Caught in the Crossfire
Notes
Transcript
Caught in the Crossfire
Dan. 11:2-35 sermon notes
I. Intro: How to Approach Such a Complicated Chapter
How should we approach Daniel chapter 11? We recall from last week that
chapter 10 served as a kind of introduction to this lengthy section. Daniel had
received a vision from the Lord, a vision he only summarizes as a “great
conflict,” but he doesn’t describe what he saw. Then, an intimidating angelic
being appears to Daniel in what seems to be a follow-up visionary experience.
This angelic being described mysterious realities in heaven regarding the
conflict between angelic beings as well as angelic rulers influencing the
activities of kings and people on earth. The “great conflict” Daniel saw in that
vision at the beginning of chapter 10 seems to set the stage for what we read
about in chapter 11, which could be simply summarized as conflict between
the north and the south.
It’s frustrating to read this chapter, isn’t it? None of the kings in this long
chapter is named, and, if we didn’t know better, we’d think that there’s just
one king of the north constantly fighting against one king of the south
throughout the passage. What could Daniel have made out of this? I’m sure
the answer is “nothing,” if we’re expecting him to understand the flow of the
history that would fulfill this very detailed prophecy.
When just reading the chapter, it’s the detail that’s frustrating, don’t you
think? Considering it from Daniel’s perspective, and even from the
perspective of the Jews of the next couple of generations, how would those
who lived through the fulfillment of these events be expected to anticipate the
events as they would unfold? Maybe that’s the wrong question. Maybe that’s
not what biblical prophecy is for. Ever. Maybe it’s not primarily about giving
readers data that would enable them to predict the events ahead of time, or to
recognize them as they’re unfolding. Maybe the benefit comes to readers after
the fulfillment has happened.
In any case, that’s where we are. The fulfillment of the events announced way
ahead of time in this chapter has already happened, from our vantage point.
We are able to read chapter 11 and identify all the different kings of the north
and kings of the south and many of the other individuals mentioned in these
verses. Once we do that, we can gain some excitement about this chapter. A
few years ago, I created a document in which I took the verses from chapter
11 from the ESV, and I replaced the vague, non-specific references to
particular historical individuals with the names of the particular kings and
queens and priests and other figures. And, at least to the end of our passage
today, verse 35, there is solid agreement on all those details among students of
Scripture. That exercise helped me see the wonderful precision of this
particular prophecy. One writer counted 135 distinct prophecies between
verses 2 and 35 for which we can identify, with certainty, the historical
fulfillment.
But, still, what we have is the narration of various conflicts between two
groups of people. What’s the point? Why’s it here? When we know the
fulfillment, we could approach the prophecy from a few different angles. First,
we could consider the chronology reflected. As I said, up to verse 35, there is
near-unanimous agreement on the specific events described in this chapter.
Interpreters divide at verse 36 for several reasons that we’ll look at in two
weeks. But, when we focus on the narration of these events up through verse
35, the chronology is quite clear. As you can see on this chart, there are
several events and spans of time, but there are certain places where there are
gaps, and none of the gaps are the same length. As we’ll see in the text, a
couple of the gaps are hinted at, but most of them are not clearly marked at all.
Then, when we get the big picture of the history in front of us, we can see how
the narrative has a clear emphasis, a series of events that covers the most
number of verses. From verse 2 through verse 20, we cover a span of about
350 years total, but from verse 21 through verse 35, we cover a span of only
about 12 years—sixteen verses to talk about 350 years and then fifteen verses
to talk about 12 years. Everything slows down to draw our attention to the
events described in verses 21-35.
Or, a second approach could be to focus on the major kings discussed. David
Jeremiah has observed that they all happen to start with the letter “A” in
English, a happy coincidence indeed, when you ignore verses 5-9. Dr.
Jeremiah provides this chart to summarize the “A” kings in Daniel 11. Those
familiar with his book Agents of Babylon might recognize that I’ve left off the
last line from his chart. He identifies the king who appears in verses 36-45 as
Antichrist. Next week, I will suggest a different figure and a different time
period is in view, one whose name doesn’t begin with the letter “A.”
Or, a third approach could be to see how the kings of the south and the kings
of the north overlap in their reigns, and we can then identify the wars that they
fought, most of which are reflected in these verses, as seen in this chart. As
you can see in the left column, all of the kings of the south, up through verse
35, have the name Ptolemy. The “south” is primarily the nation of Egypt in
these verses, while the “north” is the region of Syria. Thus, the wars are
sometimes referred to as “The Syrian Wars,” six of which are mentioned in
our passage. The kings of the south either have the name Seleucus or
Antiochus, all relatives of each other. Not only were the kings of the north
fighting the kings of the south throughout this period, but they were often
fighting within their own families. It is a horrific period of time in this region
of the world, however you look at it.
