shall put them
into places of power and trust, and they shall divide the land for gain,
shall be maintained richly out of the profits of the country. Some by the Mahuzzim,
or god of forces, that Antiochus shall worship, understand money,
which is said to answer all things, and which is the great idol of
worldly people.
Now here is very much that is applicable to the man of sin; he exalts
himself above all that is called god or that is worshipped; magnifies himself
above all; his flatterers call him our lord god the pope. By
forbidding marriage, and magnifying the single life, he pretends not to regard
the desire of women; and honours the god of forces, the god Mahuzzim,
or strong holds, saints and angels, whom his followers take for their
protectors, as the heathen did of old their demons; these they make presidents
of several countries, &c. These they honour with vast treasures dedicated
to them, and therein the learned Mr. Mede thinks that this prophecy was
fulfilled, and that it is referred to 1 Tim. iv. 1, 2.
VI. Here seems to be another expedition into Egypt, or, at least, a struggle
with Egypt. The Romans had tied him up from invading Ptolemy, but now that king
of the south pushes at him (v. 40), makes an attempt upon some of
his territories, where upon Antiochus, the king of the north, comes against
him like a whirlwind, with incredible swiftness and fury, with
chariots, and horses, and many ships, a great force. He shall come
trough countries, and shall overflow and pass over. In this flying march many
countries shall be overthrown by him; and he shall enter into the
glorious land, the land of Israel; it is the same word that is translated the
pleasant land, ch. viii. 9. He shall make dreadful work among the
nations thereabout; yet some shall escape his fury, particularly Edom and
Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon, v. 41. He did not
put these countries under contribution, because they had joined with him
against the Jews. But especially the land of Egypt shall not escape,
but he will quite beggar that, so bare will he strip it. This some reckon his
fourth and last expedition against Egypt, in the tenth or eleventh year of his
reign, under pretence of assisting the younger brother of Ptolemæus
Philometer against him. We read not of any great slaughter made in this
expedition, but great plunder; for, it should seem, that was what he came for:
He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and all the
precious things of Egypt, v. 43. Polybius, in Athenæus, relates
that Antiochus, having got together abundance of wealth, by spoiling young
Philometer, and breaking league with him, and by the contributions of his
friends, bestowed a vast deal upon a triumph, in imitation of Paulus Æmilius,
and describes the extravagance of it; here we are told how he got that money
which he spent so profusely. Notice is here taken likewise of the use he made
of the Lybians and Ethiopians, who bordered upon Egypt; they were at his
steps; he had them at his foot, had them at his beck, and they made
inroads upon Egypt to serve him.
VII. Here is a prediction of the fall and ruin of Antiochus, as before (ch.
viii. 25), when he is in the height of his honour, flushed with victory, and
laden with spoils, tidings out of the east and out of the north
(out of the north-east) shall trouble him, v. 44. Or, He shall have
intelligence, both from the eastern and northern parts, that the king of
Parthia is invading his kingdom. This obliged him to drop the enterprises he
had in hand, and to go against the Persians and Parthians that were revolting
from him; and this vexed him, for now he thought utterly to ruin and
extirpate the Jewish nation, when that expedition called him off, in which he
perished. This is explained by a passage in Tacitus (though an impious one)
where he commends Antiochus for his attempt to take away the superstition
of the Jews, and bring in the manners of the Greeks, among them (ut
teterrimam gentem in melius mutaret--to meliorate an odious nation), and
laments that he was hindered from accomplishing it by the Parthian war. Now
here is, 1. The last effort of his rage against the Jews. When he finds
himself perplexed and embarrassed in his affairs he shall go forth with
great fury to destroy and utterly to make away many, v. 44. The
story of this we have 1 Mac. iii. 27, &c., what a rage Antiochus was in
when he heard of the successes of Judas Maccabæus, and the orders he gave to
Lysias to destroy Jerusalem. Then he planted the tabernacles of his palace,
or tents of his court, between the seas, between the Great Sea and the
Dead Sea. He set up his royal pavilion at Emmaus near Jerusalem, in token
that, though he could not be present himself, yet he gave full power to his
captains to prosecute the war against the Jews with the utmost rigour. He
placed his tent there, as if he had taken possession of the glorious holy
mountain and called it his own. Note, When impiety grows very
impudent we may see its ruin near. 2. His exit: He shall come to his end
and none shall help him; God shall cut him off in the midst of his days
and none shall be able to prevent his fall. This is the same with that which
was foretold ch. viii. 25 (He shall be broken without hand),
where we took a view of his miserable end. Note, When God's time shall come to
bring proud oppressors to their end none shall be able to help them, nor
perhaps inclined to help them; for those that covet to be feared by all when
they are in their grandeur, when they come to be in distress will find
themselves loved by none; none will lend them so much as a hand or a prayer to
help them; and, if the Lord do not help, who shall?
Of the kings that came after Antiochus nothing is here prophesied, for that
was the most malicious mischievous enemy to the church, that was a type of the
son of perdition, whom the Lord shall consume with the breath of his mouth and
destroy with the brightness of his coming, and none shall help him.
Contents
|
Next
Section
