Daniel 11 gives us the most extraordinary and detailed prophecy in the whole Word of God. When we remember that it prophesies the reigns of kings, royal marriages, wars, victories, defeats, plots, treaties, assassinations, it affords a very striking and unanswerable evidence of divine foreknowledge. For who but God could write down such detailed prophecies, which have come true with one exception. The one exception is still future, and awaits fulfillment which will surely come to pass.
We are first told that there should be three kings of Persia, and the fourth should be richer than they all, and that his riches should excite the cupidity of Greece.
These three kings were Ahasuerus, Artaxerxes, and Darius (this last being not Darius the Mede of Daniel 11:11Also I in the first year of Darius the Mede, even I, stood to confirm and to strengthen him. (Daniel 11:1), but a later Darius, distinguished by the addition of the name Hystaspes). In profane history their names were Cambyses, Smerdis the magician, and Darius Hystaspes.
The fourth and richer king was the well-known Xerxes. His mad attempt on Greece, his lashing the straits of Hellespont in impotent rage because the roughness of the water did not suit his purpose, are well known, and drew Greece on to attack him in turn.
In verses 3 and 4 we have the mighty King of Greece indicated—Alexander the Great—his great dominion being divided among his four generals to the exclusion of his own children, who all died in a few years.
Only two of these four divisions of the Grecian Empire became prominent in connection with the history of the Jews, namely, Assyria secured by Seleucus, and the Kingdom of the South, Egypt, which fell to the lot of Ptolemy.
Palestine, situate between these two kingdoms, naturally became their fighting ground, just as it will be in the future, and towards which events to-day are shaping things in a truly remarkable way.
The King of the North then is Assyria, the standpoint for Bible geographical definition being always the Holy Land; the King of the South, Egypt.
Verse 5 tells us that the King of the South shall be strong, and that his daughter should marry the King of the North, but that it would end in disaster.
The King of the South refers to Ptolemy I, and “one of his princes” refers to Seleucus I Nicator, who arrived at great power and became the stronger.
To the superficial reader it would look as if the King of the North would marry the King of the South's daughter, meaning Ptolemy's daughter. But the titles of the King of the North and of the South are carried on from king to king.
The expression in verse 6 “in the end of years” indicates a lapse of time, and as a matter of fact a treaty of peace was carried out by Seleucus's grandson, Antiochus II, with Ptolemy Philadelphus. Antiochus confirmed it by marrying Ptolemy's daughter, Bernice. In order to do this he repudiated his lawful wife, Laodike.
Daniel's prophecy, however, came true, for she did not retain the power of her arm, for the divorced wife stirred up her relatives and retainers, and it was literally fulfilled, “ She shall be given up, and they that brought her,” for she and her retinue were all murdered.
Then we read that a branch out of her roots shall come with an army against the King of the North and prevail. This came true when Bernice's brother, Ptolemy III Euergetes, marched north to avenge the murder of his sister.
His victory was so complete and his booty so great that it was true that he carried captives into Egypt, their gods with their princes, and with their precious vessels of silver and gold. This reference to Egypt is interesting as a fresh proof of the geographical position of the Kingdom of the South.
It is said that the booty consisted of 40,000 talents of silver and 2500 precious vessels of gold and silver. That likewise the images of the gods formerly captured by Cambyses were recaptured and replaced with great pomp in the heathen temples.
We read that the King of the South would continue more years than the King of the North—he lived four or five years longer than his opponent, Seleucus Kallinicus.
“But his sons shall be stirred up” evidently refers to the sons of the King of the North, as the allusion in verse 11 to the King of the South fighting the King of the North proves.
This was fulfilled when the two sons of Seleucus, Alexander and Antiochus, the latter afterward surnamed the Great, and the third of the dynasty to bear that name, succeeded their father. Alexander's death, it is said, occasioned by poison, left the field of operations to Antiochus, who defeated the King of the South several times.
The Egyptian King fulfilled verse 11 of our chapter by finally defeating Antiochus decisively, but he was not strengthened by it, as verse 12 states, for he gave himself up to excesses and debauchery, and eventually made peace with Antiochus.
Antiochus, thirteen years later, returned with an army greater than ever, thus fulfilling verse 13. He succeeded in getting allies, notably Macedonia and apostate Jews, these latter described as “the robbers of thy people.”
So far the south has prevailed, now the north becomes victorious, and in the taking of Jerusalem and other cities verse is was fulfilled. The impotence of the King of the South is declared, and Antiochus's overrunning of Palestine—“the glorious land”—is foretold.
How touching is Jehovah's description of Palestine. Though at this time under the heel of the conqueror and “consumed” as our verse says, it is described as “the glorious land.”
