Sermon Tone Analysis

Wenstrom Bible Ministries

Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom

Tuesday July 22, 2014

www.wenstrom.org

Daniel: Daniel 11:41b-The Prophecy of Antichrist Conquering Many Countries and Jordan Escaping

Lesson # 364

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)

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)

Daniel 11:41 “He will also enter the Beautiful Land, and many countries will fall; but these will be rescued out of his hand: Edom, Moab and the foremost of the sons of Ammon.”

(NASB95)

“And many countries will fall but these will be rescued out of his hand: Edom, Moab and the foremost of the sons of Ammon” advances upon and intensifies the previous prophetic statement in Daniel 11:40 that despite being attacked by the kings of the north and south, the king described in Daniel 11:36-39 will wage attacks against countries so that he will overflow, yes, pass through like a flood.

“Many countries will fall” indicates that many countries will fall to the king described in Daniel 11:36-39 in the sense that their armies will be defeated by his armies.

“But these will be rescued out of his hand: Edom, Moab and the foremost of the sons of Ammon” stands in contrast to the previous prophetic statement that many countries will be defeated by the king described in Daniel 11:36-39.

Therefore, the contrast is between many nations being defeated by this king and Edom, Moab and the Ammonite leadership not being defeated by this king.

“Edom” refers to the region south of the Dead Sea, north of the Red Sea and East of the Rift valley and which sometimes expanded west into the Negev.

This region was named after one of Jacob’s sons whose name was Esau who became the progenitor of the Edomite people according to Genesis 36.

Now, here in Daniel 11:41, the proper noun ʾěḏôm, “Edom” refers to the region of the Middle East which today is presently called Jordan.

If Jordan remains as presently constituted during the seventieth week, then it appears the angel is saying that the kingdom in the Middle East known as Jordan will escape from the military might of the armies of the king described in Daniel 11:36-39.

“Moab” refers to the region east of the Dead Sea which was settled by the descendants of Moab who was the product of an incestuous relationship between Lot and one of his daughters after they escaped the destruction of Sodom.

“The foremost of the sons of Ammon” is composed of the noun rē(ʾ)·šîṯ (רֵאשִׁית) (ray-sheeth´), “the foremost of” and then we have the noun bēn (בֵּן) (bane), “the sons of” which is followed by the proper name ʿǎm·môn (עַמּוֹן) (am-mone´), “Ammon.”

The noun rē(ʾ)·šîṯ speaks of the “leaders” of the sons of Ammon since the word is used in relation to the citizens of a particular nation.

The noun bēn means “sons” and not only designates people who are descended racially or biologically from Ben-ammi who was the youngest son of Moab and one of his daughters but also emphasizes their national identity.

The proper name ʿǎm·môn, “Ammon” refers to the area east of the Jordan River and is named for those individuals who were descendants of the younger son of Moab and one of his daughters.

The older son was “Moab” and the younger son was “Ben-ammi” who Genesis 19:38 describes as the progenitor of “the sons of Ammon.”

Daniel 11:41 “He will even wage an attack against the beautiful land.

Indeed, many will be defeated.

However, these will for their own benefit escape: Edom as well as Moab and in addition the leadership of the citizens of Ammon.”

(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 in Daniel 11:40 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.

It reveals that both Egypt and Syria will attack the Antichrist during the last three and a half years of the seventieth week.

“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.

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.

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.

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, he will break this agreement.

He will desecrate the temple by deifying himself and then attack Israel and occupy her land (cf.

Daniel 11:45).

He will demand the world to worship him which 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.

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.

Therefore, when the angel says in Daniel 11:41 that the wicked king described in Daniel 11:36-40 will wage an attack against Israel, he is prophesying that the Antichrist will attack Israel after he breaks the treaty with her and desecrates the temple by deifying himself and demanding the world to worship him as God.

In other words, this attack is the direct result of the actions of Antichrist in the temple in deifying himself and demanding the world to worship him.

Therefore, the three prophetic events recorded in Daniel 11:40 and the first in Daniel 11:41 will all take place after the Antichrist desecrates the temple by deifying himself and demanding the world to worship him.

Thus these prophetic events will take place after and as a direct result of the second and third prophetic events recorded in Daniel 9:27.

Now, in Daniel 11:41 after informing Daniel that the wicked king described in Daniel 11:36-39 will wage an attack against Israel, the elect angel of God advances upon and intensifies the prophetic statement in Daniel 11:40.

Although many countries will be conquered by this king described in Daniel 11:36-39 who will be attacked by the kings of the north and south during the end time, Edom, Moab and the Ammonite leadership will not be captured by this king.

Today, in the twenty-first century, the ancient nations of Edom, Moab and Ammon would all be included in the present kingdom of Jordan.

Thus, the historical enemies of Israel will not be overthrown by the armies of the Antichrist during the last three and a half years of the seventieth week.

Jordan is on the east bank of the Jordan River and its boundaries extend into the historic region of Palestine.

It is bordered today by Saudi Arabia to the south and east, Iraq to the northeast and Syria to the north and Palestine, the Dead Sea and Israel to the west.

Today it is a constitutional monarchy with the king holding wide executive and legislative powers.

It has an upper middle income economy and enjoys advanced status with the European Union since December 2010.

Jordan is also a founding member of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.