Daniel 11:1-35  The Reign of Rebellion

 

Intro: Yesterday morning I dropped my daughter off at School here at 7am

and Headed over to Brengle for Morning Devos –

Beautiful morning in the park – Sunny –clear

 

B) One problem: Construction workers – Moonlight

1) Noisy – crane going – But if you listened close enough you could hear the birds singing

 

C) I sat there thinking – Life is a lot like that

1) Surrounded by the beauty of God’s creation – See it in what he has made – see it in People

 

D) But we are also surrounded by a lot that is ugly – result of sin – the world – easy to get distracted

 

E) But the Lord says be still and Know that I am God

1) When we stop – quiet – hear his voice through the noise.

 

Tonight we come to a passage that for many might seem like noise – ancient History

A) If you liked History in School you might find this interesting – didn’t like it first glance BORING

 

B) But this is what we must see – This is Prophecy – Prophecy is History in Advance

 

 

                             Isaiah 46:9-10

“I am God, and there is none like Me,

10 Declaring the end from the beginning,

And from ancient times things that are not yet done,

Saying, “My counsel shall stand,

And I will do all My pleasure.”

 

This is what we need to hear tonight! Be thinking about as we go thru this section of scripture

A) God is not bound by time{ He sees History in Advance – He knows the end from the beginning

 

B) The 11th Chapter of Daniel is a classic example of that truth.

 

C) This Chapter is a proof text of the awesome authority of God’s word.

1) Accurate –It is trustworthy in all areas

 

D) Psalm 138:2 “I have magnified my word above my name.”

1) The trustworthiness of God’s word is a part of who He is – His name – character rep ride on it

 

E) God knows your future – You can trust Him!

1) Never given up on Israel

 

F) Recall Vision came Daniel praying fasting –because Israel was content to stay in captivity

1) God was going to shake the tree – shake up wake up -  Mode of opp with Israel until Jesus comes

So Keep that in mind as we work our way thru this tonight: Hearts amazed

A) Daniel is being told events that will happen 375 yrs before they take place in V.1-35

 

B) From Cyrus to Antiochus Epiphanes

 

C) Then in V. 35-45 LATTER DAYS – ANTICHRIST

 

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.

 

Cyrus was the king at that time in Persia.

A) They were going to be three other kings that will follow him, then a fourth king will arise who will be very rich and he will stir up the people against Greece.

 

B) Historically that's exactly what happened: Cyrus was followed by his son named Cambyses, the son of Cyrus,

 

C) The second was Smerdis a man named pseudo-Smerdis who looked so much like Cambyses that he was able to usurp the throne by deception.

 

D)The third king was Darius HystApEs, who launched a minor unsuccessful attack on Greece.

 

E) The 4th was King Ahasuerus, also known as Xerxes I. He is the Persian king spoken of in the book of Esther. He had fabulous wealth and commanded one of the largest military forces ever assembled in the ancient world.

A) His army numbered almost 2 million – plus he had a formative Navy as well.

 

B) With his huge army and navy he attacked Greece, but was soundly defeated by the Greeks on both land and sea. That defeat really broke the back of the Persians.

 

C) Alexander the Great is the next King that Daniel is told about – came into power at 20yrs of age

3 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.

 

He was a man of "great dominion" (v. 3)

 

He was an absolute monarch with a powerful personality, great leadership ability, and a powerful army.

With those assets he was able to "do according to his will" (v. 3).

 

He conquered the western world from Greece to India, in 12 short yrs and then wept that there were no other kingdoms for him to conquer.

Alexander the Great of Greece retaliated for the previous Persian invasions into Greece by seizing the entire Persian Empire.

 

Israel was part of the Persian Empire at the time of Alexander's conquest, so in occupying the empire Alexander took possession of Israel

 

His time in power was short lived: When he was thirty-two years of age, he was coming home from a party totally drunk and it was raining and he was sopping wet, but he was so drunk he went to bed without taking off his wet clothes and as a result he got pneumonia and died at the age of thirty-two.

