We have been going through the book of Daniel. In part 4 we covered Daniel chapter 10 and Daniel chapter 11 up to verse 35. We can see how history aligns with this perfectly. If you have not read Daniel part 4 then this page won’t do you much good. You need to read part 4 first and get the background. This page is the second half of this study. To read part 4 click here.

We can see how several kings attempted to set themselves up as world rulers. Israel was caught in the middle of their quest for power. This seems to be the theme behind the first portion of Daniel chapter 11. The focus after verse 36 appears to be on the climax of the “times of the Gentiles.” We have already seen a large portion of material devoted to the quest of Antiochus Epiphanes. (11:21-35) This is because he was a type of the final “man of sin” and persecutor of the Jews. He is a type of Antichrist. Then in v 36, the focus shifts from the type to the antichrist himself. Now Let’s continue where we left off. We will begin in verse 36.

Dan 11:36  “And the king shall do as he wills. He shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods. He shall prosper till the indignation is accomplished; for what is decreed shall be done.

Who is this willful king? The context shows that the remaining verses in this chapter cannot apply to Antiochus IV Ephinanes historically. Rome kept Antiochus IV in check and he could no longer do whatever he wanted.  As we read further we see that this king will go into Egypt. Rome stopped Antiocus IV from his Egyptian conquest. Furthermore, In verse 35 Antiochus IV met his end. So this is not referring to Antiochus IV.

Now it is just “King.” Not King of the north. We see a reference to this willful king as king of the north in a later verse. As we shall see, this references someone other than Antiochus. At this point in the prophecy timeline, Antiochus IV Epiphanies was defeated by the Maccabees (the Hasmoneans) and their victory results in the subsequent fall of that dynasty. The Seleucid dynasty no longer rules Israel and now Israeli sovereignty lasts until 37 BC leaving a gap of approximately 125 years.

This is one reason that most Christian scholars insert a huge chronological gap in the prophecy here. They believe the rest of the chapter applies to the end-time type, “The Antichrist”. He shall prosper till the indignation is accomplished can also be a vague reference to the abomination of desolation. Furthermore, this prophecy continues in Daniel chapter 12 and in that chapter we see the final judgment and details about the abomination of desolation that will lead to the return of Christ.

This is also the reason that skeptics put a later date on the book of Daniel. It aligns exactly with history right up to Verse 35. As of this writing, the rest of the chapter has not been fulfilled historically. This is why universities put a date on Daniel of around 168 BC.

However, as we discussed earlier, the book of Daniel is found among the Septuagint and this translation was finished in 270 BC. When you get to the eighth chapter of Daniel the language changes from Aramaic to Hebrew. In 168 BC very few people spoke Hebrew. This is why they translated the scriptures from Hebrew to Greek in 285 B.C. It is highly unlikely that a few guys pulled a scam and wrote the book of Daniel in 168 BC as some Liberals suggest. One of the main reasons for this is primarily because the authors would not have chosen the Hebrew language for this book since most of the people would not be able to understand and read their writings. Those that spoke Hebrew in 168 B.C. were a very small minority. Jesus also speaks of the abomination of desolation as a future event, and He ties this event to His second coming in Mathew chapter 24, and Mark chapter 13. He gives credit to the book of Daniel!

Biblical scholars were unable to find a successor to Antiochus IV who matched the description of this willful king. Some believe that the king in verse 36 references Herod the Great who appeared on the scene in Israel at the end of the Hasmonean period. In 37 BC Herod was made the king of the Jews by Rome. He had to take the city by conquest. Herod was seated as king on the throne of Israel when Messiah Yeshua was born. Some people attempt to tie the rest of the chapter to fulfillment during Herod’s lifetime. But Herod had to answer to Rome. He could not do everything according to his will. When Marc Anthony was defeated by Octavius, Herod had to answer to him and prove his loyalty. Furthermore, the rest of the events in the chapter do not measure up to Herod’s rule. For example, Egypt did not assemble an army and invade Israel toward the end of Herod’s life.

As we discussed in the basics, Full Preterism believes that all biblical prophecy has been fulfilled and it is now a part of history. They view this willful king as Herod, They view those that awake in the dust of the earth as rising after the resurrection of Jesus. They view the abomination of desolation as happening at the 70 AD destruction of the temple. The sacrifice was stopped and a statue of Zeus was set in place. There are many problems with this point of view. Furthermore, the preterists have a hard time explaining other future prophecy events like the Gog and Magog invasion found in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39

We will cover this in more detail later but one of the problems with this line of thinking is that the prophecy does not conclude at the end of chapter 11. The interpretation of Daniels vision in chapter 10 continues on in Chapter 12 to the end of the book. Chapter 12 is revealing the meaning of the same vision chapter 11 dealt with. In fact, Daniel 12:2 says “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” This is obviously speaking of an end time last days judgment scenario.

Daniel chapter 12 verse 1 says “And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book.” This is obviously speaking of the last days scenario. Because chapter 12 is a continuation of the same prophecy found in chapter 11, we can easily conclude without any doubt that this willful king is the Antichrist.

The Abomination of Desolation happens three and a half years before Jesus comes and sets up his kingdom on earth. Chapter 12 references these events. Daniel 12:7 and 12:11 talks about a time of three and a half years after the abomination of desolation takes place before the temple is restored. The temple was restored and rededicated from Antiochus’ destruction in just 3 years, So I conclude that there is another event where the temple becomes defiled and it remains that way for three and a half years.

