Daniel 11 - History and Prophecy

[John 8:32]

Dan 11:1 Also I in the first year (Previously in 539 BC) of Darius the Mede, even I, stood to confirm and to strengthen him(Darius the Mede).
Dan 11:2 And now (The third year of Cyrus 536BC) will I shew thee (Daniel) the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings (Cambyses 530-522BC, Psuedo-Smerdis 522BC, Darius I 522-486BC) in Persia; and the fourth (Xerxes – Ahasuerus 486-465BC) shall be far richer than they all: and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia. (Xerxes sent hundreds of ships and over a million men against the Greece.)
Dan 11:3 And a mighty king (Alexander the Great 336-323 BC) shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will.
Dan 11:4 And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven [1.)Ptolemy Soter, 2)Seleucus Nicator, 3)Cassander, 4)Lysimachus] ; and not to his posterity (Neither his unborn son, nor his nephew), nor according to his dominion which he ruled: for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those.
Dan 11:5 And the king of the south (Ptolemy Soter south of the Holy Land) shall be strong, and one of his princes (Seleucus Nicator to the North); and he (Seleucus I) shall be strong above him (Ptolemy I), and have dominion; his (Seleucus I) dominion shall be a great dominion.
Dan 11:6 And in the end of years (252 BC) they (North and South) shall join themselves together; for the king's (Ptolemy II) daughter (Berenice) of the south shall come to the king of the north (Seleucus II Theos) to make an agreement (Marriage): but she shall not retain the power of the arm; neither shall he stand, nor his arm: but she shall be given up, and they that brought her, and he that begat her, and he that strengthened her in these times (Berenice, her father Ptolemy II and Antiochus II were all removed by death in 246BC).
Dan 11:7 But out of a branch (sibling) of her roots (her parents) shall one(Ptolemy III Euergetes, her brother) stand up in his estate, which shall come with an army (245BC), and shall enter into the fortress (Seleucia, the port of Syria’s capitol Antioch) of the king of the north (Seleucus II Callinicus), and shall deal against them, and shall prevail:
Dan 11:8 And shall also carry captives into Egypt their gods, with their princes, and with their precious vessels of silver and of gold (Around 2500 images and idolatrous vessels that Cambyses had taken from Egypt in 526BC); and he (Ptolemy III) shall continue more years (until 221 BC, nearly 6) than the king of the north (died 226BC.
Dan 11:9 So the king of the south shall come into his kingdom, and shall return into his own land.
Dan 11:10 But his (Seleucus II) sons (Seleucus III 227-223BC and Antichus III the Great 223-186BC) shall be stirred up, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces: and one(Antiochus III) shall certainly come, and overflow, and pass through: then shall he return, and be stirred up, even to his fortress.
Dan 11:11 And the king of the south (Ptolemy IV Philopater 221-204BC) shall be moved with choler (217BC), and shall come forth and fight with him (Antiochus III), even with the king of the north: and he (Antichus III) shall set forth a great multitude; but the multitude shall be given into his hand (Ptolemy IV).
Dan 11:12And when he (Ptolemy IV) hath taken away the multitude, his heart shall be lifted up; and he shall cast down many ten thousands: but he shall not be strengthened by it.
Dan 11:13 For the king of the north (Antichus III) shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former, and shall certainly come after certain years (201BC) with a great army and with much riches.
Dan 11:14 And in those times there shall many stand up against the king of the south (Ptolemy V): also the robbers of thy (Daniel’s) people shall exalt themselves (attemp to help Antiochus III) to establish the vision; but they shall fall.
Dan 11:15 So the king of the north (Antiochus III) shall come, and cast up a mount (siege mound), and take the most fenced cities: and the arms of the south shall not withstand, neither his chosen people (Ptolemy V’s choice troops), neither shall there be any strength to withstand.
Dan 11:16 But he (Antiochus III) that cometh against him (Ptolemy V) shall do according to his (Antiochus III) own will, and none shall stand before him (Antiochus III): and he shall stand in the glorious land (Judea), which by his hand shall be consumed.
Dan 11:17 He (Antiochus II) shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones (literally equitable things, a proposal of peace, a marriage of alliance) with him (Antiochus III); thus shall he do: and he (Antiochus III) shall give him Ptolemy V) the daughter of women (Antiochus III’s daughter Cleopatra), corrupting her: but she shall not stand on his side(Antiochus III), neither be for him (she sided with Ptolemy V).
Dan 11:18 After this shall he turn his face unto the isles (the islands and coast of Asia Minor), and shall take many: but a prince (Roman general Lucius Cornelius Scipio Asiaticus) for his own behalf shall cause the reproach (to Asia Minor) offered by him (Antiochus III) to cease; without his own reproach he (Scipio) shall cause it to turn upon him (Antiochus III defeated by Scipio in the battle of Magnesia 190BC).
Dan 11:19 Then he (Antiochus III) shall turn his face toward the fort of his own land: but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found (Anitochus III tried to plunder the Temple of Belus in his own kingdom, but was defeated and killed 187BC).
Dan 11:20 Then shall stand up in his estate (Seleucus IV Philopater) a raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom (Seleucus IV sent Heliodorus through Judea collecting taxes): but within few days (Seleucus IV reigned 11 years compared to 37 for Antiochus III) he (Seleucus IV) shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle (he was poisoned by Heliodorus).