 

No sooner did he "stand up" (v. 4)  in the power of his empire than he was struck down.

 

His empire shattered and "divided toward the four winds of heaven" (v. 4) --amongst his four generals.

 

And just As Daniel 11 predicted, the empire did not go to "his posterity" (v. 4)  nor remain "according to his dominion which he ruled" (v. 4). 

 

Alexander's heirs were a mentally retarded half-brother, an illegitimate child, and a baby born after Alexander's death. They were all murdered.

 

After a struggle for power His kingdom was Divided between his four Generals

General Cassander took Macedonia and Greece,

General Lysimachus took Asia Minor,

General Seleucus took Syria (to the north of Israel) General Ptolomy took Egypt (to the south of Israel).

 

But The dominion of each was less than that of Alexander--just as Daniel prophesied. 

 

Now the Angel is only going to focus on the two latter dynasties – the Seleucus to the north of Israel

Ptolomy to the south of Israel

 

Reason: Is their proximity to Israel and their influence upon Israel.

Seleucus and Ptolomy produced the dynasties that Daniel 11:5-20 focuses on.

 

The two dynasties were often at war, and since Israel was located between them, their wars were often fought in Israel or on its boarders.

 

In  verses 5-20 we have recorded two centuries of conflict in which Israel was a pawn between the Ptolemaic kings in the South and the Seleucid kings to the North. 

 

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.

 

The king of the south was Ptolemy Lagos:

Initially, the Ptolemaic dynasty was more powerful than the Seleucid, but as time went on the northern dynasty increased in power.

 

The two kingdoms determined to resolve increasing tension between them by an alliance.

 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, 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.

 

Here is what happened: This is like a Soap opera:

A )Berenice, the daughter of Ptolemy II Philadelphus (the king of the south) , married Antiochus II Theos (the grandson of Seleucus, the king of the north).

 

That was a common method of cementing together alliances in the ancient world.

 

Unfortunately Antiochus was already married, so he divorced his wife and went ahead with marriage to Berenice in about 250 B.C.

 

But The marriage did not produce any lasting peace: after the death of Ptolemy II Philadelphus, Antiochus II Theos divorced Berenice and took back his former wife, Laodice. But Hell has no fury like a woman scorned: Laodice took revenge by murdering Berenice, her son, and her attendants.

But She also murdered Antiochus (thus completely fulfilling verse 6).

 

Those murders brought Laodice's son, Seleucus II Callinicus, to the throne in 246 B. C. 

 

But Berenice did not remain unavenged. The angel told Daniel, V7 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

 

Sure enough Bernice's brother Ptolemy III, the king of Egypt at the time of Berenice's murder, brought an army against Callinicus and defeated him.

 

And v.8 tells us that 8 And 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.

 

History records that Ptolemy III returned to Egypt with hundreds of idol statues and thousands of talents in silver. 

 

All written hundreds of yrs before these events took place.

 

Ptolemy III had defeated Callinicus, the northern king, so he now controlled Israel. But Callinicus had two sons the Angel tells Daniel about them next v.10-11

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. 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.

 

Callinicus two sons (v. 10). They raised "a multitude of great forces"   to avenge their father's defeat--but one (Seleucus III Soter)  died.

 

The remaining son (Antiochus III the Great)  became king of the north and continued the campaign against the south.

 

He swept through Israel with a force of about 75,000 soldiers and penetrated all the way to a southern fortress.  V.11-12

"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.

 

So the king of the south, Ptolemy III Philadelphius, raised an army of 73,000 men, 5,000 cavalry and 73 elephants and he came with this huge army against the king of the north and defeated Antiochus the Great.

 

He killed tens of thousands of the troops of Antiochus as it speaks here

 

 Ptolemy III was successful and the multitude from the north was "given into his hand" (v. 11).

 

History records that Antiochus lost 10,000 infantry, 300 cavalry, and five elephants.

