Daniel 11: The
Perfect Portrait
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Let's pray together:
Our Father,
As we continue our quest in the fascinating word of Bible prophecy, we are continually
amazed at how precisely You have foretold the great upheavals of history, even centuries
in advance!
We humbly ask You to guide us once again, as we take up another passage of the precious
Word You have given us.
In Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen.
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Daniel 10:1
In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message was
revealed to Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar.
The message was true, but the appointed time was long; and he understood the message.
Before taking up the prophecy of Daniel 11, let's look at the context.
The year was 536 B.C., 15 years after the vision of Daniel 8. Babylon had fallen into the
hands of the Medo-Persian Empire three years before.
Having gained the confidence of the new king, Daniel remained counsellor at court.
Aged 90, the old prophet received his last vision, the last but not the least!
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Daniel 10:9,10
I was in a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the
ground. Then, suddenly, a hand touched me, which made me tremble on my knees.
Daniel 8:16,18
«Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.» (...)
Now, as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep with my face to the ground; but he
touched me, and stood me upright.
Daniel was stunned before this impressive vision.
But, just as previously, the angel Gabriel was sent to give him back his strength.
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Daniel 10:11,14
«O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words
that I speak to you. (...)
Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days,
for the vision refers to many days yet to come.»
Gabriel was just about to give Daniel an astonishingly precise vision
concerning the kingdoms to come.
But let's carefully note that the events revealed concern «what
will happen to your people». So the vision takes an interest only in the nations
whose actions will affect the people of God, in one way or another.
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Daniel 10:1; 11:1
In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message was
revealed to Daniel. (...)
Also in the first year of Darius the Mede, I, even I, stood up to confirm and strengthen
him.
In addition to Cyrus II the Great, king of the Medo-Persian Empire, the
prophecy makes a reference to Darius the Mede, who was governor of Babylon within this
same empire.
Daniel was counsellor to Darius, who sadly sent him to the lion's den, a story with a
happy ending (please read Daniel chapter 6 for more details).
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Daniel 11:2
And now I will tell you the truth: behold, three more
kings will arise in Persia.
As foretold, three more kings arose after Cyrus II the Great:
1. Cambyses II, who reigned from 530 B.C. to 522 B.C.;
2. The False Smerdis, known as Bardiya, brother of Cambyses II. He
usurped his throne, but reigned only for six months in 522 B.C.;
3. Darius I, son of Hystapes, who reigned from 522 B.C. to 486 B.C.
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Daniel 11:2
The fourth shall be far richer than them all.
Esther 1:1,4
In the days of Ahasuerus (this was the Ahasuerus who
reigned from India to Ethiopia, over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces) (...).
He showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the splendor of his excellent majesty for
many days, one hundred and eighty days in all.
As foretold, the fourth king, Xerxes I, also called Ahasuerus, son of Darius I,
was incredibly rich.
He reigned from 486 B.C. to 465 B.C.
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Daniel 11:2
The fourth [king] shall be far richer than them all; by
his strength, through his riches, he shall stir up all against the realm of Greece.
Greece remained the only significant area in the eastern Mediterranean outside
the Persian domination.
Xerxes laid plans to conquer it: according to the historian Herodotus, more than 40
nations furnished troops for Xerxes' army.
Two battles were held: in the Bay of Salamis, in 480 B.C., the Greeks sank the Persian
fleet; then at Plataea, in 479 B.C., Xerxes was decisively defeated when he lost his land
forces.
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Daniel 11:3
Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great
dominion, and do according to his will.
Daniel 7:6
There was another, like a leopard, which had on its back
four wings of a bird.
The beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.
Then, at the head of the Greek Empire, Alexander the Great overcame the
Medo-Persian Empire.
As in the prophecy of Daniel chapter 7, the word «dominion»
is attributed to him.
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Daniel 11:4
And when he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken up
and divided toward the four winds of heaven.
