Daniel 11:1-91Also I in the first year of Darius the Mede, even I, stood to confirm and to strengthen him. 2And now will I show thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia. 3And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will. 4And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven; and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he ruled: for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those. 5And the king of the south shall be strong, and one of his princes; and he shall be strong above him, and have dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion. 6And in the end of years they shall join themselves together; for the king's daughter of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement: but she shall not retain the power of the arm; neither shall he stand, nor his arm: but she shall be given up, and they that brought her, and he that begat her, and he that strengthened her in these times. 7But out of a branch of her roots shall one stand up in his estate, which shall come with an army, and shall enter into the fortress of the king of the north, and shall deal against them, and shall prevail: 8And shall also carry captives into Egypt their gods, with their princes, and with their precious vessels of silver and of gold; and he shall continue more years than the king of the north. 9So the king of the south shall come into his kingdom, and shall return into his own land. (Daniel 11:1‑9)
Verse 1 is properly connected chapter 10:21; it throws interesting light on the behavior of Darius the Mede in chapter 6, explaining that king’s regard for Daniel, and his deep concern over the prophet’s being committed to the den of lions. Darius was now dead, and Cyrus reigned alone over the Mede-Persian empire.
The four kings of verse 2 are named in Scripture; Ezra 4:5-75And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. 6And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. 7And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their companions, unto Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian tongue, and interpreted in the Syrian tongue. (Ezra 4:5‑7) gives Ahasuerus (Camhyses), Artaxerxes (Pseudo-Smeis) and Darius (Davius Hystaspes); the book of Esther deals with another called Ahasuerus (Xerxes), the fourth king after Cyrus. “Ahasuerus” is believed to have been a title, like “Pharaoh” in. Egypt. There were nine kings of Persia after Xerxes, but the object in the Scriptures is never the mere recording of history; the four named had each a part in connection with God’s earthly people, and that is why they are mentioned. Nor was it the course of the later kings, but that of Xerxes in conquering Greece, that prompted the revengeful invasion of Persia’s dominions by Alexander the Great 143 years after Xerxes’ death.
Alexander, the “mighty king” of verse 3, the “he goat” of chapter 8:5-8, and the “great horn” of chapter 8:21, was 20 years of age when he began his career of rapid conquest. By the time he was 26 he had overthrown the rule of Persia and established the Grecian empire. He and his soldiers penetrated as far as the eastern tributary of the river Indus. The city of Alexandria, in Egypt, where the Septuagint (LXX) translation of the Old Testament into Greek was made after Alexander’s death, was founded by him.
As the prophecies in chapter 8 and verse 5 foretold, Alexander’s death at the age of 32 left the empire without a head; out of the rival schemes for power on the part of his principal men a breaking-up occurred, four presently dividing the bulk of the empire among themselves. With but two of these is Scripture concerned, because the others did not interfere with the Jews or their land in any way general Selencus became the first king of the north (Syria), and Ptolemy, another of his generals, was the first king of the south (Egypt). Seleucus was more powerful than Ptolemy (verse 5 has been rendered “ ... .but another shall be stronger than he and have dominion.”)
Verse 6: In fulfilment of this passage, Ptolemy II gave his daughter Berenice in marriage to Antiochus II, the third “king of the north”. The two countries had been at war and this was a condition of peace, but the former wife, of Antiochus killed him and brought about the, death of Berenice and her son. The second Ptolemy was now dead, the third, Berenice’s brother (verse 7: “out of a branch of her roots”), avenged his sister’s death by attacking Syria and carrying off into Egypt their gods, their princes and their precious vessels. The third Ptolemy outlived the third and fourth kings of the north (verse 8); but war continued between the two countries for the northern king invaded the realm of the king of the south, and returned to his own land (verse 9, N.T.).
Why is any account of these kings given in the Word of God? Because Israel, and Israel’s land—God’s land—were concerned. In these contests between the kings of the north and the south; that land was ravaged and the Jews suffered severely. What we have been reading in verses 2-9 covers a period of three hundred years, from. B.C. 529 to B.C. 222.
