The Battle at Little Big Horn

Daniel 8  The Big Little Horn

1In the third year of King Belshazzar's reign, I, Daniel, had a vision, after the one that had already appeared to me. 2In my vision I saw myself in the citadel of Susa in the province of Elam; in the vision I was beside the Ulai Canal. 3I looked up, and there before me was a ram with two horns, standing beside the canal, and the horns were long. One of the horns was longer than the other but grew up later. 4I watched the ram as it charged toward the west and the north and the south. No animal could stand against it, and none could rescue from its power. It did as it pleased and became great.

5As I was thinking about this, suddenly a goat with a prominent horn between its eyes came from the west, crossing the whole earth without touching the ground. 6It came toward the two-horned ram I had seen standing beside the canal and charged at it in great rage. 7I saw it attack the ram furiously, striking the ram and shattering its two horns. The ram was powerless to stand against it; the goat knocked it to the ground and trampled on it, and none could rescue the ram from its power. 8The goat became very great, but at the height of its power the large horn was broken off, and in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven.

 

Antiochus And The Maps

 

Alexander's first victory against the Persians was at the Granicus river near the Hellespont (334 B.C.). After taking all of Asia Minor, he crushed the army of Darius III of Medo-Persia in northern Syria (the Battle of Issus, 333 B.C.). The island fortress of Tyre fell after a remarkable seven-month siege, and in 332 he conquered Egypt without a battle. Acclaimed as a deity, he founded Alexandria and moved on to Mesopotamia where he met Darius III again and defeated him (Gaugamela, 331 B.C.). Babylon, Susa, Persepolis, and Ecbatana fell before him (330). By now Darius III had been murdered, and Alexander pushed his armies into Bactria and Sogdiana, down through what is modern Afghanistan to the borders of India. There, in his final great victory, he overcame the war elephants of King Porus (Battle of the Jhelum, 326 B.C.) and led his exhausted and discontented troops back to Susa (324 B.C.). Truly, he was one of the greatest military leaders of all time.

Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, book XI, chapter 8, paragraph 5

Josephus detailed the movements of Alexander the Great in significant detail, and his record of Alexander's decision not to capture and destroy Jerusalem is especially noteworthy. Alexander was making his way down the coast of Phoenicia, destroying cities as he went. Leaving Gaza in ruins, he moved his armies toward Jerusalem. Jaddua, the high priest in Jerusalem, heard this news and was understandably distraught. He called the people to fast and pray for God's protection. In a dream, God told Jaddua that they should adorn the city, open the gates, put on their finest garments, and go out to meet Alexander as he neared the city.

When Alexander approached and saw the multitude of citizens in their finery, a multitude of priests in their white-linen garments, and the high priest in his purple and scarlet vestments, he approached and saluted them. The multitudes, in one voice, saluted Alexander in return.

Alexander's generals and officials thought he'd lost his mind. One of them asked Alexander why he condescended to give honor to the high priest of the Jews when all other people bowed to adore Alexander. Alexander's answer, recorded by Josephus, is astonishing. It reflects how God apparently worked in Alexander to accomplish His purposes for His people. Here was Alexander's reply:

I did not adore [the high priest], but that God who hath honoured him with his high-priesthood; for I saw this very person in a dream, [wearing this] very [priestly dress], when I was at Dios in Macedonia, who, when I was considering with myself how I might obtain the dominion of Asia, exhorted me to make no delay, but boldly to pass over the sea thither, for that he would conduct my army, and would give me the dominion over the Persians; whence it is, that having seen no other in [this priestly dress], and now seeing this person in it, and remembering that vision, and the exhortation which I had in my dream, I believe that I bring this army under the divine conduct, and shall therewith conquer Darius, and destroy the power of the Persians, and that all things will succeed according to what is in my own mind. 

According to Josephus, Alexander accompanied the priests and multitude to the Temple: "When he went up into the temple, he offered sacrifice to God, according to the high-priest's direction, and magnificently treated both the high-priest and the priests. And when the book of Daniel was showed him, wherein Daniel declared that one of the Greeks should destroy the empire of the Persians, he supposed that himself was the person intended."

Before leaving Jerusalem, Alexander asked the high priest what favor he could do for them in gratitude for the divine direction God had given him. The priest asked that they would be able to follow the laws of Moses —that is, exercise their Jewish religion —in the land of Israel that Alexander now controlled. He also asked that Alexander, after conquering Persia, would allow the Jews in Mesopotamia to freely exercise their religion. According to Josephus, "[Alexander] granted all they desired."

8The goat became very great, but at the height of its power the large horn was broken off, and in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven.

 

Having carved out an empire of 1.5 million square miles, Alexander provoked many of his Macedonian leaders to rebellion by claiming to be a god, by merging Persian and Greek elements in his army, and by marrying Persian women.

