IDOLS IN HIS MIDST

DATE: APRIL 12, 2011

THE TEXT: JOHN 10:22-30

THE
MESSAGE: IDOLS IN HIS MIDST

OPENING
PASSAGE: MALACHI 1_6-14

FATHER GOD, MOST HIGH AND MIGHTY WE ASK THAT AS WE ENTER
OUR STUDY THIS EVENING THAT YOU WOULD CAUSE US TO EXAMINE OURSELVES, TO SEE
THAT WE ARE OF THE FAITH; YOU KNOW WHAT IS IN US O SOVEREIGN LORD, YOU KNOW OUR
HEARTS THROUGH AND THROUGH AND SO LET IT BE THAT YOU WOULD KNOCK OVER ANY IDOLS
THAT MAY HAVE TAKEN UP RESIDENCE UPON THE ALTAR OF OUR HEARTS; LET IT BE THAT
THERE IS NO OBSTACLE BETWEEN YOU AND US PREVENTING THE GLORIFICATION OF YOUR
SON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, IN WHOSE NAME WE HUMBLY PRAY. AMEN!

READ: JOHN
10:22-30

What is the most
horrific sin that man can offend God with; I fear that many a Christian would
be baffled by this question; thinking that all sin against a holy God is
absolutely horrible. And although that is true, nonetheless there is one sin
that is the cream of the crop, one that I believe is above all others. It is
found in the Ten Commandments and is listed in the number one slot, giving me
more reason to believe that it is the most offensive to God. Can you name it? Exodus 20:3 you shall
have no other gods before me. Idolatry is the sin of sins, to worship something
in the place of or along with the True and Living God; there is nothing worse.
The desire to worship self is what caused Lucifer’s great fall, he fell so far
that his name was changed to Satan; denoting that he no longer belonged to God;
idolatry is the vice that the devil uses to keep man blind and dead in
unbelief; man refuses to deny self and rather worships himself. All belief
systems outside of Christ are about the worship of self. That sets up this
evening’s message which I have titled:

IDOLS IN HIS MIDST

John 10:22-23 (NKJV)

22 Now it was the
Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. 23 And Jesus walked
in the temple, in Solomon's porch.

The feast of tabernacles is better known today
as Hanukkah or the Feast of Lights. It was observed to remember the
rededication of the temple by a man named Judas Maccabeus, he was the son of a Jewish priest named
Mattathias; Judas lived almost 200 years before Christ. The temple needed to be
rededicated after it had been desecrated by a Syrian king named Antiochus IV Epiphanies; he was the
eighth in a succession of twenty-six kings who ruled from 175—164 BC over the
Syrian section of Alexander’s empire. He is referred to as the “little horn” in
Daniel 8:9. The name Epiphanies
means the “Illustrious One,” although his contemporaries nicknamed him
Epimanes, meaning “madman.

The
prophecies of Antiochus Epiphanies in Daniel (Dan. 8:9-14; 23-25; 11:21-35)
have both a historical as well as future fulfillment; because these prophecies
point both to Antiochus Epiphanies as well as the future Antichrist of the New
Testament. 

Both begin as a “little horn”. 

Let us turn to the old testament to the book of
Daniel and let us look at Daniel 8:9-11; there it
says,

And out of one of
them came a little horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward
the east, and toward the Glorious Land.
10 And it grew up
to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and some
of the stars to the ground, and trampled them.

11 He
even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host; and by him the
daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was
cast down.

And so that is Antiochus Epiphanies and so now
let us look at the future antichrist found in Daniel 11:36-45. There it says:

36 "Then the king shall do according to his
own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak
blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been
accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done.
37 He shall regard neither the God[10]Or gods of his fathers nor
the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them
all.
38 But in their place he shall honor a god of
fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold
and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things.
39 Thus he shall act against the strongest
fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its
glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain.
40 "At the time of the end the king of the
South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a
whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the
countries, overwhelm them, and pass through.
41 He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and
many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his
hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon.
42 He shall stretch out his hand against the
countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
43 He shall have power over the treasures of gold
and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; also the Libyans and
Ethiopians shall follow at his heels.
44 But news from the east and the north shall
trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and
annihilate many.
45 And
he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy
mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him.

