Daniel 11

One of the reasons critics attack Daniel with such voracity comes from this chapter and its extremely clear prophecy (if you need a review of the attacks on Daniel go back to the introduction and chapter 1). But even critics admit to the accuracy of this chapter — that’s why they “late date” the book. But the translation of the Septuagint occurred sometime in the middle of this chapter, so they’ve got a problem with their scholarship (no matter, don’t let a little thing like facts get in the way). So now they debate on the date of the Septuagint translation. And on and on it goes.

But for normal people, this chapter reads exactly as it claims — prophecy of future governments and rulers; it breaks down into three sections.

• Verses 1-20 are past (Some of it also in chapter 8).
• Verses 21-35 are debatable.
• Verses 36-45 are clearly future.

Since the first 20 verses relate already fulfilled prophecy (and we’re not history buffs), we’ll skip some of the history (the NIV commentary has good notes, as well as J Vernon McGee for those who like to dig in to historical detail). When presented with this much historical account, you’ve got two ways to deal with it — in exquisite detail over many pages, or approximate. We’re not that much into history for history’s sake, so we’ll skip some of the detail which you can dig out for yourself. Some of the dates might vary by a few years, so we’ll give approximations as we’re interested in understanding the flavor of the chapter, not a rigorous historical examination.

Also I in the first year of Darius the Mede, even I, stood to confirm and to strengthen him. And 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 Greece. (Daniel 11:1-2 KJV)

Xerxes appears fourth (485-465 BC) attacking Greece in 480 BC. The attack leaves hard feelings with the Greeks, leading to the rise of Alexander the Great. Many believe Xerxes appears in the Book of Esther as Ahasuerus.

And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will. (Daniel 11:3 KJV)

Alexander of Greece (335 BC) conquers Persia and the rest of of the world, spreading the Greek language over the known world. God gets his work done — even using pagan kings. Having a common language becomes a significant advantage for Paul and the New Testament writers.

And 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. (Daniel 11:4 KJV)

Alexander died without an heir in 323 BC, so his four generals divide up the kingdom, but they fight among themselves. The two we’re interested in are Ptolemy in Egypt, and Seleucus Nicator in Syria. It gets rather confusing between these two, so you’ll quickly see why we’ve dispensed with absolute historical analysis.

And 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. (Daniel 11:5 KJV)

Ptolemy I rules in the south while Seleucus Nicator rules Syria (the King of the north). These two and their descendants continue fighting for about 150 years; a battle with modern-day politics, marriages of convenience and power, deception, lies, murder, slander and so on.

And 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. (Daniel 11:6 KJV)

Now things get strange, with arranged marriages and such. There’s murder, divorce and intrigue — politics as usual. The King takes an arranged wife for political reasons, divorces his existing wife, then she’s spurned and takes revenge on him later.

But with Egypt and Syria fighting, who’s caught in the middle? Israel. They get trampled as armies travel through their land on their north and south routes.

It’s roughly in this period (just to have a flavor of dates) the translation of the Septuagint occurs which contains Daniel. So the critics have a problem and they’ll have to argue the Septuagint wasn’t really translated when it claims to be.

But 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; And 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. (Daniel 11:7-8 KJV)

The arranged marriage and murders leave hard feelings, so Egypt attacks the north and wins, taking considerable loot back to Egypt.

So the king of the south shall come into his kingdom, and shall return into his own land. But 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. (Daniel 11:9-10 KJV)

Then the north attacks Egypt, but loses.

And the king of the south shall be moved with anger, 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. And 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. (Daniel 11:11-12 KJV)

Another battle as the south attacks Syria.

For 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. And 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. So the king of the north shall come, and cast up a siege mound, and take the most fortified cities; and the arms of the south shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, neither shall there be any strength to withstand. But 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. (Daniel 11:13-16 KJV)

The glorious land is Israel. It’s caught in the middle of all this as the armies trample through it.

He 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. (Daniel 11:17 KJV)

This transpires in roughly 195 BC. Antiochus gives his daughter in marriage to Ptolemy, hoping her loyalty would corrupt the Egyptian kingdom (her name was Cleopatra). But that didn’t happen, as Cleopatra stays loyal to Egypt.

After this shall he turn his face unto the coasts, 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. Then he shall turn his face toward the fortresses of his own land, but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found. Then 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. (Daniel 11:18-20 KJV)

Now the prophecy moves into a gray area, with some arguing it’s historical, others yet future. Verses 21-35 on deals with Antiochus Epiphanes, which we’ve seen in the past (chapter 8). This section scholars debate if it’s about him or the antichrist, but as we’ve seen in the past, it’s both.

And 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. And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant. (Daniel 11:21-22 KJV)

Antiochus Epiphanes comes to power in 175 BC. Beware those coming in peaceably, using stealth, flattery and telling you what you want to hear. Don’t be afraid to speak the truth. Telling people what they want to hear instead of the truth isn’t love — sometimes the truth is hard.

Satan never comes in a red suit with a pitchfork. He comes in stealth and deceives you. That’s the nature of deception — if you recognize it, you won’t be deceived. But deception is easy — just tell the people what they want. Make the trains run on time and you can take over. Look at presidential politics; those that promise the most get more votes and nobody really cares about the future of the country, it’s all about what can you do for me, right now.

