Chapter 11 is a continuation of chapter 10. Daniel 10 is where the story starts, but it is in chapter 11 that the End Time prophecy starts. Now Daniel 11 is another one of those chapters that is kind of funny with its time span. Just like in chapter 9, we have to do some sorting out of what happened in the past and what will happen in the future.
The easiest way that I know how to figure this out is that
we know the very end of the age is at the last verse. If you take the last
verse of Daniel and follow the subject (the Hebrew antecedent) back verse by
verse, you will find that the topic changes in verse 21. From verses 2-20, we
can find all of these prophecies in the history books. Beyond that, nothing
from history really fits. It makes sense that verse 21 would start to speak
about a time that is still future. The problem with most commentaries that I
find is that they put Daniel 11:2-39 before the coming of the Messiah. Then the
last 5 verses are shoved way up into the future. That isn’t the true flow of
what is happening. The subject from verse 21 all the way to the end doesn’t
change. Therefore, verse 21 must be the antichrist.
So lets look at verses 2-20. I’ll put names and dates in
the midst of the text so that you can better see and understand who and what
and how.
DANIEL
11:2 "And now I will tell you the truth: Behold, three more kings will
arise in Persia, and the fourth shall be far richer than them all; by his
strength, through his riches, he shall stir up all against the realm of
Greece."
This prophecy was given in the
third year of Cyrus, king of Persia (c. 535 BCE). The next three Medo-Persian
kings after Cyrus were: (1) his son, Cambyses II (530-522 BCE); (2) Gaumata the
Magian (also known as the pseudo-Smerdis – 522 BCE); and (3) the Persian Darius
I (the Great – 522-486 BCE). The fourth king was (4) Xerxes (486-465 BCE).
Xerxes' mother was Atossa, the
daughter of Cyrus the Great. His father, Darius the Great, left him the task of
punishing the Greeks for their part in the Ionian rebellion (499-494 BCE) and
their defeat of the Persian army at the battle of Marathon (490 BCE).
DANIEL
11:3 "Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion,
and do according to his will."
After the military defeat of
Xerxes by the Greeks, a number of additional Persian kings ruled the empire.
But Xerxes had set the stage for a strong Greek ruler to arise. This ruler was
the Macedonian Alexander the Great, who defeated Persian King Darius III
Codomannus in 333 BCE at the battle of Issus (located on the Mediterranean
coast in what is now southeast Turkey). This defeat signaled the beginning of
the end of the Persian empire.
At the height of his power,
Alexander conquered and ruled an empire that stretched from southern Europe to
North Africa to central Asia. But the Greek empire of Alexander was not
destined to endure. He fell ill and died on June 10, 323 BCE in the palace of
Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon.
DANIEL
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."
After much fighting and jockeying
for position, Alexander's empire was divided into four major portions by 301
BCE: (1) Cassander ruled over Greece, (2) Lysimachus ruled in Asia Minor, (3)
Seleucus I Nicator ruled in Babylon and Persia, and (4) Ptolemy I Soter ruled
over the Holy Land and Egypt.
DANIEL
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."
Twenty years later (281 BCE), when
Seleucus I killed Lysimachus in battle, only two dynasties remained in
Alexander's old empire – the Seleucid kings in the north and the Ptolemaic
kings in the south.
DANIEL
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.”
In 249 BCE, king of the South
Ptolemy II Philadelphus sent his daughter Berenice to the king of the North
Antiochus II Theos. His plan was to stop the war that was raging (the Second
Syrian War) and unite the two kingdoms through their marriage. Unfortunately,
this plan had a flaw: Antiochus II was already married. However, because he
knew his marriage to Ptolemy II's daughter would ensure peace and allow him to
regain most of the Syrian possessions his father had lost to the king of the
South, Antiochus II put away his wife Laodice and married Berenice.
DANIEL
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."
Ptolemy III Euergetes, the eldest
son of Ptolemy II and brother of Berenice, was not happy about the murder of
his sister. He immediately invaded the Seleucid Empire. His armies defeated the
forces of new king of the North, Seleucus II, who was the son of Antiochus II and
Laodice. His campaign was successful, and his armies achieved victory from the
Tigris River to the coasts of Asia Minor. Ptolemy III captured and put to death
Laodice. He was even able to enter Seleucia, the port city on the Tigris River
of the capital Antioch, and leave a garrison there.
