Sermon - Daniel 11:2-20 - History unfolding - Littleby Baptist Church - September 6, 2020
As we continue to wind down in the book of Daniel, we are focusing on the fourth and final apocalyptic vision given to Daniel by God. This fourth vision digs into the same events found in chapter eight but in a lot more detail. It also gives a look at the events that bridged the gap between the giving of this vision and when they take place.
The angel told Daniel that he was treasured by God and that he came in direct answer to Daniel’s prayers. That would be very humbling, but he also told Daniel that he would have been there twenty-one days earlier but the ‘prince of Persia’, a demon, was preventing him from coming to Daniel. It took intervention of the angel Michael to allow the angel to get through. A reminder that our battle is not fought between us humans, it is fought by angels and demons. We join the fight in prayer.
We are going to pick up were we left off.
Daniel 11:2
“2 Now I will tell you the truth. “Three more kings will arise in Persia, and the fourth will be far richer than the others. By the power he gains through his riches, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece.”
The angel is giving Daniel some information of the next four kings to rule over Persia, excluding Darius who is in charge today. Nothing much is said about the first three who are Cambyses, Pseudo-Smerdis, and Darius I Hystaspes.
The fourth though is someone who we learn about in the book of Esther. King Xerxes, who is known as Ahasuerus in Esther, he was the richest and most powerful of the four kings mentioned in this verse. He used his resources to fight battle after battle against Greece and eventually lost in 480 BC.
Daniel 11:3
“3 Then a warrior king will arise; he will rule a vast realm and do whatever he wants.”
When Greece defeated the Mede and Persian Empire, the warrior king Alexander the Great rose to rule and there was no stopping him. This is one of those times in history that ties to multiple prophesies. Here we are looking at the fourth vision which is an expansion of the second vision, but it also is a point of history that ties to the first vision of the four beasts. As the Mede and Persian empire passed away and Alexander stepped forward as king, the second of the four beasts was no more and the third beast, the leopard with four wings and four heads came to the forefront. Alexander was also the prominent horn of the goat, that showed the strength that he had been given. If we look back even further, the rise of Greece was foretold with the bronze stomach and thighs in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. These are just the prophecies that are mentioned in Daniel, there are more.
Daniel 11:4
“4 But as soon as he is established, his kingdom will be broken up and divided to the four winds of heaven, but not to his descendants; it will not be the same kingdom that he ruled, because his kingdom will be uprooted and will go to others besides them.”
As we have seen in the second vision, Alexander’s kingdom will grow rapidly and be broken into four new kingdoms with his early demise. The four heads of the third beast and the four horns that replace the prominent horn on the goat, all show that God foretold that Macedonia or Greece was going to be divided into four different kingdoms after the demise of a great and powerful leader.
Daniel 11:5
“5 “The king of the South will grow powerful, but one of his commanders will grow more powerful and will rule a kingdom greater than his.”
Two of Alexander’s generals will become kings of two of the kingdoms. The king of the south will rule over Egypt, the other commander or king took over Babylon. They Babylon king was attacked by a third commander, who was defeated. The king of Babylon was triumphant and grew in strength and added Media and Syria to his territory. The king of Babylon is greater than the king of Egypt, called the king of the South in this verse.
Daniel 11:6
“6 After some years they will form an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the South will go to the king of the North to seal the agreement. She will not retain power, and his strength will not endure. She will be given up, together with her entourage, her father, and the one who supported her during those times.”
Looking at history this is a soap opera worthy brutal love triangle, the 250 BC version. The daughter of the king of Egypt marries the king of Syria to try to bring peace to their nations, something we see in history and movies all the time. Problem was that the king of Syria had divorced his previous wife and she eventually got revenge by killing the king of Egypt’s daughter and her escort, poisoned her ex-husband, and then placed her son as the king of Syria.
In that same year, the king of Egypt died.
Daniel 11:7-8
“7 In the place of the king of the South, one from her family will rise up, come against the army, and enter the fortress of the king of the North. He will take action against them and triumph. 8 He will take even their gods captive to Egypt, with their metal images and their precious articles of silver and gold. For some years he will stay away from the king of the North,”
The king of Egypt’s son took the throne after his father’s death and set out to avenge his sister. His attack was successful, his sister was avenged, and the spoils of war were his. It is believed he attempted to rule Syria, but due to issues at home he could not give it the attention that was needed and lost control of Syria to the son of the woman who killed his sister.
