Quantum Study Bible

Topic: The Antichrist

Satan Works through Men to Achieve his Purposes.

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Who is He from Scripture?

See Topic: Names of the Antichrist

He is a progressive presence:

  • In Joel 7:1 LXX he is not yet a locust, he is only a “caterpillar”. These are his “beginnings”.
  • Then he progresses to a little horn on the last head of the dragon one of the ten horns little horn” in Daniel. Daniel 7:8, Daniel 8:9

  • He becomes the leader of “Gog” in the battle of Gog and Magog.
  • As such he is the “king of the locust invasion”
  • His name is interchangeable with “Agag”, king of the Amalekites.
  • He is the last head of the seven heads of the dragon, the one with ten horns, in Revelation when he becomes a global leader. Each head represents a kingdom of old who ruled over the Jews until the present kingdom of the Antichrist.
    • Psalm 74:14 You broke the (seven) heads of Leviathan (dragon) in pieces, And gave him as food to the people (Jews) inhabiting the wilderness. The seven heads include the Babylonians, Persians, Egyptians, Syrians, Greece, Romans, and the last kingdom, the kingdom of the Antichrist.
  • He is synonymous with the beast in Daniel 4 when he is indwelt by Satan.
  • He is the conqueror carrying a bow riding the white horse – the first horse of the apocalypse.
  • As such, He is the first seal in Revelation.
  • He is the visible manifestation of the invisible Satan, the enemy of Jesus.
  • He is the man who desecrates the Holy of Holies in the middle of the tribulation, indwelt by Satan, declaring that “he” is “god”.
  • From the Book of Daniel: He is Syrian.
    • 1) The book of Daniel identifies him as one of four horns on the goat representing Alexander the Great. Those four horns are four of Alexander the Great’s generals who, after Alexander’s death, divided his territory among them. The four horns are Macedon (Greece), Turkey, Egypt, and lastly Syria (including Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and all territories up to India)
    • 2) The King of the North and the King of the South are descendants of two of those generals, also described in the book of Daniel. The North is Syria and the South is Egypt. Surprisingly, it is the king of Syria who narrows the four horns down to one: Syria. His name is Antiochus IV called “the mad man” by the Jews. He is a foreshadow of the Antichrist to come because he did everything Jesus said the coming Antichrist would do, he claimed he was god in the holy of holies and sacrificed a non-clean animal on the altar.
      • Matthew 24:15 The Great Tribulation – “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
  • He rules in Jerusalem during the seven year tribulation. He will be chased down and he will be slain when Jesus appears at the Battle of Armageddon to fight on behalf of the Jews.
  • From Isaiah he is Syrian (ie: the Assyrian)
    • Isaiah 14:25 That I will break the Assyrian (The Antichrist/The Leviathan) in My land (Jerusalem),
      And on My mountains (Jerusalem) tread him (The Antichrist) underfoot.
      Then his yoke shall be removed from them,
      And his burden removed from their (Jewish) shoulders.
    • Isaiah 27:1 Israel Will Be Restored – In that day the Lord with His severe sword, great and strong, Will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan that twisted serpent; And He will slay the reptile that is in the sea (of people).
    • Isaiah 14:29 Lists two types of the Syrian Antichrist indicating the third will also be Syrian and he is called a Fiery Flying Serpent.
  • Info from the Book of Ezekiel: He is Gog (the name “Gog” is also called “Agag” and the two names are interchangeable)
    • Ezekiel lends credence to Gog being the Antichrist.

      Ezekiel 38:17 Thus says the Lord God: “Are you HE (Gog) of whom I have spoken in former days by My servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied for years in those days that I would bring you against them? (The Battle of Gog and Magog)
    • Who are these prophets of Israel describing “HIM” the Antichrist?
      • Ezekiel Chapter 38 and 39
      • Daniel Chapter 8
      • Amos Chapter 7
      • Joel Chapter 1
      • John the Revelator Books and Chapters I John 2, I John 4, II John 1, Revelation (the Beast, The Dragon)
      • Baalam Numbers Chapter 24:7
    • See Topic: Names of the Antichrist

Other verses of note also connect the Antichrist to Gog, the king of the locusts (a devastating army), and Agag, king of the Amalekites.