Men without faith have ever scoffed at the Word of God; they deny its inspiration, and because of its accurate foretelling of events which have since become history, they assert that the chapter before us and other passages were written after the events transpired, “Daniel the prophet” is quite sufficiently accredited by the Lord, as 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).
Daniel 11:10-2710But his sons shall be stirred up, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces: and one shall certainly come, and overflow, and pass through: then shall he return, and be stirred up, even to his fortress. 11And the king of the south shall be moved with choler, and shall come forth and fight with him, even with the king of the north: and he shall set forth a great multitude; but the multitude shall be given into his hand. 12And when he hath taken away the multitude, his heart shall be lifted up; and he shall cast down many ten thousands: but he shall not be strengthened by it. 13For the king of the north shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former, and shall certainly come after certain years with a great army and with much riches. 14And in those times there shall many stand up against the king of the south: also the robbers of thy people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision; but they shall fall. 15So the king of the north shall come, and cast up a mount, and take the most fenced cities: and the arms of the south shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, neither shall there be any strength to withstand. 16But he that cometh against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him: and he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed. 17He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; thus shall he do: and he shall give him the daughter of women, corrupting her: but she shall not stand on his side, neither be for him. 18After this shall he turn his face unto the isles, and shall take many: but a prince for his own behalf shall cause the reproach offered by him to cease; without his own reproach he shall cause it to turn upon him. 19Then he shall turn his face toward the fort of his own land: but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found. 20Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom: but within few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle. 21And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honor of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. 22And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant. 23And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people. 24He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers' fathers; he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and riches: yea, and he shall forecast his devices against the strong holds, even for a time. 25And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the south shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand: for they shall forecast devices against him. 26Yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow: and many shall fall down slain. 27And both these kings' hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed. (Daniel 11:10‑27)
It was pointed out that verse 9 refers to an invasion of Egypt’s dominions by Syria; the best reading is “And (the same) shall come into the realm of the king of the south, but shall return into his own land.” Verse 10 describes the unsuccessful efforts of the fifth and sixth kings of the north to subdue the fourth king of the south; their defeat filled the latter with pride (verse 12).
The fourth Ptolemy died after recovering the land of Israel from the king of the north, and his successor was a child of. The sixth king of the north, Antiochus the Great, thereupon, with the aid of the king of Macedonia, proceeded to take possession of all he could of the dominions of Egypt. Many of the Jews, the “robbers”, or violent ones among them, sided with Antiochus, who seemed irresistible; Rome, now becoming a power to be reckoned with, was, however, appealed to by Egypt, and Antiochus was told to leave that country alone. However, he had seized the land of Israel, the “glorious land”, or the land of beauty (verse 16). An army from Egypt regained it, but Antiochus again got possession.
“The daughter of women” (verse 17) was Antiochus’ daughter Cleopatra, whom he moved the young king of Egypt to marry, hoping that she would serve his own ends but she proved to be loyal to her husband. Then Antiochus seized many islands of Greece, an act which aroused Rome, and Lucius Scipio, the “prince” of verse 18, was sent against him with an army decisive blow, so that he to relinquish much of his territory and pay a large sum to the victors, Mule robbing, a temple in order to get gold fur the Roman demands, he was killed. Seleucus IV is the next northern king whose chief occupation was raising the money to pay the debt to Rome; he was poisoned one of his sons (verses 19-20).
Verse 21 begins the inspired account of a very wicked man, Antiochus Epiphanes, the eighth king of the north. He was a “vile person,” not the heir to the throne, but obtained it by flattery, Opposition to him was unsuccessful; a league was made with him, but after it he worked deceitfully, becoming strong with a small people. His power and wealth increasing, he squandered much, while continuing to plan the capture of the fortified places (of Syria which held out against the usurper of the throne, we may suppose).
