Why Daniel?

The book of Daniel in the Old Testament contains a number of awesome prophecies. Some of these came true in the past, providing evidence for the validity of the Bible, and some are yet to be fulfilled, providing answers about future events for pondering Christians. I'm going to address as much as I can remember regarding the prophecies of Daniel. To put everything in context, let me first begin by giving some background on the writing of Daniel.

Authorship and Dates

Daniel was a Hebrew prophet taken into Babylonian captivity (the "Babylonian Exile"). He wrote the book of Daniel sometime between 605 and 535 BC while in captivity. The writing addressed the captive Israel and the Gentile nations. The writing seems to be meant to encourage the Jewish people in their captivity.

Some people reject the dates I've given above for the writing of Daniel, namely because the given dates would provide irrefutable evidence for the existence of the Biblical God. They claim that Daniel was instead written by someone other than Daniel at a later time when some of the prophecies had already been fulfilled. However, the usage of Aramaic language in the book indicates that Daniel truly was written at the time of the Babylonian Exile. The Dead Sea scrolls also provide evidence for Daniel's early authorship. Christ Himself spoke of Daniel as a prophet and the author of the book (Matthew 24:15), and the Jews accepted Daniel as scripture very early on. We have copies of the Book of Daniel at known dates which prove the early authorship of Daniel, and we have extra-biblical, pre-Maccabean literature which shows the existence of Daniel's writings prior to the events they foretold. The critics don't reject the dates of authorship because of evidence, but because accepting the dates as accurate would mean conceding to existence of the God of the Jews and His revelation to Daniel of future events.

Historical Context

Nebuchadnezzar was ruler of Babylon at this time, having invaded Judah in August of 605 BC. In 586 BC, the temple in Judah was destroyed. Bablyon was an extremely powerful city. It's protective wall was 12 miles long, 25 feet thick, 35 feet high, and had 360 battle towers that rose 288 feet into the air. Babylon also had its own religious system, which included the god "Bel". Knowing that, let's finally get into the book of Daniel.

Daniel Makes a Name for Himself

Daniel's name was changed by Nebuchadnezzar to reflect Babylonian beliefs. Thus, "Daniel", meaning "God is my judge" (Dan=judge, El=God) became "Beltesshazzar" ("Bel is my judge/protector"). He had three friends whose names you're probably familiar with: Hananiah ("mercy of the Lord"), Mishael ("who is like God"), and Azariah ("servant of Yahweh"). If those names aren't familiar, consider their Babylonian names: Shadrach ("mercy of Marduk"), Meschach ("who is like Marduk"), and Abednego ("servant of Nebo"). Aside from simply being given Babylonian names, some Jews were put into a sort of Babylonianizing course. This involved three years of training which involved all sorts of studies, ranging from astronomy and mathematics to architecture and astrology, infusing the Jews with the culture of Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzar's Troubling Dream

Now Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that troubled him greatly. He insisted that someone interpret it for him, but was told that even the wise men couldn't give him the answers, because only the gods knew them. The king got upset and decided to kill all the wise men in the land--including Daniel and his friends. Hearing about this, Daniel went in to the king and requested time so that he could give the king the information he wanted. So Daniel went and told his friends what was going on and asked them to pray. In a "night vision," the mystery was revealed to Daniel. So Daniel went to Arioch (the man in charge of killing the wise men) and said not to kill the wise men, but rather to escort him to the king. The king asked for the dream and its meaning, and Daniel told him no one knew the answer, but that there was a God in heaven who knew, and who gave the king the dreams to let him know what was going to happen in the future. Daniel told the king his dream.

The Dream Revealed

The king was standing in front of a large and bright statue with a strange appearance. Its head was gold, chest and arms silver, belly and thighs bronze, legs iron, feet of iron and clay. The king saw a stone cut out--but not by a human--and fall to the statue's feet, breaking them to pieces. Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were broken to pieces like chaff that the wind carries away, and not a trace of the materials could be found. The stone that had struck the statue became a large mountain that filled the entire earth. Daniel then told the king the dream's meaning.

