Discuss the evil deeds of Antiochus IV and how he foreshadows the Coming World Leader. 522 - 9-6

Antiochus IV, was the son of Antiochus the Great and became the king of Syria (175-164 B.C) after the murder of his brother, Seleucus IV. He called himself Epiphanes, “the god who appears or reveals himself.” Perhaps Antiochus Epiphanes’ greatest claim to fame was his desecration of the Temple that led to the successful Macabbean revolt and the rededication of the Temple, celebrated as Hanukkah.

Antiochus tried to eradicate the Jewish religion and replace it with Greek polytheism. The observance of Jewish laws and practices were forbidden under the pentality of death. Sacrifices to the pagan deities were to be observed in all cities of Judea. Once a month homes were searched and possessing a copy of the Law or having observed the rite of circumcision was punished by death.

Antiochus’ “Abomination of Desolation” was a bridge too far for the Jewish people. With thanks to CM and his commentary “This Generation? Resolving the Olivet Discourse:”

“In Jerusalem on the 15th of Chislev in December 168 B.C. Antiochus “broke the league that he had made” and a pagan altar was built on the Great Altar of Burnt Sacrifices. On the 25th of Chislev (His birthday) a sacrifice was brought on this altar for the first time (1 Macc 1:54,59). He offered a swine in every village (Josephus, Antiquities, XII v4) and erected an idol to Zeus in the Holy of Holies: “a desolating sacrilege” (1 Macc 1:54). He called it the “Temple of Jupiter Olympius” (2 Macc 6:1-7).”

In speaking of the end times during the Olivet discourse Jesus said that the Jewish people were to flee when the Abomination of Desolation took place. Matthew 24:15-16, “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains.” 
 

The abomination of desolation will be the start of the three and a half year period known as the “Great Tribulation.” Any pretense of his covenant of peace and protection for the Jewish people signed at the start of the tribulation is cast aside and the antichrist will initiate extreme persecution of the Jewish people. The cruelty of Antiochus IV will be minor compared to the cruelty of the antichrist in the last days. Matthew 24:22, “And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.”

As an aside, during 2012 there was attempt to rebrand circumcision as “child abuse” echoes of anti-Semitism after two plus millennium.

What are the similarities between baptism and circumcision? BIB 534-1-05-7

So what do baptism and circumcision have in common? Both are rituals that in part witness obedience to God's word; Circumcision for the Jew and baptism for the Gentile. For the Jew circumcision is an outward manifestation of his covenant with God. For the born-again Christian, immersion baptism signifies being buried and resurrected with Jesus.

Several years ago I was attending a Bible study when Peter was quoted, “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” Acts 2:38. Having been baptized as a baby in a conservative Protestant church this was an epiphany for me. I'd heard the expression before but it never really sunk in so I asked how a baby can repent. Even with my early exposure to the Baptist Church via my best friend, I still hadn't quite understood the why of total immersion baptism. The balance of the class was spent on this very topic. The fact that I had not been baptized as an adult just ate at me for about another year. Finally the opportunity presented itself at the Baptist Church that I had started attending the year before. I opted for a baptism done in obedience to God’s Word as well as to publicly acknowledge my faith in Jesus.

While circumcision also is a ritual, it also has medical benefits. In CM’s commentary “Technology & the Bible” circumcision on the eighth day of life is only one of the many “technological advances” implied in the Bible.

We are saved by faith and not rituals/ works. Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” While rituals don’t provide salvation, they may have value in helping the practitioner to keep his/her mind stayed on God.

As an aside, one of my mother's friends just picked mom for Saturday service at the local Catholic Church. So mom is off to listen to their very popular priest repeat the church’s liturgy and parrot back the canned responses. As for me, I would rather dive deeply into the Word. I often remind mom that her salvation is a gift granted through faith in the completed work of Jesus on the cross and does not require repeated masses, etc. to maintain it.