DANIEL
11:8 "And he shall also carry their gods captive to Egypt, with their
princes and their precious articles of silver and gold; and he shall continue
more years than the king of the North."
During the Third Syrian War, king
of the South Ptolemy III is credited with recovering many of the sacred statues
that the Persian forces of Cambyses had carried off during their conquest of
Egypt some three hundred years earlier. Because of this, he was known as
Euergetes ("Benefactor"). Ptolemy III acquired much gold and silver
during his victorious campaign; in fact, from Seleucia alone he received 1,500
talents of silver annually as tribute (about 10% of his annual income). He
outlived Seleucus II, who died after falling from his horse, by four or five
years (222 BCE).
DANIEL
11:9 "Also the king of the North [lit.
"he"] shall come to the kingdom of the king of the South, but
shall return to his own land."
In 240 BCE, the king of the North,
Seleucus II, attempted to invade Egypt in response to the humiliation he had
suffered at the hands of Ptolemy III. However, he had to return in defeat after
his fleet perished in a storm.
DANIEL
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."
The sons of Seleucus II were
Seleucus III Ceraunos ("Thunder") and Antiochus III (the Great).
Seleucus III, the eldest son of Seleucus II, began a war against the Egyptian
provinces in Asia Minor. However, he was unsuccessful, and was assassinated by
members of his army in Asia Minor in 223 BCE. Seleucus II's younger son,
Antiochus III, took the throne at the age of 18 after his brother's death. In
219-218 BCE, Antiochus III victoriously went through Judea, coming almost to
the borders of Egypt.
DANIEL
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."
Antiochus III met Ptolemy IV
Philopater at the Battle of Raphia (also known as the Battle of Gaza) in 217
BCE. Antiochus III, the king of the North, had 62,000 infantry, 6,000 calvary,
and 103 war elephants. But the forces of Ptolemy IV, king of the South, were
victorious in the battle. Antiochus III was forced to withdraw into Lebanon.
DANIEL
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."
After his victory over Antiochus
III, Ptolemy IV spent only three months settling affairs in the Holy Land
before heading back to Alexandria. He was apparently eager to return to his
luxurious and decadent life in Egypt. In his haste to go home, Ptolemy IV left
the important port of Seleucia-in-Pieria on the Phoenician coast (which his
father had first captured) in the hands of Antiochus III. After his victory at
Gaza, the Egyptian troops trained to fight the Seleucids began a successful
guerilla campaign against his rule in Egypt. By the end of Ptolemy IV's reign,
they had achieved total independence in the southern part of Egypt.
DANIEL
11:13 "For the king of the North will return and muster a multitude greater
than the former, and shall certainly come at the end of some years with a great
army and much equipment."
After the death of Ptolemy IV in
204 BCE, Antiochus III rallied his forces once again to attack the kingdom of
the South. In the Fifth Syrian War (202-195 BCE), Antiochus III swept down into
Judea from Syria. He retook the territory that he had occupied some eighteen
years previously. When Antiochus III withdrew for the winter, the Egyptian
commander Scopas reconquered the southern portions of the lost territory,
including Judea and Jerusalem.
DANIEL
11:14 "Now in those times many shall rise up against the king of the
South. Also, violent men of your people shall exalt themselves in fulfillment
of the vision, but they shall fall."
Antiochus III negotiated an
alliance with King Philip V of Macedonia to divide up Egypt's Asian
possessions. After some temporary setbacks (particularly at Gaza), Antiochus
III's army inflicted a crushing defeat on the Ptolemaic forces about 199 BCE at
Paneas, near the headwaters of the Jordan River. Regarding the prophesied
actions of the Jews, the Jewish historian Josephus wrote:
Yet was
it not long afterward when Antiochus overcame Scopas, in a battle fought at the
fountains of Jordan, and destroyed a great part of his army. But afterward,
when Antiochus subdued those cities of Celesyria which Scopas had gotten into
his possession, and Samaria with them, the Jews, of their own accord, went over
to him, and received him into the city [Jerusalem], and gave plentiful provision
to all his army, and to his elephants, and readily assisted him when he
besieged the garrison which was in the citadel of Jerusalem. (Ant. 12.3.3)
Unfortunately, this Jewish
assistance was not to be remembered when Antiochus IV later came against
Jerusalem.
