Face Like Lightening

 Daniel 10-11:39

Welcome! Today we continue our series on the Book of Daniel, looking at Chapter 10 and portions of Chapter 11. Two weeks ago we looked at Chapter 9, but did not study the last several verses. I have decided to put these verses off one more week, and we will look at them together with the end of the book of Daniel, because they have more in common thematically with this part of the book than with what we will look at today. We have a huge amount of verses to look at, so let us jump right in.

In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a revelation was given to Daniel (who was called Belteshazzar). Its message was true and it concerned a great war. The understanding of the message came to him in a vision. At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over. – Daniel 10:1-3

Throughout the book of Daniel we have seen how Daniel is a man of great character, a man who loves God, a man of prayer, and a man God raised up to influence kings. In addition, God chose to use Daniel as a prophet; again and again God gave him visions, and told him the meaning of these visions. Some were for the kings Daniel had influence over, and some described events in the distant future. Here, Daniel, now an old man, once again receives a vision from God. This vision involved a great war, or long-lasting war, and it was deeply distressing to Daniel. Not knowing what to make of it, Daniel did what he had done in the past, he prayed and fasted. And again he mourned. As we saw in Daniel 9, he mourned on behalf of his people, whom he knew God had punished with exile as a result of their centuries of defiance and disobedience. In Daniel 9, in a similar situation, Daniel was almost immediately given the answer to his questions by an angel. But this time there is no response for 3 weeks. But then,

On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris, I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of the finest gold around his waist. His body was like chrysolite, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude. – Daniel 10:4-6

This description is very similar to that in Revelations 1 of Christ, nearly identical. Was this an angel, or the pre-incarnate Christ? I don’t know, but there is no question that the similarly described person in Revelations 1 is Christ. Regardless, the man is terrifying in his holiness, his might, his purity.

I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; the men with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves. So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground. – Daniel 10:7-9

Daniel is overcome, as would you and I be if we saw this in person, as was John in Revelations 1, when he “fell at his feet as though dead.” This also reminds me of Paul’s post-resurrection encounter of Christ on the Damascus road. There too his friends knew something was going on, but only Paul saw the “light from heaven,”and there too Paul was undone, turning at once from hatred to love and faith in Jesus.

A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. He said, “Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling. – Daniel 10:10-11

I love how Daniel is addressed: You who are highly esteemed, you who are greatly loved, you who are completely cherished. All are valid translations. And he calls Daniel to stand, and somehow, knees quaking, Daniel does.

Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.” – Daniel 10:12-14

Here we see this fascinating glimpse into the reality of the war in the heavens. I am reminded of Ephesians 6, which tells us that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers (or princes), against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world (apparently including such powers concentrated in various areas or regions or kingdoms) and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” This is reality, whether we want to face it or not. When evil leaders reign, when evil governments go to war or expand, there are demonic forces behind the scenes, affecting us but also affecting heaven. And this war will continue until the end of the end, the events at the end of the book of Revelation.

While he was saying this to me, I bowed with my face toward the ground and was speechless. Then one who looked like a man touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and began to speak. I said to the one standing before me, “I am overcome with anguish because of the vision, my lord, and I am helpless. How can I, your servant, talk with you, my lord? My strength is gone and I can hardly breathe.” – Daniel 10:15-17

Again the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength. “Do not be afraid, O man highly esteemed,” he said. “Peace! Be strong now; be strong.” When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Speak, my lord, since you have given me strength.” – Daniel 10:18-19

Again, the same greeting, O man highly esteemed, greatly loved, completely cherished. Do you know that God sees you the same way? He died for you! He gave you His Holy Spirit! He desires to strengthen you in your inmost being.

So he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece will come; but first I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. (No one supports me against them except Michael, your prince. And in the first year of Darius the Mede, I took my stand to support and protect him.) - Daniel 10:20-11:1

God’s love for humanity is amazing. The Bible calls us lower than the angels, but God uses them in war for us. And of course He sacrifices His very son for us. He holds nothing back for us. And here He sends this messenger, whoever or whatever he is, to explain the meaning of the vision to Daniel, enduring three weeks of unimaginable battle to do so. But it is not just for Daniel. It is for us. This incredibly detailed prophecy we see in Daniel 11 should encourage us to have faith in God, that He is real, and sovereign, and that we can trust Him that the story will ultimately have a happy ending just as He promises. But as we are about to see, it is a dark road to that day.