Or, a fourth approach could be to analyze the strategies employed by these
kings in their continual warfare, and then show how those sinful strategies are
still reflected today, both in warfare and also in business and in everyday
relationships. One writer has identified 30 such items from the passage, things
like corruption, idolatry, marital alliances, taxation without representation,
seduction, political maneuvering, intimidation, bribery, and plain oldfashioned deceit.
But…the fulfillment is not the Scripture. Do you know what I mean? God
inspired these words in chapter 11, without naming the people who would be
involved, without indicating specific time frames, without drawing attention
to when there would be gaps of years, decades, or even centuries between
events reflected in back-to-back verses. Think of this: a Jewish man reading
Daniel 11:5 in the year 312 BC might observe the separation between Ptolemy
I of Egypt and Seleucus I of Syria. If, somehow, he recognized that event as
fulfilling verse 5, he would have no way of knowing that the events described
in verse 6 would not come to pass until 62 years later. And he would have no
way of knowing that the two kings of verse 6 would end up being two
different kings from verse 5.
With the emphasis being laid on verses 21-35, it might be possible for an
astute Jew living in 175 BC or thereabouts, who has access to the history
books of Egypt or Syria, to look at Daniel 11 and recognize the sweep of
events described up to that point and maybe gain some insight that what is
described in verses 21-35 would unfold in his lifetime. But even that seems
like a stretch to me.
So, all of those considerations lead me to believe that the message of the
vision, as it was given to Daniel, as it was preserved as sacred Scripture for
God’s people who would live through these things and beyond, must not be
solely in the details of the historical fulfillment. Although seeing the historical
fulfillment confirms the validity of the prophetic word, that does not tell us the
message of the prophetic word. So, what is that message? I summarized it last
week. Recall that the visionary experience fully covers chapters 10-12, so the
primary message takes all of these three chapters in as well. Here it is again:
God rules over the details of the future, even as that future consists of
“wars and rumors of wars,” great tribulation for God’s people, and the
increase of wickedness, all leading, however, to the grand climax of God’s
judgment and the salvation of the remnant in the resurrection of the
dead. Our passage today, the bulk of chapter 11, highlights the middle aspects
of that message: God’s ruling over the wars and rumors of wars that bring
great tribulation for God’s people and the increase of wickedness.
The title of this sermon is “Caught in the Crossfire.” I am borrowing that title
from a pastor of a church in California, near Biola University. In his
reflections on this passage, he suggests considering everything from the
vantage point of the Jewish people. Like, literally, historically, geographically.
The terms “north” and “south” beg the question: north of what, south of what?
And, of course, the answer is north of the land of Israel and south of the land
of Israel. When you see the north warring against the south, guess who’s in
the middle, “caught in the crossfire,” as it were? The Jews. God’s people.
Thus, this message comes across to us Christians, to the church today, as we
will often find ourselves caught in the crossfire, whether that be the ongoing
“culture wars” in our own nation, or actual military warfare and violence, like
the church in Israel and Palestine right now is facing. Pastor Ed Morsey writes
that God was here “revealing to mankind that God’s people would always be
caught in the crossfire and often in the crosshairs. How consistent with that
doggedly repeated message of suffering in both Old and New Testaments and
that has characterized the history of God’s people to the present day. How
relevant to my congregation!” Indeed.
One final observation before we dive into these verses: this vision of warfare
needs to be held in the context of Daniel’s other visions. Here is a diagram
that illustrates a big-picture look at the relationship between the visions of the
book of Daniel and their historical fulfillments. In this diagram, I am
beginning to tip my hand about where we’re headed in a couple of weeks, and
how I see the outworking of the last part of chapter 11. Chapters 2 and 7
established the overall historical sequence of four kingdoms followed by
God’s kingdom. In chapter 2, God’s kingdom was represented by the stone
that destroyed the statue and grew to become a great mountain; in chapter 7,
God’s kingdom was handed over to the one like a son of man and his saints.
In chapter 8, Daniel saw a vision about a ram and a goat, which essentially
zoomed in on the second and third kingdoms of Medo-Persia and Greece, with
a large focus on the hostile persecution of the Greek king Antiochus IV
Epiphanes.
