Daniel 11 Part 1 - John Karmelich

This is Lesson 1 on Daniel 11. The next lesson will finish Chapter 11 and all of Chapter 12.

1. I you to imagine something, assuming you live in the United States:

a) Suppose the United States still exists, but was not a powerful military country.

i) Imagine the United States as a weak nation, but still a nation.

b) Now suppose both Mexico and Canada had great military armies.

c) Now suppose both Mexico and Canada spent centuries being at war with each other, with the leaders of those countries both trying to dominate the other.

d) At the same time, the United States, a relatively poor country, is stuck in the middle.

e) Could you imagine living through that? Stop and think what life would be like.

f) The only preserving factor in this imaginary scenario, is that God himself, who cares for the United States told in advance, every detail of the wars over the next few hundred years. Further, he stated that the United States would survive as a nation during and after all of this warfare.

i) Again, stop and imagine living through something like this.

g) This is the story, told-in-advance in Daniel Chapter 11, to the Nation of Israel.

i) Instead of the United States, being stuck between Canada and Mexico, we have the relatively tiny nation of Israel stuck between the two powers of that day.

ii) If you have already read chapter 11, you will see the terms "king(s) of the north" and king(s) of the south" used a lot. It refers to the superpowers just north of Israel and just south of Israel.

h) Later in this lesson, I'll come back to this illustration. It helps to support what I believe is the key application for you and me as we study this chapter today.

2. Chapter 11 is the continuation of one-prophetic vision from Chapters 10 through 12.

a) In Chapter 10, we had Daniel praying. He goes on a 21 day "mini-fast", where he limits his food and lifestyle.

b) All of a sudden an angel, or angels, or Jesus and an angel, (depending on your interpretation of Chapter 10) tells Daniel in effect "Sorry, I'm late getting here with a response to your prayers, but I was busy fighting satanic forces who were trying to stop me from getting here."

c) Chapter 11 and Chapter 12 is the response of the angel.

i) Most of Chapter 11 tells historical facts, related to the nation of Israel that will happen over the next several hundred years.

ii) The last part of Chapter 11, and Chapter 12, the future prophecy "expands" to include what will happen in the end times. This is next week's lesson.

iii) This week's lesson focuses on the events that occur for the next four hundred years after the death of Daniel. The focus of the text is on what will happen to Israel over that time span.

iv) I use the "Mexico and Canada" illustration above to help you personalize what it would be like for Israel based on today's text.

v) We'll get back to that illustration later in the lesson.

3. Chapter 11, in a prophetic sense, is history-fulfilled. It is predominantly historical facts.

a) Roughly 30% of the Bible is prophecy (i.e., predictions). God designed it that way to validate the Bible as the word of God.

b) From our viewpoint, much of the Bible is already history fulfilled. Daniel 11 is one of those chapters. Chapter 11 is God giving Daniel history in advance.

c) The predictions given in Chapter 11 are future to Daniel but past tense to us.

d) Most of the commentaries I have read on Chapter 11 focus on historical facts as background support for the accuracy of Chapter 11.

i) This is all well and good. It is just not the primary purpose of my lessons.

ii) My view is that the primary purpose of studying the bible is not to learn history, but to learn "his-story" which is about Jesus. Further, the purpose of studying the Bible is that is designed to be an "owner's manual" on how to live our life. Here is my supporting verse for this argument:

a) All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV)

b) Notice this verse does not say the Bible is "useful for studying history". It happens to be the case here, but it is not the primary purpose.

iii) With that said, I'm going to give some historical background in this lesson, mainly to give you a better idea of the story being told. The main purpose of these lessons is to give applications to your life.

a) I believe the key verses of this lesson are verses 33-35. Well get to that. ☺

b) Giving some historical background helps to illustrate that application.

e) For those of you who are fascinated by history, good information is out there. Most study bibles give you a summary of the historical facts that are mentioned in Chapter 11. Most good detailed commentaries on Daniel also give the historical background.

i) I'll give a few highlights, but mainly for the purpose of explaining the passage.

ii) If you do study the history, you'll find that every phrase of every sentence literally came true. That is an amazing thing to think about. Again, I'll give you some of the historical highlights as we go.