DANIEL
11:15 "Then the king of the North shall come and throw up siegeworks and
take a well-fortified city. And the forces of the South shall not stand, or
even his best troops, for there shall be no strength to stand."
Following his defeat at Paneas,
Scopas fled to the fortified port city of Sidon. But after Antiochus III
besieged it, Scopas surrendered in 199 BCE in exchange for safe passage out of
the city back to Egypt. He and his troops were allowed to leave the city naked
after giving up their weapons.
DANIEL
11:16 "But he who comes against him shall do according to his own will,
and no one shall stand against him. He shall stand in the Glorious Land with
destruction in his power."
With his final victory over Scopas
at Sidon, Antiochus the Great took the Holy Land away from the Egyptians for
good. Judea and Jerusalem had passed from the king of the South to the king of
the North.
DANIEL
11:17 "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 to destroy it; but she shall not stand with him, or be for
him."
Young Ptolemy V had entered into a
treaty with Antiochus III after his military defeat in the Fifth Syrian War.
Through this treaty, Antiochus III tried to strengthen his position and expand
his empire even further. Ptolemy V surrendered his Asian holdings to the king
of the North and accepted Antiochus III's daughter, Cleopatra I, as a bride.
They were married in 194 BCE. Through this marriage, Antiochus III sought to
gain a foothold in Egypt itself through his daughter. But his plan backfired.
Cleopatra I was a true wife to Ptolemy V, standing by him instead of seeking to
benefit her father. Cleopatra I was beloved by the Egyptian people for her
loyalty to her husband.
DANIEL
11:18 "After this he shall turn his face to the coastlands, and shall take
many. But a ruler shall bring the reproach against them to an end; and with the
reproach removed, he shall turn back on him."
In 192 BCE, the ambitious
Antiochus III crossed into Greece to aid the Aetolians. He sent ambassadors to
Rome asking for friendship. However, the Roman senate replied that they would
be friends if Antiochus III left the Greeks in Asia free and independent and if
he kept away from Europe. Antiochus III refused, and went to war against Rome.
With 10,000 men, Antiochus III sailed across the Aegean Sea and took some
strongholds in Asia Minor.
But in doing so, he alienated his
former ally, Macedonian king Philip V. The Roman army entered Asia Minor and
defeated the larger forces of Antiochus III at the Battle of Magnesia in 190
BCE. In the peace treaty of Apamea in 188 BCE, Roman general Publius Scipio set
a high cost on Antiochus III for peace. He demanded twenty hostages (including
his son, Antiochus IV), a reduction of naval ships to twelve, and payment to
Rome for the cost of the war totaling 15,000 talents over the next twelve
years. The all-consuming ambition of Antiochus III had finally brought defeat
to the kingdom of the North.
DANIEL
11:19 "Then he shall turn his face toward the fortress of his own land;
but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found."
As a consequence of the Roman
victory over Antiochus III, the outlying provinces of the Seleucid empire again
reasserted their independence. With his kingdom now reduced to Syria,
Mesopotamia, and western Iran, Antiochus III was in dire need of funds with
which to pay Rome for the cost of the war. In 187 BCE, while attempting to
plunder a pagan temple in Babylon near Susa (Shushan), Antiochus III was
murdered.
DANIEL
11:20 ""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 III's eldest son, Seleucus
IV Philopater, took over after his father's death. Due to the heavy debt burden
imposed by Rome, he was forced to seek an ambitious taxation policy on his
shrunken empire. This included heavy taxation on the people of Israel. In fact,
Seleucus IV even sent his treasurer, Heliodorus, to the Temple in Jerusalem to
extract money.
The Roman senate decided to trade
hostages; therefore, they ordered Seleucus IV to send his son Demetrius, the
heir to the throne, to Rome. In return, the Romans released Seleucus IV's
younger brother, Antiochus IV. When released, Antiochus IV went to Athens.
In 175 BCE, after Demetrius had
been sent away to Rome, Seleucus IV was poisoned by his minister Heliodorus.
Some historians think that Heliodorus desired the throne for himself, while
others believe that Antiochus IV was behind the murder. Seleucus' young son,
(another Antiochus – age 5) was put on the throne in his place. However,
Heliodorus was the actual power behind the throne.
Lets start looking into verse 21. This part of Daniel is
so compact. There are so many details mentioned that we can really frame for
ourselves exactly what is happening within those last 3 ½ years quite easily.
There should be no doubt in our minds as to who the antichrist is. When he
comes, we have it right before us as to what he will do and when he will do it.
We might even know things that the rest of the world won’t. It’s hard saying
what will be publicized and what will be hidden from the general masses.
As you saw from the first part of Daniel 11, there are a
lot of details given. Many historians believe that this is failed prophecy.
There are even scholars who believe that the book of Daniel (at least this
part) was not written by Daniel. Someone after Daniel wrote the prophecies from
Cyrus to Antiochus Epiphanes. They then tried to forge what they thought would
happen to Antiochus Epiphanes, but didn’t get it right. There are indeed some
things that line up with Antiochus Epiphanes. But it is because of the many
verses that show it couldn’t have been him that causes me to say that a partial
fulfillment is not a fulfillment. This is a jump to the anitchrist, just as in
Daniel 8 we saw that the antichrist comes out of Greece instead of Rome.
Daniel 11:21: In
his place shall arise a contemptible person to whom royal majesty has not been
given. He shall come in without warning and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.
Armies shall be utterly swept away before
him and broken, even the prince of the covenant. And from the time that an alliance is made with him
he shall act deceitfully, and he shall become strong with a small people.
Without warning he shall come into the
richest parts of the province, and he shall do what neither his fathers nor his
fathers' fathers have done, scattering among them plunder, spoil, and goods. He
shall devise plans against strongholds, but only for a time. And he shall stir up his power and his heart against
the king of the south with a great army. And the king of the south shall wage
war with an exceedingly great and mighty army, but he shall not stand, for
plots shall be devised against him. Even those who eat his food shall break him. His army shall be swept
away, and many shall fall down slain. as for the two kings, their hearts shall
be bent on doing evil. They shall speak lies at the same table, but to no
avail, for the end is yet to be at the time appointed. And he shall return to his land with great wealth,
but his heart shall be set against the holy covenant. And he shall work his
will and return to his own land.
Daniel 11:29: “At
the time appointed he shall return and come into the south, but it shall not be
this time as it was before. For
ships of Kittim shall come against him, and he shall be afraid and withdraw,
and shall turn back and be enraged and take action against the holy covenant.
He shall turn back and pay attention to those who forsake the holy covenant.
Forces from him shall appear and profane
the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And
they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate. He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the
covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.
And the wise among the people shall make
many understand, though for some days they shall stumble by sword and flame, by
captivity and plunder. When they
stumble, they shall receive a little help. And many shall join themselves to
them with flattery, and some of
the wise shall stumble, so that they may be refined, purified, and made white,
until the time of the end, for it still awaits the appointed time.
Daniel 11:36: “And
the king shall do as he wills. He shall exalt himself and magnify himself above
every god, and shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods. He shall
prosper till the indignation is accomplished; for what is decreed shall be
done. He shall pay no attention
to the gods of his fathers, or to the one beloved by women. He shall not pay
attention to any other god, for he shall magnify himself above all. He shall honor the god of fortresses instead of
these. A god whom his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver,
with precious stones and costly gifts. He shall deal with the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign
god. Those who acknowledge him he shall load with honor. He shall make them
rulers over many and shall divide the land for a price.
Daniel 11:40: “At
the time of the end, the king of the south shall attack him, but the king of
the north shall rush upon him like a whirlwind, with chariots and horsemen, and
with many ships. And he shall come into countries and shall overflow and pass
through. He shall come into the
glorious land. And tens of thousands shall fall, but these shall be delivered
out of his hand: Edom and Moab and the main part of the Ammonites. He shall stretch out his hand against the countries,
and the land of Egypt shall not escape. He shall become ruler of the treasures of gold and of silver, and all
the precious things of Egypt, and the Libyans and the Cushites shall follow in
his train. But news from the
east and the north shall alarm him, and he shall go out with great fury to
destroy and devote many to destruction. And he shall pitch his palatial tents between the sea and the glorious
holy mountain. Yet he shall come to his end, with none to help him.