  • The book Amos 7: He is the king of the Invading, devouring Armies called Locusts.
    • The Greek Septuagint of Amos states that Gog is the king of the Locusts.
      https://www.biblestudytools.com/lxx/amos/7.html

      Amos 7:1 Thus has the Lord God shewed me; and, behold, a swarm of locusts coming from the east (Syria); and, behold, one caterpillar, king Gog.
    • The verses below help to determine the timing of Gog’s invasion.
      • Vision of the Locusts
        • Amos 7 Vision of the Locusts –
          Amos 7:1 Thus the Lord God showed me: Behold, He formed locust swarms at the beginning of the late crop (Lit. beginning of the sprouting of); indeed it was the late crop after the king’s mowings.
          Late Crop:
          Amos 7:2 And so it was, when they (the locust swarms) had finished eating the grass of the land, that I said: “O Lord God, forgive, I pray!
        • Egg development:
          Eggs need warmth and moisture to develop and will suspend development (diapause) if these needs are not met.
          In summer, eggs may hatch within 14–16 days.
          Eggs laid in autumn will probably remain dormant through winter and resume development and hatch the following spring with the warmer weather. …

          Breeding normally occurs from spring through to autumn, depending on conditions, with two to three generations hatching through that period if conditions are favorable
        • By the pattern of the High Holy Days, it corresponds to the Jewish Autumn Feast which projects the last days of the seven year tribulation and Jesus’ 2nd advent.
  • Book of Joel 1: He leads the armies of the latter days.
    • The Day of the Lord (Not much is left by the time Jesus returns)
      Joel 1:4 What the chewing locust left, the swarming locust has eaten;
      What the swarming locust left, the crawling locust has eaten;
      And what the crawling locust left, the consuming locust has eaten.
  • His is the Locusts (a military army) in Revelation
    • Revelation 9:2 And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. 3 Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth.
  • The book of Numbers 24: He is also Amalakite

The name Gog and Agag are interchangeable (the names are Amalaklite).

The Greek Septuagint (translated from Hebrew to Greek by the Jews) reads “Gog” instead of “Agag” in Numbers 24:7.

* Below

  • Numbers 24:7 There shall come a man out of his seed, and he shall rule over many nations; and the kingdom of Gog shall be exalted, and his kingdom shall be increased.
  • Numbers 24:7b in the Biblical Hebrew Bible
    “His king shall be higher than Agag,
    And his kingdom shall be exalted.”
  • Numbers 24:7b in the Greek Septuagint LXX
    “His king shall be higher than Gog,
    And his kingdom shall be exalted.”
  • “His king” from Numbers 24:7 refers to the Millennium when Jesus reigns in Jerusalem. “His king” is Jesus.

Click here to See notes in Numbers 24:7. (A pop up appears with a link at the top. Click on the link and the document will appear.)

Note: The meaning of the name Agag is “High”. Jesus’ kingdom will be “higher than high” (higher than Agag’s kingdom) Agag was the king of the Amalakites. Amalek is #6 on the list of those who will come against Israel in Numbers 24.

God told Saul the king to kill ALL the Amalekites. But Saul spared their king until Samuel discovered he wasn’t killed and took it upon himself to slay him. In that interim, Agag was able to have a descendant. From his lineage came Haman…and then the Antichrist.

  • The Amalakites were renowned for their opposition to the Jews. Haman was an Amalkite who wanted to annihilate the Jews.

Like Haman, Antiochus IV, Hitler, and the Muslim Imam; the Antichrist has the intention of making Jerusalem a graveyard of Jews, with the desire to annihilate every last one.

The Antichrist is continually influenced by Satan. Satan is described as a dragon with seven heads in Revelation. The book of Revelation, from the first page to the last page is about the tribulation when every last remaining Jew comes to believe in their one true Messiah, which is the purpose of this time of tribulation. It is God working with and focusing on the Jews, although the entire world is pulled into what appears to be a global black hole of drama.

The nation Israel is a stumbling block for all the nations of the world. (Isaiah 8:14, Romans 9:32-33)

  • He is also Edomite: a descendant of Esau.
  • Esau “sold” his “birthright” equivalent to selling one’s salvation. Esau’s “red stew” means “pride”. Mt. Seier, where Esau settled is defined as a place of demons. Esau was called Edom, an interchangeable name with Adam. Adam also lost his birthright.

Who is he pictorially?

  • He is part of an unholy trinity: Satan, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet
  • He is the visible manifestation of the invisible Satan in whom Satan dwells.
  • He is the shadow of Antiochus IV casting itself into the future and projecting its form on the wall of evil.
  • He is the one who does “monstrous” things. Joel 2:20

Who is he metaphorically?

