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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