The Dream Explained

The God of heaven gave the king power over everything--he was the head of gold. An inferior kingdom would rise, inferior to Babylon, and take power. Then a third kingdom (of bronze) would rule the earth. Then the fourth kingdom (of iron) would, just like iron breaks the other materials, crush the other kingdoms. The king saw the mixed nature of this kingdom in the iron and clay feet, where clay is weak and iron strong, and the two materials don't mix. In the days of those kings, God would rise up an everlasting kingdom that would break in pieces all the kingdoms. God was letting the king know what would happen in the future.

Hearing what Daniel said, Nebuchadnezzar bowed to Daniel, saying his God was great if he could reveal this to Daniel. The king gave Daniel a lot of power in the kingdom, and at Daniel's request, his friends were given power as well.

Parts of Daniel's prophecy (interpretation of the dream) have already come to pass. Babylon was succeeded by the Medo-Persian empire (chest and arms of silver), which was succeeded by the brass belly and thighs (Greece), which was then succeeded by Rome (legs of iron). Part of the dream has yet to come true--the feet of clay and iron, representing the kingdom of Antrichrist. We'll get into that more later.

The Golden Statue

The Faithful Condemned

This next part you probably know. Nebuchadnezzar built a golden statue, then had it ordered that all the people would bow before the statue when they heard the music telling them to do so. Not doing so would result in death in a fiery furnace. Some men told the king that certain Jews of power in the kingdom refused to bow down before the statue, nor do they serve his gods. The king confronted them, asking if this was true. Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego replied that their God was able to deliver them from the furnace and from Nebuchadnezzar. Even if their God chose not to deliver them, they would not serve his gods. The king became infuriated, and ordered that the furnace be heated to 7 times its normal heat. It was so hot that its flames killed the guards who carried the three friends of Daniel to the furnace.

The Faithful Saved

Though the three men were tied when they entered the furnace, Nebuchadnezzar was startled to find four men in the furnace, all walking around untied. The fourth man, he said, had the appearance of a god! The king called for them to come out of the furnace, and they came out with their hair and clothes were intact, and not even the smell of fire was on them. The king proceeded to praise their God, for only He could deliver them in such a way. He ordered death to anyone who blasphemed the God of these men. The three were promoted to higher power in Bablyon.

Nebuchadnezzar's Fall

Another Dream

The king had another dream, in which an enormous and beautiful tree reached the sky. Animals took shelter under it, and all the world could see its splendor. A sentinel came from heaven and ordered it be cut off, leaving its taproot intact to live with the mind of an animal, so that the world would know that the God in heaven establishes and has power over all kingdoms.

The Fall Prophesied

Daniel explained that the dream meant Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom was amazing, but that it would be destroyed. The king himself would have the mind of an animal for seven periods of time before he came to realize that God was the one who established kingdoms and gave them power. Daniel suggested he repent of his sins, so that maybe this wouldn't happen. 12 months later, Nebuchadnezzar was gazing upon his kingdom and said that he had built such majesty for his own glory and honor. At that moment, a voice from heaven said, "It is hereby announced to you, King Nebuchadnezzar, that your kingdom has been removed from you! You will be driven from human society, and you will live with the wild animals. You will be fed grass like oxen, and seven periods of time will pass by for you before you understand that the Most High is ruler over human kingdoms and gives them to whomever he wishes." At the same moment, these words came true. Later, the while suffering as an animal like the prophecy said, the king looked towards heaven and his sanity came back to him. He repented and praised the Most High God.

Belshazzar's Pride

Historical Inaccuracy?

Now theres more that happens, but Nebuchadnezzar's son-in-law, Nabonidus (who married the king's daughter) is mentioned in here. His son, Belshazzar, was Nebuchadnezzar's grandson. He was co-regent with his father, Nabonidus. This is an area of Daniel that critics attack, because many translations say that Belshazzar's father was Nebuchadnezzar. The word "father", however, is non-specific to generation, and applies to fathers and grandfathers alike. Also, secular historians used to claim that the Bible was wrong--that Belshazzar never existed. We now have the evidence of the Nabonidus Chronicle to show that there is extra-Biblical testimony to his existence.