At this time the Roman power was beginning to make its weight felt. The Egyptian Regents—the King, Ptolemy V. Epiphanes, ascending the throne when only four years of age in B.C. 205—appealed to the Romans. The Romans remonstrated twice with Antiochus. Thus sobered, he judged a marriage alliance with Egypt would strengthen his hold on that country, so he arranged that his daughter, Cleopatra, then a very young child, should be betrothed to the little seven-year-old King of Egypt. This he did hoping his daughter's influence would be on his side, thus corrupting her by seeking that she should abet him in his schemes and be traitorous to her husband and his country, over which she became queen. But our verse (17) says, “She shall not stand on his side [that is, her father's], neither be for him,” for she turned out to be a faithful wife, and did not support her father.
Verse 18 speaks of Antiochus seeking to conquer Greece and the isles of the Mediterranean. Reaching Greece with a large army he found himself opposed by a Grecian and Roman alliance.
The prince causing the reproach to cease (vs. 18) refers to the Roman Consul, Manius, who drove Antiochus out of Greece, destroying his fleet. Later Scipio defeated him soundly at the great battle of Magnesia. Verse 19 describes his end.
Making peace he agreed to pay a heavy indemnity. In seeking to exhort this some months later he was assassinated—“He shall stumble and fall, and not be found,” was thus fulfilled.
Verse 21 describes Seleucus Philopater, the eldest son of Antiochus the Great. His reign started in deep financial embarrassment. The Romans insisted upon the heavy tribute exacted in his father's reign being paid. The whole of the twelve years that he reigned he was occupied in grinding taxes out of the people. At the end he was deliberately murdered, so thus he died “neither in anger, nor in battle.”
From verse 21 to 32 we have a lengthy description of a king, infamous in history, Antiochus Epiphanes, by name. With him ends abruptly the story of the kings affecting Israel. The reason for this is not far to seek. This king is noticed at length in the Scriptures, not because he was great, for he was not great, but because of daring wickedness in connection with the Jews.
Partly he stands as a type of the last King of the North, which monarch has to come into prominence in the last days in connection with the great events that end up with the coming of Christ to reign upon the earth.
But still more is he the type of the Antichrist, who will be the willful king reigning in the land and the great enemy of God and His people.
It is interesting and instructive to note that after these verses describe the King of the North, THE KING is introduced in verse 36. He is neither the King of the North nor the King of the South, but the King; that is, the King over the Jews, in reality the Antichrist.
The inspired narrative thus jumps from the type to the antitype, ignoring the whole of the Christian era, as is consistently done, and of purpose, throughout the Word of God when dealing with these subjects. The narrative jumps from Antiochus, the type of Antichrist, to Antichrist himself, the fulfillment of the type. But more of this when we come to verse 36 and on.
On the death of the last king, Seleucus (the son of Antiochus the Great), his younger son, Antiochus, was proclaimed king, though an infant, and in spite of the fact that his elder brother, Demetrius, was alive. The elder brother was held as hostage at Rome to ensure the payment of the tribute.
Antiochus Epiphanes, the youngest son of Antiochus the Great, and uncle therefore to the infant on the throne, secured the kingdom peaceably and by flatteries. He was indeed a vile person, for though fond of regal display, his tastes were vile and degrading. As we have previously seen, Antiochus Epiphanes is referred to in Daniel 8:9-149And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land. 10And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. 11Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. 12And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered. 13Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? 14And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. (Daniel 8:9‑14) as the “little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land.” He was notorious for his interference with the Jews.
He began by flatteries and corruption, and ended with violence, overthrowing their worship, deposing the High Priest, Onias II., probably referred to in verse 22 as “the prince of the covenant.”
Through alliances and trickery he entered into peaceable possession of the richest part of his kingdom, and in the extravagance of his gifts, exceeding all his predecessors in this, he fulfilled verse 24.
The sentence, “He shall forecast his devices against the strongholds, even for a time,” refers to his invasion of Egypt, when he captured the fortresses of Alexandria, Memphis, etc.
But “even for a time” tells of a coming check, which was administered by the Romans. Afraid then of openly offending the Romans, he waited till the King of the South gathered a large army against him, and under the plea of self-defense he gathered immense forces, all the while secretly determined upon taking the offensive. This is foretold in verse 25. He twice defeated the King of the South, taking him prisoner.
The Egyptian king's brother, Ptolemy Euergetes, was put upon the throne. This afforded Antiochus the pretext of further aggression under the plea of espousing the cause of the deposed king. It was at this time that Antiochus made an impression on the Egyptian troops by appearing as their deliverer, so that many deserted from Ptolemy. Thus verse 26 was fulfilled, “Yea, they that feed of the portion of his [Ptolemy's] meat shall destroy him [that is, Ptolemy's power], and his [Antiochus'] army shall overflow; and many shall fall down slain.”
Finally a treaty of peace, which neither intended to keep, was made between Antiochus and Ptolemy, so that they told lies at one table, thus fulfilling verse 27.
The news coming to Antiochus' ears that the Jews were rejoicing at his reported death in Egypt, he wreaked his rage on them in his northward journey by sacking Jerusalem, sparing neither man, woman, nor child.
