Daniel 11.40b-The Prophecy of the Antichrist Conquering the Middle East
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Wednesday July 16, 2014
Daniel: Daniel 11:40b-The Prophecy of the Antichrist Conquering the Middle East
Lesson # 362
Please turn in your Bibles to Daniel 11:40.
Daniel 11:40 “At the end time the king of the South will collide with him, and the king of the North will storm against him with chariots, with horsemen and with many ships; and he will enter countries, overflow them and pass through.” (NASB95)
“And he will enter countries” is a concessive clause meaning that “despite” being attacked by the kings of the north and south, the king described in Daniel 11:36-39 will invade countries while passing through them like a great flood overwhelms a town or city.
“He will enter” is the verb bô(ʾ) (בּוֹא) (bo), which means “to wage an attack” referring to the king described in Daniel 11:36-39 “waging attacks” against countries despite being attacked by the kings of the north and the south.
“Overflow them and pass through” presents the result of the king described in Daniel 11:36-39 waging attacks against countries despite being attacked by the kings of the north and south.
“Overflow them and pass through” is composed of the verb šā·ṭǎp̄ (שָׁטַף) (shaw-taf´), “overflow” and then we have the conjunction wa (וְ) (waw), “and” which is followed by the verb ʿā·ḇǎr (עָבַר) (aw-bar´), “pass through.”
The verb šā·ṭǎp̄ means “to flow abundantly, to overflow” and is used here in a figurative sense presenting the image of a flood overflowing in a geographical area to describe the advancement of the armies of the king described in Daniel 11:36-39.
The verb ʿā·ḇǎr means “to pass through” and is used here in a figurative sense presenting the image of a flood passing through a geographical area to describe the advancement of the armies led by the king who is described in Daniel 11:36-39.
The conjunction wa is used to join the verbs šā·ṭǎp̄ and ʿā·ḇǎr in order to communicate one idea, which is called “hendiadys” which emphasizes the overwhelming victory of this king over various countries.
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)
By way of review, 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 kings ruling the north and south will go to war against this king.
“The end time” refers to the last three and a half years of the seventieth week since the Antichrist will be a world ruler at this time from the final stage of the Roman Empire according to a comparison of Daniel 7:23-25, Daniel 9:26-27, 2 Thessalonians 2 and Revelation 13.
These first two prophetic statements in Daniel 11:40 reveal that both Egypt and Syria will attack the Antichrist during the last three and a half years of the seventieth week.
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.
Now, the question arises as to who are these countries who are conquered by the Antichrist?
The first is 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 but Daniel 11:41 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 but 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, he will use this attack of Israel by Egypt and Syria as a pretext to move his armies in Europe into the Middle East.
This 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.
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 and 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 since Antichrist does not go to war with Israel during the first three and a half years of the seventieth week but until after desecrating the temple by deifying himself and then demanding the world to worship him as God.
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.
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, a more likely scenario is that upon reaching an agreement with Israel, Antichrist will move his armies into the Middle East in accordance with this agreement but then, during the middle of this seven year agreement with Israel, Antichrist will break this agreement.
He will desecrate the temple by deifying himself.
He will then attack Israel and occupy her land (cf. Daniel 11:45).
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.
Antichrist will consequently retaliate and attack these nations.
So the events described in Daniel 11:40-45 will all take place after the Antichrist desecrates the temple by deifying himself and reveals himself as an enemy of Israel.
Antichrist’s armies will already be in the Middle East because of his agreement with Israel to offer her protection.
He will be already present in Israel because of this agreement.
When he desecrates the temple in Jerusalem by deifying himself and then demanding the world to worship him, he will betray Israel and attack her and then occupy her land.
Then he will be attacked by Egypt and Syria.