A Prophecy Fulfilled

Belshazzar was dining with all sorts of people in his palace, using the stolen cups and such from the Jewish temple, when a hand appeared and wrote something on the wall. The king was proceeded to freak out about the writing, and his mother told him about Daniel, since no one else could read or interpret it. Daniel told Belshazzar that his father was prideful but had become humble after God's turning him crazy. But Belshazzar wasn't humble. He was prideful and sinful and idolotrous, using the goods from the temple of God for his own dinner table. The words on the wall were MENE, MENE, TEQEL, and PHARSIN. MENE meant his kingdom's days had been numbered by God, TEQEL meant he had been weighed and found lacking, and PHARSIN meant his kingdom was divided and given to the Medes and Persians (remember the prophecy from Nebuchadnezzar's dream). That very night, Belshazzar was killed, and his kingdom was given to Darius.

Who Was Darius?

Darius presents us with a bit of a problem here: we don't know who he was. Some say that he was Cyrus the Great, but this cannot be the case (historical data confirms this). There's no extra-Biblical reference to the name "Darius the Mede", either. Our best guess is that he was Gubaru, who was a governor of Babylon.

Den of Lions

Daniel and the Lions

At any rate, Darius had appointed a whole bunch of people to positions of power, and their overseers had overseers, one of whom was Daniel. Daniel was given power over all Babylon, and the others in power wanted to find something to use as evidence against Daniel to bring him down, but there was none to find. They used the law of Daniel's God, then, to get him in trouble. They went to Darius, praising him, and said it would be a good idea that for the next 30 days, anyone who prayed to anyone other than him should be thrown into a den of lions. The king agreed. Daniel had heard about the edict and was in an upper room in his home praying for help. He was used to praying three times a day. The men who went to the king before went to him again and told him that the captive from Judah, Daniel, was praying and not obeying the edict from the king about prayer. The king didn't want Daniel to die, but when pressured, threw Daniel into the lion's den and sealed it. He counseled Daniel that his God would save him. That night, Darius couldn't sleep.

A New Edict

In the morning, Darius went to the den and called out to Daniel. Daniel responded and said that God had sent angels to close the mouths of the lions, because Daniel had done nothing wrong, and so Darius had him removed from the den. Those who conspired against Daniel were then thrown in, along with their wives and children, and torn apart before they even reached the bottom of the den. Darius issued another edict, that the God of Daniel be praised.

An interesting note here is that the whole thing with the lions wasn't uncommon. It was called Hammurabi's law. If the person survived, the idea was that he must then be innocent of wrongdoing.

I've been fairly detailed in the events of Daniel thus far, but I want to stress the prophetic contents of Daniel specifically, and so the story will be much less detailed from now on.

Daniel's Vision

Daniel had a vision of four beasts. There was a winged lion, a lopsided bear, a 4-winged leopard, and a 10-horned monster with iron teeth. A smaller horn grew up amongst the other horns, tearing three of them out. This horn had human eyes and a mouth, speaking arrogant things. The beast was thrown into flaming fire, and the other beasts were allowed to live for a time, though powerless. Then Daniel talks about the kingdom of "one like a son of man," which will never be destroyed.

The Vision Explained

An angel interprets the vision for Daniel. The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that would differ from all other kingdoms and trample the earth. The ten horns are 10 kings in that kingdom. The little horn rises after the 10, and humiliates 3 of them. He will insult God, harass the saints, and the angel mentions they will be delivered into his hand "time, times, and half a time".

The Prophecies Fulfilled

The winged lion was Babylon, the lopsided bear was Media-Persia (Persia was the stronger part and overcame the Medes), the 4-winged leopard was Greece, and the monster was Rome. This matches up with the statue from earlier. The little horn that rose up was the same as the feet of iron and clay--the kingdom of Antichrist. The bear had three ribs in its mouth--Babylon, Lydia, and Egypt. The four heads of the leopard represented the 4 division of Alexander the Great's kingdom. This is an astounding prophecy, that Daniel should so rightly guess that Alexander's kingdom would be divided in such a way. A critic would have a hard time explaining this. Antigonous ruled Syria, Ptolemy ruled Egypt, and Lysimacus and Cassander also succeeded Alexander. The ten horns are probably the European empire. The little horn is the Antichrist. The "Ancient of Days" Daniel writes about here, if you read it, is God the Father. The "one like a son of man" is Christ, the saints are the Jews, and when Daniel mentions "time, times, half a time," he's describing 3.5 years. Then the little horn's kingdom would be destroyed forever, and an eternal kingdom established.

