10.2- Discussion of Daniel 11 verses 7-16

>>> In General, we see in these verses a time of suffering, battles, persecution and other distress. Many would ask: ¿Where is God?

It is the time of the rise of unbelief, atheism and revolution against God. Therefore, God is not mentioned in this chapter except once, in verse 32, where his name is used to show how it should be: “but those who follow God will fight back”.

 >>> Verses 7 and 8: The brother of Berenice, Ptolemy III, attacks Syria to revenge his sister. He conquered the eastern provinces in the year 246 BC.

>>> Verse 9: After this it is Seleucis II who attacks Egypt. He is however obliged to return to his own country, because of troubles there.

>>> Verses 10-14: Continued battles between Egypt and Syria, (284 BC.–175BC.), especially about the possession of Palestine.

>>> Verse 11: This concerns Ptolemy IV Philopator , son of Ptolemy III Euergetes I and Berenice II. He was king of Egypt from 221BC - 205 BC.  During his reign began the decline of the Ptolemaic Empire.

>>> Verse 13: He was defeated by Antiochus III, “the great” in 198 BC. Antiochus III reined from 223BC-187BC.

>>> Verse 14: The king of Egypt was Ptolemy V, also called Epiphanes. Some apostate Jews took the side of Ptolemy against Antiochus, but others took the other side. … From this we learn that believers should not take part- or support, any of the “Babylonian” world powers, which are fighting each other, see John 18 verse 36:”Jesus answered, “My kingdom doesn't belong to this world”. 

>>> Verses 15 and 16: The king of Syria, Antiochus the Great fought against Ptolemy V of Egypt. He was thereby helped by a number of Jews (see verse 14). This was because he privileged the Jews by helping them to return from exile. Nevertheless all of this was deceiving, because as it says in verse 16: “He will stand in the Promised Land and have it completely in his power”. 

10.1- Discussion of Daniel 11 verses 2-6

>>>: In general we see in this chapter a series of facts, - (called: “The truth”, see Daniel 10 verse 1: “The message was true but extremely hard to understand”) - , which shows God’s plan of salvation, through much struggle. Described is that what still has to occur, from this moment in the year 534 BC on. The style used here is as if it were the “newspaper of the future”... For us, who live 2500 years later, it is recognizable in accurate fulfillments of that what is given in the following verses: 

--Verses 2-20, Talks about the Persian and Greek kingdoms. … With the Greek Kingdoms split in the Syrian/Seleucid Empire in the North, and the Egyptian/Ptolemaic Empire in the south.

--Verses21-35, Narrates the time of the Syrian/Seleucid ruler, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, from 175BC-164BC. He is the prefiguration of the antichrist.

--Verses 35-45, Speaks about the antichrist, who puts himself in the place of God. He will be for us the sign for the end times. This is the main significance for us in this prophecy, in which history repeats itself. The end for him will be as said in verse 45 of this chapter: “But he will die, with no one there to help him”.

The miracle of this chapter is the exact fulfillment in history of its prophecies.

>>> Verses 2- 4: The fourth Persian king referred to here is Xerxes I, who reigned from 485 BC until 464 BC. His Predecessor was Darius I and his Successor Artaxerxes I.  He initially conquered the Greek in 480 BC. The battles with the Greek nation lasted for approximately 150 years until Alexander the Great Appears.  He conquers the Persians in 332 BC. (See Daniel 8 verses 5-8).  The Greek empire is split into four nations after the death of Alexander the Great. (See Daniel 8 verses 8 and 9, with the discussion given there).

>>> Verse 5: “The king of Egypt” was the king of the south, who became strong, but was some time later exceeded by Seleucis I, who founded the Seleucid Empire. The Seleucid Empire remained in existence until 65 BC, when Syria became a Roman province.

Syria, from the north, also called the Seleucids, and Egypt, from the south, also called the Ptolemy’s, fought against each other over the Promised Land until 250 BC. (See verse 16 of this chapter). 

>>> Verse 6: In 250 BC, Berenice the daughter of Ptolemy II married Antiochus II. Both were murdered by Laodice, the former wife of Antiochus II, who had rejected her. 

10.0- The Kingdoms of Egypt and Syria

In Daniel 11 verses 2 through 20 we read:

“The angel said, “Three more kings will rule over Persia, followed by a fourth, who will be richer than all the others. At the height of his power and wealth he will challenge the kingdom of Greece. 

3 “Then a heroic king will appear. He will rule over a huge empire and do whatever he wants. 4 But at the height of his power his empire will break up and be divided into four parts. Kings not descended from him will rule in his place, but they will not have the power that he had.

