Antiochus considered this to be wonderful news. After he made an agreement with Philip V of Macedonia, together they brought their armies against Egypt. Some Jews had attempted to help Antiochus defeat the Egyptians, but they were defeated. After the battle at Panias, the Egyptian commander Scopas led his army to Sidon. There Antiochus used siege works to capture the city. Notice the comment about “much equipment” and “siege mound.” God not only predicted these events, He predicted the method by which this fortress city would be defeated.

Egypt was defeated. It was a crushing loss because the Egyptian commander Scopas was the best general Egypt had, and the troops he led were Egypt’s elite.

What a sad picture of the human heart. We have seen men and women killing each other. Now we see a man taking advantage of a child. When given the opportunity, men and women often do just what they want.

As part of his preparations for waging war against Rome, Antiochus made a secret peace treaty with Ptolemy V Epiphanes in 197 B.C. in exchange for a wife. The peace treaty gave some of Egypt’s territories to Antiochus III. Since the king was ten years old, the marriage did not take place until 193 B.C. when he was fourteen. His wife was Cleopatra - “the daughter of women.” She was not the famous Cleopatra of history. Antiochus III had hoped that his daughter would remain loyal to him, but history records that she did not. She was loyal to her husband and to Egypt - “will not stand for him or be on his side.”

Then Antiochus III pushed forward to Rome. He captured a number of Greek islands - “coast lands and capture many.” Hannibal from Carthage joined him and together they entered Greece. The Romans had warned him to stay out of Greece, but he ignored the warning. In 191 B.C. he was defeated by the Roman commander Lucius Cornelius Scipio. Rome demanded payment for the expense of defeating him, and Antiochus fled to Elymias. History records that he was murdered in a Baal temple in Suasa in 187 B.C. He died trying to steal the money he owed Rome.

Seleucus IV inherited a great debt that his father did not pay to Rome for his failed invasion. So he “imposes taxes” to pay off the debt to Rome and sent his prime minister, Heriodorus, to Palestine - “the glorious kingdom” - to collect taxes. Seleucus IV died due to poisoning after a reign of only eleven years - “within a few days he shall be destroyed.”

Verse 21 refers to Antiochus IV Epiphanes who was in deed a “vile person.” Epiphanes means “the magnificent one” or “the illustrious.” He was not of royal blood and had no right to the throne. The throne belonged to Demetrius Soter who was in prison in Rome. So Antiochus made alliances with the king of Pergamos and others in the area as well as Rome. Rome helped Antiochus take the throne in Antioch and become the new king over the Seleucid Empire.

Antiochus IV defeated numerous coup attempts and attacked Egypt when he heard the king was planning to attack. Antiochus IV agreed to an alliance with Ptolemy VI Philometor to help Ptolemy claim all of Egypt. But the alliance lasted only while Antiochus was militarily weak.