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Antiochus, Titus, and the Anti-Christ

And he will confirm a covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come the one who makes desolate, until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, gushes forth on the one who makes desolate.

– Daniel 9:27

Some folks teach that the Abomination of Desolation mentioned in Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11, Matthew 24:15, Mark 13:14, Luke 21:20 and Revelation 13:5-6 has already been completely fulfilled in one or both of two past events. This forces the Bible student to place the prophecies in a vacuum not corresponding to the context of the Scriptures.

One is that of Antiochus IV Epiphanes.

Epiphanes the Mad

Antiochus IV (born c. 215 BC—died 164) was a Seleucid king who reigned from 175 to 164 BC. He took the title Epiphanes, which means “God manifest” in Greek, but he was also known as “Epimanes,” or “The Mad.”

He was determined to Hellenize his kingdom, building a temple to Zeus in Athens and converting cities to Greek culture. In 167 BC, he stormed into Jerusalem and enforced his Hellenization policies upon its people. Jewish rites and worship were forbidden. On December 15, 167 BC, an altar to Zeus Olympios was set up in the temple and sacrifices offered there.

Titus of Rome

Titus Vespasianus Augustus (born Dec. 30, 39 AD—died Sept. 13, 81 AD) commanded a Roman legion under his father, Emperor Vespasian. In 70 AD, his father put him in charge of conquering insurgent Jerusalem.

The general set a siege against the city on April of 70 AD, coinciding with Passover. He allowed pilgrims into Jerusalem but didn’t let them leave in a bid to starve the city into submission. In August, the Romans entered the city, massacring men, women, and children without pity.

Jewish historian Flavius Josephus gave us a chilling first-person account of the fall of Jerusalem, describing the destruction of the Second Temple by the Roman army in vivid detail. According to his account, the destruction of the temple was a bloody one as the Jews resisted and the Romans became enraged. He described the Temple Mount as appearing to be “boiling over from its base,” with blood seemingly more abundant than even the flames.

The soldiers looted the sanctuary, taking relics back with them to parade at Rome.

Josephus reported also that the soldiers brought their Roman standards into the temple court opposite the eastern gate and offered sacrifices to these symbols of Roman authority. These standards bore various symbols and identified each legion. The most popular of the infantry symbols was the Aquila, or eagle.

Thus, the entire city was subjugated to the Romans. Most of its inhabitants were either killed or taken into captivity.

Titus became emperor at his father’s death in June 23, 79 AD, and he ruled until his untimely death in 81 AD at the age of only forty-one.

Both these men defiled the temple in Jerusalem.

These past desecrations did not fulfill the prophecy of Daniel. I submit that they foreshadowed the coming, horrific desecration at the end of the age. Remember, Jesus described the abomination of desolation in the context of a coming event. That rules out Antiochus Epiphanes IV as having completely fulfilled the prophecy. Titus did not fulfill Daniel’s enigmatic mention of the 1290 days.

The People of the Prince to Come

Then after the sixty-two weeks, the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary.

– Daniel 9:26

Daniel clearly prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, which was accomplished by Roman soldiers in AD 70. Since the “people” who destroyed the city (Jerusalem) and the sanctuary (the Temple in its entirety) represented the Roman Empire, the “prince who is come” must arise from the old Roman Empire.

Trump is not the Anti-Christ. Neither is Biden.

Resist the urge to try to figure out the identity of the Beast of Revelation. The Bible specifically warns that the “man of lawlessness” will not be revealed until the “restrainer,” or Holy Spirit, is taken away. Since believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit, and He has promised that He will never leave us, when He leaves, He will take us with Him.

Until then, the identity of Anti-Christ is of no concern to us. Instead of watching for the Beast, we’re called to watch for Jesus.