Dan 11:21 And in his estate (Seleucus IV) shall stand up a vile person (Antiochus IV Epiphanes), to whom (Syrian officials supporting Heliodorus) they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries (by intrigue with the aid of King Eumenes II of Pergamum and officials at home, forced out Heliodorus).
Dan 11:22 And with the arms of a flood shall they (Heliodorus and those who opposed him) be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant (the High Priest was replaced by one who would be subservient to him).
Dan 11:23 And after the league (agreement or treaty made by the Jews) made with him (Antiochus IV) he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people.
Dan 11:24 He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest places of the province (Galilee); and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers' fathers; he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and riches: yea, and he shall forecast his devices against the strong holds, even for a time. (Antiochus IV took from the rich and gave to the poor to develop a fanatical following among the masses)
Dan 11:25 And he (Antiochus IV) shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south (Ptolemy VI Philometer) 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 (Ptolemy VI) shall not stand: for they shall forecast devices against him.
Dan 11:26 Yea, they (Ptolemy VI’s trusted officers) that feed of the portion of his meat shall destroy him (destroy Ptolemy VI’s chance of victory), and his army shall overflow: and many shall fall down slain.
Dan 11:27 And both these kings' hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table (both sat at a table and deceived each other pretending to ally with each other 174BC); but it shall not prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.
Dan 11:28 Then shall he (Antiochus IV Epiphanes) return into his land with great riches; and his heart shall be against the holy covenant (Jewish worship system); and he shall do exploits (looting the temple and massacring many), and return to his own land (Syria).
Dan 11:29 At the time appointed (168BC) he (Antiochus IV) shall return, and come toward the south; but it (the outcome) shall not be (successful) as the former, or as the latter.
Dan 11:30 For the ships of Chittim (Rome) shall come against him (forcing him to accept surrender terms from Popillus, commander of the Roman fleet): therefore he (Antiochus IV) shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant (Jewish worship system): so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant (Anitochus showed special favor to those who rejected their religion and adopted the pagan Greek culture).
Dan 11:31 And arms shall stand on his (Antiochus IV) part, and they (his forces) shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.
Dan 11:32 And such (those Jewish apostates) as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong (the Maccabees, followers of Judah “the Hammer” Maccabees), and do exploits (due largely to the Maccabees the Syrian forces were gradually driven out).
Dan 11:33 And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days (this is dual, the Maccabees and later the NT Christians).
Dan 11:34 Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries (false prophets Acts 20:29-30, 2Pet 2:1-3).
Dan 11:35 And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed (this is not the end, but the beginning of a long procession to the end).
Dan 11:36 And the king (of the North, Rome – Rome had swallowed up the Syrians in 65BC) shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god (emperor worship), and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods (Acts 12:23), and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined (by God) shall be done.
Dan 11:37 Neither shall he regard the God (gods) of his fathers (the old Roman gods), nor the desire of women (14 of the first 15 Roman emperors were homosexual), nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.
Dan 11:38 But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces (worship of the Roman Empire itself): and a god (false religious leader) whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.
Dan 11:39 Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain. (this spans the time from 65BC until the end time)
Dan 11:40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north (a revived Roman Empire – see Dan 2 – four world ruling empires, Babyon, Medo-Persian, Greco-Macedonian and Rome) shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
Dan 11:41 He (the King of the North) shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon (the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan).
Dan 11:42 He (the King of the North) shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
Dan 11:43 But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps (like whipped pups at his heels).
Dan 11:44 But tidings out of the east and out of the north (East and North of Jerusalem) shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.
Dan 11:45 And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas (Dead and Mediterranean) in the glorious holy mountain (Jersalem); yet he shall come to his end (Dan 2:44-45), and none shall help him.
Dan 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time (the tribulation – the time of Jacob’s trouble): and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book (of life).
Dan 12:2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake (the resurrection – 1Cor 15), some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
Dan 12:3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
Dan 12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

Any thoughts on vs 40 on?

