So, that's just a citation from 2 Maccabees 5, verses 11 to 16, an apocryphal book.

This is detailed again in the non -canonical but historical book of first Maccabees verses 41 through

Now, a few weeks back we talked about the mistranslation of 1 Maccabees 4, verses 56 -58 that says that

You can read this in the Apocrypha and first Maccabees chapters chapter 1 verses 20 through 24.

abomination of desolation, and this is detailed again in the non -canonical but historical book of 1st Maccabees

So looking at the text of first Maccabees, we find this. 1 Maccabees 7 10 7 through 1 Maccabees 1 7 through 10. Used to that and after Alexander had reigned 12 years he died. Then his officers began to rule each in his own place.

Second Maccabees chapter 12 has already been addressed in the few comments that I made earlier in regards

I hope you have your Bibles with you this evening. 2 Maccabees chapter 12 has already been addressed

As he comes back through Jerusalem, comes back through there, he lays waste to the city. He takes action. Read it, 1 Maccabees, it begins in chapter 1, goes all the way towards the end. As he goes through there, he ransacks the temple.

So I'm going to read from 1 Maccabees 1, verses 41 to 46, at least a part of it.

I'm ready. 2 Maccabees 12, verses 41 to 45.

Apart from the rudimentary objects they had at their immediate disposal in the temple, the Jews were essentially defenseless. So, again, this is 2 Maccabees 4, 39 -42. When many acts of sacrilege had been committed in the city by Lysimachus, with the connivance of Menelaus, and when report of them had spread abroad, the populace gathered against Lysimachus, because many of the gold vessels had already been stolen.

It's at that point that Matthias has sons, John, Jonathan, Simon, Eleazar, and Judas. Judas Maccabeus, what we're reading from. Judas the hammer. Maccabees means the hammer. And, buddy, it is all -out war against Antiochus and his people.

Against the Jewish Maccabees who revolted against him that's recorded for us in 1st Maccabees 6 verses

This was no doubt an attempt to legitimize things like prayers for the dead in 2 Maccabees 12 verses

So verses 10 to 13, and then until the time of the Maccabees. Yes, so Rod, if you will. 10 to.

We need to fight those spiritual battles in our life. Thankfully, there's a resolution to this. Look at verses 20 through 23. Then Moses said to them, if you do this thing, if you arm yourselves before the Lord for the war and all of your armed men cross the Jordan before the Lord until he has driven out his enemies before him and the land is subdued before the Lord, then afterward you may return and be blameless before the Lord and before Israel.

I don't know where the last point was that I sent you guys I think it Deuteronomy you can go back to Malachi chapter 3. Maybe we can get one more verse in before we call it a day. Verse 8 of chapter 3 says will a man rob God so Remember God doesn't answer their last question.

He conquered the God of the Hebrews in his mind. The fact that he stopped the regular sacrifice indicates that he disrupted the entire system the Jews had for worshiping Yahweh. This is recorded again in Maccabees in 1st Maccabees 144 through 50 again good history not scripture for the king had sent letters by messengers into Jerusalem in the cities of Judah that they should follow the strange laws of the land and forbid burn offerings and sacrifice and drink offerings in the temple and that they should profane the Sabbaths and festival days and pollute the sanctuary and holy people set up altars and groves and chapels of idols and Sacrificed swine's flesh and unclean beasts that they also should also leave their children uncircumcised and make their souls abominable with all manner of uncleanness and profanation to the end that they might forget the law and change all the ordinances and Whosoever would not do according to this commandment of the king.

He did that in the first section. We looked at he's doing it again now. The statements made by God in verse six, of course. Go figure, are then questioned by the people or by the priests in this case, just like they questioned God's statement of love for them in verse two.