For those of you who want to know what the time of the Antichrist will be like, Daniel 11 will be one of the most important chapters for you to read. It shows a world that is not like the one that we live in now. It talks about kings that do not yet exist. And, while we see some similarities with Antiochus IV Epiphanes, we’ll see that Daniel 11 is not talking about him.
This will be the first part of this discussion, and we will finish – Lord Willing – next week.
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Daniel 11a – A Biblical Overview of Daniel, Part 9
Before getting into the details of this final prophecy by Daniel, let’s remember something very important:
Chapter Divisions Are Artificial
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Stephen Langton inserted the chapter divisions that we know today at some time before AD 1230. (Some say 1227) Normally such chapter divisions are useful, but they can also deceive you into thinking that you are reading an entirely new prophecy when you turn to the next chapter.
For instance, there is no division in the prophecy given to Daniel in chapters ten, eleven and twelve. They are all one prophetic account.
By the way, we actually got verses in the Bible after the chapter divisions were made. Nathan, a Jewish rabbi, added verses to the Hebrew scriptures in AD 1448. For the verses in the Greek scriptures, Robert Estienne created those divisions in AD 1555. If you don’t recognize the name Estienne, it’s because he was also known by the name Stephanus, who played a role in the development of the Textus Receptus that is the foundation of the New Testament versions of the KJV and NKJV translations.
All of this means that Daniel 11 and 12 are part of the same prophecy. And since chapter 12 speaks of the Great Tribulation and the Resurrection, we know that the person described in verses 21-45 can only be the Antichrist and NOT Antiochus IV Epiphanes.
You don’t create doctrine by pointing out a couple similarities to historical events and then declare the prophecy to have been fulfilled.
Daniel 11:1-4
This first part of Daniel 11 should be pretty easy to understand:
1 “Also in the first year of Darius the Mede, I, even I, stood up to confirm and strengthen him.) 2 And now I will tell you the truth: Behold, three more kings will arise in Persia, and the fourth shall be far richer than them all; by his strength, through his riches, he shall stir up all against the realm of Greece. 3 Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will. 4 And when he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken up and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not among his posterity nor according to his dominion with which he ruled; for his kingdom shall be uprooted, even for others besides these.
– Daniel 11:1-4 (NKJV)
This talks about the continued rise of Medo-Persian Empire until Alexander the Great comes along and knocks it all down. Unfortunately for Alexander, he died (probably by poison) and his empire broke into four pieces that didn’t like each other very much.
Daniel 11:5-20
The history of the wars between the Ptolemaic Kingdom that held Egypt and the Seleucids that held Persia, Mesopotamia and some of Anatolia – what we call the Asian side of Turkey – are described in Daniel 11:5-20. But, there are a few details missing.
Nothing is said about the failed attempt by Antiochus III to fight Rome in Greece. It was a big mistake that bankrupted his kingdom and weakened his military. His son (Seleucus IV Philopator) took over and raised extortionary taxes, only to be poisoned by one of his top bureaucrats. (Never turn your back on the Deep State!) Seleucus IV’s son Antiochus was just five years old when his dad was murdered. The brother of Seleucus IV, Antiochus IV, saw an opportunity to grab the throne. He arrived a month later, staged a coup and took over – quietly murdering his young nephew later.
However, the account in Daniel 11 stops with Seleucus IV in verse 20 – the guy who raised all those taxes. People have tried to claim that the rest of Daniel 11 is about Antiochus IV Epiphanes. You can see some similarities, but they die pretty quickly. So, let’s dig into this last section of Daniel 11.
Daniel 11:21-45
This is where our view of the Antichrist begins, even though early parts of it sound a lot like Antiochus Epiphanes. Here’s that first verse:
And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.
– Daniel 11:21 (KJV)
That sounds an awful lot like Antiochus Epiphanes, initially. But, if you look carefully at his rule, you’ll see that he does gain quite a bit of honor for himself, even though he inherited a declining empire.
Also, notice the reference to ‘obtaining the kingdom by flatteries’. That is exactly like what Daniel 8 says, when he refers to the Antichrist as one ‘Who understands sinister schemes’. Someone who is good at intrigue and games of power, would also be someone who is exceptionally good at flattery.
The next two verses don’t sound like Antiochus Epiphanes:
22 With the force of a flood they shall be swept away from before him and be broken, and also the prince of the covenant. 23 And after the league is made with him he shall act deceitfully, for he shall come up and become strong with a small number of people.
– Daniel 11:22-23 (NKJV)
If you squint, you MIGHT be able to see that this is Antiochus. He did actually come with a small army. But, a small people? Yeah, not really. And, the comparisons start falling apart quickly as we move further.
Now, where are the invasions of Israel in this passage?
Not verse 24. Most translations get it wrong. The KJV comes close, and I’m not completely sure that I’ll translate it right. But, I’ll try anyway:
In peace and in fatness, a country he shall enter. And, he will not do that which his fathers and forefathers – distributing plunder, loot and wealth, and to strongholds, he will think thoughts and to a time.
