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No rational mind regarded the new leadership as legitimate.

All clear-eyed assessments knew the incoming man-in-charge was undeserving of his position. The means by which he’d come to power were marinated in corruption and fraud.

Conversely, the case of the rightful leader was legally sound – but law and order had been systematically undermined. The true top dog was spurned. Chaos abounded as his adversaries refused to grant him what he’d justly earned.

The fraudulent new leader was widely regarded as a bungling fool. He’d have stood no chance of gaining power if his unstable mental state had been properly disclosed. He assumed titles he wasn’t qualified to receive, even as he gained infamy for his bizarre antics. Nicknames which drew attention to his lack of self-control, his brittle ego, and his inept behaviors were well-known.

It came to light that the new leader’s ascent to power had been assisted by unethical people in key places. One might argue it was all “politics as usual,” but this was over-the-top “deep state” stuff: cold, covert, conniving, and corrupt. There was nothing remotely proper about any of it.

And it wasn’t far into the new leader’s rule that it was learned this cronyism was much bigger than it had initially appeared. Other countries were part of the collusion too – including their top leadership. These roots of corruption had run wide and deep.

The fake leader’s subjects paid grievously for his ill-gotten gain. The gravity and number of his authoritarian decisions were unparalleled. New taxation plans were heavy-handed, and decisions that eroded national welfare were made. Redistribution tactics were implemented which benefitted his shady supporters most.

Though relative peace and security had preceded the fraudulent leader’s rule, that all changed when he came to power. The new leader schemed with his advisors to undermine various places and pillars of vitality. Long-standing stalwarts of socioeconomic influence were attacked.

Foreign relations eroded quickly under the new leader’s administration. Diplomatic campaigns with other powers were insincere. Shoddy and meaningless agreements were struck, and the likelihood of wars grew.

Tensions and mistrusts swelled in the wake of the sham leader’s myopic postures, most notably in the Middle East. The new ruler made it clear from the get-go that his regard for Israel and the Jews was very poor. It was plain to see his crosshairs were on the back of the Jewish state.

Moreover, the new leader was personally compromised. Behind the scenes, he was indebted to other empires whose influence was clearly surging. His decisions could not cross the wishes and demands of these outside powers, and so they controlled him. These foreign nations cared little for the interests of the bogus leader’s own people.

Many innocent lives suffered due to the new leader’s disastrous decisions. Tens of thousands died as he failed to display even basic common sense. His zeal to enforce conformity placed him at odds with many who would not embrace his ideals. These dissenters posed threats to the new leader’s agenda, and he chafed as their liberties were expressed.

Rumors of a civil war simmered. His subjects writhed under his foolish antics, his desire for control, and his senseless schemes. This fiasco should not have happened in the first place.

The fraudulent new leader was Antiochus Epiphanes. Did you have somebody else in mind?

Antiochus Epiphanes reigned from 175 BC to his death in 164 BC. He ruled the Seleucid Kingdom which was headquartered in the area we know today as northern Syria. He is prophetically introduced in the Bible, roughly 350 years before his reign, in Daniel 11:21-35.

This portion of Daniel, and many historical records, provide a detailed account of a despicable king. Antiochus Epiphanes was not the rightful heir to the Seleucid throne; that claim belonged to another, Demetrius I Soter. With the help of King Eumenes II of Pergamum (Turkey), Antiochus Epiphanes seized the throne for himself and murdered remaining lineage threats.

The Bible records that the entire reign of Antiochus Epiphanes was marked by dishonesty and perversion. From beginning to end, his rule had a broader pagan agenda. His decisions pleased his godless supporters and other pagan cultures, but they displeased God.

Antiochus Epiphanes came to power during a time of relative calm. While his kingdom was still paying tributes to Rome for conflicts from years before, an acceptable status quo had entered. The century-long wars between the Seleucids up north and the Ptolemies down south in Egypt had yielded to a do-able peace. Folks had moved on with their lives, and routines were established.

It all proved to be a false security. Antiochus Epiphanes’ ascent to the throne caught people unawares. His illegitimate power grab was a dramatic and disruptive event. The unexpected circumstances traumatized many both inside and outside his kingdom.

