Standing on the Sure Word of God
Daniel 11 Part 1
2 Peter 1:19 (CSB)
19 We also have the prophetic word strongly confirmed, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
Series – Light in Today’s Darkness
2 Peter 1:20-21 (CSB)
20 Above all, you know this: No prophecy of Scripture comes from the prophet’s own interpretation, 21 because no prophecy ever came by the will of man; instead, men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Daniel 10:20–21 (ESV)
20 Then he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? But now I will return to fight against the prince of Persia; and when I go out, behold, the prince of Greece will come. 21 But I will tell you what is inscribed in the book of truth: there is none who contends by my side against these except Michael, your prince.
Daniel 11:1-2 (ESV)
1 “And as for me, in the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood up to confirm and strengthen him. 2 “And now I will show you the truth. Behold, three more kings shall arise in Persia, and a fourth shall be far richer than all of them. And when he has become strong through his riches, he shall stir up all against the kingdom of Greece.
Predicts 4 kings of Persia - 4th is the famous Xerxes (known in the book of Esther as Ahasuerus). Fabled million man army attack the Greeks (movie 300 based upon it)
Daniel 11:3-4
3 Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion and do as he wills. 4 And as soon as he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not to his posterity, nor according to the authority with which he ruled, for his kingdom shall be plucked up and go to others besides these.
Alexander great – no children inherit – 4 generals
JOSEPHUS RECORDS: When Alexander approached Jerusalem, there was great animosity between him and the Jews. As the army approached they expected they were going to be able to destroy the city. The high priest prayed and was told to go out and meet Alexander outside the city. He went out in his high priestly garb – very distinct, with headpiece (Holy unto the Lord).
When Alexander saw the priest, he recognized him from a dream he had seen, and immediately was curious and actually honored the high priest. The high priest showed him this passage in Daniel and realized it was talking about him. Alexander then gave safety to the city and the Jews and allowed them to follow the Torah. The high priest negotiated that they wouldn’t have to pay tribute in the 7th year (because of the Shemitah).
His kingdom divided 4 generals, 2 primary become the Seleucid to the North (Syria) and Ptolemy to the south (EGYPT)
SLIDE: MAP OF SELEUCID EMPIRE
Israel became the buffer zone – the stronger kingdom would control it. Daniel refers to as king of the North and King of the South.
Daniel 11:5-6
5 “Then the king of the south shall be strong, but one of his princes shall be stronger than he and shall rule, and his authority shall be a great authority. 6 After some years they shall make an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement. But she shall not retain the strength of her arm, and he and his arm shall not endure, but she shall be given up, and her attendants, he who fathered her, and he who supported her in those times.
Wars back and forth – to bring peace – King of South offers daughter Laodice to King of the North in marriage. – only problem- he’s already married to Berenice. To show that he was committed to the new wife (Laodice) – the King of the North agrees to divorce his current wife to marry this younger gal.
PROBLEM – divorced wife (Berenice) doesn’t like the idea, eventually kills her rival (Laodice). The King takes back his divorced wife and then she goes and poisons him.
So much for the peace treaty.
Daniel 11:7
7 “And from a branch from her roots one shall arise in his place. He shall come against the army and enter the fortress of the king of the north, and he shall deal with them and shall prevail.
Brother of the daughter who was murdered, avenges his sister Laodice and comes and conquers King of the North carrying away much plunder – next verse
Daniel 11:8-9
8 He shall also carry off to Egypt their gods with their metal images and their precious vessels of silver and gold, and for some years he shall refrain from attacking the king of the north. 9 Then the latter shall come into the realm of the king of the south but shall return to his own land.
The king of the north tries to invade the south again, but unsuccessful – EACH TIME THEY GO THROUGH ISRAEL
The Seleucid Kings – desire to revive the Old Greek Empire that Alexander had.
Nationalism – Same with Putin trying to reunite the old Soviet Union or even ancient Russia
Heart of man is the same -
Daniel 11:10-12
10 “His sons shall wage war and assemble a multitude of great forces, which shall keep coming and overflow and pass through, and again shall carry the war as far as his fortress. 11 Then the king of the south, moved with rage, shall come out and fight against the king of the north. And he shall raise a great multitude, but it shall be given into his hand. 12 And when the multitude is taken away, his heart shall be exalted, and he shall cast down tens of thousands, but he shall not prevail.
