July 15, 2024

Antiochus Epiphanes, who I mentioned in the July 12th post for Daniel 8, the little horn that sprang up on the goat from one of the four horns, was vile and a destroyer of the people of God and desecrated the temple by placing his god, Jupiter Olympus, to replace God in the temple and took away the daily sacrifice. He removed all the gods from other religions and replaced them with the Egyptian gods. I covered the different characters in this prophecy in the July 12th devotional. Daniel 11 covers the details of the prophecy explained by Gabriel when he met with Daniel after hearing his prayer, which now we know in hindsight, came to play out as prophesied by Daniel. 

If you think things are bad now, imagine being an Israelite during the time of Antiochus and trying to follow God’s commands. He hung the children and took out the mothers who kept the practice of circumcision, and that’s just one example of his cruelty. 

When it came time for his end, no one would help him as Daniel had predicted when he said he would be broken without hands. 

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. Daniel 11:45 

One thing I’ve noticed and something we should be grateful for is that God will sometimes help us by removing us and taking us into his glory. Don’t be afraid to die. Be more scared to live when cruelty abounds. Pray that we never have to see the day that we lose our freedom to worship God and honor Jesus.