The Prophecies of Daniel - Part 6
Where were we? Oh yeah, wrapping up the book of Daniel. His final vision. And it covers the last three chapters in the book. Fortunately Daniel took the time to organize and place the chapter breaks in his writing. Strange though, he put the break between the 10th and 11th chapter in the wrong place. We’ll see that later though. I encourage everyone to read through the last three chapters before reading my commentary. Even if it is quickly reading to get the context. Read that, and a comprehensive world history book, and you should be set for the final vision.
Chapter 10 is a great lesson on Angelology and Prayer. Remember that Daniel is pleading and longing for God to reveal to him what will be the outcome for his people and his city. The Jews and the city of Jerusalem. We first learn in this chapter about when this vision occurs. Daniel is now a very old man. I can’t remember exactly as I sit here typing, but I believe it is well into his eighties, even close to ninety. We are around 536 BC. Daniel has been in Babylon for just over 70 years. He also tells us that the vision described things well into the future for Daniel as he says the vision’s “appointed time was long” as we read in the NKJV. Before he gets to the vision, Daniel also tells us that he was very disturbed for three whole weeks.
I have heard some people commentate that the man Daniel sees is God, or Jesus himself because of the similarities to the description that John gives of Jesus in the opening to the Revelation. But I believe we learn later in this chapter that this is an angel and not God.
7 I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; the men with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves. 8 So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. 9 Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground.
Notice that everyone took off and ran. Daniel is an important person, even in the new administration of the Persian Empire that overtook Babylon, so he probably had the secret service detail with him. The angel shows up and they all take off. Just keep this in mind the next time that you and I are strolling through the forest. I don’t have to outrun the bear…I just have to outrun you! He was 90 years old, and they left him to fend for himself. BTW, if you think that you are going to give Jesus, or even the angel guarding the gates a piece of your mind when you meet your maker, take a good look at the reaction of people when they come face to face with an angel. Not even just Daniel here, but throughout the Bible. Better get straight with God while you are here, because you definitely won’t be calling the shots in the afterlife. You will have no choice but to fall on your face.
Now look at this next section, starting in the middle of verse 12:
Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. 13 But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. 14 Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come."
Notice that it took him 3 weeks to get there. He heard Daniel’s prayer right when he said it. Do if you ever have that feeling that God is just not listening, keep in mind that there is a battle going on in heaven. I’m pretty convinced that the angel is not talking about the actual king, but about the king of the demons watching over Persia. Remember Ephesians 6 tells us that:
12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
It is your prayers that unleash the battle in the heavens. You know, I’ve gotten the urge to go back and read the Peretti books (Piercing the Darkness, and This Present Darkness) after taking some time to study this chapter in Daniel. They fought for 21 days! The angel was bringing a message to Daniel. This must be an important message that the forces of evil doesn’t want to get out. The angel says that the vision concerns a time yet to come. Do you think that bible prophecy is important? THEY FOUGHT FOR 21 DAYS! And they had to break out the big guns. That’s right, when the going gets tough, time to call on Michael. At the end of this chapter I find that it is nice to know that Michael is the prince that watches over the Jewish people.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 3For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
How do we fight something like this if the real battle is between angels and demons? We know of the cute childhood pictures of the armor of God. Shield of Faith. Breastplate of Righteousness. Etc. What is the offensive weapon? The Sword of the Spirit. What is the sword? God’s Word. We need to have it by our side all the time.
Just like a soldier in battle we need to know how to handle the weapon. We also need to pray and get the angels fighting on our side as well. He hears the prayers the moment they come into your mind, and even before that.
Now to Chapter 11:
Here is where you need to have the history book. This prophecy is all future to Daniel. Most of it is history to us. But not all of it. How could Daniel prophecy, with 100% accuracy, about things that were going to happen 200, 300 years in the future? How? Our God is an awesome God. And He is who he says He is, because He does what He says he is going to do. And He is not bound by time as we know it. He has seen the beginning from the end. This is a tough chapter if you are not a world history major. So I thought I would just copy the chapter and put some comments in bold. Do some Wikipedia research on these for yourself to expand upon these notes just to see how awesome our God is. Think of how specific in detail this chapter is. At the end of the chapter, Daniel is giving specifics that will be over 2500 years from the time he was writing. Forgive the spellings of the names as I am typing from memory and don’t have the material in front of me.
1 And in the first year of Darius the Mede, I took my stand to support and protect him. (This verse belongs in chapter 10. Re-read the last few verses of chapter 10 with this one with the thought of battles in the heavenly realms.)
