Daniel 11:1, 2: Also I in the first year of Darius the Mede, even I, stood to confirm and to strengthen him. And now will I shew thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia.
In this chapter, there are no symbols or figures to confuse us. As simply as one man could describe something to another, the angel tells Daniel the news of events coming in world history.
The angel Gabriel helped King Darius in his reign. "The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water; He turneth it whithersoever He will" (Proverbs 21:1). The Lord sends His angels today to help the rulers of the world who strive to preserve peace so that the work of God can prosper unhindered.
The three kings who "stood up" or reigned in Persia were: Cambyses, son of Cyrus, Smerdis, and Darius Hystaspes. The fourth was Xerxes, richer than them all. It was he who foolishly stirred up war against the young and vigorous kingdom of Greece.
Only the most important events are brought to our attention in this prophecy. Often hundreds of years intervene between verses. We view world history as one standing on a high peak looks over a range of hills and mountains, discerning through the haze only the tops of the hills lifted above the fog, the valleys hidden from his view. The next verse skips over the nine descendants of Xerxes, and introduces us to Alexander the Great:
Daniel 11:3, 4: And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will. And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven; and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he ruled: for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those.
Alexander "did according to his will." Man's will always leads him into trouble (see Isaiah 57:17). Alexander's will led him into alcoholism. He died suddenly in 323 B.C., leaving his Grecian kingdom to those who would fight for it. His son, or "posterity," received no crown. In a short time his entire family had been murdered. Of what value were his riches and glory?
Four kingdoms emerged out of the wars and wreckage: Cassander, Lysimachus, Seleucus, and Ptolemy. Two of them, the king of the territory north of Palestine and the king of the territory south of Palestine, become the important "kings" who star in this drama. This geographical designation early in the vision seems to define throughout the chapter the identity of the kings of the "north" and the "south," if we keep in mind "the law of first mention":
Daniel 11:5, 6: And the king of the south shall be strong, and one of his princes; and he shall be strong above him, and have dominion, his dominion shall be a great dominion. And in the end of years they shall join themselves together; for the king's daughter of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement: but she shall not retain the power of the arm; neither shall he stand, nor his arm: but she shall be given up and they that brought her, and he that begat her, and he that strengthened her in these times.
Cassander and Lysimachus at first ruled over the west and north, but fell before Seleucus, who then became the "king of the north." In the meantime, Ptolemy of Egypt is known as "the king of the south." These two kingdoms fight on for centuries, and they re-appear at the end of the chapter.
The only way we can reasonably understand this chapter is to identify the "king of the north" as that power which rules or occupies the territory which had been the northern area of Alexander's kingdom, and the "king of the south" is that power which ruled or occupied the part that was the southern area. Dynasties and families, kings and rulers, may change; political powers may be replaced by others; centuries may go by, but the land territories remain the same.
Ptolemy Philadelphus of Egypt (the "king of the south") made an agreement with Antiochus Theos of Syria ("the king of the north") to give him his daughter Berenice in marriage, requiring Antiochus to put away his first wife, Laodice. The motive was to unite the two warring royal families.
But it seems God never blesses adultery. "She shall not retain the power of the arm." The trick to cement their friendship failed. Laodice finally poisoned her husband, Berenice herself was murdered, "and they that brought her" were slain with her, including her son. Do adulterous unions often end in disaster?
Daniel 11:7-9: But out of a branch of her roots shall one stand up in his estate, which shall come with an army, and shall enter into the fortress of the king of the north, and shall deal against them, and shall prevail: and shall also carry captives into Egypt their gods, with their princes, and with their precious vessels of silver and of gold; and he shall continue more years than the king of the north. So the king of the south shall come into his kingdom, and shall return into his own land.
The "branch out of her roots" was her own brother, Ptolemy Eurgetes. When he came to the throne he immediately led an army to the territory of the "north" to avenge the murder of his sister, crushed his enemies, and raided the wealth of his captives. The spoil he carried back to Egypt. The mention of "Egypt" makes certain that we are to understand that country to be the "king of the south." By analogy, our understanding of "the king of the north" is confirmed.
Daniel 11:10, 11: But his sons shall be stirred up, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces: and one shall certainly come, and overflow, and pass through: then shall he return, and be stirred up, even to his fortress. And the king of the south shall be moved with choler, and shall come forth and fight with him, even with the king of the north: and he shall set forth a great multitude; but the multitude shall be given into his hand.
Hatred and revenge dominated the world. Seleucus' sons determined to avenge the conquest of their father's kingdom, and prepared to invade Egypt, re-conquering their father's kingdom on the way.
