Shalom, my dear brothers and sisters. Together we are studying now for quite a while the beautiful prophetic message of Daniel. We have been so blessed to learn many lessons about the way in which God have dealt with his people, the people of Israel, during the times of the Gentiles. As we mentioned before, it is very much important for all of us to understand that the book of Daniel is specifically dealing with the rise of various kingdoms during the times of the Gentiles. Beginning with Babylon, beginning with Babylon, continuing to Greece, continue to Greece, and ultimately Rome, and then the revived Roman Empire at the end of the day, and then finally with the Messiah, Yeshua, Jesus will come at his second coming, and he will rule and reign over Israel, a restored nation, and all the nations of the world.

And this is where the Lord, Yeshua, and this is where the Lord, Yeshua, the Messiah, made a reference in Luke chapter 21 and verse 24. When he spoke to his disciples, he wanted them to understand that even these disciples, who are of the people of Israel, that they and their future generation, the Jewish people, the people of Israel, they will experience persecution by the nations of the world. And the Lord Jesus, the Messiah said, they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations. This expression, the times of the Gentiles, the times of the Gentiles, in Hebrew, itot ha-goim, represent the period of time which began at 605 BC, all the way to the second coming of the end of the end of the tribulation period, where he, Yeshua, Jesus, the Messiah, will take his kingdom back to himself and rule and reign over a restored nation Israel and over all the nations of the world.

So this period of time, the times of the Gentiles, itot ha-goim, represent a long, long period of time, including the church age in which we live in, and will culminize with the second coming of the Messiah, the end of the tribulation period. Now, we have arrived, of course, to Daniel chapter 11. Daniel chapter 10, 11, and 12 is the final section in the book of Daniel. In this final section in the book of Daniel, Daniel chapter 10, 11, and 12, we learn of the final word of the Lord through the angel to Daniel. And he gives Daniel information concerning the future day. From Daniel, vintage point of time, he takes him over some of the period of the Persian, the Grecian, and the events that will take place after Alexander the Great will die, and his kingdom will be divided into four sections, and specifically the conflict that will exist between the north and the south, namely the Grecian-Syrian kingdom, and the Grecian-Egyptian kingdom, and they will fight one against the other, and their kings who will rule over these two north and south kingdoms.

During the time of the Grecian Empire, these conflicts will affect also the Jewish people, the people of Israel, and the land, the pleasant land, and the city of Yerushalayim. Well, we have arrived to Daniel chapter 11, and we concluded with Daniel chapter 11, and verse 20. And I would like, beloved brothers and sisters, to read from Daniel 11, verse 21, and I will read all the way through to verse 35. The reason that we will stop in verse 35, because from verse 36 on to the end of the chapter, Daniel received information from the angel, concerning the future antichrist, the counterfeit messiah, Mashiach HaSheker, who will rise up in the latter days. But in verses 21 to verse 35, Daniel received instruction from the angel, concerning a man that is called Antiochus Epiphanes, Antiochus IV, who became a type and a picture of the antichrist, who will rise in a future day.

And so I'm reading, beloved brothers and sisters, from verse 21. And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honor of the kingdom, but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. 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. And after the league made with him, he shall work deceitfully, for he shall come up and shall become strong with small people. 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.

And he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil and riches. Yea, and he shall forecast his devices against the strongholds, even for a time. 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. Yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow, and many shall fall down slain. 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. 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. At the time appointed, he shall return, and come toward the south, but it shall not be as the former, or as the later. For the ships of Shittim 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.

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. And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flattery. But the people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits. 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. Now when they shall fall, they shall be helped with the little help, but many shall cleave to them with flattery. 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 beloved brothers and sisters, we might say as we read this information here from Daniel chapter 11 verses 21 to 35, that the details that are given to us here in this portion of the 11th chapter of the book of Daniel are history that existed and that happened in the time when the Grecian empire was ruling specifically in the time where the descendants of the kings, the rulers that took over from Alexander the Great and the behavior that they behaved one towards another, the conflict, the internal conflict that was between the north and the south, kingdoms that rule under the Grecian empire, the Jewish people were affected by this and really this is part of the history, Syrian, Egyptian history but in the middle there was there the people of Israel, the Jewish people who were affected by the conflict that existed between the north and the south of Israel.

