Back to Darius and the prophesies.
“In the first year of Darius the Mede, I arose to be an encouragement and a protection for him. Daniel 11:1
I like that Daniel was good about leaving context clues and details to help us orient ourselves. We're back to the first year of Darius' reign, so the last year of the Babylonian rule. That's two years back from the visions in chapters 9 and 10, when Cyrus, the king of Persian was to ruler.
It's also worth noting how protective Daniel was of Darius. Remember in chapter 5 at the end of the king of Babylon Belshazzar's reign, he didn't even know who Daniel was. Daniel hadn't been invited to the orgy until they needed an interpreter of the super natural. Yet, as soon as Darius takes over from Belshazzar, Daniel is invested in the well-being of Darius. It tells me who God cared for, as Daniel was often God's hands, feet, and prophet.
Following is an even deeper dive into the visions and prophesies we saw in chapters 2, 7, and 8. It's a remarkable foretelling of the future that were fulfilled accurately.
Persia
And now I will tell you the truth. Behold, three more kings are going to arise in Persia. Then a fourth will gain far more riches than all of them; as soon as he becomes strong through his riches, he will arouse the whole empire against the realm of Greece. Daniel 11:2
Notice that he's speaking to the King of the Medes at the height of their power, but he speaks of the Persians, who quickly become the dominant leader in the combined empire.
Greece
Next he describes the coming of Alexander the Great, who rules with great authority and does what he pleases. Alexander accomplishes things that are still remarkable today. he spread Greek rule and culture across multiple continents and a very quick pace.
Then he describes how Alexander dies early and his empire is divided up in four directions, ruled by his generals.
Egypt and Syria
This is a long passage that describes the problems between the kings of the south (nations south of Israel), Egypt and the kings of the north (of Israel), Syria.
- Egyptian kings in the south were from the Ptolemies
- In the north were the Seleucids of Syria. This was the Hellenistic Syrian Empire. Greek and Persian influenced culture, centered in the north of Israel, Syria.
- The king of the south will grow strong and then be surpassed by a prince, who will have a great dominion.
- This was Ptolemy I and the prince was Seleucus I Nicator who ruled from Palestine to India.
- The king of the South tries an alliance by marrying off his daughter to the king of the north, but it ends poorly for everyone.
- Out of all that drama, one of her offspring will rise up and invade Syria (Ptolemy III). (246 BC. Not long until the REAL King arrives.) Ptolomey III is prophesied to ransack "gods" and valuables from the north and take them south. He didn't want to rule them; just rob them.
- Then the king of Syria (north) will continually press warfare against the south.
- Then the offspring of the king of Syria will continue to invade and press against Egypt in warfare.
- The back and forth continues with the king of the south becoming enraged and going hard against Syria. Syria goes all in with a great multitude and fails, being given into the hands of Egypt.
- Egypt carries off Syria soldiers, Syria tried to mount an attack and can't prevail.
“Now in those times many will rise up against the king of the South; the violent ones among your people will also lift themselves up in order to fulfill the vision, but they will fall down. Daniel 11:14
I run into some pronoun trouble here. "your" would seem to mean Darius? So the Medo-Persian alliance gets involved but fall down? I think that's what this means.
Things come to a head when the kingdom in the north starts building siege mounds on major cities and Egpyt had become too weak to respond. This northern ruled, Antiochus III (Great) was ruling of the land of Isarel at this time and levying huge taxes. This dude just keeps pushing further out and pushing his luck in arrogance. Finally he runs full-on into the Roman empire and gets squashed.
Antiochus (IV) Epiphanes
This is the very bad dude I've referred to in the past. He is the one tiny, loud, and bragging horn that arose and persecuted Israel. That's who this man is in the near fulfillment. In the end times fulfillment, this is the antichrist.
- he is despicable
- will take the throne by intrigue, his authority was not conferred
- gain power by deception
- he will have military success that his forefathers couldn't (in Egypt), but only for a time
- he and the king of the south will fight and lie to one another to no avail
Then he will return to his land with much plunder; but his heart will be set against the holy covenant, and he will take action and then return to his own land. Daniel 11:28
His "fortunes" change beginning in verse 29.