Naturally, Ptolemy Philopater of Egypt was furious at this new attack, and went forth to battle. Again Egypt emerged victorious in arms, at the Battle of Raphia in 217 B.C.
Daniel 11:12, 13: And when he hath taken away the multitude, his heart shall be lifted up: and he shall cast down many ten thousands: but he shall not be strengthened by it. For the king of the north shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former, and shall certainly come after certain years with a great army and with much riches.
Ptolemy, not knowing God nor understanding the pride of his human heart, gloried in his victory. "Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall" (1 Corinthians 10:12). He had crushed mighty armies; but his own passions and lusts crushed him in turn. Disgusted with their shamefully lewd ruler, his own subjects rebelled against him. He began a heartless persecution of the Jews. He died by destroying himself, leaving his infant son, Ptolemy Epiphanes, to the throne.
He was joined by "many" who stood up against Egypt, including king Philip of Macedon who proposed to divide Egypt's kingdom among other kings. Egypt's day of glory now comes to an end.
Daniel 11:14-16: And in those times there shall many stand up against the king of the south: also the robbers of thy people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision; but they shall fall. So the king of the north shall come, and cast up a mount, and take the most fenced cities: and the arms of the south shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, neither shall there be any strength to withstand. But he that cometh against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him: and he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed.
"The robbers of thy people" in the Hebrew is "the breakers" or "oppressors of thy people [the Jews]." "The vision" here is chazon, referring us back to Daniel's vision of "the little horn" (8:11, 12). It was indeed at this time that the Romans began to "exalt themselves" toward becoming a world empire. But the angel encourages God's people, as if to say, Don't be dismayed, the time must come when "they shall fall." Look to the end—those who oppose God's truth will not prosper forever.
By this time, Egypt had come under the protection of the Romans. Antiochus, "the king of the north," aided by Philip of Macedon, had determined to wrest all of Egypt's territory from Ptolemy, the infant king. The Romans warned him to let Egypt alone, but he refused to listen. He overran Palestine and began to harass Egypt's possessions in Asia Minor. A second and a third time the Romans warned him to desist, but he plunged on in his war of conquest. Even the well-fortified cities of Gaza and Sidon (the "most fenced cities") finally surrendered to his might. When Antiochus invaded Greece itself in 197 B.C., the Romans were at last compelled to fight him, and defeated him at Magnesia. Antiochus fled back to Syria, like a dog with his tail between his legs. He was forced to accept humiliating terms of surrender offered by the Romans.
In this way the Romans are the new power introduced as "he that cometh against him" and he that "shall do according to his own will." The Romans entered the "glorious land" of Palestine in 161 B. C. conquering it in 63 B.C.
Year by year, Rome is growing in power. Now she has already conquered Macedon and Thrace, Syria and Judea. Now all that remains of Alexander's proud kingdom is "the king of the south," Egypt. Rome must now conquer that kingdom also.
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, corrupting her: but she shall not stand on his side, neither be for him.
A very beautiful woman, Cleopatra, "the daughter of women," played a prominent part in giving Egypt to Rome. Her father had been king of Egypt. Before he died in 51 B.C., he decreed that the crown of Egypt and its rulership should be left to his son and daughter to share jointly between them. He also specified that until the two children were old enough to reign, he would place them under the guardianship of the Romans.
But the two soon began to quarrel, for the elder, Ptolemy, had deprived his sister Cleopatra of her rights. Julius Caesar, the Roman consul, demanded that the two appear before him so he could decide which was to be favored in judgment. Cleopatra, now a grown young woman, had heard that Caesar was a licentious man, and determined to win his favor by appealing to his lustful passions.
She had herself wrapped in a large carpet and carried to the Roman consul's apartment as a "gift" for Caesar. The bundle containing the beautiful girl was carried into Caesar's private apartments. When he opened it, out stepped the enticingly dressed Cleopatra, ready to charm and seduce the Roman to give judgment in her favor. Caesar liked what she did, and yielded. In the war that followed, Ptolemy was killed, so Caesar conquered Egypt. But "she shall not stand on his side, neither be for him." Cleopatra being fickle, she soon joined herself to Caesar's enemy, Antony, and used all her power against Rome.
Daniel 11:18, 19: After this shall he turn his face unto the isles, and shall take many: but a prince for his own behalf shall cause the reproach offered by him to cease; without his own reproach he shall cause it to turn upon him. Then he shall turn his face toward the fort of his own land; but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found.
The important facts in these verses are that Caesar should take part in another war, after which his own "reproach" should turn upon himself. He should return to the "fort of his own land," the city of Rome, and there "stumble and fall."