His mind full of new projects, Alexander built a fleet to explore the coasts of Arabia and Africa. He sailed up the Tigris to Opis, the ancient Assyrian city where Cyrus the Persian had defeated the Babylonians in 539.… Alexander entered Babylon for the last time in the spring of 323. Worn out by wounds, hardship and overdrinking, he fell ill of a fever. Soon he could neither move nor speak. He was propped up and each officer and soldier filed past. He acknowledged each man with his eyes or a slight movement of his head. Within two days Alexander died. He was not yet thirty-three years old. The first chapter of the apocryphal book of 1 Maccabees explains the transition between Alexander, conqueror and ruler of the Greek Empire, and Antiochus, subsequent ruler of the Seleucid portion of that empire:

When Alexander had been emperor for twelve years, he fell ill and realized that he was about to die. He called together his generals . . . and he divided his empire, giving a part to each of them.

9Out of one of them came another horn, which started small but grew in power to the south and to the east and toward the Beautiful Land. 10It grew until it reached the host of the heavens, and it threw some of the starry host down to the earth and trampled on them. 11It set itself up to be as great as the commander of the army of the LORD; it took away the daily sacrifice from the LORD, and his sanctuary was thrown down. 12Because of rebellion, the LORD's people^a and the daily sacrifice were given over to it. It prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground.

13Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to him, "How long will it take for the vision to be fulfilled—the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation, the surrender of the sanctuary and the trampling underfoot of the LORD's people?"

14He said to me, "It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be reconsecrated."

 

Antiochus And The Maccabees

 

The wicked ruler Antiochus Epiphanes, son of King Antiochus the Third of Syria, was a descendant of one of Alexander's generals. . . . He became king of Syria in the year [175] B.C. When Antiochus had firmly established himself as king, he decided to conquer Egypt. . . . Antiochus was able to capture the fortified cities of Egypt and plunder the whole land.

When Antiochus had firmly established himself as king, he decided to conquer Egypt. . . . Antiochus was able to capture the fortified cities of Egypt and plunder the whole land.

In the year [169] B.C., after the conquest of Egypt, Antiochus marched with a great army against the land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem.  1 Maccabees 1:5-7, 10, 16, 19-20, GNT.

 

ANTIOCHUS IV WAS MARKED BY DESTRUCTION AND DEPRAVITY

According to historian Solomon Zeitlin, Antiochus holds the distinction of being "the first person in history to persecute a people exclusively for their religious faith. Religious persecution was previously unknown in the history of civilization." As history shows us, Antiochus did everything he could to completely annihilate the Jewish religion:

The king also sent messengers with a decree to Jerusalem and all the towns of Judea, ordering the people to follow customs that were foreign to the country. He ordered them not to offer burnt offerings, grain offerings, or wine offerings in the Temple, and commanded them to treat Sabbaths and festivals as ordinary work days. They were even ordered to defile the Temple and the holy things in it. They were commanded to build pagan altars, temples, and shrines, and to sacrifice pigs and other unclean animals there. They were forbidden to circumcise their sons and were required to make themselves ritually unclean in every way they could, so that they would forget the Law which the Lord had given through Moses and would disobey all its commands. The penalty for disobeying the king's decree was death. 1 Maccabees

 

Antiochus Epiphanes … [175 B.C.]. In those days lawless men came forth from Israel, and misled many, saying, "let us go and make a covenant with the Gentiles round about us, for since we separated from them many evils have come upon us." This 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, according to Gentile customs, and removed the marks of circumcision, and abandoned the holy covenant. They joined with the Gentiles and sold themselves to do evil.… After subduing Egypt, Antiochus returned in the 143rd year [169 B.C.]. He went up against Israel and came to Jerusalem with a strong force. He arrogantly entered the sanctuary and took the golden altar.

 

Antiochus Epiphanes canceled all the Jewish festivals and instead required the Jews to celebrate Greek feasts. One of these was the celebration of Bacchanalia, which involved the worship of Bacchus, the god of pleasure and wine. He also forced the Jews to observe the Saturnalia, an ancient Roman festival dedicated to worshiping Saturn. He installed harlots in the Temple for these celebrations and forbade the observance of the Sabbath. He forced the Jews to observe all his pagan feast days and banned the practice of circumcision.

When Scripture speaks of God's sanctuary being "cast down" (Daniel 8:11), it doesn't mean the Temple was destroyed but rather that it was defiled. First Maccabees 1:21-24 records how this happened: "In [Antiochus's] arrogance, he entered the Temple and took away the gold altar, the lampstand with all its equipment, the table for the bread offered to the Lord, the cups and bowls, the gold fire pans, the curtain, and the crowns. He also stripped all the gold from the front of the Temple and carried off the silver and gold and everything else of value, including all the treasures that he could find stored there. Then he took it all to his own country. He had also murdered many people and boasted arrogantly about it." 1 Maccabees 1:21-24.