In chapter 9, in response to Daniel’s prayer of confession on behalf of the
Jewish people, the angel Gabriel revealed a time period of 490 years that
would be required before the problem of sin could be finally dealt with, so
that God’s people could truly and finally be restored in relationship with him,
and we saw how, at least one way to understand that prophecy’s fulfillment,
this period of time culminated with the actions of Jesus the Messiah in the
days of the fourth kingdom, the Roman Empire, and also predicted the
destruction of the temple as God’s judgment against rebellious Israel. Now, in
chapters 10-12, we are going to zoom in again on the kingdoms of MedoPersia and Greece, with another emphasis on the hostile persecution of the
Greek king Antiochus IV Epiphanes, which we’ll look at today. In two weeks,
I will try to show how this vision culminates with events in the fourth
kingdom, the Roman Empire, highlighting the destruction of the temple, while
also drawing our attention again to the victory of the Son of Man in his death
and resurrection, and taking us even further to the true culmination of God’s
kingdom, the resurrection of the dead.
For today, we’ll focus on chapter 11 verses 2-35. We’ll walk through this in
sections, and we’ll very briefly sketch out the historical fulfillment. It might
be helpful if you penciled in your Bible where the breaks and gaps are. First,
in verses 2-4, we see a summary of the transition from the second to the third
kingdom, from the Persian to the Greek Empire.
II.
Persian and Greek Empires (Dan. 11:2-4)
2
“And now I will show you the truth. Behold, three more kings shall arise in
Persia, and a fourth shall be far richer than all of them. And when he has
become strong through his riches, he shall stir up all against the kingdom of
Greece. 3 Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion
and do as he wills. 4 And as soon as he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken
and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not to his posterity, nor
according to the authority with which he ruled, for his kingdom shall be
plucked up and go to others besides these.
We recall from verse 1 of chapter 10 that Daniel is having this encounter in
the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, the year 536 BC. The angel reveals that
there will be four Persian kings after Cyrus dies. We can’t conclude from this
that there would be only four more kings, and we know from history that there
were at least ten Persian kings after Cyrus. As clear as the fulfillment of this
prophetic passage is, we need to recognize, again, that the details are
presented vaguely. Nevertheless, the fourth Persian king would be Xerxes,
also known as Ahasuerus from the book of Esther. He was indeed known for
his massive wealth and also his obsession with conquering Greece. All verse 2
announces is that this fourth king would provoke his empire into ongoing
conflict with Greece.
Verse 3 then speaks of Alexander the Great. That means that between the
events announced in verse 2 and the events announced in verse 3 there is an
unspecified gap of 135 years. At least six Persian kings are ignored and
skipped over completely. Notice, however, that the mighty king in verse 3 is
not identified as a king of Greece, and his accomplishments are not specified
in any way, though we can be certain that Alexander is intended. Rather, the
focus moves quickly, in verse 4, to his downfall. As we saw from reflecting
on Daniel’s vision of the ram and the goat in chapter 8, the eventual breaking
up of Alexander’s Greek Empire into four sections is the important thing for
Daniel and the Jews. It was broken into four segments, but this chapter is only
going to focus on two of those four segments: Egypt to the south of Israel and
Syria to the north of Israel.
Verses 5-20, then, sketch out some of the conflicts between Egypt and Syria,
the line of the Ptolemies and the line of the Seleucids. Look at just verse 5.
III. Egypt (Ptolemies) and Syria (Seleucids) (Dan. 11:5-20)
5
“Then the king of the south shall be strong, but one of his princes shall be
stronger than he and shall rule, and his authority shall be a great authority.”
Historically, Ptolemy I demonstrated his supremacy over the other successors
of Alexander’s Greek kingdom quickly and clearly. By 323 BC, he, from his
base in Egypt, had mastered quite a large territory, which included the land of
Israel. Initially, he had partnered with Seleucus I of Syria in various ways, so
that even Seleucus was in some way subordinate to Ptolemy, but in 312 BC,
Seleucus I parted ways with Ptolemy I and he established his own authority
over Babylonia, Syria, and Media, and he wrenched Israel away from Ptolemy
I. This begins the northern kingdom’s dominance in this area, and it would
stay that way for about 30 years.
