THE PROPHECY, PART I (Daniel 11)

Transcription

1 THE PROPHECY, PART I (Daniel 11) The nation had been exiled to Babylon where they were captives of the Babylonians, and then, the Medes and Persians. They were there because they had rebelled against God Jer. 25:8 Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Because ye have not heard my words, 9 Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations. 10 Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the candle. 11 And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. Nevertheless, God promised they would return after seventy years, Jer. 29:10 For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. When the seventy years was completed and only 42,600, - a small remnant, - availed themselves of the opportunity to return, Daniel again fell on his knees in prayer (Dan. 10). He was then shown how the angel had been assigned to preserve the people of God against the attack by evil satanic forces, described as the prince of Persia. Now, in chapter eleven we go back to 1 the first year of Darius the Mede and that is the same year as in 9:1, In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans; 2 In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. So, this is a continuation. By the way, this chapter is so full of accurate detail that liberal commentators believe it must have been written after the events took place for they will not accept this was a true prophecy. For them, it is far too accurate! However, to adopt such a position is to call into question Daniel as a true prophet and it also casts doubt upon God s ability in His Word to foretell the future. No, this is the Word of God that He gave to Daniel, and its amazing accuracy is due to God being God! There is a lot of information in these verses and it would take an extremely long time if we were to go into each of their exploits meticulously, - that is not an excuse to skirt around the host of information, but it is a simple fact.

2 2 Some of the names we shall mention will be familiar, while others won t but if you want to find out more, there is an abundance of information. Since there is so much information, we need to have a structure for our study, so, - to introduce each section (v.2-35), - we shall use the names of the five most predominant kings, whose names begin with the letter A, - Ahasuerus (v.2), Alexander (v.3), Antiochus Theos (v.5), Antiochus the Great (v.10), and Antiochus Epiphanes (v.21). We shall work down through them and incorporate relevant historical material. The name Ahasuerus means prince, and the majority of commentators believe he was the Xerxes in the Book of Esther. To recap the reign of Darius the Mede began the period known as the Medo-Persian Empire, cf. 2:32, the breast and arms of silver belonging to the great image in Nebuchadnezzar s dream; and the bear in 7:5. He had taken over from King Belshazzar who was the last king belonging to the Babylonian Empire, ( Dan. 5:30 In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain. 31 And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old 6:28 Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian [r BC].). As the two-nation empire of Media and Persia developed the bear, - you remember, - was raised upon one side, indicating how one part of the Medo- Persian Empire would become more powerful than the other and so it was the Persians became the dominant force, and 7:5 it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it That corresponds with 11:2 Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: The first of these three kings was Cyrus son, Cambyses (r BC) and after seven years he was succeeded not by his own son Smerdis but by an impostor called Pseudo-Smerdis who reigned for seven months. Darius Hystaspes succeeded him and reigned for thirty-six years (r BC) and then came Xerxes the Great (r BC), also known as Ahasuerus, who was Dan. 11:2 far richer than they all Esther 1:1 Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus [LXX, Artaxerxes], (this is Ahasuerus which reigned, from India even unto Ethiopia, over an hundred and seven and twenty provinces:). He was one of the greatest leaders in the Ancient World, and he commanded the largest army recorded in ancient history.

3 3 One of his greatest exploits was his decision to attack Greece with 2.5 million soldiers. He invaded the country, 11:2 and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia. With such a great and overpowering army, the Greeks were absolutely humiliated but were not prepared to forgive and forget! So, about one hundred and fifty years later, the Greeks eventually were in the position to wreak vengeance. Under Alexander the Great (r BC), they invaded and conquered the whole Medo-Persian Empire of Darius Codomanus, as Daniel s vision during King Belshazzar s reign prophesied (553 BC), 8:20 The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. 21 And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. 22 Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation. And Alexander, - the rough goat, - became the conqueror, ended the empire of Medo-Persia, and established the Greek Empire as the dominant world power, 3 And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will. Alexander, - the second A, - was unstoppable! By the age of thirty-three he had conquered and occupied from Europe to India. However, Alexander the Great died suddenly at the premature age of 33 in June 323 BC, 4 And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, - when he is standing proud that is when he will be taken down. And that is exactly what happened. Instead of dying an illustrious death, he died with an illness brought on by a drinking spree in the prime of his life. But during his time he fulfilled the prophecy in 7:6 that his empire would be akin to a leopard leaping swiftly and triumphantly across the nations. So, who would take over from him? Alexander did have two sons but both were killed, - Hercules before Alexander died, and Alexander (Junior) following his father s death He also had a half-brother who was mentally retarded, but he was murdered too and therefore, the prophecy was fulfilled, 4 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 [i.e. his kingdom would not be given to anyone in his own immediate family]: for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those [i.e. his kingdom would be given to non-family members, but belonging to the Greek empire]. This was also in fulfilment of the previous prophecy in 7:6, After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.