The Kings of the South and the North
2 "Now then, I tell you the truth: Three more kings will appear in Persia (Cambyses, Pseudo Smerdis, Darius Hepstases), and then a fourth, who will be far richer than all the others (Xerxes, known to be the wealthiest – he married Ester – remember that story). When he has gained power by his wealth, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece. 3 Then a mighty king will appear, who will rule with great power and do as he pleases (Alexander the Great). 4 After he has appeared, his empire will be broken up and parceled out toward the four winds of heaven (Ptolemy, Seleucus, Cassander, Lysimecus). 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.
5 "The king of the South (Ptolemy Sotor - Egypt) will become strong, but one of his commanders will become even stronger than he and will rule his own kingdom with great power. 6 After some years, they will become allies. The daughter (Bernice) of the king of the South will go to the king of the North (Seleucus Nicator – Syria/Babylon) 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. (Leodecia killed Bernice and her family, and gave the empire to her son Seleucus II after her husband dumped Leodecia for Bernice)
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. 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. (Bernice’s brother, Ptolemy III – avenges her death)
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. 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. 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.
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. (north and south continued to fight. We see people like Cleopatra and Mark Anthony. And then we meet someone we’ve seen before that Daniel spends a little more time on…Antiochus IV Epiphanies)
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. 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. (He taxed everyone heavily and then distributed it to his cohorts. Think of it as Chicago style politics, oops, did I write that)
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. (They made a peace treaty, but both were lying about it. Antiochus IV went back and regrouped for another attack that was to come only 2 years later) 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. (the king of Egypt was also lying and made a deal with the Romans. The Roman legions were waiting for Antiochus when he returned. Their general, Papilious, told Antiochus that he could leave and live or stay and die. When Antiochus asked for time to think about it, Papilious drew a circle in the sand around Antiochus and told him to take all the time he needed, but he could not leave the circle before deciding. After being humiliated, Antiochus was ticked off and he took it out on the Jewish people. Read the first book of Macabees to see just how vile a person this man was. He killed women, children, all the priests. Sacrificed pigs on the altar. Put up a statue of Zeus with his own head in the temple. This was the abomination that causes desolation that occurred in 168 BC)
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. 34 When they fall, they will receive a little help, and many who are not sincere will join them. 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. (And now we jump to the future. This is not the same man Daniel is talking about because Antiochus would not even fight the Romans when he wanted to destroy Egypt. Antiochus was defeated by Judas Macabees and the Jewish rebellion in 165 BC. Antiochus did not fulfill the prophecies of the following verses. They have not even happened to date. They are future. We discussed in the previous weeks that Antiochus was a ‘type’ of the Antichrist and the end of chapter 11 is about the Antichrist himself)
The King Who Exalts Himself
36 "The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods (one world religion). He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take place (7 years has been determined, the 70th week of Daniel). 37 He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers (God of Heaven) or for the one desired by women (This does not mean he is homosexual, Daniel is speaking of Jesus the Messiah. Every Jewish girl wanted to fulfill Genesis 3:15 and bring the Messiah), nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above them all. 38 Instead of them, he will honor a god of fortresses; a god unknown to his fathers he will honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. 39 He will attack the mightiest fortresses with the help of a foreign god and will greatly honor those who acknowledge him. He will make them rulers over many people and will distribute the land at a price. (Military strength will rule, and it is speaking of Satan here)
(Here comes the Battle of Armageddon) 40 "At the time of the end the king of the South will engage him in battle, and the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood. 41 He will also invade the Beautiful Land. Many countries will fall, but Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon (this is Jordan – Ever notice that Jordan is shaped a little like an angel, with a square wing J. This is the area that the Jewish remnant flees to for the final 3-1/2 years. Remember Jesus’ Olivet Discourse. He tells them to run when they see the abomination that causes desolation) will be delivered from his hand. 42 He will extend his power over many countries; Egypt will not escape. 43 He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, with the Libyans and Nubians in submission. 44 But reports from the east (translated ‘the land of the rising sun’) and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in a great rage to destroy and annihilate many. 45 He will pitch his royal tents between the seas at the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.
(At the time of the end that this last section speaks of is the 70th week of Daniel which begins when the Antichrist makes a 7 year treaty with Israel. And if Antichrist makes a treaty with Israel, and everybody hates Israel, the nations of the world will battle the Antichrist who has set up his throne in Jerusalem)
God was 100% accurate with verses 1 through 35. Is there any reason to think that he won’t be 100% accurate with the rest of the chapter? Or is there any reason to think that God would let Daniel know what was to become of the Jewish people and the city of Jerusalem for the first 35 verses, but then disregard the nation Israel for the end of the age that we find ourselves in right now? Is there any reason to think that the fist 35 verses were so accurate and specific in detail, and the end of the chapter is figurative or symbolic? I don’t think so.