Daniel 8:8
Therefore the male goat grew very great; but when he
became strong, the large horn was broken, and in place of it four notable ones came up
toward the four winds of heaven.
Alexander died at the age of 32, giving way to his four generals: Lysimachus,
Cassander, Ptolemy and Seleucus (see the previous lesson «The Ram and the Goat»).
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Daniel 11:4
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.
Daniel 8:22
As for the broken horn and the four that stood up in its
place, four kingdoms shall arise out of that nation, but not with its power.
The parallel with Daniel 8 is perfect: both prophecies notice that the division
into four parts would contribute to the weakening of the Greek Empire.
Moreover, the prophecy of Daniel chapter 11 specifies that the kingdom of Alexander the
Great would not be divided «among his posterity»: in fact,
his generals were the ones who inherited the kingdom.
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Daniel 11:5
Then 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.
Daniel 11:5-15 then focuses on the wars between
the two kingdoms emerging from the Greek Empire.
The two enemy clans were:
- the North, represented by the dynasty of
the Seleucids, ruling over Syria;
- and the South, represented by the
dynasty of the Ptolemies, ruling over Egypt.
The conflict began with the very generals of Alexander the Great: Ptolemy I Soter
dominated first, but afterwards, Seleucus I Nicator became the most powerful.
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Daniel 11:6
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.
To establish peace, Antiochus II Theos, king of Syria (North), grandson of
Seleucus I Nicator, repudiated his first wife Laodice, and married Berenice, a daughter of
the king of Egypt (South), Ptolemy II Philadelphus, in 252 B.C.
But, unfortunately for Berenice, things turned out badly...
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Daniel 11:6
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.
Antiochus II and Ptolemy II both died in 246 B.C., making the agreement
meaningless.
Laodice then came back, and had Berenice and her son murdered, thus giving back the throne
to her own son, Seleucus II Callinicus.
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Daniel 11:7,8
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.
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.
Ptolemy III Euergetes, brother of Berenice, avenged his sister by overcoming
Seleucus II Callinicus in 241 B.C.
He also brought back to Egypt some 2500 gold and silver idols.
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Daniel 11:8,9
Then the king of the North shall come to the kingdom of
the king of the South, but shall return to his own land.
Satisfied, Ptolemy III Euergetes (South) never again attacked the Seleucids
(North).
But the latter did not forget: Seleucus II Callinicus re-established himself in Syria, and
tried to attack Egypt in 240 B.C. But he suffered a bitter defeat, as his land forces and
his fleet were completely destroyed.
Hurt and empty-handed, he «returned to his own land».
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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.
Seleucus III Ceraunus Soter and Antiochus III the Great, sons of Seleucus II,
decided to avenge their father.
Antiochus III the Great took the matter in hand. First, he recaptured the port of Antioch.
Then, he set out upon a systematic campaign to conquer Palestine from his rival, Ptolemy
IV Philopator, during which time he penetrated Transjordan.
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Daniel 11:11,12
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.
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.
Ptolemy IV (South) counter-attacked and defeated Antiochus III (North) at
Raphia, in Palestine, in 217 B.C., killing more than 10,000 enemies.
But resting on his laurels, he didn't see that a reprisal was being prepared...
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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.
16 years later, in 201 B.C., Antiochus III the Great (North) took advantage of
the weakness of Egypt, ruled at that time by Ptolemy V Epiphanes, a boy under ten years of
age.
He attacked him and took back Syria and Palestine, pushing on his conquests as far as the
limits of India.
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Daniel 11:14
And in those times many shall rise up against the king of
the South; also certain violent men of your people shall exalt themselves in fulfillment
of the vision, but they shall fall.
Vulnerable, the young Ptolemy V had to face at the same time Antiochus III and
his associate Philip of Macedon, the current successor to Cassander, as well as the
Egyptians, who were rebelling against their Greek overlords.
Taking advantage of this conflict between Syria and Egypt, some fanatic Jews tried to
break free from the foreign dominion, but failed.
