The Book of Daniel - part 13
Daniel 11 : The Final Vision
As we begin, I would like to read what one commentator has said about Daniel 11:
“ʻThis chapter might be treated in Bible classes. We do not see how it could be used for a sermon or for sermons”
Leupold, The Message of Daniel (1969)
The reason is quite simple. This chapter chronicles unfolding events in history, and so by studying these Scriptures, one will find himself in a history class. What follows is my attempt to balance the needs of a Sunday sermon with the necessity to be diligent and faithful to the text.
We should note the prophetic visions in Daniel have moved from the generic to the specific in each instance. Chapter 2 spanned four and a half centuries in an outline form.
Chapter 7 returns to the four kingdoms, however adds details surrounding Greece and the rise of Antiochus IV. Chapter 8 focuses on the conflict between Greece and Persia. Chapter 9 gave us more detail for the coming sacrilege of the Jerusalem Temple. Chapter 11 will move us into the details of the rise of Antiochus IV through the Hellenist era. At the end of 11 and the beginning of 12, we see the downfall of Antiochus and are introduced to the time of the End in which there will be a resurrection of the dead and final judgement.
I should note at the outset, once again, in Daniel we are dealing with Before Christ prophecy. The bulk of Old Testament prophecy concerns the First Coming of the Messiah. We only see a glimpse of the End of our Age. It is not until Christ comes, and then in His revelation to John, that we are given more of what is to come for our Age.
I will also note, that just as I alluded to in prior sermons, the careful student of history and prophecy will find patterns emerging in both human behavior and how God deals with humanity. I believe these patterns exist so that we can be wise in our times and ready for those times that are coming. Thus, as we look closer at the vision, it should not surprise us that much of what we read in Chapter 11 has a historical reality that we can look to. However, as we come nearer to the end of the chapter, we will note a shift from what we can confirm with certainty to what we can only speculate.
Regardless, in our pursuit for the meaning of the text, let us not forget the Holy Spirit still speaks to us today through this text. Within the meaning of the text is also a guiding principle that will help us in the here and now.
With that, let’s review a history of the world in 20 verses:
The History of the World in 20 Verses : 11:1-20
“And as for me, in the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood up to confirm and strengthen him.
2 “And now I will show you the truth. Behold, three more kings shall arise in Persia, and a fourth shall be far richer than all of them. And when he has become strong through his riches, he shall stir up all against the kingdom of Greece. 3 Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion and do as he wills. 4 And as soon as he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not to his posterity, nor according to the authority with which he ruled, for his kingdom shall be plucked up and go to others besides these.
5 “Then the king of the south shall be strong, but one of his princes shall be stronger than he and shall rule, and his authority shall be a great authority. 6 After some years they shall make an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement. But she shall not retain the strength of her arm, and he and his arm shall not endure, but she shall be given up, and her attendants, he who fathered her, and he who supported her in those times.
7 “And from a branch from her roots one shall arise in his place. He shall come against the army and enter the fortress of the king of the north, and he shall deal with them and shall prevail. 8 He shall also carry off to Egypt their gods with their metal images and their precious vessels of silver and gold, and for some years he shall refrain from attacking the king of the north. 9 Then the latter shall come into the realm of the king of the south but shall return to his own land.
10 “His sons shall wage war and assemble a multitude of great forces, which shall keep coming and overflow and pass through, and again shall carry the war as far as his fortress. 11 Then the king of the south, moved with rage, shall come out and fight against the king of the north. And he shall raise a great multitude, but it shall be given into his hand. 12 And when the multitude is taken away, his heart shall be exalted, and he shall cast down tens of thousands, but he shall not prevail. 13 For the king of the north shall again raise a multitude, greater than the first. And after some years he shall come on with a great army and abundant supplies.
14 “In those times many shall rise against the king of the south, and the violent among your own people shall lift themselves up in order to fulfill the vision, but they shall fail. 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. 16 But he who comes against him shall do as he wills, and none shall stand before him. And he shall stand in the glorious land, with destruction in his hand. 17 He shall set his face to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and he shall bring terms of an agreement and perform them. He shall give him the daughter of women to destroy the kingdom, but it shall not stand or be to his advantage. 18 Afterward he shall turn his face to the coastlands and shall capture many of them, but a commander shall put an end to his insolence. Indeed, he shall turn his insolence back upon him. 19 Then he shall turn his face back toward the fortresses of his own land, but he shall stumble and fall, and shall not be found.