Having established himself in the ride of Syria, Antiochus Epiphanes, like his predecessors began to war against Egypt, and the latter met him with a yet greater army, but there, was treachery in the Egyptian court, and the army was dissolved. A treaty of peace was made between the two kings, but both of them were deceitful; they “spoke lies at one table”, and lasting peace was at obtained. Such is the manner of men shell God is not acknowledged.
God had not forgotten his earthly people, though not a prophet of whom we have knowledge was raised up after Malachi’s and Nehemiah’s inspired records were closed, two hundred years before the time we have now reached. The Jews had already suffered much under the contentions of the kings of the north and the south, it far greater sorrows were shortly to be theirs. Malachi had brought the most solemn charges against them wit had returned from Babylonian captivity. but as a body there was no repentance; when the Word of God is rejected, He will not long delay His judgments, as we shall see.
Daniel 11:28-3528Then shall he return into his land with great riches; and his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall do exploits, and return to his own land. 29At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the south; but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter. 30For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant. 31And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate. 32And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. 33And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days. 34Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries. 35And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed. (Daniel 11:28‑35)
Verse 28: The king of the north whose exploits we ban to read in verse 21, Antiochus Epiphanes, returned, as here foretold, from his war with the king of the south greatly enriched. His heart was “against the holy covenant”, against the Jews who lived in the land God promised to Abraham and gave to their fathers. A poor and feeble people, they had learned in the sorrows of the captivity that the one true God who kept His covenant with them was more worthy of their confidence than the hosts of idols they had worshiped; not since the seventy years spent in Babylon have the Jews been idolaters.
The name of “Epiphanes” taken by Antiochus, means “illustrious”, but he was the opposite,—a degraded, morally abominable man, given a place in the prophetic Scriptures because of his cruelty to the Jews, and that he foreshadowed future enemies, including the king of the north, who will come up against them in the coming day of trial.
Verses 29-32: Antiochus was not long at rest in Syria; his ambition and his former success in humiliating Egypt, led him forth again with his armies, but now “the ships of Chittim”—Rome’s navy and soldiers—came against him, as in verse 18, an earlier check was put by the Roman legions upon his predecessor. The Roman consul came to Antiochus and forbade his going further with his plans of conquest, and even drew a circle round him when he delayed giving his promise, insisting on a reply before the king stepped over the line.
Humiliated and filled with rage, Antiochus returned to Syria, and found in the defenseless Jews, a people upon whom he could vent his wrath, for a time at least, without hindrance. First, he got advantage over them by flattery and deceit, making friends with the apostate Jews; later he resorted to violence. He was determined to stamp out the worship of the true God, and to substitute heathen worship, especially that of Jupiter Olympus. Because they stood in the way of his success, Antiochus treated the Jewish leaders with great cruelty, degrading them (see chapter 8:9-14). He enforced idolatry in the temple itself, stopping-the daily sacrifices under the law. of Moses, and setting up an image even in the holy of holies, —the “Abomination of him that desolates”, as the expression in verse 31 may be rendered. All the Jews who resisted Antiochus were put to death.
Verses 32-35. “The people that do know their God,” led by the Maccabees and others, were able at last, with some help from the Romans, to drive the oppressor out of their country, the temple was cleansed and the Jewish worship was resumed. However, the trials of the Jews did not end with the departure of this wicked king, for a long period of sorrow and trouble followed with the Romans at last taking over the government of the country, as it was when the Lord Jesus was on earth.
The prophecies of chapter 11 to this point (verse 35) have been fulfilled. What follows belongs to the future, not now far distant.
Daniel 11:36-3936And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. 37Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. 38But in his estate shall he honor the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honor with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things. 39Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain. (Daniel 11:36‑39)
At verse 36 of our chapter a new person is abruptly introduced into the prophecy, — “the king”. It is not “the king of the north”, or “the king of the south”, both of whom are mentioned as his enemies in verse 40, but a king of the Jews who has not yet reigned, of whom other Scriptures tell. In Antiochus Epiphanes, and in Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar and Darius, God has shown both the character and the actions of the principal oppressors of His people in a time soon to come, for the purpose of preparing those who, at that time trusting Him, are to pass through those fearful experiences.
