History Repeating ?
The Rise of Antiochus Epiphanes the II : The Final Little
Horn
In 167 BC, Antiochus Epiphanes raided the Jewish Temple, entered into the Holy of Holies
and sacrificed a pig on the altar. ( Islam hadn’t yet appeared on the scene, nor an Arab identity & you guessed
it : Antiochus wasn’t either of these he was the son of full blooded Greek parents !!!)
Most bible
prophecy scholars agree that Antiochus Epiphanes was a type and figure of the coming end-times antichrist who has
yet to manifest himself. Although Epiphanes was indeed a king of Syria he was in no way an indigenous Arab. The Syria of Epiphanes
era was not the same nation-state of Syria that we know today.
During Epiphanes time Syria ( and the surrounding region
) was under occupation and domination from Greek forces and Antiochus Epiphanes was one of them... To infer that Epiphanes
was a Mohammadean or an Arab is to distort history and the facts Islam had not yet been made up and neither an Arab identity.
The truth is that the region had been conquered by the Greeks and it was simply a region where a Greek-speaking Macedonian
elite dominated .
...It should be noted that Syria in those days consisted in an array of ethnic-racial groups
and inter-mingling , the region has had a long history of being conquered by various others including the Romans. The conquest
of Syria is comparable to the latter conquest of the Europeans into Africa and Asia where European governors/rulers were positioned
into power to look after the interests of the Kings of Europe in far and distant lands. ( for example:
I personally grew up in a city somewhere in California where during the 1940’s to 1950’s the entire population
was anglo-white, then in the 60’s and 70’s the population of the city dramatically changed and became almost all
African-American, today that same city has changed demographics again and is now presently almost 80 percent Hispanic.)
The
Seleucid Empire was the easternmost of the four divisions of Alexander's empire. From the fact that its capital was Antioch
in Syria, and that in later times it lost its eastern territory and shrank into Syria proper, it was also referred to as the
Syrian Empire, or merely Syria.
Antiochus IV Epiphanes original name was Mithridates ( a Greek name ); he assumed
the name Antiochus after he assumed the throne. He was a son of King Antiochus III the Great...One of his
chief goals was to make Jerusalem a Greek colony at any cost and by all means necessary...No student of Bible
Prophecy can deny that Antiochus was a type of the little horn of a "Greek"
third kingdom and that the fourth world power of Daniel 7 is Rome.
...Antiochus assumed divine
epithets, which no other Hellenistic king had done, such as Theos Epiphanes (Greek: mean
"God Manifest") and after his defeat of Egypt,Nikephoros ( Greekmean: "Bearer of Victory").
But his often eccentric behavior, capricious actions and even insanity led some of his contemporaries to call him Epimanes ("The
Mad One"), a word play off of his title Epiphanes.
...To consolidate his empire and strengthen
his hold over the region, Antiochus decided to Hellenize the Jews by outlawing Judaism and by ordering the worship
of Zeus ( not allah ! ) as the supreme god. This was anathema to the Jews and when they refused,
Antiochus sent an army to enforce his decree. Because of the resistance, the city was destroyed, many were slaughtered, and
a military Greek citadel called the Acra was established
...Antiochus IV is remembered
as a major villain and persecutor in the Jewish traditions associated with Hanukkah, including the books of Macabees and
the "Scroll of Antiochus." Rabbinical sources refer to him as : harasha ("the wicked").
Presently, various proponents for an Arab-Islamic anti-christ are quick to point out that Antiochus
Epiphanes was a King of Syria and that somehow this fact automatically makes him an early Arab , the truth is that Antiochus
Epiphanes racial-ethnic background was that of a full blooded Greek the reality of this is just by studying the history books
and studying the images left behind in time...
Additionally, Let us remember that Mohammed didn't
appear till some 700+ years later, and it should be noted that the name of king [as applied to Seleucid Kings] had no territorial reference.
These kings [Alexander's successors] are never officially styled kings of Egypt or kingsof Asia. If
they are called so by historians, it is merely for the purpose of convenient distinction. But their connection with that sphere
was never as close and essential as that of the king of England or the king of France with his territory.
Ptolemy and Seleucid Kings were to the end Macedonian kings who happened to reign in Egypt, Asia and wherever their
territorial conquests stretched...
In conclusion, they say that a picture says a thousand words, the image of
Antiouchus was preserved by coins that have been found that date to his period,( remember when Jesus asked whose image
was on the coin-render unto Caesar-the Romans copied what the Greeks had done too ) look at the image carefully
and decide for yourself : does Antiochus and other Helenistic rulers look like a Greek-Roman or like your average modern day
Arab ? The truth is that Antiouchus Epiphanes looked like your average Roman Caesar ( but of course he was a full blooded
Greek )
...In sum no one can deny that the Prophet Daniel saw four Beasts, the first two Beasts were indeed
composed of Babylonians & Persians ( what we would call today Arabs ) “BUT” the
last two Beasts are not Persians or Arabs, there is a power shift and the West rises to dominate the world
: Greece and Rome and no one is denying that the fourth Beast is Rome...As a Westerner I
am in no way proud that the Beast will arise from my part of the
world ( GOD rebuke him ) as a student of Bible Prophecy I am simply seeking
after the truth and the true interpretation of Bible Prophecy.
...I find it troubling
that some students of Bible Prophecy are promoting the idea of an Islamic-Arab
Little Horn when Biblical Prophecies and historical events DO NOT support such a
theory...As you may know anyone can twist biblical prophecies to suit their
interpretations that is one of the reasons why we have many different Christian denominations today, I acknowledge that
this is not a topic that will find closure anytime soon, but as impartial student of history I believe that it
is very obvious that the idea of a ten King confederacy will emanate from the new ROME in the not so distant future,
all you have to study is the current movement of the G-7 ( G-10 ) in other words follow the
money trail of power for these players are presently the Kings of the World.( and if you take notice of very diligently NOT ONE of the G-7 ( G10 ) are an
Islamic country !!! )
...Yes, history will repeat itself yet again in the not so distant future, another
Western leader will present himself in a future Jewish Temple and will repeat the same acts that Antiochus
Epiphanes infamously commited some 2100+ years ago, only this time it will be for the very last time
and the real and prophesied Battle of Armageddon will have been sparked and the final 42 months of this
planet's human governments will have commenced and you and I know what happens next***
By
: Mario Romano
Student
of Bible Prophecy
Saved
by the Blood of the Lamb
