Daniel 11.42-Daniel 11.42-The Prophecy of the Antichrist Attacking Libya, Ethiopia and Egypt
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Wednesday July 23, 2014
Daniel: Daniel 11:42-The Prophecy of the Antichrist Attacking Libya, Ethiopia and Egypt
Lesson # 365
Please turn in your Bibles to Daniel 11:40.
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. 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. 42 Then he will stretch out his hand against other countries, and the land of Egypt will not escape.” (My translation)
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. 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. 42 Then he will stretch out his hand against other countries, and the land of Egypt will not escape.” (NASB95)
Daniel 11:42 advances upon and intensifies the prophetic statement in Daniel 11:40 that the king described in Daniel 11:36-39 will wage attacks against countries so that he will overflow, yes, pass through like a flood.
Therefore, the advancement and intensification is that many countries will be conquered by this king described in Daniel 11:36-39 and the land of Egypt will be one of these nations.
This interpretation is indicated by the fact that the angel reiterates in Daniel 11:42 the prophecy in Daniel 11:40 that the king described in Daniel 11:36-39 will wage attacks against countries and conquer them.
Here in Daniel 11:42 the angel tells Daniel that many countries will fall to this king including Egypt whereas in Daniel 11:40 he simply says that this king will wage attacks against countries so that he will overflow, yes, pass through like a flood.
There is no mention of Egypt being conquered by this king until Daniel 11:42.
“He will stretch out his hand” is composed of the verb šā·lǎḥ (שָׁלַח) (shaw-lakh´), “he will stretch out” which is followed by the noun yāḏ (יָד) (yawd), “power” which is modified by the third person masculine singular pronominal suffix –hû (־הוּ) (who), “his.”
The verb šā·lǎḥ literally means “to stretch out” but figuratively it means “to exercise” since it pertains to bringing military power to bear on an enemy.
Here it refers to the wicked king described in Daniel 11:36-39 exercising his military power against other countries in the Middle East.
The noun yāḏ literally means “hand” but is used in a figurative sense meaning “power” since it refers to the military power of the armies led by the king described in Daniel 11:36-39.
It is modified by the third person masculine singular pronominal suffix –hû, which means “his” referring of course to this king.
Therefore, this expression indicates that the king described in Daniel 11:36-39 will exercise “his power” against countries.
“Against other countries” is composed of the preposition bĕ (בְּ) (beh) “against” and its object is the noun ʾě·rěṣ (אֶרֶץ) (eh´-rets), “countries.”
The plural form of the noun ʾě·rěṣ means “lands, countries” in a territorial sense referring to large areas of the earth where distinct cultures and kingdoms reside.
The word is the object of the preposition bĕ which means “against” since in this context it is functioning as a marker of opposition indicating that the king described in Daniel 11:36-39 will exercise his military power “against” countries.
“And the land of Egypt will not escape” indicates that the Egyptian people will by no means be able to escape the military power of this wicked king.
By way of review, we noted that Daniel 11:40 marked a transition from the angel’s description of the character and actions of the king described in Daniel 11:36-39 to a description of this king’s actions during the final three and a half years of the seventieth week.
So 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.
This is indicated by the expression “the end time” which refers to the last three and a half years of the seventieth week.
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.
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.
Next, in Daniel 11:41, the elect angel of God advances upon and intensifies the 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.
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.
Now, here in Daniel 11:42, the angel issues another prophetic statement, revealing to Daniel that this wicked king described in Daniel 11:36-39 will exercise his power against countries with the Egyptian people by no means being able to escape this military might of this wicked king.
The angel reiterates in Daniel 11:42 the prophecy in Daniel 11:40 that the king described in Daniel 11:36-39 will wage attacks against countries and conquer them.
Therefore, Daniel 11:42 is a prophecy of the Antichrist conquering other nations with the exercise of his military power during the last three and a half years of the seventieth week after he desecrates the temple in Jerusalem by deifying himself.
The countries mentioned in Daniel 11:41-42 appear to be Libya and Ethiopia as indicated by the angel’s prophetic statements in Daniel 11:43 since these nations are said to capitulate to the Antichrist.
If you recall, Daniel 11:40 teaches that Egypt (“the king ruling the south”) will attack the Antichrist during the last three and a half years of the seventieth week in response to the Antichrist deifying himself and demanding that the entire world worship him.
Here in Daniel 11:42, the angel reveals that this attack by Egypt will fail since they are said to be conquered by the Antichrist.
Genesis 10:6 records that “Mizraim” was the second son of Ham and was the ancestor of the ancient Egyptians as indicated in that his name was the customary name for Egypt in the Bible.
The Egyptians were not descendants of Ham’s son, Canaan but rather of his son Mizraim and thus they were not Canaanites.
Genesis 10:13-14 records the genealogy of the sons of “Mizraim” better known as Egypt.
Today Egypt is officially known as the Arab Republic of Egypt.
It is a transcontinental country meaning it extends from the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula.
Its territory is 390,000 square miles long and most of it lies within the Nile Valley of North Africa and is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north with the Gaza strip and Israel to the northeast of it.
The Gulf of Aqaba is to the east and the Red Sea is to the east and south while Sudan is south of her and Libya to her west.
The nation of Egypt today has a total population of 86 million people.
It is one of the most populous nations in the Middle East.
Most of the people of Egypt live near the banks of the Nile River which is about 15,000 square miles.
Large regions of the Sahara Desert constitute most of Egypt’s territory and this is sparsely inhabited.