Now to Chapter 12:
I like this chapter. It’s short and sweet and puts Daniel is his place. And the angel is saying these things to someone much more holy then myself. When the chapter starts off with ‘At that time’ we have to think what time? Well going back to chapter 11 we know that Daniel is speaking of the time of the end when the Antichrist is running amuck. Jesus said in Matthew 24: 21For then there will be great tribulation, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. 22If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. Daniel is speaking here of that same time.
1 "At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. 2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. (Sometime I will have an email that is in regard to the Great White Throne Judgment) 3 Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. (Let your light shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father who is in heaven) 4 But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge." (This passage means that the Jewish people, armed with all the knowledge of history will have a better understanding of the end times when they return to their land and see the information in the right context. People at that time would have no idea what Daniel was talking about. They can’t see the valleys between the mountain peaks)
5 Then I, Daniel, looked, and there before me stood two others, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank. 6 One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, "How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?"
7 The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, "It will be for a time, times and half a time. (this means 3-1/2 years) When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed."
8 I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, "My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?"
9 He replied, "Go your way, Daniel, because the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end. 10 Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand. (Narrow is the path that leads to righteousness)
11 "From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12 Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days. (What do these time periods mean? Well I’m going to tell you…next week…to build the suspense. Or just scroll down.)
13 "As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance."
No Idea what that means. 1290 days? 1335 days? 1260 days is the length of the great tribulation. Where do the extra 30 and 75 days come from? Who knows. Some things are for God to know and for us to find out. Deut. 29:29 tells us: 29 The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.
We can’t see the last little bit. Imagine how Daniel felt in looking at what he was writing. God told him to keep doing what he was supposed to be doing. Keep working for the Lord and let Him work the rest out in time. Don’t worry about the others. Just work on following God and the others God will deal with them in due time. If we know God as our personal savior, we’ll be there standing with Daniel at the end. Even Job, writing thousands of years before Christ even walked this earth said this:
25 I know that my Redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.
26 And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God;
27 I myself will see him
with my own eyes—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!
It was a long time away for Daniel. It is not long for us. It is right around the corner. All the pieces are in place and the signs are everywhere. Keep looking up!
Jesus says in Revelation 22:12 12"Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. 13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
Well, I hope you enjoyed the study in Daniel as much as I did. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments. We will start a new study in a few weeks. God Bless.
Mike
Chapter 10 is a great lesson on Angelology and Prayer. Remember that Daniel is pleading and longing for God to reveal to him what will be the outcome for his people and his city. The Jews and the city of Jerusalem. We first learn in this chapter about when this vision occurs. Daniel is now a very old man. I can’t remember exactly as I sit here typing, but I believe it is well into his eighties, even close to ninety. We are around 536 BC. Daniel has been in Babylon for just over 70 years. He also tells us that the vision described things well into the future for Daniel as he says the vision’s “appointed time was long” as we read in the NKJV. Before he gets to the vision, Daniel also tells us that he was very disturbed for three whole weeks.
I have heard some people commentate that the man Daniel sees is God, or Jesus himself because of the similarities to the description that John gives of Jesus in the opening to the Revelation. But I believe we learn later in this chapter that this is an angel and not God.
7 I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; the men with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves. 8 So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. 9 Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground.
Notice that everyone took off and ran. Daniel is an important person, even in the new administration of the Persian Empire that overtook Babylon, so he probably had the secret service detail with him. The angel shows up and they all take off. Just keep this in mind the next time that you and I are strolling through the forest. I don’t have to outrun the bear…I just have to outrun you! He was 90 years old, and they left him to fend for himself. BTW, if you think that you are going to give Jesus, or even the angel guarding the gates a piece of your mind when you meet your maker, take a good look at the reaction of people when they come face to face with an angel. Not even just Daniel here, but throughout the Bible. Better get straight with God while you are here, because you definitely won’t be calling the shots in the afterlife. You will have no choice but to fall on your face.
Now look at this next section, starting in the middle of verse 12:
Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. 13 But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. 14 Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come."