In 70 AD Rome destroyed Jerusalem and the temple was destroyed. There have not been any sacrifices in the temple since that time. Israel became a nation once again 1,876 years later, Israel became a nation on May 14th, 1948. This is well beyond the three and a half-year time frame found in Daniel chapter 12. There has never been a time in history when the temple was defiled for three and a half years and then cleansed. This also means that in order for this prophecy to be fulfilled there must be a future temple. The Covenant of Moses will be restored once again and the temple will be defiled. The Antichrist will cause an abomination like Antiochus IV did. He will defile the temple and take away the daily sacrifice. He will proclaim himself to be God. The temple will be desolate and sacrifices will cease for three and a half years.

So, in conclusion, this is the abomination of desolation. The covenant of Moses is established. The sacrifices are stopped in an abominable way, then the temple lies desolate with no sacrifices for 3 and a half years. So we can actually see from verse 36 and onward some of the events the Antichrist will fulfill when he comes into power. His story is foretold starting from verses 36.

Dan 11:37  He shall pay no attention to the gods of his fathers, or to the one beloved by women. He shall not pay attention to any other god, for he shall magnify himself above all.
Dan 11:38  He shall honor the god of fortresses instead of these. A god whom his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts.
Dan 11:39  He shall deal with the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign god. Those who acknowledge him he shall load with honor. He shall make them rulers over many and shall divide the land for a price.

Verse 37 through 39 reveal his religion. In this context we have four elements in sequence. First, the antichrist being unconcerned with the God of his fathers. Second, Antichrist being unconcerned with the hemdath nashiym; or Gods loved by women, Third, Antichrist being unconcerned with any gods at all. Fourth, Antichrist as a result exalting himself over all gods.
Some believe that the one beloved by women is a reference to the Messiah. Either way the point is Antichrist is not concerned with it.

The King James says the god of Forces in verse 38. It is actually the god of fortresses. The Antichrist conquers fortresses and strongholds and then he divides the lands he conquers. He does this with the belief in a foreign god, not the law of Moses or the God of Israel. He gives honor to this foreign god. If the Antichrist is Jewish then this tells us that even though he restores the covenant according to the law of Moses, he does not trust in the law or Jewish traditions. It is possible that the antichrist may be a gentile.

Dan 11:40  “At the time of the end, the king of the south shall attack him, but the king of the north shall rush upon him like a whirlwind, with chariots and horsemen, and with many ships. And he shall come into countries and shall overflow and pass through.

At the time of the end is a reference to the end of the Antichrist’s reign. King of the south is an area south of Israel probably Egypt. The Antichrist responds and comes through countries to get to the king of the south. The antichrist is once again refered to as “The King of The North”. This leads me to believe that his location is actually north of Israel. He probably passes through Israel to get to the king of the south.

Dan 11:41  He shall come into the glorious land. And tens of thousands shall fall, but these shall be delivered out of his hand: Edom and Moab and the main part of the Ammonites.
Dan 11:42  He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape.

The Antichrist will wage war against the king of the south and he will gain victory over Egypt and in other places

Dan 11:43  He shall become ruler of the treasures of gold and of silver, and all the precious things of Egypt, and the Libyans and the Cushites shall follow in his train.
Dan 11:44  But news from the east and the north shall alarm him, and he shall go out with great fury to destroy and devote many to destruction.
Dan 11:45  And he shall pitch his palatial tents between the sea and the glorious holy mountain. Yet he shall come to his end, with none to help him.

Verse 44 could possibly be a reference to the battle of Armageddon. Christ comes from the east. News from the north could also be a reference to the final conflict involving the battle of Gog and Magog. Some believe that the battle of Gog and Magog happens during the battle of Armageddon. They believe it is a part of the Armageddon battle. Verse 44 is a reference to King of the north and the glorious holy mountain in verse 45 is refering to Israel, possibly the sanctuary.

Chapter 12

This was not a very good place to start a new chapter. The original scripture was not divided by chapter and verse. This kind of division was introduced for the first time with the introduction of the Geneva bible in 1599 AD. The prophecy has been cut off in chapter 11 and continues in chapter 12. Some people seem to think that this is a whole new line of thought even though this is a continuation of the same prophetic vision found in chapter 11.

Dan 12:1  “At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book.
Dan 12:2  And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

Time of trouble greater than any time in any nations history. Greater than World War I and World War II. In Mathew chapter 24 Jesus said there will be great tribulation. We also see a reference to final judgement. Written in the book could be a reference to the book of life.

Dan 12:3  And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

Those that turn people to God and his righteousness will recieve an eteranal reward. shine like the stars may be a reference to angels. In job angels are referenced as stars.

Dan 12:4  But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

Some believe that this is referencing technology, general knowledge, and information while others believe that this is referencing knowledge of God and scripture. There could be a dual meaning as well.

Dan 12:5  Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others stood, one on this bank of the stream and one on that bank of the stream.
Dan 12:6  And someone said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, “How long shall it be till the end of these wonders?”
Dan 12:7  And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream; he raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven and swore by him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end all these things would be finished.

Here is a vague reference to the abomination of desolation, also known as the abomination that causes desolation depending on which bible version you are reading. Time=1 year, times= 2 years, half time= half a year. The total is 3 and a half years

Dan 12:8  I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, “O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?”
Dan 12:9  He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end.
Dan 12:10  Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand.
Dan 12:11  And from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days.
Dan 12:12  Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days.

Here we see the same time frame for the abomination of desolation measured in days. The abomination of desolation is also found in Daniel 9:27.

Dan 12:13  But go your way till the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days.”