The Daniel 11 Prophecy

THE DAILY WORD
By Jim Seekamp

Wednesday May 6, 2009

The words the Angel told Daniel in this prophecy were proven perfectly accurate:

Daniel 10:20,21 (NIV)
20. So he said, "Do you know why I have come to you? Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece will come; 21. but first I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. (No one supports me against them except Michael, your prince.
Daniel 11:1,2 (NIV)
1. And in the first year of Darius the Mede, I took my stand to support and protect him.)
2. "Now then, I tell you the truth: Three more kings will appear in Persia, and then a fourth, who will be far richer than all the others. When he has gained power by his wealth, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece.

The first three kings were Cambyses, son of Cyrus, Smerdia the Magian imposter, and Darius Hystaspes. The fourth was Xerxes, son of Darius, of whom Justin says: "There was so great an abundance of riches in his kingdom, that when rivers were dried up by his army, yet his wealth remained unexhausted." (His army consisted of 5,283,220 men and 200 ships!)

Daniel 11:3,4 (NIV)
3. Then a mighty king will appear, who will rule with great power and do as he pleases. 4. After he has appeared, his empire will be broken up and parceled out toward the four winds of heaven. It will not go to his descendants, nor will it have the power he exercised, because his empire will be uprooted and given to others.

This was Alexander The Great, whose kingdom was divided into four parts after his death.

Daniel 11:5,6 (NIV)
5. "The king of the South will become strong, but one of his commanders will become even stronger than he and will rule his own kingdom with great power. 6. After some years, they will become allies. The daughter of the king of the South will go to the king of the North to make an alliance, but she will not retain her power, and he and his power will not last. In those days she will be handed over, together with her royal escort and her father and the one who supported her.

The king of the south was Ptolemy Lagus, king of Egypt (to the south of Israel). His commander was Antiochus Theos, who became king of Syria. After many wars between them, they made peace, on the condition that Antiochus put away his wife, Laodice and her sons, and marry Ptolemy's daughter Berenice. But Antiochus brought back Laodice, who had him murdered, along with Berenice and her son, and her own son, Callinicus, took the throne.

Daniel 11:7-9 (NIV)
7. "One from her family line will arise to take her place. He will attack the forces of the king of the North and enter his fortress; he will fight against them and be victorious. 8. He will also seize their gods, their metal images and their valuable articles of silver and gold and carry them off to Egypt. For some years he will leave the king of the North alone. 9. Then the king of the North will invade the realm of the king of the South but will retreat to his own country.

Ptolemy Euergetes, to avenge his sister's death, marched a large army against Callinicus, and took all of Asia from Mount Taurus to India, and returned to Egypt with a large amount of plunder. Callinicus died an exile. Ptolemy Euergetes died five years later.

Daniel 11:10-14 (NIV)
10. His sons will prepare for war and assemble a great army, which will sweep on like an irresistible flood and carry the battle as far as his fortress. 11. "Then the king of the South will march out in a rage and fight against the king of the North, who will raise a large army, but it will be defeated. 12. When the army is carried off, the king of the South will be filled with pride and will slaughter many thousands, yet he will not remain triumphant. 13. For the king of the North will muster another army, larger than the first; and after several years, he will advance with a huge army fully equipped. 14. "In those times many will rise against the king of the South. The violent men among your own people will rebel in fulfillment of the vision, but without success.

Callinicus's sons, Seleucus Cerannus and Antiochus the Great, assembled an army. After Seleucus was poisoned, Antiochus the Great was proclaimed king. He retook Seleucia and Syria, and then, after a truce, he returned and overthrew the Egyptian forces. War continued between them.

Daniel 11:15-17 (NIV)
15. Then the king of the North will come and build up siege ramps and will capture a fortified city. The forces of the South will be powerless to resist; even their best troops will not have the strength to stand. 16. The invader will do as he pleases; no one will be able to stand against him. He will establish himself in the Beautiful Land and will have the power to destroy it. 17. He will determine to come with the might of his entire kingdom and will make an alliance with the king of the South. And he will give him a daughter in marriage in order to overthrow the kingdom, but his plans will not succeed or help him.

After fourteen years, Ptolemy Philopater was succeeded by Ptolemy Epiphanes, then a minor. Antiochus raised a greater army than before and recovered possession of Caelo-Syria and Palestine. Assisted by the Jews, he wanted to take Egypt. He made a treaty with Ptolemy and gave his daughter Cleopatra to him in marriage. He tried to get her to betray her husband but did not succeed.

Daniel 11:18,19 (NIV)
18. Then he will turn his attention to the coastlands and will take many of them, but a commander will put an end to his insolence and will turn his insolence back upon him. 19. After this, he will turn back toward the fortresses of his own country but will stumble and fall, to be seen no more.

Antiochus subdued most of the isles of the Mediterranean and maritime places, but was driven from Europe by the Roman consuls and took refuge in Antioch. He was killed when he tried to rob the temple of Elymais to raise the tribute imposed on him by the Roman consuls.

Daniel 11:20 (NIV)
20. "His successor will send out a tax collector to maintain the royal splendor. In a few years, however, he will be destroyed, yet not in anger or in battle.

Antiochus was succeeded by Seleucus Philopater, who levied on his subjects the tribute imposed on his father. He was poisoned by his treasurer, Heliodorus.

