The Ultimate Ruler: Daniel 11:21-45
God is the ultimate ruler of creation. This is His world. He established the laws of the universe and they obey Him.
The second half of this chapter is devoted to a vague retelling of the leadership of Antiochus Epiphanes, or as the heavenly messenger calls him, the contemptable one. Antiochus took the throne of the Seleucid Empire even though he was not the rightful heir. He used a combination of brute force and deceitful tactics to expand his empire. Some remember him as a strong leader, but in Jewish circles he is considered the greatest example of an antichrist that ever existed.
Without getting into too much detail on the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes – of which I spoke of earlier in this blog – there are a couple of lessons to learn from the vague retelling here. The heavenly messenger says Antiochus Epiphanes will pay attention to those who forsake the covenant. He removes the ability for the Jews to make sacrifices to God and defiles the temple. He seduces people to violate their covenant with God.
The world looks for weakness among the faithful. When people stand up for God and do not go along with the world, the world will come against them. The easiest way to take down any opposition is to take them down from the inside. Antiochus Epiphanes will find Hebrew people who work to make his conquest of Jerusalem as easy as possible. The people sell out their faith for worldly gain. When we choose to follow God rather than follow the world, we need to be firm in that commitment lest the world sense our weakness and come to tempt us away from our vow to God.
Because of this inner treachery, Antiochus Epiphanes will have his way with Jerusalem for a time. His influence will dominate Jerusalem. Yet, God remains in control. The world has its way, but God is patient. He knows the victory is ultimately His.
At the end of his reign, a remnant of Jews who stay faithful to the covenant assert themselves and cast off the abomination – or the altar to Zeus – that Antiochus Epiphanes erects in the temple. Historically speaking, we call this the Maccabean Revolt. A priest named Mattathias and his sons – one of whom is Judas Maccabeus – recapture the temple, purify it, and cast off their Seleucid rulers. The Jews retain a fair amount of autonomy until they fall under Roman influence several decades prior to the birth of Jesus.
When the world rises against God’s people, we should look for a faithful remnant. God is patient with the world, but God also has a plan. He will protect His people. He will go before us and fight for us. He will give the world the space they need to prove themselves and have their way, but ultimately God will take control and seize the day. God is the ultimate ruler of creation.