[TalonKarrde_X]

11:1 'Him' refers to Michael of verse 10:21.
11:20 The next king of the north at this point is Augustus Caesar. Everything from verse 20 to the end is wrong.
11:22 The 'prince of the covenant' is the Messiah. This verse refers to Jesus' death. Thus the time frame has to be moved up to the time of Tiberius at this point.

[John 8:32]

Hmmmm, I thought this might stir up a little more discussion on a subject that I was looking for others ideas about.

[TalonKarrde_X]

Yeah, it's a great chapter. In fact it's so good, that the secularists have had to come up with a way to dismiss it by attributing the second half of the chapter to ancient events which coincide with the claim of it being written in around 167BCE. But they conveniently ignore such things as, 'the splendid kingdom' obviously being a reference to Israel, or, 'the leader of the covenant' referring to the Messiah.

If you want to read it, I can post the study that I've done on this chapter.

[Beckrl]

Why didn't you follow suite as you did so well from the very beginning unto Daniel 11:36.? 'and the king' Well what king had you mentioned?

[John 8:32]

If you want to read it, I can post the study that I've done on this chapter.

Please do, I look forward to it.

[John 8:32]

Why didn't you follow suite as you did so well from the very beginning unto Daniel 11:36.? 'and the king' Well what king had you mentioned?

I have my thoughts on this, but wanted the comments of others on it. I do not intend to post any comments or injections of my own in this thread, I am looking for others' input.

[TalonKarrde_X]

Well, then, here you go. It's a very long study, but hopefully you enjoy it.

Daniel Chapter 10:
Verse 1:
"In the third year of Cyrus the king of Persia there was a matter revealed to Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the matter was true, and there was a great military service. And he understood the matter, and he had understanding in the thing seen."
Cyrus' first regnal year as king over Babylon began on Nisan 1 (March 17th) of 538BCE in accord with the Babylonian tradition of inaugurating kings on that day. So, 'the third year of Cyrus the king of Persia' begins on Nisan 1 (March 23rd) of 536BCE.
The subject of this prophecy, which extends to the end of chapter 12, is a 'great military service'. This military activity involves both the armies of earthly nations (Dan 11:10, 13), and those of angelic forces in the heavenly places (Dan 10:13, 20). It will also become apparent, that this military activity is focused around the nation of Israel. This 'great military service', opening in chapter 11, begins in 480BCE with the rousing of one of the largest armies of the ancient world in Persia's bid for the conquest of Greece.

Verses 20-21, 11:1a:
"So he went on to say: 'Do you really know why I have come to you? And now I shall go back to fight with the prince of Persia. When I am going forth, look! also the prince of Greece is coming. However, I shall tell you the things noted down in the writing of truth, and there is no one holding strongly with me in these [things] but Michael, the prince of you people." "'And as for me, in the first year of Darius the Mede I stood up as a strengthener and as a fortress to him."
We see here an insight into the dynamic existing in the heavenly realm. The archangel Michael and another angel who is almost certainly Gabriel take the lead in ensuring that God's purpose regarding the nation of Israel is carried out even while the opposing princes of Persia and Greece strive against it.


Daniel Chapter 11:
Verses 1-2a: [539-538 BCE]
"'And as for me, in the first year of Darius the Mede I stood up as a strengthener and as a fortress to him. And now what is truth I shall tell to you:"
Daniel 11 contains the bulk of the message that Gabriel has been sent to deliver to Daniel. The prophecy begins with the struggle between the kings of Persia and Greece (Dan 10:20), but then carries forward following the kings of the north and south (v11a). A point that should be made here, is that the prophecy is given from the perspective of the king of the north. For example, verse 5b simply jumps in with 'he'; this pronoun refers to the king of the north.
These two rival kings unwittingly persecute God's people who are continually caught between them (Dan 10:14). Also, since this prophecy focuses on 'great military service' and events that 'befall [Daniel's] people', there are at times great leaps in the history touched on (Dan 10:1b, 14).

