DANIEL 11:23 (175 B.C.E. – 164 B.C.E.)
“And after The League made with Him [Eumenes II of Pergamon (197 B.C.E. – 159 B.C.E.)], He [Mithradates, later Antiochus IV (175 B.C.E. – 164 B.C..E.)] shall work deceitfully; For He [Antiochus IV (175 B.C.E. – 164 B.C.E.)] shall come up [To The Seleucid Throne]; And shall become strong with a small people [force].” Mithradates, upon the assassination of His brother, Seleucus IV by Heliodorus, travelled from Athens through Asia Minor and reached Syria by November, 175 B.C.E.. (Mithradates had lived in Athens since 187 B.C.E. when his nephew, Demetrius, the son of Seleucus IV, had been exchanged as a hostage to The Roman Senate.) With the assistance of King Eumenes II of Pergamon, Mithradates peacefully took the throne from The Usurper, Heliodorus, proclaiming Himself Co-Regent with another son of Seleucus, an infant named Antiochus. Traditionally, the Kingdom of Pergamum was an enemy of The Seleucid Dynasty. In forming an alliance with Eumenes II, the King of Pergamon, Mithradates (soon to become Antiochus IV) revealed his brilliance as a political strategist. Pergamon was Rome’s principal ally in the region of Asia and Mithradates was a devoted admirer of The Roman Republic. Although Antiochus IV entered the Seleucid Empire with a relatively small military force given to Him by Eumenes II of Pergamon, the alliance with Rome and Pergamon was sufficient to oust the usurper, Heliodorus, from the Seleucid regency, and for Mithradates (soon to become Antiochus IV) to become the ruler of The Seleucid Empire. Mithradates’s political acumen and his awareness of the ever-burgeoning power of The Roman Republic enabled Him to ascend his father’s throne and become Antiochus IV. Unhappily, His Ascent ultimately wrought tragedy for The Jewish People, although Antiochus IV’s cruel and irrational determination to impose Greek worship upon The Jewish People ultimately brought about their political…