His insatiable lust for power dictated his bizarre conduct. Historical records are rife with the claim that Antiochus Epiphanes was “not right in the head.” He gave himself divine titles like Theos Epiphanes (“God Manifest”) and triumphant names like Nikephoros (“Bearer of Victory”). Such pretenses failed to disguise his eccentric tendencies, and some of his contemporaries called him Antiochus Epimanes instead. It was a wordplay off of his name, and it meant “The Mad One.”

In the immediate aftermath of his rise to power, Antiochus Epiphanes set out to crush all opposition to his reign. He reignited tensions and initiated a series of conflicts with his perceived enemies. Notably, he murdered the high priest, Onias III. This signaled to the Jews under his rule that Antiochus Epiphanes was not going to tolerate any religious dissension to his policies.

A sobering fact on the ascent of Antiochus Epiphanes is found in verse 23. Here, we find his rise to power was aided by “a few people” (NIV). The New Living Translation puts it more bluntly, “He will become strong despite having only a handful of followers.”

The bottom line is Antiochus Epiphanes was not a leader who had gained majority support. He did not represent the mainstream, and instead, his base was quite small. It is why his rise to power was a corrupt and deceitful process. He would not have acquired power any other way.

Once in power, Antiochus Epiphanes and his cronies pushed the envelope of frank corruption. The Bible records these activities as unprecedented – and strongly socialist in nature. He schemed to tear down the strength of others, and he plundered their wealth. Historical records note that he distributed these resources to influence and benefit his most ardent followers – in the form of blackmail, bribes, and other unethical transactions.

A veritable list of Antiochus Epiphanes’ character flaws rounds out the balance of this passage in Daniel. To start, Antiochus Epiphanes was markedly disingenuous in his dealings with other nations. He ignored common sense, and he broke terms of agreement to act out of self-interest. He met with foreign leaders with his own heart ‘bent on evil.” He engaged in lies instead of truth.

To top it all off, Rome made the final calls. Rome was the new emerging world power, and what Rome wanted, Rome got. While Antiochus Epiphanes was focused on acquiring greater plunder and influence for himself, he could not overlook his own compromised position with Rome.

The entire state of affairs inflamed Antiochus Epiphanes. He blamed the Jews for problems they were no part of, he actively meddled in other nation’s political affairs, he sought ways to limit his subjects’ rights and liberties, he persecuted those who disagreed with him, he elevated those who supported him, he silenced others who spoke out against him, and he escalated conflicts where he perceived he had something to gain.

His irrational and tyrannical behaviors were so corrupt, so violent, so murderous, and so comprehensive that they incited the famous Maccabean revolt.

I already know what many of you are thinking; “So much THEN sounds like so much TODAY!”

You’re right. Many details in the story of Antiochus Epiphanes feel as though they were lifted straight out of America’s present challenges. An entire book could be written to make that case.

I recently finished teaching Daniel 11:21-35 to my Sunday School class. It took a few weeks to get through this passage, but as I worked my way through it verse by verse, I was also struck by the similarities between past and present leaders.

I received several questions several times as I taught this portion of Scripture. I share some of them here as I offer a few concluding points:

Why does the Bible give us so much information about Antiochus Epiphanes?

We are given extraordinary detail about Antiochus Epiphanes because he is a “type” – or picture – of the final antichrist. Nimrod, in Genesis Ch. 10, is too. Both came from the same region of what eventually became the eastern leg of the Roman Empire. That is probably significant.

Because the Bible makes the case that the antichrist will emerge from a “revived” Roman Empire, many people believe the antichrist will come from Europe. Such views fail to recognize the Roman Empire also had a powerful eastern leg, and that eastern leg outlasted the western one politically and militarily by hundreds of years.

Keep in mind, the Roman Empire never really disappeared. It merely changed form and function over time. It became the Holy Roman Empire and was once headquartered in Turkey. It then became the Holy Roman Catholic Empire, and today it’s simply called The Catholic Church.

Presently, The Catholic Church is headquartered in The Vatican, and its increasingly godless influence is obvious and worldwide. It traces its roots all the way back to its rise as a Gentile military and political kingdom around Antiochus Epiphanes’ time.

But the greater point is, we are given many specifics about Antiochus Epiphanes because much about him will also be true about the future antichrist. The Bible doesn’t waste words. We need to pay close attention.

What kind of administration will the antichrist have?