Verse 2b: [560-475 BCE]
"'Look! There will yet be three kings standing up for Persia, and the fourth one will amass greater riches than all [others]. And as soon as he has become strong in his riches, he will rouse up everything against the kingdom of Greece."
The three kings of Persia that were to 'stand up' were Cyrus the Great (560-530BCE), Cambyses II (530-522BCE) conqueror of Egypt, and Darius I the Persian (522-486BCE). In listing these three, no count is made of the usurper, the Magian named Gaumata, who pretended to be Smerdis Bardija the brother of Cambyses. He reigned less than eight months and was discovered to be false and was put to death by the Persian Darius I Hystaspes. Under orders of this Darius an invasion of Greece began in 499BCE. During a second invasion the Persians were routed at Marathon, September 28th 490BCE, and their army was obliged to retreat to Asia Minor. Five years later Darius I died and was succeeded by the 'fourth' king, Xerxes I (486-475BCE).
The Persian defeat at Marathon called for revenge. So Xerxes, having become strong through his riches, made empire-wide preparations for humbling the Greeks. He is understood to be the Ahasuerus who took Esther the Jewess as wife and who ruled over 127 provinces from India to Ethiopia (Est 1:1). Collected from all these provinces, his host of troops included East Indians and Ethiopians. The Phoenicians furnished 1,200 warships with crews, besides which there were 3,000 ships for transport of his grand mixture of troops. The historian Herodotus says there were 1,700,000 footmen, 100,000 horsemen and 500,000 sailors and marines, for a total of 2.3 million men. In the spring of 480BCE this huge war machine moved against Greece.
An heroic Greek delaying action at Thermopylae, known as the battle of the 300 Spartans took place in 480BCE, and was overcome only at great cost to the Persians. They then ravaged Athens, but at Salamis the Persians met with terrible defeat; here the Greeks had determined to make their last stand. Another victory for the Greeks at Plataea the following year proved decisive. Greece was no place for the Persians, and back to Asia Minor King Xerxes fled. Even Byzantium, the capital of Thrace, was wrested from the Persians by the courageous Spartans.
Despite this ouster from Greece, the Persian Empire continued as the fourth world power for about 150 years longer. Consequently seven more Persian kings followed Xerxes; these were, Artaxerxes I, Xerxes II, Darius II Ochus, Artaxerxes II, Artaxerxes III, Arses and Darius III. The next 'great military service' brings Darius III's rulership, and Persia's dominion, to and end.

Verse 3: [336-323 BCE]
"'And a mighty king will certainly stand up and rule with extensive dominion and do according to his will."
This was in 336BCE, in the same year that the eleventh and last Persian world ruler counting from Cyrus the Great was crowned. In that year the Macedonian Alexander 'stood up', being crowned king of Macedonia as successor to his father, Philip II, after whom the Biblically famous city of Philippi was named. This twenty-year-old ruler did prove to be a 'mighty king' and came to be called Alexander the Great.
Fired with the scheme originated by his father, he launched out on the conquest of Asia and met with speedy success. He seized the Persian provinces in the Middle East and in Egypt, where he founded the city that exists to this day, Alexandria. Turning northward, he crossed the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers to meet Darius III on the field of battle at Gaugamela near where Nineveh the ancient capital of Assyria lay moldering in ruins. Alexander's phalanxes and cavalry, 47,000 strong, dashed against Darius' host of 1,000,000 warriors and scattered them. Darius III fled, only to be murdered, thus bringing to an end the rule of the Achaemenian dynasty that had begun with Darius I. With the entire Persian Empire now under his sway, Alexander the Great (336-323BCE) did 'rule with great dominion' and did do 'according to his will'.

