Those Who Do Exploits!

Who are those who do exploits?

The Book of Daniel foretold about those who did exploits.  Everything happened exactly as foretold. 

In order to understand those who did exploits, we have to understand the events that created the conditions that existed when the exploits occurred.

Here are the events that fulfilled what he wrote would lead up to the exploits.

The third Emperor of the Persian Empire after Darius the Mede stirred up his empire against the Greeks (Daniel 11:1-2).

After his reign, Alexander the Great overthrew the Persian Empire to create the massive Greek Empire (Daniel 11:3).  When Alexander the Great died, his massive Greek Empire was divided into four smaller Greek Empires by his generals (Daniel 11:4).

The Ptolemy Empire, the smaller Greek Empire centered in Egypt, to the south of Israel, then expanded under Ptolemy I west along the north coast of Africa to include northeast Libya, south along the east coast of Africa to encompass Eritrea and Sudan, and north along the Mediterranean coast to encompass Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Cyprus and the southern coast of Turkey (Daniel 11:5).

Afterwards, Ptolemy II gave his daughter Bernice in marriage to Antiochus II, ruler of the Seleucid Empire to the north of Israel, to seal a treaty between their two empires, but her father died soon after, then her husband divorced her, and his new wife poisoned him, causing Bernice to lose all power and flee, until she was given up to be slain with no one to help her escape (Daniel 11:6).

This led to her brother, Ptolemy III to lead an army to avenge his sister that Seleucus II, the new emperor of the Seleucid Empire, was not able to resist, but was forced to flee from his fortress, until Ptolemy III took over the entire western half of the Seleucid Empire (Daniel 11:7).  Ptolemy III then brought their idols, captured rulers, and vessels of silver and gold back to the land of Egypt, where he ruled until four years after the death of Seleucus II (Daniel 11:8).  So, Ptolemy III went into the kingdom of Seleucus II and returned to his own land of Egypt (Daniel 11:9).

Afterwards, the sons of Seleucus II, the new emperor, Seleucus III and his brother, were stirred to lead a great army, but only one son, Antiochus III, survived, who quickly overran the forces of the Ptolemy Empire with his army, until he came to the fortress of Raphia, which the Seleucid Empire had formerly built near the border of the Ptolemy Empire (Daniel 11:10).  

Then Ptolemy IV was moved to anger and came with a great army that defeated the even larger army of Antiochus III (Daniel 11:11).  After defeating the army of Antiochus III, Ptolemy IV became prideful and destroyed more of the soldiers of Antiochus III, but left off pursuing Antiochus III to return to his life of decadence and settled for only recovering the territory that Antiochus III had taken (Daniel 11:12).

After Ptolemy IV died about fourteen years later, Antiochus III came against the Ptolemy Empire with a much larger army that was financed by great wealth that had been stored in the eastern part of the Seleucid Empire (Daniel 11:13).  

Since Ptolemy V was only five when his father died, there were many inside the Ptolemy Empire who stood up against the new king to take control of parts of the empire for themselves, as well as many of the wicked among the Jews, which first took advantage of the chaos to plunder others, and then sided with Ptolemy V under the pretense of fulfilling the vision of Isaiah (Yeshayahu), until they were destroyed by Antiochus III for siding against him (Daniel 11:14).  Antiochus III then proceeded to cast mounds for batter rams against all walled cities of the Ptolemy Empire north of Egypt, but neither the army of Ptolemy V, nor the generals that he had chosen, were unable to stand against him (Daniel 11:15).  So, Antiochus III did whatever he wanted to these cities after all resistance was put down, then he entered the land of Israel, where his army consumed the crops of the land like a plague of locusts (Daniel 11:16).

Antiochus III then gathered the army of his entire empire to seize the Ptolemy Empire by the counsel of the righteous among the Jews, but the treaty that the Ptolemy Empire made with the Romans prevented him, so he gave his daughter in marriage to Ptolemy V, who had he had corrupted to bring about the downfall of her husband, but Cleopatra I stood with her husband against her father, causing the plot of Antiochus III to fail (Daniel 11:17).