Vision of the Goat and Ram

Daniel has a vision about a goat and a ram. An arrogant ram with two long horns--one longer than the other--was butting westward, northward, and southward, and no one could stand before it. A goat from the west came with a horn between its eyes and broke the two horns off of the ram, trampling the him. It goat was even more arrogant. No sooner had the goat's horn become strong than it was broken, with 4 horns rising after it. One of the 4 grew a small horn, which grew huge and reached towards the south and east. It reached the army of heaven and threw some of it to the ground, trampling them. It acted arrogantly against the Prince of the army, whose sacrifices had been removed and whose sanctuary had been thrown down. It hurled truth to the ground.

Daniel heard two holy voices speak, one asking the other what period of time this was about. The other voice said 2300 mornings and evenings would take place until the sanctuary was put right again.

The Vision Explained

An angel tells Daniel this is about the end times. The ram with two horns was Media and Persia. The goat was Greece, the large horn its first king. The horn that broke was the king's nation from which four others would arise, though less strong. A rash and deceitful king would arise. His power would be great, but would not be his own strength. He would destroy people and rise up against the Prince of princes. He would be broken apart, but not by human agency. Daniel was then told to seal up the vision.

The Historical Fulfillment of the Vision

Here, Daniel has already proclaimed that Persia would fall to Greece. There are two little horns spoken of in Daniel, and one is Antiochus. He shut down the new temple, and it was 2300 days before the sacrifices were reinstituted. Just as Daniel said.

Prophecy of the 70 Weeks

Now we get into the prohpecy of 70 weeks. Daniel was given this prophecy by Gabriel. 70 weeks were determined for Daniel's people and holy city to atone for iniquity, seal of prophetic vision, etc. An annointed one--a prince--would arise 7 weeks and 62 weeks after the command to rebuild and restore Jerusalem. After the 62 weeks the annointed one would be cut off. Then a coming prince would destroy the city and sanctuary and people, but his end would come quickly. He would make a covenant with people for one week, and in the middle of the week he would cease sacrifices and offerings. Gabriel says that wisdom will increase, and the wise will understand, but the wicked will not. I believe this refers to the growing understanding of the prophecies that we have today, and the rejection of them by skeptics.

The 70 Weeks Prophecy Explained

Now, for a partial explanation. How much time until the kingdom of heaven? 70 weeks, starting at the time of the command to rebuild Jerusalam. This happened when Artexerxes told Nehemiah to rebuild the city on March 5, 445 BC. It took 7 weeks for the rebuilding, and then 62 weeks later was the triumphal entry of Christ on March 31, 30 AD, and then His crucifixion (He was "cut off").

But, wait a minute...what's all this with the weeks? The word for "weeks"--shavuah--actually refers to sets of 7. Each week was really 7 years. So we have 7 weeks (49 years) plus 62 weeks (434 years) to give us the total of 69 weeks (483 years) from the decree to restore the temple to the annointed one.

Now, if you've been following this, it would seem that 7 years (one week) after Christ (the 69th week) would be the kingdom of heaven. But, we're obviously not in the kingdom of heaven now! There's a period of time between the 69th and 70th weeks that we're in right now, referred to as the Church Age. During this time, on August 6, 70 AD, the city and temple were destroyed. The last week is yet to come.

The Last Week

It begins with Antichrist--the coming prince--establishing a covenant with Israel. Shortly before the covenant, the rapture takes place. At the rapture, Christ comes in the sky and snatches up all the believers--the Church. This is the marriage for which the marriage feast (the Millenial Kingdom) is held as spoken of in Matthew 24 and 25, Luke 21, and Mark 13, among other places. Halfway through the 7 years (time, times, and half a time, or 3.5 years), in the middle of the week, the covenant is broken, and Jewish worship ceases. This is the beginning of the Tribulation period, where all sorts of freaky stuff takes place. At the end of the 7 years, Christ returns to earth and establishes the kingdom of heaven.

