DANIEL SIMPLIFIED
CHAPTER
11.1.Introduction
Gleanings
from the Book of Daniel:
A
Weekly Verse-by-Verse Bible Study Series
DANIEL
Chapter
Eleven
Daniel’s Final Vision
The Prophecy
Introduction
Formerly, Chapter 10 prepared God’s
prophet Daniel to comprehend the great historical drama on the world’s stage
which was about to unfold. Contemporarily, Chapter 11 is an
unveiling of both Israel’s immediate and distant future. It references the
empires of Chapters 2 and 7 and also elaborates on the predictions found in
Chapter 8.
Thereupon, Chapters 10, 11, and 12
present a prophetic panorama of events stretching from the beginning of the Medo-Persian
Empire to the end of the Seventy Weeks of Daniel. Hence, the end of
Tribulation, the battle of Armageddon, and the Second Coming of Christ climax
Daniel’s revelatory timeline.
Writing History Before it Happens
Remarkably, over 135 historically
fulfilled specific prophecies are contained just in the first thirty-five
verses of Daniel 11. These events covering over 200 years into the near future are
so detailed they have caused the minds of Bible critics to be tangled and
confounded.
Chapter
11 is literal in its interpretation and not allegorical. In the last half of
Chapter 11, a transition occurs to the beginning of the unfulfilled prophecy
concerning the last days.
Basic
Outline of Chapter 11
Daniel’s
visionary narrative commences and continues with several descriptive events. Its
outline encompasses:
1. The
Persian Empire (v. 1)
2. The
four kings (v. 2)
3. Alexander
the Great (v. 3)
4. The
four divisions of the Greek Empire (v.
4)
5. The
Ptolemaic and Seleucid Wars (Vv. 5- 20)
6. Antiochus
IV Epiphanes (v. 21)
7. The
great persecution under Antiochus (Vv. 22-35)
8. Antichrist:
His triumph (Vv. 36-39)
9. Antichrist:
His fall (Vv. 40-45)
(Verse 1)
Also I in the first year of Darius the
Mede, even I, stood
to confirm and to strengthen him.
The Persian Empire
Since the book of
Daniel is not in Chronological order, this storyline began at the end of
Chapter 5. Recall, Daniel had been thrown into the den of lions at the onset of
King Darius’ reign. In the following year (538 B.C.), Cyrus the Great issued the
decree for Israel to return to their homeland (cf. Ezra 1:2—4; 6:2-5).
The Angel’s Mission
Continued
Verse 1 of Chapter 11
is a continuation of Chapter 10. Chapter divisions in Scripture were not implemented
until 1227 A.D. So, in the first year of Darrius
the Mede (539 B.C.), Gabriel tells how he previously aided Michael.
Seemingly, Gabriel
stood with Michael as a fortress of encouragement and a stronghold of protection
for him. They were comrades in the ongoing spiritual battle.
(Verse 2)
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.
The Four Kings
After all was said,
Gabriel initiated the explanation of the vision by assuring Daniel what he was
about to hear was the absolute truth from God. And, with remarkable accuracy, he
told Daniel four notable kings of Persia would succeed Cyrus the Great, the
king in context. The first three would arise, but the fourth would amass
enormous military wealth to invade the empire of Greece.
The four notable kings
in history are notated as follows:
1. Cambyses II
The son of Cyrus II the Great, Cambyses,
a member of the Achaemenid Dynasty of Persia, ascended to the throne in 529
B.C. and ruled Babylonia until 522 B.C.
2. Pseudo – Smerdis
Also identified as Bardiya and Gaumata,
Smerdis was considered by some accounts as an imposter of another son of Cyrus
the Great. He reigned briefly from 522 – 521 B. C. before being murdered.
3. Darius I Hystaspes
Another king of Persia was Darius I. He
was the son of Hystaspes, a satrap of an ancient area of modern-day
northeastern Iran called Parthia. His reign lasted from 521 – 486 B.C.
