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Daniel 11:2–35 (North and south)

INTRODUCTION: We come now to Daniel’s final vision. As we learned last time, chapters 10–12 all revolve around this vision. Daniel 10 was preparatory for the vision; Daniel 11 contains the vision itself; Daniel 12 serves as the afterword to the vision. We will take the vision in two parts. We will cover the first part of the vision this week, and the second part next week. (Read Daniel 11:33–35 and pray.)

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Daniel 11 is one of the longest and most detailed prophecies in the Old Testament. John Calvin wrote over forty pages on this chapter alone. This vision differs from the visions before it in style. We no longer have mysterious beasts and symbols requiring interpretation, but the angel bringing this vision presents the prophecy in straightforward language.

The angel gives Daniel specific details concerning a specific period of time. During this time of great national conflict and upheaval, Israel would be caught in the middle and suffer greatly. These prophesied events take place largely during the time of the Persian and Greek empires.

The prophecy reads almost like a history book in advance. The details so closely match the historical record that many who do not believe in biblical prophecy insist it must have been written after these events occurred.

But as we discussed in our introduction to this series, the book of Daniel presents itself as being written around 530 BC, long before the events prophesied here took place. This is one of the most amazing examples of specific, detailed, non-symbolic prophecy you will find in Scripture.

I. Persia and Greece (2–4)

The angel begins by giving a brief overview of the Persian and Greek empires.

   A. Four kings in Persia (2)

Look at verse 2 now where the angel tells Daniel first about four kings in Persia:

“Now then, I tell you the truth: Three more kings will appear in Persia, and then a fourth, who will be far richer than all the others. When he has gained power by his wealth, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece.” (Dan. 11:2)

Now this is a prophecy. It was written ahead of time, but we know from history exactly who these four kings are.

The three kings who appeared first were: 1) Cambyses, who reigned from 529–523 BC, followed by 2) Bardiya, who reigned from 523–522 BC, followed by 3) Darius the Great, who had a much longer reign from 522–486 BC. (The second king, Bardiya, has an interesting historical twist in that he may not have been Bardiya at all, but was possibly an imposter named Gaumata, but that’s a story for another day.)

Who then is this fourth king? That would be Xerxes (486–465 BC), who was indeed far richer than his predecessors. Xerxes is the king who married Esther in the Bible. He was a ruler of great wealth and power who expanded the empire greatly during his reign. (Take slide down)

Xerxes used his immense wealth to launch a massive, four-year military attack on Greece. He conscripted soldiers from over forty-six nations for this attack. Although the attack was ultimately unsuccessful, it created long-lasting animosity between Greece and Persia, eventually resulting in Alexander invading and destroying the Persian empire one hundred fifty years later.

   B. Alexander the Great (3–4)

Speaking of Alexander, he is next up in the vision. Look at verses 3–4 with me now:

“Then a mighty king will appear, who will rule with great power and do as he pleases. After he has appeared, his empire will be broken up and parceled out toward the four winds of heaven. It will not go to his descendants, nor will it have the power he exercised, because his empire will be uprooted and given to others.” (Dan. 11:3–4)

This mighty king is Alexander the Great. We met him earlier in Daniel in the vision of the ram and the goat. Alexander was the large horn on the goat in the vision (Dan. 8:5–8). The prophecy jumps forward in history here. Seven more kings reigned in Persia before Alexander rose to power in Greece, but the angel is focusing on the major kings and events during this time period.

The angel explains how after Alexander’s death, his empire would be divided into four, but it would not go to his descendants. That’s because all of Alexander’s descendants were murdered — his wives, children, and distant relatives — part of the price of the transfer of power in those days. Instead, the kingdom was divided among four of his generals, but none of the four had the same power as the empire did under Alexander.

II. North and South (5–20)

The next section focuses on two of these four kingdoms: the southern empire in Egypt (also known as the Ptolemaic dynasty), and the northern empire in Syria (also known as the Seleucid dynasty).

