As we come to the final part of Daniel, we are confronted with the rise of Antiochus Epiphanes and what follows to end of the book of Daniel. Scholars almost universally agree that Daniel 11:21-35 is about Antiochus, who was a Greek ruler who reigned from 175-164 B.C. What is interesting is Antiochus gave himself the title of “Epiphanes” which means “the Illustrious One”. In addition, we know from his coins that he was even so bold as to add the title, “Theos” with Epiphanes, which of course would mean, “Illustrious God” or “God manifest”. Humility obviously not one of Antiochus’s character traits. In truth, Antiochus was evil, conniving and a usurper. In Daniel 11:21, the text tells us Antiochus was a contemptible person whom royal majesty had not been given. This was true because the son of Seleucus IV, who was Demetrius I, should have been the next king. However, Demetrius was being held hostage in Rome. So, Antiochus IV, the second son of Antiochus the Great, was put in charge as Prince Regent. However, Antiochus Epiphanes was determined to have the throne. The young Prince Regent was murdered and just as the text of Daniel tells us, Antiochus Epiphanes used flattery, favors and promises for promotion in exchange for support to secure the throne. Antiochus was a man of lawlessness who set himself against everything that was good, holy and godly.
“Armies shall be utterly swept away before him and broken, even the prince of the covenant.” Daniel 11:22
In verse 22, we have Antiochus’ successful campaign against Egypt. Cleopatra, the daughter of Antiochus the Great, reigned as Queen Regent. Her son, Ptolemy VI Philometor became king of the Ptolemaic Empire. Ptolemy made every effort to recapture territory previously lost to Syria. While Ptolemy had some initial success, eventually his army was swept away like the text states and he became the prisoner of Antiochus Epiphanes. Now, there is some debate about who the “prince of the covenant” is. Some scholars believe it is a king or governmental leader and others believe it is the high priest. According to John F. Walvoord, this refers to the removal and eventually murder of the high priest, Onias. Antiochus removed Onias and replaced him with his brother, Jason. Walvoord notes, “The high priest bore the title “prince of the covenant” because he was de facto the head of the theocracy at the time.” (Walvoord, Daniel, pg. 341) It should not surprise anyone that Jason, whom Antiochus sold the office of high priest to, began the process of Hellenizing the Jews.
”And from the time that an alliance is made with him he shall act deceitfully, and he shall become strong with a small people. 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.” Daniel 11:23-24
In verse 23-24, the alliance mentioned is likely talking about Ptolemy Philometor. However, Antiochus was of course being deceitful. Although his army was small, he was building strength. Then, suddenly, Antiochus invaded Galilee and lower Egypt. He was able to accomplish what others before him had not. He came very close to becoming the master of Egypt, and all the while he was continually distributing his spoils of war to make friends and gain influence. But as the text tells us, God would limit this man’s evil ambitions. His time of victory would be limited as has been the case of all oppressors throughout history.
”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. Even those who eat his food shall break him. His army shall be swept away, and many shall fall down slain. 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.” Daniel 11:25-27
In verses 25-27 the text continues the history of Antiochus and the Egyptian kingdom. Antiochus raises a huge army and attacks Egypt. The Egyptian king did not realize the trouble he was in. He quickly raises an army but loses to Antiochus. Antiochus continues the fight and moves on to Memphis. As the text notes, Ptolemy suffers greatly from treachery from his own advisors. In verse 27, it tells us that two kings, Antiochus IV Epiphanes and Ptolemy VI Philometor come together under the pretense to make Ptolemy king. The reason for this is because he was losing the allegiance of the people to his brother, Physcon Euergetes. Now, Antiochus’s goal was to take all of Egypt for himself. He pretended friendship and helped to establish Ptolemy Philometor as king. However, Philometor was pretending as well. He agreed to go along with Antiochus, but was secretly waiting for him to return to Syria. When Antiochus left, Philometor proposed a joint sovereignty with his brother. The two joined forces against Antiochus. Even so, as God ordained it, the end of the war was not to come just yet.