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Daniel 11:15
So the king of the North shall come and build a siege
mound, and take a fortified city; and the forces of the South shall not withstand him.
Even his choice troops shall have no strength to resist.
Seeing the threat over Ptolemy V Epiphanes, Rome, who had had the guardianship
of the young king since he was 5, forbade Antiochus III the Great to come back into Egypt.
However, the latter did not take this warning seriously, and seized two fortified cities:
Gaza, in 201 B.C., and Sidon, in 198 B.C.
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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.
Daniel 8:9
And out of one of them came a little horn which grew
exceedingly great (...) toward the Glorious Land.
But Rome retaliated, and overcame Antiochus III in 191 B.C.
Afterwards, Rome, at the battle of Pydna, in 168 B.C., crushed the last traces of
independence in the Greek Empire.
Then, in 64 B.C., Roman general Pompey invaded Palestine, «the
Glorious Land».
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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.
Rome continued its conquests under the command of Julius Caesar.
Cleopatra VII, daughter of the king of Egypt Ptolemy XII Auletes Philadelphus, became the
mistress of Julius Caesar, but the latter never married her.
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Daniel 11:18,19
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.
Then he shall turn his face toward the fortress of his own land; but he shall stumble and
fall, and not be found.
After having conquered many isles of the north coast of Africa and of Asia
Minor, Julius Caesar returned to Rome, where he was proclaimed dictator in 46 B.C.
But his close relatives, led by Brutus, his adopted son, and Cassius, were plotting
against him, and murdered him in 44 B.C.
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Daniel 11:20
There shall arise in his place one who imposes taxes on
the glorious kingdom; but within a few days he shall be destroyed, but not in anger or in
battle.
The great-nephew of Julius Caesar, Octavius, succeeded him, thus becoming
Caesar Augustus.
Under his reign, Rome knew its greatest hours of glory.
Just as foretold, he died peacefully in his bed at the age of 76, in A.D. 14, «not in anger or in battle».
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Daniel 11:20
There shall arise in his place one who imposes taxes on
the glorious kingdom.
Luke 2:1
And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out
from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.
Just as foretold, Caesar Augustus was at the origin of a universal tax system.
This is why a census was organized at the time of Jesus' birth, as reported in the Gospel
according to Luke.
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Daniel 11:21
And in his place shall arise a vile person, to whom they
will not give the honor of royalty; but he shall come in peaceably, and seize the kingdom
by intrigue.
Caesar Augustus founded the official position of Roman emperor.
Because of that, the word «augustus» soon became synonymous with «emperor», and every
Roman emperor was afterwards known as an «Augustus».
This succession of emperors finally gave way to another type of rulers, described here as «a vile person», without «the honor of
royalty».
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Daniel 11:21
And in his place shall arise a vile person, to whom they
will not give the honor of royalty; but he shall come in peaceably, and seize the kingdom
by intrigue.
In fact, from verse 21 to the end of chapter 11, the prophecy looks into the
actions of this «vile person», who is also called «the king of the North».
Who is this king of the North? This will be the subject of a future lesson.
But before ending this lesson, let's look at a few extracts of these last verses of Daniel 11.
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Daniel 11:25,40,41,44
He shall stir up his power and his courage against the
king of the South with a great army. (...)
The king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen,
and with many ships. (...)
He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown. (...)
He shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many.
The story of the king of the North is marked by the number and the violence of
the wars he made against his various enemies.
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Daniel 11:23,32,36,37
And after the league is made with him he shall act
deceitfully, for he shall come up and become strong with a small number of people. (...)
Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery. (...)
He shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the
God of gods. (...)
[He shall not] regard any god; for he shall magnify himself above them all.
Here are two other main traits of the king of the North: his hypocrisy, by
which his power grew, and his great arrogance.
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Daniel 11:28,30-33
His heart shall be moved against the holy covenant; so he
shall do damage. (...)