So, Antiochus III took some of the Mediterranean islands near the coast of southern Turkey and cities along that coast from the Romans and their allies, then insulted the ambassadors sent by the Romans to bring reproach upon the Romans, until the Romans sent a military leader that he could not defeat in battle, who turned his reproach upon Antiochus III by forcing him to accept humiliating terms of surrender, including his oldest son Antiochus IV being held hostage in Rome until the war debt was paid off (Daniel 11:18). So, he retreated to his own capital, but afterwards Antiochus III tried to rob a temple in another land to get money to pay the Romans that the treaty required, but was slain by the people of that land and his body was never recovered for burial (Daniel 11:19).

So, the new emperor Seleucus IV, raised taxes constantly to pay off the war debt while maintaining the splendor of his capital, until he was poisoned by his treasurer Heliodorus within a few days of commanding him to rob the treasury of the Temple in Jerusalem (Daniel 11:20).

This set the stage for the first of those who did exploits to act.

Neither his father had honored him as the legitimate successor to his brother, nor did his subjects recognized him as such, nor the Romans who took his nephew Demetrius I in his place as hostage to ensure the war debt was paid off, still Antiochus IV (Epiphanes) came to power peaceably by pretending to reign on behalf of his nephew and giving flattering speeches to the nobles (Daniel 11:21).  Then Antiochus IV led his supporters in completely wiping out the usurper Heliodorus and his supporters, afterwards disposing Onias from the office of High Priest of the Temple in Jerusalem (Daniel 11:22).

When Ptolemy VI, the new emperor of the Ptolemy Empire, was fleeing from a coup, Antiochus IV and a small band of warriors met him, negotiated a treaty of friendship, and then set him up as a client king of the Seleucid Empire over Egypt (Daniel 11:23).  So, Antiochus IV gained control of the wealth of the Ptolemy Empire, thus doing what no other ruler of the Seleucid Empire had been able to do, then freely distributed that wealth among his soldiers and others in a plot to gain control of the fortress of the Ptolemy Empire, until the Romans put a stop to his efforts (Daniel 11:24).

Next Antiochus IV gathered a huge army to invade the Ptolemy Empire, which Ptolemy VI met with an even larger army, but was unable to defeat due to a conspiracy between Antiochus IV and his own principle men (Daniel 11:25).  His own family, counselors, and generals worked with Antiochus IV to bring about his downfall, allowing the army of Antiochus IV to overflow the Ptolemy Empire and cause many in his army to be slain (Daniel 11:26).

After this, Antiochus IV and Ptolemy VI both plotted against each other as they made promises that they did not intend to keep, so their peace talks failed, because peace could not come before the time of the end (Daniel 11:27).  Then Antiochus IV returned to the Seleucid Empire with great riches, but then launched a war against the land of Israel, doing great exploits of wickedness against the Jews in Jerusalem whereby many were slain and the Temple plundered, before he returned to his capital (Daniel 11:28).

These first wicked exploits set the stage for the second of those who did exploits.

After this, Antiochus IV marched towards Egypt again to further strengthen his hold on the Ptolemy Empire, but he did enjoy the success that he had before (Daniel 11:29).  The Romans came against him with a very large force and caused him to return home with anger against the Law of Truth (Torah aka The Law), so he sought the counsel of the wicked among the Jews, who had forsaken the Law of Truth (Daniel 11:30).

After this Antiochus IV came into the Temple with a very large army, proceeding to pollute the Temple by idol worshipers engaging in a drunken orgy in it, putting an end to the daily sacrifices by polluting the Altar with an offering of three pigs and a dog, and setting up an idol of himself in it, which made the Temple as well as Jerusalem desolate of the righteous Jews, who fled from both (Daniel 11:31).  He then flattered the wicked among the Jews to induce them to get other Jews to forsake the Law of Truth, but the righteous among the Jews who knew the Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD) rose up strong against Antiochus IV, and did exploits to drive him from the land of Israel (Daniel 11:32).

