Thoughts on the Book of Daniel. ## CHAPTER XI—CONTINUED.
By Uriah Smith
Verse 26. 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 at 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 king's hearts shall be to 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. Verse 28. Then shall he return into his own 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 twenty-six and twenty-seven, 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-day's 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 the fatal 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. Jerusalem fell in A. D. 70. As an 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 in vain. Seeing that the temple must perish, Titus rushed in and bore away the golden candlestick, the table of shew-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. 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 verse 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. Those 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. 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. Uriah Smith