THE BIBLE & ROME: JUDAS MACCABEUS
(Message by Tanny Keng)
1. The Bible And Rome
a) In the four centuries between the Bible’s two Testaments, Persia gave way to Greece, and Greece to Rome. World empires rise and fall, but God’s unfolding plan approached its climax: God was about to set up "a kingdom which cannot be shaken" (Hebrews 12:28) — a worldwide, powerful, spiritual empire.
b) Rome, the kingdom represented by the legs and feet of iron and clay in the image of Daniel 2, came to power in the century before Christ. Antiochus Epiphanes failed to maintain Greece's power. Rome by its iron rule brought peace across the world, and made "the fields white unto harvest" for the coming of the Son of God, the preaching of the gospel, and the kingdom of heaven. On the other hand, Rome was a beast, and would bring tribulation to the promised kingdom of heaven just as former empires had brought it to the Jews. The book of Revelation depicts Rome as the archetypal enemy of God's people.
2. Judas Maccabeus
a) The desolation of the temple by Antiocus Epiphanes, and attempts to force the Jews to defile themselves, eventually led to a revolt. Mattathias the priest began it. After him, Judas Maccabeus carried on the wars of rebellion. Seeking God's help he gained victory. In 164 BC the Jews were able to cleanse their temple, reinstate true worship, and celebrate with a Feast of Dedication which, like the Purim of Esther's time, was added to the Jewish calendar of feasts (John 10:22). The promise that "the holy place will be properly restored" was fulfilled (Daniel 8:14).
The End ...
1. The Bible And Rome a) In the four centuries between the Bible’s two Testaments, Persia gave way to Greece, and Greece to Rome. World empires rise and fall, but God’s unfolding plan approached its climax: God was about to set up "a kingdom which cannot be shaken" (Hebrews 12:28) — a worldwide, powerful, spiritual empire.
b) Rome, the kingdom represented by the legs and feet of iron and clay in the image of Daniel 2, came to power in the century before Christ. Antiochus Epiphanes failed to maintain Greece's power. Rome by its iron rule brought peace across the world, and made "the fields white unto harvest" for the coming of the Son of God, the preaching of the gospel, and the kingdom of heaven. On the other hand, Rome was a beast, and would bring tribulation to the promised kingdom of heaven just as former empires had brought it to the Jews. The book of Revelation depicts Rome as the archetypal enemy of God's people.
2. Judas Maccabeus
a) The desolation of the temple by Antiocus Epiphanes, and attempts to force the Jews to defile themselves, eventually led to a revolt. Mattathias the priest began it. After him, Judas Maccabeus carried on the wars of rebellion. Seeking God's help he gained victory. In 164 BC the Jews were able to cleanse their temple, reinstate true worship, and celebrate with a Feast of Dedication which, like the Purim of Esther's time, was added to the Jewish calendar of feasts (John 10:22). The promise that "the holy place will be properly restored" was fulfilled (Daniel 8:14).
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