4 4 After the Battle of Ipsus (301 BC), Alexander s kingdom was divided among four of his generals (the Diadochi, the successors ) Cassander ruled Greece and Macedonia, Lysimachus ruled Thrace and Asia Minor, Seleucus ruled Syria, and Ptolemy ruled Egypt. Now, none of the four generals enjoyed the same success as Alexander had achieved. From this point in Daniel s vision, the prophecy concentrates on the two generals who had control over the land belonging to the people of Daniel, - to the Jews to Israel. The two generals were Seleucus I Nicator [ the Victor ] the Satrap (Governor) of Syria (c BC), - to the north of Israel ( the king of the north ), and Ptolemy [the Saviour ] the ruler of Egypt (c.367 c.283), - to the south of Israel ( the king of the south ). The Seleucid dynasty was to the north of Israel and the Ptolemaic dynasty was to the south. Sandwiched in between was Israel, who bore the brunt of the two armies when they attacked each other. 5 And the king of the south [the Ptolemy from Egypt] shall be strong, and one of his princes; and he [the Ptolemy from Egypt] shall be strong above him [Seleucus from Syria], and have dominion; his [the Ptolemy from Egypt] dominion shall be a great dominion. At the beginning the Ptolemy from Egypt, - the king of the south would be the more powerful and successful. However, Seleucid s dynasty in the north, - the king of the north, - would manage to subdue an increasing amount of territory, so that he would eventually become more dominant than Ptolemy. Increasingly, the prophet highlights these two kingdoms, - the king of the north and the king of the south, and they represent succeeding kings from the Seleucid dynasty and the Ptolemaic dynasty. The tension between the two dynasties was starting to get too much so they decided to enter into an alliance. The king of the south could see things weren t going his way so he offered his daughter s hand in marriage to the king of the north. He, - the king of the north, - was Antiochus Theos (r BC), - the third A, - and he married Berenice the daughter of Ptolemy Philadelphus (r ), the king of Egypt, - the king of the south Ptolemy Philadelphus was actually the son of Cleopatra and Mark Antony. Now, unfortunately for Berenice, - this daughter of the king of the south (Egypt), - the king of the north was already married to Laodice. But, no problem, for he divorced his first wife (Laodice who was also his cousin), and married the daughter of the king of the south, Berenice. However, his

5 5 first wife (Laodice) wasn t pleased and she murdered the new wife, - Berenice, the daughter of the king of the south, - and all her attendants and she also poisoned the king to death! 6 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. After the murder of Antiochus Theos, the king of the north, Callinicus, - the son of the first wife of Antiochus Theos (i.e. Laodice), came to the throne. However, understandably, the king of the south felt aggrieved and he sent his army northwards, into the territory of the king of the north Dan. 11:7 But out of a branch of her roots [i.e. a member of Berenice s family] shall one stand up in his estate [i.e. Berenice s brother, Ptolemy III Euergetes], which shall come with an army, and shall enter into the fortress of the king of the north [Callinicus], and shall deal against them, and shall prevail, - that is the Egyptian army coming to confront the king of the north for his mother having killed Berenice, the daughter of the king of the south who was Ptolemy III s sister. The king of the south will be victorious on this occasion. In fact, he would be so successful, he 8 shall also carry captives into Egypt their gods, with their princes, and with their precious vessels of silver and of gold; And history records he king of the south did actually carry off from the north great booty, - the spoils of war, - including 40,000 talents of silver and 2,500 idol statues. The final part of the verse also came to pass, - and he shall continue more years than the king of the north, - because Callinicus ( the king of the north ) fell off his horse and died (225 BC) while the king of the south lived for a further four years. 9 So the king of the south shall come into his kingdom, and shall return into his own land. And during this time, the Egyptian Ptolemy, - the king of the south, - ruled over the land and people of Israel. Ahasuerus (v.2), Alexander (v.3-4), Antiochus Theos (v.5-9) and next, Antiochus the Great (v.10). Callinicus, - the son of Laodice, the first wife of Antiochus Theos, - had two sons, - Seleucus Ceraunus (who died within the first two years) and Antiochus the Great (who was left to become the sole ruler), the king of the north (r BC) 10 But his sons [i.e. the sons of Callinicus, the king of the north ] shall be stirred up, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces [history records there were 75,000 soldiers]: and one shall certainly come, and overflow, and pass through: then shall he return, and be stirred up, even to his fortress.

