Evidence From Daniel - Antiochus is the Anti-Christ

Antiochus Epiphanes is the Anti-Christ, not just a "type"? To the evidence in Daniel:

First the "gap" idea . As in Daniel's visions, as in the 490 years prophecy, lesson 11 is entertaining along smoothly when suddenly we jump thousands of years and wind up nearly in the Millennium. Do you remember when you first read this 11th chapter, knowing nothing of history? Did it not seem to you a smooth article that told the life story of an old king? The translators blocked our mental by production a lesson division at the end of lesson 11. We went on glibly to 12, mental a new story was starting. But it was the same event. The Tribulation, the judgment, the resurrections, tied irrevocably to the story of the old king.

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Troubling. But the scholars assured us that two kings were being described, one that just looked like the other one, but was a dissimilar man. But what if it is the same man?

Historically we know that Antiochus did fill the role of king of the North. The Spirit has brought us to the geographical portions of the understanding, and we must stay with that. He is called a king in verse 27. He is never called in the prior section "king of the North", just a king. So why should he not still be called that in verse 36? Could not the Spirit, the angel, the prophet, have been clear with us that a turn in identity was intended?

Is there a change? Or is there an exaggerated ability of the same old Antiochus, who is troubled with the Jews and their God? Antiochus, the first king in history to assume and announce his own deity on the coarse coinage of his day. Antiochus, a madman who cares about power and asset and money. Is he not the same, yet empowered differently from verse 36? Why must he be a dissimilar man?

Finally in verse 40 "the king of the North" is mentioned. It is potential to read this verse in two dissimilar ways. One could say Egypt attacks "the king", then the (same) king, that is "the king of the North" attacks Egypt. Or one could dream that by this time in history, the "king" (antichrist) has graduated from king of the "North" to world dictator, and both the South and the North charge him, but to no avail, for he is Satan-empowered.

Yes, now, either the title "North" applies or not, he is acting, not as one of the four original horns, but as the "fifth" or "little" horn. It is not until "the latter time of their [the four horns'] kingdom" that the "king" with fierce features arises, the exiguous horn.

He has arisen in our text now. Same man. Re-grown. Re-planted. Dead and resurrected. Infested with Satan himself. Of the fourth but the fifth. In Revelation, the "eighth" but one of the seven. New, yet old. Never been here before, not like this, but lived in a similar body centuries before. King of the North, but maybe graduated to King over all. The old "manifested one" seeking to be "God manifest in the flesh" as the Enemy he hates so passionately, our Lord Jesus Christ.

The enigma has been with us all these centuries. They mystery itself helps to solve the mystery. The fact that it seems so unexplainable but sits there unchanging should tell us to accept it like it is. God Himself, knowing how difficult these things are for us to understand, could have thought about explained the "gap", the repeat of history, the preservation of lives, but He allowed the mystery to remain underground in this text and that, assuring that most will not solve the riddle. Most will not even care.

Evidence From Daniel - Antiochus is the Anti-Christ

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