Chapters 10 -12 contain the closing vision of the prophecy of Daniel. In fact, these last three chapters ultimately describe human history across many empires from the time of Daniel until the 2nd coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Chapter 10 forms the introduction in which we saw that Daniel
received a heavenly visitor (a theophany), explaining to him what is ultimately
behind the political manoeuvrings of this world. We see that Daniel is utterly
overwhelmed by what he sees. The heavenly visitor obviously thinks that it is necessary for Daniel
to see the bigger picture, and not only for him only, but also for us who need
to make sense out of what is happening in the world across the ages and into
the future. Daniel is receiving this information
for the purpose of praying and preparation! Christians must not be caught off
guard. We must learn to watch and pray in the light of God's revelation. And just in case you have forgotten, our Lord
Jesus said, “In this world (in every
generation) you will have tribulation.
But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
(Jn. 16:33)
As we now look at the 11th chapter we find at
least 45 historic events predicted here. They are all verified in history. All
these are beyond the time of the return of God’s
people from Babylonian exile after the 70 decreed years are
over. God is showing Daniel what is going to happen
to Israel, the glorious land, after
her return from Babylonian exile. It is
an account of a very messy future. It is an account of the comings and goings
of political kingdoms and rulers. In the midst of it all we find the sufferings
of God’s people until the time appointed-
the time of the end (11:27,29,40;
12:4,9,13) .
Outline of Daniel 11
The One speaking in chapter 11 is the Heavenly Visitor, who sees with the eyes of eternity. From Daniel’s perspective these are future happenings, breath-taking in their scope.
1. 11:2 Three more kings and a fourth
2. 11:3-4 A mighty king whose kingdom is broken and divided
3. 11: 5-20 Southern kings versus northern kings
4. 11: 21- 35 A contemptible king
5. 11:36-45 The king who exalts himself above God
1.
11:1-2 The Persian empire:
Three more kings and a fourth
The three kings who appear in Persia
(11:2) after Cyrus (10:1) were Cambyses, Smerdis and Darius Hystaspia. “A fourth, who will be far richer than all
of them” (11:2) appears. This
was king Xerxes – the Ahasuerus of Esther
1:1. [Remember here Daniel 2:31ff – the
great image in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, where Persia represents the chest
and arms of silver ; In Daniel 8:1ff Persia is represented as a ram. The Persian
ram is usurped by the Greek goat of 8:1-27. Alexander’s Greek navy mauled
the Persian fleet at the battle of Salamis in 480 B.C.]
2.
11:3-4 A mighty king whose kingdom is broken
and divided
The “mighty king” (11:3) who
defeated the Persians was the Greek king, Alexander
the Great. He was tutored by the famous philosopher Aristotle. He succeeded his father Philip II to the
throne in 336 BC, aged 20. He conducted a lengthy military campaign throughout
Western Asia and Egypt. Alexandria in Egypt is named after him. By the age of
30 he had created one of the largest empires in history, stretching from Greece
to north-western India. He is widely considered to be one of history's most
successful military commanders. He died in Babylon at the age of 33.
Following Alexander’s untimely death
his empire was divided in four (11:4),
led by Ptolemy (Egypt), Lysimachus (Trace, Asia minor,
Macedonia), Cassander (Southern
Greece), and Seleucus (Syria). Our narrative will focus on the Ptolemy and
Seleucus dynasties.
3.
11: 5-20 Southern kings versus northern kings
Verses 2-20 covers history from 530 – 175 B.C. - from
Cyrus to Antiochus III the Great. We are not going to attempt to mention
all the names of all the kings referred
to here. Just know that the king of the south is Egypt, and their dynasty name
is the Ptolemies. The king of the north is from Syria, associated here with the
Seleucid (Antiochus) dynasty.
11:5-20 covers a lot of detail. 11:5-12 relates to Ptolemaic/ Egyptian dominance. Ptolemy II (Philadelphus) tried to
consolidate relationships with the northers Seleucid kingdom, then under Antiochus II (Theos), by marrying off his daughter Berenice to
the Egyptian leader. This is a very convoluted story and full of
intrigue and ultimately solving nothing. In 11:13-17
Antiochus III of the north successfully
attacks the Egyptians, and in that process
he takes from them the land of Israel. In this chapter we find this ‘back
and forth’ between these two kingdoms -
south and north. South and north -
from which perspective? The answer - from the perspective of Israel’s
location - the glorious land (11:16, 41). North of Israel was Syria - the Seleucid dynasty, and
south of Israel was Egypt, the Ptolemaic dynasty, with Israel in between. It’s a war of the superpowers, wreaking havoc
in Israel while they were trying to assert their own powers over each other.
4.
11: 21- 35 A contemptible king - Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-164 BC).
11:21-35 These 15 verses cover the events of
175 – 163B.C. – the reign of Antiochus
IV Epiphanes. We have seen him before in Daniel 8. He is the “contemptible
person”, who comes without warning and who obtains the kingdom
by flatteries ” (11:21). His accession to the throne was controversial. After the death of his brother Seleucus IV Philopator in 175 BC, the
true heir should have been Seleucus's son Demetrius
I. However, Demetrius I was very young. Antiochus IV seized the opportunity
to declare himself king instead – thus his ability to “act deceitfully” (11:23).