Now comes the debated part of the prophecy. Some believe verse 21 starts the reign of the antichrist:

Daniel 11:21 (NIV)
21. "He will be succeeded by a contemptible person who has not been given the honor of royalty. He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue.

Antiochus Epiphanes was known as a madman for his despicable conduct. He was more evil than all of the people we have already seen. He was the Adolf Hilter of his time. He was a contemptible man. No other man or woman has been called contemptible in the prophecy of Daniel.

Antiochus was not the Antichrist, but he is a picture of the coming Antichrist. He became king by seizing the throne of the Seleucid empire. He did not deserve the right to be called king. Although Demetrius, the son of Seleucus IV, was the rightful successor, Antiochus determined to seize control.

Antiochus' rise to power corresponded to the following predictions by Daniel:
1. Antiochus came to power after the untimely death of his predecessor.
2. He was a contemptible person, thus he was called by many Antiochus Epimanes (the madman) instead of his preferred appellation Epiphanes (God Manifest).
3. He was not an heir to the throne. To him the "honor of royalty" had not been given.
4. Antiochus did not lead a bloody coup, but he obtained the kingdom by flatteries (intrigue). Edward J. Young writes, "By flattery he won over the kings of Pergamus to his cause, and the Syrians gave in peaceably." (The Prophecy of Daniel, Grand Rapids: Eerdmands, 1977, p. 241).

These specific details, prophesied about 350 years before they transpired, were fulfilled in Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who reigned from 175 BC to 164 BC. The conflicts of Antiochus IV with Egypt are predicted in Daniel 11:22-30:

Daniel 11:22-28 (NIV)
22. Then an overwhelming army will be swept away before him; both it and a prince of the covenant will be destroyed. 23. After coming to an agreement with him, he will act deceitfully, and with only a few people he will rise to power.
24. When the richest provinces feel secure, he will invade them and will achieve what neither his fathers nor his forefathers did. He will distribute plunder, loot and wealth among his followers. He will plot the overthrow of fortresses- but only for a time.
25. "With a large army he will stir up his strength and courage against the king of the South. The king of the South will wage war with a large and very powerful army, but he will not be able to stand because of the plots devised against him.
26. Those who eat from the king's provisions will try to destroy him; his army will be swept away, and many will fall in battle. 27. The two kings, with their hearts bent on evil, will sit at the same table and lie to each other, but to no avail, because an end will still come at the appointed time.
28. The king of the North will return to his own country with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant. He will take action against it and then return to his own country.

Antiochus defeated the army of Ptolemy Philopater, and in the next campaign, made himself master of all Egypt except Alexandria. They had frequent conferences at the same table, where they lied to eachother, and Antiochus returned to Syria with great wealth, and upon hearing that the Jews rejoiced at a report of his death, he took Jerusalem, slaughtered 40,000 Jews, and polluted the temple.

The relevance to the biblical scheme is that these campaigns bring Antiochus IV Epiphanes into direct contact with Israel, since Palestine is between Syria and Egypt. Note the prophetic specifics concerning the hostilities of Antiochus against Israel:

Daniel 11:29-31 (NIV)
29. "At the appointed time he will invade the South again, but this time the outcome will be different from what it was before. 30. Ships of the western coastlands will oppose him, and he will lose heart. Then he will turn back and vent his fury against the holy covenant. He will return and show favor to those who forsake the holy covenant.
31. "His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation.

The Roman ships of Popilius Laenas sailed to Egypt to prevent Syria from taking the country, so Antiochus turned back.

When he returned from Egypt in 167, Antiochus took Jerusalem by storm and enforced its Hellenization. The city forfeited its privileges and was permanently garrisoned by Syrian soldiers.

Antiochus' hellenizing policies brought him into conflict with the prosperous Oriental temple organizations, and particularly with the Jews. The Jews were divided into two parties, the orthodox Hasideans (Pious Ones) and a reform party that favored Hellenism (apostates).

For financial reasons Antiochus supported the reform party (apostate Jews) and, in return for a considerable sum, permitted the high priest, Jason, to build a gymnasium in Jerusalem and to introduce the Greek mode of educating young people. Antiochus made it illegal to practice the Mosaic Law, which the apostate Jews had already forsaken, and set up a Grecian god (Jupiter) in place of the brazen alter, thus defiling the Jewish temple, and setting up the "Abomination That Causes Desolation".

Antiochus preferred and protected those who violated the covenant, but met with resistance. He persecuted those who resisted, and placed imposters among them to spy them out:

Daniel 11:32-35 (NIV)
32. With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him. 33. Those who are wise will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered. 34. When they fall, they will receive a little help, and many who are not sincere will join them. 35. Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time.

According to the Bible, the "Time of the end", or the "last days", began when Jesus arose from the dead:

Acts 2:17,18 (NIV)
14. Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15. These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning!
16. No, THIS IS what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17. "IN THE LAST DAYS, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.

Therefore verses 33-35 of Daniel 11 are a reference to Jewish suffering up until the Messiah appears:

Daniel 11:34,35 (NIV)
34. When they fall, they will receive a little help, and many who are not sincere will join them. 35. Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time.

Notice that the people of that time are "purified, refined, and made spotless" by STUMBLING! We know that in New Testament times, the only thing that purifies a man or makes him spotless is the Blood Of Jesus! Therefore we know that Daniel 11:33-35 is talking about the time before Jesus arose from the dead!

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