4. The last time I studied Daniel in detail was about 6-7 years ago.

a) At that time, I learned all the historical facts written about Chapter 11.

b) Seven years later, I can say, I had forgotten most of them, and had to relearn them. ☺

c) Many of you may know of a stand up comedian named "Father Guido Sarducci" (not a real priest). He did a routine called: "The Five Minute College". The idea was to open up a college where you graduate five minutes after school starts. All he does is teach all the things you remember from college say, 10 years after graduation. ☺

i) That joke entered my mind as I have been studying through the historical details of Chapter 11. It is easy to forget some of the historical facts years after you have studied this. This is another reason I believe God is leading me to focus on how Chapter 11 applies to our life today as opposed to historically.

5. Before I start the text, I want to make a few comments about bible accuracy.

a) For centuries critics of the bible "pooh-pooh" Chapter 11. ☺

b) It is so historically accurate bible critics insist it must have been added "after the facts".

c) Chapter 11 lays out history in such detail, the only way critics (i.e., people who don't believe the bible is the word of God) is to say, it must have been added centuries later in order to validate Daniel.

d) The events of Chapter 11 cover the time period from about 500 BC to 100 BC.

e) Here is the problem for those bible critics.

i) Egyptian King Ptolemy Philadelphia (284-247 BC) caused the Hebrew Old Testament to be translated into Greek. The complete cannon of the Old Testament was completed from the 2nd Century B.C to the 1st Century B.C. This translation is called the "Septuagint" translation, which simply means "seventy", because 70 scholars did the work.

ii) The events of Daniel 11 were still happening after the Septuagint was finished.

iii) The dating of the Septuagint is common secular knowledge.

a) All of Daniel was part of the Septuagint, including Chapters 11 and 12.

b) Just to show that the writers of the Septuagint knew this was accurate prophecy, they mistranslated the phrase "King of the South" to "King of Egypt" in the Septuagint. They knew it applied to that present time.

c) Modern translations will correctly say "king of the South" based on the original language. History tells us that the "King of the South" was the king(s) over Egypt. More on this as we get to the text.

iv) The other problem for the critics is the Dead Sea Scrolls. The scrolls themselves date back to the 1st and 2nd Century B.C. The scrolls are all Old Testament writings plus some miscellaneous writings of that day. Fragments of Daniel, which are scrolls dating back to the 2nd Century BC contain Daniel 11 and 12.

a) Eight copies of the Daniel were found among the Dead Sea scrolls.

f) The point is simply that if you study the facts behind Daniel 11 you will conclude it is from God. Daniel wrote history-in-advance in detail. The only possible explanation is direct revelation from God. You can't "dance around" this fact.

6. Before we start, I want you to think about Chapter 11 from Daniel's perspective.

a) The events described in Daniel 11 will all happen after the death of Daniel.

b) Daniel was aware of this. He was in his late 80's. He could not have believed he would live to see all of this.

c) Daniel's concern in his prayer is "what will happen to the nation of Israel?"

i) The Israelites were in captivity for 70 years.

ii) The new leader of the Medo-Persian Empire just let the people go back home.

iii) Only a small remnant chooses to complete the 700-mile journey back to Israel.

iv) Most Israelites were now comfortable with lives in the former Babylonian kingdom and now the Medo-Persian kingdom.

v) Daniel was concerned about this national apathy, as was in prayer.

d) The answer to this prayer is God saying in effect: "Daniel, you're people have been disobedient in the past. They will still be disobedient in the future. I'm going to allow terrible things to happen to the nation of Israel in the future, but I will not totally abandon that nation. Why? Because my promises of the preservation of Israel was an unconditional promise and my reputation is on the line. Further, the fact that Israel survives centuries of terrible warfare and still exists as a nation will support the prophecy that the Messiah will be born in the Nation of Israel."

e) The point given to Daniel is "I still love you and your people, and I will be faithful". That is what we have to remember during times of disobedience as well as tragedy.