Verse 4: [323-301 BCE]
"And when he will have stood up, his kingdom will be broken and be divided toward the four winds of the heavens, but not to his posterity and not according to his dominion with which he had ruled; because his kingdom will be uprooted, even for others than these."
Alexander's enjoyment of world rulership was short-lived. At the height of his career, at the age of 32, Alexander the Great was struck down by malaria at Babylon in 323BCE; his plans to make this Scripturally doomed city his world capital collapsed. His vast empire in Europe, Asia Minor, Asia, the Middle East and Egypt broke up 'toward the four winds of the heavens'. His body was transported into Egypt and buried in Alexandria by his General Ptolemy, the satrap of Egypt.
The empire did not pass to Alexander's posterity. He had left behind in Macedonia an incapable brother, Philip Aridaeus. He reigned for less than seven years, and was then murdered by his own mother in 317BCE. Alexander's legitimate son by Roxana, Alexander Allou, followed and ruled only about six years. In 311BCE he too met violent death at the hand of one of his father's generals, Cassander, who now usurped the throne of Macedonia and Greece. Alexander's illegitimate son, Heracles, undertook to rule in his father's name, but was murdered in 309BCE. With him the line of Alexander had died out.
The Alexandrian Empire was plucked up for men other than Alexander's posterity to rule. His generals quarreled among themselves and grabbed for territory; and the broken kingdom was for a time divided four ways, 'toward the four winds of the heavens'. One-eyed General Antigonus tried to set himself up as lord of all Asia and finally took the title of king, claiming to be the heir of Alexander the Great. He had to meet the confederacy of the three other generals against him, Cassander, Seleucus and Lysimachus. He fell in battle against them at Ipsus in Phrygia, Asia Minor, in 301BCE. The four Hellenic empires that resulted were that of: General Cassander in Macedonia and Greece; General Lysimachus in Thrace and Asia Minor, including Byzantium; General Seleucus Nicator, who secured Babylon, Media, Syria, Persia and the provinces eastward to the Indus River; and, General Ptolemy Lagus, who secured Egypt, Libya, Arabia, Palestine, and Coele-Syria. In a few years the male line of General Cassander died out, and in 285BCE General Lysimachus took possession of the European part of the Macedonian Empire. However, in 277BCE Antigonus Gonatas, the grandson of one-eyed General Antigonus, gained possession of the throne of Macedonia. This reduced the Hellenistic empires to three, till Macedonia became dependent upon Rome in 168BCE and ended up as a Roman province in 146BCE.
In 281BCE General Lysimachus fell in battle before General Seleucus Nicator and thus left Seleucus practically the master of the Asian territories. Seleucus became the founder of the Seleucidae or house of Seleucid kings in Syria. Shortly after the decisive battle of Ipsus he founded the city of Antioch in Syria, naming it after his father Antiochus.
Seleucus transferred his seat of government from Babylon to his new Syrian capital, Antioch. He was then assassinated shortly afterwards in 280BCE. The Seleucid dynasty of kings that he left to succeed him continued in power until 64BCE, when the Roman General Gnaeus Pompey made Syria a Roman province. Long before he died Seleucus gave to his son Antiochus I the sovereignty over all the lands beyond the Euphrates River as well as the title of king. With King Seleucus Nicator the long warfare between the 'king of the north' and the 'king of the south' begins.

Verse 5: [305-281 BCE]
"'And the king of the south will become strong, even [one] of his princes; and he will prevail against him and will certainly rule with extensive dominion [greater than] that one's ruling power."
Following Cassander's death, Lysimachus had subsumed his empire into his own by 285BCE. Lysimachus was subsequently defeated in 281BCE by Seleucus I Nicator, which allowed his empire to extend as far west as Asia Minor. The European portion of the Greek Empire went to Antigonus II Gonatas in 276BCE; and later to the Roman Empire in 146BCE. Thus, two main contenders came to vie for power: Seleucus I Nicator (301-281BCE) who ruled Asia Minor through to Babylon, and Ptolemy I Lagus (305-282BCE) in Egypt. The Seleucid Dynasty lasted until 64BCE, and the Ptolemaic Dynasty lasted until 30BCE.
North and south thus refer to the physical locations of these two empires in relation to Israel at this time (Dan 10:14). It is also interesting to note that in the Septuagint translation of this chapter, the south is always rendered as Egypt ('aigyptou'). 'And the king of the south will become strong, even [one] of his [Alexander's] princes' refers to Ptolemy I Lagus. Ptolemy I Lagus became the first king of the south, and the title of king of the south remained with his line until 30BCE. 'And he [north] will prevail against him [south] and will certainly rule with extensive dominion [Asia Minor to Iraq] greater than that one's ruling power [Egypt]' refers to Seleucus I Nicator and that his empire would be greater than that of Ptolemy I. Seleucus I Nicator had become the king of the north, and the title of king of the north remained with his line until 64BCE.

Verse 6: [250-~246 BCE]
"'And at the end of [some] years they will ally themselves with each other, and the very daughter of the king of the south will come to the king of the north in order to make an equitable arrangement. But she will not retain the power of her arm; and he will not stand, neither his arm; and she will be given up, she herself, and those bringing her in, and he who caused her birth, and the one making her strong in [those] times."
Verse six moves on to Antiochus II (~250BCE), grandson of Seleucus I Nicator representing the king of the north, and Ptolemy II (?-246BCE) son of Ptolemy I representing the king of the south. King Ptolemy II waged two wars with the Syrian 'king of the north', Antiochus II, but then in the year 250BCE the two kings entered into a peace agreement. As the price of this alliance, the Syrian king of the north, Antiochus II, must marry Berenice 'the very daughter of the king of the south', King Ptolemy II. But Antiochus II was already married to Laodice, so he was obliged to divorce her in order to marry Berenice. By Berenice, Antiochus II of Syria had a son, who became heir to the throne of the 'king of the north', to the exclusion of the sons of his first wife Laodice.
The 'arm', or supporting power, of Berenice was her father, King Ptolemy II. Hence when he died in 246-7BCE, Berenice did 'not retain the power of her arm' with her husband, King Antiochus II of Syria. He rejected her, and took back his first wife, Laodice, and named her oldest son, Seleucus Callinicus, to be his successor to the Syrian throne. Calamity befell all connections of Berenice, as prophecy had foretold. Not only did her father, 'her arm', not endure, but neither did she herself. Both Berenice and her infant son were murdered through Laodice's plans. Those who brought her, evidently her attendants who brought her from Egypt to Syria, also suffered. This did not pacify Laodice. Antiochus II, after taking her back, was poisoned. It was thought that this was also Laodice's doing in order to prevent being divorced a second time after having re-secured her position. So Berenice's father that had begotten her and her Syrian husband that had obtained her for a while both died. This left Laodice's oldest son, Seleucus II, as rightful successor to his father on the Syrian throne.