New King of the South goes to attack again – “cast down tens of thousands” – basically slaughters many from the North.
Pride gets him and he doesn’t prevail. King of the North counters…
Daniel 11:13-14
13 For the king of the north shall again raise a multitude, greater than the first. And after some years he shall come on with a great army and abundant supplies. 14 “In those times many shall rise against the king of the south, and the violent among your own people shall lift themselves up in order to fulfill the vision, but they shall fail.
King of North comes back stronger, and gets other nations to attack Egypt as well.
Even Jews join the attack hoping that it will calm their life but it doesn’t work.
Daniel 11:15-16
15 Then the king of the north shall come and throw up siegeworks and take a well-fortified city. And the forces of the south shall not stand, or even his best troops, for there shall be no strength to stand. 16 But he who comes against him shall do as he wills, and none shall stand before him. And he shall stand in the glorious land, with destruction in his hand.
King of North (Syria) wins against the south (Egypt). King of north establishes greater control over Israel (“the glorious land”)
Daniel 11:17
17 He shall set his face to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and he shall bring terms of an agreement and perform them. He shall give him the daughter of women to destroy the kingdom, but it shall not stand or be to his advantage.
King of the north tries to establish peace by giving his daughter – Cleopatra I – to marry the King of the Egypt (South). They get married but she sides with the Egyptians.
Daniel 11:18-19
18 Afterward he shall turn his face to the coastlands and shall capture many of them, but a commander shall put an end to his insolence. Indeed, he shall turn his insolence back upon him. 19 Then he shall turn his face back toward the fortresses of his own land, but he shall stumble and fall, and shall not be found.
This King of the North – will start to attack Greece but is turned back by a commander of Rome. Rome by this point is starting to grow in power and turns him away and he dies shortly after.
Daniel 11:20
20 “Then shall arise in his place one who shall send an exactor of tribute for the glory of the kingdom. But within a few days he shall be broken, neither in anger nor in battle.
King’s son takes over and begins heavy taxes to pay for all of the wars, but he is quickly poisoned and dies. His brother, Antiochus IV Epiphanes assumes the throne. He becomes a type or picture of the Antichrist and more verses about him than all the others combined. He foreshadows the “Little horn” of Daniel chapter 7 and 8
Daniel 11:21-23
21 In his place shall arise a contemptible person to whom royal majesty has not been given. He shall come in without warning and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. 22 Armies shall be utterly swept away before him and broken, even the prince of the covenant. 23 And from the time that an alliance is made with him he shall act deceitfully, and he shall become strong with a small people.
Antiochus IV took on the title Epiphanes – meaning illustrious one or GOD MANIFEST
The throne actually belonged to his nephew, but he took it over (which is what was prophesied).
He obtained the kingdom by flattery –
BEWARE THE FLATTERER
Psalm 55:21 (ESV)
21 His speech was smooth as butter, yet war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords.
Leadership and self-deception – we often place around us people who tell us what we want to hear – because we agree with them.
Flattery puffs up (insincere)
Encouragement builds up (pure motives)– encourage – give strength to
Proverbs 27:6 (NKJV)
6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
Friends speak the truth and that sometimes hurts.
Daniel 11:24
24 Without warning he shall come into the richest parts of the province, and he shall do what neither his fathers nor his fathers’ fathers have done, scattering among them plunder, spoil, and goods. He shall devise plans against strongholds, but only for a time.
He redistributes wealth – taking from the rich and giving to his followers.
BEWARE WHEN POLITICIANS TALK ABOUT REDISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH
BIDEN BILLIONAIRE TAX -
Daniel 11:25-27
25 And he shall stir up his power and his heart against the king of the south with a great army. And the king of the south shall wage war with an exceedingly great and mighty army, but he shall not stand, for plots shall be devised against him. 26 Even those who eat his food shall break him. His army shall be swept away, and many shall fall down slain. 27 And as for the two kings, their hearts shall be bent on doing evil. They shall speak lies at the same table, but to no avail, for the end is yet to be at the time appointed.
