Daniel XI, North vs. South

Daniel 11 is extremely heavy. The first time I read this my head started spinning. This chapter has so much information it is hard to know how to go through all of this. So, in order to prevent confusion I will go verse by verse and then give a summary of all these battles, empires, and people. Let's dig in!

2 And now I will tell you the truth: Behold, three more kings will arise in Persia, and the fourth shall be far richer than them all; by his strength, through his riches, he shall stir up all against the realm of Greece.

At the time of this vision Darius was the king of Persia. Following Darius, three kings, Cambyses, Gaumata, and Darius I, rose up in Persia. The fourth, after those, was Xerxes. Nelson Study Bible says that he was the "richest king of all due to his conquest and severe taxation." This fits perfectly with the words of the prophecy and most scholars conclude this is Xerxes.

Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will. 4 And when he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken up and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not among his posterity nor according to his dominion with which he ruled; for his kingdom shall be uprooted, even for others besides these.

This is the pattern see time and time again in this study of Daniel. This kingdom arises, grows great, and breaks into four different parts. This is probably the fourth time we see this in Daniel. Because this king is "mighty" and his kingdom divides to the "four winds of heaven," we conclude that this is Alexander the Great's empire. Following his death the kingdom is broken into four parts and none of them retain the strength of his empire.

5 “Also the king of the South shall become strong, as well as one of his princes; and he shall gain power over him and have dominion. His dominion shall be a great dominion.

One of these four parts, the South, which is controlled by Ptolemy 1 Soter, becomes stronger than the others. Likewise did one of his princes who is Seleucus Nicator. The Scripture suggests that this prince gains power over the Southern kingdom and begin a great dominion.

6 And at the end of some years they shall join forces, for the daughter of the king of the South shall go to the king of the North to make an agreement; but she shall not retain the power of her authority,^[a] and neither he nor his authority^[b] shall stand; but she shall be given up, with those who brought her, and with him who begot her, and with him who strengthened her in those times.

After a time the Southern forces, controlled by Ptolemy Philadephus, joined together with the Northern king who is Antiochus II Theos. This daughter refers to Berenice the daughter of the new Southern ruler, Ptolemy Philadelphus. As the Bible shows, she most certainly does make a treaty and they two empires are united.

But from a branch of her roots one shall arise in his place, who shall come with an army, enter the fortress of the king of the North, and deal with them and prevail. 8 And he shall also carry their gods captive to Egypt, with their princes^[c]and their precious articles of silver and gold; and he shall continue more years than the king of the North. 9 “Also the king of the North shall come to the kingdom of the king of the South, but shall return to his own land.

After a time, a man, Ptolemy III Euergetes, arises from her roots and attacks the North and prevail. Obviously this man breaks off the "treaty." He attacks and prevails; the North attempts a rebuttal, but is defeated. This happens in history. Berenice’s brother was Ptolemy III Euergetes and he conquers the king of the North who is how Seleucus Callinicus. Seleucus attempts a rebuttal, but it is unsuccessful.

10 However his sons shall stir up strife, and assemble a multitude of great forces; and one shall certainly come and overwhelm and pass through; then he shall return to his fortress and stir up strife. 11 “And the king of the South shall be moved with rage, and go out and fight with him, with the king of the North, who shall muster a great multitude; but the multitude shall be given into the hand of his enemy. 12 When he has taken away the multitude, his heart will be lifted up; and he will cast down tens of thousands, but he will not prevail.

Following Seleucus’s failed rebuttal as described in verses 7-9, he returns “to his own land.” Following his return, his sons, who are Seleucus III Geranaunus and Antiochus III the Great, stir up strife between the two kingdoms. These sons cause the Southern king, now Ptolemy IV Philopator, to be “moved with rage.” (Verse 11) Ptolemy goes “out and fights”(Verse 11) with the Northern kingdom. He musters “a great multitude,” but does not prevail. The Northern king, Antiochus III is defeated by the king of the North (Ptolemy) “at Raphia in 217 B.C.” (Nelson Study Bible)

13 For the king of the North will return and muster a multitude greater than the former, and shall certainly come at the end of some years with a great army and much equipment. 14 “Now in those times many shall rise up against the king of the South. Also, violent men^[d] of your people shall exalt themselves in fulfillment of the vision, but they shall fall. 15 So the king of the North shall come and build a siege mound, and take a fortified city; and the forces^[e] of the South shall not withstand him. Even his choice troops shall have no strength to resist. 16 But he who comes against him shall do according to his own will, and no one shall stand against him. He shall stand in the Glorious Land with destruction in his power.