All of the events
in chapter 11 previously to verse 36 are in the past fulfilled just as the
prophet Daniel had predicted them. So detailed are the facts that skeptics have denied that the book
was written by Daniel in the sixth century b.c.
They conclude that the book must have been written during the time of the
Maccabees (168-134 b.c.) after the events took place.
However, the God who knows the end from the beginning was able to reveal
details of forthcoming history to Daniel.

In verses 36-45 a leader is described who is introduced simply as “the
king.” Some suggest that this is Antiochus IV Epiphanies and that the verses
describe additional invasions of his into Israel. However, the details given in
these verses were not fulfilled by Antiochus. Although it is true that
Antiochus was a foreshadowing of the antichrist a king who will come, nevertheless the two are not the same one is past,
while the other is future. This future king’s rise to prominence, fame and
reputation is described in Revelation 13:1-8 where he is called a “beast.” According to John in (Rev. 17:12-13), he will gain authority not by military conquest 1371but by the approval of
the 10 kings who will submit to him. Starting with Daniel 11:36 the prophecy moves from the “near” to the “far; and for us
today they move from the past to the future.” The events recorded in verses 36-45 will occur during the final seven years of the 70 sevens
mentioned in Daniel (9:24).

Looking at Daniel 11:36 we see
that this coming king will be
independent of any authority apart from himself, it says that (the king shall
do according to his own will). Midway during his seven-year reign he will
exercise the political power given him by the 10 kings who will have elected
him (Rev. 17:12-13). He will also take for himself absolute power in all
things religious, magnifying himself
above all gods and defying and speaking blasphemously against the God of gods. “He opposes
and exalts himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, and even
sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God” (2 Thess. 2:4). “He will speak against the Most High” (Dan. 7:25). The world will be persuaded to worship him as god by the
miracles the false prophet will perform in his name (Rev. 13:11-15). He will succeed in spreading his influence around the
world, both politically and religiously (Rev. 13:7-8).

Daniel 11:36 also tells us that
the length of time of this king’s rule has
been determined by God. He will
be successful as the world ruler during the time of wrath, the three and one-half years of the Great
Tribulation, but at the end of that period the judgment determined by God will
be handed down to him (cf. Dan. 7:11, 26; 9:27; Rev. 19:19-20).

Daniel 11:37 mentions that this king will
not regard the God of his fathers (God can also be translated gods) some have
concluded that this ruler will be a Jew, since the Old Testament frequently
uses the phrase “the God of your fathers” to refer to the God of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob as mentioned in (  Exodus 3:15);However, since this individual will be the final ruler in
the Roman world, the little horn of the fourth beast (Dan. 7:8, 24b),  must be a
Gentile. And so his showing no regard
for the gods of his fathers means that in order to gain absolute power in the
religious realm, this king will have no respect for his religious heritage. He
will set aside all organized religion (nor
will he regard any god) and will set himself up (exalt himself) as the sole object of worship. Instead of depending
on gods, he will depend on his own power (received from Satan, Rev. 13:2) and by that power he will demand worship of himself.

In Daniel 11:38-39 it says
that the antichrist will honor a god of fortress, meaning he will promote military
strength. And because of his political and religious power he will be able to
accumulate vast wealth. The god unknown
to his fathers (ancestors), who will give him strength, may be Satan.
Though this king will come to power offering peace through a covenant with
Israel (cf. 9:27) he will not hesitate to use military power to expand his
dominion. And he will be helped by a
foreign god.

And so both Antiochus and
the Antichrist grow to become a great power from a small beginning. The
antichrist will begin as an insignificant political figure in the beginning.
However he will gain worldwide power in the midst of the tribulation hour and exercise
control over all kindred, and tongues, and nations as spoken of in (Rev. 13:7).

Both Antiochus epiphanies and the antichrist
persecute the saints of God.