– Daniel 11:24 (JLV, John Little Version)
Okay, to be fair, Antiochus Epiphanes did this. He was lavish in the gifts that he gave, along with promises to build entertainment facilities and temples. But, it’s not an invasion of anything.
Like Antiochus IV, the Antichrist will come in with peace and hand out lots of goodies. Where he gets those goodies is hard to say. It sounds like he will have been conquering other areas in the world, but whatever the reason, he has plunder, loot and wealth to give. And, he’s a sneaky sneak, making sneaky plans.
Remember that this guy obtained his power through flattery and schemes. And, it seems that he tries that before committing troops to combat. Only when words and bribes fail, does he go to war.
By the way, this is where things start to really deviate from the story of Antiochus Epiphanes.
Here’s the next part:
25 “He shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the South with a great army. And the king of the South shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand, for they shall devise plans against him. 26 Yes, those who eat of the portion of his delicacies shall destroy him; his army shall be swept away, and many shall fall down slain. 27 Both these kings’ hearts shall be bent on evil, and they shall speak lies at the same table; but it shall not prosper, for the end will still be at the appointed time. 28 While returning to his land with great riches, his heart shall be moved against the holy covenant; so he shall do damage and return to his own land.
– Daniel 11:25-28 (NKJV)
Note: That part in bold did not happen when Antiochus IV invaded Egypt. Antiochus actually spared the lives of the defeated soldiers, and let them go home. And that’s assuming that Egypt is the King of the Negev (King of the South), which he is not. Nor was this the moment that Antiochus IV began moving against ‘the Holy Covenant’.
So, the Antichrist seeks to dominate the ‘King of the South’, and the King of the South responds with a huge army that gets completely defeated – destroyed from within. As a result, the Antichrist engages in dishonest peace talks and returns to the north. He only starts thinking about the ‘Holy Covenant’ in verse 28.
By the way, is verse 28 the moment he actually BECOMES the Antichrist?
He was undoubtedly against any form of faith in Christ before this. And, there have been people throughout history who have been against Christ – i.e., anti Christ. My neighbors here in Taiwan are antichrist. But, this King of the North doesn’t seem to become THE Antichrist at least until verse 28. Or, maybe he becomes the Antichrist a couple verses later.
The Ships Of Chittim
In verse 30, the Antichrist tries a second time to return and fight again, against the King of the South, but a fleet of ships stops him.
At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the south; but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter.
For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant.
– Daniel 11:29-30 (KJV)
The word for Chittim (כתים) doesn’t correspond with any group of people that we know of, except one. In Genesis, Chittim is the son of Javan. And, Javan (actually Yavan) is the word that we use for Greece. So, this fleet would seem to be Greek in one form or another.
NOTE: When I looked more closely at the military campaign by Antiochus against the Ptolemaic Dynasty, there were no ‘ships of Chittim’. The navy of Antiochus was quite strong and had already captured Cyprus. The closest to ‘Chittim’ was an ambassador from Rome that threatened him with war, if he took Alexandria. Which is why Antiochus backed off, and went home. Furthermore, Antiochus IV sacked the temple at Jerusalem BEFORE his second invasion of Egypt – not afterwards.
Now, why would ships be able to oppose an army marching on land?
Very simple: Logistics
If you spend enough time reading about war, you’ll hear a phrase that has been common for thousands of years, in many different languages:
An army marches on its stomach.
Without a steady and dependable supply of food, an army quickly falls apart. And, the most normal way to supply a big army is by water – ships. But, if those supply ships are stopped and/or sunk by the ‘ships of Chittim’, you have to abandon your invasion plans.
So, to be extra clear, the ships of Chittim aren’t stopping the army of the Antichrist directly. These ships are just stopping the ability of the Antichrist to supply his army with food.
By the way, this also indicates a radically changed world. Today, our advanced technology allows large military forces to be supplied over land. But, when the Antichrist rises, it looks like something will have reduced our access to the kinds of rapid transportation that we have today. And all you need to do, to find out that ‘something’ is read Ezekiel’s Fire.
Antiochus IV Epiphanes – The False Narrative
Since we are also neutralizing a false narrative that the King of the North in Daniel 11:21-45 is Antiochus Epiphanes, I took some time to read a thesis that did a pretty thorough job of describing the key events – and their timing – of the Seleucid Empire under Antiochus IV.
You can find that thesis here:
An Empire on the Brink of Destruction: The Stability of the Seleucid Empire Under Antiochus IV (175 B.C. – 164 B.C.) by Tyler Campbell, University of Central Florida
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2659&context=honorstheses1990-2015
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
שאלו שלום ירושלים
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My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you… Hosea 4:6
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Keep this ministry alive with a donation.
Subscribe for free to Revelation Six and receive my articles in your inbox:
https://revelationsix.substack.com/subscribe
And, read my two books:
I created five Android Apps that will help you read through the Bible in a Year. You can find them here:
https://revelationsix.com/android-apps/
If you miss my rantings about geopolitics, idiocy, resource collapse and incompetent globalism, follow me on Twitter.
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