The Antichrist’s Actions During the Armageddon Campaign as Described in Daniel 11:40

Daniel 11:40-45 presents a description of the Antichrist’s actions during the Armageddon campaign.

Daniel 11:40 “Now, during the end time, the king ruling the south will cause himself to go to war against him. Also, the king ruling the north will cause himself to storm against him with a military chariot group, with a cavalry as well as with a large armada of ships. However, despite this, he will wage attacks against countries so that he will overflow, yes, pass through like a flood.” (My translation)

After providing Daniel with an extensive description of a king in Daniel 11:36-39 who will be an absolute world ruler and oppose God and deify himself, the angel informs Daniel that during the end time the king ruling the south will go to war against this king.

Also, he tells Daniel that the king ruling the north will attack him as well during the end time with a military chariot group, a cavalry as well as a large armada of ships.

This prophecy will take place during the last three and a half years of the seventieth week, which is indicated by the expression “the end time” which refers to the last three and a half years of the seventieth week.

Since the king of the south throughout chapter eleven has been a reference to Egypt and the king of the north the Seleucid Empire in Syria, this two-pronged attack against Antichrist will come from both Egypt and Syria during the last three and a half years of the seventieth week.

The angel informs Daniel that the Antichrist will wage attacks against countries and conquer them.

These nations are identified later by the angel in Daniel 11:41-43.

The prophetic statements in Daniel 11:40b-45 would indicate that the Antichrist will be in Israel when Egypt and Syria and their allies attack him and this is indicated by two major factors.

The first is obvious in that Egypt is located to the immediate south of Israel and Syria to the immediate north of Israel.

Though, it’s possible, it is highly unlikely that these two nations would attack the Antichrist and his revived form of the Roman Empire in Europe.

It is more likely they attack him while he is occupying Israel since this occupation would give these two nations a sounder motive to attack him.

The second major factor indicating that Egypt and Syria will attack Antichrist while he is occupying Israel is that Daniel 11:41 says that he will wage an attack against the Beautiful Land which is Israel and then in Daniel 11:42, he exercises his military might against Egypt.

In fact, Daniel 11:43 says that he will gain control of Egypt economically.

Therefore, it would appear that Egypt and Syria will attack the Antichrist while he is occupying Israel since chronologically Egypt is defeated by him after he attacks Israel and interestingly, Daniel 11:44 says that rumors from the East and North will disturb him.

The rumors from the North in Daniel 11:40 is Syria and her allies since the context of chapter eleven indicates that the king of the north is a reference to Syria and not a reference to the northern king who attacks Israel as prophesied in Ezekiel 38-39.

The army from the east is more than likely the same army mentioned in Revelation 16 which comes over the dried up Euphrates River to attack the Antichrist.

Therefore, it appears that the first two prophetic statements in Daniel 11:40 that the kings of the north and south will attack the Antichrist is a summary statement which is developed later in Daniel 11:41-45.

Thus, when the angel says in Daniel 11:44 that rumors from the north will disturb the Antichrist, he is referring back to his prophetic statements in Daniel 11:40 that the king of the north, who is Syria, will attack him.

Now, the third prophetic statement contained in Daniel 11:40 reveals that the king described in Daniel 11:36-39 will wage attacks against countries so that he will overflow these countries, yes, pass through like a flood despite the fact that he will be attacked by the kings of the north and south.

Therefore, this third prophetic statement reveals that despite being attacked by Egypt and Syria and their allies the Antichrist will wage attacks against various countries so that his armies pass through them like a great flood overwhelms a particular geographical region.

Thus, the Antichrist will gain a huge military victory despite being attacked by Egypt and Syria and their allies.

The countries who are conquered by the Antichrist are first Israel since Daniel 11:41 reveals that the Antichrist will wage an attack against Israel and the second is Egypt since Daniel 11:42-43 reveals that the Antichrist will conquer this nation and plunder its wealth.

Daniel 11:43 also reveals that Libya and Ethiopia will also be conquered by the Antichrist and Daniel 11:41 also reveals that Edom, Moab and the Ammonite leadership will not be conquered by him.

