Daniel 11:1-12
Wars Until the End ~ Part
1
Pray
Intro
√ Amazing prophecy
While the Bible is filled with prophecy, the prophecy of Daniel chapter 11 is one of the most amazing prophecies in the Bible!
It is most specific prophecy in scripture, describing historical events, up to the present day, and to the end of human history, in more detail that any other prophecy
It is the longest prophecy in the Bible beginning with the prelude in chapter 10 through the end of the prophecy recorded in chapter 12
In fact, this chapter is so specific, that many critics who deny supernatural revelation have insisted that it is history, written after the fact, fraudulently claiming to be prophecy.
However, documents discovered at
Therefore, this chapter along with the rest of the book of Daniel provide a solid intellectual base upon which we can build our faith in God!
Ap.
It’s easy to get bogged down in the history so we’ll try to strike a balance between looking at every fact of history as it relates to Daniel’s vision…
…with just blowing past significant details.
Even then, there’s a lot to cover!
The end of the Medo-Persian Empire (vs. 1-2)
Dan. 11:1 “Also in the first year of Darius the Mede, I, even I, stood up to confirm and strengthen him.)
Dan. 11:2 And now
I will tell you the truth: Behold, three more kings will arise in
√ The end of the Medo-Persian Empire
The Angel tells Daniel about the next four more kings who would rule the Medo-Persian Empire.
Actually there were 12
more kings in the
…but only the first four following Cyrus were of importance for the purpose of this prophecy.
The next 4 kings were…
Cambyses (son of Cyrus ~ 530-522 B.C.)
Pseudo-Smerdis (522 B.C.)
Darius I Hystaspes (521-486 B.C.)
Xerxes (485-465 B.C., the “Ahasurus” from the book of Esther!)
The 4th king,
Xerxes, was by far the richest and most powerful of all the Persian kings and
was the one who stirred up war with
Ap. The transition of power
Just as we’ve seen in the earlier dreams and visions recorded in Daniel…
…the transition of power in the Ancient World would move
from
Image of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream ~ chapter 2
The terrible beasts of Daniel’s vision ~ chapter 7
The Ram and the Goat in Daniel’s vision ~ chapter 8
So, the Angel is simply providing additional detailed information about how the transition of power would come to pass.
Ex. Xerxes ~ the 4th King
Sought to bring the revolt of the Greek states under control and fought a number of battles with them during the course of his reign.
The Greek revolt against the
The point is that it was Xerxes’
forays into
Ap. Daniel’s people
Remember the context of this vision…
“Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come.” ~ Daniel 10:14
These visions and insights regarding the future of the Persian and Greek Empires were relevant because of their influence and impact upon the…
Jewish people
Jewish homeland ~
Jewish capital ~
Jewish
…because at some time, each empire attempted to wipe out the people of God!
The Persian Empire tried to wipe out the Jewish people during the reign of Xerxes, through the plot of Haman (as recorded in the Book of Esther).
The Greek Empire tried to wipe out the Jewish people during the reign of Antiochus IV, when he attempted to kill every Jew who did not renounce their commitment to God and embrace Greek culture.
Now we understand why Daniel was saddened by the vision! He had hoped that when the Babylonian captivity ended…
…so would the trouble for his people!
Instead he is shown that God’s discipline of His people would continue until the end of human kingdoms when the Jewish people will finally recognize their Messiah!
The rise & fall of the Greek Empire (vs. 3-4)
Dan. 11:3 Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will.
Dan. 11:4 And when he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken up and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not among his posterity nor according to his dominion with which he ruled; for his kingdom shall be uprooted, even for others besides these.
√ The rise & fall of the Greek Empire
The angel told Daniel that a mighty king wielding great
authority and power would arise from
…but that his kingdom would not endure and would be divided after his death.
This prediction was fulfilled in the person of Alexander the
Great, who conquered
He died at 32 years of age, probably from complications of malaria, and or alcoholism.
That fit with Alexander’s character as it is reported that he once said…
"I would rather live a short life of glory than a long one of obscurity."
While all this is interesting, it isn’t really new information, we were introduced to these truths through the symbolism of the…
4-headed Leopard of chapter 7
4 horns of the Goat in chapter 8
But, now the Angel gives us some additional detail that is really fascinating concerning the future of the kingdom that Alexander left.
Note that the Angels says in vs. 4…
“…his kingdom shall be broken up and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not among his posterity nor according to his dominion with which he ruled”
Not among his posterity
After Alexander's death, none of his descendants succeeded him.
It wasn't for lack of trying!
Alexander did leave three possible heirs: a half brother named Arridaeus, who was mentally deficient; a son Alexander Aegus, who was born after Alexander died; and an illegitimate son named Hercules.
The half-brother and his son Alexander, were first designated co-monarchs, each with a regent. But fighting amongst the regents eventually resulted in the murder of all possible heirs!
So, none of Alexander’s “posterity” lived to rule his kingdom or continue his lineage just as predicted by God!
Divided towards the four winds of heaven
After the death of all Alexander's possible heirs his four generals divided the Greek Empire between themselves, but none of them with his dominion…
…that is, with Alexander’s authority and power.
The rest of this prophecy focuses on two of the four families who divided Alexander’s realm, and the dynasties they established.
The two that God speaks about are the Northern and Southern divisions because they constantly fought over the Promised Land as it sat between their centers of power!