7. Next, lets think about the chapter form the perspective of those living through those times.

a) The fact that God reveals all these details in advance is one of the keys to understand the chapter itself.

b) It presented Israel with the opportunity to be a witness to the warmongering powers surrounding Israel.

c) Despite, the pain, loss, killing and strife of living for centuries in a war-torn territory, the Israelites could say to the surrounding nations "Look, read Daniel for yourself. God is giving you every detail of these wars. You can't overcome these predictions. You might as well repent and turn to God".

d) Some of you can see where I'm going with this. ☺ How much different is that time from what God calls us to do today? We have history-written-in-advance at our fingertips.

i) We can say to a blood-thirsty, power-thirsty, greed-thirsty world surrounding us "Hey folks, you think you are winning, but you're not. The end of this age is determined by God, and all you are doing is a waste of time. Repent, as eternity is far greater than the rewards of this lifetime".

e) This is why I gave the "Canada and Mexico" illustration. To help you try to picture what it must have been like to live for the next 400 years in Israel.

f) Their only hope through such a difficult time is the Word of God. It predicts in advance all the things that are going to happen to them. It is the assurance that God is in control, and he is allowing of this for his purpose.

g) With that said, I better break down, and start going through the text or we'll never make it. ☺

8. Chapter 11, Verse 1: And in the first year of Darius the Mede, I took my stand to support and protect him.

a) This is a continuation of a sentence from the last sentence of Chapter 10.

b) The chapter breaks and verse numbers were added in the 11^th/12^th centuries, AD. The chapter break here is in the middle of a sentence. (Don't ask me why! ☺)

i) The date of Chapter 11 is about 534 BC.

c) To pick up where we left off, the angel Gabriel was explaining to Daniel "I was busy fighting with the satanic forces surrounding the Medo-Persian Empire.

i) This verse adds the fact that Gabriel has been fighting demonic spiritual forces since a previous king, who was Darius the Mede.

ii) The point is that the (arch)angel Michael is God's "top warrior" in charge of protecting Israel, even when they are in captivity.

9. Verse 2: "Now then, I tell you the truth: Three more kings will appear in Persia, and then a fourth, who will be far richer than all the others. When he has gained power by his wealth, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece.

a) Here we start the historical facts of Chapter 11.

b) To summarize, the angel Gabriel is telling Daniel "after the current king, there will be 3 more kings. The last guy will be the richest by far. This rich king, who of course, will not be satisfied with that, and he goes after the wealth of Greece.

c) One of the underlying themes to see in Chapter 11 is the "greed of man".

d) Chapter 11 reads like a daytime soap opera of people lusting for more power & riches.

e) The problem of course, is that no human desire can ever bring satisfaction. It is never enough. Whether it is riches, food, sex, power or whatever.

f) "There were actually four kings from the time Daniel speaks of until Xerxes, who shall stir up all against the realm of Greece; either the angel omits the current king (Cyrus), looking only to the future; or, he ignores king Smerdis (522-21 BC), because he ruled less than one year and was an imposter to the throne." David Guzik

g) Bible students know this 4th king as the same king who married Esther in the Book of Esther. His name is Xerxes or Ahasuerus, depending upon your bible translation.

i) History tells us that he was the richest of the Medo-Persian kings.

h) Verse 2 mentions that the king "stirs up" the Medo-Persians to attack Greece.

i) King Xerxes, not satisfied with the wealth he does have, raises a great army to attack Greece. Some estimate the army at close to, or over one million.

ii) Notice the greed of the current king. He was richer than all the previous kings, yet this was not enough to make him happy.

iii) God was "behind" all of this, as the Grecian Empire was the next great world empire, as we'll read in the next few verses.

10. Verse 3: Then a mighty king will appear, who will rule with great power and do as he pleases. ⁴ After he has appeared, his empire will be broken up and parceled out toward the four winds of heaven. It will not go to his descendants, nor will it have the power he exercised, because his empire will be uprooted and given to others.

a) About 100-150 years after King Xerxes attacked Greece, the Greeks eventually got their revenge and got out of being under the domain of the Medo-Persian Empire.

i) That was accomplished through Alexander the Great.

b) These verses are repeat a lot of what was taught in Chapter 8: This is about Alexander the Great, who lead the Grecian Army to a world conquest.

i) To summarize, in a 11-year time span, Alexander the Great conquered the known world. He then became depressed, as there were "no more worlds left to conquer". He died at the age of 32 after a drunken fit during his depression.

ii) Verse 4 says, "it will not go to his descendants". History taught us that all of his heirs to the thrown were killed. His 4 generals split the empire into 4 parts.

iii) For the next 400 years (roughly), the "surrounding world" was dominated by 4 "mini-Greek" Empires.