“Now then, I tell you the truth: Three more kings will appear in Persia, and then a fourth, who will be far richer than all the others. When he has gained power by his wealth, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece. Then a mighty king will appear, who will rule with great power and do as he pleases. After he has appeared, his empire will be broken up and parceled out toward the four winds of heaven. It will not go to his descendants, nor will it have the power he exercised, because his empire will be uprooted and given to others. – Daniel 11:2-4

So what does this refer to? All prophecies are a challenge to understand, even when the events described have occurred in the past. I am going to give you my best understanding of what Daniel 11 refers to. I will say that, through the last century or two there have been many critics of the book of Daniel who say that it couldn’t have possibly been written when it presents itself to have been written, because of all the details in the prophecies, especially Daniel 11, that have come true. They have no shred of evidence beyond the fact that prophecies have come true. What I take from this is that there must be portions of this prophecy, anyway, that must line up remarkably with history, even so-called secular history.

By the way, another book that the critics were especially against in the past was Isaiah. But a complete copy of the scroll of Isaiah was found in the Qumran caves that secular scientists date to before the time of Christ. And so the prophecies fulfilled by Christ in Isaiah cannot possibly be explained away as being written after Christ. Maybe someday we will find a copy of Daniel that similarly exonerates this book.

Anyway, the next king of Persia was Cambyses, son of Cyrus,who ruled from 530 to 522 BC. Following him was Bardiya, also known as the False Smerdis, or Pseudo-Smerdis, because he was a usurper to the throne, lasting no more than a year (522 BC). He had a remarkable physical resemblance to Cambyses and exploited this to gain power. After this was Darius Hystaspes (522-486 BC) and then Xerxes (486-465 BC), also known as Ahasuerus. Ahasuerusis the king mentioned in the Book of Esther. He had far more power and reach than the three kings before him. Each of these kings talked about attacking Greece, and Hystaspes even made a small attack, but Xerxes decided to really do it. He spent four years gathering men and war supplies from throughout the empire for a huge military operation against Greece, just as this passage describes. His army against Greece had soldiers from 40 nations. This great force, perhaps 300,000 men, from accounts of that period, went together into two great battles in Greece, the battle of Salamis (480 BC) and the battle of Plataea (479 BC); both were total defeats for Persia. But they made Greece mad, and the Greeks didn’t forget the attacks.

Then came the “mighty king” who would “rule with great power and do as he pleases.” This refers to Alexander the Great, a Greek who conquered most of the civilized world with lightning speed finishing in 331 BC at age 33.(See map.)

What about Israel? Well, they had been allowed to return, and they rebuilt the temple and the city walls and the city of Jerusalem, and over time more and more of them came back to Israel. And these events are described in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. But while the Persian kings ruled, although they had some autonomy, they were still subject to the Persian kings good graces. And when Alexander conquered the Persians, Israel became subject to him.

Still a young man, but already having achieved his goals of world domination, he turned to wild and drunken living and soon died from this lifestyle. Prior to his death, his kingdom had essentially been divided into four regions each ruled by a general, and when he died, the empire completely split along these lines.(See map.) What about his children? There were three. One was a half-brother with mental retardation. One was an illegitimate son. And the third was born after Alexander died. All three were murdered. The kingdom did not go to them, but broke up and went to the four generals. Cassander took Macedonia, Lysimachus took Thrace and Asia Minor, Seleucus I (also called Nicator) took Syria, and Ptolemy I (also called Soter) took Egypt. The Seleucid Kingdom, centered in Syria, was north of Israel, and Ptolemaic Kingdom, centered in Egypt, was south of Israel. As we shall see, these two kingdoms continually tried to conquer each other. Because this prophecy is written from the perspective of Israel (which was caught in the middle), the leaders of these kingdoms were called the king of the North and the king of the South. Initially Israel was under the territory of Ptolemy (Egypt).

“The king of the South will become strong, but one of his commanders will become even stronger than he and will rule his own kingdom with great power. After some years, they will become allies. The daughter of the king of the South will go to the king of the North to make an alliance, but she will not retain her power, and he and his power will not last. In those days she will be handed over, together with her royal escort and her father and the one who supported her." – Daniel 11:5-6

Seleucus I Nicator was quickly driven south by Lysimachus and fled to Egypt, where he became a commander under Ptolemy I Soter. Ptolemy let him build a new army in Egypt and Seleucus used this army to regain his territory and even enlarge it, making himself king of the North. He considered also taking over Israel, but Ptolemy warned him against it, reminding him that without his help, he could never have regained his territory.