Starting in verse 21, we see again the idea that this
person that will become the antichrist is not considered a leading political
power. He is a “contemptible person” who does not succeed for the throne. He
isn’t born into his leadership. For this reason alone we can say that Antiochus
Epiphanes is not the antichrist described by Daniel. But it also gives us a
clue for who and what and how to look for the antichrist to arrive.
We know from the previous chapters that he is called a little
horn. In chapter 8, it is said that he starts with a small following and
gathers greater numbers. Look back at Daniel 8:23 in reference to Daniel 11:21:
In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a
stern-faced king, a master of intrigue,
will arise (Dan 8:23). He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure,
and will seize it through intrigue
(Daniel 11:21b).
We can see the reflection here in both these verses. This
antichrist will somehow come to power through manipulation. Whoever he is, he
won’t be the true ruler, but will somehow take over the kingdom. Of course, we
know from Daniel 7 that he “uproots” 3 horns. Maybe this is a reference to
that. Maybe it is something different. You’ll have to decide for yourself.
We move on and find that this man will overtake a large
army. He is much like Alexander the Great in that aspect. Alexander wasn’t a
mighty warrior, and yet his army overpowered some of the greatest kingdoms of
his time. Historians still to this day are baffled at how he had such
victories.
Check out Daniel 11:23, 9:27, and 8:25. And from the time
that an alliance is made with him he shall act deceitfully, and he shall become
strong with a small people (Daniel 11:23). And he shall make a strong covenant
with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to
sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who
makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator (Daniel
9:27). By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper under his hand, and in his
own mind he shall become great. Without warning he shall destroy many. And he
shall even rise up against the Prince of princes, and he shall be broken—but by
no human hand (Daniel 8:25).
Do you see how these verses line up? From Daniel 8 we see
that he will be boastful and proud and will exult himself as god. We find in
chapter 9 that he will make a peace covenant with Israel for 7 years and
halfway through the 7 years he will break that covenant and start persecuting
Israel. He shall then set up the abomination of desolation at the Temple. In
chapter 11 we see that same “alliance” or covenant that was spoken of in
chapter 9. We also see that he already has it in his heart that he isn’t going
to keep it. And notice at the end of 8:25 how it speaks of the antichrist being taken down "but not by human hand." This takes us all the way back to chapter 2 with Nebuchadnezzar's dream. The rock that wasn't formed by human hands is the one who destroys these kingdoms of the earth.
We read in verse 24 about how this peace covenant isn’t
just with Israel. I mentioned this earlier. It seems as though this peace
covenant is with many nations. “Without warning he shall come into the richest
parts of the province.” In the NIV, the detail is added that this is when the
nations feel secure. Just as they feel secure and that there really is world
peace, that is when the antichrist strikes.
We see in the next part of verse 24 that this man will
give away all his plunders. Why would he give away the plunder? Usually the
soldiers get to keep some, but the king keeps the majority of the wealth that
is taken from these other countries. It would seem as though this guy has a
completely different motive than to become rich. Riches aren’t what he is
after.
Now in verse 25 we see that this antichrist has a large
army. A couple verses ago he had a small following. Now he has apparently
gained popularity. This might have been the motive behind giving away the
wealth. If you give an inch of respect and “care” to people, they will usually
follow you to the ends of the earth.
We see that he attacks the king of the South. This is most
likely Egypt, Ethiopia, and Libya area. In the Biblical times, this general
area was what was considered Egypt and Cush. If you read through other prophets
like Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Ezekiel, when they speak prophecies concerning Egypt
and Cush, they also draw from the idea that they will be invaded from the North
and overtaken.
We find in verse 25 that there is also a mention of how
the king of the South fails because “plots shall be devised against him.” This
is just speculation, but what if this is the United Nations? What if this is
some sort of secret agenda to promote this antichrist as the ruler of the
world? What if the United Nations decide that they want this guy to represent
the world as the leader of the world, and so this whole war that he declares on
the king of the South is staged from the very beginning?
We see a reiteration of this very thought in verse 26: Even
those who eat his food shall break him. His army shall be swept away, and many
shall fall down slain. Even those who serve the king of the South (whomever he
is) turns against him. He never stood a chance.
