Daniel 11 - When History Echoes The End Of Days - The Mysteries of God's Word

Prophecy turns razor-sharp when Daniel 11 moves from Persian kings to Alexander’s swift empire and lands on a ruthless figure who weaponizes flattery and force. We walk through the text line by line, showing how Antiochus IV Epiphanes desecrates the temple, manipulates power in Egypt and Jerusalem, and silences the covenant with lies—and why that storyline isn’t just ancient history. It’s a pattern, a preview pointing to a final Antichrist who exalts himself above every god, trades worship for control, and prizes the “god of fortress” over truth.

We unpack how the passage compresses centuries with startling accuracy, then widens into a double horizon where type meets fulfillment. Along the way, we highlight the faithful remnant who “know their God,” stand firm under pressure, and help many understand. This is where the theology gets practical: knowing God is not mere data; it’s an abiding life that can endure censorship, coercion, and cultural seduction. We connect Daniel’s vision with New Testament touchpoints—2 Thessalonians and Revelation—to show how counterfeit glory operates and why its days are numbered.

As the end-time scenes gather—north against south, Jerusalem under siege, the abomination as a flashpoint—the prophecy insists on both clarity and courage. The Antichrist plants his tents near the holy mountain and boasts, but the script is already written: the pretender falls, and no one can help him. We close with hope anchored in the true King’s return and a call to live watchful, wise, and grounded in Scripture.

If this study sharpened your view of prophecy and history, share it with a friend, subscribe for the finale in Daniel 12, and leave a review to help others find the show. What insight from Daniel 11 will you carry into your week?

Chapters

• 0:00 Setting The Stage In Daniel 11
• 2:58 Persia And The Rise Of Greece
• 5:33 Alexander’s Empire Shattered
• 8:13 North Vs South Around Israel
• 11:23 Enter Antiochus IV Epiphanes
• 15:33 Deceit, Alliances, And Egyptian Campaigns
• 19:23 Rage Against The Covenant And Jerusalem
• 22:13 Abomination That Makes Desolate
• 25:23 The Faithful Refined In Fire
• 28:13 Shift To End Times Antichrist
• 31:33 Exalting Self Above Every God
• 34:33 Worship Of Power And Global Control
• 37:33 Final Conflicts North And South
• 40:23 Jerusalem Under Siege And Flight

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:16

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Today we are in Daniel chapter eleven. Last week in chapter ten, we learned that an angel had come to Daniel after three weeks of fasting and praying. For the purposes of our narrative, we've called this angel Gabriel because Gabriel is the one who has visited Daniel twice before. Today in chapter eleven, Gabriel is going to explain to Daniel future prophecy that links with the end times. So let's get started at verse one. And as for me, in the first year of Darius the Mead, I stood up to confirm and strengthen him. Chapter eleven begins with this verse that really would have better been placed at the end of chapter ten. The angel that is speaking with Daniel, that we have called Gabriel, is speaking of how he encouraged and fought with Michael the Archangel two years ago, during the first year of Darius the Mead, which just happened to also be the beginning of the Medo Persian Empire. That same year would have also been the same year that Daniel was thrown into the lion's den, and the year that Cyrus made his decree that Israel could return to Judea, which explains to some degree why there was such great spiritual warfare in the heavens. Picking up in verse two, 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. Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion and do as he wills, and as soon as he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken and divided to the four winds of heaven, but not to his posterity, nor according to his authority, with which he ruled, for his kingdom shall be plucked up and go to others besides these. In verses two through four, the angel Gabriel tells Daniel the future of the Persian Empire as well as the next empire, Greece. There are four kings mentioned by the angel that will rule over Persia. Now, while the Medo-Persian Empire will actually have more than just these four kings, the angel only mentions up to Xerxes, because it was Xerxes that would stir up the kingdom of Greece. Xerxes, in a failed military campaign against the Greeks, would signal the beginning of the end for Persia, which would eventually fall to Alexander the Great in 330 BC. Those first four kings by name are Cambyses, Pseudo Smyrdus, Darius Histappes, and the fourth and final king that is mentioned here, that would become strong enough through his riches and rule and stir up the kingdom of Greece was Xerxes, also known as Ahazurus, the king that ruled during the time of Esther. The mighty king that arises in verse 3 from Greece is Alexander the Great. The Christian historian Jerome once said of Alexander the Great, nothing was accomplished as swiftly as his conquest. He took everything from the Gulf of Venice and the Adriatic Sea all the way to the Indian Ocean and the Ganges River. He did this not so much in his battles as by his reputation. And I have a note that his reputation became renowned after the death of Darius III, when he conquered the Persian Empire. When we read the prophecy of verse four today and we look at the history