The “after some years” likely refers to the next generation of kings, King Ptolemy II “Philadelphia” of Egypt who ruled from 285 to 246 BC and King Antiochus II “Theos” of Syriawho ruled from 261 to 246 BC. For thousands of years, a common way of establishing peace between two kingdoms was through having one king give the other king his daughter in marriage. Apart from the symbolism of giving something incredibly precious to you to the other king, attacking the other kingdom was putting your own flesh and blood at risk. To establish peace, Ptolemy (king of the south) offered Antiochus his daughter, Berenice. Antiochus already had a wife, named Laodice. Although kings sometimes had multiple wives, the deal here was that Berenice had to be his only wife so as to show how precious she was to him. Antiochus therefore abruptly divorced Laodice and married Berenice, and after a while Berenice bore Antiochus a son, who now was heir to the throne. The only problem was that Antiochus really couldn’t stand Berenice, and when King Ptolemy died, Antiochus divorced Berenice and took back Laodice. But Laodice didn’t “forgive and forget.” She used her power to enlist others who also didn’t like the king to have Antiochus, Berenice, and Berenice’s child all murdered. Antiochus II was replaced by Seleucus II Callinicus who ruled from 246 to 225 BC.

“One from her family line will arise to take her place. He will attack the forces of the king of the North and enter his fortress; he will fight against them and be victorious. He will also seize their gods, their metal images and their valuable articles of silver and gold and carry them off to Egypt. For some years he will leave the king of the North alone. Then the king of the North will invade the realm of the king of the South but will retreat to his own country. His sons will prepare for war and assemble a great army, which will sweep on like an irresistible flood and carry the battle as far as his fortress." – Daniel 11:7-10

I realize this can be very confusing. The one from her (Berenice’s) family line is talking about her family line back in Egypt. This is her brother Ptolemy III Euergeteswho ruled from 246 to 221 BC. To avenge his sister’s death caused by Laodice, he attacked the north, invading Syria and taking his army all the way to Babylon and further. His navy controlled the entire eastern Mediterranean (including Israel).

In the year 242 BC, Seleucus II tried to attack Ptolemy III in Egypt but he was badly beaten, just as it says; retreated back to his own country. Now, Seleucus II had two sons. The first was Seleucus III Ceraunos, who reigned only from 225 BC to 223 BC and then was assassinated. The second was Antiochus III “The Great” who reigned from 223 to 187 BC. But both did in fact begin to assemble a powerfularmy, and they did in fact march into Egypt.

“Then the king of the South will march out in a rage and fight against the king of the North, who will raise a large army, but it will be defeated. When the army is carried off, the king of the South will be filled with pride and will slaughter many thousands, yet he will not remain triumphant. For the king of the North will muster another army, larger than the first; and after several years, he will advance with a huge army fully equipped. – Daniel 11:11-13

The King of the South at this time is Ptolemy IV, and the King of the South is still Antiochus III. The great battle described here is likely the Battle of Raphia, which took place in 217 BC. There were over 70,000 men on each side. Antiochus lost the battle, along with about 1/5 of his men, but Ptolemy did not press his advantage and allowed Antiochus III to regroup and rebuild. Then, just as it says, Antiochus III advanced again. At this time, the king of Egypt was Ptolemy V Epiphanes, a boy only 6 years old.

“In those times many will rise against the king of the South. The violent men among your own people will rebel in fulfillment of the vision, but without success. Then the king of the North will come and build up siege ramps and will capture a fortified city. The forces of the South will be powerless to resist; even their best troops will not have the strength to stand. The invader will do as he pleases; no one will be able to stand against him." – Daniel 11:14-16a

Now it is important to understand that although through all this time Egypt was a powerful nation, its leaders were never Egyptians. And at this time, after hundreds of years in which there was little internal conflict, and perhaps fueled by the hope of a weak king (the child Ptolemy V), internal rebellion began to happen in Egypt. In addition, the perceived weakness of the Ptolemaic kingdom encouraged Jewish zealots also to rebel. But as it says, they did not gain any real independence.

Then the king of the North, that is, Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid Kingdom took Israel from the king of the South, Ptolemy V Epiphanes of the Ptolemaic Kingdom in the Battle of Panias in 197 BC. The Ptolemaic kingdom was never able to recapture it.