The Antichrist himself comes in peace — for 3 1/2 years it’s pretty good.

And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully; for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people. He 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 plot his devices against the strong holds, even for a time. (Daniel 11:23-24 KJV)

His time is limited. There will be an end.

And 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 plot against him. Yea, they that feed of the portion of his food shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow, and many shall fall down slain. And 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. Then 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. (Daniel 11:25-28 KJV)

The end occurs at the appointed time with everything according to God’s plan. Antiochus was a bad guy, but he still worked according to God’s plan (Romans 8:28).

At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the south; but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter. For the ships of Kittim 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. (Daniel 11:29-30 KJV)

Rome helps defeat Antiochus. He returns to his land, taking out his frustration on the Jews about 170BC.

And forces 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. (Daniel 11:31 KJV)

The abomination of desolation — sacrificing a pig on the altar and putting a statue of Zeus (or Jupiter) in the temple. This of course defiles the temple, and the Jews finally have enough of Antiochus’ abuse.

And 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. (Daniel 11:32 KJV)

Remember Daniel 6 — how did Daniel’s enemies get the King to agree to throw Daniel in the lion’s den? Flattery. Appealing to pride to someone who doesn’t have a firm foundation usually works. A double-minded man is unstable (James 1:8), and becomes easily swayed by arguments appealing to his flesh, not logical analysis.

God’s people perish for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). Sadly, many pulpits don’t teach the Word of God, instead giving people “seeker friendly” churches and potlucks, while omitting sin, salvation and hell (after all, we don’t want to offend anyone) while people continue to perish for lack of proper instruction. How many teach the Bible? How many prepare the Christian to battle with the armor of God? The Christian already lives in enemy territory, behind enemy lines and must be prepared for battle.

One question for those concerning themselves more with potlucks than the Bible — when did the Word of God become insufficient? When did potlucks replace Jesus? When did God lose His power? When did salvation become Jesus plus?

As a result, many people sit in pews not knowing the Bible, and that’s the fault of pastors. All churches should teach through the entire Bible; why some don’t is a mystery. If people don’t understand the Word of God, they’re easy prey for the enemy to pick off as they have no foundation and no means to defend themselves.

In contrast, the people knowing their God shall be strong. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17). You need to hear the Word of God, not politics and potlucks.

Which group do you want to be in?

And 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. (Daniel 11:33 KJV)

God always preserves a remnant. In historical context, this is the Maccabees revolt, told in 1 Maccabees chapter 2 (while not inspired scripture, it’s useful for historical records).

Now when they shall fall, they shall be helped with a little help; but many shall cling to them with flatteries. And some of them of understanding shall fall, to test 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 11:34-35 KJV)

A remnant always remains, no matter how bad things get. Elijah thought all were gone, but God saves 7,000 who didn’t bow to Baal. Earlier in Daniel, all bowed but three Hebrew teenagers. In Revelation, God seals 144,000 Jews. God always preserves a group. It’s easy for us to get to a point of hopelessness and despair as we look around, but learn the lesson from the Bible — God always preserves a remnant; don’t fall for the lie nobody remains devoted to God.

Now we move to the final section of the vision contained in chapters 10-12; verse 36 forward obviously relates end-times prophecy and yet future.

And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished; for that that is determined shall be done. (Daniel 11:36 KJV)

Antiochus didn’t do this, so it remains a future event yet to occur (he placed a god of Zeus, not himself, in the temple).

What has been determined shall be done. If you watched the 10 commandments on TV, the famous Egyptian saying “So it is written, so it shall be”. The future is certain, and the answers are in the back of the book.

Neither shall he regard the gods of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall magnify himself above all. (Daniel 11:37 KJV)

God of his fathers — could he be Jewish? The Gentiles worshiped anything and everything, not having a consistent god.

Some mistake the phrase “desire of women” to mean something it’s not — the desire of all Jewish women was to bear the Messiah (which implies a Jewish background). Whether this guy turns out to be Jewish or not becomes a matter of intense debate among scholars and is far from settled. But he won’t regard any god, which implies one world religion and gives credence to those arguing against the scholars holding the Jewish background existing in this verse.

Which group of scholars is correct? We’ll just wait and see, even though the church won’t be around to see it.

But in his estate shall he honor the God of fortresses; and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honor with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things. Thus shall he do in the strongest fortresses with a foreign 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 11:38-39 KJV)

His rule does not last long (less than 7 years).

And 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 through. He 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. (Daniel 11:40-41 KJV)

Why do these escape? So the Jewish remnant has somewhere to flee; some areas escape the antichrist’s control.

He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries. and the land of Egypt shall not escape. But 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. But 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 sweep away many. And 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 11:42-45 KJV)

Antichrist comes to his end, with nobody helping him. This is satan’s best shot, and ends in defeat, and he knows it.

Chapter 12 of Daniel will be the finale — do you want to know the end of times? Stick around for the end, as everyone knows the answers are in the back of the book.