Daniel 11:29-35 Standing firm for God in an era of rising evil.

In our previous discussion, we saw how Antiochus IV and his nephew Ptolemy VI came to the table, each with a personal agenda to deceive the other. Each went away thinking that the other had been outwitted. 

Antiochus IV returned home and realized that he was deceived by his nephew. Then we are told in Daniel 11:29 that “At the appointed time he will return and come into the South, but this last time it will not turn out the way it did before.”  In other words, the outcome was different. 

Verse 30 indicates that Antiochus IV was confronted by ships from Kittim. A small contingent of the Roman navy forced him to return home and prevented him from seizing Egypt. Disheartened, he returned home frustrated and took it out on the Jews, the covenant people of God. 

The second part of verse 30 suggests that some of the Jews had forsaken the holy covenant. In other words, some Jews had betrayed their faith and aligned themselves with wicked Antiochus IV. Wickedly, he and his force would arise, desecrate the sanctuary, and set up “the abomination of desolation.” Verse 32 tells us that these had turned godless and taken in by the king’s smooth words and became godless. 

What is the abomination of desolation? Antiochus IV called himself Antiochus Epiphanes, meaning the manifestation of god. He was said to have set up an altar to Zeus on the altar of burnt offerings in the temple. Antiochus Epiphanes sacrificed a pig on the altar and slaughtered a significant number of faithful Jews.  So cruel was Antiochus that he forbade circumcision and decreed that the Jews sacrifice to the pagan gods and eat pork. 

However, there was a godly resistant group among them. They would display strength and stand their ground. These, with godly insights, would seek to enlighten the Jews and help to preserve their faith. Many of these faithful would fall by the sword and be torched and plundered. They were the Hasidim, a pious sect who rose to preserve the Law. The better-known of the Hasidim was Judas Maccabee, a charismatic leader.  

Hypocritically, some Jews, among them, pretended to support Judas Maccabee but were more inclined toward Hellenization.  And when the Hasidim faced extinction, God granted them a “little help.” Though many had sacrificed, they could not wholly rescue the people from Hellenism or obliterate paganism. Account of what they did can be found in the apocryphal, especially in the book of 1 Maccabee. 

The account in Daniel 11:29-35 is a powerful reminder of the enduring struggle between faith and worldly influences. Even in the face of persecution and deception, we can be the remnant of faithful individuals who will stand firm in our beliefs. We must remain steadfast in our faith, to resist the allure of worldly distractions. With unwavering determination, let us stand firm in our faith and be a light amid challenges.