On another occasion, Antiochus brought a pig to the Temple and, slitting its throat, sacrificed it on the sacred altar. He collected the pig's blood and sprayed it all over the inside of the Temple. This unholy sacrifice of an unclean animal on the sacred Temple altar is "the abomination of desolation" prophesied first by Daniel and later by Jesus (Daniel 11:31; 12:11; Mark 13:14). Antiochus's sacrifice was the initial fulfillment of the Daniel prophecy. The final fulfillment will occur when the Antichrist breaks his covenant with Israel, enthrones himself in the Temple, erects a profane image in the holy place, and desecrates the Temple altar with an unclean sacrifice.

In His Olivet discourse, Jesus refers to Antiochus's unholy sacrifice as typifying a comparable event that will happen in the future: "When you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not . . . then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains" (Mark 13:14).

He Destroyed the Scripture  DANIEL 8:12

12Because of rebellion, the LORD's people^a and the daily sacrifice were given over to it. It prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground.

Antiochus "cast truth down to the ground" by outlawing the reading of the Scriptures and burning every copy of the Torah he could get his hands on: "Any books of the Law which were found were torn up and burned, and anyone who was caught with a copy of the sacred books or who obeyed the Law was put to death by order of the king." 1 Maccabees 1:56-57.

These are just a few examples from the long history of agony the Jews endured under Antiochus Epiphanes. Is it any wonder they hated this Greek ruler and privately called him "Antiochus Epimanes," which means "Antiochus the Madman"?

Daniel asked,

(Daniel 8:13). 13Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to him, "How long will it take for the vision to be fulfilled—the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation, the surrender of the sanctuary and the trampling underfoot of the LORD's people?" 14He said to me, "It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be reconsecrated."

Mattathias. When the commissioner of Antiochus commanded Mattathias to take the lead in offering a pagan sacrifice, he responded with these words: "I don't care if every Gentile in this empire has obeyed the king and yielded to the command to abandon the religion of his ancestors. My children, my relatives, and I will continue to keep the covenant that God made with our ancestors. With God's help we will never abandon his Law or disobey his commands. We will not obey the king's decree, and we will not change our way of worship in the least." 1 Maccabees 2:19-22.

Mattathias then killed the commissioner, overturned the altar, and fled with his five sons to the hills. They became known as the Maccabees, a term believed to come from the Aramaic word meaning "hammer," a symbol of the ferocity of Mattathias's sons. Many other Jews joined the Maccabees in all-out guerrilla warfare against Antiochus.

In 164 BC, after more than two years of fighting, the Maccabean warriors finally recaptured the Temple and cleansed it from the abomination of desolation.

When the Temple was recaptured, the Maccabees wanted to light the menorah, the sacred Temple candlestick, but they could find only a small flask of the special oil required for use in the Temple —barely enough to keep the menorah lit for one day. According to tradition, the oil miraculously lasted for eight days, which gave them enough time to obtain a new supply of the purified oil to keep the menorah burning.

To commemorate this deliverance and the Temple's rededication, the Jews established the perpetual feast of Hanukkah, a word that means "dedication." The celebration is sometimes referred to as the Feast of Dedication or the Festival of Lights.

Today the Jews celebrate Hanukkah beginning on the twenty-fifth day of Kislev (in November or December on our calendar) by placing the menorah in a window or doorway where it's visible from the outside. Each day during the eight-day celebration, in late afternoon, one candle is lit until finally, on the eighth night, all eight candles are burning brightly.

15While I, Daniel, was watching the vision and trying to understand it, there before me stood one who looked like a man. 16And I heard a man's voice from the Ulai calling, "Gabriel, tell this man the meaning of the vision."

17As he came near the place where I was standing, I was terrified and fell prostrate. "Son of man," he said to me, "understand that the vision concerns the time of the end."

18While he was speaking to me, I was in a deep sleep, with my face to the ground. Then he touched me and raised me to my feet.

19He said: "I am going to tell you what will happen later in the time of wrath, because the vision concerns the appointed time of the end.^c 20The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia. 21The shaggy goat is the king of Greece, and the large horn between its eyes is the first king. 22The four horns that replaced the one that was broken off represent four kingdoms that will emerge from his nation but will not have the same power.

23"In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a fierce-looking king, a master of intrigue, will arise. 24He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy those who are mighty, the holy people. 25He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power.

26"The vision of the evenings and mornings that has been given you is true, but seal up the vision, for it concerns the distant future."

27I, Daniel, was worn out. I lay exhausted for several days. Then I got up and went about the king's business. I was appalled by the vision; it was beyond understanding.

 

Antiochus And The Man of Sin

2 Thessalonians.

Antiochus prefigures something that was yet to come.

Repeatedly this passage repeats the term "understand that the vision concerns the time of the end."