We have already covered beloved brothers and sisters the first 20 verses of this chapter. We have learned from the first 20 verses of chapter 11 that the angel who had already in chapter 10 gave Daniel information. By the time we arrive to chapter 11 he gives him more and more information concerning these two northern and southern kingdoms that were a ruling after the death of Alexander the Great. And so while we read all these verses verses 5 to 20 we learn that Egypt the Ptolemites were against the Syrian the Seleucus dynasty and both had a conflict one against the other. And so we have in these first 20 verses the conflict between the Ptolemites and the Seleucites and the king that ruled one after the other in the conflict that existed between the north and the south.

And I would like to remind you once again that the north and the south in Daniel chapter 11 is the north and south of Israel. North of Israel is Syria. South of Israel is Egypt. And so the southern Egyptian and the northern Assyrian were fighting with one another and Israel is right in the midst. The land, the pleasant land, the land of Israel, the city of Jerusalem is in the middle between the north and the south. And we also have to learn that all these details that we have in the first 20 verses are details that happened historically in the history of these Grecian Syrian and Grecian Egyptian kings who ruled during those days after the death of Alexander the great.

And it is fascinating because God said of himself in Isaiah in chapter 46 to Israel God said in verse 9 and 10 remember the former things of all. For I am God and there is none else. I am God and there is none like me. Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times the things that are not yet done. In other words, God said to his people Israel to be aware of the fact that he is the one and only God. That's why we read in Deuteronomy 6 and verse 4 Yisrael here or Israel. Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad. The Lord our God, the Lord is one. I am God and there is none else.

I am God and there is none like me. I am declaring the end from the beginning and from the ancient time the things that are not yet done. And surely beloved brothers and sisters, when this angel of the Lord came to Daniel, as we read of him in Daniel chapter 10, when he began to give him the information concerning the future days of the people of Israel, from the time of the 536 B.C., in the third year of Siren, the king of Persia, where Daniel received the information concerning the future day that will happen all the time until the time, including all the way to the time when the Messiah will come at his second coming, here he is showing to us that he knows details concerning the things that will happen during the Grecian Empire after the death of Alexander the Great with the northern and the southern kingdoms who will fight once against the other, the Ptolemites and the Seleucides who will the first rulers, the generals that remain after the death of Alexander the Great and from there on we see king after king from the north and the south and the south and the north fighting one another and Israel the Jewish people are in the middle of that conflict.

now we also want to notice now as we arrive now to this portion that we read verses 21 to verse 35 in these verses beloved brothers and sisters we receive a prophetic information concerning one particular man whose name is Antiochus Epiphanes Antiochus the fourth he was the Grecian Syrian king and we learn from these verses about his rise and how he expended his power and also we see the persecution of the Jewish people which he inflicted upon our people of all the people of Israel during the time of his rule in fact Antiochus Epiphanes persecution of the Jewish people began in 173 BC until the time in which he died in the year 164 BC

he actually ruled for 12 years but the persecution of our Jewish people began in 173 BC specifically and ended when he died at 164 BC so you notice that in these verses beloved brothers and sisters as we continue on after we read in verse 20 of Daniel 11 then shall stand up in his estate raiser of taxes of whom we spoke about in our previous message together in his glory of the kingdom but within few days he shall be destroyed neither in anger nor in battle and from their own beloved brothers and sisters we began to learn of the rise of Antiochus epiphanies the rise and the expansion of his rule his power and ultimately

the persecution of the Jewish people in verse 21 22 and 23 we learn about this man Antiochus the fourth again his early reign he reigned over the Syrian the northern kingdom and he reigned over the northern kingdom and notice that we learn how he received these reign of his how he rose to power we read in verse 21 in his estate this is the Seleucus Philopato he was the one that ruled before him then we read that there stood up a vile person that vile person in Hebrew it is called Nivzeh he was a very vile wicked man this is Antiochus the fourth Antiochus Epiphany it says here to whom they shall not give the

honor of the kingdom but he shall come in peaceably and obtain the kingdom by flatteries so Antiochus Epiphany he was not the one who deserved to be the next ruler but somehow because he was very vile and he was usurping things that were not his we read that he will come he will stand up and then initially they gave him no honor because it was not him the one who was supposed to rule in the northern Syrian Grecian empire or kingdom but he took the honor and the place by flatteries that word for flatteries is the Hebrew word Bechalak Lakot the word Bechalak Lakot it really means in a really slippery way the slippery of

