The Selfishness Cycle Daniel 11

The Selfishness Cycle | Daniel 10

Introduction: Flying recently, young mom had three little ones, each had tablet with headphones, right before boarding the girl’s headphones fell out and mom tried to help and she lost her mind. Screamed, cried, hit her mom, all the way down the ramp and onto the plane. I don’t love to fly Southwest because they don’t assign you a seat, but the good thing in this situation was you could pick to be as far away from this little girl as possible. And everyone was.

Two things I was thinking:

Mom clearly needs to spend some time training her kids that doesn’t include a tablet.

If only this little girl’s future self could see how embarrassingly selfish she was being. She had no idea how she looked. In that moment, all she cared about was getting what she wanted and it made her unbearable.

Few things lead to a messier situation than when people are selfish. Think about the book of Judges from which Bro. Samuel has been preaching, “Every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” And the awful stories from that book of the Bible tell the story of the results of selfishness.

That self-absorbed mindset plays a big role in the explanation of Daniel’s vision.

Daniel Has A Vision Of Israel’s Future

Daniel was given this revelation in 536 BC, which is the year the exile ended and the Jews were finally allowed to return to Jerusalem and reoccupy it. Almost 50,000 Jews went back to Israel this year. (vs. 1)

Down in Vs. 14, the angel reveals that the first purpose of the vision is to reveal what would happen to Israel in the last days.

Chapters 10-12 are all connected to this vision. Chapter 10 sets the table. Chapter 11 tells us what the vision is. Chapter 12 gives us the resolution.

In Summary

1. Daniel receives a vision that involves his people Israel.

2. The vision is a look at the last days of history.

3. The vision details a great war looming in Israel’s future.

If Daniel was optimistic about Israel’s future and their return to Jerusalem, it went away quickly after this vision. And it rattles Daniel. He becomes so distraught that he spends three weeks fasting and praying and not bathing.

After 21 days, Gabriel the angel comes along and says, “I’ve been trying to get to you for 3 weeks, but one of Satan’s demons, the prince of the kingdom of Persia, has been preventing me this whole time. I finally got through when Michael the archangel came to help me.

That rattles Daniel even more. He passes out. He can’t speak. Face in the mud. But the angel lifts him and says, “God loves you. He cares for Israel like you do. Focus on what you know.”

When you’re tempted to be overwhelmed by what you don’t know, stop and focus on what you do know.

You can’t focus on your areas of concern. Leave those to God.

You have to focus on your areas of control (Read your Bible, pray, go to church, witness, trust God, love others) and let God take care of the rest.

Do what you can. But in the areas that are unknown and out of your hands, trust the God you know.

That was the summary of Daniel 10. Then we come to Daniel 11, where Daniel’s vision is fleshed out for us. Chapter 11 is a glimpse into the future of Israel from Daniel’s perspective. Many of these things have taken place already.

You might say, “Why do we need to cover this? It’s already happened.” But there are always good lessons to learn from history. The primary thing that stands out to me is few chapters in the Bible so clearly depict just how miserable and chaotic life is when people are selfish. Nothing good comes when we are self-absorbed, not even for the one being selfish.

Tertullian once said, “He who lives to benefit himself confers on the world a benefit when he dies.”

I read a quote from a mother to her son, “Why Bobby, you ate all that cake without thinking of your little sister!” Bobby responded, “I was thinking of her all the time. I was afraid she would come before I finished it.”

I know that’s how kids think and it’s funny, but the results of selfishness aren’t funny at all. We’ll look at that.

Exposition

Truth #1 - History Is Full Of What I’m Calling “The Selfishness Cycle”

Those that have researched this text have identified up to 135 prophetic statements in this chapter. There’s no way we can cover all the details tonight, but I’ll try to address the high points so we can have a better understanding of what this vision was about.

Vs. 2 - This vision deals with the remainder of the Persian kingdom.

Vs. 3 - This section down through Vs. 35 refers to the Greek kingdom. We’ve looked at that, and if you’ll remember, it started under Alexander the Great. He’s the bronze belly and thighs of Nebuchadnezzar’s image in Daniel 2. He’s the winged leopard in Daniel 7. He’s the horn of the goat in Daniel 8.

Vs. 4 talks about his kingdom being “divided toward the four winds of heaven.” That’s the four divisions of the Grecian empire after Alexander’s death. It’s the four heads of the leopard in Daniel 7 and the four horns of the goat in Daniel 8.

