Bible Prophecy
(Read Bible Prophecy, Part 1 First)
Bible Prophecy - Daniel 11 Continued...
Daniel 11:14-16: "Now in those times many will rise up against the king of the South; the violent ones among your people will also lift themselves up in order to fulfill the vision, but they will fall down. Then the king of the North will come, cast up a siege ramp and capture a well-fortified city; and the forces of the South will not stand their ground, not even their choicest troops, for there will be no strength to make a stand. But he who comes against him will do as he pleases, and no one will be able to withstand him; he will also stay for a time in the Beautiful Land, with destruction in his hand."
[Egypt rose up in rebellion against Ptolemy IV, a rebellion which continued well into the reign of his successor, Ptolemy V (205-181 BC), and during the latter's reign Antiochus III and Philip V (221-179) of Macedon agreed to divide up Ptolemaic interests abroad. Thus "many" rose up against the king of the South, though the rebellion was eventually suppressed ("they fell down"). The king of the North, as mentioned a moment ago, returned and routed the king of South, in whom there was "no strength to make a stand." The Beautiful Land refers to Palestine which finally came under Seleucid rule after more than a century of Ptolemaic supremacy.]
Daniel 11:17-19: "He will set his face to come with the power of his whole kingdom, bringing with him a proposal of peace which he will put into effect; he will also give him the daughter of women to ruin it. But she will not take a stand for him or be on his side. Then he will turn his face to the coastlands and capture many. But a commander will put a stop to his scorn against him; moreover, he will repay him for his scorn. So he will turn his face toward the fortresses of his own land, but he will stumble and fall and be found no more."
[Antiochus made peace with Ptolemy and gave his daughter Cleopatra in marriage to his young rival, hoping to use her to conquer Egypt through intrigue rather than through armed conflict. To his dismay Cleopatra stood against her father. Antiochus then turned against Asia Minor, marching as far as Greece ("the coastlands"), but was turned back by the Romans at Thermopylae (191 BC) and finally defeated at Magnesia in 190 BC. He was killed while trying to plunder a pagan temple near Susa (187 BC) just a year following the peace accords with Rome at Apamea (188 BC); thus he stumbled and fell and was found no more.]
Bible Prophecy - Divine Revelation
Daniel 11 is a compelling example of Bible Prophecy. From Daniel 11 verse 1 to Daniel 11 verse 19, we have a concise history of the Near East, from Alexander the Great to Antiochus the Great, spelled out hundreds of years prior to the events described. The theological implications are profound.
The God of the Bible declares, "I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure'" (Isaiah 46:9-10). The Bible purports to contain over 1000 divine revelations, with well over 100 prophecies (a conservative estimate) centered upon a single Person. These so-called "Messianic prophecies" claim to reveal specific details concerning the life, death, resurrection, and reign of the Jewish Messiah, the Redeemer of a lost world.
What is your response?
