The Persecutor: Word for Today

This passage speaks of the persecution of the people of God by Antiochus Epiphanes in the 2nd Century B.C. The text is divided into four parts: 1) The occasion of Antiochus coming to Jerusalem; 2) His deceptive methods against God's people; 3) The overthrow of God's instituted worship; and 4) The bitter persecution whic followed his intrigues. This persecution began with the king's taking advangtage of those within God's covenant who were unfaithful to its core spirituality and therefore vulnerable to his preferrments and promises of peace. These were taken in and readily yielded to Greek religion. The sermon seeks to establish by application the vulnerability of many Americans and Christians to Islamic advances. The remedy, at least in part, is a recognitioin that multi-culturalim has failed and that Christians must be strong in advocating the concept of a Christian nation.