Daniel 11:17-33 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Daniel 11:17-33. Let’s go!
Daniel 11:17 (NIV)
17 He 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.
On verse 17: Just as verse 17 predicts, in 195 B.C. the “king of the North” Antiochus III of Syria tries to gain additional control of Egypt by giving his daughter, Cleopatra, to the “king of the South” Ptolemy V of Egypt. Antiochus’ real intent was that Cleopatra could spy on the Egyptian king Ptolemy and give Syria an upper hand. However, Cleopatra refused, for she truly loved Ptolemy V.
Daniel 11:18-19 (NIV)
18 Then he 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.
On verses 18-19: Verses 18-19 predict the demise of King Antiochus III of Syria.
Daniel 11:20 (NIV)
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.
On verse 20: Verse 20 describes the successor to King Antiochus III of Syria, who is his son Seleucus IV Philopator. Apparently Seleucus sent a man called Heliodorus to collect taxes on his behalf. This “tax collector” would ultimately poison Seleucus, hoping to take the throne himself.
Daniel 11:21 (NIV)
21 “He 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.
On verse 21: Seleucus’ successor to the Syrian throne should have been his son Demetrius, but while Demetrius was held hostage in Rome, Seleucus’ brother Antiochus IV assumes the throne. Antiochus IV is that “contemptible person” who did not take the throne by rightful succession, since he had “not been given the honour of royalty” (v21); rather Antiochus IV “seized it through intrigue” (v21). He took on the name Antiochus IV Epiphanes because Epiphanes means “illustrious one”, though people nicknamed him Epimanes (meaning “madman”). Scholars believe that Antiochus IV is also the “little horn” described in Daniel 8:9-12, 23-25. Many scholars further believe that Antiochus IV foreshadows the Antichrist to come.
Daniel 11:22-32 (NIV)
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.
25 “With a large army he 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
On verses 22-33: Verses 22-33 describe how Antiochus IV was bent on military conquest, defeating the king of the South (Egypt), and destroying the Jews (his heart being “set against the holy covenant” – v28). In all three of these missions Antiochus IV would experience some success, but only for “an appointed time” (v27, 29). The fact that the words “appointed time” are repeated in this passage teach us an important lesson: though an individual may enjoy power and prosperity, they can only do so within the time and the boundaries that God has set for them.
As Acts 17:26-27 says: “From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.”
What can we learn from all this? We might consider ourselves the captain of our own fate and the decider of our own destiny, but in the end, our entire existence – how long we live, how much power we have and where we can exercise it – is all in God’s hands. As the Psalmist says, “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” (Psalm 139:16) Like the two kings in verse 27, we can think ourselves so clever and crafty, but no matter how much a person strategizes and plans their way in life, God’s plans will ultimately prevail.
So always stay humble knowing that in the end God is the only true king and sovereign, to whom we must all give an account for the way we lived out the days that were given to us.
Father, You are the One who sets out the times and places where we would live. Everything is in Your hands. I pray that with the time You’ve entrusted to me, I would be a faithful servant, humble enough to realize that You are the only true sovereign and its Your plans that will prevail. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