In verse 6, the first phrase, “after some years” will end up reflecting a period
of 62 years! Look at verse 6: “After some years they shall make an alliance,
and the daughter of the king of the south shall come to the king of the north to
make an agreement. But she shall not retain the strength of her arm, and he
and his arm shall not endure, but she shall be given up, and her attendants, he
who fathered her, and he who supported her in those times.” Again, 62 years
pass, and the “they” who make an alliance are not Ptolemy I and Seleucus I,
but instead are Ptolemy’s son and Seleucus’s grandson, Ptolemy II and
Antiochus II. Ptolemy II of Egypt offered his daughter, Berenice, in marriage
to Anciochus II, but Antiochus II would die two years later, and the alliance
was not carried on.
Historically, we skip two more years, in no way announced by the prophecy,
as we enter verse 7. Look at verses 7-9: 7 “And from a branch from her roots
one shall arise in his place. He shall come against the army and enter the
fortress of the king of the north, and he shall deal with them and shall prevail.
8
He shall also carry off to Egypt their gods with their metal images and their
precious vessels of silver and gold, and for some years he shall refrain from
attacking the king of the north. 9 Then the latter shall come into the realm of
the king of the south but shall return to his own land.” The “branch from her
roots” refers to Berenice’s brother, Ptolemy III, and he leads his forces to
invade and conquer Syria. Remember: if Egypt is invading Syria, that means
their armies are surely traveling through the land of Israel. And this would be
where Israel changes hands yet again, as Egypt conquers Syria. An uneasy
peace remained for just about three years before Seleucus II, the king of the
north, launched what would be a failed invasion against Egypt to attempt to
retake his territory.
Then, historically, we skip another 25 years, again, completely unannounced
by the prophecy. Look at verses 10-12: 10 “His sons shall wage war and
assemble a multitude of great forces, which shall keep coming and overflow
and pass through, and again shall carry the war as far as his fortress. 11 Then
the king of the south, moved with rage, shall come out and fight against the
king of the north. And he shall raise a great multitude, but it shall be given
into his hand. 12 And when the multitude is taken away, his heart shall be
exalted, and he shall cast down tens of thousands, but he shall not prevail.”
The year is 217 BC. Ptolemy IV of Egypt wins a great victory over Antiochus
III, also known as Antiochus the Great. However, he won’t be known as “the
Great” king of the north for another several years; he develops that reputation
through the events prophesied in verses 13-19. Consider just verses 13-17
first:
13
For the king of the north shall again raise a multitude, greater than the first.
And after some years he shall come on with a great army and abundant
supplies. 14 In those times many shall rise against the king of the south, and the
violent among your own people shall lift themselves up in order to fulfill the
vision, but they shall fail. 15 Then the king of the north shall come and throw
up siegeworks and take a well-fortified city. And the forces of the south shall
not stand, or even his best troops, for there shall be no strength to stand. 16 But
he who comes against him shall do as he wills, and none shall stand before
him. And he shall stand in the glorious land, with destruction in his hand.
17
He shall set his face to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and he
shall bring terms of an agreement and perform them. He shall give him the
daughter of women to destroy the kingdom, but it shall not stand or be to his
advantage.
We’ve skipped another 13 years. This is the last historical gap. Thus, as David
Jeremiah and others have noted, Antiochus the Great and his horrific son
Antiochus IV Epiphanes are really the focus of this prophecy. In verse 13, we
do get a time marker, of sorts. The ESV has “after some years,” but the
Hebrew has a different phrase than we saw earlier in verse 6. The phrase is
literally “at the end of the times.” We will come back to the importance of the
word “the end” in this chapter, but here the phrase “the end of the times” may
point to a decisive turn of events. Perhaps this is referring to the final
supremacy we see for the kings of the north, as Syrian dominance will
continue through the rest of the Greek Empire.
Also, it’s important to notice that, in verse 14, we get our first explicit
mention of the Jewish people. Verses 13-17 are describing a six-year period of
time, the years 204-198 BC, the bulk of which featured the so-called Fifth
Syrian War, where Antiochus III made a name for himself. Look again at
verse 14 specifically. Egypt and the king of the south, which would be
Ptolemy V, is facing revolution and rebellion among its subjects, including
from the Jews. The angel is addressing Daniel, and he says “the violent among
your own people shall lift themselves up in order to fulfill the vision, but they
shall fail.” There is not enough historical detail to know for sure what
motivated the Jews to rebel against their Greek-Egyptian overlords at this
time, but the prophecy indicates that they would be attempting to fulfill a
prophetic vision, to bring the fulfillment to pass. That’s very intriguing. Do
you think people “force” prophecies to be fulfilled? Isn’t the business of
fulfilling prophecy God’s business?
Nevertheless, we’d like to know what prophetic vision they’d be thinking of.
