1.   One from Bernice’s family line will attack the king of the North (7). Ptolemy III Evergetes, Bernice’s brother, attacked the king of the North, Seleucus Callinicus (247-226 B.C.). The prophecy says he will:

a.    enter the king of the North’s fortresses! Ptolemy did!

b.   be victorious! Ptolemy was!

c.    seize their gods and carry them off to Egypt! Ptolemy did!

d.   According to Josephus, Ptolemy III returned to Egypt with “…4,000 talents of gold, 40,000 talents of silver and 2,500 objects that had been in the cities and temples of the Northern kingdom” (Boice, 120).

2.   There will be a truce between the two for a few years then the king of the North will attack the king of the South (9). Around 240 B.C. Seleucus attacks the south but is defeated and must “retreat to his own country.”

3.   Seleucius Callinicus was defeated (9). However, “his sons” or successors will have better success (10).

4.   Seleucius Callinicus (247-226 B.C.) is followed by Seleucus III (226-223 B.C. who is killed in battle. He is followed by Antiochus III the Great (223-187 B.C.). What does the prophecy say? “His sons will prepare for war and assemble a great army… and carry the battle as far as his fortress” (10)

a.    Antiochus III the Great assembled an army and won as far south as Gaza! (10)

b.   The king of the South will march out against the king of the North and the latter will be defeated (11). Ptolemy with an army of 70,000 marched against Antiochus with an army of 70,000. The battle was won by Egypt! Antiochus lost almost his entire army and was almost captured himself! (12)

c.    Since Antiochus wasn’t captured he began conquering to the east and north. He reached as far as India to the east and the Caspian North.

d.   In 203 B.C. Ptolemy and his queen died mysteriously.

e.    In 201 B.C. Antiochus assembled another great army and began to attack Egypt (13).

f.     Many rise against the king of the South including a large number of Jews (your own people) who side with Antiochus (14).

g.   The king of the North will capture a “fortified city” (NIV), “take the most fenced cities” (KJV). Antiochus captured Sidon which was “a city of fortifications” which is the literal translation of “take the most fenced cities” (15).

h.   The forces of the South will be powerless. Even their best troops will not have the strength to stand (15). Three Egyptian leaders tried to rescue Sidon- but couldn’t. Now Syria occupied Palestine as far south as Gaza! The invader will establish himself in the Beautiful Land (16).

i.     He will make an alliance with the king of the South (17).

1.   Why? Because of the threat of Rome!

2.   How? By giving a daughter in marriage (17). Antiochus arranged for his daughter Cleopatra to marry Ptolemy V Epiphanes in 192 B.C. Antiochus hoped to gain control of Egypt but his daughter sided with her husband! “…but she will not succeed or help him” (17).

j.     As he turns to the coastlands a commander will turn against him (18). This “commander” (NIV), “prince for his own behalf” (KJV) is Lucius Scipio Asiaticus (Walvoord, 263). Antiochus began to conquer toward Greece but was defeated in 191 B.C. and 189 B.C. He was defeated by the Roman general Scipio. The Bible says that Antiochus will be “insolent” (NIV), or “cause reproach” (KJV). At a meeting in Lysimachia Antiochus treated the Roman ambassadors with contempt saying “Asia did not concern them, the Romans, and he was not subject to their orders” (Walvoord, 263).

k.    Because Antiochus was defeated by the Romans trying to invade Greece he had to return home as one who had “stumbled and fallen” (19). He was “to be seen no more.” He was killed plundering a temple in Elam!

l.     Antiochus the Great’s successor was Seleucus IV Philopator (187-175 B.C.) Do you know what he did? “Because of the rising power of Rome, he was forced to pay tribute to the Romans of a thousand talents annually” (Walvoord, 263). Where would he get the money? He sent a tax collector named Heliodorus to tax the Jews! He took temple treasures!

m.  The Bible says that Seleucus will “within a few days …be destroyed” (KJV), “in a few years, however, he will be destroyed” (NIV). But not in anger or battle (20). Did you know that soon after Seleucus dispatched the tax collector to the Jews he was “suddenly and mysteriously removed” (Walvoord, 264). Possibly he was poisoned!

Conclusion: Why would I invest one night on such a history lesson? Two reasons: First, if God thought it was important enough to be in the Bible, we should know it. Second, it proves that God is orchestrating events down to the “angstrom”! When you and I look at the prophecies of the end time the details emerging in the Middle East and the lack of details about the world’s only superpower are staggering. I am more convinced than ever that God is sovereign and He is fully in control of the events in this present age!