Notice that it took him 3 weeks to get there. He heard Daniel’s prayer right when he said it. Do if you ever have that feeling that God is just not listening, keep in mind that there is a battle going on in heaven. I’m pretty convinced that the angel is not talking about the actual king, but about the king of the demons watching over Persia. Remember Ephesians 6 tells us that:
12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
It is your prayers that unleash the battle in the heavens. You know, I’ve gotten the urge to go back and read the Peretti books (Piercing the Darkness, and This Present Darkness) after taking some time to study this chapter in Daniel. They fought for 21 days! The angel was bringing a message to Daniel. This must be an important message that the forces of evil doesn’t want to get out. The angel says that the vision concerns a time yet to come. Do you think that bible prophecy is important? THEY FOUGHT FOR 21 DAYS! And they had to break out the big guns. That’s right, when the going gets tough, time to call on Michael. At the end of this chapter I find that it is nice to know that Michael is the prince that watches over the Jewish people.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 3For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
How do we fight something like this if the real battle is between angels and demons? We know of the cute childhood pictures of the armor of God. Shield of Faith. Breastplate of Righteousness. Etc. What is the offensive weapon? The Sword of the Spirit. What is the sword? God’s Word. We need to have it by our side all the time.
Just like a soldier in battle we need to know how to handle the weapon. We also need to pray and get the angels fighting on our side as well. He hears the prayers the moment they come into your mind, and even before that.
Now to Chapter 11:
Here is where you need to have the history book. This prophecy is all future to Daniel. Most of it is history to us. But not all of it. How could Daniel prophecy, with 100% accuracy, about things that were going to happen 200, 300 years in the future? How? Our God is an awesome God. And He is who he says He is, because He does what He says he is going to do. And He is not bound by time as we know it. He has seen the beginning from the end. This is a tough chapter if you are not a world history major. So I thought I would just copy the chapter and put some comments in bold. Do some Wikipedia research on these for yourself to expand upon these notes just to see how awesome our God is. Think of how specific in detail this chapter is. At the end of the chapter, Daniel is giving specifics that will be over 2500 years from the time he was writing. Forgive the spellings of the names as I am typing from memory and don’t have the material in front of me.
1 And in the first year of Darius the Mede, I took my stand to support and protect him. (This verse belongs in chapter 10. Re-read the last few verses of chapter 10 with this one with the thought of battles in the heavenly realms.)
The Kings of the South and the North
2 "Now then, I tell you the truth: Three more kings will appear in Persia (Cambyses, Pseudo Smerdis, Darius Hepstases), and then a fourth, who will be far richer than all the others (Xerxes, known to be the wealthiest – he married Ester – remember that story). When he has gained power by his wealth, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece. 3 Then a mighty king will appear, who will rule with great power and do as he pleases (Alexander the Great). 4 After he has appeared, his empire will be broken up and parceled out toward the four winds of heaven (Ptolemy, Seleucus, Cassander, Lysimecus). 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.
5 "The king of the South (Ptolemy Sotor - Egypt) will become strong, but one of his commanders will become even stronger than he and will rule his own kingdom with great power. 6 After some years, they will become allies. The daughter (Bernice) of the king of the South will go to the king of the North (Seleucus Nicator – Syria/Babylon) 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. (Leodecia killed Bernice and her family, and gave the empire to her son Seleucus II after her husband dumped Leodecia for Bernice)
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. 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. (Bernice’s brother, Ptolemy III – avenges her death)
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. 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. 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.
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. (north and south continued to fight. We see people like Cleopatra and Mark Anthony. And then we meet someone we’ve seen before that Daniel spends a little more time on…Antiochus IV Epiphanies)
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. 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. (He taxed everyone heavily and then distributed it to his cohorts. Think of it as Chicago style politics, oops, did I write that)
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. (They made a peace treaty, but both were lying about it. Antiochus IV went back and regrouped for another attack that was to come only 2 years later) 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. (the king of Egypt was also lying and made a deal with the Romans. The Roman legions were waiting for Antiochus when he returned. Their general, Papilious, told Antiochus that he could leave and live or stay and die. When Antiochus asked for time to think about it, Papilious drew a circle in the sand around Antiochus and told him to take all the time he needed, but he could not leave the circle before deciding. After being humiliated, Antiochus was ticked off and he took it out on the Jewish people. Read the first book of Macabees to see just how vile a person this man was. He killed women, children, all the priests. Sacrificed pigs on the altar. Put up a statue of Zeus with his own head in the temple. This was the abomination that causes desolation that occurred in 168 BC)
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. 34 When they fall, they will receive a little help, and many who are not sincere will join them. 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. (And now we jump to the future. This is not the same man Daniel is talking about because Antiochus would not even fight the Romans when he wanted to destroy Egypt. Antiochus was defeated by Judas Macabees and the Jewish rebellion in 165 BC. Antiochus did not fulfill the prophecies of the following verses. They have not even happened to date. They are future. We discussed in the previous weeks that Antiochus was a ‘type’ of the Antichrist and the end of chapter 11 is about the Antichrist himself)
The King Who Exalts Himself