the tongue the lying and the cheating and the tricking of others in order to take the place that was not his so verse 21 Antiochus the force took the Syrian Grecian throne by trickery by flattery and by deceit and ultimately by murdering so he became now the Syrian Grecian king of the northern kingdom north of Israel and he did so in a wicked way Bechalak Lakot by flatteries by lying and tricking others and influencing others and ultimately also by murdering Antiochus power we read of him in his power in the next verse verse 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 so verse 22 tells us that Antiochus power military power that he also ultimately he is the one who overpowered others but you notice that he is also overpowered the prince of the covenant that expression the prince of the covenant come from the Hebrew word Nagid Brit Nagid Brit is really the one that the priest and the spiritual leaders of Israel somehow Antiochus on his way to fight with the south with Egypt he also have been successful by taking over and influencing the prince of the covenant Nagid Brit the word covenant in Hebrew Brit and every time we read it here in this chapter is in relationship to the covenant people of

God the Jewish people with whom God made a covenant whether it is the Abrahamic covenant whether it is the land covenant whether it is the Davidic covenant or even whether it is the Mosaic covenant the covenant God made the Torah that God gave to Israel through Moses these are covenants that were made by God with the people of Israel beloved brothers and sisters so he came and he was successful also to overpower the prince Nagid Brit the prince of the covenant the Brit that God made with the Jewish people so he was successful to overpower also the Jewish people but notice beloved brothers and sisters because in verse 23 we read and after the league

made with him he shall work deceitfully for he shall come up and shall become strong with a small people well initially with a small people a small army Antiochus made deceitful leagues with Egypt he deceived them making a league with them in order to control Egypt the south of Israel but also we find out that he became stronger and stronger he had little army small army small people but yet with deceitfulness he was able to be successful notice what we read about him already in verse 21 he was a vile person in verse 21 at the end he obtained his kingdom by flattery in verse 22 we read that he was the one that was

successful to overpower with a small with a small amount of arms and men to be successful to overpower others and including the prince of the covenant and in verse 23 we read that he made leagues and the league he made with Egypt in order to control and rule over Egypt and he did so he worked deceitfully and for he shall come up and shall become strong with small people that what the angel is telling Daniel in verses 21 22 and 23 Antiochus the fourth early reign and elevated into this power that he had and beloved brothers and sisters remember that right in the middle as the north coming against the south as the Syrian against

Egypt in the middle we have the prince of the covenant the covenant people of God the Jewish people in the land of Israel now in verse 24 onward to verse 28 Antiochus expansion and the expansion of his power and he expanded against Egypt when he came against Egypt in 173 BC for the first time and so we read in verse 24 Antiochus became wealthy how he spoiled those whom he was able to attack and so notice we read in verse 24 of our chapter Daniel chapter 11 he shall enter peaceably giving an assumption that he is coming in peaceful in shalom but in actuality he really comes in the places and the province and he

shall do that which his fathers have not done nor his father's fathers he shall scatter among them the prey and spoil the riches yeah he shall forecast his devices against the strongholds even for a time in other words God have allowed Antiocho's epiphanies to come in in such a way and again beloved brothers and sisters giving the assumption that he does that peaceably as we have in verse 24 but then as he come he does things that even his forefathers have never done before he what does he do he scatter the prey notice as we read here and he spoil all and riches and so on yeah and he shall forecast his devices against the

stronghold even for a time in other words God allowed him for a time to do what he did by scattering the prey spoiling the riches and ultimately forecasting his devices bringing forth the devices to fruition thinking all sort of plans against those that are his enemies those whom he opposed and so we read that he have done that notice that and he shall forecast his devices against the strongholds in Hebrew even though they were protected strongholds of his enemies especially in the connection with Egypt here he was able to come and to spoil and to take the wealth from the enemies that he attacked and they shall devise or forecast devices against him in other

words as he is doing so coming against these strongholds it was for a season for a time but eventually beloved brothers and sisters God will have to put an end to it but notice it's not the end because apparently in verse 25 Antiochus will tear up wars against Egypt and Egypt shall not be able to stand up and so we read and he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south again the king of the south is the king that rise up in the history of the Grecian Egyptian kingdom that's the king of the south now who come from the north the king of the north this is Antiochus

who is the king of the north the Grecian Syrian king north of Israel south of Israel Israel is right in the midst the Jewish people are in the midst so he will stir up a battle with a very great army for they shall devise against him in other words the king of Egypt will try to withstand against Antiochus Epiphanes but he will not be successful as we see it in this verse 25 that king of Egypt was told me the six and he was not successful Egypt shall not stand up beloved brothers and sisters and so we continue in verse 26 again God who knows the end from the beginning from the beginning to the