Antiochus pushed his troops to the borders of Egypt and sat down at a table with the other king to bring peace – but both of them were lying to each other
Daniel 11:28
28 And he shall return to his land with great wealth, but his heart shall be set against the holy covenant. And he shall work his will and return to his own land.
Antiochus comes back through Israel to go home but is upset that he didn’t take all of Egypt and takes it out on Israel (“set against the holy covenant”)
Daniel 11:29-30
29 “At the time appointed he shall return and come into the south, but it shall not be this time as it was before. 30 For ships of Kittim shall come against him, and he shall be afraid and withdraw, and shall turn back and be enraged and take action against the holy covenant. He shall turn back and pay attention to those who forsake the holy covenant.
Antiochus plans to attack Egypt again, but Roman ships from Kittim come and meet him on the beach. The commander has a letter forbidding him to attack Egypt. He asks for time to consider and the commander draws a circle around him in the sand and says not leave the circle until he has decided what he is going to do. Doesn’t want to go to war with Rome so he relents and goes home and takes his anger out on Israel – now really upset and specifically against the Jews and Torah.
Daniel 11:31
31 Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate. .
He sends an army of 22,000 soldiers into Jerusalem on a “peace-keeping mission” but they attacked on the Sabbath and killed 40,000 people and took thousands as slaves. Eventually 100,000 killed
STOPPED THE BURNT OFFERINGS -daily sacrifice
Forbade Mosaic law, circumcision, Jewish festivals
Burned copies of the scriptures
Set up the abomination of desolation – Dec 16, 167 BC – set up an altar of Zeus on the Bronze altar outside the temple and had a pig offered on the altar.
He required the Jews to sacrifice a pig each month on the 25th of the month in celebration of his birthday.
Daniel 11:32
32 He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.
He encouraged Jews to worship Zeus and provided incentives to forsake God.
He used FLATTERY – spoken here again.
LOOK AT LAST PART OF VERSE:
Daniel 11:32b
but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.
Comparison between apostate Jews and Jews who “know their God.”
Apostate Jews didn’t know their God because if really knew God, wouldn’t forsake.
Know He is omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent.
Daniel 11:32b
but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.
1. STAND FIRM
2. TAKE ACTION
Ephesians 4:14 (ESV)
14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
Colossians 2:8 (NLT)
8 Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.
DON’T STAND FIRM BECAUSE OF LIES – Twisting the truth
Love is love – gay couple – “who am I to judge?” – “you do you”
Be true to yourself
Ephesians 6:10–14 (ESV)
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness…
Romans 8:31 (ESV)
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
2. Take Action
Daniel 11:32b
but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.
Lots of INACTION today – passivity
Too busy
Too confused
Too scared
Repentance – change of mind and direction – can’t change direction without taking action
WHAT ACTION IS GOD CALLING YOU TO TODAY?
He has asked you to do something and you have been waiting.
Daniel 11:32b
but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.
Daniel 11:33-35
33 And the wise among the people shall make many understand, though for some days they shall stumble by sword and flame, by captivity and plunder. 34 When they stumble, they shall receive a little help. And many shall join themselves to them with flattery, 35 and some of the wise shall stumble, so that they may be refined, purified, and made white, until the time of the end, for it still awaits the appointed time.
Persecution and martyrdom
Mattathias – priest with 5 sons, one Judas Maccabeus – The Hammerer
Persecution is “so that they may be refined and purified, and made white”
2 Timothy 3:10–12 (ESV)
10 You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, 11 my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. 12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
Joshua 24:14–15 (ESV)
14 “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Daniel 11:32b
but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.
Application
Where do you need to take a stand? (home, family, work/business, neighbors)
What is your action step?
Do people at work know that you are a Christian or do you blend in with everyone else? Is that what the Lord wants?
In your home, does it look like the rest of the world, or is it different? What actions would the Lord have you take?
In your marriage, are you standing firm and taking action, or drifting following the world?