Vs. 5-20 gives us commentary of the conflict between two of these rulers - One being Ptolemy in Egypt (south) and the other being Seleucid in Syria (north). Even though they both came out of the Grecian Empire, they had major conflicts over who would rule Israel, which was the land directly between them. They went back and forth for control until they were unified by a marriage between a female descendant of Ptolemy in the south and a male descendant of Seleucid in the north.

We’re not going to take time to explain it all, but I want to read this section just so you get an idea of the drama.

READ VS. 5-20

Vs. 5 - Ptolemy I vs. Seleucus I and Antiochus I

Vs. 6 - Ptolemy II vs. Antiochus II

Vs. 7-9 - Ptolemy III vs. Seleucus II

Vs. 10-16 - Ptolemy IV vs. Seleucus III and Antiochus III

Vs. 17-19 - Ptolemy V vs. Antiochus III

Vs. 20 - Seleucus IV (heavily taxed his people, but was poisoned by his own treasurer).

Vs. 21-35 - This refers to Antiochus Epiphanes, that ruler who killed tens of thousands of God’s people. He’s given as much attention as all the others combined because of how terrible he was. He was known as “the Madman.”

READ VS. 21-35

Vs. 22 - “The prince of the covenant” refers to Onias III, the high priest of Israel.

Vs. 23 - He’ll rise to power with just a few people.

Vs. 24 - He redistributed riches from the wealthy to the common people in order to gain their loyalty.

Vs. 25 - “Devices” refers to schemes. Even though the south had the greater army, Antiochus Epiphanes was a schemer. He had better ideas as an evil mastermind. His main opponent at this point was Ptolemy VI, but he was no match for the mind of Antiochus Epiphanes.

Vs. 26 - People that Ptolemy VI should have been able to trust let him down.

VS. 27 - KEY VERSE - Neither king prospered because both were deceitful and thought to do evil against each other. They were all about their own kingdom and it cost both of them. Neither prospered. Remember that point.

Vs. 28-31 - This is what we’ve talked about in Daniel 8 where it says, “the daily sacrifice was taken away.” Antiochus Epiphanes would go in and offer a pig on the altar of the Jerusalem temple, defiling it and making it unfit for use. This happened in 167 BC. By the way, that’s 369 years after Daniel had this vision. What a coincidence!

So that’s a general overview of the first part of chapter 11.

History is full of selfishness. This reads like a Soap Opera. What it does is paint a grim picture of the Selfishness Cycle.

Vs. 4 - The Selfishness Cycle produces a thirst for power.

Alexander was so selfish and power hungry that his taste for control left him empty and unsatisfied. He died of disease as a 33 year old.

A desire to be in control of every situation and conversation will drive you crazy because you can’t control everything. Even though some people try.

Vs. 5-6 - The Selfishness Cycle creates kingdom battles.

The kings of the south and the north fought for hundreds of years, why? To say they won. To have more land.

We get into kingdom battles in life. It happens in families. God lays out roles and desires, but we struggle to let go and it costs our family unity.

It happens in churches. There are times that the Lord has to lead a Pastor to make some changes in certain areas. But I can tell you this, there are some areas that I’m very cautious about touching because it seems like a kingdom.

Ministry is not kingdom. Kingdom implies rule. Ministry implies service. If you have an area that you view as your “reign,” ask the Lord to change your heart about that.

Vs. 6 - The Selfishness Cycle leads to broken relationships.

I know these kingdoms were united by marriage, but this marriage could only take place when Antiochus, the king of the north, divorced his current wife, Laodice, to marry Bernice, the daughter of Ptolemy.

He later divorced Bernice to take Laodice back.

Then Laodice poisoned him and had Bernice and her son killed.

This is Soap Opera material. Dateline, 20/20 material.

But the truth is necessary. There’s no place where selfishness is as destructive as between a husband and wife.

As a spouse, the reason you don’t get along is not because of that thing they do that annoys you and they just won’t stop. No, the reason things aren’t going well is because you’re selfish.

“Only by pride cometh contention.”

Vs. 7-16 - The Selfishness Cycle produces a mindset of revenge.

One army strikes, the other retaliates. One leader is taken down, retribution is sought.

Where does it end? That’s the point of selfishness - it has no end. Pride has no turn off valve.