North and South (vs. 5-45)
√ North and South
We’re not talking about the TV Series! Rather, God gives us incredible insight into the details of the wars that raged between the descendants of Alexander’s generals …
Seleucus ~ The Kingdom of the North (the Seleucids)
Ptolemy ~ The Kingdom of the South (the Ptolemies)
…for control of the
We’ll go slowly through this section as there is so much detail given!
1) The strength of the king of the South
Dan. 11:5 “Also the king of the South shall become strong, as well as one of his princes; and he shall gain power over him and have dominion. His dominion shall be a great dominion.
The king of the South shall become strong
We’re told that one of the four inheritors of the empire will become stronger and greater than the others…
…but would be later be surpassed by one of his princes!
This was fulfilled in Ptolemy I & Seleucus Nicantor (“victor”).
Ptolemy controlled
Ptolemy I, also called “Soter”, had a prince (or general) named Seleucus, who had also served with Alexander.
Seleucus rose to power and took dominion over the region of
…thereby becoming more powerful than Ptolemy just as God predicted!
But, peace between Ptolemy and Seleucus didn’t last and
their dynasties fought for the next 130 years, the stronger of the two always
having dominion over the
2) Peace through marriage
Dan. 11:6 And at the end of some years they shall join forces, for the daughter of the king of the South shall go to the king of the North to make an agreement; but she shall not retain the power of her authority, and neither he nor his authority shall stand; but she shall be given up, with those who brought her, and with him who begot her, and with him who strengthened her in those times.
Let’s dissect this verse…
They shall join forces
Joined by a marriage, the kings of the North and South will be allies for a while, but the arrangement will not last.
This was fulfilled by the marriage between Antiochus II (of the Seleucids) and Berenice (daughter of Ptolemy II).
There was peace for a time because of this marriage, but it was upset when Ptolemy II died.
Shall not retain the power of her authority
Once Ptolemy II died, Antiochus II divorced Berenice and took back his former wife, Laodice!
Neither he nor his authority shall stand
Laodice didn’t trust her husband Antiochus, so she had him poisoned.
She shall be given up, with those who brought her
After the murder of Antiochus II, Laodice had Berenice, her attendants, and an infant son of Antiochus (the husband she just poisoned) killed!
After this reign of terror, Laodice set her son (Selecus II)
on the throne of the
3) The South shall rise again! (vs. 7-9)
Dan. 11:7 But from a branch of her roots one shall arise in his place, who shall come with an army, enter the fortress of the king of the North, and deal with them and prevail.
Dan. 11:8 And he
shall also carry their gods captive to
Dan. 11:9 “Also the king of the North shall come to the kingdom of the king of the South, but shall return to his own land.
The Angel told Daniel that…
“branch of her roots” would rise up and gain victory over
the
Fulfilled in the person of Ptolemy III, the brother of Berenice (the branch of her roots).
He wanted to avenge the murder of his sister, so he invaded
History records that after he took the palace in
He shall continue more years than the king of the North
Ptolemy III lived four years beyond the death of Selecus II.
When it comes to predictions, God’s good isn’t He!?
4) Revenge of the North (vs. 10)
Dan. 11:10 However his sons shall stir up strife, and assemble a multitude of great forces; and one shall certainly come and overwhelm and pass through; then he shall return to his fortress and stir up strife.
His sons shall stir up trouble
The Angel then tells Daniel that the sons of the kings of the North will continue the war between the two kingdoms.
We’re also told that one of the sons will conquer the
This was fulfilled in Seleucus III and Antiochus III, the two sons of Seleucus II.
Both were successful generals, but Seleucus III ruled only a short time and was succeeded by his brother.
In a furious battle, Antiochus III took back the
Remember, this is all happened by coincidence! J
5) The South comes back for more! (vs. 11-12)
Dan. 11:11 “And the king of the South shall be moved with rage, and go out and fight with him, with the king of the North, who shall muster a great multitude; but the multitude shall be given into the hand of his enemy.
Dan. 11:12 When he has taken away the multitude, his heart will be lifted up; and he will cast down tens of thousands, but he will not prevail.
The king of the South shall be moved with rage
The angel tells Daniel that the king of the South will attack and meet a great multitude of soldiers from the king of the North. However, the king of the North will be defeated in spite of having a larger army.
This was fulfilled when Antiochus III was defeated at the battle of Raphia.
Because of that loss he was forced to give back dominion
over the
Close
√ Wars until the end
Woodrow Wilson dreamed that the 1st World War would be…
“The war to end all wars”
…and established the
World War 2 proved that
It also gave birth to the United Nations, the grown up
version of the
Yet, for all of the good intentions, all of the promises, all of the hopes…
…human beings continue to wage wars and kill more people than lived in the world when Daniel penned his prophecies!
Ap. It can seem hopeless
Yet, the prophecies recorded by Daniel remind us that none of this is a surprise to God!
He knows the condition of human hearts and that without His power and His presence…
…we’ll act like animals (i.e. “beasts” of chapter 7) until the Prince of Peace comes to rule on planet earth.
So, we’re encouraged not to be overwhelmed by the violence we see every night on TV, but to…
Pray that God would soon bring it all to an end!
And in the mean time to tell people how they can have a relationship with the King who will bring the war to end all wars!