Daniel 11
Prophecy: Kings of the North and the South
The Syrian wars
Ptolemy I Soter - Seleucus I Nicator
Daniel 11:5
How great is your God?
In 1 Corinthians 1:18 we read that "the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God". How could somebody consider "foolish" something that comes from God? In the same chapter the apostle Paul describes two kinds of people, the "Greek" (meaning also all the Gentiles, who didn't know the God of Israel and whose worldview was the paganism of the Greeks and Romans) and the "Jew", or believer in Judaism. We can also understand them as the "mainstream" or "average" Greek or Jew; not all Greeks neither all Jews were wired that way, just the ones that went with the stream. He says that the Greeks wanted to hear wisdom and the Jews wanted to see signs, but that Christ crucified was not wisdom or a sign to many of them (that's why the message of the cross was considered by them as "foolish") The apostle replies that this "foolishness" of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the "weakness of God" is stronger than human strength.
In order to not get the wrong end of the stick, we have to clearly understand what Paul says. There is no foolishness in the Almighty, nor weakness either. It is we who preach in weakness. And our message could be received as foolishness, but not because people want to hear wisdom or to see signs; there is nothing wrong in desiring wisdom or seeking a sign from God. The Bible encourages both things. The sin Paul was talking about is to not allow Christ's message to enter in our criterion of "wisdom" or "signs". The Bible says that Jesus has been made God's wisdom for us, and that His resurrection is God's sign to confirm Him as the One He says He is. If we are the ones who decide what wisdom is or what a divine sign is, then we have taken the place of God.
The major part of Daniel 11 (verses 5 to the end) has been misinterpreted by many because of their state of mind, to take the place of God themselves. The Bible was inspired by the Spirit of God, so if we miss something about its message, it's God we have to ask for revelation, not human sources. Men can be atheist or religious. The religious ones can be right or wrong; the atheists are mostly wrong, because you don't learn mathematics without a previous belief in the existence of quantities or shapes. An atheist saying something right about God is like a broken watch, that gives the correct time twice a day one minute each, but is wrong 23 hours and 58 minutes.
Many of the religious people who are wrong have sought understanding of the Scriptures from atheists, anti-Christian or antisemitic sources. You don't learn the Bible from a North Korean convinced Communist or a terrorist from Hamas. However, there are some interpretations going that way. You can read about some of them in the messages corresponding to Daniel 2:39-40; Daniel 5:22-23 and Daniel 8:15-19, among others.
In order to correctly understand Daniel's prophecy in chapter 11 we have to believe in God, the Holy Spirit, and in the spiritual gifts He gives us. 1 Corinthians 12:7-10 says:
"Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues"
Through the Holy Spirit I've seen all of these gifts operating in the church. If you're an Evangelical Christian like me, there is no brainier to receive a prophecy as what it is, even a supernaturally revealed truth about the future that God shows us. When you believe in the gifts of healing, you pray for the sick ones; when you believe in miraculous powers, you perform miracles; and when you believe in the gift of prophecy, you do prophesy. That's why we take prophecies seriously, it doesn't matter if they come from Moses or Isaiah, king David or Daniel, Paul, Peter or John. If we ignore the prophetical quality of the Scriptures then we can hardly receive salvation, because the whole issue and the identity of Our Lord Jesus Christ as Israel's Messiah and the Savior of mankind is a revelation based on prophecies of the OT.
Sadly, the interpretation of Daniel 11 is darkened by atheists who doubt that such a revelation can be possible, and their lies have become orthodoxy for many. It is our prayer that the Word of God and the revelation we have received from Him find their right place in every heart. The truth shall set us free, but lies keep us in bondage.
How can we know the truth? To begin with, this is Daniel 11:5 in the NIV:
"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"
The original Hebrew text of this verse is:
ויחזק מלך הנגב ומן שריו ויחזק עליו ומשל ממשל רב ממשלתו
And this is the pronunciation:
"Veyexezák mélex hanégev, umin-saráv veyexezák aláv, umashál mimshál rav mimshaltó"
The New International Version has a perfect and literal translation for the Hebrew original of Daniel 11:5. The "kings of the South and the North", which appear in the prophecies of this chapter from this verse to the end, are mentioned in a long and mysterious prophecy which arises some questions:
- North and South of what?
- Are the kings of the north and the south two persons only? or...
- Are those names representing different kings of the north and the south in every verse? or...
- Are "king of the south and king of the north" to be interpreted by verse/group of verses according to the fulfillment of the prophecy?
- Is the prophecy only about the Syrian wars (between Alexander's successors) or is there something more in it?
- How does the prophecy connects with the previous one and the coming chapter 12, evidently an apocalyptic prophecy, a last-times one?