Syria is not described in Daniel 11:40-45 as being conquered by the Antichrist.

However, Daniel 11:44 says that rumors of an attack from the armies of Syria and the Far East like China will disturb the Antichrist so that he will attack these armies in a tremendous rage to destroy and wipe them out.

Now, some argue that Egypt, Syria and their Arab allies will attack Israel during the seventieth week and that Antichrist will come to Israel’s aid since he entered into an agreement with the nation of Israel, which was presumably to offer her protection from her enemies.

In other words, they argue that the Antichrist will view this attack of Israel by Egypt and Syria as an attack on him.

He will use this attack of Israel by Egypt and Syria as a pretext to move his armies in Europe into the Middle East, which would also mean that this attack by Egypt and Syria will take place before Antichrist desecrates the temple and deifies himself since he comes to Israel to honor his agreement with her to protect her.

He doesn’t become Israel’s enemy until after desecrating the temple by deifying himself and then demanding the world to worship him.

The problem with this scenario is that the text of Daniel 11:40 says that Egypt and Syria will attack the Antichrist and not Israel.

Furthermore, the text of Daniel 11:40 also says that this attack of the Antichrist by Egypt and Syria will be during the end time which is a reference to the last three and a half years of the seventieth week.

If this is the case, then it is hard to reconcile Antichrist coming to the aid of Israel since the last three and a half years of the seventieth week begin with the Antichrist deifying himself and desecrating the temple which will result in the persecution of the Jewish people.

In other words, he does not go to war with Israel until after desecrating the temple by deifying himself and then demanding the world to worship him as God.

The war like character of the Antichrist is not manifested during the first three and a half years of the seventieth week but during the last three and a half years of this period and he does not go to war until after he deifies himself and desecrates the temple and prior to this event, he will pose as a peace maker and an ally of Israel.

Therefore, to interpret Daniel 11:40-45 as describing Antichrist coming to the aid of Israel after she is attacked by Egypt and Syria is untenable.

It is more likely that the events described in Daniel 11:40-45 all take place after the Antichrist desecrates the temple and deifies himself thus implying that the Antichrist is already in Israel when he is attacked by Egypt and Syria.

It is better to interpret these verses as indicating that Egypt and Syria will attack Antichrist as a result of Antichrist deifying himself and demanding the world to worship him.

Now, if Daniel 11:40-45 is describing events taking place during the last three and a half years of the seventieth week with the Antichrist already in the Middle East, then the question arises as to what causes him to enter the Middle East so that his army is attacked by Egypt and Syria?

This is easy to answer since Daniel 9:27 tell us that the Antichrist will enter into an agreement with the leadership of Israel which will begin the seventieth week.

From this a likely scenario is that upon reaching this agreement and in accordance with this agreement, the armies of the Antichrist move into the Middle East in order to offer protection to Israel from her enemies.

When the Antichrist desecrates the temple by deifying himself and then compels the world to worship him, Egypt and Syria and eventually China attack him.

These nations will find repulsive the presence of the Western armies of Antichrist in Israel and the Middle East much like many Arab countries today in the twenty-first century find repulsive the presence of America and her European allies in the Middle East.

But more than this, they would find totally repulsive his demand to be worshipped and his claim to be God.

Daniel 11:41 reveals that the Antichrist will also turn on Israel and wage an attack against her and based upon Daniel 9:27, this attack and occupation of Israel immediately follows his desecration of the temple as a result of deifying himself.

Therefore, upon reaching an agreement with Israel, Antichrist will move his armies into the Middle East in accordance with this agreement and then, during the middle of this seven-year agreement with Israel, Antichrist will break this agreement.

He will desecrate the temple by deifying himself and he will then attack Israel and occupy her land (cf. Daniel 11:45) and he will demand the world to worship him.

This will then prompt Egypt and Syria to attack him since they find his presence in the Middle East to be a threat to their interests and they will find repulsive his claims of being God.

They will be repulsed by his decree that the world must worship him and Antichrist will consequently retaliate and attack these nations.