end and he is the one who said before Daniel through this angel information that Daniel received that history clearly present this before us specifically we can read it in the book of Maccabees first Maccabees and second Maccabees the book of the history of our people Israel that is not part of the canon of scripture but it is Jewish history which tells us concerning the events that happened in days of old and so beloved brothers and sisters in verse 26 we read so in verse 26 we read that eventually the king of the south of Egypt who initially tried to fight against Antiochus Epiphanes he will be defeated beloved brothers and sisters many shall fall down

slain his army shall be overthrown overthrown by the armies of the king of the north the Syrian Grecian king Antiochus Epiphanes in verse 27 we find out that both the king of the north and the king of the south will do mischief and lie they will kind of try to maybe make an agreement but they will both of them will not trust one another both of these kings hearts shall be to do mischief and they shall speak live at one table in other words they will try to make an agreement but in reality the king of the south will not trust the king of the north and he will give him the assumption that he

trusts in him but he lies because he doesn't trust him because of what he has done and so we read for yet the end shall be at the time appointed the end of the conflict that will be between Syria and Egypt so in other words all the conflict this is going on of what we read between the north and the south and the south and the north these verses here verse 27 and 28 these conflicts existed for a long time but it will come to an end the end until for yet the end shall be at the time appointed in other words they continued on until the Lord will make an end to this conflict

between the north and the south of the two kings Grecian kings of the north and the south in verse 28 beloved brothers and sisters we read what happened that when Antiochus epiphanies when he returned back home seemingly making kind of an arrangement we read in verse 28 then shall he return to his land with great riches and his heart shall be against again notice the holy covenant and he shall do exploits and return to his own land these verses beloved brothers and sisters specifically verse 28 tells us that Antiochus epiphanies after he have done what he have done to the king of the south he on the way home going back north to Syria is

passing through the holy covenant namely the Brit HaKodesh this is the Jewish people the land of Israel and what does he do there he shall do exploits even in Israel and then he will return to his own land this is very interesting because in first Maccabees chapter one we read of the way in which he treated the Jewish people on the way back to his own country from Egypt to Syria let me read what is written in first Maccabees chapter 1 verse 20 just a few verses here in this historical book we read beloved brothers and sisters in verses 20 to 28 these words in the year 143 after the conquest of Egypt Antiochus marched

with a great army against the land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem in his arrogance he entered the temple and he took away the gold altar the lamp stand with all its equipment the table of showbread offered to the Lord the cups and the bowls the gold and fire pens the curtains and the crown he also stripped all the gold from the front of the temple and he carried over the silver and the gold and everything else of value including all the treasures that he could find stored there then he took it all to his own country again as we read in verse 28 he's returning to his own country but on the way

he shall be against the holy covenant the holy covenant in Hebrew we read the holy covenant that God made with his people Israel in other words he exploits the people of Israel and the temple in the city of Jerusalem notice he also murdered many people and boasted arrogantly about it there was a great mourning everywhere in the land of Israel rulers and leaders groaned in sorrow young men and young women grew weak the beauty of our women faded we read in Maccabees 1 Maccabees 1 and verse 26 we continue verses 27 28 all the way to the next a few more verses verse 27 28 every bridegroom sang a funeral song and every bride sat

mourning in her all our people were clothed with shame and our land trembled from them and so beloved brothers and sisters we read in these verses 20 to 28 of 1 Maccabees chapter 1 of the evil way in which Antiochus Epiphanes treated the Jewish people as he was returning from Egypt on the way to Syria so now beloved brothers and sisters in verses 29 30 and 31 of Daniel chapter 11 we read of Antiochus persecution of the Jews he persecuted the Jewish people in a terrible terrible way notice what we read in verses 29 30 and 31 at the time appointed he shall return and come towards the south he is at a time appointed

this is now a few years later at 168 BC Antiochus is now coming back from Syria going all the way down to Egypt to the south but it shall not be as the former days as the later in other when he would come now again to go against Syria against Egypt he would come down from Syria to Egypt in the south and he will not be successful in his campaign against Egypt as it was before and why because this time the Romans were helping the Egyptians and the Romans stopped Antiochus and caused him to return back without any victory against Egypt against the king of the south and so we read in verse 29 at