11. A couple of things before we move on that may help:

a) The remainder of the text only focuses on 2 of the 4 "Mini-Grecian" empires. To make it simple, I'll call them the empire to the South of Israel and the empire North of Israel.

i) What we have are two separate kingdom/dynasties from the Grecian Empire.

ii) They will spend the next 400 years feuding with each other.

iii) The problem is the territory and people of Israel lie in the middle of this feud.

a) This leads back to my Canada/Mexico illustration.

b) You may have noticed by now that a lot of text of Daniel focuses on the Medo-Persian Empire and the Greek Empire.

i) Both were future to Daniel, although Daniel did see the start of the Medo-Persian Empire during his lifetime.

ii) The reason for this focus is that both Empires, at one time tried to completely destroy the Nation of Israel.

a) During the time of King Ahasuerus (Xerxes), which was future to Daniel, was the story of Esther. For those who know the Book of Esther, the main story revolves around the Prime Minister under Ahasuerus devising a plot to kill all the Jews. The plot eventually fails.

b) In the latter verses of Chapter 11 we will read of another Greek king who will try to eliminate all Jews. His name is Antiochus IV. We'll get to him later in the chapter.

c) The point to remember is that God preserves his people despite Satan's attempt to completely destroy the nation.

d) The predictions about Antiochus IV are also a foreshadow of the Antichrist who will make a similar attempt in the end times.

12. Verse 5: "The king of the South will become strong, but one of his commanders will become even stronger than he and will rule his own kingdom with great power.

a) Here is the first reference to "the king of the South".

i) The kings of the North are known historically as the Seleucid dynasty.

ii) The kings the South are known historically as the Ptolemy dynasty.

iii) Don't worry, you don't have to memorize this. ☺

b) Just remember the "north" refers to north-of-Israel, and "south" refers to south-of-Israel. The "North" is centered in present-day Syria and "South" is centered in Egypt.

c) This verse mentions that one of his commanders will become stronger than the king. Historically, this was Seleucus I.

d) The descendants of the kings of the "North" and the "South" will spend the next 130 years fighting each other, with a "prize" being control over Israel.

i) Again, don't worry about the historical facts. Just think about this from Israel's perspective. Here are these warring factions battling for power and greed, and you have to suffer because you are stuck in the middle.

ii) One can see many Christian witnessing applications from that perspective.

iii) The only comfort you have during this time is that God warns you in advance all of this is going to happen. Using that knowledge, you can witness to these people and show how God will win in the end.

13. Verse 6: After some years, they will become allies. The daughter of the king of the South will go to the king of the North to make an alliance, but she will not retain her power, and he and his power will not last. In those days she will be handed over, together with her royal escort and her father and the one who supported her.

a) Back to the "soap opera". In order to stop the fighting, the South-king tells the North-king in effect: "Here, take my daughter as your wife, and that way we can unite the two fighting empires and bring an end to this.

b) The actual history does read like a soap opera:

i) The daughter to be given away in marriage is named Bernadice.

ii) The problem was the North-king already had a wife, named Laodice.

iii) She wasn't crazy about the idea of being put out of power to end the wars. ☺

iv) Laodice later poisons and kills Bernadice, the king and a baby by their marriage.

v) Laodice puts her son, Selecus II, on the throne.

c) The application to you and me is to see the tragedy when people turn their lives away from God. They think "we can bring world peace by using our own brains. All we have to do is arrange a marriage, a merger and everything will be good."

d) God's plans will stand over man's plans. God will not let evil kings plan's stand.

i) Raise the war cry, you nations, and be shattered! Listen, all you distant lands. Prepare for battle, and be shattered! Prepare for battle, and be shattered! Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted; propose your plan, but it will not stand, for God is with us." (Isaiah 8:9-10, NIV).

