Daniel 11:37-45
Wars Until the End ~ Part
4
Pray
Intro
√ The Antichrist
We left off with the introduction of the last “king”, or world ruler, the Antichrist.
Dan. 11:36 “Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done.
We noted that vs. 36 signals a shift (“then”) in the prophetic picture from Antiochus to another king like him.
That is, while Antiochus Epiphanes literally fulfilled much of the prophecy given in Daniel chapter 11…
…vs. 36 hints at another king of whom Antiochus is only the opening act!
We make that conclusion based on Jesus’ commentary on this verse recorded in His “Olivet Discourse” in Matthew 24, and Paul’s interpretation of this section in 2 Thess. 2.
So, the balance of the prophecy in chapter 11 gives us insight into the character and rule of this future “king” whom the Bible calls the Antichrist.
We begin with some interesting insight…
18) The character and authority of the "willful king” (vs. 37-39)
Dan. 11:37 He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all.
Dan. 11:38 But in their place he shall honor a god of fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things.
Dan. 11:39 Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain.
He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the
desire of women (vs. 37)
Some Bible scholars believe that this verse indicates that the Antichrist will be of Jewish descent, and perhaps will also be a homosexual.
19) Jewish?
Ex. Hebrew idiom
“the God of his fathers”
This phrase, or idiom, is used to refer to Yahweh (Jehovah), the God of Israel.
We see an example of this usage in 2 Chron. 33:12 with reference to Manasseh after he repented of his sinful life…
“Now when he was in affliction, he implored the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers,”
The point is that as it is used here in Daniel 11:37 with regard to the nature of the Antichrist, it may be a hint that he is of Jewish descent, or at least have Jewish blood in his veins.
Might help to explain why the Jewish people would initially place their trust in him…
…only to later discover that he was no friend of the Jews!
Ex. Adolph Hitler ~ a type of the Antichrist
There’s a stubborn rumor that Adolph Hitler’s grandfather was Jewish.
The rumor started when one of Hitler's henchmen, Hans Frank, declared during the Nuremberg Trials in 1945-46, that Hitler's grandmother had worked in the town of Graz as a servant in the home of a Jewish family named Frankenberger (sounds fishy ~ “Frankenstein”!)
He further claimed that she was seduced by the head of the household and that Hitler's father was the result of that liaison.
But, Simon Wiesenthal the great Nazi hunter proved that the
story was false as there were no Frankenberger’s living in
…and that the entire Jewish population had been driven out
of
20) Homosexual?
The phrase…
“nor the desire of women” ~ vs. 37
…is thought to suggest that he will be a homosexual.
Ex. As portrayed in the Left Behind Series
However, other commentators believe that the “desire of women” refers to the real Christ!
The logic is that all Hebrew women desired the honor of bearing the Messiah, who is the “desire of nations” (ref. Haggai 2:7).
I think that to interpret “the desire of women” to mean Jesus makes more sense in light of the flow of context, that is, the Antichrist will not honor any God…
Not God the Father ~ revealed in the Old Testament
Nor God the Son ~ revealed in the New Testament
…but only himself in accord with the false promise of Satan that Man can be as God!
Ap. Can’t be Antiochus
Remember, while he was a horrid man and full of pride, he never abandoned the pantheon of Greek gods & goddesses.
He set up an image of Zeus in the
…not of himself.
So, this closing section of chapter 11 must have a future ruler in mind.
He shall honor a god of fortresses (vs. 38)
Some suggest that this means that the Antichrist will take and hold power with military might.
Fits with the false perception of Men that power (force) is the key to domination.
Side note ~ proven wrong many times over the Centuries!
The early Church was physically weak, yet they eventually
conquered the
Another possibility is that this is a reference to the impersonal “god” of the new age religion of the Antichrist.
Note that the KJV reads…
“But in his estate shall he honor the God of forces”
…like the impersonal “life force” of Eastern Mysticism, the New Age Movement, Star Wars, etc.
Sort of the lowest common denominator of the religions that will unite under the banner of the Antichrist whom they will see as the “Messiah.”
21) The last war (vs. 40-45)
Dan. 11:40 “At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through.
Dan. 11:41 He shall
also enter the
Dan. 11:42 He shall
stretch out his hand against the countries, and the
Dan. 11:43 He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; also the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow at his heels.
Dan. 11:44 But news from the east and the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many.
Dan. 11:45 And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him.
At the time of the end (vs. 40)
Note how vs. 40 begins…
“At the time of the end”
That is, the Angel establishes for us the timing of the events described here.
The Last Days ~ the 70th Week of Daniel 9, specifically, the last half of the 70th week which is marked by war vs. the 1st half of the Great Tribulation which is marked by peace.
Many shall attack him (vs. 40-45)
The angel described to Daniel a confederation of kings that will attack the Antichrist, the “him” “he”, and “his” of this section.
We’re told that the “king of the South”.
The king of the
South may be
While we can’t positively identify all of the nations
involved, the main point is that
…and that the Antichrist will respond with a military attack, probably to defend his claim of “world ruler”.
Note the “he” in vs. 40.
We’re told that he will be successful in his initial campaign, but that…
“news from the east and the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many.” ~ vs. 44
That lines up with the account in Rev. 16 that speaks of a
massive army (200 million) coming from the East, crossing the
Yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him
(vs. 45)
This is fascinating because it tells us the location of the Antichrist’s demise…
“And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him.”
That is, he’s going to march out to meet the army from the East and set up his camp to fight with them in a place…
“between the seas and the glorious holy mountain”
That’s a great description of the
Geographically it lays between the Mediterranean Sea and the
The Via Maris, the “Way of the Sea” passes right through the valley.
That is, the three points triangulate the
Rev. 16:12 Then the
sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river
Rev. 16:13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
Rev. 16:14 For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
Rev. 16:15 “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.”
Rev. 16:16 And they
gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon. (
And…
Rev. 19:19 And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.
Rev. 19:20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.
Rev. 19:21 And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.
Just as the Angel tells Daniel, the Antichrist will come to the end of his career…
…and no one will be able to save him because the real King has come to the earth to establish His Kingdom that will never end just as predicted in the 1st dream that Daniel interpreted!
Dan. 2:34 You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces.
Dan. 2:35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
And, the interpretation…
Dan. 2:44 And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.
Dan. 2:45 Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold—the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure.”
So, the Angel’s answer to Daniel’s question about his vision brings to a conclusion all of the dreams and visions recorded in the book of Daniel.