  • As Haman …So the Antichrist
    • “Let a decree be written that they (the Jews) be destroyed, and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who do the work” Esther 3:9
  • As Antiochous IV …So the Antichrist
    • “I will make Jerusalem a graveyard of Jews” (see footnote “a” below)
  • As Hitler …So the Antichrist
    • “The Jews are yours” (see footnote “b” below)
  • As the Muslim Imam …So the Antichrist
    • “Eradicate every last Jew from Palestine and the Arab world” (see footnote “b” below)
  • As Satan …So the Antichrist
    • ‘I will ascend into heaven,
      I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
      I will also sit on the mount of the congregation
      On the farthest sides of the north;
      I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
      I will be like the Most High.’ Isaiah 14:13-14
    • The Great Tribulation
      “So when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not” (in the Holy of Holies)… Mark 13:14

The seven year Tribulation: A Time of Trouble Like Never Before:

  • Daniel 12:1 Prophecy of the End Time: “At that time Michael shall stand up, The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation, Even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, Every one who is found written in the book.
  • Jeremiah 30:7 Alas! For that day is great, So that none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob’s trouble (a famine of seven years), But he shall be saved out of it.
  • Amos 8:11 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord God, “That I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine of bread, Nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the words of the Lord.

Who is he symbolically?

  • As the Sea Monster, Leviathan… So the Antichrist.
    • He lives in the sea (of people).
    • He causes the sea to boil (fret, stew, trouble) Literally to moan.
    • He coils (the truth).
    • He has a heart as hard as a mill stone.
    • He swallows men, like death.

How does Antiochus IV compare with the Antichrist?

  1. They both cause sacrifices to cease for 3 years and 6 months.
  2. They both desecrate the altar in the Holy of Holies.
  3. They both enter with flattery on their tongues.
  4. They both betray the Jews.
  5. They both persecute the Jews.
  6. They both put up an image of themselves in the temple.
  7. They both do monstrous things.
  8. They both have a desire to annihilate the Jews.

The Antichrist is a progression of influence and power:

  1. He is the caterpillar in Amos 1
  2. He is the little horn in Daniel
  3. He is (one of the) head(s) of the beast/dragon in Revelation
  4. Indwelt by Satan he becomes one with the beast, Satan
  5. His career begins leading an army and ends as a Global Leader eventually becoming “The image of the beast”.
    • Jesus refuted Satan’s offer to fall down and worship him and Satan would give him all the kingdom’s of the world.
    • The Antichrist will take Satan up on that offer.

The Antichrist, The Assyrian:

Hosea 11:5

Hosea 12:1

Isaiah 10:5

Isaiah 14:25

Isaiah 19:23-24

Isaiah 30:31 (Micah 5:5-6) Also rule with a rod of iron. Tread in our palaces (7 shepherds and 8 principal men).

Isaiah 31:8

A List of Verses on the Antichrist by the prophets:

  • The Prophet Ezekiel
    • Ezekiel 38:17 Thus says the Lord God: “Are you he of whom I have spoken in former days by My servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied for years in those days that I would bring you (the Antichrist) against them?
  • The Prophet Asaph (the Antichrist indwelt by Satan as the Leviathan)
    • Psalm 74:14 You broke the (seven) heads of Leviathan (dragon) in pieces, And gave him as food to the people (Jews) inhabiting the wilderness.
  • The Prophet Isaiah:
    • Isaiah 14:25 That I will break the Assyrian (The Antichrist) in My land (Israel),
      And on My mountains (Jerusalem) tread him underfoot.
      Then his yoke shall be removed from them,
      And his burden removed from their (Jewish) shoulders.
    • Isaiah 27:1 Israel Will Be Restored – In that day the Lord with His severe sword, great and strong, Will punish Leviathan (aka dragon) the fleeing serpent (the Antichrist indwelt by Satan), Leviathan that twisted serpent; And He will slay the reptile that is in the sea (of people).
  • The Prophet Daniel:
    • Daniel 11:21 And in his place shall arise a vile person, to whom they will not give the honor of royalty; but he shall come in peaceably, and seize the kingdom by intrigue…22 the prince of the covenant (peace treaty). 23 And after the league (group involved in the peace treaty) is made with him he shall act deceitfully, for he shall come up and become strong with a small number of people. …28 his heart shall be moved against the holy covenant; 30 “So he shall return and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant.31 And forces shall be mustered by him (in the middle of the tribulation), and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation. 32 Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits. 33 And those of the people who understand shall instruct many; yet for many days they shall fall by sword and flame, by captivity and plundering. 34 Now when they fall, they shall be aided with a little help; but many shall join with them by intrigue. 35 And some of those of understanding shall fall, to refine them, purify them, and make them white (shew whiteness, grow white, like a fig-tree, stripped by locusts, Joel 1:7; figurative of moral purity), until the time of the end; because it is still for the appointed time.