14. Meanwhile, back at the soap opera ☺ Verse 7: "One from her family line will arise to take her place. He will attack the forces of the king of the North and enter his fortress; he will fight against them and be victorious. ⁸He will also seize their gods, their metal images and their valuable articles of silver and gold and carry them off to Egypt. For some years he will leave the king of the North alone. ⁹Then the king of the North will invade the realm of the king of the South but will retreat to his own country.

a) Verse 7 says, "from her family line will arise to take her place".

i) The North king's ex-wife Laodice killed Bernadice. Bernadice's brother (Ptolemy III) was the next South king.

ii) To summarize the history of Verses 7-9: The South king attacks and defeats the North king. After the South king goes back to Egypt, the North king regains a lot of the Israel territory.

iii) Again, think of Israel stuck in the middle of all of this war.

b) Notice in Verse 8 the South king "steals" the gods of the north. What kind of "god" can be stolen? Is that kind of god worth worshipping?

i) Think of the people who make "shopping" their gods. (A god is anything you devote your life to as your primary interest. It is anything that becomes a substitute over worshipping the true God.) That kind of god can be stolen.

ii) Now think of the people who make power, or money or fame their gods. That to can be taken away by others.

iii) My point is that the history of man, in a lot of ways, doesn't change.

a) "History merely repeats itself. Nothing is truly new; it has all been done or said before. What can you point to that is new? How do you know it didn't exist long ages ago? We don't remember what happened in those former times, and in the future generations no one will remember what we have done back here." (Ecclesiastes 1:8b-11, The Living Bible)

15. Verse 10: His sons (South king) will prepare for war and assemble a great army, which will sweep on like an irresistible flood and carry the battle as far as his fortress.

a) "These were the two sons of Seleucus II, and were both successful generals; Seleucus III ruled only a short time and was succeeded by his brother." David Guzik.

16. Verse 11: "Then the king of the South will march out in a rage and fight against the king of the North, who will raise a large army, but it will be defeated. ¹² When the army is carried off, the king of the South will be filled with pride and will slaughter many thousands, yet he will not remain triumphant. ¹³ For the king of the North will muster another army, larger than the first; and after several years, he will advance with a huge army fully equipped.

a) To summarize, the war-feud between the North and South king continues. The South king wins this battle. The cost of this war is the death of many thousands.

b) I can't help thinking about what life must be like to live in these times.

i) Personally, I might try to vacate the territory and live elsewhere.

ii) It must take tremendous faith in God to still hang around Israel during times like this. This is where your faith is really tested.

c) I'm trying to work at a fairly fast pace through all these historical verses. Coming up in about 10-12 verses is the key application to this whole chapter. In the meantime, I'm going to continue skimming my way through history. ☺

17. Verse 14: "In those times many will rise against the king of the South. The violent men among your own people will rebel in fulfillment of the vision, but without success.

a) To summarize, the North king, after the last defeat, rebels and attacks the South king. Jews will join in the rebellion against the South king.

b) The mistake the Jews make was not so much trying to liberate Israel, but failing to be obedient to God.

c) God predicted well in advance all of this was going to happen, including this rebellion. I suspect the predictions of Daniel must have been well known during this time.

d) Even though disobedience to Daniel's predictions meant further war and suffering on Israel's part, it is no excuse to turn away from what God has said.

18. Verse 15: Then the king of the North will come and build up siege ramps and will capture a fortified city. The forces of the South will be powerless to resist; even their best troops will not have the strength to stand. ¹⁶ The invader (North-king) will do as he pleases; no one will be able to stand against him. He will establish himself in the Beautiful Land (Israel) and will have the power to destroy it.

a) Now it's the North's turn to rule over Israel. The North king captures one of the major cities of Egypt that belongs to the South king.

b) Verse 16 mentions how the North king will pillage Israel as well as Egypt.