 

But Ptolemy III was not strengthened by his victory--in the long run he only made Antiochus angry.

A) Antiochus vowed to take revenge with a greater army.

 

B) Again the Angel lays it out for Daniel

 

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 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 of the South shall not withstand him. Even his choice troops shall have no strength to resist.

Antiochus the Great took about fourteen years and raised a lot of money and developed a huge army, even a greater army than Ptolemy III had.

 

And when Ptolemy III  died, the kingdom was turned over to his five year old son, Ptolemy IV Epiphanes.

A) So Antiochus the Great took advantage of the fact that the son was reigning, and he came with this army and he again fought against Egypt.

 

B) His army was consisted of Violent men of Daniel’s pp or Jews – these were apostates – who thought they would fair well by joining with Antiochus

 

C) Although he did pay them well for their effort – eventually they would suffer at his hand

 

After his victory over Egypt – He turned his attention toward Israel – V.16

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.

Antiochus the Great's entry into "the glorious land"--the land of Israel--did not result in freedom for Israel.

 

Antiochus treated the Jewish mercenaries who joined him with favor and paid them well.

 

But he took long lasting control over Palestine, contrary to their wishes. Destruction followed

 

V.17 tells us that Antiochus decided to consolidate and strengthen his power by an alliance with Egypt. He offered his daughter the lovely Cleopatra (not the one associate with Julius Caesar and Marc Antony).  to the Egyptian king in marriage as a gesture of good faith.

That woman was his daughter, Antiochus intended that she act as a spy – but v.17 tells us that she loved her husband more than her father so she didn’t stand with her father or help her father.

 

REIGN OF REBELLION: This is what happens when pp are not honoring God –

A) Use their kids as pawns – play with pp’s lives

 

B) Trying to build their own Kingdom

 

C) Parent doing that you need to repent!

1) God back on the throne in that marriage

 

Once Antiochus achieved control of Palestine, his desire for conquest shifted toward "the coasts"

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.

 

But The problem with this move was the coastal areas along the  Mediterranean islands and Greece was an area in which Rome had an interest, and Antiochus was defeated in battle by a Roman army in 191 B. C.

 

 As a result Antiochus was forced to return to "the fortress of his own land" (v. 19).

A) There he was murdered when he tried to plunder a temple dedicated to Jupiter. 

 

B) Antiochus the Great was succeeded by his son Seleucus IV Philopater, who became a "raiser of taxes" (v. 20).

 

C) That's because he was forced to pay Rome one thousand talents annually for injuries caused by his father's battles.

 

Seleucus IV short reign was ended when he was "destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle" (v. 20) : he was assassinated by his prime minister in 176 B. C.

 

Once again The details of Daniel's prophecy were fulfilled precisely!

 

So, the Lord spoke with very exacting preciseness the history of the two of the family that will rule following Alexander the Great.

 

Now as we come to verse 21, we come to the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes. Described in v.21 as a vile man

A) We talked about him at length in Ch.8  - He is a foreshadow of the Anti Christ – very similar

 

B) But there is a foreshadow Rd v. 21

 

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 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.

 

This guy was shrewd. He was a master deceiver.

Antiochus devastated the Egyptians: He accomplished that by initially adopting a policy of friendship with Egypt while at the same time deceitfully plotting against them (v. 23).

 

In his own territories he entered "upon the richest places" (v. 24) taking from the rich and then distributing gifts to the poor--he was a self-styled Robin Hood.

 

That gained him popular support.

He also did everything possible to undermine strong communities in his kingdom so there would be no challenge to his power.

 

He quickly put down any move against him. 

V.25-27 Describe his battle with the Egyptians

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.

 

In 170 B. C. Antiochus's army was victorious over Ptolemy's larger Egyptian army

 

. Antiochus was victorious in part because Ptolemy's counselors plotted against him (vv. 25-26).

 

The angel told Daniel that because of the betrayal, "His army shall overflow, and many shall fall down slain" (v. 26). 

