THE GREAT TRIBULATION
ANTIOCHUS IV
We
saw from Daniel 9, and 12:11, our first testimony regarding the immediate
abomination of the desolation of the kingdom of heaven. That testimony was in relation to the
desolation during Babylonian captivity.
But in Daniel there is a second revealing testimony of the desolation of
the kingdom of heaven that is in relation to yet another time and event in
history. This has to do with the
desolation of the temple by Antiochus IV Epiphanes (“the shining one”).
It
is generally regarded that, historically, Daniel 8:9-14 and 23-25, as well as
11:21-35, speak of the overtaking of Jerusalem by Antiochus in 167 B.C. In December of that year, the temple
was desecrated when pigs were slaughtered on the altar and it was dedicated to
the god, Zeus, Antiochus erecting in it a statue of Zeus in the image of
himself. Thereafter, the temple
was filled with debauchery, and harlotry was committed in it. During that time the Jews could neither
circumcise nor keep the sabbath.
In Daniel 11:31 we read:
Forces from him will arise, desecrate the
sanctuary fortress, and do away with the regular sacrifice. And they will set up the abomination of
desolation.
Of
course this is strikingly similar to that which is written in Daniel
9:26-27. This is why the
translators tried to force the translation that they did in those verses,
desecrating the passage in the same way the temple was desecrated by
Antiochus. And they do so out of
natural understanding. Though
obviously the two are similar, they are in two completely separate settings
– the first being tied to the seventy years of captivity in Babylon, and
here relative to Antiochus IV. The
similarity in the two is that they both speak of the same fulfillment –
the same thing that Jerusalem always looks to, and that is the desolation of
the kingdom of heaven, the new Jerusalem, for 2,000 years.
But
what makes this latter prophetic testimony so unique is that the correlating
historical event at the nations level speaks of a desolation that would last
for the full period of the church – for 3,000 years.
The
temple desolation by Antiochus lasted exactly three years. Exactly three years after its initial
desolation, on December 14, 164 B.C., or the 25th of Kislev, the
temple service was restored by Judas Maccabeus. That restoration is celebrated by the Feast of Lights, or
Hanukkah.
The
emphasis in the prophecy in Daniel 9:26-27 was that “the people of the
Prince who shall come will destroy the city and the sanctuary.” But once again this like account in
Daniel 11 affords a different testimony.
Here the emphasis is not the people, but the head of the desecration
itself. In the case of this
prophetic historical account, Antiochus is the attesting figure. As it is written in Ecclesiastes 1:9,
“That which has been [in history] is that which will be, and that which
has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun.” Antiochus’ desecration of the temple
and Jerusalem was itself not even the true fulfillment, but a revealing
testimony to that which would take place in the true fulfillment and focus and
intent of Yahweh, and that is His kingdom on this earth – the true
temple, the true Jerusalem.
In
164 B.C., Antiochus was enraged with Judas Maccabeus’ military successes,
and he personally led an army to Jerusalem to exterminate them. But totally unexpectedly, on the way
there Antiochus suddenly died, and the battle was lost, making way for the
restoration of the temple and Jerusalem.
Also,
in Daniel 9 the bondage and desolation spoken of there was relative to a
prophetic period of seventy years.
Here the desolation is relative to three years. Once again, both of these prophetically
speak of the same thing – the desolation of the kingdom. The first is relative to the testimony
of mystery Babylon the Great. This
like second testimony is relative to a three-part period under Antiochus. Let us now see exactly who Antiochus
represents.
First,
we have noted many times that the church was supposed to have received 3,000
years. Thus, it is abundantly clear
that these three years under the conquest of Antiochus are a revealing type of
what would take place in the church for 3,000 years if Yahweh did not have
mercy and cut those days short. If
the church was left to continue as it has for 2,000 years, it would be as
Yahshua’s cry after three hours of darkness – “My God, My
God, why have You forsaken Me?”
So
who then is the one who has maintained this conquest over the church for 2,000
years? Clearly, it is the one to
whom Yahshua gave that right as the replacement of Judas – “Did I
Myself not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is the devil?”
For 2,000 years Satan has occupied the place as the rightful head over
the church, and for 2,000 years he has dearthed the church. For 2,000 years swine have been placed
on Yahweh’s altar, even as we read in Christianity Mark that Legion took 2,000 swine to the sea of death (Mark 5:9-13). For 2,000 years the church has served
an image that is not the image of Yahshua, but they have made an image in the
likeness of Satan. For 2,000 years
the church has been filled with debauchery, and harlotry of every nature has
been committed in it. Nor has
Yahweh taken full responsibility for them, for they are uncircumcised, and the
only offspring they can bring forth are unacceptable Ishmaels. Nor has the church entered into
Yahweh’s sabbath rest, for they labor in their own Babylonian
tower-of-Babel efforts that reach up to heaven, and yet fall far short and
bring nothing but confusion.
Daniel
11:32-35 aptly describes that which has taken place in this time of the
desolation of the kingdom of heaven.
But it also addresses, once again, the abomination that causes this
desolation – acting wickedly toward the seven-year covenant that Yahweh
has with the many.
“By smooth words
he [Satan] will profane those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the
people who know their God will be strong and take action.
As these verses
continue, you will see that despite the insight given to the first Remnant; nonetheless,
they were consumed by hypocrisy and fell, along with Christians after
them. The reason? They were all too early. As it is concluded here, the
fulfillment they so desperately needed was appointed for a time that was still
to come – the second Remnant.
Those who have insight among the people will give understanding to
the many; yet they will fall by sword and by flame, by captivity and by plunder
for many days. Now when they fall they will be granted
a little help, and many will join with them in hypocrisy. Some of those who have insight will
fall, in order to refine, purge and make them pure until the end time; for it
is yet for a time appointed.”
