Sermon Tone Analysis

A Little History

(Slide) Dan9:1-19 - Daniel prays

(Slide) Dan9:20-23 - Messenger brings answered prayer

(Slide) Dan9:24-27 - Messengers Message

(Slide) Dan10:1-9 - Daniel’s terrified vision

(Slide) Dan10:10-11:1 - Daniel comforted

Daniel is dealing with a terrifying prophetic vision he has already been told would be for the future for the “end times.”

We have looked at Dan9 at the things that had to transpire for the vision to be fulfilled ()

We hold the vision in our hands, we also hold history in our hands and tonight we are looking at the history of the prophetic vision of Daniel.

The best way to approach this is more in a narrative way in looking at the history and then what can we get from the vision spiritually to help us today.

Conflicts to come

The time is 1st year of Darius (a Mede) reign and even in the midst of trying to grasp what has been revealed to Him in the vision and explained to him about what is to come.

THe

“In Daniel chapter 11 it is said there are one hundred thirty-five specific prophecies given, all fulfilled to the most minute detail” - Jon Courson

During Daniels life we have seen the deportation from Israel to Babylon, we have seen Babylon fall to the Mede’s and the Persian’s.

The Medes’ were under power of Darius, now that brings us what is to happen after that.

(Slide) Cyrus is the Persian king who will rise and (v.2) speaks of three more that would rise.

Historically speaking these are Cambyses, Darius I Hystaspis, and Xerxes (this is Artaxerxes found in Esther).

Xerxes with his 2.5 million man army rise up with all their riches and stir up conflict with Greece.

They trek 7 day journey to go and try to wipe out Greece, there was great loss, Greece lost, but the army of Xerxes was decimated too.

II.

Persians to the Greeks

Read Dan11:5-6

(Slide) 150 years later (now looking at v.3) A great king, Grecian king, name Alexander comes on the scene.

Alexander by the age of 33 was known to have conquered the entire known world.

(Slide) At 33 Alexander dies and the kingdom is split into 4, (see v.4) Four Generals represented by the four winds come into play.

The focus of the vision will now really come between the king of the North and the king of the South.

And if you wonder why those two and not all four, it is because they are the two that surround Israel.

The four are

(Slide) The Seleucids who are in Syria (directly to North)

The Ptolemy's who were in Egypt (directly to the South)

(Slide) (v.5) and the king of the South would be strong (Ptolemy)

Read Dan11:7-9

Ptolemy instead of fighting the Syrians decided to form an alliance with them and offers up his daughter Berenice to marry Antiochus II (Syrian king), who had to divorce his wife (Laodicea) who eventually kills Bernice and Antiochus II with poison (v.6)

Ptolemy instead of fighting the Syrians decided to form an alliance with them and offers up his daughter Berenice to marry Antiochus II (Syrian king), who had to divorce his wife (Laodicea) who eventually kills Bernice and Antiochus II with poison (v.6)

Read Dan11:7-9

(Slide) Ptolemy III raises up to take revenge against the Syrians and is very successful and returns back to Egypt and lives reign in peace (vv.7-9)

To have the attack, and to prevail Ptolemy marched right through Israel the most direct path to Syria, his victory he took back 2500 of the Egyptian god’s that had previously been captured by the Syrians years earlier.

That brings us to (v.10)

So about these son’s they are: Seleucus III, Antiochus II and Seleucus IV.

Antiochus III will attack the king of the south (Egypt)

Read

(Slide) (v.11) Ptolemy IV will go and battle against Antiochus and will be victorious

(Slide) (v.12) Ptolemy will be elated at the victory, but it will be short lived.

(Slide) (v.13) Antiochus III will rise up his army to battle in greater numbers

(Slide) (v.14) the Hellenistic (Greek) Jews will rise up with Antiochus III.

Now we have previously discussed Antiochus Epiphanies IV and with Antiochus the III off to battle comes a great deceiver who will rule over Palestine

(Slide) (v.15) Antiochus III will take the city of Sidon (198bc),

(Slide) (v.16) the Seleucid's will be unbeatable

(Slide) (v.17) settle in, set up his family

Speaking of setting up the family, we now have a daughter mentioned, this is Cleopatra who will be a pawn sent for arraigned marriage to the son of Ptolemy V who is Mark Anthony.