      36 “Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done. 37 He shall regard neither the god of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all. 38 But in their place he shall honor a god of fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things. 39 Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain (profit).

      41 He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon. 42 He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43 He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; also the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow at his heels. 44 But news from the east and the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many. 45 And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him.

      Daniel 12:1 “At that time Michael shall stand up,
      The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people;
      And there shall be a time of trouble,
      Such as never was since there was a nation,
      Even to that time.
      And at that time your people shall be delivered,
      Every one who is found written in the book.
  • Jesus (Yeshua) the Christ:
    • Matthew 24:15 The Great Tribulation (The last 3-1/2 years of the seven year tribulation) – “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ (By the Antichrist) spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
      Matthew 24:21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s (chosen one’s) sake those days will be shortened.
  • Joel the Prophet:
    • Joel 2:20 “But I will remove far from you the northern army, And will drive him away into a barren and desolate land, With his face toward the eastern sea, And his back toward the western sea; His stench will come up, And his foul odor will rise, Because he has done monstrous things.”
  • Amos the Prophet:
    • Amos 7:1 LXX Thus has the Lord God shewed me; and, behold, a swarm of locusts coming from the east (Syria); and, behold, one caterpillar, king Gog (aka Agag). (The beginnings of the Antichrist-part of an invading army)

Footnotes:

(a) Josephus: The Antiquities of the Jews on Antiochus IV (Mentioned in Daniel as the King of the North -Syrian. A foreshadow of the Antichrist to come)

Now it came to pass after two years in the hundred and forty-fifth year (167 B.C.) on the twenty-fifth day of that month which is by us called Chasleu, and by the Macedonians Apelleus, in the hundred and fifty-third Olympiad, that the king (Antiochus) came up to Jerusalem and, pretending peace, he got possession of the city by treachery, at which time he did not spare even those who admitted him into it on account of the riches that lay in the temple.  Led by his covetous inclination (for he saw there was a great deal of gold and many ornaments that had been dedicated to it of very great value), and in order to plunder its wealth, he ventured to break the agreement he made.  So he left the temple bare and took away the golden candlesticks, and the golden altar (of incense), and table (of shewbread), and the altar (of burnt offering), and did not abstain from even the veils which were made from fine linen and scarlet.  He also emptied it of its secret treasures and left nothing at all remaining, and by this means cast the Jews into great consternation, for he forbade them to offer those daily sacrifices, which they used to offer to God, according to the law.  And when he pillaged the whole city, some of the inhabitants he killed and some he carried captive so that the multitude of those captives that were taken alive amounted to about ten thousand.  He also burnt down the finest buildings, and when he had overthrown the city walls, he built a citadel in the lower part of the city, for the place was high and overlooked the temple on which account he fortified it with high walls and towers, and put into it a garrison of Macedonians.  However, in that citadel dwelt the impious and wicked part of the (Jewish) multitude, from whom it proved that the citizens suffered many heavy calamities.  And when the king had built an idol altar upon God’s altar, he slew swine upon it and so offered a sacrifice neither according to the law, nor the Jewish religious worship in that country.  He also compelled them to forsake the worship, which they paid their own God, and to adore those whom he took to the gods and made them build temples and raise idol altars in every city and village, and offer swine upon them every day.  He also commanded them not to circumcise their sons and threatened to punish any that should be found to have transgressed his injunction.

He spoiled the temple and put a stop to the constant practice of offering a daily sacrifice of expiation for three years and six months…. Now Antiochus was not satisfied either with his unexpected taking of the city, or with its pillage, or with the great slaughter he had made there, but being overcome with his violent passions. He compelled the Jews to dissolve the laws of their country, and keep their infants uncircumcised, and to sacrifice swine’s flesh upon the altar; against which they all opposed themselves, and the most approved among them were put to death.

Josephus, Wars 1.1.1-2 (32b-35) above

And when he pillaged the whole city, some of the inhabitants he killed and some he carried captive so that the multitude of those captives that were taken alive amounted to about ten thousand.