Verse 29 tells of another but disastrous expedition against Egypt. The ships of Chittim came against him, that is, the Roman power. Caius Popilius, Laenas, and others, leaders of the Roman army, demanded that Antiochus should cease troubling the Jews and Egypt. Antiochus endeavoring to evade the demand, Caius Popilius swiftly drew a circle round him, and sternly requested an answer before he should step out of the ring. Unwillingly, with outward complaisance, but with inward rage, Antiochus agreed to the Roman conditions, wreaking his vengeance on the Jews on his northward march.
Verse 31 was fulfilled when Antiochus in his rage stopped the Jewish worship, defiled the altar by sacrificing a sow upon it—an abomination to the Jew—set up a statue of Jupiter in the Temple, and decreed that he himself should be an object of worship. In all this he is a strong type of the Antichrist.
Verse 32, whilst it prophesies the wickedness of the many apostate Jews, whom he corrupted, also foretells the exploits of the Jews who refused to become apostate. This covers all the valor and deeds of the family of the Maccabees, and which occurred in the time unrecorded by Scripture between the closing of the Old Testament and the opening of the New Testament. At this time thousands were slain. The Maccabees performed prodigies of valor.
When the times of the Maccabees came to an end, and the mighty Roman power made Palestine tributary to it, we come to verse 33, but which goes on to describe in the following verse a godly remnant, endeavoring to reach the conscience of the nation, yet the subject of persecution—the sword, the flame, captivity, and spoliation being their portion, as seen in verse 35. This goes on “to the time of the end.”
From verse 35 the prophecy takes a mighty bound forward. Leaving the struggle of the Maccabees, the narrative jumps over the present Church dispensation and lands us in the strenuous days leading up “to the time of the end.”
Passing over the doings of the godly remnant, we come to the antitype of Antiochus Epiphanes.
Just as Antiochus Epiphanes is prominent because of his relation to and persecution of the Jews, and is typical in one sense of the King of the North to reappear in the future days, and still more so of “the King” —the Antichrist— so “the King” will be prominent because of his relation to and persecution of the Jews in a future day.
We get a pen-and-ink sketch of this king in verses 36 to 40.
He is the fulfillment of that “another” of our Lord's words: “I am come in My Father's name, and ye receive Me not: if another shall come in His own name, him ye will receive” (John 5:4343I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. (John 5:43)).
He is allowed to prosper till the indignation be passed; in other words, he is used of God to put the Jew through the great tribulation, foretold by our Lord likewise in Matthew 24.
He regards not the God of his fathers, thus indicating that the Antichrist— “the King” —will be a Jew; nor does he regard the desire of women, referring to Christ.
His supreme will as the great instrument of Satan is to exalt himself above all, even above God. Along with this, according to Revelation 13:1515And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. (Revelation 13:15), he causes divine honors to be paid to the image of the Beast, that is, of the head of the revived Roman Empire. We believe the image set up by Antichrist's orders will prove to be the abomination of desolation mentioned in Daniel 12:1111And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. (Daniel 12:11) and referred to by our Lord in Matthew 24:1515When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) (Matthew 24:15).
Further, this willful king honors the god of forces. Man is not sufficient in himself, and spite of assuming to be God, this blasphemer must lean on something, and thus he invents a god to meet his need, probably referring to the image of the first beast set up for worship in the temple.
Evidently from verse 39 this “strange god's” image is placed in every important city.
From Daniel 9:2727And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (Daniel 9:27) we have seen that the Roman Empire makes the treaty with the Jews for seven years—Daniel's seventieth week—treating his solemn bond as “a scrap of paper” in the middle of the week, thus inaugurating the great tribulation, which is destined to produce repentance in the Jew, and open the way for the Messiah to return, and thus in that way resulting in the doom of the first beast—the Roman Emperor—and of the second beast —the Antichrist.
Verse 40 leaves us with the willful king as the object of attack from both north and south. It does not tell us what his end will be; this we learn from Revelation 19:2020And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. (Revelation 19:20), where under the name of “the false prophet” he is taken with the beast by the Lord at the great battle of Armageddon and doomed to the lake of fire.
The King of the South pushes at him; the King of the North comes against him like a whirlwind.
The King of the North, we believe, will probably be the Turk driven out of Europe and also out of Palestine and Mesopotamia, forming a compact kingdom somewhere north of Palestine.
That he comes with “many ships” as well as chariots and horsemen proves him to be a naval as well as a military power, if not in himself, at any rate through alliance.
The North is victorious over Palestine, still “the glorious land,” and over Egypt. In the wisdom of God Edom and Moab and the chief of the children of Ammon escape, not, we believe, on their own account, but reserved according to Isaiah 11:1414But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them. (Isaiah 11:14) to receive their overthrow at the hands of the Jews, whose implacable enemies from all time they have been.
But in the flush of victory, tidings out of the east and north shall trouble the conqueror, probably from Russia, and the eastern powers over the Euphrates will be moving against him. With fury he returns north, he plants his army between Jerusalem and the sea (that is the literal interpretation of the passage), and there he comes to an end—thoroughly beaten and destroyed—“none to help him”—this doubtless by the personal intervention of Messiah in glory.