19. Verse 17: He (North-king) will determine to come with the might of his entire kingdom and will make an alliance with the king of the South. And he will give him a daughter in marriage in order to overthrow the kingdom, but his plans will not succeed or help him.

a) Back to the soap opera: The North-king gives his daughter in marriage to the South king in order to bring peace.

i) The daughter's name is Cleopatra. She is the grandmother of the famous-Cleopatra who flirts with Mark Anthony and Julius Caesar of Rome.

ii) The problem is this Cleopatra disappoints her father by becoming loyal to her new husband (South king) instead of her father and the war continues.

iii) Boy, who needs daytime television when you have the Bible? ☺

20. Verse 18: Then he (North king) will turn his attention to the coastlands and will take many of them, but a commander will put an end to his insolence and will turn his insolence back upon him. ¹⁹ After this, he will turn back toward the fortresses of his own country but will stumble and fall, to be seen no more.

a) This north-king is Antiochus III.

b) The "commander will put an end to his insolence" is a reference to the Romans, who at this time were growing in power. In fact the Romans took Antiochus's second son as prisoner to Rome for two years. This north king must pay an annual tribute to Rome.

c) Verse 19 says, "turn back toward the fortresses of his county…will be seen no more"

i) In order to raise money for the tribute to Rome, Antiochus III plunders a local Babylonian temple, and was killed by local residents.

21. Verse 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.

a) Remember that the 2nd son of Antiochus III was taken prisoner by Rome.

i) The oldest son (Seleucus III) becomes king.

ii) This son tries to raise money by raiding the Jerusalem temple.

iii) History records he had an "angelic vision" warning him not to raid the temple and he listened to that message.

b) The verse says, "he will be destroyed, yet not in anger or in battle."

i) History records he was poisoned.

22. Verse 21: "He (North king) will be succeeded by a contemptible person who has not been given the honor of royalty. He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue.

a) From Verse 21 to the end of the chapter, the focus is primarily on one person. This is North king Antiochus IV.

i) A lot of verses are given about him as he tries to destroy Israel. All of these verses are given as a warning to Israel to watch out for this guy.

b) Verse 21 says, "he has not been given the honor of royalty".

i) Remember the "two brothers"? Antiochus IV kills the older one, and the younger one is still a prisoner in Rome. Antiochus seizes the throne.

ii) His career began about 175 BC.

c) Verse 21 says, "he will seize it through intrigue."

i) "He (Antiochus IV) legitimized his rule not through terror, but by flattery, smooth promises and intrigue." David Guzik

d) If you remember my lessons on Chapter 8, you will see some parallels.

i) Antiochus IV is a "type" of the coming Antichrist.

ii) One of the traits of the Antichrist is his smooth speech and great speaking abilities. The problem is he is not trustable.

e) There is a style of Bible prophecy where you mix short-term predictions with long-term predictions. Often the verses themselves cover both in one scope. Often, a paragraph will start with the short term, and expand into the long term.

i) "Patterns" are a style of Bible prophecy (predictions). A lot of what we read about Antiochus IV is a pattern of what to look for in the Antichrist.

a) This will become more obvious as we get into the last set of verses of Chapter 11 and Chapter 12 in the next lesson.

23. Verse 22: Then an overwhelming army will be swept away before him; both it and a prince of the covenant will be destroyed. ²³ After coming to an agreement with him, he will act deceitfully, and with only a few people he will rise to power.²⁴ When the richest provinces feel secure, he will invade them and will achieve what neither his fathers nor his forefathers did. He will distribute plunder, loot and wealth among his followers. He will plot the overthrow of fortresses-but only for a time.

a) These verses expand on Antiochus IV's rise to power.

b) Verse 22 describes how he will defeat a major army ("swept away before him").

i) Antiochus IV's defeats the current South king with a great victory.

c) Verse 22 says, "The prince of the covenant will be destroyed".

i) Don't read too much into that. Covenant just means "contract". It refers to the Israel high priest falling in defeat (politically) before this guy.

d) Verse 23 says, "he will act deceitfully".

i) History records that this North king makes "peace agreements" with his enemies, and then looks for opportunities to attack them when their guards are down. (Gee, doesn't that sound familiar? I could name some 20^th and 21st century dictators who fit that model!)

e) Verse 24 describes how this North king will rob and loot the rich of Israel and distribute it to his followers.

i) The hope for Israel in this period is the last part of the verse, where it says, "it is only for a time", meaning a short time.

f) For my readers who have a tough time with historical facts, hang in there! ☺ We are almost to the end of the historical part. The key verses for you and me are verses 33-35.