In 47 B.C. Caesar entered Rome in triumph, where he was showered with every kind of reward and honor, including the title of dictator for life. Rome had up to this time been a republic. Caesar's enemies now feared he would become a king or emperor, and change the age-old form of Roman government. In March, 44 B.C., when Caesar was least expecting it, he "stumbled and fell," being murdered in the senate house by his former friends. "What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" (Mark 8:36). Thus ended the life of another of the world's most successful and powerful men of arms.
Heaven was watching, for the birth of the Son of God was near.
Daniel 11:20: Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom: but within a few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle.
Augustus Caesar, his successor, was a man of peace in contrast to Julius Caesar, a man of war. He was famous as a "raiser of taxes." Luke speaks of "a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed" (Luke 2:1), at the time that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Augustus' days were the "glory of the kingdom" of Rome. Peace was universal, corruption had been curbed, justice was maintained, and learning was promoted. He died a few years after the birth of Christ, not at the hand of assassins as happened so often, but peacefully in bed.
Daniel 11:21, 22: And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant.
Augustus was succeeded by a truly "vile person," Tiberius Caesar. He obtained the kingdom "by flatteries" in a peaceful way. When he became emperor, he revealed an unspeakably vile character, murdering innocent people, dissembling and flattering his enemies before arresting them to kill them. Seneca says Tiberius maintained one continual drunken spell from the time he began to drink until he died.
But Tiberius was washed away before the "flood" of wrathful opposition which his vileness had aroused. In his seventy-eighth year of age, he was murdered. Like a flood, he had "overflown" many; now the flood washed him away, and "broke" him.
But Another was "broken" during the reign of Tiberius Caesar—the Prince of the covenant, the Christ, the Son of God, mentioned as the "Messiah the Prince" in Daniel 9:25-27. This was the one great event of all world history. Rising above the stormy waves of a sea of corrupt human history, stands this eternal Rock of Ages—the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, whence we have everlasting salvation.
Please note carefully that the death of Christ, the "Prince of the covenant," confirms beyond all doubt the interpretation of these verses in Daniel 11. Christ died only once, under only one government, under only one Roman emperor—Tiberius Caesar. Like an expert surveying land, we see this landmark as making certain our understanding so far of the history in this prophecy.
People from the four quarters of the earth gathered around Christ in His last hours. The Greeks representing the cultured and proud of earth, came saying, "We would see Jesus" (John 12:21). The thief, representing the fallen failures of human life, repented as he was crucified with Jesus. The Roman soldier, a European, was convicted and said, "Truly this was the Son of God" (Matthew 27:54). Simon of Cyrene from North Africa bore His heavy cross to Calvary, the first of hundreds of thousands of Africans who since have gladly shared the sufferings of Christ.
Daniel 11:23-26: And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people. He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers' fathers; he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and riches: yea, and he shall forecast his devices against the strong holds, even for a time. And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the south shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand: for they shall forecast devices against him. Yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow; and many shall fall down slain.
Thus far, the angel has taken us step by step in world history down to the time of the crucifixion of Christ, the Prince of the covenant. This came near the close of the "seventy weeks," or 490 years of chapter 9.
Verse 23 should begin a new paragraph in our Bibles, for the angel is now taking us on another journey, this time bringing us down to the final era of the work of God on earth and the everlasting triumph of His church. But he backtracks to the time when the Jewish nation made a covenant with the Romans ("after the league made with him"), and shows us that from the time that Rome assumed the protection of Judea, she began to develop from a small army, in a clever way.
This "covenant" with the Jews was made in 161 B.C., before the days of Rome's glory. From that time, Rome's rise to undisputed world leadership was indeed a miracle. Whereas most kingdoms are established by war and conquest, various kings bequeathed their crowns to the Romans in peace and by choice. Distant nations learned of the wisdom and justice of the Romans, and invited their protection. Rome further did what no nation had ever previously done: divided the taxes and "spoil" among its conquered or subjugated peoples. It was an attempt at just and benevolent government for the good of all people. (It was later that Rome became cruel.)
The "strong hold" is doubtless the capital city of Rome, from which "he" will prosper in war and craft as long as heaven permits. The "time" is considered by some to be a year of prophetic time in symbol, that is, 360 years literally (see notes on chapter 7:25).