Verses 7-8: [246-242 BCE]
v7 "And one from the sprout of her roots will certainly stand up in his position, and he will come to the military force and come against the fortress of the king of the north and will certainly act against them and prevail."
'The one from the sprout of her roots' was Berenice's brother Ptolemy III standing up as the king of the south. Ptolemy III immediately set out against Seleucus II the king of the north to seek revenge for the murder of his sister Berenice. He prevailed against him by taking the fortified part of Antioch and moving through the eastern portion of Seleucid as far as India.

v8 "And also with their gods, with their molten images, with their desirable articles of silver and of gold, [and] with the captives he will come to Egypt. And he himself will for [some] years stand off from the king of the north."
More than two hundred years before, during the days of Pharaoh Psammetichus III, the Persian King Cambyses II had conquered Egypt and had carried home in triumph the conquered Egyptian gods, 'their molten images'. Now, when plundering Susa, the former royal capital of Persia, and Babylonia, the victorious king of the south, Ptolemy III, recovered the deported gods of ancient Egypt and took these back to Egypt. By this he won for himself the name Ptolemy III Euergetes.
After this, however, internal turmoil prevented him from taking advantage of his successes over the king of the north. He did continue as king until 221BCE, but his troubles with Seleucus II were not yet over, as we will see next.

Verse 9: [242 BCE]
"'And he will actually come into the kingdom of the king of the south and go back to his own soil."
The humiliated Seleucus II struck back in revenge. He entered the kingdom of the king of the south (Ptolemy III), but met defeat. Seleucus II 'went back to his own soil' with only a small remnant of his army. His surname Callinicus, 'the Gloriously Triumphant', proved to be a misnomer. He died before Ptolemy III of Egypt did, and was then succeeded by his son Seleucus III, surnamed Ceraunus, 'Thunderbolt'. Assassination put a sudden end to his reign of less than three years. His brother succeeded him to the Syrian throne as Antiochus III and came to be called 'the Great'.

Verse 10: [239-217 BCE]
"'Now as for his sons, they will excite themselves and actually gather together a crowd of large military forces. And in coming he will certainly come and flood over and pass through. But he will go back, and he will excite himself all the way to his fortress."
Concerning the two sons of King Seleucus II Callinicus, Seleucus III Ceraunus, died under an assassin's weapon while on a campaign toward the west in Asia Minor. His brother, the other son, Antiochus III the Great (239-187BCE), assembled great forces for an assault on the kingdom of the king of the south, who was now Ptolemy IV Philopator. He led his military forces to wipe out Egyptian gains and he won back the seaport of Seleucia, also the province of Coele-Syria, and the seacoast cities of Tyre and Ptolemais. The first Egyptian army that Ptolemy IV sent against him he routed. He also took many cities of the province of Judea in Palestine. During the winter, victorious Antiochus III went into winter quarters with his 60,000 warriors at Ptolemais, about twenty-five miles south of Tyre. The following spring (217BCE) he did return and excite himself, even to his 'fortress' of Antioch.