There is something prophetic here of Antiochus and it loks ahead to someone who is very like Antiochus. His description is found in 2 Thessalonians 2

 

 

3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, 12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

 

The Lord Jesus spoke of this person in similar terms.

Mark 13:14  "But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.15 The one who is on the housetop must not go down, or go in to get anything out of his house;16 and the one who is in the field must not turn back to get his coat.17 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!18 But pray that it may not happen in the winter.19 For those days will be a time of tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will.20 Unless the Lord had shortened those days, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom He chose, He shortened the days.

 

This term is also a repeated term in the book of Daniel.

Daniel 12 Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued.² Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.

¹¹ From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.¹² How blessed is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1,335 days!¹³ But as for you, go your way to the end; then you will enter into rest and rise again for your allotted portion at the end of the age."

Daniel 9: ²⁷ And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate,

Daniel 11: ³¹ Forces from him will arise, desecrate the sanctuary fortress, and do away with the regular sacrifice. And they will set up the abomination of desolation.³² By smooth words he will turn to godlessness those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will display strength and take action.

The antichrist, the man of sin like Antiochus, will be:

 

DEVILISH IN HIS POWER

24He will become very strong, but not by his own power. DANIEL 8:24

When I read of the atrocities of Antiochus Epiphanes, I realize that he couldn't have been as evil as he was unless he had a special relationship with Satan, which is undoubtedly the meaning of the verse above. Surely this man was demon possessed!

The reign of Antiochus was a dress rehearsal for the reign of the Antichrist, who will also be empowered by Satan: "The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders" (2 Thessalonians 2:9).

"The dragon [Satan] gave him his power, his throne, and great authority" (Revelation 13:2).

DESTRUCTIVE IN HIS PERSECUTION

He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy those who are mighty, the holy people. DANIEL 8:24

 

HE WILL BE DECEITFUL IN HIS PRACTICES

25He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior.  DANIEL 8:25

1 Maccabees provides this illustration: "Antiochus sent a large army from Mysia against the towns of Judea. When the soldiers entered Jerusalem, their commander spoke to the people, offering them terms of peace and completely deceiving them. Then he suddenly launched a fierce attack on the city, dealing it a major blow and killing many of the people. He plundered the city, set it on fire, and tore down its buildings and walls. He and his army took the women and children as prisoners and seized the cattle." 1 Maccabees 1:29-32.

"He shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate" (Daniel 9:27).

In his second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul further describes this treacherous man: "The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved" (2:9-10).

HE WILL BE DEFIANT IN HIS PROFESSION

25, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power.

Daniel 7:8 This horn had eyes like the eyes of a human being and a mouth that spoke boastfully...24The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. 25He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time.

Antiochus professed to be God himself. The coins minted during his reign bore these words: Antiochus, Theos Epiphanes, meaning, "Antiochus, God Manifest." Antiochus claimed to be God, again prefiguring the coming Antichrist, who will make the same claim.

Paul describes the scope of this audacious claim, calling the Antichrist the "man of sin" and the "son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God" (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).

HE WILL BE DEFEATED IN HIS PURPOSE

Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power. DANIEL 8:25

When the Jews cast the image of Jupiter out of the Temple, Antiochus was enraged. He vowed to turn the city of Jerusalem into a cemetery. On his way to Jerusalem, he was suddenly afflicted with a horrible disease that caused his body to be eaten alive by ulcers and worms. His suffering was unbearable, and the stench from his own body was so vile that even he couldn't stand the smell.

Just as Antiochus was brought down by nonhuman means, so will the Antichrist meet his end.  2 Thess 2:8 Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming;

And just as Antiochus received severe punishment for his war against God, so will the Antichrist. He will be "cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone" (Revelation 19:21). He'll share with Satan eternal punishment in the "everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:41).

Why are we told of the end times battle at all?

We live in the end times (since the resurrection of Jesus).

We live in expectation: We don't know the day or the hour

We live confidently: overall message of Daniel: In spite of appearances, God is in control

We live holy godly lives

The prince of darkness grim, we tremble not for him. His rage we can endure, For lo, his doom is sure,  One little word shall fell him

1. Get excited! Believers' lives are marked by a sense of anticipation shared by no one else on earth —only those who are awaiting Christ's imminent return. That's something to get excited about. "When these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near" (Luke 21:28).

2. Get busy! Jesus has a daily allotment of work for each of us to do. We have a world to reach, and every one of us has a role to fill. There's no time to waste. The closer we come to His return, the busier we become in doing His labor —and it's a joy! "Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing" (Matthew 24:46).

3. Get ready! The books of Daniel and Revelation, along with the other prophetic promises of God, compel us to live with a sense of readiness. Walk with Him today. Stay pure. Stay prayerful. "Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame" (Revelation 16:15).