The angel is still going back to events following the league made with the Jews in 161 B.C. We come to the war between Rome and "the king of the south," or Egypt. Mark Antony and Augustus Caesar were contending for the sole rulership of Rome. Antony had entrenched himself in Egypt, where he had yielded himself captive to the lustful appeal of Egypt's queen Cleopatra. Antony and Cleopatra together assembled a fleet of warships. The kings of Thrace and Asia Minor joined them against Caesar Augustus and the Roman soldiers. Wealth, numbers, and power were on their side. But the inspired prophecy declared that "the king of the south shall not stand." At the most important part of the sea battle off Actium on September 2,31 B.C., Cleopatra suddenly became frightened and sailed away in her ship. Antony, foolishly infatuated with her, followed, and thus abandoned the victory to Augustus Caesar.
Those "who fed of the portion" of Antony's "meat," the land armies and generals who were fighting on his side, became disgusted with what he had done, went over to join the armies of Caesar. In the end, no one remained loyal to the foolish Antony—even Cleopatra betrayed him. He took his own life in despair.
Daniel 11:27: And both these kings' hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.
These two, Antony and Caesar, had professed to be loyal friends, but inwardly were enemies contending for the throne. In order to cement their friendship, Antony had married Caesar's sister. But none of their attempts to unite prospered.
Daniel 11:28: Then shall he return into his land with great riches; and his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall do exploits, and return to his own land.
We shall avoid confusion if we remember that the "king" mentioned in these verses does not necessarily refer to a single individual, but to a kingdom or a power prominent in history. Caesar returned to Rome with great glory and much booty from his conquest, his triumphal procession requiring three days to pass.
We learn that "his heart [that of Rome] shall be against the holy covenant." Written for the Jews, this describes how the Romans were against them, to whom they understood He had made a "holy covenant." The Roman general Titus besieged the city of Jerusalem for five months. So terrible was the famine that some of the Jewish women ate their own children. This was in fulfillment of Moses' warning that should the people of God refuse to hear the greatest of all prophets, Jesus Himself when He should come, they would be left without His guidance and protection. "Thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the Lord thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee" (Deuteronomy 28:49-58). So terrible is the result that comes upon a people who reject the only Savior of the world! In 70 A.D. Titus completely destroyed the city of Jerusalem and their magnificent Temple.
Daniel 11:29, 30: At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the south; but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter. For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant.
But now we come to the time when Rome was weakened and corrupted. The move of the capital to Constantinople preceded the final break-up and conquest of the Roman empire by the barbarians of Africa and Europe in 476 A.D. (The legs of iron of Nebuchadnezzar's prophetic image representing the pagan empire of Rome now give place to the divided kingdoms of Europe symbolized by the feet of iron and clay.)
Foremost among the barbarian nations that wrecked the Roman Empire were the Vandals of northern Africa. Their capital was the city of Carthage on the coast of the Mediterranean. (In the Hebrew language, the name "Chittim" had reference to all the coasts and islands of the Mediterranean.) The Vandals fought against the Empire and pillaged Rome with their numerous ships which set sail from Carthage.
Rome was "grieved." The glory of the pagan Roman Empire was extinguished.
Now began another form of activity. The "little horn" power which we met in 7:21-25, comes on stage again. The Vandals who conquered Rome, together with two other tribes, the Heruli and the Ostrogoths, opposed the rising power of the papacy. These three kingdoms were brought to our notice in chapter 7 as three of the "ten kingdoms" of the fourth beast, Rome. They were to be as horns plucked up by the roots by the "little horn," the papacy.
Justinian, the Roman emperor, longed to conquer Carthage and the Vandals as punishment for their raids against Rome. But he feared to start, for Rome's army was not as strong as formerly. The needed encouragement was supplied by the Roman Catholic bishop who admonished him to conquer the Vandals because they were considered "enemies of Christ."
Thus the Roman emperor began to "give heed to those who forsake the holy covenant" (RSV). The bishops had indeed forsaken the true gospel of Jesus Christ.
It was for the purpose of conquering the Vandals and their friends that the emperor Justinian made his famous decree exalting the bishop of Rome to be the "head of the church" and the "corrector of heretics." Thus was born the papacy in 538 A.D., in remarkable fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy. The world began to enter its midnight—the noontide of the papacy.
Daniel 11:31: And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.
Have you ever watched events take place on a stage at night where a spotlight shines on the different players or actors who at that moment are the center of attention? Daniel 11 is the stage throughout the 2300 years of Daniel 8:14 and on into the "time of the end." Verse by verse, the spotlight of inspired prophecy picks out for us the key power that is at that particular time the focus of God's revelation. The key is its special relation to His work on earth.