He shall (...) return in rage against the holy covenant, and do damage. (...)
And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress. (...)
But the people who know their God shall be strong. (...) Yet for many days they shall fall
by sword and flame, by captivity and plundering.
And the last major clue: the main target of the attacks of the king of the
North is God's people, faithful to His Word and His will.
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Matthew 7:8
He who seeks finds.
Although the identity of the king of the North will be revealed only in a
future lesson, it is possible to seek right now to find who he is.
A little research with a good history book will quickly answer this question.
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Daniel 10:1,21
A message was revealed to Daniel, whose name was called
Belteshazzar.
The message was true, but the appointed time was long; and he understood the message.
(...)
«I will tell you what is noted in the Scripture of Truth.»
The truthfulness of the prophecy of Daniel 11 is asserted twice: «the message was true...», «what is noted
in the Scripture of Truth».
Until today, this prophecy has been rigorously accurate.
What does the future hold for us? Just like Daniel, let's all «understand
the message».
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Let's end this lesson with a prayer:
Lord, our God,
The prophecy of Daniel 11 greatly amazes us by its astonishing accuracy.
The complete fulfillment in history of the foretold events calls us to give heed to what
You announce for today.
Through Your Holy Spirit and Your inspired Word, please help us to properly prepare
ourselves for the time of the end and for the return of Your Son Jesus Christ.
In His precious name we pray.
Amen.
Source of the Pictures of this Lesson
Screen 1: In: «Photo Gallery 5,000 volume 2» by Media
Graphics International, 005_132.JPG. Screen 2: BERNINI, Gianlorenzo.
«Daniel» (1650). Santa Maria del Populo, Rome. In: «The Bible in Art» (WRIGHT, Susan),
Todtri Productions Limited, New York, 1996, p.53. Screen 3: STEEL, John.
In: «God Cares, vol.1» (MAXWELL, C.Mervyn), Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1981,
p.266. Table of Screen 3: First picture: In: «Revelation Seminars»,
Seminars Unlimited, 1986, lesson #2 («L'Etoile du drame de l'Apocalypse»), p.1. Picture
edited by Cyberspace Ministry. Second picture: In: «Revelation Seminars», Seminars
Unlimited, 1986, lesson #2 («L'Etoile du drame de l'Apocalypse»), p.1. Screen 4:
DROST, Willem. «The Vision of Daniel» (1650), Gemäldegalerie, Berlin. From the
Web site: http://sunsite.auc.dk/cgfa/d/p-drost1.htm Screen 5: COLLINS,
Fred. In: «The Bible Story, volume 6» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Pacific Press Publishing
Association, 1955, p.62. Picture edited by Cyberspace Ministry. Screen 6: HARLAN,
Russell. In: «The Bible Story, volume 6» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Pacific Press Publishing
Association, 1955, p.76. Screen 7: «Darius I». Photo from the Web site:
http://www.avesta.org/op/op.htm Screen 8: MUELLER, Carl. In: «The Living
Bible Encyclopedia in Story and Pictures, volume 5», New York, H.S. Stuttman Co. Inc.,
1968, p.632-c. Screen 9: Photo Hirmer, Munich. British Museum, London. In:
«Histoire Mondiale des Guerres», Librairie Plon, 1965, p.71. Screen 10: «Alexander
the Great». In: «Battles of the World», Compton's Home Library, 1996. Screen
11: Photo Hirmer, Munich. Villa Giulia Museum, Rome. In: «Histoire Mondiale des
Guerres», Librairie Plon, 1965, p.102,103. Screen 12: In: «Histoire
Mondiale des Guerres», Librairie Plon, 1965, p.118. Screen 13: Photo
Walbert Feigelmann, Paris. Louvre Museum. In: «Histoire Mondiale des Guerres», Librairie
Plon, 1965, p.97. Screen 14: Photo Hirmer, Munich. Staatl,
Antikensammlungen, Munich. In: «Histoire Mondiale des Guerres», Librairie Plon, 1965,
p.123. Screen 15: Relief, Tarente, South Italy. Fletcher Fund 1929,
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. In: «Art et Archéologie de la Grèce» (PEDLEY,
John Griffiths), Prentice Hall, 1999, p.276,277. Screen 16: In:
«Histoire du Monde: Volume 2 - La Grèce Antique» (STEFFENSEN, J.-L.), Les Éditions
Maisonneuve, 1967, p.137. Screen 17: In: «Histoire du Monde: Volume 2 -
La Grèce Antique» (STEFFENSEN, J.-L.), Les Éditions Maisonneuve, 1967, p.157.
