Fri.’s Devo - The Old Testament Antichrist

Read: Daniel 11:36-12:13; 1 John 4:1-21; Psalm 123:1-4; Proverbs 29:2-4 Yesterday, we read about the last day kingdoms and nations that would be in power before Jesus came on the scene. I am going to back track into yesterday’s reading and explain this anti-christ we are talking about today. The Old Testament antichrists and kingdoms will mirror the last day Antichrist and his kingdoms. The Old Testament Antichrist was Antiochus Epiphanes. Epiphanes was a play on words which sounded like Epimanes, “the madman” because of his acts of madness beneath the dignity of a king. He hung out with the lowest of people, bathed in public baths and threw stones at people passing by. He used trickery to supplant Demetrius, the rightful heir to the throne of Syria. Antiochus invaded Egypt, the land of the south in 171 B.C. The only city he could not take was Alexandria. He then went to Jerusalem to pay them back for rejoicing when they thought he had been killed. He then returned to Egypt with chariots, elephants and calvary to secure his kingdoms. Everywhere he went he found unloyal leaders who spoke lies under the table. He left every place he went in fear and terror. He returned to Jerusalem and killed 80,000 and took 40,000 prisoner. Guided by Menelaus, the high priest, he entered the sanctuary with blasphemies, took away the gold and silver vessels, sacrificed swine on the altar, and sprinkled broth of the flesh through the temple. He returned to take more of Egypt but wasn’t as successful this time. He returned humbled and grieved through fear of Rome. He was also indignant that while he was gone, worship of God had been restored in Jerusalem. He sent Apollonius in 167 B.C, with 22,000 to destroy Jerusalem. He killed multitudes and dismantled and pillaged the city. The temple was consecrated to Jupiter Olympius, which he identified himself to. (This was the abomination that makes desolate.) He ordered that all the people must conform to the worship of the Greek religion. No other world ruler had interfered with the religions worship of God’s people. Little did they realize their practice of sacrifice had to stop because Jesus was about to appear on the scene and be the final sacrifice. The Roman emperor Adrian also erected a temple to Jupiter Capitolinus where the temple of God had stood in A.D. 132; also the Mohammedan mosque of Omar was erected in the same place. (Mohammedanism began to prevail in A.D. 610, only about three years from the time when Popery assumed the temporal power, and the idolatry of the Church of Rome in the spiritual temple. The Popery will be the False Prophet of the New Testament Antichrist. The Maccabees were a Jewish family that refused to fall to paganism. They gathered followers and fought for truth. They were greatly persecuted and many martyred. They were taken advantage of on the Sabbath when they refused to fight. Their persecution lasted for three years. This leads us to today’s reading about the Antichrist type. We have already talked about how cruel and mad he was. He would even attack the temple of the Syrian Venus worshipped by women. The “God of forces” talked about in vs. 38 probably was referring to a temple in Antioch that he was building to Jupiter Capitolinus. He also built a temple to the god “Mahuzzim” who was suppose to be the “Protector”. He conquered kingdoms and set up his gods in all of them. He was finally killed in the Persian town of Tabes. Now it was time for Micheal, the angel of Israel to stand up and fight the battle in the heavens which would be manifested on the earth. Those that sleep that are saved will be resurrected but the rest of the dead will remain asleep until judgement. That is when he told Daniel to stop revealing what he saw and close the book. I am not going to stop there too. First John warns us about false prophets that will become more and more prevalent as the days approach the end. That is our day for sure. We can know a false prophet by what he proclaims about Jesus. If that person does not believe that Jesus came in the flesh, from God to reveal God to earth and died on the cross and rose into heaven, that person is a false prophet. The false prophets of today are many of the newscasters. They tell lies and predict the future from earth perspective but we are higher than earth. We are seated with God and can see from his perspective. We have God’s spirit in us so we can walk in truth. God is love and all of live in God live in love. Lord help us to loved as you Love and not be ruled by fear of what man can do to us.