If you are a Christian, you should be more known for forgiveness than fighting back. But we love a good revenge story. We think about what we’ll say the next time we see them. We think about how good it would feel if they got what’s coming. All the while, a holy God who has forgiven you of everything sits on His throne and grieves.

A mindset for retribution is so destructive, and it often destroys the person who wants revenge, not the one they’re chasing.

“Bitterness is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.”

Vs. 17-20 - The Selfishness Cycle results in unhindered greed.

Antiochus III wanted more control, so he gave up his daughter and raised taxes on the whole kingdom, just for an advantage.

It backfired when he was poisoned. But that’s what greed does. It’s never satisfied. There’s no end to its destruction. Wanting more than what we have is the root of many sins. Covetousness is the least abhorrent of the Ten Commandments, it seems. But it’s still there.

If you are discontent with the good gifts of God, that’s like telling God He’s not enough for you.

Greed will destroy you. It will make your heart bitter and cold and unsatisfiable. It will make you an unbearable person to be around.

Hebrews 13 reads, “Be content with such things as ye have.” Let the Giver of good gifts give you what you need instead of you living to get the things you want.

Vs. 21-35 - The Selfishness Cycle creates a violence loop.

Antiochus IV Epiphanes built his empire on deceit. When the Romans turned out to be more powerful than he thought, he took his frustrations out on Israel.

He killed some 80,000 men, women and children of Israel. He turned the temple into a temple dedicated to Zeus. He offered a pig upon the altar. The temple was desolate because of his abomination.

When a person is selfish, they don’t care who they hurt.

Your words hurt. Your actions sting. Your attitudes grieve the people around you. The reason you don’t notice or care is that you are selfish.

James says that selfishness produces confusion and every evil work (James 3:14-16).

Infighting, disloyalty, gossip, divorce, murder, revenge, greed, violence, oppression all come from selfishness.

And I know History Is Full Of It, but so are churches. So are homes. The works of the flesh are the things you do when you only care about you. Selfishness is all about pleasing the flesh.

And we’re all prone to it.

But there’s one last point I want to make.

History is full of selfishness, sure. And churches and homes can be too.

But there’s one place selfishness won’t be found: In the hearts of those that prioritize knowing God. (Vs. 32-

These Jews that refused to submit to Antiochus were:

Persecuted and martyred for the their faith

They suffered immensely for their stands

Mattathias Maccabeus and his sons fled to the mountains, then led a revolt that saw many join in the stand.

They know their God and shall be strong, and do exploits (take action!).

Some were doing it for false motives, but a few did it for the right reasons - to glorify their God. The persecution purged the people and purified the remnant.

Eventually the reign of evil ended because God had appointed a time for it to end.

Here’s the point: The world may be selfish, but people that know their God won’t be.

These folks that withstood the evil were persecuted and killed, which is the opposite of selfishness. They were wholly committed to God instead of themselves.

This gives us the key to escaping the Selfishness Cycle: Make your life’s priority to know your God.

Not only will you escape selfishness, God will strengthen you and allow you to do exploits (Vs. 32). Meaning, you rise above what the average selfish person does and take action that makes a difference for God.

Knowing God makes you stand out among the crowd of selfish people.

We may be outnumbered by the selfish. We may even suffer at their hands. But our lives can be different and blessed if we know God.

Here’s why: The more you know God the less proud you are. The constant exposure to His greatness makes you feel this small and gives you a much needed perspective. He’s God. He’s great. He deserves glory. I’m small. I’m nothing. I’m limited. For me to be about me is the most unnatural, sinful, fleshly, trait out there.

Selfishness has no place in the heart of a believer.

You can’t live for your Savior and your self at the same time.

If you live to know your Savior, you won’t live for yourself.

If you don’t, you will probably be known for selfishness.

Do you want to escape the Selfishness Cycle?

Do you want to do great things for God?

Do you want to make a difference and rise above and do great exploits?

Daily empty yourself of self, live to know God, and be filled with His Spirit. And watch Him help you rise above the pride and do great things for Him.

Conclusion:

Little girl on plane, if no one helps her she’ll be in the same Soap Opera as everyone else. In the Cycle like everyone else. She needs to know the Lord to escape it.

If you do nothing, you’ll be as selfish as everyone else. This is in us all. It doesn’t need help or prodding. We need help to overcome it.

Knowing God and living for Him will change your selfish ways.