Past Faithfulness. Future Certainty. Present Peace (2)

Bible Reading

Before I read the passage I would like the usher to help me handout - cards for each of you. We would look at them together soon.

Heading: The people who know their God.

Daniel 11:32–35 (KJV)

32 And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.

33 And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days.

34 Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries.

35 And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.

INTRODUCTION

Picture this: someone hands you a sealed box with detailed predictions.

Years later, you open it — every single one has come true exactly as written: names, alliances, battle strategies.

Then you realize… the box still has more prophecies inside, waiting for the future.

That’s Daniel 11:

A flawless record of the past.

A roadmap for the future.

A reason to trust God in the present.

Main Point: God’s past faithfulness is your best reason for present trust..

1. God’s Track Record Proves You Can Trust Him.

A. Five of the Most Fascinating Fulfillments (Slides)

1. Faithful and Unfaithful in the Time of Antiochus

Text: Passage Read Dan 11:32-35.

Prophecy:

Covenant-breakers will be enticed by flattery and turn from God.

Those who truly know God will stand firm and do exploits.

Wise teachers will rise up and instruct many in truth.

The faithful will face persecution—death by sword, fire, captivity, and plunder.

These trials will test, purge, and refine God’s people until the appointed time of the end.

Fulfillment: Antiochus IV corrupted unfaithful Jews but the Maccabees and other faithful resisted, taught the Law, and endured martyrdom. Their suffering refined the people and prepared them for future hope.

2. Alexander the Great’s Rise and Sudden Death — Daniel 11:3–4 (#3–#4)

Rose as a “mighty king” whose dominion stretched across the known world.

Ruled with complete autonomy, conquering faster than any before him.

Died suddenly at 32 with no heir, exactly as predicted.

His empire split into four kingdoms ruled by his generals — precisely matching the prophecy.

3. The Failed Political Marriage — Daniel 11:6 (#7–#8)

Berenice, daughter of the king of the south (Egypt), married Antiochus II, king of the north (Syria), to secure peace.

The alliance collapsed when Antiochus returned to his former wife.

Berenice, her attendants, and her supporters were murdered in the ensuing coup — all foretold in detail.

4. The Revenge of Berenice’s Brother — Daniel 11:7–8 (#9–#11)

After Berenice’s murder, her brother Ptolemy III launches a massive campaign against the north.

He storms fortresses, seizes vast treasure, and even takes the gods of the north captive to Egypt.

The prophecy even notes he would “continue more years than the king of the north,” which he did.

5. Rome Stops Antiochus in His Tracks — Daniel 11:30 (#37, #56)

Antiochus IV is advancing on Egypt when “ships of Chittim” (Roman fleet from Cyprus) confront him.

Roman envoy Popilius Laenas famously draws a circle in the sand around Antiochus, demanding an answer before he steps out.

Antiochus withdraws humiliated — just as Daniel foresaw centuries earlier.

6. Cleopatra I’s Double-Cross — Daniel 11:17 (#24, #131–#132)

Antiochus III marries off his daughter Cleopatra to Egypt to gain influence.

Instead of undermining her husband, she sides with him.

Daniel calls this outcome in advance — “she shall not stand on his side.”

B. We are expected to fill overwhelmed by this chapter.

SLIDE God gave prophecy like He gave the stars, not to count them all but to be overwhelmed by His glory in them.

Look at the previous slides

135 specific prophecies in this chapter — each verified by historians such as Herodotus, Josephus, and Polybius.

Fulfilled so precisely that even secular historians acknowledge their historical accuracy.

Here is six more for good measure.

The scope and specificity make Daniel 11 one of the most remarkable predictive passages in all of Scripture.

C. The Conspiracy Necessary (Slide)

They are only left with one option… claim it was written after the fact. But for that to be true, here’s what would have had to happen:

Tens of thousands of people across centuries working together with flawless secrecy

Ancient manuscripts forged so perfectly that even modern experts could not detect it

Multiple languages imitated with historical accuracy down to the loanwords

Historical timelines manipulated so the Septuagint includes Daniel 100 years “too early”

Scrolls buried at Qumran and somehow planted centuries later without anyone noticing

Every copyist, rabbi, and historian through the ages in on it

That is the skeptic’s only alternative. A conspiracy so massive it’s more unbelievable than the idea that God actually told Daniel the future. The same God who nailed the past in detail speaks with equal certainty about the future.

2. God’s Word shows us what’s still coming — and who’s still coming.

A. Antiochus as a Shadow of the Antichrist

Daniel 11:36–45 describes a king who exalts himself above every god and prospers until God’s judgment is complete.

Antiochus IV Epiphanes fulfilled part of this—self-exaltation, blasphemy, persecution of the Jews—but the scale and language point beyond him.

