Thoughts on the Book of Daniel.
VERSE 27. Yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow; and many shall fall down slain. The cause of Antony’s overthrow was the desertion of his allies and friends, those that fed of the portion of his meat. First, Cleopatra, as already described, suddenly withdrew from the battle, taking sixty ships of the line with her. Secondly, the land army disgusted with the infatuation of Antony, went over to Cæsar, who received them with open arms. Thirdly, when Antony arrived in Libya he found that the forces which he had there left under Scorpus to guard the frontier, had declared for Cæsar. Fourthly, being followed by Cæsar into Egypt, he was betrayed by Cleopatra, and his forces surrendered to Cæsar. Hereupon in rage and despair he took his own life. Verse 27. And both these kings’ hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed. Antony and Cæsar were formerly in alliance. Yet under the garb of friendship, they were both aspiring and intriguing for universal dominion. Their protestations of deference to, and friendship for, each other, were the utterances of hypocrites. They spoke lies at one table. Octavia, the wife of Antony and sister of Cæsar, declared to the people of Rome at the time Antony divorced her, that she had consented to marry him solely with the hope that it would prove a pledge of union between Cæsar and Antony. But that counsel did not prosper. The rupture came; and in the conflict that ensued, Cæsar came off entirely victorious. Verse 28. Then shall he return into his land with great riches; and his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall do exploits, and return to his own land. Two returnings from foreign conquests are here brought to view; the first after the events narrated in verses 26 and 27, and the second after this power had had indignation against the holy covenant, and had performed exploits. The first was fulfilled in the return of Cæsar, after his expedition against Egypt and Antony. He returned to Rome with abundant honor and riches; for, says Prideaux (ii, 380), “At this time such vast riches were brought to Rome from Egypt on the reducing of that country, and the return of Octavianus [Cæsar] and his army from thence, that the value of money fell one half, and the price of provisions and all vendible wares were doubled thereon.” Cæsar celebrated his victories in a three-days’ triumph, a triumph which Cleopatra herself would have graced, as one of the royal captives, had she not artfully caused herself to be bitten by an asp. The next great enterprise of the Romans after the overthrow of Egypt, was the expedition against Judea, and the capture and destruction of Jerusalem. The holy covenant is doubtless the covenant which God has maintained with his people, beginning it with Abraham, and renewing it, since Christ, with all believers in him. The Jews rejected Christ; and, according to the prophecy that all who would not hear that prophet should be cut off, they were destroyed out of their own land, and scattered to every nation under heaven. And while Jews and Christians alike suffered under the oppressive hands of the Romans, we think it was in the reduction of Judea especially that the exploits mentioned in the text were exhibited. Under Vespasian the Romans invaded Judea, and took the cities of Galilee, Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, where Christ had been rejected. They destroyed the inhabitants, and left nothing but ruin and desolation. Titus besieged Jerusalem. He drew a trench around it, accordingly to the prediction of the Saviour. A terrible famine ensued, the equal of which the world has, perhaps, at no other time witnessed. Moses had predicted that in the terrible calamities to come upon the Jews if they departed from God, even the tender and delicate woman should eat her own children in the straitness of the siege wherewith their enemies should distress them. Under the siege of Jerusalem by Titus a literal fulfillment of this prediction occurred; and he, hearing of the inhuman deed, but forgetting that he was the one who was driving them to such direful extremities, swore the eternal extirpation of the accursed city and people. Jerusalem fell in A. D. 70. As a honor to himself, the Roman commander had determined to save the temple; but the Lord had said that there should not remain one stone upon another which should not be thrown down. A Roman soldier seized a brand of fire, and climbing upon the shoulders of his comrades, thrust it into one of the windows of the beautiful structure. It was soon in the arms of the devouring element. The frantic efforts of the Jews to extinguish the flames were seconded by Titus himself, but all in vain. Seeing that the temple must perish, Titus rushed in and bore away the golden candlestick, the table of show-bread, and the volume of the law, wrapped in golden tissue. The candlestick was afterwards deposited in Vespasian’s temple to Peace, and copied on the triumphal arch of Titus, where its mutilated image is yet to be seen. The siege of Jerusalem lasted five months. In that siege eleven hundred thousand Jews perished, and ninety-seven thousand were taken prisoners. The city was so amazingly strong that Titus exclaimed when viewing the ruins, “We have fought with the assistance of God.” The city was completely leveled, and the foundations of the temple were ploughed up by Tarentius Rufus. The duration of the whole war was seven years, and one million four hundred and sixty-two thousand persons are said to have fallen victims to its fatal horrors. Thus this power performed great exploits, and again returned to its own land. Verse 29. At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the south; but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter. The time appointed is probably the prophetic time of vs. 24, of which we have previously spoken. It closed, as already shown, in A. D. 330, at which time this power was to return and come again toward the south, but not as on the former occasion, when it went to Egypt, nor as the latter, when it went to Judea. These were expeditions which resulted in conquest and glory. This led to demoralization and ruin. The removal of the seat of empire to Constantinople was the signal of the downfall of the empire. Rome then lost its prestige. The western division was exposed to the incursions of foreign enemies. On the death of Constantine the Roman Empire was divided into three parts, between his three sons, Constantius, Constantine II., and Constans. Constantine II. and Constans quarreled, and Constans being victor, gained the supremacy of the whole West. He was soon slain by one of his commanders, who in turn was shortly after defeated by the surviving emperor, and in despair ended his own days, A. D. 353. The barbarians of the North soon began their depredations, and extended their conquests till the imperial power of the West expired in A. D. 476. This was indeed different from the two former movements brought to view in the prophecy; and to this the fatal step of removing the seat of empire from Rome to Constantinople, directly led.