5 The king of Egypt will be strong. One of his generals, however, will be even stronger and rule a greater kingdom. 6 After a number of years the king of Egypt will make an alliance with the king of Syria and give him his daughter in marriage. But the alliance will not last, and she, her husband, her child, and the servants who went with her will all be killed. 7 Soon afterward one of her relatives will become king. He will attack the army of the king of Syria, enter their fortress, and defeat them. 8 He will carry back to Egypt the images of their gods and the articles of gold and silver dedicated to those gods. After several years of peace 9 the king of Syria will invade Egypt, but he will be forced to retreat.

10 “The sons of the king of Syria will prepare for war and gather a large army. One of them will sweep on like a flood and attack an enemy fortress. 11 In his anger the king of Egypt will go to war against the king of Syria and capture his huge army. 12 He will be proud of his victory and of the many soldiers he has killed, but he will not continue to be victorious.

13 “The king of Syria will go back and gather a larger army than he had before. When the proper time comes, he will return with a large, well-equipped army. 14 Then many people will rebel against the king of Egypt. And some violent people from your nation, Daniel, will rebel because of a vision they have seen, but they will be defeated. 15 So the king of Syria will lay siege to a fortified city and capture it. The soldiers of Egypt will not continue to fight; even the best of them will not have enough strength. 16 The Syrian invader will do with them as he pleases, without opposition. He will stand in the Promised Land and have it completely in his power.

17 “The king of Syria will plan an expedition, using his whole army. Then, in order to destroy his enemy's kingdom, he will make an alliance with him and offer him his daughter in marriage; but his plan will not succeed. 18 After that he will attack the nations by the sea and conquer many of them. But a foreign leader will defeat him and put an end to his arrogance; indeed he will turn the arrogance of Syria's king back on him.  19 The king will return to the fortresses of his own land, but he will be defeated, and that will be the end of him.

20 “He will be followed by another king, who will send an officer to oppress the people with taxes in order to increase the wealth of his kingdom. In a short time that king will be killed, but not publicly and not in battle”. 

9.3- Discussion of Daniel 10 verses 14-21

>>> Verse 14: It says in this verse that God sent His angel to “make Daniel understand what will happen to his people in the future” God wants that his children understand what will happen to them at the end of times (see also Hebrews 1 verse 1: “In the past God spoke to our ancestors many times and in many ways through the prophets”, and Daniel 9 verse 23: “He loves you, and so I have come to tell you the answer. Now pay attention while I explain the vision”). God does this so that we will not live in fear, but look forward to the day of His return, see 2 Peter 3 verses 11-14: “……But we wait for what God has promised: new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness will be at home. And so, my friends, as you wait for that Day, do your best to be pure and faultless in God's sight and to be at peace with him”.

>>> Verses 15-17: This vision and these words, - this participation in God’s Plan -, is too much for a mortal being as Daniel, and also for us. It is too wonderful, but at the same time too impressive, and therefore it takes all our strength away.

>>> Verses 18, 19: Nevertheless, the Lord wants to involve his children in what happens. Therefore It says: “Once more he took hold of me”. For that purpose He gives them power: He touches them again and again. (3 times: in verses 10, 16 and 18). In this contact there is purification and power. See Matthew 9 verses 20 and 21: “A woman who had suffered from severe bleeding for twelve years came up behind Jesus and touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, “If only I touch his cloak, I will get well”. 

>>> Verses 20, 21: The “….the guardian angel of Persia…” is an angel in the service of Satan, against which the Lord fights for the purpose of the salvation of the creation. He does this persistently. Also we ought to be prepared for this during our prayers, See Ephesians 6 verse 18: “Do all this in prayer, asking for God's help. Pray on every occasion, as the Spirit leads. For this reason keep alert and never give up; pray always for all God's people”. 

9.2- Discussion of Daniel 10 verses 7-13 

>>> Verses 7-9: The words, “I was the only one” in verse 7, and “I was left there alone”, in verse 8, show that only God’s beloved (See verse 11), are being affected, although they can’t assimilate it themselves. The unspiritual human flees with great fear. See also rev.1 verse 17: “When I saw him, I fell down at his feet like a dead man. He placed his right hand on me and said, “Don't be afraid! I am the first and the last”.  And also 1 Cor. 2 verse14:” Whoever does not have the Spirit cannot receive the gifts that come from God's Spirit. Such a person really does not understand them, and they seem to be nonsense, because their value can be judged only on a spiritual basis”. And again in Acts 9 verse 7: “The men who were traveling with Saul had stopped, not saying a word; they heard the voice but could not see anyone”.

>>> Verses 10-12: Only when Jesus Himself raises us up again, can we stand straight in front of Him.

And, like in verse 12, also to us He wants to come in answer to our prayers. See John 14 verse 26: “The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and make you remember all that I have told you”. And also see John 15 verse 26: “The Helper will come—the Spirit, who reveals the truth about God and who comes from the Father. I will send him to you from the Father, and he will speak about me”.  And John 16 verse 13: “When, however, the Spirit comes, who reveals the truth about God, he will lead you into all the truth”.