“The king” of verse 36 is mentioned as such in Isaiah 30:3333For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made it deep and large: the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it. (Isaiah 30:33) and 57:9. He is referred to as the “idol shepherd” in Zechariah 11:15-1715And the Lord said unto me, Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd. 16For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, which shall not visit those that be cut off, neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces. 17Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened. (Zechariah 11:15‑17). It is he of whom the Lord spoke in John 5:43: “If another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.”
2 Thess. 2:3-103Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. 5Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 6And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 8And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. (2 Thessalonians 2:3‑10) tells of him as the “man of sin”, and “that wicked”; the First Epistle of John names him “the Antichrist”, and in the Rev. (13:11-18, and chapters 16 and 19), he is the miracle-working false prophet. All of these passages, and others in the Psalms declare his wickedness.
This false king of the Jews—how he will attain the title is not disclosed by the Scriptures—will be a man of great self-will—the very opposite of Him who is the true King (John 4:34; 5:3034Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. (John 4:34)
30I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me. (John 5:30)), Whose obedience is set before believers as their pattern (1 Peter 1:22Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. (1 Peter 1:2); Phil. 2:88And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:8)). He will exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, hesitating not to speak with great daring against the true God, who will permit him to prosper until “the indignation” is accomplished. Isaiah 5, and many other passages have foretold the pouring out of God’s righteous indignation upon Israel, and “that that is determined shall be done”, this wicked man unconsciously serving His purposes.
Verse 37 shows that the false king is a Jew for he shall not regard the God of his fathers. “The desire of women” refers to the hope of Jewish women to be the mother of the Messiah: He will have no regard for Christ the Son of God. Yet, while he sets himself as superior to all, there will be an object or being whom he will venerate: “the god of forces”, a god, whom his fathers knew not. Is it a pagan god of war, associated with his connection with the Roman Empire yet to be revived as when the Lord was on earth? The Scriptures tell no more, and we need not speculate; it is enough that he who claims to be above all, will yet venerate a superior power which, not being divine, can only be of Satan. The king will divide the land (of Israel) among those who are in league with him (verse 39).
God will allow all this, and more, to go on in the land of His choice, It belongs to the time of Jacob’s trouble (Jeremiah 30:77Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it. (Jeremiah 30:7)) during which the Jews will be gathered in great numbers in the Holy Land, and they will be confirmed in its possession by a covenant between themselves (or “the many”—the unbelieving majority), and the last head of the Roman Empire, for the period of 7 years (chapter 9:27).
Daniel 11:40-4540And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. 41He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. 42He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps. 44But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many. 45And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him. (Daniel 11:40‑45)
“At the time of the end” (verse 40) carries the reader on to a time immediately before the Lord’s appearing. The seven-year period forming the last of the seventy weeks foretold in Daniel 9:2424Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. (Daniel 9:24) will be nearing its end, when the king of the south (Egypt) will attack the false king of the Jews. The king of the north (Turkey, with certain allies, as it would appear) will then invade the south with a great force moving very fast before which resistance will be difficult. He will enter into other countries, and pass over to “the glorious land” (the land of Israel), but Edom; and Moab and the chief of the children of Ammon will escape. Egypt, Libya and Ethiopia fall into his hands. Isaiah 28, and the judgment of “Ariel” (Jerusalem) in chapter 29; also Zechariah 12 and 14, should be read in connection with what is given in the book of Daniel, but many other passages may be profitably examined, as the king of the north of the last days is repeatedly referred to in Old Testament prophecies as the Assyrian”.
While the victor is far south of Israel’s land, news that troubles him will come out of the east and the north. Whatever it may be (for Scripture does not tell), it causes the king of the north to return northward with great fury (verse 44). He will proceed to Jerusalem, and there, or near there, he and his armies will come to their end. (See Isaiah 30:33Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion. (Isaiah 30:3)). For the Lord will then have descended and delivered His earthly saints out of the hands of their enemies, and the false king will have been judged.