The cruel and violent persecutions of Antiochus
Epiphanies are recorded in histories records for all to observe. In the spring
of 168 B.C., the armies of the Syrian king had arrived within four miles of the
great city of Alexandria in Egypt to force the pharaohs to surrender. But the
Egyptians had appealed to Rome for assistance. A Roman fleet was anchored in
the bay and their representative Popilius Laenas, soon met with the king. After
drawing a circle with his staff around the Syrian king, and forcing him to give
an immediate response, the king reluctantly accepted the ultimatum to depart.

After being humiliated and forced to leave Egypt,
Antiochus’s vengeance was quickly turned upon Jerusalem. He killed over eighty
thousand men, women, and children and sold forty thousand into slavery (2 Macc.
v. 5-14). The holy place was robbed of its treasures and the temple was
dedicated to Jupiter Olympus. The temple was defiled by offering a sow upon the
altar and scattering its juice over all the sanctuary and vessels. He
substituted the Jewish feasts with the drunken festivities of pagan worship,
forcing the Jews to worship Bacchus, the god of pleasure and wine. The wicked
festival of Saturnalia, the worship of Saturn, was also enforced upon the
inhabitants. He forbade the reading of the Holy Scriptures and the tradition of
circumcision. Throwing them headlong with their infants off of the highest wall
in Jerusalem, Antiochus killed two mothers who had circumcised their children
in defiance of the law. He also cut out the tongues of a mothers seven sons and
after that had each of them roasted alive on a flat iron (2 Macc. vii. 3-5).
Then the mother herself was murdered.  

But the carnage committed by the impious Syrian
king is only a foretaste of what lies ahead for those who will be swept away
during the Great Tribulation. The persecution of Gods saints under the beast will be much
more intense and far-reaching during Daniels Seventieth Week. The Apostle John saw the souls of
them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and
which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his
mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands: and they lived and reigned with
Christ a thousand years. (Rev. 20:4).

And so both will have small beginnings only to
increase in might, and both will persecute the saints of God

 both will
blaspheme the God of heaven.

In Daniel 8:11 it says there that Antiochus exalted
Himself as high as the prince of the host. His pride and arrogance was lifted
up in opposition to the very God of heaven. His blasphemy will typify that of
the future Man of Sin: in Daniel 7:8 it says, And there, in
this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking
pompous words.
In revelation 13:1 the
Apostle John said: Then I NU-Text reads he.stood on
the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven
heads and ten horns and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous
name. And again in Revelation 13:6 the
Apostle John would emphasize the irrelevancy and lack of respect of the
antichrist by saying:  Then he opened
his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and
those who dwell in heaven.

Both
the antichrist and Antiochus will use peace to achieve their goals.

 It is said
of the Syrian king Antiochus in Daniel 8:25 that he
will destroy many by peace. Pretending to be on a peaceful mission he would
then plunder and steal, giving out freely the treasures he had acquired to his
associates. The man of sin or the lawless one who is the antichrist will also
use deceit to obtain his desires. He is depicted as the "white horse"
rider (Rev. 6:1-2) who has a
"bow" but no arrows, indicating that he shall "come in
peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries" as mentioned in (Dan. 11:21, 24). He
will rise to power through an alliance with ten nations uniting under a
one-world government which is found in Revelation 17:12, 13.
In Daniel 9:26 the
antichrist is described as the prince that is to come and Daniel 9:27 reveals
that he will lead Israel into signing a covenant which in Isaiah 28:15 and 18 is
described as a covenant with death and hell. This covenant will begin Daniel’s”
seventieth week” mentioned in Daniel 9:27, which is a
seven year period guaranteeing Israel a time of peace and security. But this
peace shall be short lived, sometime in the middle of the seven year covenant
the antichrist shall break it.

The white horse of conquest is quickly followed by
the red horse of war (Rev.6:4), the black
horse of famine (Rev. 6:5), and finally
the pale horse of death (Rev. 6:8). The world
will suddenly be plunged into utter devastation that ultimately leads to the
battle of Armageddon and the Second Coming of Christ (Rev. 19:11-21).