that time appointed he shall return 168 BC and come toward the south this is Egypt but it shall not be as the former or as the later for the ships of Shittim this is the ships Roman ships in Cyprus Shittim shall come against him so he will have a position now not so much from Egypt but from Rome and he could not fight against the Romans they were more powerful than him so not therefore he shall be grieved notice this very interesting verse 30 he is grieved in other words he was feeling very bad so he was grieved and then it says here and return and have indignation that's when you get the word zam

that word indignation mentioned elsewhere about God's indignation against sin the Hebrew word is zam but here we see the wicked indignation of this man Antiochus the fourth Antiochus epiphanies so he was so grieved because he didn't get what he wanted and because he was warned by the Romans to return back and to go back otherwise he would suffer consequences he would suffer loss so what does he do he was grieved he was angry again on return against the holy covenant again v'zaam al brit hakodesh in other words he now again he's taking his anger against the Jewish people because he was not successful to get what he wanted from Egypt get the power that he

wanted because the Romans have stopped him from doing so the ships of Shittim they came to Cyprus he now placed upon the Jewish people that which he was angry about so we read in verse 30 so shall he do he shall even return and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant in other words beloved brothers and sisters Antiochus Epiphanes was successful in making a league with some Jewish people who were influenced by the Hellenistic views and teaching a paganistic kind of life which they kind of assisted him or they took side with him because assuming that he will treat them well and because they have departed from the law of the Lord now

they as we read here in this verse he made a league with them with those that forsake the holy covenant at the end of verse 30 of Daniel chapter 11 very interesting because this is again mentioned for us beloved brothers and sisters verses here verse 30 and 31 of Daniel chapter 11 really is prescribed for us somewhat in the book of Maccabees as well verse 31 we read 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 in other words beloved brothers and sisters at Yochus now after he also made a league with some

of the Hellenistic Jews he eventually brought about the fact that the daily sacrifice in the temple in the city of Jerusalem will cease and he committed in the temple the abomination of desolation by offering a pig to Zeus his God there in the temple in the city of Jerusalem and that is the time beloved brothers and sisters which really given to us the time of 168 BC when the abomination of desolation occurred in the history of the Syrian Grecian king by the name of Antiochus Epiphany now there are verses in the book of Maccabees that point to that I just want to read verse 47 of 1st Maccabees chapter 1 says they were commanded to

build pagan altars temples and shrines and to sacrifice pigs and others unclean animals imagine he commanded the Jewish people to erect all sort of altars offer pigs upon the altars and really he committed the abomination of desolation beloved brothers and sisters now again this verse 31 of Daniel 11 the abomination that maketh desolation this is the event that occurred in the time when Antiochus Epiphanes have desecrated the temple in the city of Jerusalem and he became a type and a picture of the antichrist who will come in the future day during the tribulation period when he will be the one that will ultimately commit the abomination of desolation that Daniel the prophet is speaking about

which Antiochus Epiphanes became a type of a type of the antichrist a picture of the future greater wicked men who will come of whom we will read at the last portion of Daniel chapter 11 and so beloved brothers and sisters this is a very sad sad history let me read you a few more verses 1 Maccabees 1 verse 33 then Antiochus and his forces built high walls and strong towers in the area north of the temple turning it into a fort they brought in a group of traders Jews and installed them there they also brought in arms and supplies and stored in the front all the loot that they had taken in Jerusalem this fort

became a great threat to the city the fort was a threat to the temple a constant evil for the people of Israel how sad and how wicked this man was it says in verse 37 of first Maccabees chapter 1 verse 37 innocent people were murdered around the altar the holy place was defiled by murderers what a sad sad condition here we see that existed during the time of Antiocho's epiphanies when he returned being angry because he didn't get his way from the Egyptians and he was told to return back by the Romans who came against him and so beloved brothers and sisters as we move along in our chapter now the final verses that we

have here in verse 32 to verse 35 we have information concerning the Jewish people in the midst of the persecution that Antiochus epiphanies inflicted upon them and so we read in verse 32 the wicked ways in which Antiochus dealt with the Jewish people look what we read about him beloved brothers and sisters in verse 32 a the first part there we read and such notice as do wickedly against the covenant Antiochus did wickedly wickedly against the covenant again the word covenant Brit in Hebrew is speaking about the Jewish people or the covenant people of God the people of Israel and then we continue to read in verse 32 B to verse 33 that there was