Verse 27 seems to then speak of some sort of peace
agreement. These two kings meet together to arrange peace. It is interesting
that Daniel mentions that these two kings are talking of peace, but neither of
them wants peace. What these two ultimately want is to destroy the other king.
So they lie to each other. But even this is trumped by saying that the “end is
yet to be at the time appointed.” Even though these two kings are bent on
destroying each other, neither one will get the chance because Jesus will have
already come back and destroyed the antichrist by that point.
As the antichrist is fermenting his plot to take over the
world as the world leader, we find in verse 28 that his heart is set against
the holy covenant. This could be the pact that this man made with Israel for 7
years of peace. I think it is more likely that this is anti-Semitism that is
growing. He hates the people Israel. He hates the land. He hates their God. He
hates their Torah. He grows more and more arrogant and fierce and hates the
people Israel (and thus the God of Israel) in his heart.
Be very careful here, though. There isn’t an indication
that he goes to Israel and does anything about it. These are just festering
thoughts and hates. He doesn’t invade Israel yet. He plots against it, but he
does not invade it. This is important because this can really make it or break
it when it comes to determining the antichrist. Antiochus Epiphanes had been
through Israel multiple times before he cut off the sacrifice and set up the
“abominable thing” mentioned in the book of Maccabees. The antichrist doesn’t
go through Israel until he devastates it.
We read in verses 29 and 30 that he tries once more to
wage war on the king of the South. This time the outcome is very different. The
ships of Kittim (Cyprus) stop him. This can also be translated as the western
coastlands. That might be Spain, Italy, Cyprus, or the Americas for all I know.
Either way, he is stopped and put in check.
But what do we read in verse 30? He goes back to his own
country again “be enraged and take action against the holy covenant.” We’ll
read later in Revelation that the antichrist will have a false prophet that
proclaims him as god. The false prophet will perform miracles. We haven’t
reached that point in the story yet, for that point comes somewhere around the
3 ½ years. The antichrist takes action against the holy covenant by riling up
those who are in Israel who will follow him. Anyone who is willing to abandon
the holy covenant, and therefore abandon God, is embraced and added to his
army.
I get this information from Zechariah 14. Zechariah 14 is
a chapter about the attack on Israel by the antichrist. It is another prophecy
that has to be read in context of everything else that is supposed to be
happening around this time. When you read Zechariah 14, understand that there
are details being left out. This isn’t just an attack on Israel and then Jesus
comes back. There is 3 ½ years between the attack and the return of Christ. We
find in verse 14 of Zechariah 14 that Judah will be in the ranks of the antichrist
fighting against Israel.
How do they get to be in the ranks of the antichrist? I
thought they were going to be persecuted and, if it were up to the antichrist,
all slaughtered… These are those who are willing to forsake the holy covenant,
which goes back to their being brought out of Egypt. They are willing to
abandon their heritage for this new messiah. This is the pact with death and
hell. Now we need to be really careful here because it isn’t all of Israel and
there are places in the next few verses that it needs to be distinguished as to
what is happening. Our love for God will be shown in whether we can take this
seriously and still love the people Israel for the simple fact that God loves
them.
Now around this time where the antichrist is getting more
and more outraged at the holy covenant and causing some of Israel (Judah is
specifically mentioned) to forsake their God, the antichrist might also be
gathering together those 10 other kings. I might be wrong. Maybe these 10
kingdoms have already been made and brought together for the one world
government. Maybe they haven’t. Let the reader decide.
Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and
fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And they shall set up
the abomination that makes desolate (Daniel 11:31). And he shall make a strong
covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end
to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who
makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator (Daniel
9:27). Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless
the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of
destruction, who opposes and exalts
himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his
seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God (2 Thessalonians
2:3-4).
Do you see how all of these line up?
Daniel 11:32 once again brings up that he will continue to
corrupt those who violated the covenant. He will continue to lie and to “seduce
with flattery” those who are willing to listen and abandon the faith. There are
actually a good number of them, probably. Many Christians are grief stricken
when they find out that Jerusalem is the number one occult and Satanist area in
the world. It has its gay parades just like New York City. It is the leading
city in abortions, rape, homicide, teen pregnancy, etc. It is the pinnacle of
the world for what men are in themselves. Jerusalem and Israel are exactly what
the Old Testament Prophets declared her to be: a whore.