20 “Then shall arise in his place one who shall send an exactor of tribute for the glory of the kingdom. But within a few days he shall be broken, neither in anger nor in battle.
Persia & Greece reviewed :11:1-4
Three kings arise from Persia, and then a fourth. This fourth king is Xerxes I who becomes the wealthiest of Persian kings and the same who begins a series of campaigns against Greece. For those familiar with the story of the 300 Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae, that’s the guy. Then another king arises, who is Alexander the Great, who will rule a great empire, but in 10 years, he will die and his kingdom is divided into 4 kingdoms.
These four verses are essentially a review of previous visions. However, they also point us to a principle for understanding biblical prophecy. When we compare the verses to their historical fulfillments, notice how the years are stretched more than what we read. From the verses it seems like this all happens relatively quickly, but the truth is, Daniel has just heard about several hundred years.
https://crossroadsbible.net/2020/01/24/unveiling-daniel-11-part-1/
This concept is important, because as we progress through the chapter, we will continue to see the angel skipping years through his history lesson.
World conflicts in 16 verses : 11:5-20
It helps in understanding this section that “King of the North” and “King of the South” are terms used for the kingdoms throughout their history in the Hellenist period. The events recorded do not pertain to just two kings, but the reigns of many kings. “The North” refers to the Seleucid Empire and “The South” refers to Ptolemy Egypt. These two kingdoms were half of the 4 sections that remained after Alexander the Great. The other two sections do not concern Israel, because they are far west. Also, it is noteworthy that the Seleucid Kingdom becomes the largest of the four, almost reuniting the Greek Empire, but they are conquered by Rome before they are able.
Now, at this point we move from Sunday sermon to History lesson. For the sake of time, and for your further study, I will simply offer this chart to visualize this section of chapter 11 with history.
https://crossroadsbible.net/2020/01/24/unveiling-daniel-part-2/
For today, I think what is most important is to notice the detailed clarity of Daniel’s prophetic vision. Again, it is this kind of precision that prompts critical scholars to date Daniel much later than his 6th century lifetime. But, if we accept the early date for Daniel, which we can, it points to central truths about our faith:
The Lord is Sovereign over Time and Space.
The Lord speaks to His people.
The Lord’s plan for humanity will come to fruition.
Now, for the skeptic, the one who believes Daniel could just as easily be a later writing, I offer these:
The Qumran community, a group of Essene Jews living in solitary in the second century BC to the first century AD, produced and reproduced a collection of writings from the Scriptures of the Old Testament. This community famously left us the Dead Sea Scrolls which have shed tremendous light on the centuries leading to Christ. They also treat the writings of Daniel as sacred Scripture, which if Daniel is a second century product, they would have no reason to do.
Critical scholars who attempt to demonstrate errors in Daniel’s historical accuracy fail to explain Daniel’s tremendous accuracy for details that only a 6th century writer would catch.
Nebuchadnezzar created new Babylon
Belshazzar, mentioned only in Babylonian records, Daniel and Baruch (which is based on Daniel) was functioning as king when Cyrus took over
The change in punishment from fire to the lion’ den in the change from Babylon to Persia
The earlier accounts of kings prior to Antiochus are given in relatively positive tones. If the book is a 2nd century product presenting a series of moral tales to explain their current situation, conservative scholars note the previous pagan kings would be cast in a darker light as well. Instead, Daniel seems to be at ease, even positive towards Nebuchadnezzar.
The language of Daniel utilizes several loan-words from Persia which did not translate well into the Greek Septuagint. The reason for this is the words were so ancient that the Greek translators were not exactly sure what they meant. Excavations in modern times have demonstrated the Aramaic used to be an Imperial dialect which denotes a 6th century origin.