Following defeat at Raphia the North, Antiochus III, returns and at the “end of some years” has a “great army” and “much equipment.” (Verse 13 for all three quotes) In that same time many countries rise “against the king of the South…”(verse 14) The Southern king is now Ptolemy V Ephiphanes and “Philip V of Macedonia” (Nelson Study Bible) rises to help Antiochus III fight against the Southern king. Verse 15 says the North attacks and defeats “the fortified city of Sidon.” (Nelson Study Bible) This did occur in 198 B.C. Following this victory the North will become too powerful and “…no one shall stand against him...” (Verse 16) He shall also enter and take control of the “…Glorious Land,”(Verse 16) also known as Israel.

17 “He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones^[g] with him; thus shall he do. And he shall give him the daughter of women to destroy it; but she shall not stand with him, or be for him.

Antiochus decides to “…set his fact to enter (the entire South) with the strength of his whole kingdom…”(verse 17) He decides to use every advantage he has and gives his daughter, Cleopatra, to be married to Southern King Ptolemy V Epiphanes in “…order to destroy or undermine Egypt.” (Nelson Study Bible, Egypt also known as “South.”) She, however, decides to go with her husband and revolt against her father, thus she “…shall not stand with him…” (Verse 17)

18 After this he shall turn his face to the coastlands, and shall take many. But a ruler shall bring the reproach against them to an end; and with the reproach removed; he shall turn back on him. 19 Then he shall turn his face toward the fortress of his own land; but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found. 20 “There shall arise in his place one who imposes taxes on the glorious kingdom; but within a few days he shall be destroyed, but not in anger or in battle.

Because of his failure to destroy the South with his daughter, Antiochus takes his focus off of the entire Southern kingdom and he turns “…his face to the coastlands…” (Verse 18) This entire Scripture is based on the Israel/Egypt/Syria area so the “coastlands” are most likely the Asia Minor area. During this campaign, however, Antiochus is defeated by Roman ruler Lucius Cornelius Scorpo. “ Having lost all that he had gained, Antiochus returned to ‘his own land,’ where he was defeated and killed while trying to plunder a temple.” (Nelson Study Bible) That is what is represented when it says, “…he shall stumble and fall, and not be found.” (Verse 19) Following his demise, his son, Seclus IV Philopator rises to power. Seclus only ruled 11 years and was eventually ousted out by Antiochus IV Epiphines due to treachery, not violence, in accordance with the prophecy that says, “…he shall be destroyed, but not in anger or in battle.” (v. 20)

21 And in his place shall arise a vile person, to whom they will not give the honor of royalty; but he shall come in peaceably, and seize the kingdom by intrigue. 22 With the force^[h] of a flood they shall be swept away from before him and be broken, and also the prince of the covenant. 23 And after the league is made with him he shall act deceitfully, for he shall come up and become strong with a small number of people. 24 He shall enter peaceably, even into the richest places of the province; and he shall do what his fathers have not done, nor his forefathers: he shall disperse among them the plunder, spoil, and riches; and he shall devise his plans against the strongholds, but only for a time.

As we see, Secelus ruled only 11 years and was ousted, but not through violence. Instead, this new ruler came “…in peaceably…”(Verse 21) This “…vile person…” refers to “…Antiochus IV Epiphanes who seized the throne through treachery.” (Nelson Study Bible) The following verse, verse 24, gives a brief description of his rule.

25 “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 devise plans against him. 26 Yes, those who eat of the portion of his delicacies shall destroy him; his army shall be swept away, and many shall fall down slain. 27 Both these kings’ hearts shall be bent on evil, and they shall speak lies at the same table; but it shall not prosper, for the end will still be at the appointed time.

Antiochus IV decides to “…stir up his power and his courage against the king of the South with a great army.” (Verse 25) The “…king of the South shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand…” (Verse 25) Antiochus IV defeats the South, now ruled by Ptolemy Philopator who is betrayed by “…those who eat at the portion of his delicacies…” (Verse 26), and “both these kings’ hearts shall be bent on evil, and they shall speak lies at the same table…” (Verse 26) The fact they are at a “table” suggests that they have “peace talks,” both are not bent on peace, but on evil. These talks are not successful, because peace will never come to the Middle East and that area until the “…appointed time…”

28 While returning to his land with great riches, his heart shall be moved against the holy covenant; so he shall do damage and return to his own land.

Nelson Study Bible says of this passage, “on his way back to Syria, Antiochus looted the temple in Jerusalem and killed many people.” This is the most likely explanation for this passage.

29 “At the appointed time he shall return and go toward the south; but it shall not be like the former or the latter. 30 For ships from Cyprus^[i] shall come against him; therefore he shall be grieved, and return in rage against the holy covenant, and do damage.