But just like in Elijah’s time, the Lord has preserved a
remnant. As Paul proclaimed: not all Israel is Israel. God told Elijah, “I have
preserved for myself 7000 who have not bent the knee to Baal.” In modern times,
I have no doubt that the Lord has preserved a remnant who will follow Him and
love Him. They will come to know Him as He in fact is. They will learn about
their Messiah. They will see Him whom they have pierced (and that might be a
reference to His Body the Church).
God isn’t done with them. Just because they are unclean
now doesn’t mean they will always be. We were once dead in our trespasses and
sins. We were once cut off from Him. We were once enemies of God and objects of
wrath. What makes you so sure that God cannot and will not offer mercy to
Israel – His chosen people?
We find this verse speaking of both those who are apostate
and those who stand firm in faith. They refuse to bow the knee to such an
abomination.
We come to verse 33. Here we find a new topic: the wise.
Remember what I said earlier about these guys? These are the saints spoken of
in Daniel 7 and 8. The wise are those who know and understand exactly what is
happening. They can see the whole picture for what it really is. They can see
that this guy is the antichrist. They know the destruction of the Temple before
it even happens. They know the uprooting of Israel. They expect that many Jews
and Palestinians and Arabs will probably be fleeing for their lives. They will
flee to the wilderness places and come across the people of God.
We, who were thought of as cute believers at one point in
time, are now the refuges to which Israel will run. Note that I keep saying
Israel and not the Jews. The Jews are only those who are of Judah. God knows
who is of the descendants of the other tribes that have been lost. We might be
taking in Moslems. The point isn’t who; the point is why.
We must continue to show ourselves as these wise. We will
instruct many. We will tell them of these prophecies and how God is working
them out right before our eyes. We will instruct people of the God of Israel
and how He is mighty to save. We will teach the whole Gospel from the very
beginning through to the very end.
And what will be our reward? We will fall by the sword, be
burned alive, taken captive (just like the death camps in the Holocaust), and
plundered. We will very possibly die. This isn’t for those who are just looking
for a feel good kind of religion. Our reward on this earth will not be warm. We
will be beaten and accused of crimes we have not committed. We will be
persecuted and silenced.
But what does Daniel say? If we read Daniel 34-35, we find
that it is by our falling (or persecution/dying) that many will join us. Many
will offer us help (though it is insincere). Maybe this help is going to be
those who will tell us, “You don’t have to do that.” Yes, if we just stop
helping the refugees, we could be rid of all our persecutions. But that isn’t
the point, is it? And that is why it is a little help and insincere people will
join us.
I’m sure that there will be those who will be willing to
take in the fleeing refugees in the last days that are not Christians. It
happened during the Holocaust. But what I want you to look at is Daniel 11:35,
“and some of the wise shall stumble, so that they may be refined, purified, and
made white, until the time of the end, for it still awaits the appointed time.”
Who is being made white, purified, and refined? It isn’t
the wise. The wise are already refined, purified, and made white. It is
possible that we will be stretched to the absolute breaking point and so we’ll
be more devoted to God than ever before. It is also possible that by some
testimonies the majority will be encouraged to persevere to the end. What I
want to submit to your thinking is that those who are being refined, purified,
and made white are going to be those refugees that we take in.
They will see our love for them. It might be something
they lash back against at first. They might at first tell us about all of the
horrible things that have happened to them at the hands of Christians. They
might tell us about our own history that we just flat out don’t even know
about. They might even rightly tell us off about our wrong attitudes about
them. But through our love and our willingness to submit even unto death for
them (even in their unsaved and outraged state), they will meet the God who has
done this already thousands of years ago for them.
I think that what it means that our fall will make them
white is that we will be persecuted for identifying with them, and in our
persecution, they will see the reality of their Messiah. They will see the very
thing that we have experienced: God was willing to die for me. If that does not
come to them, and if they are just led out into the wilderness places where
they die and parish, then there will be no second coming of Christ.