>>> Verse 13: Note that it says that the angel, prince of the kingdom of Persia, opposed him. …. But with the prayer of a righteous person, there is no devilish power that can withstand God’s word and revelation. Also not by the evil god of this world, which was represented by Persia at that time, See 2 Cor. 4verse 4: “They do not believe, because their minds have been kept in the dark by the evil god of this world. He keeps them from seeing the light shining on them….”. Also now we see that the powers of prosperity and materialism (Babylon), occultism (New Age), “Rome” with its ism’s, unbelief and uncleanliness try to obstruct God’s kingdom. 

9.1- Discussion of Daniel 10 verse 1-6

>>> Verse 1: we are in the year 534 BC. Cyrus is the son of Esther (the cousin of Mordecai of the book of Esther). It says here that the message was true but extremely hard to understand. Daniel knew that the message came from God, and therefore was the truth. See John 17 verse 17: “Dedicate them to yourself by means of the truth; your word is truth”. The only place where we can really find the truth is in the bible.

>>> Verses 2 and 3: Daniel suffered because of the coming misery of his people. He was “mourning” it says in verse 2. Persistently, he searches for God’s plan for the salvation of Israel, (see verse 12).

>>> Verses 4-6: And this effort is in accordance with God’s will. It is in effect, participation in God’s plan and action. This He proves to Daniel by revealing Himself to him. See also Revelation 1 verses 12-15: “I turned around to see who was talking to me, and I saw seven gold lampstands,   and among them there was what looked like a human being, wearing a robe that reached to his feet, and a gold band around his chest.     His hair was white as wool, or as snow, and his eyes blazed like fire; his feet shone like brass that has been refined and polished, and his voice sounded like a roaring waterfall”.  This appearance of Revelation 1 is the same as the one explained here in verses 5 and 6 of Daniel 10. And again we find much similarity of this in the Vision of the “One Who Has Been Living Forever” of Daniel 7 verse 9, where we read that “His clothes were white as snow, and his hair was like pure wool. His throne, mounted on fiery wheels, was blazing with fire. It is clear that in all these cases, the Lord Himself appeared in a vision. This occurs in many other instances mentioned in the bible. For example also in Genesis 15 verse 1: “After this, Abram had a vision and heard the Lord say to him, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I will shield you from danger and give you a great reward”…. Only in this participating unity with Him will we be shielded from danger and be able to obtain insight in the techniques of the powers of misperception and fraud, such as humanism, New Age, apostate world church, false religions, and many other movements and powers that do not come from God. 

9.0- Daniel's Vision by the Tigris River

In Daniel 10 and Daniel 11 verse 1 we read:

1 In the third year that Cyrus was emperor of Persia, a message was revealed to Daniel, who is also called Belteshazzar. The message was true but extremely hard to understand.  It was explained to him in a vision.

2 At that time I was mourning for three weeks. 3 I did not eat any rich food or any meat, drink any wine, or comb my hair until the three weeks were past. 

4 On the twenty-fourth day of the first month of the year I was standing on the bank of the mighty Tigris River. 5 I looked up and saw someone who was wearing linen clothes and a belt of fine gold.

6 His body shone like a jewel. His face was as bright as a flash of lightning, and his eyes blazed like fire. His arms and legs shone like polished bronze, and his voice sounded like the roar of a great crowd.

7 I was the only one who saw the vision. Those who were with me did not see anything, but they were terrified and ran and hid. 8 I was left there alone, watching this amazing vision. I had no strength left, and my face was so changed that no one could have recognized me. 9 When I heard his voice, I fell to the ground unconscious and lay there face downward. 10 Then a hand took hold of me and raised me to my hands and knees; I was still trembling.

11 The angel said to me, “Daniel, God loves you. Stand up and listen carefully to what I am going to say. I have been sent to you.” When he had said this, I stood up, still trembling.

12 Then he said, “Daniel, don't be afraid. God has heard your prayers ever since the first day you decided to humble yourself in order to gain understanding. I have come in answer to your prayer.   13 The angel prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed me for twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief angels, came to help me, because I had been left there alone in Persia. 14 I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the future. This is a vision about the future.”

15 When he said this, I stared at the ground, speechless. 16 Then the angel, who looked like a human being, reached out and touched my lips. I said to him, “Sir, this vision makes me so weak that I can't stop trembling. 17 I am like a slave standing before his master. How can I talk to you? I have no strength or breath left in me.”

18 Once more he took hold of me, and I felt stronger. 19 He said, “God loves you, so don't let anything worry you or frighten you.”

When he had said this, I felt even stronger and said, “Sir, tell me what you have to say. You have made me feel better.”

20-21 He said, “Do you know why I came to you? It is to reveal to you what is written in the book of Truth

Now I have to go back and fight the guardian angel of Persia. After that the guardian angel of Greece will appear. There is no one to help me except Michael, Israel's guardian angel.

He is responsible for helping and defending me.