~Josephus, Antiquities 12.5.4 (248-256) above

In those days lawless men came forth from Israel, and misled many saying, “Let us go and make a covenant with Gentiles round about us, for since we separated from them many evils have come upon us.”

The proposal pleased them, and some of the people eagerly went to the king.  He authorized them to observe the ordinances of the Gentiles, so they built a gymnasium in Jerusalem, and according to the Gentile custom, and removed the marks of circumcision and abandoned the holy covenant.  They joined with the Gentiles and sold themselves to do evil.

When Antiochus saw that his kingdom was established, he determined to become the king of the land of Egypt that he might reign over both kingdoms. So he invaded Egypt with a strong force, with chariots and elephants and cavalry and with a large fleet.  He engaged Ptolemy king of Egypt in battle and Ptolemy turned and fled before him and many were wounded and fell.   And they captured the fortified cities in the land of Egypt and he plundered the land of Egypt.

After subduing Egypt, Antiochus returned in the one hundred and forty-third year.  He went up against Israel and came to Jerusalem with a strong force.  He arrogantly entered the sanctuary and took the golden altar, the lampstand for the light and all its utensils.  He took also the table for the bread of the Presence, the cups for drink offerings, the bowls, the golden censers, the curtain, the crowns, and the gold decoration on the front of the temple; he stripped it all off.  He took the silver and the gold and the costly vessels; he took also the hidden treasures which he found taking them all, he departed to his own land.

Two years later the king sent to the cities of Judah a chief tax collector of tribute, and he came to Jerusalem with a large force.  Deceitfully he spoke peaceable words to them, and they believed him; but he suddenly fell upon the city, dealt it a severe blow and destroyed many people of Israel.  He plundered the city (and) burned it with fire and tore down its houses and its surrounding walls. And then he took captive the women and children and seized the cattle.  Then he fortified the city of David with a great strong wall and strong towers and it became their citadel. And they stationed there a sinful people, lawless men.  These strengthened their positions; they stored up arms and food and collecting the spoils of Jerusalem they stored them there and became a great snare.

Then the king wrote to his whole kingdom that all should be one people, and that each should give up his custom. All the Gentiles accepted the command of the king.  Many even from Israel gladly adopted his religion; they sacrificed to idols and profaned the Sabbath. And the king sent letters by messengers to Jerusalem and the cities of Judah; he directed them to follow customs strange to the land, to forbid burnt offerings and sacrifices and drink offerings in the sanctuary, to profane Sabbaths and feasts, to defile the sanctuary and the priests, to build altars and sacred precincts and shrines for idols, to sacrifice swine and unclean animals, and to leave their sons uncircumcised.  They were to make themselves abominable by everything unclean and profane, so that they should forget the Law and change all ordinances.

“And whoever does not obey the command of the king shall die.” In such words he wrote to his whole kingdom.  And he appointed inspectors over all the people and commanded the cities of Judah to offer sacrifice, city by city. Many of the people, everyone who forsook the Law, joined them, and they did evil in the land; they drove Israel into hiding in every place of refuge they had erected a desolating sacrilege upon the altar of burnt offerings.  They also built altars in the surrounding cities of Judah, and burned incense at the doors of the houses and in the streets. The books of the Law which they found they tore into pieces and burned with fire. Where the book of the covenant was found in the possession of any one, or if any one adhered to the law, the decree of the king condemned him to death. They kept using violence against Israel, against those found month after month in the cities, and on the twenty-fifth day of the month they offered sacrifice on the altar which was upon the altar of burnt offering. According to the decree, they put to death the women who had their children circumcised and their families and those who circumcised them; and they hung the infants from their mothers’ necks.

But many in Israel stood firm and were resolved in their hearts not to eat unclean food or to profane the holy covenant; and they did die. And very great wrath came upon Israel.

1 Maccabees 1:11-64 (above)

He also appointed overseers who should compel them to do what he commanded.  And indeed there were many Jews who complied with the king’s commands either voluntarily or out of fear of the penalty that was announced: but the best men and those of the noblest souls did not regard him, but paid a greater respect to the customs of their country than concern as to the punishment which he threatened to the disobedient, on which account they every day underwent great miseries and bitter torments for they were whipped with rods and their bodies were torn to pieces and were crucified while they were still alive and breathed.  They also strangled those women and their sons whom they had circumcised, as the king had appointed, hanging their sons about their necks as they were upon the crosses.  And if there were any sacred book of the Law found, it was destroyed and those with whom they were found, miserably perished also.