Now we pass from pagan Rome to papal Rome. This verse takes us back to chapter 8:11, 12, where we read of "the little horn" taking up within itself "the daily" and "casting down truth to the ground." This verse therefore explains 8:11-13. The capital of the empire of Rome has now been removed to Constantinople (present day Istanbul), and the bishop of Rome is left as the most important person in the West. We now see the papacy taking the spotlight of prophetic attention. It is absorbing something significant, taking it up within itself— paganism—the "continual in transgression."
The Hebrew word "arms" means military might employed to strengthen the papacy and make it supreme. "The sanctuary of strength" likewise means a dedicated place of military might. (In the Hebrew, the word is miqdash, a different word than qodesh in Daniel 8:14 which can mean only God's true sanctuary. (In Isaiah 16:12 and Ezekiel 28:18 we find that miqdash can mean Satan's, or a pagan, sanctuary.) Some scholars see this "sanctuary of strength" as the base or home of paganism, that is, the city of Rome that was the center of world paganism, sacked in 410 A.D. The Hebrew term here cannot fit any designation of God's sanctuary in heaven.
As we saw in Daniel 8, the word "sacrifice" is not part of the original text which says "the continual in transgression" (8:12). Therefore it refers to the continual scourge of paganism that was such a trial to God's people in exile in Babylon, and continuing on later to the time of the papacy which proved to become something even worse. The chazon vision in chapter 8 presented as two twin evils "the continual in transgression" and "the transgression of desolation," the latter as the worse.
In "the vision" (chazon) of Daniel 8:11-13, the prophet saw paganism being lifted up, or incorporated, or absorbed into "the little horn," the papacy. This was a unique development in world history. Several authorities comment more wisely than they possibly knew:
"The more Christianity [that is, Roman Catholicism] supplanted the heathen worship, the more did it absorb the elements of paganism."
"While Protestants have traditionally held to the idea of a syncretized church to help justify their existence, recent scholarship has demonstrated that the paganism of late antiquity did not die out after the fourth century, but rather attached itself to the church, reshaping it... [in] the church's assimilation of pagan forms and Europe's subsequent plunge into the night."
"Paganism is a perpetual eclipse of Divine Grace. Many Christians live within the penumbra of this baleful eclipse."
But here in chapter 11:31 we see a different Hebrew verb used. Paganism is not said to be absorbed in the little horn as in chapter 8, but "taken away" politically and militarily, so that no earthly power could stand against the papacy. The professed followers of Christ "forsook the holy covenant" (verse 30) by which God had promised to be their power or support, and turned to obtain it from the civil government, the "arms" of generals and captains of armies. This prepared the way for setting up "the abomination that maketh desolate," something that proved worse than the "continual in transgression."
The vision God gave to Daniel describes the religion of the papacy as paganism dressed in the garments of Christ. "He that heareth My word," said Jesus, "and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life. He is passed from death unto life" (John 5:24). This faith of Jesus is the opposite of the "abomination that maketh desolate."
Daniel 11:32: And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits.
Good things become "corrupt" when they spoil. The faith of Jesus was the most beautiful and powerful truth the world had seen. In Christ's day (as in ours) even His enemies could "find no fault in Him." Satan learned not to try to oppose Christ openly. He must "corrupt" Christianity from within. The papacy became his agency.
In what way did he "do wickedly"? There were steps in apostasy:
1. Early church "fathers" began to interpret the Bible according to pagan thought. Probably the first Christian teaching to be so corrupted was the doctrine of love which is agape in the New Testament Greek language. The Hellenistic idea of eros gradually infiltrated agape in the minds of the people. This paralleled the absorption of the doctrine of natural immortality into the church.
2. Next, in order to win more "converts," the teachings of the Bible were altered to accommodate idol veneration introduced in violation of the second of the ten commandments. In order to excuse this sin, the second was dropped by the Roman church, and the tenth was divided into two.
3. The true Sabbath, the memorial of God's creation, was gradually set aside, and the first day of the week, dedicated to the worship of the sun by the ancient pagans, was exalted in its place. Thus the seal of the authority of the God of heaven was set aside.
4. The Bible was kept from the common people. It was considered so difficult that only the priests and clergy could interpret it. Thus the voice of the Holy Spirit was silenced.
5. Due to the false teaching that the dead are still alive, the way was opened for the veneration of the virgin Mary and the "saints," thus people were led to look away from Christ in whom alone we can have forgiveness, to the merits of sinful man himself. (This has grown into contemporary efforts to make Mary the co-redemptrix.)
6. The pope and the priests assumed the right to forgive sins, which only Christ can do. People were led to trust in their own works for salvation instead of trusting only the righteousness and salvation given by the Son of God.