24. Verse 25: "With a large army he (North king) will stir up his strength and courage against the king of the South. The king of the South will wage war with a large and very powerful army, but he will not be able to stand because of the plots devised against him.

a) Historically, this refers to an invasion into Egypt by Antiochus in 170 BC.

b) The Southern King (Egypt) had a large army, but Antiochus had spies working for him within Egypt and defeats them. (Source: Bible Expositor's Encyclopedia)

25. Verse 26: Those who eat from the king's provisions will try to destroy him; his army will be swept away, and many will fall in battle.

a) "(This verse) probably refers to negotiations carried on by the two victors (Rome and North king) at the banquet table, apparently after the (South king) Physcon had been defeated and expelled from Egypt, with the help of Antiochus's troops."
(Source: Bible Expositor's Encyclopedia.)

26. Verse 27: The two kings, with their hearts bent on evil, will sit at the same table and lie to each other, but to no avail, because an end will still come at the appointed time.

a) The verse says the two kings "lie to each other" and "both have hearts bent on evil".

i) This refers to the Roman leader and the North king (Antiochus IV).

b) Personally, I find this verse funny. Picture two kings who don't trust each other. They probably both think of each other as "dirty rotten finks", to put it mildly. ☺

c) Both kings are evil and liars. Yet they try to work out a peace agreement, knowing that neither can be trusted.

i) It kind of reminds me of the cold war, when we tried to negotiate with Russia. Neither side trusted each other and most of the pacts were broken. The term "mutual verifiable" agreement was coined.

d) Notice the phrase "but to no avail, …an end will still come at the appointed time."

i) This means history is working on God's timetable, not mans.

ii) The "peace plans" they make will come to no avail, as God decides when "an end" will come to all of these wars.

e) Historically, the Romans ended up defeating the north king and demand that he pay tribute to Rome. From that point forward, the North king took his orders from Rome.

27. Verse 28: The king of the North will return to his own country with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant. He will take action against it and then return to his own country.

a) The North king won a major battle, and returns home with great wealth. Like any desire of man, it is of course, never enough. Plus he had to pay tribute to Rome. Therefore, he plunders Israel again on the way back north.

b) The term "holy covenant" refers to the contract relationship between God and Israel. Remember the big-picture-here is God answering Daniel's prayer about Israel's future.

c) The North king now" sets his heart and his greed against Israel.

i) This ties back to the last lesson about demonic forces working against Israel.

ii) You can almost hear Satan whisper to the North king, "Hey, great victory over the South. Nothing can stop you know. But you know, those Jews still refuse to bow down to you. They could rebel against you. You better go after them as well on the way back."

28. Verse 29: "At the appointed time he will invade the South again, but this time the outcome will be different from what it was before. ³⁰ Ships of the western coastlands will oppose him, and he will lose heart. Then he will turn back and vent his fury against the holy covenant. He will return and show favor to those who forsake the holy covenant.

a) Here is the history. After some time, the North king invades the South again. This time the South wins, with the help of Rome.

b) There is a famous story here of the Roman general embarrassing the North king. The Roman general draws a circle in the sand around the North king and tells him to make up his mind about paying tribute to Rome before leaving the circle.

i) In the anger and embarrassment of the North king, he plunders Israel again on the way back home. That is what is meant by the prophecy of Verse 30.

29. Verse 31: "His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation. ³² With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him.

a) Remember that we are talking about the North king Antiochus IV.

b) Coming back from the defeat in Egypt (South), he takes out his anger on Israel.

i) Not only does he defeat Israel, he tries to embarrass the Jewish faith:

ii) 1. He demands that the animal sacrifices in the Jewish Temple be stopped.

iii) 2. He puts a Greek god statue in the Temple.

iv) 3. He slaughters a pig on the Jewish Temple altar to the Greek God.

v) 4. He attempts outlaws the Jewish religion. He bans scripture reading.

c) Notice the phrase "abomination that causes desolation" in Verse 31.

i) Historically, it refers to this historical incident here, as it refers to the abomination of God's temple.

ii) It has a double-fulfillment as Jesus told his disciples "when you see, (future) the abomination that causes desolation…(Matthew 24:15, et.al.). Jesus made that statement roughly 200 years after this event.

a) This supports the argument that another desecration of the Temple will be done by the Antichrist in the end-times.