Perhaps, generally, we could say they were hoping to throw off the oppressive
rule of the Greeks, in order to pave the way for the rest of the restoration
prophecies to be fulfilled. They are living in the land; their temple is fully
functional; sacrifices are being offered in Jerusalem. But they’re still ruled by
pagans! Maybe an uprising is the means by which God would bring judgment
against their enemies. It seems like this line of thinking was common in the
first century, when Messianic fervor was at its peak, probably, in part, because
of the book of Daniel. The Zealots and many other Jews were anticipating a
warrior Messiah to lead them in overthrowing the Romans. The people of
Israel have always been known as a rebellious people, and surely there was
something out of place when they were being ruled by foreigners. However,
what they seemed to have missed, was that the key to their independence, the
key to their salvation and freedom, was not armed rebellion; rather, it was true
repentance and forgiveness. And that would only come in the fullness of time,
at the culmination of the seventy weeks period, during the Roman Empire, not
the Greek Empire.
And so it is that the prophecy in Daniel 11 indicates that the Jews’ attempt to
fulfill the vision, whatever vision it was, by rebelling against the Greek
Egyptians, would fail. But these verses are focusing on the work of Antiochus
the Great. He takes back control of the region, including Israel, and then he
would offer his daughter, Cleopatra, to the king of the south, Ptolemy V, to
attempt to establish a marital alliance, but Cleopatra—and this is Cleopatra I,
not the famous Cleopatra VII who would ensnare Roman kings a century
later—this Cleopatra supported her new husband against her father, Antiochus
the Great.
Then, we read in verses 18-19: “Afterward he shall turn his face to the
coastlands and shall capture many of them, but a commander shall put an end
to his insolence. Indeed, he shall turn his insolence back upon him. 19 Then he
shall turn his face back toward the fortresses of his own land, but he shall
stumble and fall, and shall not be found.” Over the next decade, Antiochus the
Great attempted to expand his territory, but he is thwarted by “a commander.”
Right here, we are introduced to a figure from the little place called Rome;
this is surely a Roman general by the name of Scipio. In the 190s BC, Rome’s
power and influence was growing. They were beginning to be seen as a threat
to the still-dominant Greek Empire. Alliances between Greece and Rome were
often developed, and they often seemed to be out of desperation from the
Greek side. The fourth kingdom of Daniel’s visions begins to rear its ugly,
monstrous head.
Antiochus the Great did not have a great end. He raided a temple of Zeus on
one of the Greek islands, perhaps attempting to fund another military
campaign, and the locals stirred up a mob that quickly overpowered him and
murdered him.
Verse 20, then, closes out this section with a look back to the north,
summarizing events that would happen over a twelve-year period: “Then shall
arise in his place one who shall send an exactor of tribute for the glory of the
kingdom. But within a few days he shall be broken, neither in anger nor in
battle.” Antiochus the Great’s successor was one of his sons, Seleucus IV, and
he inherited massive debt from his father’s warmongering. The NASB sees a
reference to Jerusalem in this verse. Where the ESV sees the taxation as a
method to enhance the glory of the Greek kingdom, the NASB says, “Then in
his place one will arise who will send an oppressor through the Jewel of his
kingdom.” Historically, Seleucus IV, the new king of the north, sent a man
named Heliodorus as a tax collector throughout the Syrian kingdom to raise
and collect new taxes to attempt to pay some of the king’s debts. It does
appear that Heliodorus heavily taxed Judah and Jerusalem and may have even
expected funds and treasures to come from the temple in Jerusalem. But that is
historically unclear. Nevertheless, history does tell us that this tax collector
eventually, and for unknown reasons, turned against his king and assassinated
him himself. Thus, Seleucus IV “shall be broken, neither in anger nor in
battle.”
Finally, we come to the main section of this message, verses 21-35, where we
will revisit the horrible monster that was depicted as the little horn of Daniel
chapter 8, Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Let’s read the whole passage, verses 2135.
IV. Antiochus IV Epiphanes (Dan. 11:21-35)
21
In his place shall arise a contemptible person to whom royal majesty has not
been given. He shall come in without warning and obtain the kingdom by
flatteries. 22 Armies shall be utterly swept away before him and broken, even
the prince of the covenant. 23 And from the time that an alliance is made with
him he shall act deceitfully, and he shall become strong with a small people.
24
Without warning he shall come into the richest parts of the province, and he
shall do what neither his fathers nor his fathers’ fathers have done, scattering
among them plunder, spoil, and goods. He shall devise plans against
strongholds, but only for a time. 25 And he shall stir up his power and his heart
against the king of the south with a great army. And the king of the south shall
wage war with an exceedingly great and mighty army, but he shall not stand,
for plots shall be devised against him. 26 Even those who eat his food shall
break him. His army shall be swept away, and many shall fall down slain.