7. Religious liberty was taken away. Men were forced, under pain of imprisonment, torture, and death, to profess a faith they could not believe in their hearts. People were martyred during the Dark Ages simply because they dared to confess Christ as their only Savior, rather than yield homage to the mystery of iniquity.
But there were always some here and there who did "know their God." The Lord Jesus has always had those in every country and in every generation who serve Him faithfully. Among those who stoutly resisted these false teachings were the Waldenses hiding in the Piedmont Alps. They helped to preserve for us the light of the knowledge of God. They were forerunners of the Protestant Reformation. They kept alive the faith in the ministry of Christ as our High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary. They bled and died that we today might enjoy religious liberty, and that we might have all the glorious light of Christ's truth. In our day now there are thousands who know Him truly, who will not sell their faith in Him for any price whatsoever. May we be among them!
Daniel 11:33: And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days.
The "many days" were the 1260 years. Faithful servants of Christ such as the Waldenses, disguising themselves as merchants, traveled throughout Europe teaching the knowledge of the Bible and the ministry of Christ as our High Priest. This they did in a quiet way to those who would listen.
Daniel 11:34, 35: Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries. And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.
Men such as John Wycliffe of England, Huss and Jerome of Bohemia, and Luther of Germany, provided the "help" here mentioned. The people were taught to exercise faith in Christ alone as High Priest. He "ever liveth to make intercession" for those who believe (Hebrews 7:25). No power in heaven or hell could ever "take away" His heavenly ministry! Thousands were set free from the chains of darkness that had bound their souls.
But the Reformation itself eventually became corrupted. The Reformers tired of the constant struggle, and sought the aid and support of their respective governments for the victory of truth, instead of depending on Christ alone. The perennial problem was the union of church and state! The gospel message was choked by selfishness and politics. The Protestant church once again became captive to the rulers of this world. "Many cleaved to them with flatteries," said the angel.
The Reformation begun by Wycliffe and Luther is still going forward today. Surely we want to have fellowship with those who follow the light of Christ, those who "know their God ... and do exploits"!
We are now brought to "the time of the end." We learned in chapter 7 that the papacy was to rule for only 1260 years. In 1798 Berthier took the pope prisoner, his temporal power was weakened, and the Dark Ages came to an end. This was therefore the beginning of the "time of the end." We're living in it now!
Daniel 11:36-39: And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things. Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.
"The king" here is obviously the power who will be the center of attention at this particular time of history, near the end of the 1260 years of papal supremacy. The long night is drawing to a close. Protestantism has set multitudes free from subservience to the papacy's control. Now one of her most faithful "children" rises up in rebellion against the teachings of the papacy. These untruths provoked the most awful depravity among the people of one of Europe's most enlightened nations—the kingdom of France.
At this point in our study we will look at this prophecy as did the Protestant churches of the early 19th century. Among them thousands awoke as from a long sleep to realize that the books of Daniel and the Revelation were not "sealed," but were "open" for study and understanding. The British and Foreign and American Bible Societies were formed shortly after the end of the 1260 years. In many denominations there was a phenomenal "Advent awakening" that thrilled multitudes of Christians. The "time of the end" had begun with the close of the 1260 years of papal supremacy. Night had given place to dawning.
They understood Jesus' words, "This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled" (Matthew 24:34), to mean that Jesus planned to come in their lifetime.
These Christian believers came to understand Daniel virtually as we have presented it in this book. Like a jig-saw puzzle coming to fit together, they were overjoyed to see that the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation complemented each other and constituted a precious "present truth" (in the expression of 2 Peter 3:1). Event after event of then current history validated their comprehension of Daniel.
Now came some tumultuous happenings in the great nation of France (which had recently so generously helped the fledgling United States of America to gain her independence). For these many devout Christians, a giant upheaval in France seemed to be the precise fulfillment of this prophecy. Detail after detail fell into what seemed to be an inspired "place" in the prophetic picture.
All eyes of the Western world were turned on France. And in this conclusion of Daniel 11, the "spotlight" of prophetic attention is directed toward her as on center stage. In 1793 the leaders of France openly discarded the Christian religion (as they understood Roman Catholicism to be). For good measure they threw out the Bible also (in their ignorance of its teachings). In the name of the nation of France, they officially denied the existence of God, a declaration unique in that it was one of the decrees of the governing Assembly of France, and not the private opinions voiced by individuals. When "Thirteen Colonies" had officially "declared" their belief that "all men are created equal," France officially declared the non-existence of this Creator! Thus "the king," the government itself, publicly "did according to his will," and magnified himself "above every god," and spoke "marvelous things against the God of gods."