some godly in Israel who continued on to teach the people of Israel the truth of the word of God some of them died by Antiochus army as well and so I'm reading verse 32 B there we read and he shall corrupt by flatteries that's what Antiochus have done but the people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploit these people who knew their God are godly Jewish people who maintain faithfulness to the God of Israel no matter what they were faithful to the truth they have been taught they will not become Hellenistic they will not worship Zeus they will not eat pigs they will not offer pigs on altars they will not

worship Antiochus epiphanies they were godly people the people who knew their God they shall be strong and do exploits as we read in 32 they would fight against the Grecian Syrian army of Antiochus and they will be the one that will continue on to fight against him but you notice what we do read in verse 33 that 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 so in other words they sought to maintain godly character they sought to teach their people the things of God they have sought to keep the Shabbat day to teach the Torah the law

to keep the feast but to keep circumcision but they could not be sustained for too long because ultimately many of them died by the sword by the flame by captivity some were taken captive as slaves by the Antiochus army and by spoil for many days and this group was a godly group of Jewish people who maintain a godly lifestyle in spite of what the Grecians have done unto them but then you notice beloved brothers and sisters in verse 34 we read that when they shall fall they shall be helped with a little help but many shall cleave to them with flattery in other words they receive some help so there were apparently two groups within

among the Jewish people who cared for the testimony of the God of Israel they say Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad hear O Israel the Lord our God the Lord is one there is no other God thou shall have no other gods before me and they stood and many of them died because they stood for the God of Israel they received some help from another group this is the Maccabees the Maccabees is Matataias who had a priest in Israel who had five sons and they were the one that have raised an army a little army from the mountains of Judea there and they fought against the Antiochus army and so the Maccabees helped these godly

Jewish people who were the one who taught the word of God and still influenced others from among Israel and they were many of them died and killed as we have just read in these verses 33 by sword by flame by captivity by sport so they receive a little help from the Maccabees but then we read what happened sisters in verse 34 even the Maccabees after the sons of Matathias the Maccabees have liberated the temple in the city of Jerusalem they ultimately died all of them have eventually died in a war that they were fighting the armies of the Grecian Syrian armies of Antiochus Epiphanes and we read sadly that among them there are some who

claved to them with flatteries in other words there are some who were not really some Jewish people who were not necessarily seeking to follow after the God of Israel they were Hellenized they somehow managed to cleave to the Chashmonaim to the Maccabees and ultimately they flutter them and eventually history tells us that they were successful to kind of spoil the descendants of the Maccabees and ultimately many of them became also Hellenized by the Grecian pagan influence how sad it is when God desired his people whether it is Israel historically or whether it is the assembly the church in these days the body of Messiah these days God desired God desired that his people will be

separated unto him not isolated not sectarian but separated unto him living for him careful to pray careful to read his word careful to walk with the Lord not allowing themselves to be influenced by godless world but often time sadly there are those that were successful with flatteries and false teaching creeping unawares and ultimately defiling the people of God and how much grace God's people need and strength to be able to stand for the Lord in difficult days such as these Jewish people in the days of this wicked man Antiochus Epiphany now beloved brothers and sisters to close this message of Daniel chapter 11 verse 21 to 35 the last verse verse 35 is really the

final verse that points us now to the future there is a transition between here verse 35 become a verse that now moves us from the days of Antiochus Epiphanies from 173 to 165 BC or 164 BC when he died and here we see a transition from Antiochus days to the latter days where a wicked man that Antiochus is a type of the Antichrist will rise in a future day whom also the Lord eventually will judge but that Antichrist that counterfeit Messiah of the future day the day of the tribulation is that wicked man that will cause a greater abomination which make it desolate in the future temple that will be built the tribulation temple and

so you notice that to read for us verse 35 in verse 35 beloved brothers and sisters we read and some of them of understanding shall fall so some of the godly in Israel will fall and will die by the hand of the armies of Antiochus even though in 165 BC on the 25th day of the month of Kislev the temple in Yerushalay was rededicated to the Lord that's how we get the feast of Hanukkah and the feast of Hanukkah was celebrated by Jewish people because their Maccabees were successful to defeat their Syrian army and to chase them out of the land but you notice what we read all these testing all these trials all these

