Daniel 11:1-12:13
Key Verse: 12:13

"As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to
receive your allotted inheritance."

The book of Daniel is a progressive explanation of prophecies concerning the destiny of the kings and kingdoms
as centripetal elements which circulate around the Kingdom of God until the end times. Its plot and literature are
beyond comparison. We cannot deny that we feel as if we are flying in the Milky Way while reading the book of
Daniel. Chapter 2 is a general statement about kingdoms from the days of Daniel to the day of the coming of the
Messiah, and its main idea is repeated several times. Chapter 11 explains the necessity of the coming of the
Messiah. It is because fallen man's revengeful spirit and cruelty cannot save themselves. Fallen men only invade
other nations and destroy men and nations for the sake of their own survival and self-protection. Chapter 11
explains well how fallen men are crafty and cruel. But they are utterly helpless. For example, the kings of the
South and the North were originally of the same nation and both countries did their best to make a friendly
alliance. But despite their intentions, they keep on fighting. When people become evil they become like the Devil
because the Devil enters them. We can see in this chapter the Devil's activity. Men fight to live a better life.
But to each the end time comes.

I. God protects his people (1)

Look at verse 1. "And in the first year of Darius the Mede, I took my stand to support and protect him." This
verse tells us that God keeps his people even when they became like a prey to a ferocious lion or political
intrigue. Daniel chapter 11 mainly talks about the third empire, the Greek Empire, to explain the activity of the
Devil behind human struggles. As we studied in chapter 6, Daniel was in the palace in first place among the 3 prime
ministers, and under his command were 120 governors. Political struggle waged on the fact that the first prime
minister had the background of a POW and a Jew. It was inevitable. Naturally all the high officials were united as
one to eliminate Daniel, the first prime minister. Daniel was helpless. Daniel's only clout was faith in God
Almighty. When he depended on God in prayer God put the Spirit of God into King Darius and gave him spiritual
insight to see Daniel. King Darius was trapped by his own law, but he did not give up on Daniel. He was out to
save Daniel to the end. From the beginning, in the book of Daniel, Media and Persia were used by the Devil to
annihilate God-fearing people. In the Persian kingdom there were four dominant kings: Cyrus (559-530 B.C.),
Cambyses (530-522 B.C.), Darius Hystaspes (522-486 B.C.), and Xerxes (486-465 B.C.). Xerxes is the same king who is
mentioned in the book of Esther. When Daniel prayed dependingd on God, God miraculously saved him from the den of
lions and lionesses. In the time of Xerxes, the people of Israel once met a crisis of total annihilation by
power-hungry Haman (Es. 3:6). But the Spirit of God came upon King Xerxes and also God was with Esther. Mordecai,
Esther's uncle, did not sympathize with motherless Esther when she, by the providence of God, became a queen.
Rather, Mordecai persuaded Esther to risk her life to appeal to the king on account of the deadly situation of the
Jews. Finally, Esther said, "If I perish, I perish." (Es. 4:16) Through these two persons God saved the people of
Israel when they were at a most critical moment of their history. This story is told to remind us of God's grace to
his people.

II. The power struggle between the kings (2-35)

First, Alexander the Great died young (2-4). Kings are divinely privileged men, established by God to shepherd
God's children in the world. Therefore, they should do kingly duties. They should protect their people. They must
protect his nation. Most of all, each king should be a good influence to his people and give them a good example to
follow. But history proves that kings were nothing but fighting machines and in quality they were lecherous and
abusive. They were not at all shepherds of his flock, like King David. Many of them were so fearful, that they
depended on magic artists, even though they knew those witches were all professional liars. In light of history
many kings fought for the sake of fighting and for sadistic joy.

In verse 3, "a mighty king" refers to Alexander the Great. He defeated the mighty army forces of Persia. He
also invaded African countries and part of India. He conquered and controlled the kings of the world. But he could
not conquer himself or control his emotional feeling. So he died young from his exhaustion caused by excessive
fighting and immoral life, without an heir to succeed his kingship. As a result, the four generals--Antipater,
Lysimachus, Seleucus and Ptolemy--divided the Greek Empire into four parts and each ruled a part. They should have
lived in peace because they were brothers. But they kept on fighting. Alexander the Great reminds us of Proverbs
16:32, "Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city." A truly
great man is not one who invades, conquers and kills the people of other nations. A truly great man is one who is
disciplined to control his emotion and be kind to the gentle and the weak.