It’ll be a lot like the administration of Antiochus Epiphanes, but far worse. It’ll also be global. If you’re connecting all the dots here – it’ll be a much baser expression of the type of leadership we’re seeing right now in America: corrupt, deceitful, conniving, unethical, hostile to personal freedoms, anti-God, power-hungry, agenda-driven, suppressive, senseless, – – – and yes, socialist.

Jesus warned us we would see certain events exacerbating as the time of His Second Coming draws closer (Matt. 24:7-8). Typically, we think in terms of earthquakes, wars, famines, and such. But we are also seeing other trends in our time that portend the proximity of Christ’s Second Coming too. Like earthquakes and wars, these elements are increasing too.

These trends are “setting the stage” for one-world governance, and they include an erosion of national boundaries, an embracing of socialism, a systemic rejection of Godly values, an obsession with “mother earth,” and various attempts to force the masses into conformity.

America was the world’s last holdout under its previous administration. The “America first” policies of President Trump thrust a hard stick into the spokes of a globalist agenda. This nation’s current administration is now working overtime to reverse those prior policies and to make America an active participant on the one-world stage.

Why would God allow America’s current administration into office?

Many believers suffer from looking at the Bible through a wrong lens. They try to interpret the Scriptures through a western-centric view.

The Bible is not only eastern-centric instead, but – in the prophetic sense – it is focused on the nation of Israel. Dr. John MacArthur said it best, “If you get Israel right, you get your eschatology right.” For us to properly understand the times in which we live, we need to properly understand that Israel is the hub of end-times events.

From my vantage point, President Trump did a lot of things right when it came to Israel. He formally recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. He endorsed the Golan Heights as Israel’s land. He negotiated breakthrough peace deals with nations that historically were adversarial to the Jewish state. In nearly every way, he supported Israel, and the Middle East had a rare calm.

Not so with the current leadership. America’s policies now are to advocate for Israel’s enemies and to undermine Israel’s national welfare. The effects of such shortsightedness are obvious.

Tensions have inflamed in the Middle East since Biden “took” office. His policies have invited this. The IDF and Israel’s neighbors are all projecting an imminent war against Israel from multiple fronts. The prophecies of Psalms 83, Jeremiah 49:34-39, and Isaiah 17:1-3 could occur any day.

My own opinion is God is using America’s current corrupt administration to bring about the next chapter of prophetic events concerning Israel. God has used depraved leaders and nations before to fulfill His plans with Israel – King Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon are a great case in point (Jer. 25:9; 27:6; and 43:10). Like past leaders, current leaders remain subject to God’s sovereignty.

The story of Antiochus Epiphanes is not only a story about the past; it’s a window into the present. As we ponder the things which once took place, we are better equipped to understand the things which are now occurring.

The grand takeaway here is we live in the most exciting of times. The signs are so clear. We are likely the generation that will experience the Rapture. Every morning I wake up wondering if this will be the day of our “blessed hope” (Titus 2:13). Nearly every night, I pray for that.

May God strengthen our hearts with new resolve and encouragement as we glean from His Word, and as we faithfully endure in one righteous direction.

Many are very good at seeing scripture through a Greek mindset. However, they often forget that most, if not all, terms in the Newer Covenant have been fully defined by the Older Covenant and that scripture, even the Newer Covenant, is all written from a Hebrew mindset, no matter what language it is written down in. One must first determine how a word or expression is used in the Older Covenant before defining its use in the Newer Covenant. Because they rely on a Greek mindset, they often miss the most accurate or fullest interpretation. The Greek mindset, relying on Greek definitions, can only go so far.

Matthew 24:32-33 and Mark 13:28-29 – “When the fig tree branches begin to bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. Likewise, when you see all these things, you can know his return is very near, right at the door.”

The meaning of the term “all these things” is relatively easy to determine, as Yeshua has just told us: there will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars. There will be great deceptions and many false christs, wars and rumors of wars, famines, pestilences, days like those of Noah and Lot, and earthquakes in diverse places. Now, what about the trees?

The Fig Tree Is Israel

Matthew 21:19 – “Seeing a fig tree beside the road, Jesus went to it, but there were no figs on the tree, only leaves. So Jesus said to the tree, ‘You will never again have fruit.’ The tree immediately dried up.”