Josephus, Antiquities 12.5.4 (248-256) (above)

About this time, Antiochus made his second invasion of Egypt. And it happened that over all the city, for almost forty days there appeared golden-clad horsemen charging through the air, in companies fully armed with lances and drawn swords – troops of horsemen drawn up, attacks and counterattacks made on this side and on that, brandishing of shields, massing of spears, hurling of missiles, the flash of golden trappings, and armor of all sorts.  Therefore, all men prayed that the apparition might prove to have been a good omen.

When a false rumor arose that Antiochus was dead, Jason took no less than a thousand men and suddenly made an assault upon the city.  When the troops upon the wall had been forced back and at last the city had been taken, Menelaus took refuge in the citadel. But Jason kept relentlessly slaughtering his fellow citizens, not realizing that success at the cost of one’s kindred is the greatest misfortune, but imagining that he was setting up trophies of victory of enemies and not of fellow countrymen. He did not gain control of the government, however; and in the end got only disgrace from his conspiracy, and fled again into the country of the Ammonites. Finally he met a miserable end.  Accused before Aretas the ruler of the Arabs, fleeing from city to city, pursued by all men, hated as a rebel against the laws, and abhorred as the executioner of his country and his fellow citizens, he was cast ashore in Egypt; and he who had driven many from his own country into exile died in exile, having embarked to go to the Lacedaemonians in hope of finding protection because of their kinship.  He who had cast out many to lie unburied had no one to mourn for him; he had no funeral of any sort and no place in the tomb of his fathers.

When news of what had happened reached the king, he took it to mean that Judea was in revolt.  So, raging inwardly, he left Egypt and took it by storm. And he commanded his soldiers to cut down relentlessly every one they met and to slay those who went into the houses. Then there was killing of young and old, destruction of boys, women, and children, and slaughter of virgins and infants. Within the total of three days eighty thousand were destroyed, forty thousand in hand-to-hand fighting; and as many were sold into slavery as were slain.

Not content with this, Antiochus dared to enter the most holy temple in all the world, guided by Menelaus, who became a traitor both to the laws and to his country. He took the holy vessels with his polluted hands, and swept away with profane the votive offerings, which other kings had made to enhance the glory and honor of the place.  Antiochus was elated in spirit, and did not perceive that the Lord was angered for a little while because of the sins of those who dwelt in the city, and that therefore he was disregarding the holy place. But if it had not happened that they were involved in many sins, this man would have been scourged and turned back from his rash act as soon as he came forward, just as Heliodorus was, whom Seleucus the king sent to inspect the treasury. But the Lord did not choose the nation for the sake of the holy place, but the place for the sake of the nation. Therefore, the place itself shared in the misfortunes that befell the nation and afterward participated in its benefits; and what was forsaken in the wrath of the Almighty was restored again in all its glory when the Great Lord became reconciled.

So Antiochus carried off eighteen hundred talents from the temple, and hurried away to Antioch, thinking in his arrogance that he could sail on the land and walk on the sea, because his mind was elated. And he left governors to afflict the people at Jerusalem: Philip by birth a Phrygian and in character more barbarous than the man who appointed him; and at Gerizim – Andronicus, and besides these – Menelaus, who lorded it over his fellow citizens, was worse than the others. In his malice toward the Jewish citizens, Antiochus sent Apollonius, the captain of the Mysians with an army of twenty-two thousand and commanded him to slay all the grown men and to sell the women and boys as slaves.  When this man arrived in Jerusalem, he pretended to be peaceably disposed and waited until the holy Sabbath day; then finding the Jews not at work, he ordered his men to parade under arms.  He put to sword all those who came out to see him with his armed men and killed great numbers of people.

But Judas Maccabeus with about nine others got away to the wilderness, and kept himself and his companions alive in the mountains as wild animals do; they continued to live on what grew wild, so that they might not share in the defilement.

2 Maccabees 5:1-27 (above)

Not long after this, the king sent an Athenian senator to compel the Jews to forsake the laws of their fathers and cease to live by the laws of God, and also to pollute the temple in Jerusalem and call it the temple of Olympian Zeus, and to call the one in Gerizim the temple of Zeus the Friend of Strangers, as did the people who dwelt in that place.

Harsh and utterly grievous was the onslaught of evil. For the temple was filled with debauchery and reveling by the Gentiles, who dallied with harlots and had intercourse with women within the sacred precincts, and besides brought in things for sacrifice that were unfit. The altar was covered with abominable offerings, which were forbidden by the laws.  A man could neither keep the Sabbath, nor observe the feasts of his fathers, nor as much as confess himself to be a Jew.