The Dates

Getting into a bit more detail, lets look at the numbers real quick. 483 years (the first 69 weeks), minus the 116 leap years in the Jewish lunar calendar, gives us 173,880 days from the decree to rebuild the city to the death of Christ. If that's an exact number, then we can date Christ's crucifixion at April 3, 32 AD. However, some also date the death of Christ at April 7. The Church Age that we're living in now began at the day of Pentacost. This age, again, lasts until the rapture, when the Church is removed from the earth. The 70th week is the tribulation, and then the 1000 years reign of Christ on the earth (Millenial Kingdom) is established.

There's a lot of detail I won't get into with the rest of Daniel. So, if you're interested, read the rest of Daniel, starting at chapter 10. In 11, Daniel talks about the rise and fall of Syria and Egypt, and also the coming of Antichrist. In 12, Daniel writes about the future resurrection.

I've rambled a bit in my treatment of Daniel, but I hope it wasn't all in vain.

Conclusion

For Christians, Daniel provides plenty of hope in the power of God and in the future glory His children will abide in. We're given the earth's timeline from now until its end.

For unbelievers, Daniel presents a great stumbling block. How can someone deny so strongly the God of the Bible--of the Jews and of the Christians and of the whole of creation--when He gives such evidence for His existence as the prophecies of Daniel?

Some say that the prophecies are vague and could be taken to mean anything. However, as I hope I've shown, the prophecies are far from vague. Read for yourself to see just how vivid they are.

But couldn't the prophecies just be good guesses? Again, read for yourself how vivid the prophecies really are.

About Prophecy

What about other "prophets", like Nostradamus? Didn't his prophecies come true? Doesn't that disprove Daniel? No. Nostradamus gave lots of rather vague prophecies. Most of them, even as vague as they are, can't be manipulated in such a way as to agree with reality. In fact, most interpretations of his prophecies that have "come true" miss key points in his statements that prove the interpretations wrong. Many of his more clear prophecies have been proven false.

Test of a Prophet

The test of a prophet is this: What he speaks is in accordance with the Word of God, all of his prophecies come true, and none of his prophecies prove false. Daniel passes this test, as do the other Biblical prophets. Nostradamus does not even come close.

If you're a believer, this should strengthen your faith.

If you're a skeptic and an ubeliever, this should make you question your rejection of the God of the Bible. He doesn't ask that we believe in him blindly. He has revealed himself to us in such a way that those who truly seek him will find him, and that those whose hearts are hardened against him are able to reject him. If your heart and mind are truly open, then consider the prophecies of Daniel as evidence testifying to the truth of the Word of God.

And with the clouds of the sky
one like a son of man was approaching.
He went up to the Ancient of Days
and was escorted before him.
To him was given ruling authority, honor, and sovereignty.
All peoples, nations, and language groups were serving him.
His authority is eternal and will not pass away.
His kingdom will not be destroyed.

-Daniel 7:13-14

A Messenger Sent to Daniel

In the third year (roughly 535 BC) of Cyrus' rule over Persia (and the fall of Babylon), Daniel received a vision about a great war, and he understood it. The vision was true, but it would take a long time to come to pass.

Daniel (around 90 years old by now) was fasting for 3 (literal) weeks. It is during this time that Daniel was given the vision by a "man."

Who Was the Man?

Some believe the man sent to Daniel is simply an unnamed angel. Some reference Daniel 8 to suggest that the man was Gabriel. Others, however, believe it was Christ in a pre-incarnation appearance, also referred to as a Christophany. There is quite a bit of support for this identification:

