Daniel 11
Xerxes and Alexander the Great
“In the first year of Darius the Mede’s reign, I became a strength and refuge for him. And now I’ll tell you the truth. Three more Persian kings will arise, then a fourth [Xerxes] will become even wealthier than the others. As soon as his wealth makes him strong, he will arouse the whole empire against Greece. A strong and powerful emperor will arise and do whatever he wants [Alexander the Great]. But shortly after coming to power, his empire will be broken up and divided out toward the four spirits of the heavens. But his empire won’t be divided among his own descendants or dominion—it will be uprooted and given to others.
Ptolemy of Egypt
“Then the southern emperor [Ptolemy I of Egypt] will grow strong, but one of his princes [Seleucus] will grow even stronger and take his authority. His empire will be massive. After a while they will form an alliance and the daughter of the southern emperor [Berenice] will marry the northern emperor [Antiochus II] to establish equality. But she won’t retain her position of power, and neither will he. She’ll be given away along with the ones who ushered her in, the one who conceived her, and the one who strengthened her during those times. But one of her relatives [Ptolemy III] will arise in his place and challenge their army. He’ll invade the northern emperor’s fortress and deal with them, showing his mighty strength. He’ll take their metal gods and precious silver and gold artifacts to Egypt. He’ll refrain from attacking the northern emperor for a period of time, but then the northern emperor will invade the southern empire, then return to his own empire.
“His sons [Seleucus III and Antiochus III] will assemble many powerful armies, and one of them will sweep through and wage war all the way up to the boundaries of his own fortress. Enraged, the southern emperor will go attack the northern emperor with a huge army, but that army will be handed over to the northern emperor. After enduring the attack, his heart will be lifted up, and he’ll cause ten thousand to fall, yet he won’t prevail [Antiochus III defeated at the battle of Raphia]. The northern emperor will build an even bigger army than before and after some time he’ll return with even better equipment.
North and south wage war in Israel
“In those times, many will stand against the southern emperor. Your country’s violent people will rise up in order to fulfill the vision, but they will totter. Then the northern emperor will come, build a siege ramp, and capture a fortified city. Even the best troops in the southern forces won’t be able to stand their ground. The one who opposes him will do whatever he wants and no one will be able to withstand him. He’ll stay in the Beautiful Land [Israel] for a time wielding destruction. He’ll set his face to come with the power of his entire empire. He’ll enact a pleasing proposal and give him a woman’s daughter [Cleopatra, but not the famous one] to ruin it, but she won’t take a stand for him or be on his side. Then he’ll turn to the coastlands and capture many [Antiochus III and Hannibal]. But a commander [Roman General, Lucius Cornelius Scipio] will put a stop to his contempt and pay him back for his contempt. So then he’ll [Antiochus III] try to return to the fortress in his own land, but he will stumble and fall, never to be seen again.
Antiochus Epiphanes foreshadows the Antichrist
“Then in his place, someone [Seleucus III] will arise who will send a tyrant through the his empire’s crown jewel [Israel], even though he’ll end up getting crushed within a few days, (but he won’t get crushed in battle or out of anger). Someone despicable will arise [Antiochus Ephiphanes / Antiochus IV] in his place other than the king. He will come during a time of prosperity and seize the empire with his smooth-talk. The forces will flow out in front of him and be crushed along with the overseer of the alliance. After forming an alliance, he will practice deception, and he will go out and prove his might with just a small force of people. During a period of peace he will visit the richest parts of the empire and do what his fathers and ancestors never did: he will distribute plunder, riches, and possessions among them. He’ll also devise strategies against strongholds, but only for a time. He’ll stir up his strength and appetite against the southern emperor with a huge army. The southern emperor will deploy an even larger army for war but won’t stand because of the strategies used against him. The people who eat his best foods will end up crushing him. His army will abound, yet many will fall dead. Both the northern and southern emperors will have malicious hearts and tell each other lies at the same table. But neither of their lies will help them, because the end will still come at the appointed time. Then he’ll return to his empire with a lot of loot, but his heart will be set against God’s sacred alliance, so he’ll take action and then return to his own empire.
Antiochus Epiphanes takes out his rage on Israel, and erects an idol
“At the appointed time he [Antiochus Epiphanes] will return to the south, but this time it won’t turn out the way it did before, because Mediterranean ships will mobilize against him. Disheartened and enraged, he will turn back and take action against the sacred alliance. He’ll come back and distinguish whoever abandons the sacred alliance. His forces will arise, desecrate the sanctuary refuge, remove the continuity, and set up the appalling abomination [a statue of Zeus]. He’ll use his smooth-talk to defile those who condemn the alliance, but the people who know their God will be strong and take action. The wise people will share their understanding with everyone, yet they will fall to swords, fire, captivity, and plundering for an extended period of time. When they fall, they’ll receive a little help, and many will offer them support with their smooth-talk. Some of the insightful people will fall in order to refine, purge, and purify them until the end time. It’s still coming at the appointed time.
Antichrist will disrespect God
“Then the emperor [Antichrist] will do whatever he wants, exalting and magnifying himself above all other gods. He’ll say extraordinary things against God, and he’ll continue to prosper until the anger is completed. Everything that has been predetermined will come to pass. He’ll disregard the his predecessors’ gods, the desire of women [maybe meaning Jesus], and all other gods, because he’ll magnify himself above all of them. Instead, he will honor a god of fortresses who his ancestors didn’t know. He will honor that god with gold, silver, precious stones, and other valuables. He’ll take action against the stronghold with the help of a foreign god. He will greatly honor whoever respects him, giving those people dominion over the people and parceling out land as their reward.
Antichrist will wreak havoc but eventually meet his end
“During the end time the southern emperor [maybe Egypt?] will attack him, and the northern emperor [maybe Russia?] will storm against him with chariots, horsemen, and many ships. He will invade other countries, surging through them, also invading the Beautiful Land [Israel]. He’ll cause many countries to fall, but these will be withheld from him: Edom, Moab, and Ammon’s most prominent descendants. Then he’ll stretch out his hand against other countries including Egypt. He’ll seize Egypt’s secret valuables including their silver and gold. Libyans and Ethiopians will follow. But rumors from the East [China?] and North [Russia] will alarm him, and he’ll angrily advance and annihilate many. He will set up his royal palace between the seas and the beautiful sacred mountain, yet he’ll come to his end and nothing will be able to help him.