Screen 18: Photo Hassia, Paris. Châtillon-sur-Seine Museum. In: «Histoire
Mondiale des Guerres», Librairie Plon, 1965, p.98,99. Screen 19: STEEL,
John. In: «God Cares, volume 1» (MAXWELL, C.Mervyn), Pacific Press Publishing
Association, 1981, p.289. Screen 20: In: «Histoire du Monde: Volume 2 -
La Grèce Antique» (STEFFENSEN, J.-L.), Les Éditions Maisonneuve, 1967, p.152.
Screen 21: Photo Ektachromes Simone Lacouture, Paris. Cairo Museum. In:
«Histoire Mondiale des Guerres», Librairie Plon, 1965, p.38. Screen 22: In:
«Histoire du Monde: Volume 2 - La Grèce Antique» (STEFFENSEN, J.-L.), Les Éditions
Maisonneuve, 1967, p.129. Screen 23: Photo Georges Goldner, Paris. Louvre
Museum. In: «Histoire Mondiale des Guerres», Librairie Plon, 1965, p.180. Screen
24: ALMA-TADEMA, Sir Lawrence. «Antony and Cleopatra» (1883). Picture from the
Web site: http://cgfa.kelloggcreek.com/alma/p-alma7.htm Screen 25: RUBENS,
Pierre-Paul. «Julius Caesar» (1625). Picture from the Web site:
http://arts.adelaide.edu.au/person/DHart/Images/WarArt/Rubens/JuliusCaesar1625.JPG
Screen 26: Photo by ROSS, John G. «Augustus». Vatican Museum, Rome. «Chronique
des Empereurs Romains» (SCARRE, Chris), Casterman, 1995, p.2. Screen 27: RUDEEN,
Herbert. In: «The Bible Story, volume 7» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Pacific Press Publishing
Association, 1956, p.28. Screen 28: In: «Histoire du Monde: Volume 4 -
Byzance et le Christianisme» (LINDQUIST, W.), Les Éditions Maisonneuve, 1967, p.334.
Screen 29: In: «Histoire du Monde: Volume 4 - Byzance et le Christianisme»
(LINDQUIST, W.), Les Éditions Maisonneuve, 1967, p.334. Screen 30: HECK,
J.G. From: «Complete Encyclopedia of Illustration». In: «Awake» magazine (October 8,
1997), Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, p.12. Screen 31: DI BANCO,
Nanni. Orsanmichele, Florence. In: «La Peinture de la Renaissance Italienne» (BECK,
James H.), Editions Könemann, 1999, p.40. Screen 32: In: «Histoire du
Monde: Volume 8 - Réformes et Explorations» (STEFFENSEN, J.-L.), Les Éditions
Maisonneuve, 1967, p.733. Screen 33: In: «Revelation Seminars»,
Seminars Unlimited, French Version, 1986, lesson #21 («La Babylone Mystique - la
Courtisane»), p.4. Screen 34: SCHLAIKJER, Jes. In: «Votre Bible et
Vous» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Press Publishing Association, p.193. Screen 35: In:
«Photo Gallery 5,000 volume 2» by Media Graphics International, 014_146.JPG.
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The test of Lesson 19 is waiting for you!