Once again, Antiochus IV decides to attack the South. This attack is a disaster. Antiochus arrives and the “…Romans forced Antiochus to depart…” (Nelson Study Bible) The Romans are represented by the “…ships from Cyprus…” (Verse 30) Once again, on his way back, he loots the temple and damages it out of frustration.

31 And forces^[j] shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation. 32 Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits. 33 And those of the people who understand shall instruct many; yet for many days they shall fall by sword and flame, by captivity and plundering. 34 Now when they fall, they shall be aided with a little help; but many shall join with them by intrigue. 35 And some of those of understanding shall fall, to refine them, purify them, and make them white, until the time of the end; because it is still for the appointed time.

Antiochus is now beyond control. He musters forces and begins defiling temple once again. He will not allow the Jews to perform their daily sacrifices, he also sacrifices a sow upon the alter of God which is an unclean animal and forbidden. However, some of “…the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.” The first thing that came to my mind when I read that was the Maccabean revolt. Nelson Study Bible says, “Mattathias, father of five sons, refused to offer sacrifices in a profane manner and killed the king’s agents. He and his sons then fled to the mountains and began the famous Macabbean revolt.” Eventually the Macabbeans sieged Jerusalem. This paved the way for the Romans to take control before Christ’s birth. This led to the birth of Christ and to what is coming next.

36 “Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done. 37 He shall regard neither the God^[k] of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all. 38 But in their place he shall honor a god of fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things. 39 Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain.

A large time gap occurs between the Macabbean revolution in verses 31-35 and what is occurring now. In verse 36 a new king is introduced. This king is often misinterpreted to be Antiochus, the king of the North; however, verse 40 says that the North and South will come against this king. Because both of these empires will battle with this one, it is obviously not the Northern Empire or the Southern empire. This kingdom is the end time’s kingdom of the anti-christ. The anti-christ will “…magnify himself…” (Verse 36) and “…speak blasphemies…” (Verse 36) This is very similar to what is said in Daniel 9:25 and Daniel 9:25 is most certainly referring to the anti-christ, the striking similarities lead to the conclusion that this new king is the anti-christ.

40 “At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. 41 He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon. 42 He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43 He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; also the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow at his heels. 44 But news from the east and the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many. 45 And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him.

Because this is prophecy yet to come, we will not know completely how it will happen until it does. The following is my opinion of what I believe will happen, not absolutely what will transpire.

When the anti-christ first comes on the scene he will be looked at as a peacemaker. He will “…confirm a covenant with many…”(Daniel 9:27) This covenant will be for a week or one year for each day of the week, thus totaling seven years. In the middle of this covenant he will break off from it. Daniel 9 says he will, “He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate.” (Daniel 9:27) His blasphemies infuriate many and the king of the South and the king of the North attacks him. These are not the same kingdoms, but most likely an alliance formed against him. The south could contain and alliance of African countries and the north could be a European alliance or a Russian attack similar to the Russian alliance in Ezekiel 38. This is unclear. These alliances come against him, and destroys them. Following their destruction he shall “…also enter the Glorious Land…” (Verse 41) “…many countries shall be overthrown…” but he will spare Edom, Moab, and Ammon. I am not sure at this point about Edom, but Ammon and Moab refer to Jordan and Syria respectively. Edom, Moab, and Ammon are traditional enemies of God and Israel and will probably be the anti-christ’s allies. He shall attack Egypt and “…the land of Egypt shall not escape.” More African countries “…follow at his heels…” but “…news from the east and the north shall trouble him…” (Verse 44) The north is probably more of this European alliance or Russian alliance, although the passage does not refer to it as a “kingdom” so it is possible this attack is coming from a different northern alliance, like Russia. The “east” is very interesting, also. Revelation 16:12 tells of the Euphrates river drying up so the “…kings of the east might be prepared.” This “east” that the anti-christ is fearing is the same coming by way of the dried up Euphrates in Revelation. In modern times, only one major “kingdom” or country exists to the east that is this powerful: China and its million man army. Revelation says kings, so it possible that North Korea will be an ally with China. It also possible Iran, with its developing nuclear program could come also.

The anti-christ will prepare his tents “…between the seas and the glorious holy mountain…” (Verse 45) He will fight with the Northern kingdom and the kings from the east, but he shall not prevail and “…he shall come to his end…” (Verse 45) I should make clear, that this is NOT Armageddon. Armageddon is described by the Bible as a fight between good and evil, a spiritual war, not a physical war between countries. Revelation 16:13-16 talks about “unclean spirits” and “spirits of demons.” Armageddon will be the final fight between good and evil. The Lord will prevail and Daniel twelve talks about this in more detail.