of Alexander the Great, we stand amazed at the clarity and accuracy with which this angel gives Daniel these predictions. The very year after Alexander the Great stopped his campaign of war and he retired to the city of Babylon, he died, just as the angel prophesied. After Alexander the Great amassed his enormous empire, he retired in Babylon at the age of thirty three, and he finally passed away that very same year, after a long battle with a fever. His kingdom was divided to the four winds of heaven. Indeed, when Alexander died, being that his empire was gained by the power of war and domination, the Greek Empire too was divided to the four generals of Alexander after his death. The kingdom did not go to Alexander's family, nor did it remain the United Kingdom in the way that Alexander would have wanted, but it was divided amongst his four generals. Verses five through twenty will be covering almost two hundred years of wars between nations that border Palestine where the Jewish people are residing, one being a kingdom to their north, and the other a kingdom to their south. The angel Gabriel is covering these near future events as part of God's reply to Daniel's prayer. Daniel was petitioning to understand what is going to happen to his people. And the king of the south for the next fifteen verses is Egypt. So the king of the north is represented by Seleucus, or the region of Syria. For the sake of this podcast, I'm not going to go into all of the details of verses five through twenty, as we want to focus more on the end times prophecy. If you're interested in the historical details of verses five through twenty, please send me an email. I'd love to share that with you. Picking up in verse twenty one. 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. Armies shall be utterly swept away before him and broken, even the Prince of the Covenant. Verses twenty one and twenty two really begin the heart of chapter eleven. While verses five through twenty talked about a great deal of immediate history between the Northern and Southern Kingdom. Verse twenty one and verse twenty two begin what will become a dual prophecy describing the end days. The despicable person that arises in the northern kingdom in verse twenty one after the death of Seleucus IV will be Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Daniel chapter eight verse nine referred to him as the little horn. And we might ask ourselves, why is so much time and prophecy and God's special revelation given to this obscure king at the end of the Greek Empire? But the reason becomes clear when we understand that these prophecies given to Daniel that surround Israel's near future really are typologies and foreshadows of things that will happen during the last days of Earth. Just as Israel experienced wars over the nations that surrounded them, so there will be increasing wars and rumors of wars in the last days. Antiochus Epiphanes, that is described here, foreshadows the final coming Antichrist in the latter days of Earth. Antiochus Epiphanes was a vile man. He used trickery and lies to obtain his wicked ends. While he was not directly in line to be a king, he seized the opportunity through political flattery and intrigue when the rightful heir was imprisoned in Rome. Antiochus IV named himself Epiphanes, which means the illustrious one, but he's more appropriately named by one of his contemporaries as Epimenides, which means the madman. We're told that armies shall be utterly swept away by this man. Despite the fact that Egypt would attack Antiochus IV with overflowing forces, Antiochus IV Epiphanes defeated them through his cunning tactics and trickery. We're also told he will break even the Prince of the Covenant. Antiochus IV had Israel's rightful high priest, Onias III murdered, and he established a corrupt relationship with one of Onias' brothers, Menelaus. He then appointed Menelaus as the new high priest, while he corrupted the temple and its practices. Antiochus IV, Epiphanes, would overcome incredible odds not because he had great numbers of people on his side, but because he was so deceitful. He had an incredible ability to corrupt and manipulate the right people at the right time. Picking up in verse twenty three 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 to 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, 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 and be 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. Verses twenty three through twenty seven speak about how Antiochus IV Epiphanes would make an alliance with Ptolemy the Sixth over his rival in the Egyptian kingdom, Ptolemy VIII, and as soon as the alliance was formed, Antiochus began plotting how he would take over Egypt. Antiochus Epiphanes would enter Egypt peacefully under a pretense of friendship. But then, just as the prophecy says, he comes to the richest parts of Egypt and he strikes. Antiochus IV would then share the wealth of these conquests with both his troops and with key people of state in Egypt, thereby distributing this great booty with those who would follow him. And in so doing, Antiochus Epiphanes conquered much of Egypt, all the way from Memphis to Alexandria before he was stopped, and were told that two kings will have their hearts bent on doing evil, and that they'll lie to one another even as they sit at the same table. Both the hearts of Antiochus IV and Ptolemy the sixth were very self serving. They were bent on doing evil, and while they had agreed to work together, to