Both will desecrate the sanctuary of the temple

It is a matter of historical record as to the
desire of Antiochus to destroy the Jewish nation and their religion. When
Antiochus set up the image of Jupiter in the Holy Place in Jerusalem and
desecrated the sanctuary and its holy vessels, he was unknowingly portraying a
future defilement. Daniel referred to this incident as the abomination of
desolation or even better the abomination that makes desolate it is found in Daniel 11:31 and 12:11.
Jesus linked this event to Matthew 24:15 when He declared “Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,'Daniel 11:31; Daniel 12:11 spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy
place" (whoever reads,
let him understand). The
Jews who live during this period will understand the meaning of this Scripture and
flee to the mountains for safety. Paul referred to this event in 2 Thessalonians 2:4:
where he says: who opposes and
exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he
sits as GodNU-Text omits as
God. in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.  The
Apostle John in the Book of Revelation gives a strong description of the image
of the beast that the false prophet will set up in the
future  in Jerusalem. Those living in
that frightful time will be forced to worship the image of the beast or be
killed (Rev. 13:14-15).

Both would be Satan incarnate

In Daniel 8:23 it reveals
that the Syrian king Antiochus Epiphanies is, excessively proud, and ambitious.
He is a copy of Satan. He is the incarnation of evil; he is the willing
instrument of the devil. Proof of this is when he began to reign, he imprinted
on his coins. Theos Antiochus, Theos Epiphanies meaning God manifest.


That takes us back to our main text, .and so let us
turn in our bibles to John 10:22 where it says


Now it was the
Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter.


And so this feast celebrated the victories of Judas
Maccabeus when he drove out the Syrians, rebuilt the altar, and rededicated the
temple in Jerusalem. Hanukkah as it is commonly known as means rededication or
renewal. The feast was held in the winter; near the time of the Christian
Christmas celebration.


If Antiochus Epiphanies is a foreshadowing of the
antichrist then it can be said that Judas Maccabeus is a foreshadowing of
Christ and of what every Christian ought to be; standing against evil, opposing
everything that would exalt itself against God; we as Christians are called to
enter the battlefield, but not with violence of tongue but rather prayer, not
physical might but rather through spiritual warfare. We must learn to use love,
mercy, and grace as our weapons of choice if we are to be used of God to throw
down altars and remove the idols of worship which so permeate and invade the
human heart.


It is also interesting that the characteristics of
the antichrist are found in these Jews and Pharisees who have been with Jesus since  John chapter 8 verse 3 where you have
the Pharisees there bringing forth the woman caught in adultery in order that
they might accuse her. That is what the devil does; he makes accusations
against the saints of God. The Pharisees like the antichrist blasphemed the
name of God; they did this when they accused Christ of having a demon. The
Pharisees also like the antichrist persecuted the saints of God; just look at
how they treated the man which had been born blind. The Pharisees also exalted
themselves above God by rejecting the words of Christ, considering their own
teachings to be of more importance. The Pharisee even desecrated the temple of
God through their corrupt business tactics and false teachings.


Jesus made it crystal clear that those unbelieving
Pharisees were a type of the antichrist when he told them you are of your
father the devil and it is his will that you do.


But we would be mistaken to think that the marks of
the antichrist are only revealed through men like the Pharisees and Antiochus
Epiphanies. Though to a possible far lesser degree those marks can be seen in
every man, woman and child that enters this world. Filled with pride,
self-righteousness; directing their anger at God for the suffering in the
world, desecrating God’s house of worship with their pretense of faith marred
in hypocrisy. Oh that it would not be so of any of us that are here tonight,
may it be that we are beacons of light revealing only the character of Christ;
may it be that Christ has washed us clean with His blood of any remnant of that
old nature which opposes everything Godly.


If you look at john 10:23 you will see
that it says there that Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch. Jesus
is walking on the porch because as verse 22 tells us “it was winter” and
therefore most likely raining.

