2 Maccabees 4:21. "When ... Antiochus learned that Philometor had become hostile to his government, .. he took measures for his own security.  Therefore upon arriving at Joppa he proceeded to Jerusalem." Antiochus was a Greek king, and a great persecutor of the Jews, while Philometor was the new king of Egypt, who obviously did not support Antiochus' government.

Antiochus was a great enemy of the Jews, but he had sycophants in power in Jerusalem, including the corrupt high priest Jason who bribed his way into the position, and many Jews were loyal to him, so he thought Jerusalem was a good place to go when he felt his power threatened. Apparently, he was right; when he got there "he was welcomed magnificently by Jason and the city." 2 Maccabees 4:22. 

Ultimately, though, in his fight against the Maccabean revolt, Antiochus would meet an ignoble end by the hand of God. Immediately after saying he would make Jerusalem a cemetery of Jews, "the all-seeing Lord, the God of Israel, struck him an incurable and unseen blow ... he fell out of his chariot ... so as to torture every limb of his body ... [a]nd the ungodly man's body swarmed with worms, and while he was still living in anguish and pain, his flesh rotted away." 2 Maccabees 9:5-9. In his final agony, Antiochus said that he would repent of his actions toward the Jews, but God knew his heart and did not remove his suffering. Finally, Antiochus wrote an obsequious and lie-filled letter to the Jews, down playing his condition, but telling them that if something were to happen to him, his son would become king after him; then he died.

People who have given themselves over completely to the things of this world like power, riches, fame, or whatever else they have made their idols, often, consciously or not, construct false realities around themselves so they do not have to face the true consequences of what they are doing. Antiochus did just that in Jerusalem. He had corrupt leaders in power there who supported him, so when he went there for safety he was welcomed royally by a city that, in large part, bore him great ill will. He was sheltered from the people's feelings toward him by the corrupt people he had placed in charge, like Jason, who were also pursuing power and not seeing to the people's good. Antiochus was lying to himself, and creating a world in which he did not have to face his wrongdoing. Jason was more than willing to go along with him (for the time being, at least), for the sake of his own power and safety. But, as I wrote in Justice is Us Getting What We Have Created, reality always catches up with us, and justice is always eventually done by our all just God. When justice came for Antiochus, and he was suffering so terribly, he tried to trick God, saying that he would change and treat the Jews well. God knows a liar when He hears one, though, and He ignored Antiochus, who showed his true colors again in his final letter to the Jews.

There are many wicked people in positions of power today who are being sheltered from the people's ill will and misery by the lies they are telling themselves and by other corrupt people.  We can and should have hope for them, praying that they will repent, truly, in their hearts. If they do, God will have mercy on them, and life will be better for all of us. But if they don't, if they continue to lie to themselves and to God, He will know this, and they will receive their just punishment. We all do, in the end.