fight Ptolemy the Seventh, they would lie to one another even as they planned to take Egypt for themselves. twenty eight 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. Now when Antiochus IV Epiphanes made his way north from finally being defeated in Egypt, he still had great wealth, and he would pass through Israel. When he arrived in Jerusalem he found an insurrection going on, and he would deal ruthlessly with the people of Judah. He massacred over eighty thousand men. He plundered and profaned the temple of God. Josephus wrote When Antiochus had captured the city, he sacrificed a swine on the altar, and with the broth of its flesh he sprinkled the temple. Picking up in verse twenty nine 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 Kidam 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. In verses twenty nine and thirty, Antiochus IV Epiphanes gives his third and final attempt to conquer Egypt. However he will not be successful. As it says, it will not be this time as it was before, because now those two Egyptian kings that had been rivals have since agreed to rule as co regents, and Antiochus will now face a united front. Furthermore, a Roman fleet from Cyprus, or as it says here, Kidum will side with Egypt, completely stopping the attack. Antiochus would flee Egypt, afraid to even engage in a war because of Rome. But once again on his way back, this time from a serious defeat in Egypt, Antiochus IV was enraged, and he again stops in Israel. Antiochus IV Epiphanes opposed all who followed the covenant and the Mosaic Law that some Jews continued to keep. Antiochus created and enforced laws that would give favoritism to any who would forsake the holy covenant of Moses, and instead adopt Greek views of sexuality, mythology, and religious practices. Picking up in verse thirty one. Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering, and they shall set up an abomination that makes desolate. Verse thirty one talks about forces from Antiochus IV. These forces that it's talking about are how Antiochus gave Menelaus, one of the first false high priests authority to remove his brother Onias, who was the legal high priest. Menelaus immediately began to despise the temple and neglect sacrifices, while leading Israel into every conceivable iniquity. And this began the taking away of regular burnt offerings, four years before Antiochus IV had ever profaned the temple with a pig. But then in one hundred seventy BC, Antiochus comes and sets up this abomination that makes desolate. A first century BC Greek historian named Diodorus writes of this event, saying When Antiochus Epiphanes had overcome the Jews, he entered into the holy of holies of God, where only the priest could lawfully go. There he found a marble statue of a man with a long beard, holding a book in his hand and sitting on an ass. He thought him to be Moses, who had built Jerusalem, founded the nation and established those laws that are hated in all of the nations. He desired to remove this reproach to the nations and endeavored to abrogate the laws. Therefore he sacrificed a large sow to the statue of the founder, Moses. He poured blood on the altar of God that stood in the open air, as well as on the statue. He boiled the flesh of the sow, and he commanded that the holy books containing their laws be marred and obliterated with the brother. He commanded that the eternal flame which always burned in the temple be extinguished. He compelled Menelaus, the high priest and other Jews to eat the swine's flesh. Verse thirty two says he shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action, and the wise among the people shall make many understand, though for some days they shall stumble by the sword and flame, by captivity and plunder. When they stumble, they shall receive a little help, and many shall join themselves 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. Verses thirty two through thirty five describe God's faithful people amidst this very difficult time. It begins by saying that he shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, and true to form, Antiochus IV used flattery to trick any Jews willing to compromise the Mosaic covenant. Antiochus Epiphanes made backroom deals with Jewish leaders that were willing to compromise, and then he would place them in political and religious power in Jerusalem. Furthermore, Antiochus granted the apostate Jews that did follow these apostate leaders the right to live according to the ordinances of the Greeks, and so they built a gymnasium right beneath the Tower of David. But then were told that the people who know their God shall stand firm. What an incredible verse that testifies to the obedience of people who abide in a relationship with the living God. The Hebrew word for know here is used not only as a cognitive knowledge, but an experiential knowledge. It's an intimate knowledge of knowing and being known. Jesus said in John fifteen five, I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me, you can do nothing. These are the people that abide in a genuine relationship, knowing and being known by the living God. The Scripture says they shall make many understand. Amongst God's people there will be those who are wise, who understand the times, much like the sons of Isakar did in first Chronicles twelve thirty two. It will be these people who share their wisdom and help many during these troubled and confusing times. But for some days it says they will stumble, even though there will be wise men that offer