Fulfilled Prophecy a Potent Argument for the Bible 81
PROPHECY GIVEN B. C. 534
f u l f i l l m e n t
“And when he hath taken away the multitude, his heart shall be lifted up; and he shall cast down many ten thousands: but he shall not be strengthened by it.” (Verse 12.) ( L i t e r a l : And the “ multitude shall rise up and his courage in crease.”) “For the King of the North shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the for mer, and shall certainly come after certain years with a great army and with much riches.” (Verse 13.) “And in those times there shall many stand up against the King of the South: also the robbers of thy people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision; but they shall fall.” (Verse 14.) “So the King of the North shall come, and cast up a mount, and take the most fenced cities: and the arms of the South shall not withstand, neither his chosen peo ple, neither shall there be any strength to withstand.” (Verse 15.) . “But he that cometh against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him: and he shall stand in the
The people of Egypt rose up and the weakling Ptolemy became courageous. His victory is again referred to. It was won at Ra- phia. He might have pressed his victory. But he did not make use of -it but gave himself up to a li centious life. Thus “he was not strengthened by it.” About 14 years later, 203 b . c ., Antiochus assembled a great army, greater than the army which was defeated at Raphia, and turned against Egypt. Ptolemy Philo- pater had died and left an infant son Ptolemy Epiphanes. Antiochus had for his ally Philip, King of Macedon. Also in Egypt many rebels stood up. And then there were, as we read in Josephus, wicked Jews, who helped Antiochus. These robbers “ of thy people” established the vision. They helped along the very things which had been pre dicted, as to trials for them. All this was fulfilled in the severe struggles, which followed.
The invasion of the glorious land by Antiochus followed. He subjected the whole land unto himself. He also was well dis-
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