   A. Egypt dominates Syria (5–12)

In verses 5–12 the angel explains how Egypt in the south will gain the upper hand and dominate Syria in the north. This is a long, involved story of alliances made, alliances broken, treachery, betrayal and revenge. It would make a great mini-series on TV. Look at verses 5–6 with me now:

“The king of the South will become strong, but one of his commanders will become even stronger than he and will rule his own kingdom with great power. After some years, they will become allies. The daughter of the king of the South will go to the king of the North to make an alliance, but she will not retain her power, and he and his power will not last. In those days she will be handed over, together with her royal escort and her father and the one who supported her.” (Dan. 11:5–6)

So, how do we see these verses fulfilled in history? There are two kings of the South here in verses 5–6. The first is Ptolemy I of Egypt (reigned 323–282 BC) who is mentioned in verse 5. One of his commanders became stronger than he and became the ruler in Syria. The two kingdoms became allies, but it was a shaky alliance from the start.

The second king of the South is mentioned in verse 6. This was Ptolemy II of Egypt. His daughter was Bernice. The king of the North at this time was Antiochus II of Syria. Antiochus divorced his wife Laodice to marry Bernice. This was a political marriage made to form an alliance. The plan was for Bernice’s son to become the next king of the North.

However, two years later Ptolemy died. With Ptolemy gone, Antiochus divorced Bernice and took back his first wife Laodice. Laodice wasn’t super happy with all this, so she poisoned her husband, killed Bernice and Bernice’s son, and put her own son on the throne. And that’s just for starters. The saga continues in verses 7–8:

“One from her family line will arise to take her place. He will attack the forces of the king of the North and enter his fortress; he will fight against them and be victorious. He will also seize their gods, their metal images and their valuable articles of silver and gold and carry them off to Egypt. For some years he will leave the king of the North alone.” (Dan. 11:7–8)

These verses describe Bernice’s brother, Ptolemy III, who avenged her death by attacking Syria, executing Laodice, and returning to Egypt with 4,000 talents of gold, 40,000 talents of silver, and 2,500 sacred objects from their pagan temples. So, not much of an alliance as you can see. The conflict between North and South continues in verses 9–12:

“Then the king of the North will invade the realm of the king of the South but will retreat to his own country. His sons will prepare for war and assemble a great army, which will sweep on like an irresistible flood and carry the battle as far as his fortress. Then the king of the South will march out in a rage and fight against the king of the North, who will raise a large army, but it will be defeated. When the army is carried off, the king of the South will be filled with pride and will slaughter many thousands, yet he will not remain triumphant.” (Dan. 11:9–12)

These verses describe the Third and Fourth Syrian wars between the North and the South (246–217 BC). Once again, the identities of these kings keep shifting as we move forward in history. In these verses the king of the North is Antiochus III, and the king of the South is Ptolemy IV.

Verses 11–12 describe the battle of Raphia in 217 BC, one of the largest armed conflicts in ancient history. Even though Antiochus in the North raised a huge army of 60,000 infantry and 100 elephants, Ptolemy IV still gained the upper hand and slaughtered thousands of the Northern troops, just as the prophecy foretold.

   B. Syria dominates Egypt (13–16)

However, the prophecy also said he would not remain triumphant. This is a clue that the power of balance was about to shift. After years of dominance Egypt grew weak, and Syria gained the upper hand. Look at verses 13–16 next:

“For the king of the North will muster another army, larger than the first; and after several years, he will advance with a huge army fully equipped. In those times many will rise against the king of the South. The violent men among your own people will rebel in fulfillment of the vision, but without success. Then the king of the North will come and build up siege ramps and will capture a fortified city. The forces of the South will be powerless to resist; even their best troops will not have the strength to stand. The invader will do as he pleases; no one will be able to stand against him. He will establish himself in the Beautiful Land and will have the power to destroy it.” (Dan. 11:13–16)

Antiochus III attacked Egypt at a point of weakness. Ptolemy IV had just died, and his son, Ptolemy V, was only four years old. Antiochus drove Egypt back and took control of Israel, which is called the Beautiful Land here in verse 16.

This is our first mention of Israel in all this, and yet Israel is the whole reason for the vision. So why all this emphasis on the North and the South? Because Israel is caught in the middle. They have Syria to the north of them, and Egypt to the south, and every time these two powers square off against each other, they end up marching through Israel on the way.