God has placed all His eggs in one basket. He actually has
that much faith in His people. He actually trusts someone like you or I to
carry out an ultimate purpose. And it is for the lack of understanding this
purpose that we’re called to that we continue to live in a Sunday phenomenon
culture. Our religion is good on Sunday, and sometimes we clean up our lives
for the rest of the week, but when you get right down to it there is no
distinguishing of Christian’s lives from the rest of the world’s lives.
We find ourselves in verse 36 back in view of the
antichrist. He gets all the more boastful. He gets all the more blasphemous.
God seems to set back and let this guy get so overcome with pride and
wickedness that he will lead the world and all who are willing to follow him
into absolute corruption. I think this is what happened with Sodom and
Gomorrah. The people got so corrupt that even the children were not pure.
There will be nothing of innocence or purity left. The
world will continue to grow more and more corrupt. When the antichrist shows
up, it will be an unparalleled event. Nothing before this time will have ever
been seen. This kind of corruption and lewdness that will be flaunted and
promoted for general society will be shocking. I really believe that. I know
who the celebrities are today. I hear the modern music and see the previews for
modern movies. They are all Satanic. They are all leading us into more and more
darkness. In this New World Order, will there even be light to shine at all?
We find in
verse 37-39 that the antichrist will continue to proclaim himself as god. But
there is a strange mention that he sets up a “foreign god.” I believe that this
foreign god is Satan himself. I get that from Revelation 13:14. We can also see
it in the mainstream media. Satanic signs and symbols are being used
everywhere.
We hit verse 40 and the mood changes. We have been reading
over and over again, “it will still come at the appointed time.” Now in the
start of verse 40, we read, “At the time of the end.” So this is the very last
thing that happens before Jesus’ return. Can you feel the anticipation rising?
The tension that was spoken of back in verse 27 between
the king of the North and the king of the South is now at it’s brim. The king
of the South attacks the king of the North. The king of the North sweeps down
to the battle and, from the sounds of it, utterly destroys nations that stand
in his path. We read that even Israel (the Glorious Land) will be passed
through. The three countries that are mentioned that he doesn’t destroy are
important. Edom is the descendants of Esau (which are supposed to have already
been exterminated). Moab and Ammon are the two sons of Lot. Lot’s daughters
raped their father and became pregnant. Yet, God still seems to honor and
preserve Lot – even after his terrible sin.
It is flat out said in verse 42 that Egypt will not escape
the terror of the antichrist. “He shall become ruler of the treasures of gold
and of silver, and all the precious things of Egypt, and the Libyans and the
Cushites shall follow in his train,” Daniel 11:43. So we now know what the
kingdom of the South is. It is exactly the three countries that I had mentioned
before. Note that all three of these are highly Moslem. Theories are out there
that the antichrist will be Moslem and that the 10 nations are going to be
Islamic nations. If that is the case, then why would the antichrist fight
against his own supporters?
We don’t know who the antichrist will be. We don’t know if
he will be Catholic, Moslem, Jewish, or Satanist/Pagan. We don’t know. That
much isn’t really given. There are hints here and there in the Bible, but there
aren’t any concrete Scriptures that will say one way or the other. I have my
opinion, and I would suggest that you study for yourself as to who or what.
We have hit one of the most important verses of Daniel 11.
There are a lot of major points that will be referred back to time and time
again. Daniel 11:44 is a monumental verse, though. If we connect it to other
verses in Revelation, pieces of the puzzle start falling into place that we
wouldn’t have ever seen before. Remember this verse for later: “Reports from
the north and the east will alarm him.” Something happens toward the north
and the east of where the antichrist currently is. If we check the last couple
verses, he is fighting against the king of the South. It is safe to assume that
the king of the North is somewhere in that top part of Africa.
So from this news, he freaks out. He goes off to
annihilate many. He just absolutely crushes and destroys multitudes. We will
consider later what this event might be that makes him so angry, but for now,
lets just remember the details given to us. We read the last verse of Daniel 11
as saying that the antichrist pitches his tent between the sea and the glorious
holy mountain.
Where does he encamp? The antichrist chooses to encamp
between Jerusalem and the sea. Which sea? I’m not sure. It doesn’t necessarily
specify. I would assume he encamps on the west side of Jerusalem from hints in
other Scriptures and from history itself. Jesus comes from the east toward the
west, so it would make sense that the antichrist sets up between Zion and the
Mediterranean Sea.
