In my over forty-five years of
being a minister of the word of God, I have never presented a study
of Daniel 11. It is not one of the easier chapters of the Bible to
read. And without a study of history, one is at a loss as to what
the prophet was speaking of. But having read the writings of several
others on this chapter and having studied some historical resources
for myself, I believe I can make a fair case for what is set forth in
this chapter. If you will but take the time and thoughtfully
consider what I say, you will find Daniel 11 one of the most
fascinating portions of Holy Writ. This chapter contains abundant
confirmation that God is, and that the Book we call the Holy Bible is
His word. Or, to put it in the words of Francis Schaeffer, you will
discover that “God is there, and He is not silent.”
Now the prophecy recorded in
Daniel 11 was given to Daniel for the purpose of informing him of
what would befall his people, the Jews, in the latter days. That
this was the purpose of the prophecy was made quite clear by the
angel that announced it to him.
Daniel 10:14 Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.For a period of three weeks Daniel had been chastening himself and praying before God for understanding.
Daniel 10:2 In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks.
3 I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.
At the end of these three
weeks, an angel came to Daniel to impart the sought after
understanding.
Daniel 10:10 And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands.
11 And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling.
12 Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.
Daniel’s
experience sets before us a good example. Daniel truly wanted to
understand the word of God. He knew that this sought after
understanding comes from God and, therefore, he turned to
God for it. And he so wanted this
understanding that he was willing to deny himself in the pursuit of
it. Oh, that we were all
that earnest about understanding the truth of God!
Again, the purpose of Daniel
11 was to inform him of “what shall befall thy people in the latter
days.” The latter days of the Jewish people began with the
restoration of Israel from the Babylonian captivity, which occurred
around 536 B.C. and ended at the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.
Therefore, this prophecy of Daniel 11 and that of Daniel 12 encompass
some 600 years of history. It outlines for us what transpired in
Israel between the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the
New Testament.
The prophets who prophesied
before the restoration of the Jews from the Babylonian captivity were
called “the former prophets.” The prophet Zechariah reminds the
people of how their fathers had refused to hear the cry of “the
former prophets” and, therefore, God’s wrath came upon them.
Zechariah 1:4 Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the LORD.
5 Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever?
6 But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the LORD of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us.
Zechariah 7:7 Should ye not hear the words which the LORD hath cried by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, and the cities thereof round about her, when men inhabited the south and the plain?
Zechariah 7:12 Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts.
God’s “great wrath”
coming upon this people resulted in their being turned over to the
Babylonians who destroyed their capital city of Jerusalem and their
temple, and took them captive. But after their captivity there arose
prophets of “the latter days,” prophets such as Daniel, Haggai,
Zechariah, and Malachi. These prophets called them to restore their
city and temple, and also prophesied to them of “the latter days”
of their history.
So now we have an idea of
where we are headed as we consider this great prophecy. We will be
looking at the kings and events that had a bearing on Daniel’s
people from the time of their restoration to the land until their
destruction and expulsion from the land in 70 A.D.
In conclusion, it bears
pointing out that the Bible recounts the history of men and nations
as it bears on His church and people. And such is the case with
Daniel 11. God’s eye is upon His own. He moves all men and nations
with a view to His dealing with His people. And it is been thus from
the beginning and will be so to the last tick of time.
Deuteronomy 32:7 Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will shew thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee.
8 When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.
9 For the LORD'S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.