“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.” Daniel 11:28
Verse 28 tells us that Antiochus returned to his own land with great wealth, but now his heart is set against God’s people – we might ask why? What has happened to cause this? When Antiochus was returning home, he heard the news that was being spread through Palestine. The rumor was that he was dead, and many Jews were celebrating the news. Antiochus had also deposed the high priest Jason, and with the news of Antiochus’s death, Jason decided to restore himself to the high office. He gathered an army of a thousand and marched on Jerusalem and captured the city. Antiochus, of course, considered this rebellion, and responded by marching on Jerusalem to suppress the Jewish religion. Antiochus’ forces massacred about 80,000 men, women and children (2 Macc 5:11-14).
“At the time appointed he shall return and come into the south, but it shall not be this time as it was before. 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.” Daniel 11:29-30
In verses 29-30, it speaks of Antiochus’s third campaign to Egypt. However, things will be different this time around. In fact, this is a turning point for Antiochus. He is humiliated by Rome. Kittim is an ancient name for Cyprus, here it refers to Rome. The Roman commander Gaius Popilius Laenas met Antiochus outside of Alexandria and gave him a letter from the Roman senate, which essentially said he must stop pursuing Egypt or he would face war with Rome. The Roman commander drew a circle around Antiochus and told him he had to decide what he was going to do before leaving the circle. As you might suspect Antiochus chose to leave Egypt. But he was very angry and guess what he did next? Antiochus took his anger out on the Jews, God’s holy people. It should be noted that often God allows his people to suffer as a way to purge them, separating those who are true and false followers. We can even look around today and see this happening as we must choose faithfulness or compromise in our own times. We should also notice this is where we have a transition to the rise of the Romans. The Greek Empire was fading and the Roman Empire was becoming the next world power.
“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.” Daniel 11:31
The “madness” of Antiochus turned on the Jews. He sent his general, Apollonius, and about 22,000 soldiers to attack Jerusalem. The attack took place on the Sabbath and thousands were massacred. Much destruction to the city occurred, and then Antiochus issued a decree saying all Jews had to join the “universal” religion and obey its laws. In other words, everyone had to adhere to the Greek religion. In December of 167 B.C. Antiochus ordered the immediate cessation of all Jewish sacrifices and the temple was dedicated, with an idol, to Zeus Olympius. In addition, Antiochus offered a pig sacrifice. He also called for all copies of the Hebrew Scriptures to be destroyed, and he replaced the annual Feast of Tabernacles with a feast to Bacchus. If the Jews did not worship the gods of Greece or were caught with a copy of the Scriptures, they could be killed. This abomination that was coming is why so much of the text is written about Antiochus.
“He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.” Daniel 11:32
In verse 32, we have the continuation of the persecution by Antiochus. Now, some of the Jews are enticed to follow Greek worship, but there are others who remain faithful and stand firm. This bold stand had a cost for many faithful Jews were killed. Again we have a purging of God’s people. The true and false people of God are separated. This is a difficult and hard truth to bear that at appointed times God sifts his people. Will we be faithful at such times? Will we worship the false gods of this world or remain faithful to God in troubled times.
“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. When they stumble, they shall receive a little help. And many shall join themselves to them with flattery, 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.” Daniel 11:33-35
Now when we get to verses 33-35, we should understand that these verses likely refer to the Maccabean Revolt, which is the famous rebellion against Antiochus where the temple and Jerusalem are restored. There was a priest named Mattathias, who lived in Modin. When the Seleucid officers arrived at Modin Mattathias sparked a revolt by striking a Jew who was about to sacrifice to the Greek gods. Then, he killed a Seleucid officer. Mattathias and his five sons fled to the hills and began guerrilla warfare. After the death of Mattathias (166 BC) Judas Maccabeus became the leader of the resistance movement. In December 164 BC, three years after Antiochus had defiled the temple, Judas recaptured and restored Jerusalem, and had the temple and Holy Place cleansed. The Jews reconsecrated the sanctuary on December 24. The Jewish festival, Hanukkah, commemorates this event.
Now, as a summary for Daniel 11:1-35 we have approximately 135 prophetic statements that have ALL been fulfilled in history. The events were still in the future when they were written, which makes them prophecy, but they were fulfilled during the time of the Medo-Persian and Greek Empires. Verse 35 serves as a transition. When the text states, “until the time of the end, for it still awaits the appointed time,” it means the end is not yet, there will still be more persecution and suffering for God’s people. This verse also serves as a transition from the time of the Greek Empire to the time of the Romans.