The description of the man in Daniel 10:5-6Daniel 10:5-6
5 I looked up and saw a man clothed in linen; around his waist was a belt made of gold from Upaz. 6 His body resembled yellow jasper, and his face had an appearance like lightning. His eyes were like blazing torches; his arms and feet had the gleam of polished bronze. His voice thundered forth like the sound of a large crowd. is similar to the descriptions of Christ found in Revelation 1:13-16Revelation 1:13-16
13 and in the midst of the lampstands was one like a son of man. He was dressed in a robe extending down to his feet and he wore a wide golden belt around his chest. 14 His head and hair were as white as wool, even as white as snow, and his eyes were like a fiery flame. 15 His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp double-edged sword extended out of his mouth. His face shone like the sun shining at full strength., 2:18Revelation 2:18
18 "To the angel of the church in Thyatira write the following:
"This is the solemn pronouncement of the Son of God, the one who has eyes like a fiery flame and whose feet are like polished bronze:, 19:6Revelation 19:6
6 Then I heard what sounded like the voice of a vast throng, like the roar of many waters and like loud crashes of thunder. They were shouting:
"Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God, the All-Powerful, reigns!, and 19:11-15Revelation 19:11-15
11 Then I saw heaven opened and here came a white horse! The one riding it was called "Faithful" and "True," and with justice he judges and goes to war. 12 His eyes are like a fiery flame and there are many diadem crowns on his head. He has a name written that no one knows except himself. 13 He is dressed in clothing dipped in blood, and he is called the Word of God. 14 The armies that are in heaven, dressed in white, clean, fine linen, were following him on white horses. 15 From his mouth extends a sharp sword, so that with it he can strike the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod, and he stomps the winepress of the furious wrath of God, the All-Powerful.. Also, just as Daniel fell on his face, so did Ezekiel and John. All three also seemed to have experienced the same lack of strength during their encounters:

  • Daniel 10:8 I alone was left to see this great vision. My strength drained from me, and my vigor disappeared; I was without energy.
  • Ezekiel 1:28 like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds after the rain. This was the appearance of the surrounding brilliant light; it looked like the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I threw myself face down, and I heard a voice speaking.
  • Revelation 1:17 When I saw him I fell down at his feet as though I were dead, but he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid! I am the first and the last,

Whoever the messenger is, he tells Daniel that he had attempted to come to Daniel immediately in response to his request, yet he had been delayed because he was opposed by the "prince of the kingdom of Persia." After 21 days, Michael, "one of the leading princes," came to help him. The messenger was going to help Daniel understand what would happen to the Jews in "the latter days."

Going back to the identity of the messenger:

It seems that the messenger is referring to the "princes" in such a way as to distinguish himself from them. The princes are angels, and so the angel Michael helped the messenger with the fallen angel influencing the empire of Persia. This is more evidence for the identification of the messenger as Jesus Christ. If this is the case, though, then why was Christ in need of help? Was Christ limiting himself? He did, after all, struggle with Jacob, dislocating his (Jacob's) hip.

The Angel Gives Daniel Strength to Speak

At this point, Daniel is flat on his face, unable even to speak. The Angel touches Daniel's lips. Daniel is then able to petition the angel, saying he is breathless without strength because of the vision, so how can he speak with the angel? The angel again touches Daniel, telling him to have strength, and at this Daniel is able to stand. Daniel tells the Angel to speak, now that he himself has strength.

The Angel says he will shortly return to battle with the prince of Persia, and that the prince of Greece would come when he left. Before then, however, he would reveal to Daniel what is written in a "dependable book."

The messenger then says that no one strengthens him against the princes except for Michael, "your prince." The word "your" here is plural, indicating that the angel Michael is the angel over Daniel's people, Israel.

The Angel's Message for Daniel

The Kings of Persia

There would be 3 more kings of Persia. The fourth king would be extremely rich--more than any before him--and he would gather everyone against Greece. Then a powerful king would rise up, having power to do whatever he wanted, but his power would be broken up and scattered and his kingdom would be uprooted. His power would be distributed to people not of his own family, and their power would not be as great as his.

The Kings Explained

The three kings mentioned here (after the present ruler, Darius (Cyrus) are Cambyses (ca. 530-522 BC), Pseudo-Smerdis (ca. 522 BC), and Darius I Hystaspes (ca. 522-486 BC). The fourth king is Xerxes I (ca. 486-465 BC). Xerxes rounded up the largest army in history (at that point) to cross through Turkey and attack the Greek states.

The powerful king mentioned next is Alexander the Great. He unified the Greek states to eventually form the Greek empire. After a great conquest, Alexander returned home and died. His authority and kingdom were then distributed to four of Alexander's generals, as prophecied earlier, as Alexander had no children to carry on his rule. These generals were Cassander (Greece), Lysimachuas (Asia Minor), Seleucus (Syria), and Ptolemy (Egypt).