Only one thing went wrong with this, she was to be a pawn to spy on the house of Ptolemy and she fell in love with Mark Anthony and would not spy.

Now who wouldn’t want the Greek Isles.

Antiochus was frustrated and turned to what he believed would be an easy battle, and get some great beach front property to to come face to face with the emerging Roman Empire that thwarted his plan.

There were several other battles during this time too between 197-190 BC

Antiochus returns to his own area, and has lots of issues and loses much of his kingdom due to finances (v.19) and will lose his life not in battle but in thievery where he is killed for stealing.

Seleucus IV comes to try to regain some of what has been lost and sends Heliodorus his prime minister out to tax the people and to raise money (you can read more on this is 2Macc3).

Heliodorus decides it would be good, expedient to take out Seleucus IV and assassinates him (v.20)

This now brings us to the years 175, Antiochus III is dead, at the hand of someone who slipped him a poisonous mushroom and Antiochus IV enters the picture.

(Slide) He was a great orator (speaker)

(Slide) He obtained kingdom by trickery and flattery, not in battle but peaceably he will gain the kingdom, including Israel.

(Slide) He will depose the High Priest (Onias III) and put his own false priesthood in place.

A point to remember, God is on the throne, nothing happens unless God allows it.

Antiochus now is going to grow, because of the hand of the Lord

(Slide) Money

(Slide) Power

(Slide) Territory, Antiochus has it all

Eventhough he had alliances he worked deceitfully against them to gain the power (v.23);

He used his riches, power and territory to make people feel at ease until it was the right time and he had the best opportunity that would suit his needs (v.24)

I told you he was a smooth talker, he even talked some of the servants of Ptolemy to turn against their king.

(v.25) - this is in 170bc.

by desertion, by sedition Ptolemy VI loses his battle and his army is defeated (you can read in

So where does that leave things now?

Egypt knew they were had, nothing they could do, but remember GOd is on the throne and even Antiochus had an appointed time.

Speaking of appointed times, let’s press on

(Slide) Antiochus in 168 decides to return for a fight with Egypt again but the success he had before doesn’t happen (v.29)

(Slide) He will be humiliated and now turns to rage against God’s people and God’s temple (v.30) - he even used some of the apostate Jew’s to help him (v.30)

In his humiliation he takes his rage, his anger out on Jerusalem, history shows 40,000 were killed, a pig was sacrificed on the alter, the priests were forced to drink the blood of the pig and temple sacrifices were ceased at the time.

This is an “abomination of desolation” keep this in mind when we look at (Dan12:11) we will see what and how long this abomination will last.

By the end of his rage, 100,000 Jews were killed.

Antiochus erected a statute in the temple of Zeus, or some believe of himself since he demanded deity worship of himself.

It has been pretty bleak, disturbing until this point, but remember God is in control, and even in the darkest of times, in the midst of a Holocaust there is some hope, some faith and some display of those things.

The apostate Jews would be persuaded to godlessness against their own brothers.

But now it is 170 BC and the faithful have some warriors who are about to take a stand, this is where Judas Maccabees and his brothers step up and out by faith.

The war between the Maccabees and the Syrians lead by Epiphanies lasted until 165 BC when the Maccabees were victorious and threw Syrians out of Jerusalem.

(Slide) A Word of Encouragement

No matter how dark a day, dark a time or season.

No matter how big and strong the enemy or the battle may seem.

The people of God that are faithful will be strong and assured of the scripture.

The bravest people in the world are those who walk by faith knowing who their God is and knowing what God has done and what God has promised.

They don’t back down or run away, or tremble in fear, but face it pressing forward like the Maccabees did.

We are to be brave, strong, fearless and faithful to the calling God has called us to in Christ Jesus.

For the battle they were facing with the Seleucids was not over, our’s is not over yet either.

Many suffered, many died, all for the cause.

Many suffered and many have died for the cause of Christ.

Remember the words of Jesus.

Lead this to invitation