First, the kingdom of the South--Egypt (5-8). In this part, the kingdom of the South was Egypt, one of the four
parts of the Greek Empire after Alexander the Great. But there was a problem. Verse 5 says, "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." This verse indicates that the king of the South, Ptolemy I, was alarmed when he saw one of his
officers was born superior to anybody in the world and had the possibility of overtaking his throne. So Ptolemy I
made Seleucus Nicator a prince, even though he was nothing but an able man from the mundane world. Then the king
made him the king of Syria. In this way, Ptolemy I became king of Egypt, the kingdom of the South, and Seleucus
became king of Syria, the kingdom of the North. At first, by the help of King Ptolemy I, the king of the South,
Seleucus, the king of the North, grew and grew. So King Ptolemy I, the king of the South, and Seleucus, the king of
the North, became allies for the power balance and they were good friends.

Soon, Ptolemy I passed away, and Seleucus also passed away. After some years, a new king of the South, Ptolemy
II, realized that the kingdom of the North, now under Antiochus II, had become stronger than the kingdom of the
South. So Ptolemy II, the king of the South, who was like his father in compromising, gave his daughter, Berenice,
in marriage to Antiochus II to make a better alliance. After this, the king of the South, Ptolemy II, demanded
that Antiochus II, the king of the North, divorce his legal wife, Laodice, and dethrone her, and make his daughter
Berenice legal queen. The king of the North, Antiochus II, suppressed his romantic feeling and did so. The
Princess, Berenice, the daughter of Ptolemy II, had mysterious beauty. But she knew nothing about politics and
the world of necessary evil men. So she could not make a better alliance between the South and the North. What was
worse, her father, Ptolemy II, died. At this moment, the king of the North, Antiochus II, brought his legal wife,
Laodice, whom he loved so much and missed day and night, back to the royal palace. But Laodice was not an ordinary
woman. Laodice first murdered Berenice, the daughter of King Ptolemy II, and next she killed her husband,
Antiochus II, the king of the North, by making him drink poison. She also killed a prince born to her husband and
Berenice.

Ptolemy II was a king of Egypt and a very wise ruler. But his politics based on human relationships did not
work. Rather it brought tragedy on both kingdoms. Here we learn that good will does not work in the political
world. The good will policy of Ptolemy II only caused his daughter and son-in-law to be murdered tragically. As
long as Laodice, the Queen of the North, wanted to be a king instead of being a queen, tragedy was knocking at the
door. Human relationships do not last long. These kings or leaders must have their own principles and thought
world.

Ptolemy II was gone. Now the king of the South was Ptolemy III, brother of Berenice (246-221 B.C.) He attacked
Syria, the kingdom of the North, in retaliation for the murder of his sister, Berenice. Ptolemy III won the war.
After the war, Ptolemy III destroyed all the idols of Syria and took all the treasures in the palace. He also
completely devastated the fortress so that they might not get any lumber or wood to build homes. But this was not
the end of the war among brothers.

Second, the kings of the North--Syria (9-13). Seleucus I was gone. After several years, the king of the North,
Seleucus II, attempted to attack Egypt, but failed terribly (9). The king of the North, Seleucus II, died from
anger and distress after losing the war to the king of the South. After that, Seleucus III ruled (226-223 B.C.). He
attempted to retaliate for his father's death and attacked the South but failed because the king of the South,
Ptolemy IV, defeated 70,000 Syrian soldiers in the battle of Raphia near Egypt (217 B.C.). Ptolemy IV, the king of
the South, did not pursue the remnants of the defeated army of Syria to the end. When he saw the Syrian army flee
away like chickens, King Ptolemy IV became proud. He stopped fighting the war and began to enjoy wild parties.

Antiochus III, who barely survived in the war, came back to his capital city and mustered his Syrian army.
After fourteen years, Antiochus III returned with a great army force to fight against the king of the South, Egypt
(14). At that time the Jews were under the control of Egypt. So the Jews supported Antiochus III, the king of the
North, by the help of the apostate Jews. Antiochus defeated the king of the South, Ptolemy IV, and conquered
Palestine. (16) The Jews who collaborated with Antiochus III, the king of the North, were not liberated. They
were again enslaved by Antiochus III, the king of Syria. The people of Israel suffered endlessly, being situated
between the kingdom of the South and the kingdom of the North.