The King of the South

The messenger then revealed to Daniel a prophecy regarding "the king of the South." The king of the South and one of his subordinates would grow strong, but the subordinate would oppose him and have a kingdom greater that the king's. They would later form an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the South would make an agreement with the king of the North, but neither would keep their power. The daughter, the one who bought her, her child, and her benefactor would be "delivered over."

The King of the South Explained

The king of the South (initially) is Ptolemy I Soter (ca. 323-285 BC). History shows that the subordinate is Seleucus I Nicator (ca. 311-280 BC). Seleucus was governor of Syria who rebelled against Ptolemy (king of Egypt), and ended up forming his own empire consisting of the Syrian and easter territories. Though the "king of the South" and "king of the North" are referred to a number of times in this chapter, these phrases do not reference specifically Ptolemy and Seleucus, but rather whoever happens to be in control of those kingdoms at the time being addressed. The reason they are referred to as kings of the North and South are that Syria and Egypt are located, respectively, based on Palestine (the location of God's people), to the north and south.

When "they" form an alliance, "they" means Ptolemy II Philadelphus (ca. 285-246 BC) and Antiochus II Theos (ca. 262-246 BC). The daughter mentioned is Bernice II, who Antiochus II took as his wife. The events described following the agreement involve Antiochus II divorcing Bernice to remarry his ex-wife, Laodice, who then poisoned Antiochus II, had Bernice killed, and made her son Seleucus II Callinicus king (ca. 246-227 BC).

More King Stuff

One from the daughter's family would replace the king of the South who would enter the kingdom of and prevail against the king of the North. He would take their gods, their gold and silver utensils, and their images to Egypt and hold them captive, then for years keep away from the king of the North. The king of the North would then attack the king of the South, but would then draw back to his own land. His sons would take a huge army to attack the king of the South's fortress.

More King Stuff Explained

This is pretty self-explanatory. The sons of the king of the North (Seleucus II Callinicus) referred to here are Seleucus III Ceraunus (ca. 227-223 BC) and Antiochus III the Great (ca. 223-187 BC) who marched to the border forts of Egypt.

Yet More King Stuff

The king of the South would march against the king of the North, who would also have a large army, but it would be defeated by the king of the South. After this the king of the South would become arrogant and kill thousands and thousands, but the king of the North would gather a larger army then before.

Yet More King Stuff Explained

The king of the South at this point is Ptolemy IV Philopator (ca. 221-204 BC).

Still More King Stuff

Many would oppose the king of the South, and many of the more violent Jews would rise up, but they would fail. The king of the North would advance and capture a well-defended city. Even the best of the southern forces would fall. The king of the North would be able to do whatever he wanted, and would prevail in "a beautiful land" which he would have the power to destroy. He would muster up all the strength he could and form alliances to become as strong as possible. He would give his daughter in marriage to the king of the South as part of an effort to destroy the southern kingdom, but it wouldn't turn out the way he wanted it to. The king of the North would take many of the coastal regions. Then a commander would stop him and make him pay for his actions. Then he would turn his attention to his own kingdom's fortresses, but would fall and not be found again. One after him would arise who would send out an "exactor of tribue to enhance the splendor of the kingdom," but only a few days would pass before he was destroyed, thought his death would not be a result of battle.

Still More King Stuff Explained

The king of the South here is Ptolemy V Epiphanes (ca. 203-181 BC). The well-defended city is Sidon, whose capture by Antiochus the Great was a strategic victory for the Seleucid kingdom because it housed a large number of resources. The "beautiful land" most likely refers to Palestine, which was taken in 198 BC. The daughter given in marriage here is Cleopatra, daughter of Antiochus, and she was given to Ptolemy V, king of Egypt (ca. 203-181 BC). Cleopatra went against her father, siding with her husband. The coastal regions are the islands of Greece, including all those around Crete and in the Aegean Sea. This pushed the king's territory further west against Rome. The commander mentioned near the end of this section is most likely Lucius Cornelius Scipio, a commander of Rome, who defeated the king (Antiochus the Great) in Magnesia in 190 BC, making him turn back. The king returned to his own cities, and during an attempt to plunder a temple, he was killed by an uprising of his own people. The one who sent out an exactor of tribute is Seleucus IV Philopator (ca. 187-176 BC), and the exactor was probably Heliodorus. Seleucus took all the money he could from the people in taxes so he could keep good relations with the Romans, but his minsiter--Heliodorus--eventually poisoned him, and he died in his sleep.