27
And as for the two kings, their hearts shall be bent on doing evil. They shall
speak lies at the same table, but to no avail, for the end is yet to be at the time
appointed. 28 And he shall return to his land with great wealth, but his heart
shall be set against the holy covenant. And he shall work his will and return to
his own land.
29
“At the time appointed he shall return and come into the south, but it shall
not be this time as it was before. 30 For ships of Kittim shall come against him,
and he shall be afraid and withdraw, and shall turn back and be enraged and
take action against the holy covenant. He shall turn back and pay attention to
those who forsake the holy covenant. 31 Forces from him shall appear and
profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering.
And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate. 32 He shall seduce
with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their
God shall stand firm and take action. 33 And the wise among the people shall
make many understand, though for some days they shall stumble by sword
and flame, by captivity and plunder. 34 When they stumble, they shall receive
a little help. And many shall join themselves to them with flattery, 35 and some
of the wise shall stumble, so that they may be refined, purified, and made
white, until the time of the end, for it still awaits the appointed time.
The “contemptible person,” “despicable person,” “vile person,” is another son
of Antiochus the Great. The ESV notes, in verse 21, that “royal majesty has
not been given” to him, and “he shall come in without warning and obtain the
kingdom by flatteries.” This is parallel to what we saw in Daniel 8:24a;
Gabriel had said, “His power shall be great—but not by his own power.” His
father did not name him as successor to the throne; instead, he usurped the
throne with the assistance of King Eumenes II of Pergamum, whose favor he
had gained by flattery and bribery. In verse 22, we get another cryptic phrase
that probably draws our attention to Israel specifically. The “prince of the
covenant” or “covenant leader” is said to be overcome by Antiochus IV. This
is the only time in the Bible where the word translated as prince, leader, or
ruler is connected directly with the word “covenant.” Here, it likely refers to
the high priest, who was Onias III, at this time in history.
Antiochus IV Epiphanes replaced Onias III, the rightful high priest, with
another man who pledged his loyalty to Antiochus. Just as quickly as we
zoomed in on Israel for a moment, the angel pulls our attention back out to the
larger conflict at hand. Antiochus IV Epiphanes continued warfare against the
south, against Egypt, and as terrible, treacherous, and violent as this
Antiochus was, he would prove unsuccessful in his military campaigns to
dominate the region. While he still held control of the land of Israel, he could
not further expand to the south. Antiochus IV Epiphanes was a clever man,
and he attempted, far more than his predecessors, to utilize treaties and
deception and manipulation to enhance his power. Not being able to conquer
Egypt, he instead partnered with a young Ptolemy VII to overthrow his older
brother Ptolemy VI as king of Egypt. But, as soon as he was on the throne, the
alliance ended, as it became clear that neither of them wanted any further
partnership. But also neither was able to gain the upper hand in the ongoing
conflict.
Antiochus IV Epiphanes, after ending both his partnership with and his
campaign against Egypt, at least temporarily, marched back to his home in the
north, to Syria. As verse 28 says, “And he shall return to his land with great
wealth, but his heart shall be set against the holy covenant. And he shall work
his will and return to his own land.” He targeted the Jewish people and took
out some of his frustration on them, slaughtering many, taking treasures from
the temple, and otherwise being just the worst.
But his ambitions had not gotten smaller. He would launch another campaign
to invade and conquer Egypt, but this final time he would meet some
opposition that he was not expecting. In verse 30, the prophecy announces the
arrival of “ships of Kittim.” This is yet another reference, cryptic and unclear
as it is to us, to the armies of the fourth kingdom, Rome. Their navy evergrowing in power, the Roman government was increasingly annoyed with the
squabbles between Syria and Egypt, and their armies were beginning to
expand Roman influence in the world.
This intervention by the Romans embarrasses and enrages Antiochus IV
Epiphanes. And, as he was returning home, again having to travel through the
land of Israel, he vented his frustration against the Jews in Jerusalem. We
reviewed his abominable acts when we looked at the vision of chapter 8, and I
won’t go over the horrific details again. In this vision, however, the angel
specifies that Antiochus IV Epiphanes would establish an alliance with some
Jews, Jews who were willing to abandon their covenant relationship with
Yahweh. Notice that the angel does not suggest that Antiochus will make
them or convince them to forsake the covenant; rather, they were already
abandoning the covenant, and he enlists them in support of his violence
against their own kinsmen. As we saw in chapter 8, the Jews had already
crossed a line of rebellion against God, so that God was using Antiochus IV
Epiphanes as his agent of judgment against the rebellious Jews. Here, we are
given more information from another angle on that same rebellion.