   C. Loss of Syrian control (17–20)

Finally, the angel closes this section by explaining how the Syrians eventually lost control of the region. Once again, it is a story of alliances, treaties, and shifting allegiances. Look at verses 17–20:

“He will determine to come with the might of his entire kingdom and will make an alliance with the king of the South. And he will give him a daughter in marriage in order to overthrow the kingdom, but his plans will not succeed or help him. Then he will turn his attention to the coastlands and will take many of them, but a commander will put an end to his insolence and will turn his insolence back upon him. After this, he will turn back toward the fortresses of his own country but will stumble and fall, to be seen no more. His successor will send out a tax collector to maintain the royal splendor. In a few years, however, he will be destroyed, yet not in anger or in battle.” (Dan. 11:17–20)

This time Antiochus III offered his daughter in marriage to the king of Egypt. His daughter’s name was Cleopatra. (This is Cleopatra I, a different Cleopatra than the famous one who lived one hundred years later.) Antiochus was hoping to gain greater influence over Egypt through this alliance, but his plan backfired when Cleopatra became loyal to Egypt rather than remain faithful to Syria. That’s why we associate the more famous Cleopatra with Egypt rather than Syria, even though the first Cleopatra came from Syria.

So next Antiochus turned his attention toward the western coastlands of Greece. He was initially successful, but he ran into the growing Roman forces, and one of the Roman commanders turned him back, stripping him of his territories and fleet.

He finally returned to his own country where he was promptly assassinated. His successor, Seleucus IV, didn’t fare much better. The prophecy said he would appoint a tax collector. He did. We know his name — Heliodorus. Seleucus appointed Heliodorus to collect tribute from the people. A few years later Heliodorus ended up poisoning Seleucus, killing him off, hence the angel’s comment: “He will be destroyed, yet not in anger or in battle” (Dan. 11:20).

III. Antiochus IV (21–35)

All this leads to the most infamous ruler of all when it comes to the people of Israel: the contemptible Antiochus IV (reigned 174–164 BC). We’ve met him before in the book of Daniel. In chapter 8, when we studied the vision of the ram and the goat, the goat had a large horn that broke off and four horns grew in its place. That was a prophetic picture of Alexander the Great and the dividing of the Greek empire among his four generals following his death. Out of one of those horns grew another horn, which started small but then grew in power. That was a prophetic picture of Antiochus IV.

   A. Seizes power in Syria (21–24)

Now the angel tells Daniel how Antiochus IV will seize power in Syria. Look at verses 21–24:

“He will be succeeded by a contemptible person who has not been given the honor of royalty. He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue. Then an overwhelming army will be swept away before him; both it and a prince of the covenant will be destroyed. After coming to an agreement with him, he will act deceitfully, and with only a few people he will rise to power. When the richest provinces feel secure, he will invade them and will achieve what neither his fathers nor his forefathers did. He will distribute plunder, loot and wealth among his followers. He will plot the overthrow of fortresses—but only for a time.” (Dan. 11:21–24)

Antiochus was the brother of Seleucus, and after Seleucus was poisoned, he took advantage of his brother’s death by grabbing the throne for himself. He was not the legitimate successor to the throne (he was the brother, not the son), but he seized the throne by intrigue, using flattery and bribes and claiming to be the guardian of his nephew, whom he later murdered. Nice guardian.

He enjoyed a swift victory over the Egyptian army during the sixth Syrian war. Verse 22 mentions “a prince of the covenant who will be destroyed.” That most likely refers to the Jewish high priest Onias III, who was assassinated in 171 BC.

Antiochus continued to act deceitfully, pretending to side with Ptolemy VI over his brother Ptolemy VII (but he was really just using Ptolemy VI as a puppet king over Egypt). He then distributed the plunder from his invasions among his followers to further secure their support — sort of like the government sending out rebate checks during an election year (although maybe we’d better not go there).

   B. Attacks Egypt (25–30)

Unfortunately, Antiochus was also just getting started. Next the angel details Antiochus IV’s two attacks against Egypt. We read of the first attack in verses 25–28:

“With a large army he will stir up his strength and courage against the king of the South. The king of the South will wage war with a large and very powerful army, but he will not be able to stand because of the plots devised against him. Those who eat from the king’s provisions will try to destroy him; his army will be swept away, and many will fall in battle. The two kings, with their hearts bent on evil, will sit at the same table and lie to each other, but to no avail, because an end will still come at the appointed time. The king of the North will return to his own country with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant. He will take action against it and then return to his own country.” (Dan. 11:25–28)

This first attack took place in 169 BC and was largely successful. This was when he deceived Ptolemy VI, who happened to be another one of his nephews. (Antiochus and Cleopatra were brother and sister. Ptolemy VI was Cleopatra’s son, which makes Antiochus his uncle.) The two kings sat down at the table and told lies to each other. Antiochus pretended to be Ptolemy’s protector, when in fact he was plundering the land. Ptolemy wasn’t that trustworthy either.