His Egyptian wars are documented in 11:25-29. Antiochus failed in his third invasion of Egypt. The Roman navy (the ships of Kittim) came against him, he became afraid and withdrew (11:30). Then we read that he turned his anger on Israel- against the holy covenant (11:28,30). He defiled the temple and the altar of sacrifice, turning it into a pagan altar setting up “the abomination that causes desolation”. He set up a statue of Zeus in the temple and offered sacrifices to Zeus on the altar in the temple. Sadly, there were Jews who co-operated with this abominable man, but then there were also those that resolutely withstood him - “…the people who know their God shall stand firm and resist him” (11:32). It was a hard time for the nation of Israel. It was a time of sword and flame, captivity and plunder (11:33). It was a time of purification (10:35). Thankfully, there were some wise and faithful men in Israel who kept reminding their people of the truth. They received a little help (11:34) – perhaps a reference to Judas Maccabaeus, a Jew who led a successful rebellion against the occupying forces, so that in December 165 BC the altar of the Temple was rededicated to God. In summary, this Antiochus IV Epiphanes becomes the epitome of evil in OT history.
He is the antichrist of
the Old Testament.
5.
11:36-45 The king who exalts himself
above God
Many think that the rest of the chapter still speaks about Antiochus IV, but careful reading takes the persecution by Antiochus IV to a much wider and profounder level - pointing to a future persecution by an even more notorious and sinister personality. Some make the following connection: If Antiochus Epiphanes persecuted the people of God shortly before the first coming of Christ, then this sinsister personality referred to in the New Testament as the man of lawlessness (2 Thess. 2) will persecute the people of God before Christ’s second coming.
The picture of 11:36-42 certainly looks more like the antichrist of the end times. Concerning him it is said in 11:36-38 that “he shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods…. He shall pay no attention to the gods of his fathers … he shall pay no attention to any other god, for he shall magnify himself above all nor will he regard any god”. “He shall honour the god of fortresses”.
When we consider this and compare this with the rest of Scripture then we shall
see that this is the satanic spirit – the spirit of the antichrist. As we
consider him, so we find that his is the quest for autonomy from God. You can
hear the Satan-serpent speaking in the garden of Eden, “Has God really said? “Eat it.
You will be like God.” Also note
from 11:36 that blasphemy is
associated with the antichrist. He has no regard for the structures created by
God (11:37). His trust is in his
fortresses – the things that he has built – the god of fortresses.
And then in 11:45
we find that all his pomp and power crashes with none to help him. God will
triumph over him. We shall see more of that in Chapter 12 and of course in the
book of the Revelation.
APPLICATION
1. Interpretation is hard work. To
really get the most out of this passage, we do have to know the history behind
it.
2. This chapter reminds us again, that behind
the earthly conflicts of the ages there is a spiritual war. The church of the ages exists and endures in
the midst of it all. She ultimately bears the brunt of the enemy’s hatred
against God. The enemy operates by war
and violence, but he also operates by flattery and deceit. This reminds us to
pray and to keep watch over our hearts and our lives, and to trust in God's
deliverance.
3. From the battles of the north and south, with
Israel in between we also learn that the church in the world is always in the
crossfire of competing ideologies. The heart of chapter 11 is basically a
picture of the battle not only for Israel, but the church – the people of God
at all times. She is the glorious land
(11: 16,41).
4. We learn that the persecutions which
the people of God experience are more than just what evil people do to God’s
people. From God’s perspective these trials are also a
refining fire for the church. God is working His purposes out in the midst of
our suffering circumstances of our lives. There are no accidents in God's providence; there are only purposes for the good of His people.
5. How do we act when evil marches through the land?
(i) Resist! “The people who know their God shall stand firm and take action” (11:32). The true church is always a resistance movement, fighting not with carnal weapons, but with the armour of God and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Eph. 6:17).
(ii) Teach!
“And the wise among the people shall make
many understand” (11:33). We
teach our people that His Word is above all things.
6.
Why do we have texts like this in the Bible? To teach us to pray. God is here
encouraging Daniel to pray now for the people of God who will be persecuted
under the reign of these wicked kings. May we learn to pray for the kingdom of God
and against the kingdom of Satan. This is the beginning and the end of the
Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6:9-13.
7. We are also reminded of the instability
of kingdoms in this world. Evil is always unstable because it does not have a
foundation in God. If you want to have stability in this world pray to God and
maintain that which God has given you by way of the commandments.
8. We also learn that evil gains a
foothold in the Israel / the church of God because there are those who
compromise the truth and embrace the spirit of the world (11:32a). Doctrinal, moral and spiritual
compromise with the world is how the church is invaded, divided and defeated.
We must be devoted to the terms of the covenant.
9. We learn that the devil and his associates may plan and scheme but God has the last say. Notice how often the word but occurs in verses 4, 6, 9, 11, 12, 14, 18, 19, 20, 25, 27, 29,41,44. Over and over, we learn that man proposes but God disposes.
Thank God that we are in His hands.
History is His story.
The cross of Christ has secured
our future and therefore we are comforted even though the world around us constantly falls apart.
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