Verse 31 details how this Greek king would desecrate the temple, stopping the
Jewish sacrifices, and instead offering sacrifices to Greek gods, setting up
what the angel calls “the abomination of desolation” or “the abomination that
makes desolate,” the really horrible thing that makes the temple empty and
non-functional. But verse 32 speaks of another group of Jews, “the people
who know their God,” and these “shall stand firm and take action.” This is
probably a prophetic announcement of the Maccabean family who would
stand against Antiochus IV and eventually defeat his armies, reclaim the city,
and rededicate the temple in the year 164 BC. Among them will be those
described in verse 33 as “the wise among the people” who “shall make many
understand, though for some days they shall stumble by sword and flame, by
captivity and plunder.” The Jewish war against Antiochus IV Epiphanes, often
called the Maccabean Revolt, would rage in Jerusalem for about three and a
half years before initial victory would be won. Many Jews would be
slaughtered in the meantime. And the fighting would actually continue for
another 20 years, well after Antiochus IV Epiphanes had died, until the year
142 BC, which would begin a period of about a century when Judah was an
independent nation, until the Romans came and conquered everything and
everyone in the area.
Verse 35 is important for the message of this vision: “and some of the wise
shall stumble, so that they may be refined, purified, and made white, until the
time of the end, for it still awaits the appointed time.” The angel makes it clear
that there is a purpose for “the wise” in all of this suffering. In our
introduction to the book of Daniel, we talked about how this book is not
collected together with the other prophetic books in the Hebrew Bible.
Instead, it is among what is known as “the Writings,” which are largely a
collection of wisdom literature. The theme of wisdom has been prevalent
throughout, and here it appears again near the end of the book. “The wise” are
those who fear Yahweh, those who do not abandon the covenant but who
remain faithful to the covenant, even in the face of suffering. And this period
of suffering, while it has already been identified in Daniel 8 as a period of
God’s judgment against Jewish rebellion, it is, at the same time, God
purifying his faithful people. The same events that include suffering for
believers and unbelievers alike has dual purposes in the hand of God. He
judges those in rebellion and he purifies and refines and whitens his faithful
remnant through the same kinds of suffering.
This raises a very important final question, with which we’ll close our time:
Where is God in all of this?
V. Conclusion: Where Is God?
In this vision laid out by this angel, we haven’t yet really seen God acting or
involved. Or have we? In previous visions in the book of Daniel, I have
sought to bring your attention to the use of the passive voice. These are places
where we should infer the action of God. So, for example, here in Daniel 11:4,
we read, “And as soon as he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken and
divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not to his posterity, nor
according to the authority with which he ruled, for his kingdom shall be
plucked up and go to others besides these.” This was Alexander the Great, and
just as Daniel saw in chapter 8, the great horn of the goat “was broken,” so
here the angel announces that Alexander’s kingdom “shall be broken” and
“plucked up.” God is the one who gets credit for the sudden and surprising
downfall of Alexander the Great. God is the one who gets credit for the
settling of his kingdom into the four segments that continued for around 200
years.
Then, in the midst of the ongoing warfare between north and south, in Daniel
11:11 we read a phrase that appears often in this book: “it shall be given into
his hand.” As we have learned throughout this book, it is God who gives
authority to kings; it is God who raises them up, puts them down, shifts them
around, expands or reduces their territory, and uses them and their armies as
his tools in this world.
But it’s in the final section, when things are at their darkest for God’s people,
where God’s people are mentioned most often, that we should see the most
direct and explicit evidence of God’s involvement. First, like the references
above, in verse 22, “Armies shall be utterly swept away before him and
broken, even the prince of the covenant.” This passive voice reference again
implies that God is the one who grants military success to Antiochus IV
Epiphanes, and it is God who uses Antiochus IV Epiphanes as his agent of
judgment against “the prince of the covenant,” the high priest of the Jews.
But, more important, in this final section, than the occurrences of the passive
voice, are the time references. Look at the end of verse 24: Antiochus IV
“shall devise plans against strongholds, but only for a time.” Only for a time!
