Commentary on Daniel, Chapter 11 · Questions · Question 51
Quest. 51. Of the sudden and fearefull ende of Antiochus.
v. 45. He shall come to his ende, and none shall helpe him. 1. Hierome thus deliuereth the sense, that Antichrist shall goe vp to the toppe of mount Oliuet: for so he readeth, veniet ad summitatem eius, he shall come to the height thereof: that is, of mount Oliuet, whereon he shall be confounded: And this he would prooue by that place, Isay, 25. 7. I will destroy in this mountaine the couering, that couereth all people, &c. But the meaning of this place is, that Christ, of whom the Prophet there speaketh, (who shall prepare a spirituall feast, which is mentioned in the former verse, by the preaching of the gospell) shall remoue the couering of ignorance and darkenesse, which had ouerspread the world: And the Prophet there nameth not mount Oliuet, but hath reference to that mount spoken of, c. 24. 23. which was mount Sion: a figure of the Church, which should be illuminate with the knowledge of Christ. 2. and the text speaketh not of the ende of the mountaine, but of Antiochus ende, when his time was come which was limited of God.
2. Some proceed yet further, and shew the manner how Antichrist shall be ouerthrown: that first he shall faine himselfe dead, and rise againe the third day, and then vponupon mount Oliuet he shall make as though he would ascend into heauen, and so shall be lifted vp into the aire by the helpe of the deuill and his Angels: at which instant he shal be destroyed by Christ from heauen, by the spirit of his mouth, as the Apostle speaketh, 2. Thess. 2. Percrius, Some adde further the particular manner how Antichrist shall be destroyed: as the author of the scholasticall historie saith, ascendente per aera Antichristo, audietur vox Christi de coelo missa, morcre: as Antichrist is ascending into the aire, there shall come a voice from heauen, die, and presently he shall be smitten with lightening and perish: so also Lyran. But Lactantius is yet more bold, who thus describeth the destruction of Antichrist: that he with an huge armie shall compasse about the Saints in a mountaine, whether they fled, then they shall call vponupon God for his helpe: And presently the heauens shall open, and lightening shall breake forth: and this shallbe a signe of the Lords descending, cadet repente gladius, a sword shall suddenly fall from heauen: and then Antichrist shall be ouercome by the Angels, and all his power: he onelyonly shall escape, sed quarto praelio debellatus, &c. but he in the fourth battell with all his host shall be subdued, and then shall suffer worthie punishment for his wickednesse: to this purpose Lactantius lib. 7. institution. c. 17. 18.
But 1. beside that these shewe great bouldnesse in thus expounding, taking vponupon them without warrant of Scripture to expresse the verie forme of words, which shal then be vsed, and the verie signes which shall be shewed. 2. herein further they faile, in confounding the two ouerthrowes of Antichrist, which the Apostle doth separate: for first he saith, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth: that is, by his word: and the finall destruction followeth: and abolish with the brightnesse of his comming, 2. Thessal. 2. 8. first Antichrists hypocrisie shall be discouered by the preaching of the Gospel, which is alreadie fulfilled: but the remainder of his kingdome shall be reserued for the iudgement of the great day.
3. They which vnderstand this of the Turkish Monarchie, as Melancthon, or of the Antichrist of Rome, as Bulling. Osiand. or of the Romane state, as Calvin, are confuted by this argument: because here the destruction of one particular man is set forth, as in the precedent part the prophesie runneth still vponupon one principall agent, in the warres before mentioned.
4. Iunius in his annotations, vnderstanding all this of Antiochus, doth thus interpret these words: he shall come to the ende, that is, of his kingdome, namely to Persepolis in Elymais, which was in the vtmost bounds of his dominion: But in his commentarie he better expoundeth it of the ende of his life: so also Polan. H. Br. Porphyrius, though an enemie to the Christian faith, yet herein agreeth with the truth, applying this whole prophesie vntounto Antiochus: but he is deceiued, in naming the place of his death to be Tabis, a towne of Persia: whereas he was carried to Babylon, and there sickned, 1. Macchab. 6. 4. and was striken of God with an incurable disease, that no man could helpe him: for he crawled full of wormes, and his flesh fell off from him, so that no man could endure his stinke: yea he was loathsome to himselfe, as is further declared, 2. Macchab. 9. 10. 12. This was the ende of wicked Antiochus.
But against this exposition it is thus obiected. 1. that Antiochm died not betweene the Seas, and vponupon the mountaine, as is here described, but as he came out of Persia, Lyranus. 2. Seeing these latter words of the chapter are ioyned with necessarie coherence to the former; as they are not vnderstood of Antiochus, no more are these, Perer.
Answ. 1. It is not said here, that he died vponupon the mountaines, or betweene the Seas, but there was his princely pauilion spread: for while Antiochus went into Persia, he left halfe of his armie, and his sonne Antiochus, with Lysias, who pitched in Emmaus at the entrance or beginning of the hilles, as is shewed, 1. Macchab. 3. 34. 40. Now while Lysias with other captaines were busie in suppressing of the Iewes, and were discomfited, as is further declared, 1. Macchab. 5. the newes thereof was brought to Antiochus beeing in Persia: whereupon he fell into a great rage, purposing vtterly to destroy Ierusalem: but the Lord plagued him, and he died in the way, 1. Macchab. 6. 2. Macchab. 9. And thus was the horne broken without hand, as is prophesied, c. 8. 25.
2. This argument may be returned vponupon Pererius: for seeing these words hang together with the former; and it hath beene sufficiently shewed before, that the former part of this prophesie, is vnderstood of Antiochus, so must the latter also.
3. This …ore plague fell vponupon Antiochus (which Appianus thinketh to hauehave beene a venereous or leacherous disease, in Syriac.) but it was more strange and extraordinarie, though that be foule and filthie enough: he was thus smitten, not as Polybius thinketh, because he would hauehave spoiled the Temple of Diana: for as Iosephus saith, tantum cogitavit, he onelyonly intended it, he did it not: and therefore he well concludeth against Polybius, that Antiochus perished, ob templi Hierosolymitani excidium, for the spoyling of the Temple of Ierusalem, lib. 12. Antiquit. c. 12. And thus farre of the questions and doubts mooued out of this chapter.