1. The North and South in this prophecy are determined by the context. In verses 3-4, that we have treated in the previous message, we saw that the prophecy deals with four kingdoms that came from the division of Alexander's huge conquered territory. Then the continuation should be about two of these kingdoms. Their location shows us only one southern kingdom - the Ptolemaic Egypt, which included Libya - and three northern ones, being the Seleucid Empire the one which is north of Egypt and connected to it (the Mediterranean Sea separates the other two kingdoms from Egypt) Besides, these prophecies from Daniel 11:5-35 are already fulfilled, and their fulfillment is called "the Syrian Wars". There were six wars between the kings of the Seleucid Empire and the Ptolemaic Egypt, for the control of Syria and Israel. As Daniel 10:14 made clear, the whole end of this prophecy is "to explain to you [Daniel] what will happen to your people [Israel, Daniel's people] in the future". And Israel is precisely between these two kingdoms. So the whole evidence points to the Seleucid Empire and the Ptolemaic Egypt, north and south of Israel.
2. We can easily dismiss the idea of two kings, because the prophecy deals with some kings who die and with their successors, and all of them are called "king of the south" and "king of the north". So the term becomes a denomination for the Seleucid kings ("king of the north") and the Egyptian ones ("king of the south") They are the ones who fulfill the prophecy until verse 35 (from verse 36 to the end, there is a change that we'll take in time, if the Lord allows)
3. The transition from a king to another doesn't occur in every verse. Sometimes a king appears only in one verse, other times in a passage including several verses (as the kings of the north in Daniel 11:10-19 and Daniel 11:21-35)
4. Because Daniel 11:5-35 is already fulfilled prophecy, history itself has made the division clear to us. The kings and queens of the Seleucid Empire and the Ptolemaic Egypt that appear in this prophecy are:
Ptolemy I Soter (south) and Seleucus I Nicator (north) - Dn 11:5
(Southern kings were called "Ptolemy"; the northern ones, "Antiochus" or "Seleucus"; that's why we talk about "Ptolemaic" Egypt, where the well-known queen Cleopatra comes from, and "Seleucid" Empire, where several cities are named "Antiochia", two of them appearing in the Bible)
Ptolemy II Philadelphus, Berenice Syra, Antiochus II Theos - Dn 11:6
Ptolemy III Euergetes and Seleucus II Callinicus - Dn 11:7-9
Antiochus III the Great and Seleucus III Ceraunus - Dn 11:10
Antiochus III the Great and Ptolemy IV Philopator - Dn 11:11-12
Antiochus III the Great, Cleopatra I, Ptolemy V Epiphanes - Dn 11:13-17
Antiochus III the Great and Scipius Asiaticus - Dn 11:18-19
(Scipius is the Roman "commander" of verse 18. Cleopatra I, Ptolemy's wife, is not the well-known queen that lost Egypt to the Romans; she lived 200 years later. However, she comes from the same Ptolemaic line, and is called Cleopatra VII - which shows us how many queens in Egypt have that name)
Seleucus IV Philopator, Heliodorus (the "tax collector") - Dn 11:20
Antiochus IV Epiphanes - Daniel 11:21
Antiochus IV Epiphanes, Onias III, Jason (High Priests) - Daniel 11:22-24
Antiochus IV Epiphanes, Ptolemy VI Philometor - Daniel 11:25-28
Antiochus IV Epiphanes, Popilius Caenas (Roman) - Daniel 11:29-30
(the "ships of the western coast lands" are the Romans)
Antiochus IV Epiphanes - Daniel 11:31-35
5. As we see, Antiochus IV's life is prophesied until v. 35. Atheist interpretations assume that the whole chapter - and the 12th that follows - are about him. But the whole idea is contradictory in itself, because it considers in the first place that the prophecy is written after the events (as a fake prophecy) and then adscribes things to Antiochus IV that he didn't do, which would be impossible if the writer would have been a so well informed one about the Seleucid and Ptolemaic dynasties, and also about the history of the Syrian Wars. There is another person from another age prophesied from v. 36, and the "king of the south" and "king of the north" change their meaning from here, because in the new age there is no Seleucid of Ptolemaic Empire.
6. In Daniel 12 we find some events which have never been fulfilled, as the resurrection of the believers of the Old Testament, the total restoration of Israel - meaning the end of the "times of the Gentiles" and the erection of the third temple - and more last-times events. The connection of this apocalyptic prophecy with chapter 11 would make no sense if the person at the end of that chapter were Antiochus IV. But because he is not, we urge you to keep reading until we reach those verses.