Who does the angel intend Daniel to understand as the one who would limit
the timeframe of the success of this pagan king? Or, consider verse 27: “And
as for the two kings, their hearts shall be bent on doing evil. They shall speak
lies at the same table, but to no avail, for the end is yet to be at the time
appointed.” Who appoints such times? Who determines the end from the
beginning? Then, in verse 29, we read, “At the time appointed he shall return
and come into the south, but it shall not be this time as it was before.” Will
Antiochus IV be aware that his decision to try to conquer Egypt again will
have been “appointed” by someone who rules over him? Will he recognize
that he is acting and choosing freely, but also according to a predetermined
plan?
God revealed, far ahead of time, some of his predetermined plan in these
visions to Daniel. In this chapter, we get detailed information about the free
choices that Greek kings would make to try to deceive and kill each other.
Where is God when violence thrives on earth? Where is God when his people
are viciously opposed and persecuted? Where is God when evil people do evil
things? Where is God when deception dominates and falsehood frustrates his
people? I will tell you where he is: God is sitting on his throne in heaven!
AND he is with his people on earth!
God stepped into the crossfire of this world, into the warfare, into the hostility
and the violence. He became a victim of violence, of injustice, of hostility and
wickedness. He became a man, took on flesh that could be cut, could be
pierced, could be destroyed, and he carried the guilt of sin all the way to death
and back again. For Daniel, and for us, God doesn’t always do anything to
change our circumstances. Instead, he gives us Scripture, he gives us the
words breathed out by the Holy Spirit, translated into our own language, and
printed on the pages of these books or on these screens, in order to change our
thinking, to alter our perspective, to adjust our expectations. That’s why
passages like this are important. The bigger picture, even going back to last
week, is to help us live by faith and not by sight. And he invites his faithful
people to trust him, to believe his promises that he will never leave us nor
forsake us, that he is with us in the fire, that we will endure tribulation in this
world, but Jesus has done all to overcome the world! Following Jesus doesn’t
eliminate human suffering, but it does give glorious purpose and meaning to
every bit of it!
Here in Daniel 11, God reveals the purpose of the suffering for God’s faithful
remnant among the Jews who would live during the days of Antiochus IV
Epiphanes. In verse 35, the angel announces that “some of the wise shall
stumble,” a word that means to stagger, sometimes due to exhaustion,
sometimes due to some obstacle a person has tripped over. The angel indicates
that God’s purpose in allowing the wise to stagger in the midst of suffering is
“so that they may be refined, purified, and made white, until the time of the
end, for it still awaits the appointed time.” God establishes definite limits on
the suffering of his people, and he always has this purpose in our suffering.
Peter makes this clear in the first chapter of his first letter. After assuring us
that God is always at work, exercising his power to protect us, to ensure that
we experience the final outworking of our “salvation ready to be revealed in
the last time,” in verses 6-7, he then speaks of the way that the Christians in
his audience are responding to their suffering. “In this you rejoice, though
now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7
so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that
perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory
and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” When you’re “grieved by various
trials,” you will often find yourself staggering, stumbling, exhausted by the
pressure of life. Peter’s Christian audience was able to rejoice in the midst of
their suffering because they understood and believed God’s purpose for their
suffering. Enduring suffering with faith purifies that faith, removes its
impurities. For our faith to continue and to achieve its God-designed outcome,
God must bring us through the refining fires of suffering during this life.
The enduring faith that is refined through suffering is not a generic faith; it’s
not merely believing that there is a God, and that he has a wonderful plan for
my life. No; the kind of faith Peter speaks of is specifically faith in Jesus,
believing the good news of what God has done in Christ to reconcile the world
to himself, trusting that Jesus died for my sins and has cleansed me forever
from the stain of my sin. In Revelation 7:9, John sees a vision of “a great
multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and
peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the lamb,
clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands.” John is told who
he’s looking at in verse 14b: “These are the ones coming out of the great
tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood
of the Lamb.” Normally, if you dip a robe in blood, it’s going to get stained
red. But, counterintuitively, dipping robes in the blood of Jesus communicates
the power of Jesus’s death to purify guilty sinners. Whether or not you believe
“the great tribulation” spoken of here has already begun, I think you have to
believe that this applies to every person who believes in Jesus. A numberless
multitude from all nations cannot apply only to those who will believe in
Jesus during the last three and a half years of history! If you’ve been washed
in the blood of the Lamb, as the old hymn puts it, if you’ve accepted Jesus’s
sacrifice on your behalf by faith, I believe John saw you in that vision. If you
haven’t accepted that Jesus died to pay for your sins, why don’t you join that
numberless multitude today?