conflicts that God has allowed the Jewish people to experience will ultimately bring them lessons will lead them to the final days of the tribulation and the second coming of the Messiah so we read in verse 35 some of them that understood they paid price they died they fell but notice what we read why in order 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 you notice beloved brothers and sisters how interesting it is this verse 35 in the 35th verse of Daniel chapter 11 God through the angel give Daniel information concerning the reason why God allowed persecution

in the history of his own people disobedience bring about the judgment of God God's people will be tested and ultimately when they rebel against him against God they will be experiencing tribulations and trials and that is exactly what happened in the history of our people the Jewish people throughout the history you see some of them that had understanding even the godly they shall fall in order to test and to try them and you notice that this expression that you have here to try them to purge them to make them white in Hebrew the words are very very interesting here in verse 35 to litzrof it comes from the word to purify and to purge and

to make ultimately white to make pure see God desired to purify his people Israel and to ultimately bring them to their wits end to say that they ultimately need God in their life so beloved brothers and sisters what a lesson it is here that we have in these verses because all these events that happen in Jewish history according to this verse 35 is allowed by God and sometimes brought up by God in order to try them to purge them and to make them pure and white and that will continue even to the times of the end this is the tribulation day why because it is yet for time appointed they still a time appointed in

which God will ultimately bring about the final restoration of his earthly people the people of Israel again remember that the book of Daniel is always must be read in the context of the Jewish people in Daniel chapter 9 there we read in this verse 24 77 are determined upon thy people this is Daniel's people and upon thy holy city this is the city of Jerusalem and what are these 77 that determine upon the Jewish people and the city of Jerusalem what it will bring about six things to finish the transgression and to make an end of sins and to make reconciliation for iniquity and to bring an everlasting righteousness and to seal up the vision

and prophecy and to anoint the most holy to anoint the temple again the messianic temple in the city of Jerusalem and so beloved brothers and sisters no wonder no wonder when we read of King Solomon Shlomo HaMelech when he wrote to the people of Israel he wanted the Jewish people to remember not to be discouraged when God is dealing with them with discipline you remember what Solomon wrote in Proverbs chapter 3 and there he wrote in verse 11 my son despised not the chastening of the Lord neither be weary of his correction for whom the Lord loveth he correcting even as the father the son in whom he delighted God delighted in Israel he chose

the nation of Israel as his own people and when Israel have gone astray God have allowed Israel to experience tribulation persecution and challenges in order to bring them about and to restore them to himself this is an amazing principle that we all must learn the the writer wrote the Hebrew believers wrote and he is actually using what Shlomo the king of Israel Solomon wrote in Proverbs chapter 3 the Hebrew the Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 3 for consider him that endureth such contradiction of sinners against himself lest ye be wearied and faint in your own mind he have not yet resist unto blood striving against sin and he have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto

you as unto children my son despised not thou the chastening of the Lord nor faint when thou art rebuke of him for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth and scourges every son whom he receiveth if ye endure chastening God dealeth with you as with sons for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not but if ye be without chastisement whereof all are partakers then ye are bastards and not sons furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us and we gave them reverence shall we not much rather be subjection unto the fathers of spirits and live for they verily for few days chasteneth after their your pleasure but he this is God

for our prophet that we might be partakers of his holiness amazing beloved brothers and sisters now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous but grievous nevertheless afterwards it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby wherefore lift up the hands which hang down and the feeble knees and make straight paths for your feet lest that which is lame be turned out of their way but let it rather be healed amazing beloved brothers and sisters we read in Hebrews chapter 12 verses 3 to verse 13 and so in closing beloved brothers and sisters verses 21 to 35 of Daniel chapter 11 specifically dealing with these wicked men Antiochus the fourth

a Grecian Syrian king that rose to power that expanded his authority but also persecuted the Jewish people in a terrible way and committed the abomination that make a desolate by offering a pig for his god Zeus upon an altar in the temple in the city of Jerusalem which made it necessary in 165 the temple had to be cleansed by the maccabees by the Jewish people and the feast of Hanukkah was the feast of dedication that that our people of old celebrate since 165 BC until today year after year after year looking back at the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem which a wicked man once desecrated by the name of Antiochus epiphanies well may the

Lord bless his word may the Lord encourage our hearts may the Lord lead us on and in the next and final verses of Daniel chapter 11 verse 36 to verse 45 we will see how the reference here the prophetic message is concerning the times of the end the appointed time of the future during the tribulation when the Antichrist who would come will ultimately will be judged by the Lord Jesus the Messiah well God bless you my dear friend may God bless his word and until the next time we say Shalom Shalom