And so that sets up the scene for John 10:24 where it
says:

Then the Jews
surrounded Him and said to Him, "How long do You keep us in doubt? If You
are the Christ, tell us plainly."


The word
surrounded pictures this crowd closing in on Jesus. The hostile Jerusalem leaders were determined to pin Him down so
they surrounded Him. His puzzling sayings plagued and tormented them, and they
wanted Him to declare Himself on their terms.


And it is interesting that the crowd asked “How long do you keep us
in doubt? There is much truth spoken in this question For if God does not
regenerate the sinner they most certainly will remain in doubt. Simply being
told who Christ is won’t be nearly enough the heart must be restored to its
pre-fallen condition in order for it to respond rightly to the knowledge of the
divine character of Christ.


And so in John 10:25:


Jesus answered
them,
"I told you, and you do not believe. The works
that I do in My Father's name, they bear witness of Me.

and so there you have it;
‘I told you and you do not believe” simply being told that Jesus is the Son of
God will not get it done, it will not produce genuine faith, knowledge never
brings about an accurate conversion; not knowledge, not miracles only
revelation, and that revelation must be from God and not man.

In john 10:26 Jesus makes
this startling statement:

But you do not
believe, because you are not of My sheep,

If one remains in unbelief
it is not because they were not born in a Christian family, or because they
never heard the gospel; it is not because they were born in a third world
country; it is not because they had poor education or did not have enough opportunity
or time to receive Christ. No, not at all; forget what man has been teaching
you about what it takes to be saved; listen to the words of Christ; you do not
believe, because you are not of my sheep. He could not have made it any
clearer; unbelief is due to God passing over such a one in the election of His
sheep before the foundation of the world.

This is exactly why the
Lord Jesus Christ said in Matthew 7:21-23:

"Not
everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,'
shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in
heaven.

22 Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord,
have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done
many wonders in Your name?'
23 And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you;
depart from Me, you who practice
lawlessness!'

Notice the emphasis in
verse 23 is not on someone knowing Christ, but rather being known by Him. This
goes against the teachings of over 90 percent of all modern day churches who
make altar calls inviting people to receive Christ in their hearts; and how wrong
they are, the question isn’t will you receive
Christ but rather has He received you? Are you among His sheep? The
question isn’t do you know
Christ as your Lord and savior but rather does He know you as His servant.

It is also important to
notice the twofold requirement for being counted among Christ sheep, the first
is found in verse 21 and it is doing the will of the Father, the second we
already mentioned, it is found in verse 23 and it is to be known by Christ. The
false professing Christians mentioned in verse 21 were apart of many
ministries, doing much work in God’s name and yet they were not doing the will
of God. There is one work that gets a person into heaven and it is not
accomplished by man, but rather it is performed by Christ the shepherd of His
sheep. That work is found in John 6:29 where the Lord Jesus said, this is the work
of God that you believe in Him whom He has sent. Again, it couldn’t be
any more clear, believing is the work of God accomplished in sinners; it is not
something that man can acquire for himself, it is God’s work. Hebrews 2:10 says that
Jesus is the author or (originator)
of salvation. Hebrews 12:2 says that
Jesus is the author or (originator)
and finisher (brings it to completion) of faith.

With these passages it is
made clear that salvation by faith is initiated and completed by God in Christ.
It is not in the raising of a hand or in the baptism of the body, but rather it
is the work of God and so give Him the glory.

To claim that one is saved
by a simple profession of faith is to be guilty of the sins of Antiochus
Epiphanies; it is to have the spirit of the antichrist. It is to set up an idol
in God’s midst; it is to make oneself God in the place of God.

There are those who say
Lord, Lord when actually the bottle is their Lord, for others drugs are their
Lord, and even others pornography would be their Lord. For those who claim to
be Christian and yet Christ is not powerful enough to knock over the idols they
have set up in their own hearts in the midst of a holy God, then I say to them you
don’t have Christ at all, you have but set up a false image of who they deem
God to be. They have blasphemed the name of God with such a vain and empty
profession of faith. I fear that there are people in dark and sleazy pubs this
very hour who claim to be Christians; that there are professing Christians this
very day who have shared company with a prostitute and others whose mouths are
full of profanity. What fellowship does darkness have with light; how is it
that one can speak such profanity with the same mouth that they bless God?  The answer they are not of Christ’s sheep.