Now, before we dive into verse 36, I think I should remind you that when the text uses the term “king”, such as “king of the north or south”, we know this is talking about more than one person and can have multiple meanings and fulfillments.
“And the king shall do as he wills. He shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods. He shall prosper till the indignation is accomplished; for what is decreed shall be done.” Daniel 11:36
So who is this king in verse 36? Well, first of all we must acknowledge starting at verse 36 there is a transition (which started actually in 35) and there is also a lot of disagreement about verses 36-45. Many scholars believe these verses refer to the antichrist at the end of history sometime in the future. I do not hold this view, but I want to make it clear that this is a view held by many people and should be considered. R. J. Rushdoony makes a very keen observation in his book, Thy Kingdom Come, “Daniel gives political prophecy, whereas Antichrist is a religious concept…Thus, the reference cannot be to Antichrist, for such would be a radical break with the whole content of Daniel’s prophecy. Calvin, as always a perceptive commentator, applied these sections to the Roman Empire.” (Thy Kingdom Come, Rushdoony, pg. 74) In Daniel 2 and 7, there are four gentile kingdoms and the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Antiochus Epiphanes was a Greek king, and now in verse 36 there is a shift from the Greek to the Roman era. There is a similar shift in verses 2 and 3 where the text shifts from Medo-Persia to Greece. The willful king seems to be the Roman kings or Caesars. Now, it will be very difficult to nail down this prophecy to one particular king. Some have suggested Julius Caesar, others Augustus and even Nero. It is likely a combination of different leaders during the Julio-Claudian dynasty. When we look at verse 36, certainly the Caesars come to mind. For example, Caesar Augustus was the first Roman emperor to be worshipped as a living god while he was still alive. The Caesars were given god-like status and they were worshipped. The Roman coins had inscriptions that read, “Son of God”. And the Caesars were known as “Liberator”, “Lord” and “Savior of the World”. Titus, the general who destroyed the temple and Jerusalem in 70 A.D. issued this blasphemous challenge: “If he (the God of Israel) is really mighty, let him come up on the dry land and fight with me.” (Babylonian Talmud) Gaius had a statue of himself erected in the temple of Jerusalem. This emperor also removed the heads of gods on statues and replaced them with his own. Gaius often referred to himself as an Olympian god and was called Jupiter, who was the king of the gods, in public documents. The philosopher Philo wrote of Gaius, “He no longer chose to remain fettered by the ordinary limits of human nature, but aspired to raise himself above them, and desired to be looked upon as a god.” The Vatican museum has a statue of the emperor Claudius depicted as Jupiter. The practice of emperor worship began after the death of Julius Caesar.
Now we are going to move to verse 40 which states, “At the time of the end, the king of the south shall attack him, but the king of the north shall rush upon him like a whirlwind, with chariots and horsemen, and with many ships. And he shall come into countries and shall overflow and pass through.”
So in verse 40, it again mentions the king of the north and king of the south. They are in a battle with the willful king. The king of Egypt was Cleopatra and the king of Syria (north) was Anthony. This king and queen unite and fight against Octavian (Augustus) in the Battle of Actium (31 BC). Octavian was victorious. The phrase, “the time of the end” in this text, generally means, the time right before the kingdom of God would be manifest in the world.
“He shall come into the glorious land. And tens of thousands shall fall, but these shall be delivered out of his hand: Edom and Moab and the main part of the Ammonites. He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. He shall become ruler of the treasures of gold and of silver, and all the precious things of Egypt, and the Libyans and the Cushites shall follow in his train.” Daniel 11:41-43
In looking at verses 41-43, it is possible it is again talking about Augustus. After the Battle of Actium, Augustus took over the territories of Israel, Egypt, Libya, Greece and Syria. The riches of Egypt were brought to Rome. The historian Suetonius writes of Augustus, “When he (Augustus) brought the treasures of the Ptolemies (Egypt) to Rome at his Alexandrian triumph, so much cash passed into private hands that the interest rate on loans dropped sharply, while real estate values soared.” In addition, in fulfillment of verse 43, Augustus sent the Roman general Petronius to Nubia, where the city was captured, forcing the people into submission.
