Daniel worksheet 12
Daniel 11
Kings of the North and the South
Daniel 11:1-4 (NKJV) says 1“Also in the first year of Darius the Mede, I, even I, stood up to confirm and strengthen him. 2And now I will tell you the truth: Behold, three more kings will arise in
Verse 1 we have already explained in the previous session.
Now we focus on the vision, starting in verse 2. This verse tells that three Persian kings will rule, and a fourth will be strong. That 4th king is Xerxes (518 – 465 BC), opposing the coming of the Greek empire. Why about two empires described? Because both the Persian and the Greek empires attempted to wipe out the people of God, the Jews. The Persian empire tried to wipe out the Jews through the evil man Haman, to be found in the Book of Esther. The Greek empire tried to wipe out the Jews through the reign of Antiochus IV (215-164 BC). The mighty king in verse 3 is believed to be Alexander the Great, who only became 33 years old. Why is Alexander the Great not described in the Bible. The reason may be that he didn’t touble the Jewish people. The whole Greek empire existed during the last four centuries BC; a time in which God was silent; at least in written biblical history. Only the historian Jesephus mentions that Alexander came to Jerusalem and was shown the Sroll of Daniel. When Alexander died his empire was given into the hands of four generals. The rest of this chapter, Daniel 11, is devoted to two of those generals, mentioned starting in verse 5, as we read below. The two generals are Ptolemeus of Egypt and Seleucis.
Warring Kings of North and South
Daniel 11:5-28 (NKJV) says 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. 6And 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, and neither he nor his authority 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. 7But 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. 8And he shall also carry their gods captive to Egypt, with their princes 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. 10However 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. 12When 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. 13For 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 of your people shall exalt themselves in fulfillment of the vision, but they shall fall. 15So the king of the North shall come and build a siege mound, and take a fortified city; and the forces of the South shall not withstand him. Even his choice troops shall have no strength to resist. 16But 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. 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 daughter of women to destroy it; but she shall not stand with him, or be for him. 18After 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. 19Then 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. 21And 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. 22With the force of a flood they shall be swept away from before him and be broken, and also the prince of the covenant. 23And 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. 24He 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. 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. 26Yes, those who eat of the portion of his delicacies shall destroy him; his army shall be swept away, and many shall fall down slain. 27Both 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. 28While 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.
Q1 God knows the future better than we know the past. The prophecy described in verses 6-21 was exactly fulfilled in the fourth century BC in and between the Southern king’s dynasty (the Ptolemeans) and the Northern king’s dynasty (the Celeucides). What does that say about God working in Daniel?
Verse 21 predicts that in the Celeucian Nordern dynasty a vile person will arise. That prophecy is fulfilled by Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who gave himself the title Epiphanes means glorious. Verse 25 however predicts that we will not stand in battles agains the Southern Ptolemaic dynasty. The Ptolemaic armies were victorous because they received help from the Romans. Antiochus needed to rurrender and came under Roman command.
The Northern King’s Blasphemies
Daniel 11:29-39 (NKJV) says 29“At the appointed time he shall return and go toward the south; but it shall not be like the former or the latter. 30For ships from Cyprus shall come against him; therefore he shall be grieved, and return in rage against the holy covenant, and do damage. “So he shall return and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant. 31And forces 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. 32Those 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. 33And those of the people who understand shall instruct many; yet for many days they shall fall by sword and flame, by captivity and plundering. 34Now when they fall, they shall be aided with a little help; but many shall join with them by intrigue. 35And 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. 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. 37He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all. 38But 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. 39Thus 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.
Q2 Antiochus’ defeat against the Ptolemeans led him to return to his land. But on the way he did evil in the Holy Land. What (verse 31)? Did you read verse 31b? What pre-cusor could that be? Read the yet to be fulfilled prophecy, where Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24:15. The doctrine of Preterism falsely believes that this prophecy was fulfilled by Antiochus. We believe that Antiochus was only a pre-figure of the Anti-Christ yet to come.
Q3 Persecution will come. Listen to what Daniel prophesied and what Jesus announced. But … the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits (Daniel 11:32). Are you ready to spread the Good News of Jesus in our perilous current time?
Q4 Notice, that what we have read in Daniel chapter 11 until verse 35 has been fulfilled before Jesus’ first coming. But notice, the shift in the prophecy comes in verse 36, where prophesies will be fulfilled in the long term. Read out loud verses 36-39. Isn’t that a prophecy about the antichist?
Antiochus put a statue of the pagan god Zeus in the Temple. The antichist will put a statue of himself in the temple.
The Northern King’s Conquests
Daniel 11:40-45 (NKJV) says 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. 41He 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. 42He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43He 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. 44But news from the east and the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many. 45And 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.
This end-time prophetic passage is hard to fully uderstand. Antiochus Epiphanes in the end failed and fell. In the future the Antichrist will fail and fall.
God has a plan. It’s a good plan. He will win. With us, His followers and redeemed.