He will establish himself in the Beautiful Land and will have the power to destroy it. He will determine to come with the might of his entire kingdom and will make an alliance with the king of the South. And he will give him a daughter in marriage in order to overthrow the kingdom, but his plans will not succeed or help him. Then he will turn his attention to the coastlands and will take many of them, but a commander will put an end to his insolence and will turn his insolence back upon him. – Daniel 11:16b-18

The “Beautiful Land” is a reference to Israel. The daughter given in marriage is Cleopatra I (not to be confused with Cleopatra VII, the “Anthony and Cleopatra” Cleopatra). When Ptolemy V died, Cleopatra didn’t give the kingdom over to her father back in Syria, but ruled Egypt herself until her son Ptolemy VI was old enough to rein. Meanwhile, just as the passage says, Antiochus III the Great stopped focusing on Egypt and instead took away many coastal cities on the Mediterranean from the Ptolemaic kingdom, further solidifying his reach into Israel. (See map.)

After this, he will turn back toward the fortresses of his own country but will stumble and fall, to be seen no more. “His successor will send out a tax collector to maintain the royal splendor. In a few years, however, he will be destroyed, yet not in anger or in battle. – Daniel 11:19-20

Still with me?Antiochus III moved up along the coast towards Greece and hit Rome. More precisely, Rome hit him, hard. Depressed, he went back home, and in a fit he tried to plunder his own temple. The people revolted and killed him. Antiochus III’s successor was Seleucus IV Philopater (187-175 BC) who sent Heliodorus to Jerusalem to collect, as it says in the non-canonical book 2 Maccabees chapter 3, “untold sums of money.” According to 2 Maccabees, Heliodorus was prevented from doing this by God himself as he sought to enter the Temple. Later, a plot rose against Seleucus IV and he was assassinated, that is, killed neither in anger nor in battle.

“He will be succeeded by a contemptible person who has not been given the honor of royalty. He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue. Then an overwhelming army will be swept away before him; both it and a prince of the covenant will be destroyed." – Daniel 11:21-22

Antiochus IV Epiphanes was not directly in line to succeed the killed Seleucus IV Philopater. Instead, the next king should have been Philopater’s son, Demetrius I. But when Seleucus IV died, Epiphanes worked with the Romans, who had been steadily growing in power everywhere, and took over the kingdom with their support. He ruled from 175 to 164 BC. Because the Romans sided with Antiochus IV Epiphanes, they also arrested Demetrius I and held him to ensure that he would not cause trouble with Epiphanes. But eventually, after Epiphanes died, Demetrius I escaped from Rome, returned to Antioch, where Antiochus V Eupatorwas ruling, although still a child. Eupator only ruled from 164 to 162 BC, and then Demetrius had Eupator and his guardian both killed.Demetrius ruled from 162 to 150 BC.

But this is getting ahead of the story. The king at this time is Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the first one out of all of these long lines of kings to be called contemptible, or evil.

Some interpret the “prince of the covenant will be destroyed” to refer to Jesus. But the timeline doesn’t seem to fit. Also, the terminology could simply refer to someone who has some leadership power and is Jewish. Many commentators think this could refer to a Jewish high priest named Onias III. Onias was high priest during the time of Epiphanes.

After coming to an agreement with him, he will act deceitfully, and with only a few people he will rise to power. When the richest provinces feel secure, he will invade them and will achieve what neither his fathers nor his forefathers did. He will distribute plunder, loot and wealth among his followers. He will plot the overthrow of fortresses—but only for a time. – Daniel 11:23-24

Epiphanes is truly treacherous. He builds up provinces, making them feel safe, then suddenly he invades them and takes from them whatever riches he desires. And when he plundered, he was brutal, killing excessively, for the enjoyment of it. Truly evil.People behind his back called him Epimanes, meaning madman.

“With a large army he will stir up his strength and courage against the king of the South. The king of the South will wage war with a large and very powerful army, but he will not be able to stand because of the plots devised against him. Those who eat from the king’s provisions will try to destroy him; his army will be swept away, and many will fall in battle." – Daniel 11:25-26

This refers to Epiphanes’first attack on Egypt. With the support of Rome, he was able to achieve victory in Egypt.