 

Following Egypt's defeat the two kings sat down together and spoke "lies at one table" (v. 27).

Their promises to each other were not intended to be fulfilled—{NOTHING HAS CHANGED}

 

The goals of the two kings remained unfulfilled because they didn't coincide with the "end" God had in mind. That end would come in God's "appointed time" in the future. 

Antiochus failed to obtain complete control of Egypt because Rome intervened.

Instead he turned his army north and marched through Israel. 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.

 

Daniel was told that Antiochus's heart "shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall do damage exploits" (v. 28).  Broke Daniel’s heart

 

America – Heart Break – Lives lost – William Booth

Dangle over hell

 

He pillaged the land and sacked Jerusalem, killing many Jewish people and causing terrible suffering. 80,000 AT ONE TIME  { Mad man – grilled

 

He then continued north "to his own land"

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 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.

 

Ships of Cyprus – Once again Rome – angry – took out his anger on Israel again.

 

31 And 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. 32 Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery

 

In Jerusalem Antiochus placed guards around the Temple to prevent worship. On a particular Sabbath he ordered that women and children be slaughtered.

 

He required idolatrous worship and held Greek athletic contests (in which the athletes competed while naked)  in full view of the Temple.

 

Greek culture was imposed, a statue of the Greek god Zeus erected in the Temple, a swine (a ceremonially unclean animal) was sacrificed on the Temple altar, Blood was spread on the walls and the priests were forced to eat pork from the sacrifice.

 

All those abominations were intended to desecrate the Jewish Temple. 

 

Not the abomination of desolation Jesus spoke of

2 Thessalonians  2:3-4

3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

Antiochus never did that!

So Daniel is told that some Jews will follow him but

 

V32b; 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.

 

In 165BC – Judas Maccabeus led a revolt in Jerusalem – recaptured the Temple

 

C) The temple was cleansed and rededicated. What the holiday Hannukah is about

 

He challenged his sons to take up the fight and give their lives for God, for the right causes.

 

So as you read in the book of the Maccabees, , Judas Maccabeus began with a small group of men, just a few thousand poorly armed men.

 

They were just armed with sticks. And they began to go against these larger forces of the Syrians, those of the king of the north, those Generals of Antiochus Epiphanes.

And they began to defeat and to slaughter and to wipe out these forces one after another. They did tremendous exploits.

 

These men challenged to just trust God, to give their lives for God and to fight against this paganism, and God strengthened them and was before them.

And they that understand among the people shall instruct many:

 

They were trying to bring to pass really a spiritual revival. And they cleansed the temple. And, they finally came to Jerusalem and drove out the garrison that was there and they cleansed the temple and they began again the sacrifices unto God.

 

They reinstituted the temple worship. And there is where the story comes in, and as they set up the temple again and purified it and went through the cleansing process, as they went to relight the Menorah, the seven branch candlestick, there was oil enough only for one day but they lit it, but it took seven days to go through the process of preparing the oil.

 

And through this whole seven day period that it took to prepare the oil the oil continued to burn in the lampstand until they had the new oil prepared to pour into it. And thus, they had developed a Feast of Lights which was also called the Feast of Dedication, and it is today called Hanukkah. And the Hanukkah Menorah has eight candlesticks representing the eight days. And most of the Jewish candleholders that you see are the eight of the Hanukkah rather then the seven of the temple.

 

 

So, Hanukkah was this celebration of the Feast of Lights where God kept the lights burning while they were putting together this new oil for the candlestick.

 

Jesus was in Jerusalem. John the 10th chapter records that He was in Jerusalem for the Feast of Dedication, which it says it was winter time, because the Feast of Dedication took place on the 25th of December, which interestingly enough coincides with our Christmas season.

 

So that is why when we are celebrating Christmas, the Jews are celebrating their Hanukkah.

 

The People who Know their God shall do great exploits – The Bible and history

 

Acts 29Hebrews 11 -