Related to the language problem of the later date, is the fact the Septuagint has Daniel at all. If the second century date is accepted, then that means it only took the Book of Daniel 30 years to be written and accepted as canonical by translators approximately 300 miles away. Its acceptance in the canon by a mere 30 years would be more miraculous than just accepting the earlier date.
Now, by all means, go study the verses and the stories of these ancient rulers to see for yourself how they match up. But, in doing so, don’t miss the giant forest for these trees.
The Lord revealed to 6th century Daniel what would happen in the last centuries of the Old Testament Age proving His Sovereignty over Time and Space.
Antiochus IV : 11:21-35
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. 22 Armies shall be utterly swept away before him and broken, even the prince of the covenant. 23 And from the time that an alliance is made with him he shall act deceitfully, and he shall become strong with a small people. 24 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. 25 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. 26 Even those who eat his food shall break him. His army shall be swept away, and many shall fall down slain. 27 And 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. 28 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.
29 “At the time appointed he shall return and come into the south, but it shall not be this time as it was before. 30 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. 31 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. 32 He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. 33 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. 34 When they stumble, they shall receive a little help. And many shall join themselves to them with flattery, 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.
Once again, we are seeing a fairly detailed account of Antiochus’ reign. We know he spent time in Egypt attempting to conquer, and a rumor reaches Israel that he died. This causes the Jewish uprising, which is why Antiochus returns and brings death and disaster with him.
Why is the second century Antiochus so prominent in a 6th century writing?
First, we should note that much of Daniel’s prophecies concern the return from exile and the unfolding of God’s promise to send a Messiah. What will happen to Israel as the end of the age approaches? Daniel is given those answers. The Jews are to understand the events as they unfold, so that they can be ready when Jesus comes.
Prophecy gives us warning of what is to come, so that we can be ready when it happens.
Second, the stories and prophecies would matter to 6th centuries Jews just as much as to future generations, because God is demonstrating His sovereignty over the nations, not just Israel. God is reminding His people that they are not abandoned.
Prophecy reminds us in times of doubt God is on His throne, and we are not abandoned.
The Finale : 11:36-45
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. 37 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. 38 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. 39 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.[f] 40 “At the time of the end, the king of the south shall attack[g] 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. 41 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. 42 He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43 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. 44 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. 45 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.
Up to verse 35, every verse can be accounted for in History.
Scholars of all persuasions are agreed on what is happening up to verse 35. It is at 36, things start to get fuzzy. Verses 36-39 could still be about Antiochus IV, however some conservative scholars believe a shift happens at 36. Others put the shift at 40.
The fuzziness for scholars comes from the events as they do not exactly match the end of Antiochus’ life.
But, if we look at verse 35, you may find where the line can be drawn. “Some of the wise shall stumble...until the time of the end” provides a point where time may have shifted again. Throughout this chapter, we have already seen leaps in time, so it is not so spectacular that the angel may once again jump ahead here. In fact, if we compare what Daniel has already recorded about Antiochus with what John and Jesus say about the future world leader, there are enough similarities to note a connection.
I said earlier there are patterns in history and how God deals with His people. Antiochus IV was certainly not the Anti-Christ of John’s visions, but he serves as a type. He was a ruthless leader who persecuted the people of God just prior to the time when the Messiah arrived. John and Jesus have also said there will come another ruthless leader who will persecute the people of God just prior to Christ’s Second Coming. It would not be unfaithful to the text to see that Daniel has caught a glimpse of things still yet to come.
But, the main point of this passage is found in verse 45. That last statement, “Yet he shall come to his end, with none to help him” is a profoundly wonderful promise. Whether we are speaking of Antiochus, the Anti-Christ, or any other persecuting political power, they shall come to their end.
In light of eternity, persecution is only for a short time.
Next week, we will read the final chapter of Daniel, and we will see the great news of what is to come. But, know that eternity is set in God’s hands. He is Sovereign, and so when He says that we can have eternal life, and He promises the trials of this life are nothing compared to the glories that are to come, we can rest in the faithfulness and power of God. Whatever persecutions we face will not be forever.
Today, let’s not grow weary in doing good, because what we face now will soon end. Let’s take every opportunity to share the Good News of the Risen Lord who will put down every power and ruler, because He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who rules Creation.