On the monthly celebration of the king’s birthday the Jews were taken, under bitter constraint, to partake of the sacrifices; and when the feast of Dionysus came, they were compelled to walk in the procession in honor of Dionysus, wearing wreaths of ivy. At the suggestion of Ptolemy, a decree was issued to neighboring Greek cities, that they should adopt the same policy toward the Jews and make them partake of the sacrifices, and should slay those who did not choose to change over to Greek customs.  One could see, therefore, the misery that had come upon them.  For example: two women were brought in for having circumcised their children.  These women they publicly paraded about the city, with their babies hung at their breasts, then hurled them down headlong from the wall. Others had assembled in the caves nearby to observe the seventh day secretly were betrayed to Philip and were all burned together, because their piety kept them from defending themselves, in view of their regard for that most holy day.

Now I urge those who read this book not to be depressed by such calamities, but to recognize that these punishments were designed not to destroy but to discipline our people. In fact, not to let the impious alone for long, but to punish them immediately is a sign of great kindness. For in the case of the other nations the Lord waits patiently to punish them until they have reached the full measure of their sins; but he does not deal in this way with us, in order that he may not take vengeance on us afterward when our sins have reached their height.  Therefore, he never withdraws his mercy from us.  Though he disciplines us with calamities; he does not forsake his own people.  Let what we have said serve as a reminder; we must go on briefly with the story.

Eleazar, one of the scribes in high position, a man now advanced in age and of noble presence, was being forced to open his mouth to eat swine’s flesh. But he, welcoming death with honor rather than life with pollution, went up to the rack of his own accord, spitting out the flesh, as men ought to go who have the courage to refuse things that it is not right to taste, even for the natural love of life.

Those who were in charge of that unlawful sacrifice took the man aside, because of their long acquaintance with him, privately urged him to bring meat of his own providing, proper for him to use, and pretend that he was eating the flesh of the sacrificial meal which had been commanded by the king, so that by doing this he might be saved from death and be treated kindly on account of his old friendship with them. But making a high resolve, worthy of his years and dignity of his old age and the gray hairs which he had reached with distinction and his excellent life even from childhood, and moreover according to the holy God-given law, he declared himself quickly telling them to send him to Hades.

“Such pretense is not worthy of our time of life,” he said, “lest many of the young should suppose that Eleazar in his ninetieth year has gone over to an alien religion, and through my pretense for the sake of living a brief moment longer, they should be led astray because of me, while I defile and disgrace my old age. For even if for the present I should avoid the punishment of men, yet whether I live or die I shall not escape the hands of the Almighty. Therefore, by manfully giving up my life now, I will show myself worthy of my old age and leave to the young a noble example of how to die a good death willingly and nobly for the revered and holy laws,” when he had said this, he went at once to that rack. And those who a little before had acted toward him with good, now changed to ill will because the words he had uttered were in their opinion sheer madness. When he was about to die under the blows, he groaned aloud and said, “It is clear to the Lord in his holy knowledge that I have been saved from death, I am enduring terrible sufferings in my body under this beating, but in my soul I am glad to suffer these things because I fear him.”

So in this way he died leaving in his death an example of nobility and a memorial to courage, not only to the young but to the great body of his nation.

2 Maccabees 6:1-31 (above)

When the Samaritans saw the Jews under these sufferings, they no longer confessed that they were of their kindred, or that the temple on Mount Gerizim belonged to Almighty God.  This was according to their nature … and now they said they were a colony of Medes and Persians: and indeed, they were a colony of theirs.  So they sent ambassadors to Antiochus, and an epistle whose contents are these: “To King Antiochus the god, Epiphanes, a memorial from the Sidonians who live at Shechem. Our forefathers, upon certain frequent plagues and as following a certain ancient superstition, had a custom of observing that day which the Jews called the Sabbath.  And when they had erected a temple at the mountain called Gerizim though without name, they had offered upon it the proper sacrifices.  Now, upon the just treatment of these wicked Jews those that manage their affairs supposing that we were of kin to them, and practiced as they do, make us liable to the same accusation although we are originally Sidonians as is evident from the public records.  We therefore beseech you, our benefactor and savior, to give order to Apollonius, the governor of this part of the country, and to Nicanor, the procurator of thy affairs, to give us no disturbance nor to lay to our charge what the Jews are accused for, since we are aliens from their nation and from their customs; but let our temple which at present hath no name at all, be named the temple of Jupiter Hellenius.  If this were once done we should be no longer disturbed, but should be more intent on our own occupation with quietness and so bring in a greater revenue to thee.”