Verses 11-12: [~217-~187 BCE]
"'And the king of the south will embitter himself and will have to go forth and fight with him, [that is,] with the king of the north; and he will certainly have a large crowd stand up, and the crowd will actually be given into the hand of that one. And the crowd will certainly be carried away. His heart will become exalted, and he will actually cause tens of thousands to fall; but he will not use his strong position."
Ptolemy IV went forth with 75,000 men to fight with Antiochus III's large crowd of 68,000 men. The king of the north's large crowd was defeated at Raphia. The two kings then made a treaty which saw Coele-Syria, Tyre, Ptolemais, and Judea returned to Egyptian control. Ptolemy IV did not use his victory to his advantage, however, and left-off to debauchery.
The king of the north, Antiochus III, after being defeated at Raphia, retired to his Syrian capital at Antioch. Unlike his victorious opponent, he went on to earthly greatness. He directed his military genius eastward and defeated the Parthians in 209BCE. The following year he carried his expedition still farther eastward, against the Bactrians deep in Asia. These successful expeditions earned for him the title, 'Megas', 'the Great'. Turning now westward, he captured Ephesus in Asia Minor and made it his capital. He crossed the Hellespont into Europe, and there he rebuilt the city of Lysimachia that had been founded by Alexander's general Lysimachus. At this point Rome asked him to quit interfering in Europe, but then in 191BCE they formally declared war upon him. He was finally defeated at Magnesia in Asia Minor, not far from his capital, Ephesus. When settling for peace with Rome, he yielded up everything on the Roman side of the Taurus Mountains of Asia Minor. He became the father of Cleopatra, whom he engaged in marriage to the king of the south, who by this time was now Ptolemy V.

Verses 13-19: [~198-175 BCE]
v13 "'And the king of the north must return and set up a crowd larger than the first; and at the end of the times, [some] years, he will come, doing so with a great military force and with a great deal of goods."
The 'times' or years here foretold turned out to be twelve or more years after the battle of Raphia, where he had suffered defeat at the hand of Ptolemy IV. After that lapse of years, the victor of the battle of Raphia died and his five-year-old son became the king of the south, bearing the name Ptolemy V. Taking advantage of this tender age of the king of the south, Antiochus III set out to re-conquer all the territories he had lost. To this end he leagued himself with Philip V, king of Macedonia, against young Ptolemy V. He then invaded Phoenicia and Syria and captured the coastal city of Gaza near Egypt.

v14a "And in those times there will be many who will stand up against the king of the south."
In addition to facing both Syria and Macedonia, Ptolemy V also had to deal with internal rebellion, likely due to having come to power at such a young age.

v14bc "'And the sons of the robbers belonging to your people will, for their part, be carried along to try making a vision come true; and they will have to stumble."
'Your' refers to Daniel; so, 'your people' means the Jews. 'Sons of the robbers' means revolutionaries - those attempting to rob the rightful ruler of his throne. Thus, the Jews are apart of the internal rebellion, taking place within the Egyptian empire under Ptolemy V. They attempt to make the vision of a nation free from foreign rule a reality. Since its destruction in 607BCE, no king in the line of David had ruled in Jerusalem independent of foreign rulership. These revolutionaries attempt to change Jehovah's established timetable, but they 'stumble' in their attempt to do so.

v15-16 "'And the king of the north will come and throw up a siege rampart and actually capture a city with fortifications. And as for the arms of the south, they will not stand, neither the people of his picked ones; and there will be no power to keep standing. And the one coming against him will do according to his will, and there will be no one standing before him. And he will stand in the land of the Decoration, and there will be extermination in his hand."
The military forces or 'arms of the south' that King Ptolemy V Epiphanes sent under General Scopas proved unable to 'stand' against the pressure from the north. Egypt's General Scopas was defeated by Antiochus III the Great far to the north of Jerusalem, at Paneas (later called Caesarea Philippi). Antiochus III drove Scopas and his 100,000 'picked' troops back into the Phoenician seaport of Sidon, a well-fortified city. Here he 'threw up a siege rampart', and took Sidon in 198BCE, for the bottled-up General Scopas was forced to surrender due to famine. Antiochus III pressed forward 'according to his will', as the forces of the king of the south were unable to stand before him. He captured more cities and proceeded against the capital of the 'beauteous land', Jerusalem, with its rebuilt sanctuary.
The military garrison that the king of the south had stationed in Jerusalem failed to hold the city. When Antiochus III entered Jerusalem, he was welcomed by its inhabitants. The final part of verse 16 in the Greek Septuagint reads: 'all things together are brought to their conclusion by his hand'. This would appear to refer to the rebellion taking place against the king of the south; that it is ended by Antiochus III.

v17 "And he will set his face to come with the forcefulness of his entire kingdom, and there will be equitable [terms] with him; and he will act effectively. And as regards the daughter of womankind, it will be granted to him to bring her to ruin. And she will not stand, and she will not continue to be his."
Antiochus III now set about the complete conquest of Egypt. Egypt turned to Rome for protection, who forced Antiochus III to accept terms of peace with Ptolemy V. Under compulsion from Rome, Antiochus III brought terms of peace to the king of the south, but instead of making an outright surrender of his conquered territories in obedience to Rome, he would make a nominal transfer of territory to King Ptolemy V by means of the 'daughter of women', Cleopatra, the 'daughter of his wife'. In consideration of this political marriage she was to receive as dowry from her father the conquered provinces of Coele-Syria, Palestine (including the 'beauteous land') and Phoenicia.
However, Antiochus III did not actually let these provinces pass over to his southern son-in-law by way of his daughter Cleopatra. In 196BCE Ptolemy V was declared of legal age and was crowned king of the south. In 193BCE his marriage to Cleopatra was performed. The intent of this political marriage was to 'destroy it', or to bring Egypt to ruin, making it subject to Syria. But this scheme did not stand, and the advantage did not remain with Syrian King Antiochus III. In the difficulties that followed, Cleopatra took the side of her young husband rather than that of her Syrian father. In this way she frustrated the selfish designs of her father Antiochus III. When at last war broke out between her father and Rome, Egypt took the side of its protector, Rome.