On his way back to Syria, Antiochus invaded Jerusalem and looted the temple. Poor Israel was caught in the middle again. We are specifically told that Antiochus did this because his heart was set against the holy covenant. This was not just a military of financial decision. This was a spiritual attack on God’s people.

We read about the second attack on Egypt in verses 29–30:

“At the appointed time he will invade the South again, but this time the outcome will be different from what it was before. Ships of the western coastlands will oppose him, and he will lose heart.” (Dan. 11:29–30)

This second attack on Egypt took place the next year in 168 BC. This one did not go as well. As he approached Alexandria, he encountered a Roman fleet that had just arrived in ships from the western coastlands. The Roman general, Popilius, gave him an ultimatum. Popilius actually drew a circle around him in the sand and ordered him to make the decision to fight or withdraw before stepping outside of the circle. Antiochus surrendered and withdrew in complete humiliation.

   C. Attacks Israel (30–32)

Of course, to go back home he had to pass through Israel again, but this time he was both humiliated and angry, and so he took his anger out on Israel. Look at verses 30–32 next:

“Then he will turn back and vent his fury against the holy covenant. He will return and show favor to those who forsake the holy covenant. His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation. With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him.” (Dan. 11:30–32)

Antiochus was angry at Rome, but he took his anger out on Israel instead. This is like the classic example of kicking the dog when you’re mad at someone else. But this was far worse than kicking the dog.

He attacked Jerusalem with more than 20,000 troops. He removed the temple worship. He desecrated the altar by sacrificing a pig on it. He set up an image of Zeus in the temple. This was the original abomination of desolation spoken of in Scripture. He killed 80,000 Jews, took 40,000 more as prisoners, and sold another 40,000 as slaves.

As the angel describes these events that will take place, he warns Daniel that some will side with Antiochus for safety’s sake, but “the people who know their God will firmly resist him.” What a marvelous statement of faithfulness to God.

   D. Testing and persecution (33–35)

Finally, the angel tells Daniel more about this severe time of testing and persecution. Look at verses 33–35 now:

“Those who are wise will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered. When they fall, they will receive a little help, and many who are not sincere will join them. Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time.” (Dan. 11:33–35)

These verses describe the period of time known as the Maccabean Revolt (167–164 BC). This was a terrible time of persecution and conflict for Judea, all sparked by the actions of Antiochus IV.

Wise Jewish leaders rose up and defended the Torah, refusing to compromise. Many Jews were brutally executed for doing such basic things as practicing circumcision, keeping the Sabbath, or refusing to eat unclean foods. The “little help” in verse 34 likely refers to Judas Maccabeus, who led the revolt, although it only brought temporary relief.

Not all who joined them were sincere in their faith but were more concerned with political favor or gain. The angel tells Daniel that God will use this time to purify and refine his people, and the end will come at God’s appointed time.

CONCLUSION: Whew! That was a long section of Scripture and a detailed description of history. Once again, it reads like a history book, and yet it is all prophecy before the fact. Our God knows the end from the beginning, and the Bible is his inspired and perfect word.

Let me end with three brief applications for us from this passage today.

1) The world’s kingdoms come and go.

First, the world’s kingdoms come and go, so don’t be impressed or dismayed by the various power swings you see in the world. Israel saw power change hands multiple times between Egypt and Syria, and yet God protected them and preserved them through it all.

2) Christians will be caught in the middle.

Second, as Christians we are caught in the middle between the forces of this world and the kingdom of God. We live on earth, but our home is in heaven. Our allegiance is to God and Christ, but the world is largely opposed to God and Christ. Just as the Jewish people experienced persecution for their faith, we also can expect persecution when we hold strong to our faith in Christ today.

3) God is in control.

Third, God is in control. As the angel told Daniel, the end will come at its appointed time, which means at God’s appointed time. God is in control, and we can trust him to bring us through.

I pray that as a result of this message you will have gained a greater understanding of the historical period depicted in Daniel 11. I pray that you will have a greater appreciation for the Jews who held strongly to their faith in difficult times. I pray that you will grow in your trust in God’s word as you’ve seen how this amazing, detailed prophecy was fulfilled in history. Finally, I pray that you will commit yourselves to standing strong in your own faith, even when you find yourself caught in the middle between the world and God.

© Ray Fowler

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