God is Faithful!

Intro:

We are down to our last two chapters of this amazing book.... and as we come to Daniel chapter 11, we come to a section of Scripture that reveals the Sovereignty and Omniscience of God, so powerfully and clearly, that it has been labeled as “one of the most remarkable prophetic chapters in all of the Bible.”

Within the first 35 verses of this chapter you will find at least 135 prophecies, that can be proven by history, to have been literally fulfilled.

It is for this reason that critics of the Bible believe that there is absolutely no way that Daniel could have wrote this before the events took place… They want to deny the prophecies that are there. And in the first 35 verses of Daniel 11, Daniel prophesies specific events about the Persian and Greek Empires.

We can confirm that these prophecies came to pass by looking at Persian and Greek history; there's no doubt about it. We have numerous sources that record their fulfillment. However, some critics argue that the prophecies are so precise that they must have been written after the events occurred.

In essence, these critics are saying that…

God is not Sovereign

God is not Omniscient (because No one can know what the future holds)

And they are stating that Daniel is a liar for even suggesting that he was receiving such revelations from God.

It's disheartening to witness the lengths to which these critics will go in their attempts to discredit the truth of Scripture.

Before we read our passage for today, I want you to remember that Daniel has been praying for 3 weeks. He has been discouraged by the fact that Israel has not been restored to what it once was, most of the Israelites stayed in Babylon even after they were told they could return home, the walls of the city are not being rebuilt and worst of all, the temple has not been rebuilt for proper worship and sacrifices to God…

Daniel has been asking God to help him understand when Israel will be fully restored… and this vision answers that question, in a way that Daniel never expected.

John Phillips summarizes the broad sweep of this chapter… He says “The prophecy reaches all the way from the heyday of the Persian Empire right down to the days of Antiochus Epiphanes and to the deployment of Roman armies on the stage of the world. Then it takes a giant leap down the centuries to the end times and gives us details about the coming reign of the Antichrist.”

There is a lot of information packed into this chapter, but essentially, as we unpack this vision, we are going to hone in on the reign of…

5 Kings

There are actually several Kings that are represented within the time periods that this chapter covers, and even though we are not given any specific names, there are 5 of these Kings that stand out more than the rest… and coincidentally enough… all their names start with the letter “A”

That being said… lets get into Daniel 11… (Read vv. 2-5)

Meat:

Back in Chapter 8 (if you can remember that long ago), there was a section that I entitled as “The Future in History”. What was future events for Daniel, are now historical events for us. Some of the same information of Chapter 8’s vision is repeated here in chapter 11, and even though we may have talked about these kings before, we are getting more specific details, this time around.

v.2 says… and remember, this is the Angel speaking to Daniel…

Daniel 11:2 “And now I will tell you the truth: Behold, three more kings will arise in Persia, and the fourth shall be far richer than them all; by his strength, through his riches, he shall stir up all against the realm of Greece.”

Now, we know from our introductory chapter… chapter 10… that Daniel recieved this vision “In the third year reign of Cyrus king of Persia”

The Angel quickly passed over the first three Kings that followed Cyrus… Which from historical records we know were Cambyses (his son), Pseudo-Smerdis, and Darius the Great.

But the Angel goes on to state that “following those three there’s going to be a fourth. He’ll be stronger and richer than the others, and he is going to try to stand up against the nation of Greece.”

And that is the first of the 5 main Kings that this prophecy talks about… his name was Xerxes, but he also went by the name of…

1. Ahasuerus

This is the same Ahasuerus from the book of Esther. … Ahasuerus…

1.1 Reigned from 486 - 465 B.C.

And is considered as one of the greatest Oriental rulers of all time.

The angel gives 2 specific details about this “fourth” king of Persia… and it is from these details that we can clearly see it is talking about Ahasuerus.

First of all, the Angel said that this fourth King would be “far richer” than the previous 3… Ahasuerus was…

1.2 Very Wealthy

He is said to be one of the wealthiest rulers of his time…

He was an incredibly wealthy ruler whose riches were unparalleled in his time. As the king of the vast Persian Empire, which stretched from modern-day Egypt to India, Ahasuerus had access to abundant natural resources, valuable trade routes, and many other nations that were subject to contributing taxes and tribute.

Ahasuerus spared no expense in showcasing his power and magnificence to his subjects and foreign dignitaries. His banquets were legendary for their extravagance and splendor, where guests were treated to the finest foods, wines, and entertainment.

A testament to his wealth and power was his ability to command the largest army in the Ancient World. With vast resources at his disposal, Ahasuerus was able to mobilize an enormous military force, which he used to exert his dominance over neighboring lands and expand his empire.

Which leads to the second detail that the Angel gives about this King…

“by his strength, and through his riches, he shall stir up all against the realm of Greece.”

Ahasuerus…

1.3 Went to War with Greece

He came up against Greece, driven by his ambition to expand the boundaries of his empire and assert his dominance over the Greek city-states.

His decision to invade Greece was heavily influenced by the mood of the previous 3 Persian kings who spoke of their desire to conquer Greece. In fact, Darius the Great (Ahasuerus’ Dad) did make a small attack on Greece, which ended in his death… Further influencing Ahasuerus to form his own attack as a way to avenge his father.

With his immense wealth and the resources of the Persian Empire at his disposal, Ahasuerus assembled an enormous army and navy, which he believed would be sufficient to conquer Greece.

His army was estimated to be one of the largest ever assembled in ancient history, consisting of soldiers from all corners of the Persian Empire.