sound advice during these troubled times, the gravity of these corrupt laws, and the forcefulness of Antiochus IV with his sword punishing the righteous will make it a very confusing time for God's people. As a whole, the Jewish nation will stumble, and they will join themselves to the way of the Gentiles, as Antiochus Epiphanes becomes a very convincing ruler. Even some of the wise, it says, will lose their footing and stumble, which certainly will only add to the confusion. But we're told that even though some of the wise will stumble, they will not remain in ungodly lives. The Lord will use it to refine them by the fire of his discipline. These people of God will be purified by the fire of God's word. They will be made white by the work of the coming Messiah. And this will happen until the time of the end. The angel Gabriel tells Daniel here that this example of Antiochus IV Epiphanes is not just a one time historical event. This type of persecution upon God's people will continue. It will continue until the end. Gabriel's mention of the end times here signals a transition in this prophecy. Up to this point, this prophecy has primarily focused on historical events that will take place a couple hundred years after the life of Daniel. However, the prophecy now transitions to a greater double prophecy, pointing both to Antiochus IV and to the final Antichrist that will come in the final days of the earth. There's no question in my mind that Antiochus Epiphanes is given to us as a classic example of the spirit of the Antichrist, and as an example of what the embodiment of that spirit will look like in the last days of the earth. Even as I write this today, I think about how the spirit of the Antichrist is at work in our times, setting up laws trying to silence and kill those who live righteous lives according to the word of God, all while it promotes godlessness, using the very name of God. Picking up in verse thirty six, 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. He shall pay no attention to the gods of his fathers, or to the one beloved by women. He shall not pay attention to any other god, for he shall magnify himself above all. In this double prophecy, we recognize that Antiochus IV had incredible power to do as he pleased, but it will pale to the power the final Antichrist will wield. We learned in Daniel eight twenty four that this power was not his own. Antiochus stands as an example of how the spirit of the Antichrist is a power of darkness. It is empowered by Satan himself. One day the spirit of the Antichrist will, through the power of Satan, be embodied in one man. Second Thessalonians two nine reads The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan, with all power and false signs and wonders. Revelation thirteen two reads And the beast that I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear's, its mouth was like a lion's mouth, and to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. Verse thirty six tells us that this man will exalt and magnify himself over every God. This is the prideful heart of the spirit of Antichrist, and it comes from Satan himself. Satan led a rebellion against God because he thought that he himself could sit on God's throne above the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings. So too does this spirit of Antichrist think so highly of himself that he speaks blasphemy against God, and he works to disgrace the name of the very creator that made him. And we're told that he will prosper until the indignation is accomplished, for it is decreed. As shocking as this may be to us, this desecration of God's name is decreed by God. That actually gives us great insight into understanding divine providence. Scripture is very clear that God is light, and there is no darkness in him, that it is Satan, not God that is the father of lies. Therefore, God's decree of this evil spirit accomplishing that which is the very antithesis of his character, literally the Antichrist, is based upon his foreknowledge of Satan's free will choices. However, those choices all fit into God's divine plan from eternity. As mind bending as that may be to us, this will all culminate in a final antichrist that comes against God and all of his creation. Revelation thirteen seven reads speaking about the beast, and it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them, and authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation. Finally, we're told that this spirit of Antichrist pays no attention to the gods of his father, nothing beloved by women nor any other god. This clarifying statement shows us how this man will have no empathy and no sympathy for anyone but himself. He will be the ultimate narcissist. He will have no regard for the gods or traditions of his fathers. He will not be moved by any affections of women, and he will disregard all the gods on earth, including the one true God, because he exalts and makes magnifies himself alone as God. And this is exactly what the Apostle Paul told us would happen in the last days with the man of lawlessness in Second Thessalonians two, three through four, which reads Let no one deceive you in any way, for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first. And the man of lawlessness is revealed the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so called God or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Picking up in verse thirty eight, he shall honor the god of fortress instead of these, a god whom