Daniel – Chapter 11c
Chapter 11 Outline
I. A Chronology of Atheistic kings (11:2-20)
a. 4 Persian Kings (11:1-2)
b. 1 Powerful King – Alexander (11:3-4)
c. 2 Perverse Kings – South & North (11:5-9)
1. The Egyptian Prince (11:5)
2. The Egyptian Princess (11:6)
3. The Egyptian Protest (11:7-9)
d. 1 Pernicious King – Antiochus III (11:10-20)
1. His First Campaign (11:10-12)
2. His Further Campaign (11:13-17)
3. His Final Campaign (11:18-20)
II. A Chronology of Antiochus (11:21-35)
a. His Craftiness (11:21-24)
b. His Conquests (11:25-27)
c. His Cruelty (11:28-35)
III. A Chronology of Antichrist (11:36-45)
a. His Wickedness (11:36-39)
b. His Warfare (11:40-44a)
c. His Wrath (11:44b-45)
Message
II. A Chronology of Antichrist (11:36-45)
Who is the Antichrist? There have been many views over the years. Some say that Antiochus Epiphanes fulfilled all that was predicted of the “wilful king.” Others have said that it was Nero, the first Roman persecutor of the Christians. Some even said that it was Simon Magus of Acts 8.
The Romanists applied these passages to Mohammed, the false prophet of Arabia; many protestant interpreters from Luther’s day to present have found in these words a description of the papacy.
However, none of the above characters or systems fully meet the requirements set out in Scripture. The Antichrist is still to arise in the future and will only come upon the scene in the time of the end. We do have a description of him in Revelation...
Revelation 13:18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. His number – 666, the number of .... man, God is saying to us he’s a man, he’s a man, he’s a man.
a. His Wickedness (11:36-39)
Verse 36
There can be little doubt as to who the one who is called “the king.” It is the Antichrist himself, we have seen his shadow before us in the story of Antiochus. Now the real deal appears on the page in all of his pride and pomposity. 2 Thessalonians 2 describes him as the man of sin and the son of perdition.
This evil ruler doesn’t suddenly appear in his true character and assume leadership over the world. He begins his rise to power as a part of the ten-nation revived Roman Empire. He is the little horn that emerges from the ten horns in Daniel 7:24. He begins as a man of peace who “solves” the Arab/Israeli problem and proves himself to be a master polititian.
In his arrogance and pride, the Antichrist, in full control of the West, will exalt himself and magnify himself against every god and will blaspheme the true and only God. 2 Thess 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
Wickedness will get worse and worse. Because he’s the “man of sin” the promotion of sin will be his main aim. He’ll gratify lust and glorify sin. He will appear as the messiah of the Jews, the Mahdi of the Muslims, the Krishna of the Hindus. He will be the ideal of the humanists, the Christ of apostate Christendom, and the mantra of the eastern mystics. A war weary, famine-ravished, disease-ridden, plague-infested, panic-stricken world will hail him – till the indignation be accomplished.
The indignation here refers to God’s indignation against the nation of Israel, the nation that has persistently rejected Jesus as Messiah and called down God’s curse upon itself Matthew 27:25 His blood be on us, and our children. It will take the horrors of the great Tribulation to finally open their eyes as a people so that they will recognise in Jesus their rejected Messiah.
Verse 37
The phrase God of his fathers has been used by some to suggest that the Antichrist will be Jewish, they argue that the nation of Israel would not sign a pact with a Gentile, but we have seen them negotiate so many times with political leaders who were not Jewish.
The desire of women is also a phrase that has been argued over as to its meaning, some suggesting the Antichrist having a homosexual orientation, others suggesting a messianic title, that is the desire of Jewish women to give birth to the promised Messiah. But look at what G. H. Pember says,
The expression “the Desire of Women” is placed between two nouns which indubitably refer to concrete gods; it must, therefore, itself designate some individual deity which is more especially sought after by women.
She is the Beltis of the Babylonians; the Ishtar of the Assyrians; the Astarte of the Phoenicians; the Queen of Heaven mentioned by Jeremiah; the Tanata of the Persians; the Isis of the Egyptians; the Shing Moo of the Chinese; the Aphrodite of the Greeks; the Diana of the Ephesians; the Venus of the Romans; the Friga of the Scandinavians and the virgin Mary of the eastern and western Catholics.
The Antichrist will be an atheist and reject all religions except the one he establishes when he declares himself god.
Verse 38
His god will be Satan, who will give him his throne and global power. The Antichrist will accept what Christ refused – the kingdoms of the world, supreme power under Satan, and worldly glory – all as a reward for worshiping the devil (Luke 4:5-8)
Verse 39
No world power will be able to stand against the Antichrist. One way or another, all of the world superpowers will be forced to acknowledge him. We have already seen that in the latter times the Roman Empire is to be revived in a ten-kingdom condition (Daniel 7) which will be ruled by the beast.
Those who support him will be rewarded with wealth, honour, position and power. He will carve up the land of Israel and divide it among his most trusted followers. Israel will be of great importance to him, not only because of its strategic geographical location as the hinge to three continents, but because it will be the centre of his universal false religion when he sets up his image in the temple.
b. His Warfare (11:40-44a)
Verse 40
When Antichrist moves into the land of Israel and sets up his image in the Jewish temple and declares himself the ruler and god of the whole world, not everybody will bow down to his will. The kings of the north and the south will oppose him and bring their armies to his doorstep.
We learn from the book of Revelation that the early vials of God’s wrath will be directed at the power structure of the Beast. As a result, he will begin to lose his grip on his universal empire.
In previous prophecies the king of the south has been Egypt and the king of the north has been Syria, but those designations may not apply here. Some commentators equate this invasion with the battle described in Ezekiel 38-39 and see the king of the north as Russia.
Verses 40b-43
This combined attack will provoke a quick response. The Antichrist will hurl his forces against Egypt and his line of march will be through Israel and he could make the onslaught on Jerusalem Zechariah 14:2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
Three peoples, historically the bitterest enemies of Israel – Edom, Moab and the children of Ammon – will escape his fury. On today’s map these countries are in the modern day country of Jordan.
How do these countries escape? Many agree that they are set aside for divine judgement Isaiah 11:14 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
Verse 44a
In the book of Revelation John speaks of the drying up of the Euphrates, Revelation 16:12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
The king of the south, the king of the north, Antichrist is the king of the west, and now there is an alliance of kings from the east, all of whose armies will be marching down upon Israel at the same time.
This is the beginning of the end. The Antichrists mighty worldwide empire is now rapidly falling apart. It was built on treachery and war and held together by terror, lies and every form of wickedness. It was energised by Satan, but now it is tumbling down around the Antichrist’s ears.
The kings from the far east take advantage of the local troubles he is having with Egypt and they will cross the Euphrates and Antichrist will mobilise his western allies and both deploy rapidly on the plains of Megiddo Rev 16:16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
The stage is now set for the Battle of Armageddon.
c. His Wrath (11:44b-45)
With what armies he can gather from the west, he will prepare for the final confrontation with the east, but his time has run out. The divine clock of seven years, which began its countdown with the signing of his treaty with Israel, has been ticking away and now chimes its final hour.
At that moment, the heavens will open. The Lord Jesus Christ will come, backed by the armies of heaven and accompanied by His blood-bought bride. Invincible and omnipotent, sweeping all before Him, He will descend. The sword will flash forth, and the Battle of Armageddon will be over in a moment.
None shall help him is Daniel’s final word on the fate of Antichrist. The book of Revelation fills in the details for us. Revelation 19:19-20 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. [20] And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
Christ comes back to earth and here He will establish His glorious kingdom for a thousand years.