And so Christ through the
apostle Paul insists  that we examine
ourselves to make sure that we are of the faith; there is only one faith and
that faith is Christ; and He is a jealous God He will not share a place on the
altar with the idols of our hearts. So let us examine what we are watching,
examine what we are saying, examine what we are listening to; examining the
time we are giving to Christ on any given day; lest we find ourselves to be
worldly taking the mark of the beast deep within our hearts.

And so our Lord says in john 10:26-30

But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said
to you  
27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish;
neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than
all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.
30 I and My Father
are one."

Jesus responded to the Jews question by pointing to the miracles which
are also alluded to in verses 32 and 38 as clear evidence that He is from the
Father. And so He is the One the Father
sent, but He did not meet their expectations. He was no Judas Maccabeus nor
would His ministry be like Moses’. Their problem was a lack of spiritual
perception and faith.

John 10:27 tells us that
Jesus’ flock is responsive to His teaching, they have an intimacy with Christ
evidenced by the words “I know them and they follow Me” to follow Jesus speaks
of obedience to His will which is in perfect keeping to the Father’s will.

Verse 28 is one of the clearest statements in the Bible that one who
believes in Jesus for salvation will never be lost. Believers sin and stumble,
but Jesus as the perfect Shepherd loses none of His flock. Just listen to what
Christ said to the apostle peter in Luke 22:31-32:

 "Simon, Simon!
Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.
32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail;
and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."

The security of the sheep is found in the ability of the Shepherd
to defend and preserve His flock. Such security does not depend on the ability
of the frail, fragile and weak sheep.

Verse 29 of chapter 10 reveals that no one is able to snatch any
of Jesus’ flock from the Father’s hand, or as mentioned in verse 28 Jesus hand
either. The Father who is omnipotent (all powerful) secures the flock by His
power and protection. God’s plan of salvation for Jesus’ flock cannot be stopped.

When Jesus said, I and the Father are one; He was not saying that
He and the Father were the same person or one numerically. The Son and the
Father are two persons in the trinity. Rather He was saying that They have the closest possible unity of
purpose. Jesus’ will is identical to the Father’s regarding the salvation of
His sheep. And yet absolute identity of wills involves identity 312of nature.
Jesus and the Father are One in will (and also in nature for both are God.

The one that Jesus speaks of here we can know has to do with his
nature rather than plan and will. In that He spoke of being able to rescue and keep his people from all enemies, or that he had power superior to men and
devils-that is, that he had supreme
power over all creation. He affirmed the same of his Father. In this, therefore, they were united. But this was an attribute only
of God, and so they understood him as claiming equality to God in the area of omnipotence.

The
antichrist is but a thief and a robber, he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing he is
a charlatan, an impostor, a fraud, a deceiver, scam artist and liar; he is a false
shepherd who cares not for the sheep, he is a blasphemer, he is the profaner of
all that is holy, he is a persecutor, an accuser, he mistreats even his own
children leading them straight to the pits of hell,  he is a counterfeit god with a counterfeit
kingdom which shall burn along with his followers for all of eternity in the
lake of fire.

Christ
on the other hand is Lord and Savior, He is the true shepherd who loves His
sheep, He speaks words which are pleasing to the Father, He is a deliverer who
seeks and saves that which is lost; He did not come to condemn but rather to
justify the ungodly; He is the giver of life, He is the manifestation of grace,
the personification of love, the embodiment of peace and the incarnate God. He
is the genuine article Lord of Lord’s, King of kings, the Alpha and Omega the
beginning and the end, He is eternal God from everlasting to everlasting, He is
the one to whom every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord to the glory of the Father. And He is returning soon.  And that is His message. Amen!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judas_Maccabeus

http://www.prophecyforum.com/antiochus.html (Antiochus epiphanies)