‘Then shall stand up in His [Antiochus III ( 223 B.C.E. – 187 B.C.E.) ‘s] Estate,

A Raiser of Taxes [Seleucus IV Philopater (187 B.C.E. – 175 B.C.E.) In

The Glory of The Kingdom [The Glorious Kingdom of The Land of Israel].

But Within A Few Days,

He [Heliodorus, Seleucus IV’s Chancellor]

Shall Be Destroyed – Neither in Anger – Neither in Battle.’

(Daniel 11:20)

In 178 B.C.E. Seleucus IV’s Chancellor, Heliodorus, was sent to Jerusalem to collect moneys from supposedly wealthy Temple at Jerusalem.

Note:

Seleucus IV (187 B.C.E. – 175 B.C.E.) the second son of Antiochus III had inherited His Father [Antiochus III (223 B.C.E. – 187 B.C.E.)] ‘ s Agreement to pay tribute to The Romans to comply with The The Treaty of Apamea (188 B.C.E.). This Treaty had been forced upon the once great Seleucid king, Antiochus III, after his disastrous defeat at The Battle of Magnesia (190/189 B.C.E.).

(The hypothesis was presented in the last post that this defeat may have been partly the result of Antiochus III’s grief at the death of His first son, Antiochus, in 193 B.C.E.)

Seleucus 1V’s reign (187 B.C.E. – 175 B.C.E.) was peaceful and diplomatic. He endeavoured to pay the heavy indemnity to Rome: He did not engage in wars, but pursued diplomatic means to maintain his kingdom – except for this incident described in Daniel 11:20.

Daniel had been given by The Angel Gabriel in 536 B.C.E. “The Prophecy of The History of The Jewish People ( Daniel’s People) from 536 B.C.E. unto 135 C.E”. (This prophecy begins at Daniel 10, Verse One and continues until Daniel 11:45a.)

According to II Maccabees, Chapter 3, Heliodorus, Seleucus IV’s Chancellor, was prevented from seizing The Jerusalem Temple Treasuries by THE LORD OF SPIRITS AND ALL AUTHORITY. THIS LORD OF SPIRITS AND ALL AUTHORITY appeared as A Fearsome Knight Wearing Golden Armour Riding a Richly Caparisoned Steed. HE was accompanied by Two Young Men, Remarkably Strong, Strikingly Handsome, and Splendidly Attired Who appeared before The Golden Armoured Knight, standing on each side of Heliodorus. The Angelic Beings flogged Heliodorus unceasingly.

Heliodorus fell to the ground enveloped in great darkness. His companions begged The High Priest of The Temple, Onias, to spare The Chancellor’s Life.

Onias offered a sacrifice. The Young Men appeared before Heliodorus and informed the now revived Chancellor that it was for the sake of Onias that THE LORD had spared his Life.

The Angelic Beings warned Heliodorus, “Be very grateful to The High Priest Onias. It is for His Sake that THE LORD has spared your life. Since you have been scourged by Heaven, proclaim to all GOD’S Great Power.”

After Heliodorus had offered a sacrifice to THE LORD and made Most Solemn Vows to THE ONE WHO HAD SPARED HIS LIFE, He bade Onias farewell, and returned with His Soldiers to the Seleucid King, Seleucus IV.

Before All, He Gave Witness to The Deeds of THE MOST HIGH GOD WHOM He Had Seen With His Own Eyes.

When The King asked Heliodorus what sort of person would be suitable to be sent to Jerusalem next, He answered, “If You have An enemy or One Who is Plotting Against The government, send Him there, and You will get Him back with a flogging – if indeed He survives at all. There is certainly some Divine Power about The Temple at Jerusalem. THE ONE WHOSE DWELLING IS IN HEAVEN watches over That Place and protects It. HE Strikes Down and Destroys Those Who come To Harm It.” (II Maccabees 3:4 – 40)

When The Temple At Jerusalem had been rebuilt by The Descendant of King David, The Governor, Zerubbabel, in the reigns of Cyrus The Great, Cambyses, Pseudo-Smerdis and Darius I in 515 B.C.E., The Prophet, Zachariah, had been given A Mighty Prophecy for Zerubbabel, as He faced the great mountain of rubble that had been left when Solomon’s Glorious Temple had been destroyed by the Babylonian King, Nebuchadnezzar, in 587 B.C.E.

‘This is The Word of THE LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying,

“Not by Might, Nor By Power, But By MY SPIRIT, “ saith THE LORD OF HOSTS,

“What art Thou, O Great Mountain?

Before Zerubbabel Thou shalt become A Plain;

And He Shall Bring Forth The Headstone [Capstone] thereof with shoutings, crying, ‘Grace! Grace Unto It!'”

Moreover The Word of THE LORD came unto Me, Saying,

“The Hands of Zerubbabel have laid The Foundation of This House;

His Hands shall also finish it;

And Thou Shalt Know That THE LORD OF HOSTS have sent Me unto You.

For Who Hath Despised The Day of Small Things?

For THEY [THE SEVEN EYES OF THE LORD] shall rejoice,

And shall see The Plummet in The Hand of Zerubbabel With Those Seven.

They are THE SEVEN EYES OF THE LORD WHICH RUN TO AND FRO THROUGH THE WHOLE EARTH.”

(Zachariah 4:6 -10)

In 178 B.C.E. when Seleucus IV’s Chancellor, Heliodorus, entered Jerusalem to seize the Treasures of The Temple, The People of Jerusalem, from The High Priest, Onias, to The Humblest Citizen of Jerusalem, implored THE LORD to keep the deposits of gold and silver of The Temple protected. These treasures were sacred to THE LORD for the care of Widows and Orphans. Anguish and Dread and Sorrow filled the faces of all of Jerusalem.

Just as THE LORD OF HOSTS had enabled Zerubbbabel to build The Temple;

HE protected IT against the covetous king and His Chancellor, Heliodorus.

THE LORD GOD has a special heart for the widows and orphans:

• “Judge [ Work Justly for] The Fatherless, plead for The Widow” (Isaiah 1:17)
• “Pure Religion and Undefiled before GOD is This: To Visit The Fatherless and The Widows.” ( James 1:27)

Co_Co, The Coconut Throwing Chimpanzee Schoolmaster loved teaching we young chimpanzees the story of Heliodorus and the godly holy High Priest, Onias. One of us dressed up in armour and mounted Co-Co’s steed, Pegasus. Two others carried whips. The most recalcitrant young chimpanzee was chosen to be Heliodorus and the most diligent and kind young chimpanzee was Onias.

Next Week: Daniel 11:21 and how it was that Antiochus III’s third son became the ruler of The Seleucid Empire after the death of Seleucus IV, instead of Seleucus’s own son, Demetrius.