These righteous among the Jews were instructed by Matthias the Priest of Truth to become the Maccabees, of which many died in battle against the army of the Seleucid Empire, others were burned to death by the forces of Antiochus IV, others were sold as slaves by him, while others had all of their possessions taken from them, over a period of about three and half years (Daniel 11:33).  They received a little help during their tribulation from a few Greeks who had abandoned idolatry, but were then later joined by many insincere Jews who began to flatter the Maccabees, once it appeared that they would overcome Antiochus IV (Daniel 11:34).  However, some of the sincere Jews fell in the war against Antiochus IV to show that they were the righteous among the Jews, who would not forsake the Law of Truth (Daniel 11:35). 

So, the Book of Daniel tells about two types of people who do exploits in the Chanukah story.

The first was a vile man so convinced of his own greatness and invincibility, that he did exploits based on this delusion.

Antiochus IV took control of the Ptolemy Empire with only a small group of men initially.  Each success led him to take even bolder action, until he decided to take on the Father of Truth by desecrating the Temple and waging war against those Jews who would not forsake the Law of Truth.  This eventually led to his undoing.

The second were people so convinced of the greatness and invincibility of the Father of Truth, that they did exploits based on this reality.

They resisted Antiochus IV with only a small group of men initially.  Each success led them to take even bolder action, until they decided to take on Antiochus by attacking his army and waging war against those Jews who had forsaken the Law of Truth.  This eventually led to their victory.

So, it is not enough to just do exploits.  For not all exploits are of equal value.

The exploits of Antiochus IV produced only short term success.  The Temple was only desecrated to serve his purposes for a few years, and he soon perished.  His exploits so weakened the Seleucid Empire that it continually shrunk, until it was gone within a hundred years.

The exploits of the Maccabees produced only long term success.  The Temple was rededicated to serve the purposes of the Father of Truth for many years, and they will never perish.  Their exploits so strengthen the Jewish people that they have continually expanded, until they became a nation again within the last hundred years.

So, we need to follow the example of the Maccabees and do exploits that produce only long term success.

Who are those who do exploits?  Who are those who will persevere though all persecution to show that they are the righteous ones?  It is those who know the Father of Truth (Daniel 11:32-35)!

So, the message of the Chanukah story is that resistance is essential.

The Maccabees had that same faith as those who came before them to endure relentless persecution and overcome impossible odds (Hebrews 11:33-38).

Chanukah is about more than just dedicating the Temple.  It is about more than just the Faithful Priest Matthias.  

It is about the dedication of the Children of Truth (those who obey The Father of Truth because they love Him) to always be faithful to the Father of Truth (Romans 14:7-8).

Chanukah is more than just the Festival of Lights.  It is the story behind the story of the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ).

It foreshadows how the Man of Truth would come as a light into the world to overcome darkness (John 1:4-9).

The gift of the Maccabees is that they made the Good News possible.  This is part of how the Maccabees help spread the Gospel. 

Their refusal to forsake the Law of Truth set in motion the events necessary for the Man of Truth to come and die, so people could come into the House of Truth (Galatians 4:4-5). 

Just like in the Chanukah story, the wicked among the Jews, who had forsaken the Law of Truth, worked with an idol worshiping foreign ruler, Pilate, to destroy the Righteous Jew, who could never forsake the Law of Truth, the Man of Truth (Acts 3:13-14).  Like the Maccabees, the Man of Truth suffered the things that the Father of Truth had foretold through the Prophets of Truth (Acts 3:18).

Like the Maccabees, after much suffering and death, the Man of Truth was raised up victorious by the Father of Truth over his enemies (Acts 3:15).  Like the Maccabees, he was raised up to turn the Jewish people away from forsaking the Law of Truth (Acts 3:26).

The Law of Truth foretold of a Prophet of Truth like unto Moses who people would be required to obey (Deuteronomy 18:15-19).  The Man of Truth is that Prophet of Truth and everyone who does obey him will be destroyed (Acts 3:20-23).  Everyone can be assured of this, because the Father of Truth raised him from the dead (Acts 17:31). 

So, come into obedience to the Man of Truth and be saved from judgement, because you believe that the Father of Truth raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9).  Both Jew and Gentile can be saved by coming into the House of Truth (Romans 10:10-13).

Come into the House of Truth!