Daniel 11:1-20 The Angel Gabriel continues his explanation
Ever since Daniel recorded these visions, there are critics who have insisted that someone else recorded events after the fact; however, God is perfectly capable of revealing the future to those who are faithful. I fully believe that these visions were given to Daniel. Why did God give these revelations to Daniel? Each of these rulers would threaten the very existence of the Jews and God issuing a warning.
These texts describe very complicated political maneuverings. For an excellent detailed explanation, please see David Guzik’s Enduring Word Bible Commentary. https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/daniel-11/
(I have been standing beside Michael to support and strengthen him since the first year of the reign of Darius the Mede.) [The Angel Gabriel is still speaking.]
Kings of the South and North “Now then, I will reveal the truth to you. Three more Persian kings will reign, to be succeeded by a fourth, far richer than the others. He will use his wealth to stir up everyone to fight against the kingdom of Greece.” Three more Persian kings did arise, the last one being Xerxes.David Guzik points out, “These visions and insights regarding the future of the Persian and Greek Empires were relevant because each empire attempted to wipe out the people of God at some time.”
i. The Persian Empire tried to wipe out the Jewish people during the reign of Xerxes, through the plot of Haman (as shown in the Book of Esther).
ii. 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.
“Then a mighty king will rise to power who will rule with great authority and accomplish everything he sets out to do. But at the height of his power, his kingdom will be broken apart and divided into four parts. It will not be ruled by the king’s descendants, nor will the kingdom hold the authority it once had. For his empire will be uprooted and given to others.”
Alexander the Great conquered huge territories and died prematurely at the age of 32. Guzik: “This prophecy does not mainly concern Alexander because he did no harm to Jerusalem, though he conquered the general area. The ancient historian Josephus records the interesting arrival of Alexander the Great to Jerusalem, and how he was shown the Book of Daniel by the high priest (whom Alexander had previously seen in a vision). Alexander was so impressed that he spared Jerusalem and granted it religious toleration.”
“The king of the south will increase in power, but one of his own officials will become more powerful than he and will rule his kingdom with great strength.” The kingdom of the north is the Seleucids, based in Syria, while the kingdom of the south is the Ptolemy kingdom of Egypt. The two kingdoms vied back and forth for 130 years with the stronger kingdom controlling the Holy Land.
“Some years later an alliance will be formed between the king of the north and the king of the south. The daughter of the king of the south (Berenice, daughter of Ptolemy II) will be given in marriage to the king of the north (Antiochus II) to secure the alliance, but she will lose her influence over him, and so will her father. She will be abandoned along with her supporters. But when one of her relatives becomes king of the south, (PtolemyIII) he will raise an army and enter the fortress of the king of the north and defeat him. When he returns to Egypt, he will carry back their idols with him, along with priceless articles of gold and silver. For some years afterward he will leave the king of the north alone.”
“Later the king of the north will invade the realm of the king of the south but will soon return to his own land. However, the sons of the king of the north will assemble a mighty army that will advance like a flood and carry the battle as far as the enemy’s fortress.”
“Then, in a rage, the king of the south will rally against the vast forces assembled by the king of the north and will defeat them. After the enemy army is swept away, the king of the south will be filled with pride and will execute many thousands of his enemies. But his success will be short lived.”
“A few years later the king of the north will return with a fully equipped army far greater than before. At that time there will be a general uprising against the king of the south. Violent men among your own people will join them in fulfillment of this vision, but they will not succeed. Then the king of the north will come and lay siege to a fortified city and capture it. The best troops of the south will not be able to stand in the face of the onslaught.”
“The king of the north will march onward unopposed; none will be able to stop him. He will pause in the glorious land of Israel, intent on destroying it. He will make plans to come with the might of his entire kingdom and will form an alliance with the king of the south. He will give him a daughter in marriage in order to overthrow the kingdom from within, but his plan will fail.”
“After this, he will turn his attention to the coastland and conquer many cities. But a commander from another land will put an end to his insolence and cause him to retreat in shame. He will take refuge in his own fortresses but will stumble and fall and be seen no more.”
“His successor will send out a tax collector to maintain the royal splendor. But after a very brief reign, he will die, though not from anger or in battle.”
Guzik explain: This was fulfilled in the brief reign of Seleucus III, the eldest son of Antiochus III. He sought to tax his dominion (including the glorious kingdom, the Holy Land) to increase revenues. His plan to pillage the Jerusalem temple was set aside when his ambassador had an angelic vision of warning. Within a few days he shall be destroyed: Seleucus III was assassinated, probably by his brother Antiochus IV.
The Ghanaians have a saying that “When two elephants fight, it is the grass that gets trampled.” In the fights between the Ptolemies and the Seleucids, the Holy Land continually comes under attack. I have deliberately omitted mentioning most of the rulers, feeling that if you really want more information, you can read Mr. Guzik’s extremely detailed discussion.
What we can gain from these verses viewed in the rear-view mirror of history is that God is giving Daniel very specific prophecies about what will happen in the next few centuries in the Middle East. Why does God do this? God is also going to give Daniel end-time prophecies and He wants those coming after Daniel to see how these prophecies have been fulfilled so that they will believe the end-time prophecies as well.
What is important for us is that God sees all, knows all, and remains as the Supreme Ruler of the Universe. Knowing these things, we can trust God to guide us and give us wisdom for the troubled days in which we live.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, You are the Ruler of the Universe and You are the One who orders our lives. Help us to trust You and follow hard after You all the days of our lives. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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