In 480 BCE, Ahasuerus launched his invasion of Greece, with his vast army and fleet of ships. The Persian forces quickly advanced through Thrace and Macedonia, overwhelming the Greek defenders and sacking the city of Athens.

However, despite initial successes, Ahasuerus' campaign ultimately ended in a humiliating defeat at the Battle of Salamis. The smaller, more maneuverable Greek fleet, led by Themistocles, employed superior tactics and knowledge of the local waters to inflict heavy losses on the Persian navy. This defeat forced Ahasuerus to abandon his plans of conquering Greece and return to Asia.

For Ahasuerus, this defeat was embarrassing and disheartening… But for the Greeks, their victory served as a pivotal moment in their history and was used as a source of inspiration for future generations.

Fast forward 150 years from the time of Ahasuerus’ defeat and we come to v.3 of Daniel 11…

Daniel 11:3 “Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will.”

As we have made our way through this study of Daniel, it has been very clear that it would be the Greek military that would conquer the Persian Empire.

The Angel said “a mighty king shall arise”… Bible Scholars and commentators sometimes find it difficult to agree on everything… however, it would seem that they are all in agreement, that v. 3, is talking about King #2…

2. Alexander the Great

We met Alexander earlier in our study of Daniel. He ruled the kingdom represented by the section of bronze on the great statue in chapter 2, and he was the great horn of the goat in Chapter 8.

He…

2.1 Reigned from 336 - 323 B.C.

We did cover his reign in pretty great detail a few months ago, but it never hurts to review…

He is remembered in history as arguably the most extraordinary military leader of all time. By the age of 33, he had conquered vast territories, stretching from Europe to India. His army, exhausted and unable to march any further, had achieved what seemed impossible… … He did, indeed, rule “with great dominion” and acted “according to his will.”

However, despite his remarkable conquests, he found himself in tears, utterly devastated that there were no more worlds left to conquer. Alexander's conquest of the Persian Empire had a profound and lasting impact on the course of history, leading to the spread of Greek culture and the creation of the Hellenistic world.

It also, literally, paved the way for the Gospel to be spread hundreds of years later.

The Angel gives us some specific details about this second King as well that cement in the fact that it is for sure talking about Alexander the Great…

v.4…

Daniel 11:4 “4 And when he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken up and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not among his posterity nor according to his dominion with which he ruled; for his kingdom shall be uprooted, even for others besides these.”

Lets break this down…

“And when he has arisen...” when he is at his peak, at the high point of his reign… “… his kingdom shall be broken up… ”

The Angel was saying that the Kings reign would be short lived… and as we look at Alexander the Great, it is no secret that…

2.2 His Reign was Short Lived

When Alexander realized that there were no more empires to conquer, he fell into depression, became an alcoholic and at the age of 33, he dies.

No sooner does he establish this great kingdom, this mighty empire… and it is all broken up because of his death.

The Angel tells Daniel that his kingdom would be “.. divided toward the four winds of heaven… ”

Guess what… that’s exactly what happened…

2.3 Kingdom Split 4 Ways

Four of his generals divided the empire into four geographical areas, each ruled by one general. The division was roughly this: Cassander took Macedonia; Lysimachus took Asia Minor (modern Turkey); Seleucus took Syria and the remainder of the Middle East; and Ptolemy took Egypt.

We will come back to a couple of these guys in a minute…

But the next phrase is even more interesting…

The Angel says that his kingdom will be divided 4 ways… “but not among his posterity nor according to his dominion with which he ruled; for his kingdom shall be uprooted, even for others besides these.”

Usually, after a ruler dies, his kingdom is then handed down to his heir… his posterity… this could be a brother, a son, a nephew, a cousin… someone in the family line…

According to historical record, there were 3 people that would fit the bill… Alexander had a mentally handicap half brother, an illegitimate and then another son was born after he passed away.

All three of which were murdered by the other generals that were fighting for power over the kingdom and Alexander had no posterity… he had no heir to his throne.

The Angel was right… Alexander’s kingdom did not go to his posterity, it was thrown to the four winds.

The last thing that I want to point out this morning about Alexander the Great… is the fact that…

2.4 His Death Resulted in Many Battles

Battles that strung out over hundreds of years… and that is exactly what a majority of this chapter is dedicated to.

Kings of the North battling with Kings of the south…

I tried to find a map that would give you a visual of the division of the kingdom…

Map

Egypt is situated to the south of Israel, while Syria lies to the north. These two regions are the primary focus for the remainder of the chapter, as they directly border the nation of Israel. In Egypt, the Ptolemaic line of kings was established, while in Syria, the Seleucid dynasty took root.

Over the centuries, these two dynasties engaged in continuous warfare, much of which unfolded on Israeli soil. Meaning that, Israel became a battleground in the conflicts between Egypt and Syria.

Closing:

Folks, we have only made it through 3 verses, we have see the rise and fall of two Kings and have covered about 150 - 200 years worth of History.

It is a lot of information to process and grasp, but as we look at it… we cannot help but see the Sovereignty and Omniscience of our God.

Sometimes it is hard to find the right application when you study and preach God’s Word verse by verse… but as we get closer to finishing up our study of this wonderful book, and we look at how every single detail that God said would happen, happens…

I hope that you will see, know and trust that God is Sovereignly working out His plan and His program right now, just as He was when He revealed these things to Daniel hundreds of years before they happened.

God has a plan for you, He has a plan for me, He has a plan for the U.S. and yes, He still has a plan for Israel.

It is my prayer that we will have a desire to do our part, just as Daniel did, to help His plan come to fruition...

Prayer: