Daniel 11:31-35

Daniel 11:31

And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.

 

Antiochus and his General Appollonius had desecrated Jerusalem along with the Temple.  They had also caused the required sacrifices to cease and that was not all, they erected a statue of the Greek god Zeus in the temple.  The abomination that maketh desolate is not the statue alone but it is the pagan army which has trodden down the city at this time which reigned over the city and the people and then placed the statue of Zeus there.  They commanded the people to call it the Temple of Jupiter. 

 

Daniel 11:32

And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.

 

By flattering the Jews in telling them that the Greek ideas were superior and this caused many of the Jews to abandon the worship of God and partake in the apostasy of Zeus worship.  The people who did not follow this pagan abomination had fasted and threw sackcloth and ashes on their head as signs of contrition.  There were many Jews who chose not to follow this atrocity and to remain faithful to God.  Now the word exploits is used in its positive meaning of heroic deeds or great and noble achievement.  Those who remained true to God were strengthened with divine strength.

 

Daniel 11:33

And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days.

 

Those who knew that they were being turned away from God by these horrendous apostasies were also instructing others not to partake of the Greek religion.  They were encouraging many to stand for the truth but this was not seen as just religious exercise but as rebellion.  Antiochus IV had murdered and tortured many of the Jews for rejecting the pagan religion.  Some were run through with swords, some were burnt alive in caves, and took many women and children as slaves.  This went on for approximately three and a half years.  We have a similar situation today in principle.  Those who know the truth in churches are being thrown out for going against the pastor’s personal preferences in twisting Scripture.

 

Daniel 11:34

Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries.

 

The little help came from Mattathias who was priest of Modin and his five sons which were called the Maccabees along with others who chose to defend their faith.  Modin or Modein was located about 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Jerusalem.  These were not cleaving to the flatteries which Antiochus spread among the people.  Instead many of the people joined the Maccabees only in spirit or by verbal association so they would seem like they had a hand in defending the truth.  They literally flattered the Maccabees with their praises but when it came down to actually fighting they would not be around to pick up the sword to defend.  They were defenders in name only.

 

Daniel 11:35

And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.

 

Those of understanding will fall, these are those teachers and students who had tried to remain as strictly as they could on the law of God thus totally rejecting the pagan religion of Antiochus IV.  Psalm 11:5 (KJV)   The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.  Psalm 11:5 states that the Lord tries the righteous and this is what was going on.  They were being tested to see if they would remain faithful and by means of staying faithful they had purged the sins within them as stated in Isaiah 27:9.  Isaiah 27:9 (KJV)   By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged; and this is all the fruit to take away his sin; when he maketh all the stones of the altar as chalkstones that are beaten in sunder, the groves and images shall not stand up.   Afflictions in the righteous helps purge away any sins which may be hindering a Christian’s growth and usefulness in the body.  These afflictions would continue until the time of the end which could be the appointed time of Antiochus IV or the time of the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.  The time is appointed but it is not to be fulfilled in the lifetime of Daniel.

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