The kings, queens and relevant officials in these prophecies (vv. 5-35) show us the interaction between the Seleucid Empire, Israel, the Ptolemaic Egypt and Rome, for more than 150 years. The revelations on this chapter of the book of Daniel changed my focus from the musical ministry in the church to the prophetical one, as Psalm 39 together with Romans 8 had made a deep impact in my spirit the first time a read the Bible after my conversion, or Ezekiel 37 after the baptism in the Spirit. There are milestones in the history of nations, and there are milestones in our lives also, especially in our spiritual life beginning with the knowledge of Our Lord Jesus Christ. I do hope that this revelation may give to everyone reading this message the insight about the prophetical gift in Daniel and, through him, about the Omniscience of Our Almighty God who revealed these things to him.
The verse of the beginning, Daniel 11:5, is about two commanders of Alexander, Ptolemy I Soter and Seleucus I Nicator, which are the founders of the dynasties of the "south" and the "north" respectively. They were both among the Diadochi (Alexander's successors) and their descendants would reign for almost 300 years until Rome finally conquered all of the Greek kingdoms that originated from Alexander's Empire.
The prophecy about them is: "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"
How did Seleucus I became a commander under Ptolemy I, and then became stronger than he and ruled his own kingdom (the Seleucid Empire)?
After the death of Alexander 323 BC, Ptolemy I declared himself a satrap in Egypt, and in 305 BC he took the title of king of Egypt (Pharao) after he had defeated those who contested him. It was in his period as a satrap that Seleucus I sought refuge in Egypt. Seleucus had gained the satrapy of Babylonia (321 BC) but had to flee to Egypt 316 BC because he was ousted by Antigonus I Monophthalmus, who unsuccessfully tried to keep the Asian territory under his rule. In 311 BC Seleucus marched against him with Ptolemy's help, and he entered Babylon. After some attempts from Antigonus, in 309 BC the Battle of the 25 Abu gave Seleucus the final victory. The Seleucid Empire which Seleucus founded was even greater and stronger than Ptolemy's satrapy at the time.
When we observe the names of Ptolemy I Soter ("Ptolemy the Savior") and Seleucus I Nicator ("Seleucus the Victor") we can notice a feature that would characterize both dynasties, the apotheosis (divinezation, deification) of their kings - both Seleucids and Ptolemaic ones. The Hellenization of the conquered territories (meaning the spread of Greek culture and in some degree, Greek religion and language, often through coercion) depended on absolute obedience to the Greek "divine" kings and their courts, a very small Greek nobility in huge territories populated by peoples with another ancestral cultures and languages. However, the Jews in Israel were not particularly persecuted by them at the beginning; they were rather treated with flexibility by most Greek rulers. It would change with the ascension to power of Antiochus IV Epiphanes (talking about apotheosis, it means "Antiochus the Manifested God"... no comments needed)
The sons of Ptolemy I Soter and Seleucus I Nicator are Ptolemy II Philadelphus and Antiochus I Soter respectively (this last one doesn't appear in the prophecy) They fought the First Syrian War, which ended 271 BC and where the Ptolemaic Egypt won Israel and great territories in Syria and Cilicia (the southern territory of nowadays Turkey) The Second and Third Syrian Wars are the fulfillment of the prophecy in the next verse. Keep reading!
There are at least three kinds of prophecies that we can find in the Bible, if we consider them regarding God's will vs. our will. The first ones are called "promises" - often after a commandment, if we obey it. The second ones can be called "warnings", about the consequences for us if we disobey God's commandments. The third ones are what we call just "prophecy", the absolute prophecy about something God will do if we want and if we don't, if we behave or if we don't. It is in this third category that we find the prophecies about the coming of the Messiah and the final salvation of Israel.
Daniel's prophecies for Israel and the church are mostly of the third kind. For us who have received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, they are vindication and security about our eternal life. But for those who don't know God, they are judgment and warning of eternal punishment. As God told king Belshazzar that he was "counted, weighed and divided", He also destined to pass those empires (Seleucid and Ptolemaic) even the Roman Empire that defeated and conquered them, and destined Israel to remain on eternity.
If you have received Jesus but you don't obey Him, He calls you to repent and do the things you did at first. God cannot be mocked, and a man reaps what he sows. Men can be deceived, but God sees into your heart and He knows your conversion or lack of it, your commitment or lack of it, your faith or lack of it.
If you have not yet received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, don't wait any longer! He wants to come to your life and make you whole. He wants you to be victorious and living by faith. Everything that does not come from faith is sin. All you have to do is to ask Him for forgiveness and to receive Him as your Lord and Savior. He'll do the rest!
In the love of Jesus, your brother
Israel Leonard
PS. Jesus is coming soon!
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