Daniel 11:9
“9 who will enter the kingdom of the king of the South and then return to his own land.”
After being defeated the king of Syria tried to invade Egypt to regain some semblance of his dignity and to take back any of the spoils of war that had been taken. He was unsuccessful and returned home.
Daniel 11:10
“10 “His sons will mobilize for war and assemble a large number of armed forces. They will advance, sweeping through like a flood, and will again wage war as far as his fortress.”
The sons of the king of Syria, or the king of the North, will rise up after his death and will strengthen their army and once again attacked Egypt or the kingdom of the South. They were successful in driving Egypt back to the borders of Israel.
Daniel 11:11-12
“11 Infuriated, the king of the South will march out to fight with the king of the North, who will raise a large army, but they will be handed over to his enemy. 12 When the army is carried off, he will become arrogant and cause tens of thousands to fall, but he will not triumph.”
The king of Egypt regroups and marches out to fight the king of Syria. This time the king of Egypt will be successful in winning the battle. History tells us that, rebellions arose at home and he had to go back to Egypt to try and hold onto what control he had.
Daniel 11:13
“13 The king of the North will again raise a multitude larger than the first. After some years he will advance with a great army and many supplies.”
Around the year 200 BC, the king of Syria once again gathers an army to attack Egypt. This army is significantly larger than the last and he was successful in re-taking southern Syria, Samaria, and Judea.
Daniel 11:14
“14 “In those times many will rise up against the king of the South. Violent ones among your own people will assert themselves to fulfill a vision, but they will fail.”
The angel is letting Daniel know that this will not be a fun time for the region with Egypt facing enemy after enemy. He even states that Daniel’s own people will join the battles against Egypt, perhaps in hopes of earning some form of independence from Egypt and Syria, but they were not successful.
Daniel 11:15-16
“15 Then the king of the North will come, build up a siege ramp, and capture a well-fortified city. The forces of the South will not stand; even their select troops will not be able to resist. 16 The king of the North who comes against him will do whatever he wants, and no one can oppose him. He will establish himself in the beautiful land with total destruction in his hand.”
Antiochus III is the king of the North at this time and he is successful with his onslaught of Egypt. The Egyptians were outnumbered and weak and could not stand against the Syrians. Antiochus III did as he pleased and controlled the ‘beautiful land’ which was Judea.
Daniel 11:17
“17 He will resolve to come with the force of his whole kingdom and will reach an agreement with him. He will give him a daughter in marriage to destroy it, but she will not stand with him or support him.”
King Antiochus saw the threat of Rome growing and instead of spending his troops and money on a continuing battle with Egypt he offered his daughter, Cleopatra I, to the king of Egypt. A marriage treaty was established, but his daughter sided with Egypt and ruled it after her husband passed until her son took the throne in 181 BC. This is Cleopatra the I, the one we learn about in history class is Cleopatra VII born 122 years later.
Daniel 11:18-19
“18 Then he will turn his attention to the coasts and islands and capture many. But a commander will put an end to his taunting; instead, he will turn his taunts against him. 19 He will turn his attention back to the fortresses of his own land, but he will stumble, fall, and be no more.”
Realizing that his daughter stood against him in the South, Antiochus III turned to the islands of the west. A Roman commander stood in his path and turned Antiochus back towards home. Antiochus III dreamed of rebuilding Alexander’s kingdom and while he tried and the kingdom saw growth, he fell short. He died at home as a Roman vasal, ruling Syria for Rome.
Daniel 11:20
“20 “In his place one will arise who will send out a tax collector for the glory of the kingdom; but within a few days he will be broken, though not in anger or in battle.”
Antiochus’ son ruled in his place and taxed the people heavily to pay Rome but was eventually poisoned and died in 176 BC.
The angel visited Daniel in 536 BC, and here we have seen how the prophecy played out over the next 360 years. Not wanting to sound like a broken record, but these words are proof to us that God knows all things. He had the angel tell Daniel what would happen, and it did. That should give us the confidence we need to trust in every word written in the Bible. It is the only Truth we can truly count on.
Psalm 119:105
“Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.”
Prophecies show us the future and show us that God’s Word is true and accurate. We need to let His Word Guide our steps. The world is getting darker and the time of our Lord’s return is coming. Dig into God’s Word. Let the Word of God change you. Let it open your eyes to the truth of what is happening around us.
Let the Word of God be a lamp for your feet and a light for your path.
God Bless,
Robert
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