The two kings, with their hearts bent on evil, will sit at the same table and lie to each other, but to no avail, because an end will still come at the appointed time. The king of the North will return to his own country with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant. He will take action against it and then return to his own country. – Daniel 11:27-28

Epiphanes is successful in Egypt and the kings work out an agreement in which Egypt pays great sums of money to keep Epiphanes from destroying the leadership of Egypt. This is a tremendous victory, after hundreds of years of battles back and forth, Epiphanes has done something the kings before him had failed to do. But during this time, the Israelites chafed against his harsh rule and some rebelled. Epiphanes, coming back from Egypt, marched into Jerusalem and brutally squashed the rebellion before going back to Antioch, his base of operations.

“At the appointed time he will invade the South again, but this time the outcome will be different from what it was before. Ships of the western coastlands will oppose him, and he will lose heart. Then he will turn back and vent his fury against the holy covenant. He will return and show favor to those who forsake the holy covenant." – Daniel 11:29-30

This refers to second invasion of Egypt, in 169 BC. The ships of the western coastlands refers to Roman warships, who this time, sided with Egypt. The story is that the Roman ambassador, C. PopiliusLaenas, drew a circle around Antiochus in the dirt with his cane and demanded that Antiochus give his word to leave before stepping outside the circle. Humiliated but without any recourse, Antiochus agreed. We get the phrase “drawing a line in the sand” from this event.

Filled with anger, he started to head home, but again, the Jews rebelled in Israel. Looking for a vent for his anger, he brutally took it out on them. According to I Maccabees Chapter 1, “he arrogantly entered the sanctuary and took the golden altar, the lampstand for the lights, and all its utensils. He took also the table for the bread of the Presence, the cups for drink offerings, the bowls, the golden censors, the curtain, the crowns and the gold decoration on the front of the temple; he stripped it all off. He took the silver and the gold, and the costly vessels; he took also the hidden treasures which he found. Taking them all, he departed to his own land.”

“His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation. With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him." – Daniel 11:31-32

“Those who are wise will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered. When they fall, they will receive a little help, and many who are not sincere will join them. Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time." – Daniel 11:33-35

Again from I Maccabees 1: 'And the king sent letters by messengers to Jerusalem and the cities of Judah; he directed them to follow customs strange to the land, to forbid burnt offerings, and sacrifices and drink offering in the sanctuary, to profane Sabbaths and feasts, to defile the sanctuary and the priests, to build altars and sacred precincts and shrines for idols, to sacrifice swine and unclean animals, and to leave their sons uncircumcised. They were to make themselves abominable by everything unclean and profane, so that they should forget the law and change all the ordinances. "And whoever does not obey the command of the king shall die." . . . Now on the fifteenth day of Chislev, in the one hundred and forty-fifth year, they erected a desolating sacrilege upon the altar of burnt offering. They also built altars in the surrounding cities of Judah, and burned incense at the doors of the houses and in the streets. The books of the law which they found they tore to pieces and burned with fire. Where the book of the covenant was found in the possession of any one, or if any one adhered to the law, the decree of the king condemned him to death. They kept using violence against Israel, against those found month after month in the cities. And on the twenty-fifth day of the month they offered sacrifice [probably of swine] on the altar which was upon the altar of burnt offering. According to the decree, they put to death the women who had their children circumcised, and their families and those who circumcised them; and they hung the infants from their mother's necks. But many in Israel stood firm and were resolved in their hearts not to eat unclean food. They chose to die rather than to be defiled by food or to profane the holy covenant; and they did die. And very great wrath came upon Israel.'

“The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take place. He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the one desired by women, nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above them all." – Daniel 11:36-37

Instead of them, he will honor a god of fortresses; a god unknown to his fathers he will honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. He will attack the mightiest fortresses with the help of a foreign god and will greatly honor those who acknowledge him. He will make them rulers over many people and will distribute the land at a price.– Daniel 11:38-39

All of this is backed up by Maccabees. By the way, the coin in the background image is a picture of Epiphanes. The inscription on the right calls him “God Manifest.”

Now, I am going to save the end of Daniel 11, just as I saved the end of Daniel 9, for next week, when we wrap up our study of Daniel. Today though, as we wrap up, I just encourage you to think about the remarkable details of this prophecy, how all of it has come true. We can trust the Bible. We cannot always trust our interpretations, and we should not expect to be able to understand every detail of the Bible, especially when it comes to prophecies that have not yet come to pass, but we can trust the Bible to be true and accurate and miraculous. The Bible is true. God is real, and He is in control. God showed this to Daniel, and thereby to us, to build our faith and trust in Him.