Daniel 11:1-16 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Daniel 11:1-16, but for completeness of thought we’ll start from Daniel 10:20. Let’s go!
Daniel 10:20-11:1 (NIV)
20 So he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece will come;
21 but first I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. (No one supports me against them except Michael, your prince.
1 And in the first year of Darius the Mede, I took my stand to support and protect him.)
On Daniel 10:20-11:1: Notice that the chief angel Michael helps this other angel (some scholars believe it is Gabriel) in his fight against the Prince of Persia (v21). In turn, this angel helps Michael in his fight. There is cooperation in the kingdom of God, even among angels. The kingdom of God thrives on teamwork.
Daniel 11:2 (NIV)
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.
On verse 2: Reading Daniel 11 might sound like reading a script from Game of Thrones. However, keep in mind that the angel is telling Daniel about actual historical events years, decades and even centuries before they took place (see Daniel 10:14).
First, the angel tells Daniel that after the current King Cyrus, three more kings would rule Persia, followed by a fourth king who would be far richer and who would lead Persia in opposing Greece. Historians have found that Cyrus (550-530 B.C.) was indeed succeeded by the following three kings: (1) Cambyses, Cyrus’ son (530 to 522 B.C.); (2) Pseudo-Smerdis, also known as Bardiya (522 B.C.); and (3) Darius I Hystaspes (521 B.C. to 486 B.C.) After them would come a fourth king, Xerxes (485 B.C. to 465 B.C.), who devoted much of his time, energy and resources warring with Greece. (Xerxes is also a principal character in the book of Esther.)
Daniel 11:3 (NIV)
3 Then a mighty king will appear, who will rule with great power and do as he pleases.
On verse 3: Many scholars agree that this mighty king from Greece is Alexander the Great, a prolific military conqueror who ruled one of the largest empires of the ancient world only to die in 323 B.C. at the young age of 32 years old.
Daniel 11:4 (NIV)
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.
On verse 4: Verse 4 predicts that this mighty king from Greece would not give his kingdom to his descendants; rather his kingdom would be broken up and parceled out in four directions. Likewise, Alexander the Great died without an heir and so his empire was divided into four regions to be governed by four different rulers.
Daniel 11:5 (NIV)
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.
On verse 5: Many scholars agree that this “king of the South” is Ptolemy I Soter, who was one of Alexander the Great’s generals and who became ruler of Egypt in approximately 323 B.C. As for that commander who would become the even more powerful “king of the North”, scholars identify him to be Seleucus I Nicator, another general under Alexander, who would end up ruling in Syria, a larger territory than Ptolemy I Soter’s, to the north of Israel.
Daniel 11:6 (NIV)
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.
On verse 6: Ptolemy’s son Ptolemy II and Seleucus’ grandson Antiochus II would end up taking over “the South” (Egypt) and “the North” (Syria) respectively. Though enemies at first, they would eventually become allies when Antiochus II of the North marries Ptolemy II’s daughter Berenice of the South. However, this power couple would not last as Berenice and Antiochus II would be killed by Antiochus’ ex-wife Laodice.
Daniel 11:7-8 (NIV)
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.
8 He 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.
On verses 7-8: Eventually the South would get their revenge on the North when Berenice’s brother Ptolemy III (246-221 B.C.) becomes king of the South (Egypt), defeats the North (Syria) and puts Laodice to death.
Daniel 11:9-16 (NIV)
9 Then the king of the North will invade the realm of the king of the South but will retreat to his own country.
10 His sons 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.
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.
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.
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 will do as he pleases; no one will be able to stand against him. He will establish himself in the Beautiful Land and will have the power to destroy it.
On verses 9-16: The angel describes how after a back and forth struggle between the South (Egypt) and the North (Syria), the North prevails, with Antiochus III leading the North against Ptolemy IV of the South. Antiochus III of the North (Syria) would eventually even take over Palestine, which in verse 16 is called the “Beautiful Land”.
What can we learn from all this? To think that the year is approximately 547 B.C. (the third year of Cyrus King of Persia – Daniel 10:1) and the angel is telling Daniel about events that are happening over the next 300-400 years with such remarkable detail and specificity. In other words, before all this was history, it was prophecy.
What’s a lesson for us here?
(1) God holds all of time and human history in His hands. He is truly “El Shaddai”, the one who is absolute in power, who stands outside of time and space and sees all of human history in one glance. He is writing a greater story with it all.
(2) God is the one true king. All other kings and their kingdoms will come and go, but the one king who will reign forever is the LORD.
Father, You hold all of time and human history in Your hands. Every king who is mentioned in Daniel 11 had their time in the sun, but Your Son has already outlasted their reigns hundreds of times over. There is no king like You, Jesus. I worship You for being the only King who will reign forever. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