Before
we continue with examining the desolation of the church, we must address
something here. Christians alter
the meaning of the subject covenant to make it something evil. But that is not intellectual
honesty. Let us examine every
place in Daniel where this covenant is mentioned and see what is truly being
said about it.
So
how can a covenant be evil which Yahweh keeps, along with His
lovingkindness? How can a covenant
be evil that Messiah the Prince prevails in, that three times is called the
“holy covenant,” and that Satan is enraged against and wants to act
wickedly toward? The word
“holy” here is the same Hebrew word for the Holy Spirit,
Yahweh’s holy name and His own person, the holy temple, the holy place,
the holy mountain, the holy people, contrasting the holy and the profane, and
the list goes on and on. Any
translation of this covenant as evil is simply a case where good is called
evil.
Returning
to this matter of the abomination of the desolation of the church; as we see
attested with Antiochus, this desolation would continue for another 1,000 years
if Yahweh did not have mercy and cut this time short and bring Antiochus Satan
to death early. And to whom did
the office that Satan has occupied for 2,000 years first belong? Did it not belong to a man, Judas
Iscariot? And to whom must that
office return when Satan’s days are cut short to two? It must return to a man – the
Elijah. As the Elijah, Judas
baptized Yahshua into death. As
the continuing Elijah, Satan baptized the body of Christ into death. But there must now come another, the
third fulfilling Elijah who will draw man out of those waters of death unto
resurrection. He too is a Judas,
in that he stands in the redeemed office that Judas first occupied. So is it any wonder that the name of
the man who defeated the armies of Antiochus and restored the temple was
equally a Judas? Judas
Maccabeus prophesied of the man who would come in the office of Judas and stop
the desolation of the temple and Jerusalem, ending the abomination of
desolation by Satan.
But
here is the wonder of prophecy.
Though Yahweh had given the church the 3,000 years as prophesied here,
those years will be cut short and a Judas will effect that cleansing work after
2,000 years. Thus, we see two
prophesies, both pertaining to the same fulfillment, but providing two
testimonies affording different aspects of revealing and confirming truth
– Daniel 9 and Daniel 11.
So
let us ask once again: Who was Antiochus?
He was in fact a type of the one prophesied in Daniel 8 and 11 –
Satan! Therefore we see yet a
second testimony that the abomination of desolation took place at the beginning
of the church, effecting the great tribulation:
2. Attesting to the church, Antiochus IV
Epiphanes desolated the temple and Jerusalem for three years, concluded by the
acts of a Judas.
Now
let us take this testimony regarding Antiochus and find even more truth. Here we will discover further evidence
as to when this abomination of desolation did indeed take place.
We
have already seen one highly specific testimony regarding when and how the
abomination of desolation took place – when the apostles stood in the
place of the Holy One, Yahshua, establishing a man in an office who could never
effect the work that that office both looked to and required. When you see what that office had to
effect 2,000 years later, you can now see how inadequate, shortsighted, blind,
and wholly wrong it was to place any man at that time in it. Remember, whoever replaced Judas had to
stop the 2,000 years of the abomination of desolation, and neither Matthias nor
Paul could do so. They both fell
far short, both having died. In
fact, as we have seen, attempting to place those men in that office only
established the abomination of desolation!
Let
us now take this testimony one important and obviously revealing step
further. We have noted in other
writings that King Saul is a type of Christianity. He was made king at Pentecost, the wheat harvest; received
two of three loaves of Pentecost bread, the two of three thousand years; and
was equally before the time, before the time that the true and lasting throne
of David would come. And quite
appropriately, the main teacher of this Saul period of the church was a man
equally named Saul, who became Paul.
As
we will see, there are numerous evidences that the abomination of desolation
occurred at the beginning of the church.
Another evidence of this is when the one who would persecute the church
first made his appearance. Stephen
was taken before the Council of elders and condemned to death by stoning. We read in Acts 7:58 that the false
witnesses who stoned him laid their robes at the feet of Saul, in great similarity
to those who laid their robes before Yahshua, preparing His way into
Jerusalem. It was as though, and
speaks of, Saul’s way into the church was being prepared by false
witnesses. Remember, Saul/Paul is
presented by many as the one who stands in the office as the apostle who
replaced Judas. The church still
has its false witnesses who stone the truth.
Next
we read in Acts 8:1:
Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him to
death. And on that day a great
persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered
throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
What
actually took place here? At the
higher fulfilling realm of the kingdom of heaven, we see a fulfillment of that
which was written in Matthew 24:15-16 and Mark 13:14:
Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken
of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader
understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.
But when you see the abomination of desolation
standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then those who are
in Judea must flee to the mountains.
What
we see here once again is the testimony of the abomination of desolation,
evidenced by the first flight of the church after the stoning of Stephen and
the beginning of persecution that would be fomented by Saul/Paul.
And
giving further evidence of this desolation that would come to the church under
the teachings of Paul, it is highly meaningful that his ministry was based in Antioch, the very city founded by the family of
Antiochus, who effected the like attested abomination of desolation. Antioch is the mother church of
Christianity; and rightfully so, for it clearly speaks of the same fate that
was brought by Antiochus. Attested
in like regard, Antioch Christianity is the abomination of desolation, bringing
2,000 years/2,000 swine in the temple.
Thus we add yet a third and even fourth evidence that the abomination of
desolation occurred at the beginning of the church:
3. As it was written, the first Remnant fled
when they saw Stephen stoned and the garments of the false witnesses were
placed at the feet of Saul.
4. Christianity began in Antioch under Saul/Paul, the very city founded by Antiochus.
Continue
to page 4 of The Great Tribulation
for MORE EVIDENCE