When the Samaritans had petitioned for this, the king sent them back the following answer in an epistle:

“King Antiochus to Nicanor.  The Sidonians, who live at Shechem, have sent me the memorial enclosed.  When, therefore, we were advising with our friends about it, the messengers sent by them represented to us that they were no way concerned with customs, which belong to the Jews, but choose to live after the customs of the Greeks.  Accordingly, we declare them free from such accusations, and order that, agreeable to their petition, their temple be named the temple of Jupiter Hellenius.”

He also sent the like epistle to Apollonius, the governor of that part of the country in the forty-sixth year, and the eighteenth day of the month of Hecatombeon (July/August).

Josephus, Antiquities 12.5.5 (257-264) above

On Antiochus IV -II Maccabees, Chapter 9:

[Although Antiochus called himself Epiphanes (“God Manifest”), his Jewish detractors punned his name into “Epimanes,” meaning “madman.”

“(Antiochus IV) gave the soldiers license to collect spoils without restraint, whereas he himself not only plundered the Temple but also interrupted the continuity of the daily sacrifices for three years and six
months (the same number of years and months as the Antichrist will also cause sacrifices to cease)”. (War 1:31-33)]

1 About that time Antiochus retreated in disgrace from the region of Persia.

2 He had entered the city called Persepolis and attempted to rob the temples and gain control of the city. Thereupon the people had swift recourse to arms, and Antiochus’ forces were routed, so that in the end Antiochus was put to flight by the people of that region and forced to beat a shameful retreat.

3 On his arrival in Ecbatana, he learned what had happened to Nicanor and to Timothy’s forces.

4 Overcome with anger, he planned to make the Jews suffer for the injury done by those who had put him to flight. Therefore he ordered his charioteer to drive without stopping until he finished the journey. Yet the condemnation of Heaven rode with him, because he said in his arrogance, “I will make Jerusalem the common graveyard of Jews as soon as I arrive there.”

5 So the all-seeing Lord, the God of Israel, struck him down with an incurable and invisible blow; for scarcely had he uttered those words when he was seized with excruciating pains in his bowels and sharp internal torment,

6 a fit punishment for him who had tortured the bowels of others with many barbarous torments.

7 Far from giving up his insolence, he was all the more filled with arrogance. Breathing fire in his rage against the Jews, he gave orders to drive even faster. As a result he hurtled from the speeding chariot, and every part of his body was racked by the violent fall.

8 Thus he who previously, in his superhuman presumption, thought he could command the waves of the sea, and imagined he could weigh the mountaintops in his scales, was now thrown to the ground and had to be carried on a litter, clearly manifesting to all the power of God.

9 The body of this impious man swarmed with worms, and while he was still alive in hideous torments, his flesh rotted off, so that the entire army was sickened by the stench of his corruption.d

10 Shortly before, he had thought that he could reach the stars of heaven, and now, no one could endure to transport the man because of this intolerable stench.

11 At last, broken in spirit, he began to give up his excessive arrogance, and to gain some understanding, under the scourge of God, for he was racked with pain unceasingly. (Note: Herod the Great and Herod Agrippa I were also historically eaten by worms.)

(b) The Grand Mufti meeting with Hitler

Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Amin al-Husseini meeting with Hitler:

Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Amin al-Husseini’s post war memoir of his meeting with Hitler: “Our fundamental condition for cooperating with Germany was a free hand to eradicate every last Jew from Palestine and the Arab world. I asked Hitler for an explicit undertaking to allow us to solve the Jewish problem in a manner befitting our national and racial aspirations and according to the scientific methods innovated by Germany in the handling of its Jews. The answer I got was: ‘The Jews are yours.’” ~Ohio newspaper WWII

https://www.jpost.com/opinion/columnists/another-tack-the-unbroken-link-part-i-the-jews-are-yours

  • The Muslim Grand Mufti “Heil Hitler”

Relations Between Nazi Germany and the Arab World:

“Despite the Nazi racial theory, which denigrated Arabs as racially inferior, individual Arabs who assisted the Third Reich in fighting against the Allies were treated with dignity and respect. The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Amin al-Husseini, for example, “was granted honorary Aryan” status by the Nazis for his close collaboration with Hitler and the Third Reich.”

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