30. OK everybody, end of the history lesson. Time to wrap up the lesson with some key verses. This means pay attention. ☺ Verse 33: Those who are wise will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered.

a) Notice we are no longer talking about the kings of the North and South.

b) These 3 verses are not only history filled predictions, but applications to you and me.

c) First, lets start with the historical fulfillment:

i) The Jews revolted against Antiochus IV and for a time, regained control of the temple. Jews to this day celebrate that event via the holiday of "Hanukkah"

ii) If you have a Catholic Bible, the story is told in the books of Maccabees I and II.

iii) As I mentioned a few lessons ago, the Book of Maccabees is considered historically accurate, simply not God-inspired by the Jews or Protestants.

d) Let's look our life in light of Verse 33: "Those who are wise will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered."

i) Here were the Jews, stuck for centuries between two warring factions.

ii) All they could do is point out to them the prophecy of Daniel and which of their plans will succeed and which will fail.

iii) Unfortunately, being a truth-bearer can cause pain, and often your life.

iv) Notice God does not reward the faithful with long life and blessing.

a) For many Christians, this is a similar prediction.

b) Here is what Jesus said to the church of Smyrna: "Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested…Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. (Revelation 2:10, NKJV)

c) Through the centuries, God has called many Jews in the Old Testament and many Christians for the past 2,000 years to be martyrs for their faith as a testimony to others.

d) This is a case where we have to respect God's authority. God's plans are greater than ours. Often God calls us to suffer greatly for the greater good of the growth of the Gospel. It doesn't mean one should try to be a martyr. It is simply what God has ordained many Christians to be.

31. Verse 34: When they fall (sincere believers in God), they will receive a little help, and many who are not sincere will join them.

a) This verse lists two basic facts that have repeated themselves through history.

i) The first is that only a minority of the population will be true followers of God. That was always true through Israel's history. This has always been true through Christian history among Christian nations.

a) In the parable of the "four types of seeds", (see Matthew 13:3-9), only one of the four types of seed bears fruit. It may be a rough analogy that only one out of four people who hear the gospel "get it".

ii) The second fact of this verse warns against insincere people "joining" those who are sincere. One of Satan's strategies has always been to infiltrate the church with false-teachers. The New Testament is filled with warnings about this. Here is one example:

a) "Beware of false teachers who come disguised as harmless sheep, but are wolves and will tear you apart." (Matthew 7:15, TLB)

32. Verse 35: "Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time."

a) The big question: Why did God allow the Jews to suffer for so long as a pawn between two large powers? Your answer is Verse 35.

b) God allowed this to help the Israelites grow in maturity in their relationship with God.

c) Think about this from our perspective. This is a drastic way to get people's attention!

i) It would be much better to say, read the Bible and say, Lord, I'd personally rather avoid this situation, learn from history and be obedient as that is what you called me to do.

ii) The Bible was written for our learning. So that when we go through our suffering, our hardships and we cry out to God "Why?!", the answer is given in Verse 35. God allows hardships, yes even at the price of death of believers for His greater glory and the growth of the church. Read the verse again and notice the "benefits" from God's perspective of going through these trials.

a) Need more examples? Think of the missionaries who have died to pave the way to open the Gospel to new territories.

b) Think of those who witnessed to say, the Romans during their persecution of the church, to the Roman Catholic Church in the Middle Ages when they persecuted Protestants, to the Chinese today when Christianity is not permitted.

iii) The history of the church has shown it has thrived during times of persecution.

iv) Let's face it, when things are going well, how often do we turn to God for dependence, as opposed to when things are going bad?

33. Next week, I'll wrap up Daniel. The last verses tie in with Chapter 12, and we'll take it all as one lesson. Sorry I ran long this week. This lesson is now "history". ☺

34. Let's pray: Father, First of all, we are grateful that you have given us your Word for our learning. We are grateful for all the martyrs who have paved the way to allow us the freedom to worship you. May we ever be grateful for that privilege. We thank you for these lessons on trust during times of hardship. Help us to remember that all of history has been fore-ordained by you and you know all things. May our life, and yes, even our death be a glory to you in all things. For we ask this in Jesus name, Amen.