36 "The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods (one world religion). He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take place (7 years has been determined, the 70th week of Daniel). 37 He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers (God of Heaven) or for the one desired by women (This does not mean he is homosexual, Daniel is speaking of Jesus the Messiah. Every Jewish girl wanted to fulfill Genesis 3:15 and bring the Messiah), nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above them all. 38 Instead of them, he will honor a god of fortresses; a god unknown to his fathers he will honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. 39 He will attack the mightiest fortresses with the help of a foreign god and will greatly honor those who acknowledge him. He will make them rulers over many people and will distribute the land at a price. (Military strength will rule, and it is speaking of Satan here)
(Here comes the Battle of Armageddon) 40 "At the time of the end the king of the South will engage him in battle, and the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood. 41 He will also invade the Beautiful Land. Many countries will fall, but Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon (this is Jordan – Ever notice that Jordan is shaped a little like an angel, with a square wing J. This is the area that the Jewish remnant flees to for the final 3-1/2 years. Remember Jesus’ Olivet Discourse. He tells them to run when they see the abomination that causes desolation) will be delivered from his hand. 42 He will extend his power over many countries; Egypt will not escape. 43 He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, with the Libyans and Nubians in submission. 44 But reports from the east (translated ‘the land of the rising sun’) and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in a great rage to destroy and annihilate many. 45 He will pitch his royal tents between the seas at the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.
(At the time of the end that this last section speaks of is the 70th week of Daniel which begins when the Antichrist makes a 7 year treaty with Israel. And if Antichrist makes a treaty with Israel, and everybody hates Israel, the nations of the world will battle the Antichrist who has set up his throne in Jerusalem)
God was 100% accurate with verses 1 through 35. Is there any reason to think that he won’t be 100% accurate with the rest of the chapter? Or is there any reason to think that God would let Daniel know what was to become of the Jewish people and the city of Jerusalem for the first 35 verses, but then disregard the nation Israel for the end of the age that we find ourselves in right now? Is there any reason to think that the fist 35 verses were so accurate and specific in detail, and the end of the chapter is figurative or symbolic? I don’t think so.
Now to Chapter 12:
I like this chapter. It’s short and sweet and puts Daniel is his place. And the angel is saying these things to someone much more holy then myself. When the chapter starts off with ‘At that time’ we have to think what time? Well going back to chapter 11 we know that Daniel is speaking of the time of the end when the Antichrist is running amuck. Jesus said in Matthew 24: 21For then there will be great tribulation, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. 22If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. Daniel is speaking here of that same time.
1 "At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. 2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. (Sometime I will have an email that is in regard to the Great White Throne Judgment) 3 Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. (Let your light shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father who is in heaven) 4 But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge." (This passage means that the Jewish people, armed with all the knowledge of history will have a better understanding of the end times when they return to their land and see the information in the right context. People at that time would have no idea what Daniel was talking about. They can’t see the valleys between the mountain peaks)
5 Then I, Daniel, looked, and there before me stood two others, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank. 6 One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, "How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?"
7 The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, "It will be for a time, times and half a time. (this means 3-1/2 years) When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed."
8 I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, "My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?"
9 He replied, "Go your way, Daniel, because the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end. 10 Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand. (Narrow is the path that leads to righteousness)
11 "From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12 Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days. (What do these time periods mean? Well I’m going to tell you…next week…to build the suspense. Or just scroll down.)
13 "As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance."
No Idea what that means. 1290 days? 1335 days? 1260 days is the length of the great tribulation. Where do the extra 30 and 75 days come from? Who knows. Some things are for God to know and for us to find out. Deut. 29:29 tells us: 29 The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.
We can’t see the last little bit. Imagine how Daniel felt in looking at what he was writing. God told him to keep doing what he was supposed to be doing. Keep working for the Lord and let Him work the rest out in time. Don’t worry about the others. Just work on following God and the others God will deal with them in due time. If we know God as our personal savior, we’ll be there standing with Daniel at the end. Even Job, writing thousands of years before Christ even walked this earth said this:
25 I know that my Redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.
26 And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God;
27 I myself will see him
with my own eyes—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!
It was a long time away for Daniel. It is not long for us. It is right around the corner. All the pieces are in place and the signs are everywhere. Keep looking up!
Jesus says in Revelation 22:12 12"Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. 13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
Well, I hope you enjoyed the study in Daniel as much as I did. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments. We will start a new study in a few weeks. God Bless.
Mike
posted by blogawakening at 8:09 PM
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