his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. He shall deal with the strongest fortress with the help of a foreign god. Those who acknowledge him he shall load with honor. He shall make them rulers over many, and shall divide the land for a price. Now it says he will honor the god of the fortress. We already know that this spirit of the Antichrist exalts only himself. So why this sudden shift to honoring a god of the fortress? What is that? What does that mean? Our example of Antiochus Epiphanes teaches us that this spirit of Antichrist honors the god of power, earthly power, and earthly conquest. This final Antichrist will focus on the conquest of all other nations as he builds up power for his earthly empire, his earthly fortress. The final Antichrist will have the strongest fortress as he consumes the entire earth with his evil campaign. Again, this final Antichrist will be the embodiment of a demonic spirit and will be at the direction of Satan himself. His dominion over the earth will be so strong and so vast that people will not be able to purchase or use the common marketplace without his demonic mark. Revelation thirteen sixteen seventeen reads Also it causes all both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave to be marked on the right hand or forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark that is the name of the beast or the number of his name. Finally we're told how the Antichrist will set up the earth and dominions of power. As he consumes the earth and its resources, he will build his fortress under the direction of Satan. And this final king or emperor that is exalting himself as a god over all of the earth will divide the earth for a price, taking the wealth of the nations as he flatters them for their loyalty. Ultimately he is preparing for the final battle of Armageddon against Jesus Christ, because Satan knows that his time on earth is short picking up in verse forty 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 the countries and shall overflow and pass through now verse forty makes it clear that there has been a shift in prophecy. It tells us that at the time of the end. Furthermore we know from history that the remaining verses in this chapter do not tie to the details of Antiochus IV Epiphanes. This final battle between North and South is the final battle that will take place on earth surrounding the promised land and Jerusalem in the end days. And when the Antichrist is coming to power we're told that the South will rise up against the Antichrist in the North but the Antichrist will come down on them in such a fury that he will utterly destroy them and pass through them into further conquest forty one 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 After the Antichrist's attack on the south he will come back up into the glorious land that is Judah and Jerusalem. This may very well be the time that he sets up and commits the abomination of desolation, setting himself up as a god in the temple. Just as we read in Matthew twenty four fifteen So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel standing in the holy place, let the reader understand, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Verse forty one teaches us here that tens of thousands will fall, and Scripture teaches us that when the Antichrist takes over Jerusalem it will be a time of great distress for the Jewish people, one like never before in human history. Zechariah fourteen two reads for I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Finally verse forty one talks about three regions that will be delivered during this time. The region that spoke of here is modern day Jordan and some of very southern Israel. For whatever reason the Antichrist leaves this area alone forty two He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. He shall become rulers of the treasuries of gold and of silver, and all the precious things of Egypt, and the Liberians and the Kushites shall follow in his train. 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 in our last verses verses forty two through forty five, we see the Antichrist stretching out his hand against all of the world and bringing it under his control. The named countries here represent Northwest Africa, which will be near his current base of operations in the end days, around Jerusalem and Judah. We're told that initially there will be some countries in the north and the east that will rebel against the Antichrist and his worldwide control. However we're also told that he will utterly destroy them and devote them to destruction. They will be used as examples of what not to do against this satanic tyrant. Finally the base camp of the Antichrist's military will be set up between the Mediterranean Sea and the Temple Mount in Jerusalem during these last years of the earth. And after the Antichrist has consumed the world and its resources, after he's established total dominance over the nations, he himself will be destroyed, with no one to save him. At the Battle of Armageddon, Jesus Christ will come with his angels wreathed in fire and his saints following our Lord will utterly destroy the Antichrist and all of the earthly kingdoms set up against him. Both the demonic spirit of the Antichrist and of the false prophet that promotes him will be captured and cast into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. Thank you for joining me for Daniel chapter eleven. I hope you join me next time for Daniel chapter twelve, our final chapter of Daniel God bless you this week.