But just who or what is this fig tree that Yeshua refers to? In order to understand the time of His imminent return, one must first determine who that fig tree represents. Hosea 9:10 states that the patriarchs are the firstfruits of the fig tree. Joel 1:6-7 tells us that Israel is the ruined fig tree whose bark has been stripped ethnically, nationally, and geographically. Jeremiah 24:2-8 states that the good figs are those Jews who went into captivity, and the bad figs are those Jews who rebelled against the Babylonians or who went down to Egypt.

Luke 13:6-9 expounds upon the vineyard spoken of in Isaiah 5:1-7. Luke tells us that the fruit is from the fig tree in the vineyard (see especially verse 7). In Matthew 21:19, Yeshua curses the fig tree. In this passage, the fig tree specifically is a representation of the Jewish leadership from whom He had expected to find some fruit after three years of teaching in the Temple, but also has the wider representation of the nation of Israel and the land of Israel as well, which forty years later began to wither and die. Both the nation and the land remained dead until the Jews began to return in the early 1900s.

The Many Trees

Isaiah 55:12 – “You will go out with joy and be led out in peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees in the fields will clap their hands.”

Throughout scripture, both nations and individuals are symbolized as trees. Judges 9:8-16 uses trees to describe Abimelech and the houses of Jerubbaal and Millo, Jotham, and the people of Shechem. Daniel 4:10-28 uses the image of a tree to represent Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel 10:33 talks of Assyria as the top boughs of a tree. Isaiah 55:12-13 uses tree imagery to depict the many peoples who will clap their hands with joy when the thorns and biers become fir and myrtle trees at His coming. Ezekiel 31:3-15 depicts Assyria as a cedar tree, and the other nations as fir, chestnut, and other trees. Zechariah 11:1-4 repeats this theme, also depicting Assyria (Lebanon) as cedar trees, and the peoples of Bashan as oaks. Ezekiel 17:1-24 calls Babylon a cedar tree that spreads itself out like a willow tree.

Luke 21:29-31 – “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near. So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.”

Luke speaks of both the fig tree and all the trees. These trees may only represent both Israel and the Arab and Persian nations that sprouted up at about the same time, after the fall of the Ottoman Empire in 1917: Afghanistan 1919, Egypt 1922, Saudi Arabia & Iraq 1932, Iran 1935, Lebanon 1943, Syria & Jordan 1946, and Israel 1948. The United States established diplomatic relations with Egypt in 1922 following its independence from protectorate status under the United Kingdom, but it wasn’t until 1952 that the Egyptian revolution made Egypt a republic and the British advisers were expelled. Still, in 1922 Egypt had begun to put forth its buds, along with all the other Arab, Jewish, and Persian states. These are the very same nations listed in Psalm 83 as those nations that come against Israel to wipe her off the map.

However, this verse could also be referencing the “nations” of the United Nations springing up after Israel’s restoration. The membership in the U.N. in 1945 was 50; it grew to 58 in 1948 (Israel’s rebirth year); by 1960 it had grown to 98; to 127 in 1970; 154 by 1980; 159 by1990. Today the U.N. has 193 member nations, thus fulfilling the Luke 21:29-31 verse! Clearly, the generation that has seen both the fig tree and all the trees put forth their branches is our generation.

Conclusions

Scripture is not the only source that refers to Israel as the fig tree. Even secular writings do so. One such source is “The Apocalypse of Peter,” written in Egypt about 135CE. Therefore, we can rightly conclude that Israel is absolutely the fig tree Yeshua is referencing.

And what does Yeshua say about the time when one sees the fig tree bud?

Yeshua lists all these things: deceptions, false christs; signs in the sun, moon, and stars; and days like those of Noah, just to mention a few. In Acts 1:6-8, by telling His disciples that they are not needing to “know the times or epochs,” Yeshua reminds them that He has already answered those questions previously, reminding them that there is no use looking for all these things about to come upon the earth until Israel is once again a nation after having been dispersed to the four corners of the globe; there is no use looking for all these things as long as Israel is a dried-up tree. But until that time, they (and we) shall receive power to be His witnesses unto the ends of the earth. Until that time, we are to occupy and continue occupying until he returns and fully establishes the kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

Prophecy continues to unfold as foretold by the Hebrew prophets. The stage is being set. That being said, one can only ask: “How imminent is the return of Yeshua Ha’Mashiach?”

Website: https://raptureparty.net/

Email: jeff@raptureparty.net

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