The Roman bishop of Paris joined in these atheistic proceedings! Publicly he declared that he had been deceived all his life in following the "Christian" religion, and stated openly that there is no God. Many who had all their lives professed to be Christian, followed his example.
"The king" did not "regard the God of his fathers." All Christian worship was forbidden. The gold and silver in the churches was appropriated by the government. Church bells were broken and cast into cannons. The Bible was burned publicly. The Bible week of seven days was abolished and a "week" of ten days for a time substituted. Marriage was abolished as a sacred ordinance, declared to be binding only during the will or pleasure of the two parties. Thus the natural "desire of women" to be loved and cared for by a life-long husband was not "regarded."
But soon this excess of revolution frightened the rulers of France. They realized that the people must worship something, or soon all law and order would become extinct. They devised a new "god" whom their fathers knew not. A popular dancer of questionable reputation was chosen as the representative of "Reason" and was publicly set before the people as their proper object of sacrifice and worship. This was the new "god" to take the place of the "God of their fathers." This woman was taken to the cathedral of Notre Dame and installed as the nation's "Goddess of Reason." All over the land of France, similar ceremonies were held.
This "god" could be called the "god of forces," for the purpose of the public worship of "Reason" was to secure the loyalty and support of the people for the armies of France soon to embark in an attempt to conquer the world.
Christianity, when it is pure, is a most powerful agency for the enlightenment, progress, freedom, and prosperity of a nation. Corrupt and apostate "Christianity" is paganism with a Christian robe. It leaves unsubdued the pride and self-worship of the natural human heart (the gadal of Daniel's "continual in transgression"). It tends always to provoke excesses of hatred such as in the French Revolution of 1793-1799. "I will walk at liberty for I seek Thy precepts," David said (Psalm 119:45). Jesus' "yoke is easy," and His "burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).
The leaders of revolution and atheism in France occupied the "most strong holds," the authority of government, until 1799. One of the most noteworthy actions of the Revolution was the confiscation and redistribution of the wealth of some two-thirds of the land of France, which had been formerly held in large estates by the church of Rome and the former nobility and rulers of France. This land was then divided and sold at auction in small pieces to anyone who could buy. So, as the prophecy declared, "he ... shall divide the land for gain."
Out of the terror of the French Revolution arose one of the most prominent figures of the 19th century—Napoleon Bonaparte. In the early 19th century, multitudes of Protestant and Roman Catholic Christians saw in Daniel 11 this history delineated. If we had been living in their time, we would have seen it, too.
Could it be that what was "present truth" then is still present truth today? This book takes the position that it was indeed the intention of Jesus Christ to have returned to earth to claim His people within the lifetime of those who first began to understand Daniel and Revelation in the opening of "the time of the end." Their prophetic expositions were carefully studied; their conclusions were conscientious and reasonable. Truth is still truth. God's word has not failed, but God's people have failed to "follow on" to grasp the ever-developing "light" of justification by faith. Their failures have delayed the final victorious conclusion of "the great controversy between Christ and Satan." The delay has not been due to faulty prophetic understandings, but to a failure to grasp the self-humbling revelations of "the everlasting gospel." It must yet "lighten the earth with glory" when the fourth angel's message of Revelation 18 is finally proclaimed clearly.
Daniel 11:40: And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
We remember how the angel spoke to Daniel many times at the beginning of this chapter about the "king of the north" and the "king of the south." They are the two principal subjects of this prophecy. They are the powers that have figured in the northern and southern portions of what was originally the empire of Alexander the Great. This is the simple pattern of identity that apparently God has chosen.
Evidently the reason why the Lord is so careful to dwell in detail upon these obscure wars and counter-conquests of the kings of the "north" and of the "south" is to establish our faith beyond all doubt in the fulfillment of the closing part of this prophecy. Egypt has remained the "king of the south" all through this history, and an Islamic power has for hundreds of years occupied the territory which was formerly that of the "king of the north."
There seems to be no reason given in the prophecy for us to assume that the angel now wants Daniel to understand the "kings" of the north and south in any other way. The prophecy of this chapter has until now been very straightforward, never symbolic. With the understanding that the angel is continuing with the same clear language used in verses 1-39, he describes an upheaval between the nations at the very "time of the end," which has been identified as 1798.
Reverent-minded Bible students at the time and shortly after when they could view the events in some retrospect, had some convictions about what this could mean. Such a war did take place in that very year. Napoleon considered that the Egyptians had committed "outrages against France" and made war with them. With superior might, threatening to conquer Egypt, he provoked the Sultan of Turkey to fight on the side of the Egyptians. On September 2, 1798, the Sultan declared war against France. The English joined the Turks, and with their combined fleets of "many ships," forced Napoleon to retreat for the first time in his career. These well-known developments in what was current history strengthened the convictions of Bible students that the "time of the end" had indeed begun.