Antiochus III was too crafty. He won the war, but he was afraid of King Ptolemy IV and his army force. So he
devised a plan to make an alliance with the South. The family of Antiochus III grew many generations in the kingdom
of the North. Antiochus III was trained to be a man under many palace martial arts experts. But his inner man did
not grow at all. Antiochus III was as fearful as a little boy.

What was worse, though he received a royal palace education, he did not know "woman." He was like Napoleon
Bonaparte. In his smartness Antiochus III gave his daughter, Cleopatra, in a treacherous marriage alliance to
Ptolemy V, hoping through her to control Egypt. But she behaved differently toward her father the king after
marriage. She stood on her husband's side (18-19). Although her husband was but a boy, she loved him. They say
that Cleopatra was exceptionally beautiful and womanly to her husband. They were the Greek version of "Romeo and
Juliet." They say that if Cleopatra's nose had been a little flatter, world history would have been different.
Under the guise of friendship, Antiochus and Ptolemy vied with each other in treachery. When King Antiochus III saw
that his plan did not work, he began military conquest, making use of the military strategy of Alexander the
Great. King Antiochus III invaded Asia Minor and Greece. But something unfortunate happened. Roman army forces
were in his way. He was terribly defeated by the Roman army at Magnesia (190 B.C.). There the Devil went into him
and he played the role of antichrist. On returning from Egypt, Antiochus III attacked Jerusalem and slew 80,000
people and took 40,000 and sold another 40,000 Jews to slavery (29). When the Devil came into him he became a
different person. He became a devil and a representative antichrist. Again the king of the North attempted to
invade the kingdom of the South, Egypt. But at that time, the Roman fleet compelled him to retire. He vented his
anger on Jerusalem and desecrated the temple with the help of apostate Jews (32-35).

III. The image of antichrist (36-45)

This part tells us the characteristics of antichrist. Antiochus Epiphanes played the role of antichrist. He was
godless and ruthless. The destruction of Jerusalem (A.D. 70) by the Roman general Titus was another act of
antichrist. The papacy as a world power (6th to 18th centuries), could possibly be presented as the antichrist.
Mohammedan control of the holy land (7th to the 20th centuries), could be the rule of the antichrist. But the
characteristics of antichrist are well-revealed in verses 36-45. Antichrist first and last of all exalts and
magnifies himself above every god, even the Creator God. Man is born to glorify God and magnify his Son's grace.
But antichrist has no fear of God in his heart. He wants to exalt and magnify himself, even through newspaper
headlines by means of horrible evil-doing (36). They say that there had been many Jewish women who wanted to
deliver the Messiah. They were pious and holy women of God. They say that the antichrist annoyed these holy women
simply because they were holy.

There has been "Antichrist," singular. But these days they became "antichrists," plural. Antichrists exalt and
magnify themselves. If they want to do so, they should be noble. But they are surprisingly men and women of low
desires. They bow down their heads to money. Read verse 38. "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." Antichrists
were idol-manufacturers so they might sell them to weak-minded people. They made so many idols that the author of
Daniel says that they devastated the good trees in the forest. Antichrists are all men and women of big mouths.
They fight with their mouths. They are so arrogant that they look down on people audaciously. One man, whose skin
clung to his bones for the last 12 years, due to his anger, attended a church where random prophecy was delivered.
The woman preacher tampered with the attendants to make them feel that they were like the holy angels. In this way
the woman preacher captured them with her oriental shamanistic magic arts. Then the haggard man came back to his
church and criticized his pastor and his elders in the middle of the night for three hours and forty minutes
screaming, glaring at them. Since then he went from house to house to visit those whose minds are weak and
persuaded them until they became the angels who abandoned God's mission. The antichrists are like the people of the
kingdom of the South and the kingdom of the North, who kept fighting (40-41).

Worst of all, antichrists, with their lying spirit, control people's money and keep their minds in submission
(42-43). As a result, they cause people great loss. The antichrists usually focus on church members because they
are attentive. But they will be judged according to their evil doing (45b).

IV. The end times

Many scholars entitled Daniel chapter 12 "the end times." When we observe this title very carefully, it is not
"the end time" but "the end times." Therefore, this chapter is not focused on the second coming of Jesus Christ as
the people believe in the churches where random sermons are delivered to make people slaves of fear. We must know
that this verse clearly indicates the characteristics of the time of the end of the world. Before creation there
was no space and time. There was eternity. But because of one man's disobedience and sin, the world was limited in
time and space. For example, there is a time to be born and a time to die (Ecc 3:2). The gist of this verse is
there is a beginning time and an ending time. People of the world, especially kings of the world, wanted to live
forever and make their kingdom everlasting. But they are all in the limit of time and space.