Almost the Last of the King Stuff

Then a despicable man would take the king of the North's place wrongfully, through deceit. Suddenly, armies and "a covenant leader" would be destroyed. He would make an alliance, but then break it, and come to power with only a small group. In a time of great prosperity, he would accomplish what no other before him had accomplished, and would distribute the spoils to his followers, but this would not last long. He would take a large army against the king of the South. The king of the South would also have a great army, but would fail. Those who "share the king's fine food" would plot against him, and his army would be destroyed. The two kings would talk, but lie to each other. The king of the North would return home, after setting his mind against the holy covenant and taking action, having lots of land. He would later invade the South again, but wouldn't be successful as he was the first time. The "ships of Kittim" would move against him and make him turn back, returning to honor those who "forsake the holy covenant." His forces would stop the sacrifices, profaning the holy covenant, setting up an abomination that would cause desolation. Then he would speak smoothly against those who rejected the covenant, but those who believed in God would act valiantly. Wise men would teach the people, but they would die by sword and by flame, and they would be imprisoned and plundered for a while. Many of the people would stumble, and they would be given some help, but some would also join them deceitfully. Even the wise men would stumble, and they would be purified until the end.

Almost the Last of the King Stuff Explained

The despicable person is Antiochus IV Epiphanies (ca. 175-164 BC). He surpassed all the rightful heirs, including Seleucus' son Demetrius, his sister Cleopatra I, and her son Ptolemy VI. He escaped prison in Rome and gained power through bribes. The "covenant leader" is the High Priest in Jerusalem at this time. Antiochus IV removed the current priest and gave the office to the highest bidder over and over again. The king of the South mentioned now is Ptolemy Philometer (ca. 181-145 BC), nephew of Antiochus.

The broken alliance involved Antiochus tricking his nephew (king of Egypt) and taking over Egypt, which is what none of his forerunners had been able to do. After this, they held a peace conference. On the way back to Syria, Antiochus tore Jerusalem apart. He killed 8000 of the faithful in Judah, defiled the sanctuary, and tried to burn the scrolls of the law. This is what provoked the Maccabees.

Kittim could refer to Cyprus, the Romans, or simply the West in general. This section refers to the Roman forces led by Gaius Popilius Laenas, who told Antiochus to turn back from Egypt (which he did). Those who believed in God and acted valiantly are those who were involved in the Maccabean revolt, which was a struggle to redeem Jewish independence in the 2nd century BC. As Daniel predicted, Antiochus returned in 168/167 BC, and this is when he defiled the temple--he sacrificed a pig on the altar. He dedicated worship in the temple to Zeus. Jesus warned the disciples of this "abomination of desolation" on the Mount of Olives (Matthew 24, Luke 21). This was a prophecy that was going to come to pass in the near future. The disciples saw the fulfillment of this prophecy come to pass only 40 years after Jesus warned them about it.

Two groups of people are listed here--those who reject the covenant, and those who are loyal to their God. Those who reject the covenant are the Jews of Jesus' day. They had the message of salvation preached to them, yet even before the Romans persecuted the Christians, the Jews were stirring the people up against them. These people are like those in 2nd Thessalonians, where God blinded them so they could not understand the truth. They gave themselves over to flattery and pride.

The help the Christians received is found in Constantine's Edict of Milan in 313. This allowed the church civil freedom and freed it from persecution. Because of this, many began to call themselves Christians because it was the cool thing to do. The church saw a rush of people claiming to be Christians, but they had no relationship with Christ.

Second to Last of the King Stuff

The king would do whatever he wanted, exalting himself above all the gods and insulting the True God. He would succeed until the "time of wrath is completed." He would respect no god, and would attack mighty fortresses, helped by a foreign deity. He would reward those who acknowledged him and give them authority.

Second to Last of the King Stuff Explained

There is a shift, beginning here, between the near future and the end times. The king mentioned here is the Antichrist.