6 6 Understandably, the king of the south was annoyed the king of the north had attacked him, 11 And the king of the south shall be moved with choler [anger], and shall come forth and fight with him, even with the king of the north [Antiochus the Great]: and he [ the king of the south ] shall set forth a great multitude [73,000 soldiers, 5,000 cavalry, and 73 elephants elephants were used as carriers, and they were also a fearless battering ram in the battles]; but the multitude [of the armies belonging to the king of the north ] shall be given into his hand [ the king of the south ]. This was the Battle of Raphia (22 nd June 217 BC), also known as The Battle of the Elephants. The Egyptian Ptolemy revelled in his victory over Antiochus the Great but, - like Alexander the Great, - his ego became over-inflated, and he didn t notice a revolt in Syria which concluded with his downfall and ultimate death, as prophesied, 12 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. Back to Antiochus the Great 13 For the king of the north shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former [i.e. the Ptolemy, the king of the south ], and shall certainly come after certain years with a great army and with much riches. He bided his time until 203 BC, - fourteen years after his defeat in the Battle of Raphia, - and on this occasion he defeated the king of the south. The power of the Egyptian king of the south was in such sharp decline that a number who previously had suffered at his hands took their opportunity, 14 And in those times there shall many stand up against the king of the south. This included a renegade Jewish group who thought to manipulate events and align themselves with the Greek Antiochus the Great to get rid of the Egyptian domination in their land, also the robbers of thy people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision. Basically, these renegade Jews were swapping one rascal invader for another! So, they sided with Antiochus the Great, which they should not have done for it was wrong for Jews to fight alongside the enemy who were their pagan masters. They were traitors! And for that reason, the angel describes them as the robbers of thy people (the Jews). Inevitably, it was prophesied, they shall fall. 15 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. The battle takes place. Antiochus besieged the Egyptian garrison in Jerusalem and defeated the Egyptian general Scopius further north at Paneas (Caesarea Philippi) and Scopius fled across

7 7 to the Mediterranean city-port of Sidon leaving Antiochus the conqueror. After approximately almost 130 years of ongoing conflict, Egypt, - the king of the south, - was defeated by Antiochus, the king of the north. 16 But he [Antiochus the Great] that cometh against him [the armies of the king of the south ] 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. Antiochus the Great will become the undisputed ruler of this massive territory, including the country of Israel, and its capital city Jerusalem, the glorious land. Feeling he was invincible, he aspired to become as powerful as Alexander the Great! He wanted to make sure Egypt was totally under his control. So, to accomplish that ambition, 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 king of Egypt ] the daughter of women, corrupting her: Antiochus gave his daughter Cleopatra ( the Syrian ) to the seven-year-old Ptolemy Epiphanes to be his wife so he could control and direct the Egyptian king (192 BC). However, his plan backfired because Antiochus daughter took her husband s side, and not her father s but she shall not stand on his side, neither be for him. He started to become somewhat insecure so he turned his attention to the west but he suffered two great defeats, - against the Romans to the north of Athens at the battle of Thermopylae (191 BC), which forced him to retreat to Asia Minor and his second defeat was against again against the Romans at Magnesia (189 BC) to the south-east of Ephesus, 18 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. Defeated and broken, he returned to his homeland of Greece, 19 Then he shall turn his face toward the fort of his own land: but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found. The days of his rule were coming to an end. He died in 187 BC. Finally, he was succeeded by his eldest son, Seleucus Philopator ( fatherloving ), 20 Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom: but within few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle. His son will be nothing like his father, - no great ruler or military power. However, his father had fallen into great debt to the Romans, and this debt was passed on to Seleucus Philopator and he could not cope. He reigned for twelve years, but his final act of desperation was to send his legate (general) Heliodorus in 178 BC to Jerusalem to rob the rich treasures in the temple at

8 8 Jerusalem so as to pay back some of the debt to the Romans, - a raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom. Shortly afterwards, Heliodorus returned with the booty and, in 175 BC, assassinated king Seleucus Philopator, neither in anger, nor in battle. And all this Daniel was told in the prophecy and it came to pass, without fail. Once again, it impresses upon us how God s word is altogether trustworthy and reliable. We don t need to symbolise it, allegorise it, or anything else just believe it as it is! Daniel was prophesying in 535 BC events that would take place 360 years later. But, as we shall see, this amazing prophecy extends even further and the next period we shall study begins with the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes, and continues to the time of the end (v.35, 40).