This part is possibly the epilogue of the book of Daniel and the conclusion of chapter 11. The sign of the end
of the world is immorality and violence, lawlessness, amorality and no value system, especially overwhelming
violence and distress. If there is anything at the end of the world, philosophically speaking, it is the desire to
be couch potatoes. They want to be at ease in abundance. But they cannot enjoy their pleasures because the sign of
the end of the world will be a time of distress and catastrophe and wars and rumors of wars and formidable events.

But God protects his holy saints through his archangel Michael (12:1). Also, in the midst of unbearable
distress and suffering at the end of the world, the holy saints will rejoice, realizing that their names are found
and written in the Book of Life. Not only so, they rejoice in the hope of rising again from the grave (John 5:25).
It always seems that the holy saints are an absolute minority. But Daniel saw that there are multitudes who
inherit everlasting life with their King Jesus Christ. Read verse 2. "Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the
earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt." In the world, the holy
saints are considered to be weird people and uneconomical and self-torturing people. Most of all, the holy saints
are known as stupid people, simply because they are not selfish but live a sacrificial life of faith, following
the footsteps of Jesus Christ. But God sees them, that they are wise. And they will be clothed in shining glory.
Read verse 3. "Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to
righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever." They will inherit the kingdom of God, which is like the
brightness of heaven. They will be heirs with God and co-heirs with Jesus Christ (Romans 8:17). They will be like
the stars for ever and ever. Do not misunderstand, they will not be like movie stars, but stars of God and the
stars of the Lamb. They will be purified, made spotless and refined (12:10). During the time of pilgrimage, they
looked tired and wrinkled. Now they are going to look like heavenly princes and princesses.

How about the godless? As we know well, the sign of godless men is a proud mind. Until now, they lived with no
fear of God. They thought they would live forever. They thought they would ridicule others with their achievements
forever. But verse 2b says the godless will go to the place of "shame and everlasting contempt." There are many
things in the world which make man unhappy. A stupid person is unhappy because he is stupid. A smart person is
unhappy because he is frequently outsmarted by his own craftiness. Rich people are unhappy because they feel they
are born to pay excessive taxes. There are many things which make man unhappy. But according to Genesis, the very
thing that make a man most unhappy is to be put to shame. Before disobedience and sin, Adam didn't have a sense of
shame. But after disobedience, a sense of shame came to him and he found he was naked before a beautiful woman and
he tried to cover his secret place even with the leaves of a tree (Gen 3:7). God made man noble. But the godless
will be put to shame, in the place of contempt for ever and ever. Those who have no sense of shame are less than
third class animals.

When Daniel heard something about the end times, there was a voice saying, "Daniel, close up and seal the word
of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge" (12:4). The meaning of
this verse is very simple. We must keep this secret in our hearts and work hard to spread the mystery and the
knowledge of the gospel.

Daniel was so startled at the vision of the end times. He did not know where he was. When he looked around he
was on the bank of the river. There he saw a man clothed in linen who was above the waters of the river. So Daniel
asked, "How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?" (5-6) He answered, "It will be for a
time, times and half a time." This means the end times will be one time or they will be time and again. In other
words, it is a secret.

Look at verse 12. "Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of 1,335 days." In this verse there is
the number 1,335 days. It simply means a long time. For example, to those who are living in great distress, or in
prison, even thirty minutes or an hour will be a long time. How much more difficult to persevere the signs of the
end of the times. 1,335 days are quite a long time. Therefore, this number signifies "The Endurance of the
Saints." Saints must be patient like the 5 virgins who were waiting with their lamps filled with oil and whose
wicks had been trimmed, overcoming sleepiness, remaining faithful to the Son of Man (Matt. 25:1-13). Look at verse
13. "As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive
your allotted inheritance." As this verse teaches us, we must remain faithful to God to the end. We must go our way
living by faith to the end. Then at the end, God will help us to rise to receive his kingdom as our inheritance.

In this passage we learn that we should not be like people who deceive and are deceived (2 Ti 2:13). We should
not be like brutal kings who only engage in fights to destroy others and revenge others and retaliate against those
who had wronged them. We must live like holy saints before the holy God. Daniel is the best example of one who
lived a holy life in the troubled world. May God help us to live like Daniel.