We know that God has devoted one entire chapter in Revelation to the history of Islam in prophecy (chapter 9). Could He also be directing our attention here to a parallel passage in some way? We do know that Islam figures on the world stage today far more vividly than any of us thought a generation ago.
But understanding has been far from complete and satisfying. We can go no further than to reaffirm our confidence that history fulfills prophecy, and wait for the Holy Spirit to teach the church of today to understand more clearly. Abundant evidence established the prophetic faith of thoughtful Christians in the nineteenth century; our spiritual failures of being "lukewarm" in our devotion to Christ are not the consequence of their faulty understanding of the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation, but on our failure to grasp the advancing light of the gospel of righteousness by faith.
Daniel 11:41: He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hands, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.
"The glorious land" is a term that it seems can apply only to Daniel's native land of Palestine, home of God's people in his time. The Islamic forces, aided by the British, swept through Palestine in their campaign to drive the French and Egyptians back to the south in 1800-1801. It is noteworthy that the modern peoples occupying the ancient territory of the Edomites, Moabites, and Ammonites escaped pillage and destruction at that time. Bible students at the time saw this as a fulfillment of this detail.
Daniel 11:42-45: He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps. But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many. And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.
Some Bible students understood the "tidings out of the east and out of the north" that troubled" the king of the north" to refer to provocation offered by Russia and Persia which led to the Crimean war of 1853-1856 and the Russo-Turkish war of 1877. Turkey, though weak, rushed forth in anger and fought savagely.
But she was no match for the superior might of Russia. It seemed as though Turkey would then and there "come to his end". But at this point England and France stepped in to help him, and Russia was bidden to stand back.
Since that time, the Islamic nation of Turkey has been regarded as "the sick man of the east," artificially sustained by the great powers of Europe and America who do not want to see it fall to Russian conquest. The nations have realized more than ever before that the key to world domination is the Middle East. Turkey has held on to its slender thread of territory in Europe all these intervening decades, escaping the brink of destruction in two world wars when she was sorely threatened. Something appears to have held back the final struggle.
Events in the Middle East could well destroy world peace. Oil has now become the world's great hunger, and the Middle East possesses a huge portion of the world's supply. What they do with their oil and how they price it, vitally affects most countries. Islam, long seemingly asleep, has awakened to a new jihad, or holy war, to make herself supreme religiously, politically, and economically. Oil is now her weapon.
It would seem unwise now to abandon the understanding that Christian people gained of these prophecies during the Great Advent Awakening of the 19th century. There is unmistakable evidence that the Holy Spirit worked in that phenomenal spiritual movement. Who could foresee that today Islam and the Middle East would be the most influential and critically situated nations of the world? So much of Daniel 11 has been concerned with things that happened in the Middle East. Perhaps indeed the closing portion will meet its final fulfillment there.
Undoubtedly, all things were ready during the latter half of the nineteenth century for the close of earth's history and the glorious second coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Only one thing prevented the final fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy: the people of God were not ready.
"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).
Since the time when the angels have been holding back the outbreak of the battle of Armageddon, the Holy Spirit has done a mighty work in all the world. Thousands who once sat in the midnight of darkness of paganism are now rejoicing in the knowledge of the Savior. How thankful we should be that verse 45 has not as yet been fulfilled, for when it is, the final events of chapter 12 will immediately take place and the opportunity of responding to the Savior will be forever past.
When the "king of the north" (whoever he may be!) "shall come to his end and none shall help him," Christ our great High Priest, whom the angel spoke of as "Michael," will have to lay aside His work as Savior, and prepare to come quickly as King of kings and Lord of lords. Then it will be decreed from heaven, "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still, ... and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still" (Revelation 22:11).
Until that fateful day, the nations anxiously watch for "the king of the north" to "come to his end" while the servants of the Lord watch for the movements of their great High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary. "Today, if ye will hear His voice, harden not your heart" (Hebrews 3:7, 8).
Lord, we have understood that the angel's words to Daniel describe what we see in our world of today. Our hearts are made solemn as we realize that soon all things earthly will come to an end. You are only waiting now for Your people to find in Jesus their full and complete Savior from selfishness and sin.
Lord, may Your waiting not be in vain! As the sun sinks in the western sky, write our names in Your book of life, we pray in Jesus' name, Amen.