At the appointed time he will return and come into the South, but this last time it will not turn out the way it did before. Daniel 11:29
Antiochus couldn't help himself. Evil always overplays its hand. He takes another swipe at the South and thinks he's up against Egypt (in the near fulfillment), but ends up head-to-head with the rising mighty Roman Empire. In the end times, the antichrist will be up against Someone infinitely more Mighty.
- The ships coming from the west will defeat him.
- He will become disheartened.
Antiochus IV pushes the military boundary as far as he can and gets pushed back, although having collected much plunder. In his frustration with his failure to advance, he turns on the people of Israel, abusing them and defiling the Temple by placing a statue of Zues next to the holy altar and spraying pigs' blood on the altar, utterly defiling it, known as the Abomination of Desolation (or abomination that causes desolation).
Verse 30 has an interesting tidbit, "...become enraged at the holy covenant and take action; so he will come back and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant." While he is abusing and desecrating the Holy Land, there will be some that forsake the holy covenant and align with this monster. We see "Christians" and especially "Christian" leaders who have clearly sold out to evil, but benefit from the Christian label. It's not going to go well for them on judgment day.
There's good news within this as well, although it is a good news/bad news situation:
By smooth words he will turn to godlessness those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will display strength and take action.
Those who have insight among the people will give understanding to the many; yet they will fall by sword and by flame, by captivity and by plunder for many days. Now when they fall they will be granted a little help, and many will join with them in hypocrisy. Some of those who have insight will fall, in order to refine, purge and make them pure until the end time; because it is still to come at the appointed time. Daniel 11:32–35
While there will be snakes who side with evil, there will also be those strong and faithful who will stand up in the name of God. Hallelujah. However...those with insight will fall by the sword, captivity, and plunder (those choices should ring a bell). Then, the faithful will receive help, they will also be joined by hypocrites. Nonetheless, some will be refined by fire, because God has a purpose for them.
What I take from this is, don't wait to come to a saving knowledge of God. I've decided (until and unless I learn differently) that I am pre-trib and these faithful are those who come to salvation after the Christians and the Holy Spirit depart in the rapture.
Antichrist
While there are still near fulfillment details in the section that follows, we're now entering into material that scholars largely attribute to the antichrist.
Then the king will do as he pleases, and he will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will speak monstrous things against the God of gods; and he will prosper until the indignation is finished, for that which is decreed will be done. Daniel 11:36
He is going to rise, do what he wants, speak monstrous things about God and he will prosper.
Until...
He will prosper until...
He will prosper until that which is decreed will be done.
We know the ending of the story. When evil looks like it is prospering, we have great comfort in the until. God's got a plan and no evil that's prospering has a story that ends well for them.
The antichrist will also:
- have no regard for religion
- show no regard for the desires of women (does that mean gay or Muslim? no interest or cruel disregard?)
- have no regard for other religions
- will see himself above it all
- he WILL regard as a god: power, probably military power
- he WILL pay a great fortune in wealth assets to accumulate that power (gold, silver, stones, and treasure)
- he will take action against the strongest powers, (with the help of a foreign god?)
- for those who go along with him, he will give great honor to rule over others
Starting in verse 40, we move into the end times Tribulation:
- Kings in the north and south will try a pincer move to close in on him from both sides.
- He'll be based in Palestine, so he'll be positioned to to defeat them
- Many countries will, but the Beautiful Land will be rescued from him.
- He'll stretch out his hand and Egypt will not escape.
- He'll plunder the hidden treasures of all those he defeats.
And. He. Will. Go. Out. With. A. Wimper:
But rumors from the East and from the North will disturb him, and he will go forth with great wrath to destroy and annihilate many.
He will pitch the tents of his royal pavilion between the seas and the beautiful Holy Mountain;
yet he will come to his end,
and no one will help him.
Daniel 11:44–45
Amen.