1 Maccabees 1:31

[Daniel 11:30] "And he shall return and shall be angry at the covenant of the sanctuary, and he shall succeed; and he shall return and take thought concerning (Vulgate: against) those who have abandoned the covenant of the sanctuary." We read of these matters at greater length in the exploits of the Maccabees (1 Maccabees 1:20-64), where we learn that after the Romans expelled him from Egypt, he came in anger against the covenant of the sanctuary and was welcomed by those who had forsaken the law of God and taken part in the religious rites of the Gentiles. But this is to be more amply fulfilled under the Antichrist, for he shall become angered at the covenant of God and devise plans against those whom he wishes to forsake the law of God. And so Aquila has rendered in a more significant way: "And he shall devise plans to have the compact of the sanctuary abandoned."

[Daniel 11:31] "And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall defile (Vulgate: that (?) they may defile) the sanctuary of strength, and they shall take away the continual sacrifice, and shall place there the abomination unto desolation." Instead of "arms," another writer has rendered it as "seed," so as to imply descendants and progeny. But those of the other viewpoint claim that the persons mentioned are those who were sent by Antiochus two years after he had plundered the Temple in order to exact tribute from the Jews, and also to eliminate the worship of God, setting up an image of Jupiter Olympius in the Temple at Jerusalem, and also statues of Antiochus himself. These are described as the abomination of desolation, having been set up when the burnt offering and continual sacrifice were taken away. But we on our side contend that all these things took place in a preliminary way as a mere type of the Antichrist, who is destined to seat himself in the Temple of God, and make himself out to be as God. The Jews, however, would have us understand these things as referring, not to Antiochus Epiphanes or the Antichrist, but to the Romans, of whom it was earlier stated, "And war galleys shall come," whether Italian or Roman, "and he shall be humbled." Considerably later, says the text, a king, Vespasian, shall emerge from the Romans themselves, who had come to Ptolemy's assistance and threatened Antiochus. It is his arms or descendants who would rise up, namely his son Titus, who with his army would defile the sanctuary and remove the continual sacrifice and devote the temple to permanent desolation. By the terms siim (Siyyim) and chethim (Kittiym), which we have rendered as "galleys" and "Romans," the Jews would have us understand "Italians" and "Romans."

[Daniel 11:32] "And ungodly men shall deceitfully dissemble against the covenant. But the people who know their God shall prevail and succeed." And in Maccabees we read that there were some who, to be sure, pretended that they were custodians of God's law, and later they came to terms with the Gentiles; yet the others adhered to their religion. But in my opinion this will take place in the time of the Antichrist, when the love of many shall wax cold. It is concerning these people that our Lord says in the Gospel, "Dost thou think that the Son of man, when He comes, will find faith upon the earth?" (Luke 18:8).

But whoever believes him, prepares persecution for himself; for this same most wicked enemy, by evil persuasion, performs lying signs and wonders, so that men may believe him to be God and offer him divine worship. Therefore, those who believe him, he spiritually kills in their soul; but those who resist, he afflicts with bodily torment. Therefore it happens, which must be read with great sorrow of mind, that he might destroy a great number of the people of Israel, when he converts many from the Christian faith into apostasy: he takes the spoils of the city, when he removes the ornaments of the church; he sets it on fire, when he devastates it with persecution; he destroys its houses and walls all around, when he scatters the people of believers and kills their defenders, that is, the teachers, and leads captive the women, and the children, and the livestock, because those who are soft in spirit and are children in understanding and serve carnal desires, living after the manner of brute animals, are especially open to the captivity and snare of the ancient enemy, with the churches of Christ devastated and his ministers scattered because of persecution, the evil enemy strives to establish the art of wickedness in their place and to substitute blasphemous worshipers, so that, if possible, through wicked men, the Christian name, which alone has prevailed in the world, may be utterly destroyed, and the will of the Devil may be fulfilled in the pollution of idols and the multiplication of sins.