4. Xerxes I
The fourth king after Cyrus was Xerxes
the Great, son of Darius I Hystaspes, also known as Ahasuerus from the book of
Esther (cf. Esther 1:1). His kingship lasted from 486 – 465 B.C. The first
chapter of Esther reveals a glimpse into his extravagant and moral lifestyle.
Greek historian Herodotus writes of Xerxes’
military campaigns. He invaded Greece at the famous battle of Thermopylae 580
B.C. with a mighty army of 5, 283,320 men from forty-six nations. In the same
year, however, he suffered defeat by the Persians at the naval battle of
Salamis. Xerxes died at the hand of an assassin in 465 B.C.
[Note:
Most historic information was obtained through Britannica.com]
There
were more than four kings in Persia, but the angel only points out the key
figures. The interim between verses two and three accounts for approximately
130 years of history.
(Verse 3)
And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall
rule with great dominion, and do according to his will.
Alexander the Great
The rise of a mighty king is foreshadowed by the
statue dream of Nebuchadnezzar and the animal visions of Daniel as such:
1. The belly and thighs of brass (cf.
Daniel 2: 32, 39)
2. The winged leopard (cf. Daniel 7:6)
3. The notable horn of the he-goat ( cf.
Daniel 8:5-8, 21)
Alexander the Great fits the
description accurately (see also Daniel Simplified 7.2 and 8.6). He came to
power in 335 B.C. and governed according to his own rules over the Greco-Macedonian
Empire.
(Verse 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: for his kingdom shall
be plucked up, even for others beside those.
The Four Divisions of
the Greek Empire
Alexander the Great is
proclaimed in history as the greatest military strategist the world has ever
known. In only ten years, his armies swept throughout the Asian continent. At
the age of 33, Alexander died (323 B.C.) in Babylon from a combination of
malaria and alcoholism.
Within fifteen years following
his death, Alexander’s heirs to the throne, i.e., his mentally challenged
half-brother Philip III, his legitimate son Alexander II, and his illegitimate
son Hercules were consequently murdered. Thus, not one of his family members,
including three wives, two sons, his brother and sister-in-law, and his mother
were left alive.
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
Daniel states the
empire would not pass to his descendants, nor remain according to the power by which
he ruled. It was destined to become uprooted and given to others.
[They] shall be divided toward
the four winds of heaven
Extraordinarily,
nearly 200 years before Alexander the Great was born, Daniel received the
prophecy that the Greek Empire would be divided (see Daniel 8:8; 11:4). After the
death of Alexander, the once great empire of Greece was eventually split
amongst four of his generals:
1. Cassander of Macedon
(305 – 285 B.C.)
The western portion of the empire was under his control:
Macedonia and most of Greece.
2. Lysimachus (360 – 281
B.C.)
The eastern portion of the empire was under his control:
Thrace, Bithynia, and most of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey).
3. Ptolemy I Soter (366–
282 B.C.)
The southern portion of the empire was under his control:
Egypt, and the Libyan and Arabian regions, including Palestine. He was the
founder of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt and died in 283/282 B.C.
4. Seleucus I Nicator (358
– 281 B.C.)
The northern portion of the empire was under his control: Syria
and the remainder of the Middle East. He was the founder of the Seleucid
dynasty.
All four divisions were depicted by the
four horns of the he-goat in Daniel 8. Additionally, they warred amongst
themselves until two generals faded. But, between the Seleucids and the
Ptolemies of Egypt, there is continued infighting. This will be evidenced in
the following prophetic verses.
QUESTIONS:
1. Why is this section of Scripture so
remarkable?
2. Who was the fourth king of Persia after
Cyrus?
3. Who was the mighty king that stood up?
4. What happened to the empire after his
death?
5. What do the belly and thighs of brass
depict?
6. What do the four horns of the he-goat
foreshadow?
7. What two dynasties were prominent in
the divided Greek Empire?
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