Now, before I tackle verses 44-45, I want to mention what has already been said, but is something to keep in mind. These prophecies do have a general and a specific fulfillment. And it is possible as with other passages that there are multiple fulfillments. I also want to point out that Daniel and Revelation, as with other prophetic books have much in common. However, it seems clear that Daniel is addressing the times of ancient gentile kingdoms up until the New Covenant, and ending with the events surrounding the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Based on certain texts, I do not believe that is the case for Revelation, but remember Daniel was written in the sixth century BC. Revelation was written in the first century A.D. – very close to the fulfillment of things Daniel wrote about including the “time of the end.” Now, back to Daniel 11:44-45 – the willful king or the “he” mentioned here could be the sixth Caesar of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Nero. The text reads:
”But news from the east and the north shall alarm him, and he shall go out with great fury to destroy and devote many to destruction. And he shall pitch his palatial tents between the sea and the glorious holy mountain. Yet he shall come to his end, with none to help him.”
According to Daniel Morais (revelationrevolution.org) during the reign of Nero there were two major revolts - Israel (east) and in Gaul (north). In 66 A.D. the Jews overwhelmed the Roman authorities in Jerusalem and kicked them out. The Jews set up a revolutionary government. Nero was enraged and sent the general Vespasian to assume command in Syria and crush the rebellion. This of course eventually led the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. While this Jewish-Roman war was going on, there was also a revolt in Gaul. Interestingly enough, according to Josephus, when the Roman army arrived at Jeruslam they set up tents outside the city while waiting for Vespasian to arrive from Caesarea. (Josephus, The War of the Jews 3.5.2) As you may remember Nero died in 68 A.D. during the middle of the war. Just before he died the Senate had voted to remove Nero and arrest him. Nero committed suicide and came to his end with no one to help him. Morais adds another interesting fact about the reign of Nero: “In the last year of Nero’s reign, a bolt of lightning ‘struck the Temple of the Caesars, decapitating all the statues at a stroke and dashed Augustus’s scepter from his hands.’ Shortly thereafter the Caesar family line had come to an end.” And of course this is true because after Nero dies, Rome flew into chaos until Vespasian becomes emperor in 69 A.D., which started a new Imperial dynasty.
Jay Rogers in his books, “In the Days of These Kings” and “The Prophecy of Daniel in Preterist Perspective” writes that Daniel 11:36-45 in referring to the Caesars in general, but specifically to Julius Caesar. What I will say, in agreement with Calvin, is that I believe these verses refer to the Roman Caesars, specifically the Julio-Claudian dynasty (first six).
Now, let’s move quickly to chapter 12 which completes the final vision of Daniel. The first verse refers to the great tribulation and the abomination which causes desolation of Matthew 24. Again, this is talking about the first Jewish-Roman war where Jerusalem is destroyed in 70 A.D. by Vespasian and Titus. The context is the time of the Roman Caesars, which is also the end of old covenantal system and the beginning of the everlasting kingdom of Jesus Christ. When the text speaks of God’s people being delivered – what does that mean? It is talking about the first century Christians who heeded the warning of Christ to flee to the mountains when they see the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place (Matt. 24:15).These early Christians escaped the Roman destruction of Jerusalem. Verse 2 states, “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” This verse can be difficult for a preterist. Some authors say this means the gospel is preached and people are awakened to life. This could be a symbolic meaning but certainly does not give the plain intended meaning. We might want to consider when in the Bible have we seen this type of language.
“And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.” Matthew 27:51-53
“Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.” Revelation 20:4-6
R. J. Rushdoony notes about his verse, “The resurrection is given in Daniel 12:2 as the keynote of the gospel age, i.e., of the latter days. The “day” or time of resurrection began with the resurrection of Jesus Christ, so that Christians live in the resurrection era.” Clearly Daniel 12:2 refers to the resurrection and judgment, which is the message, affect and consequence of the gospel.
Now, Daniel is told to seal up the book until the time of the end. And you have the burning question in the text – how long will it be? What is the outcome of these wonders?
”Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand. And from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days. Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days.” Daniel 12:10-12
So here we have the 1290 and 1335 days, which of course is close to 3 ½ years. And I believe here is where we have a dual fulfillment as we have seen before in Daniel. It is possible these time periods are referring to Antiochus. However, since the context or time period seems to be the New Covenant, I think it is best to stick with that time. The verse says from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1290 days. Then you have an additional 45 days, with the total of 1335 days. What on earth is this talking about? We know, generally speaking, it means about 3 ½ years.
In A.D. 66, Eleazar, who was the son of the high priest stopped the daily sacrifice. If you count 1290 days from that point you come to around the spring of 70 A.D. If you count 1335 days from when the daily sacrifice ceased, you end in April 70 A.D., which is at the Passover, and when the Romans began their assault on Jerusalem. But the fulfillment of the prophecy does not end there, there is a dual fulfillment. Technically the Jewish-Roman war was not over in 70 A.D. The war did not end until 74 A.D. According to Daniel Morais, it was on the 15th of Nisan in A.D. 74 that the fortress of Masada fell. This is when the war was officially over. The next day, the 16th of Nisan is exactly 1335 days after the 9th of Av 70 A.D., when the Romans set the temple on fire and sacrificed a pig at the eastern gate. What we have is about a 7 year period in two parts.
Now, in closing I want to point something out. Why do we study these things out? First of all, because it is the word of God, which is God’s revelation to man. It is worth our time to know what God has said and to understand what God is saying to his people. We have the opportunity to glean and apply the principles of God’s holy word. Listen, we will suffer hardship. Evil rulers will come, but all of them come to an end. The Babylonians, the Persians, Greeks, and Roman rulers are gone. Those kingdoms do not exist anymore. But remember in Daniel, there are 5 kingdoms. The final kingdom is the kingdom of the saints who follow Jesus Christ, which is an everlasting kingdom without end. R. J. Rushdoony tells us, “Daniel is political prophecy…declaring the certain victory of the kingdom of God…in history. If the victory of Christ is to be eschatological only, and in terms only of an eternal order, then Daniel is a monstrous piece of irrelevance. The sorry tribulation-complex of a smug and self-satisfied church, surrounded by ease and luxury, is certainly an amazing fact…But the whole of Scripture proclaims the certainty of God’s victory in time and in eternity.” Kingdoms come and go. Political leaders and institutions rise and fall. But in the end, “many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.” Daniel 12:2-3
The question is, will we be wise? You may be aware that the book of Daniel has been contested for centuries. In fact, since the days of Porphyry, a neo-Platonic philosopher, from the 3rd century A.D. The book of Daniel’s authenticity and authorship has been called into question. The liberal “academics” always try to push the date when Daniel was written to a much later time around 167 B.C. instead of when the book was actually written (during the lifetime of Daniel). Why is this? The primary reason is because of Daniel chapter 11. This chapter contains extremely accurate predictions of the Seleucid-Ptolemaic wars and the details of Antiochus Epiphanes’s reign. The academics question chapter 11 because if the prophecy is true, then that means Daniel prophesied about events hundreds of years in advance with impossible accuracy. This makes the chapter and the book of Daniel divine without question. Remember we have already noted that Daniel 11 contains at least 135 prophetic statements that have been fulfilled in history. The final vision of Daniel was written to warn God’s people of coming persecution, and to encourage them that those tribulatory days would come to an end with the promise of Daniel 12:1, “at that time your people will be delivered.” But also the last vision of Daniel shows that one of the greatest prophecies in the Bible has been fulfilled – giving God’s word divine authority and power.
One final point I would make is that God often purges his people. He purifies them at set times. And I would submit that we live in such times today. God is pursuing, cleansing and purifying his people. And through this painful process we can be assured, like the case in Daniel, that evil rulers and kingdoms will come to an end. God will deal with evil and injustice. And the evil rulers of our day are on a set timeframe. When their time is up, they too will fall. God’s message in Daniel and for us today is yes there is suffering and evil in the world, but my people will be saved. There is injustice, but I am coming soon to set everything right through divine righteousness and justice – to establish the final kingdom that is without end.
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