The passage ultimately looks forward to a future, global figure: the Antichrist.

History’s shadow prepares us to recognize the coming reality.

B. Ten Future Prophecies of the Antichrist

Notes are available at VisionBaptist.com/Sermon if you want more info. Since God fulfilled every prophecy in Daniel 11:1–35 with precision, we can be certain the remaining prophecies will also come to pass exactly as written.

The Willful King Exalts Himself — Acts entirely according to his own will, rejecting divine authority and magnifying himself above every god (#1, Dan. 11:36a; 2 Thess. 2:3–4).

Speaks Blasphemies Against the God of gods — Utters astonishing and arrogant words against the true God (#2, Dan. 11:36b; Rev. 13:5–6).

Prospers Until God’s Wrath Is Complete — Succeeds for a set time until God’s decreed judgment is finished (#3, Dan. 11:36c; Rev. 13:5; 19:19–20).

Shows No Regard for Gods or have a d desire for women — Rejects past religion, normal human affection, and all deities to magnify himself above all (#4, Dan. 11:37).

Honors a God of Fortresses — Worships military power and pours wealth into sustaining it (#5, Dan. 11:38).

Acts Against Strongest Fortresses with Foreign god’s Help — Attacks fortified powers with satanic aid, rewarding loyalists (#6, Dan. 11:39a).

Divides Land for Gain — Redistributes territory for political advantage and profit (#7, Dan. 11:39b).

Engages in Final Wars at End Time — Faces attacks from the south and north, leading to massive military conflict (#8, Dan. 11:40a).

Sweeps Through Many Countries — Overruns nations, enters Israel, and advances his control (#9, Dan. 11:40b–41a).

Establishes Power but Meets His End — Plants his headquarters in Jerusalem but is destroyed with no one to help him (#10, Dan. 11:45; Rev. 19:19–20).

C. Past Accuracy, Future Certainty

God’s flawless record in prophecy is seen in how Daniel 11’s earlier verses named kings, predicted political marriages, and described military campaigns hundreds of years before they happened.

Future confidence: Just as every past event unfolded exactly as written, so the Antichrist’s rise and fall will occur exactly as God has declared.

Transition: That’s important to know. But let’s be honest — it’s probably not what’s keeping you up at night. What robs you of sleep isn’t wondering when the Antichrist will show up, it’s wondering how you’re going to get through this week.

3. Because God rules over history, you can trust Him in your story.

A. Because God already knows tomorrow’s headlines, I don’t have to panic over today’s news.

Daniel 11 Connection: For Daniel’s audience, “the news” was the rise and fall of empires — Persian kings, Alexander’s rise, and the split of his empire.

What was “breaking news” for them was already on God’s preview reel.

Peace doesn’t come from avoiding bad news — it comes from knowing the Author of history.

Isaiah 26:3 “3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”

Daniel could live through Persia’s politics and Greece’s conquests without panic because God had already shown him the outcome. Heaven isn’t in crisis mode — so you don’t have to be either.

B. Because God’s in control, I can live in “even if” mode instead of “what if” mode.

The prophecy describes invasions, betrayals, assassinations but none caught God by surprise, none stopped His purposes.

“What if” mode says: “What if the market crashes? What if my job’s gone? What if the diagnosis comes?”

“Even if” mode says: “Even if the worst happens, God is still good, still sovereign, still here.”

Philippians 4:6–7 “6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Prayer and trust bring peace that guards your heart and mind.

The wars described looked chaotic, but Daniel 11 shows they ran on God’s timeline. The same God who ruled empires can handle the chaos in your life.

C. Because God writes the story, I can stop trying to control every scene.

No king in Daniel 11 was truly in control — not Xerxes I, not Alexander, not Antiochus.

You never really had control anyway but you have a Father, Friend, Creator, and Great Physician who does.

Matthew 6:34 “34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”

Antiochus thought he could stamp out the Jewish faith (11:31–32), but God had already planned his defeat.

D. Because God’s got the future, I can just focus my attention on being faithful right now.

Daniel 11:32 “32 And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.”

Faithfulness is always in your control. The future isn’t. You wake up asking: “What does obedience look like today?” instead of “What bad thing might happen today?”

John 14:27 “27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

The faithful remnant couldn’t stop the problems — but they could stay devoted to God.

Slide: 1 Peter 5:7 “7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

Slide: God’s past faithfulness is your best reason for present trust.

Slide: What is heavy upon your hear that belongs in that space.

Slide: My Future, My Health, My Finances, My Family

CONCLUSION

God’s past faithfulness proves His future certainty — and that certainty brings present peace.

If He never missed a prophecy then, He won’t miss a promise now.

What burden are you carrying that needs to be transferred/ cast to our God already knows the ending?