v18-19 "And he will turn his face back to the coastlands and will actually capture many. And a commander will have to make the reproach from him cease for himself, [so that] his reproach will not be. He will make it turn back upon that one. And he will turn his face back to the fortresses of his [own] land, and he will certainly stumble and fall, and he will not be found."
The coastlands were those of Asia Minor and Greece and Macedonia. It happened that war broke out in Greece in 192BCE and King Antiochus III was induced to come to Greece. He landed there that year, captured Chalkis, gained a foothold in Boeotia and tried to take over Thessaly but retreated from before the Macedonian army.
The following year Rome formally declared war on Antiochus III. At Thermopylae he met the Romans and suffered defeat. So he sailed back to Asia Minor to his capital at Ephesus. But now the Romans purposed to oust this king of the north from Asia. Battles at sea were fought. First the admiral of Antiochus III defeated the Roman fleet, but soon afterward his own admiral sustained a heavy defeat from the Roman fleet. Following this, Antiochus III was forced to abandon Lysimachia on the Chersonese peninsula, leaving the way open for the Romans to cross the Hellespont into Asia Minor.
In 190BCE a decisive battle took place at Magnesia near Ephesus, and Antiochus III with 80,000 men lost to the Roman 'commander', Lucius Scipio Asiaticus. The king of the north was now willing to make peace with Rome. In 189BCE the final peace arrangement was made. Antiochus III was required to disown everything in Greece and everything in Asia Minor west of the Taurus Mountains. Additionally, he must pay 15,000 talents to Rome and 500 talents to her ally, Eumenes, king of Pergamum, who had helped in defeating Antiochus III at Magnesia. As a further reward King Eumenes received European territory and all the possessions of Antiochus III in Asia Minor as far as the Taurus Mountains. Rome thus established a domination over the Syrian king of the north.
After being driven from Greece and losing Asia Minor and practically all his fleet, Antiochus III turned his face back toward the strongholds of his own land. However, the fine proved to be too much for him. In 187BCE, while trying to rob the temple of Belus at Elymais in Persia, he was killed.
His son, Seleucus IV, who became the next king of the north continued to struggle with the reparations levied by Rome. Seleucus IV now attempted to rob another temple for its wealth; the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem. He hatched a plot, making use of his treasurer Heliodorus, but Heliodorus betrayed and killed Seleucus IV in an attempt to secure power for himself. However, Heliodorus' plans failed, and Eumenes and Attalus, the kings of Pergamum, had Seleucus IV's brother, Antiochus IV, placed upon the throne instead.

Fall of Seleucid to Rome: [175-30 BCE]
Antiochus IV Epiphanes reigned for about twelve years (175-163 BCE). On coins that he had struck, Antiochus IV gave himself the title Theos Epiphanes, meaning 'The Manifestation of God'. To this end, he went forth to conquer as far as Egypt, completing his conquest by 168BCE.
He tried to show himself mightier than Jehovah God. Seeking to further secure his gains, he set about Hellenizing Judea. He removed the governor, High Priest Onias III, and set his brother, Jesus, renaming him Jason, into office. Going farther, he rededicated the temple in Jerusalem to the Olympian god Zeus. In December of 168BCE, a pagan altar was erected on top of the great altar of Jehovah in the temple courtyard where Jehovah's daily burnt offering used to be offered. Now a sacrifice to Zeus was offered on this pagan altar (1 Maccabees 1:54-59).
Rather than securing his control, this desecration of the sanctuary of Jehovah led to the Jewish uprising under the leadership of the Maccabees in 167BCE. For three years Antiochus IV Epiphanes waged a bitter war against them, but in 165BCE, on the exact anniversary of the desecration of the sanctuary, Judas Maccabeus, the leader, rededicated the temple to Jehovah and the festival of dedication (Hanukkah) was established (John 10:22). At this point the Hasmonaean Dynasty began to govern over an independent Judean state. Judea remained independent until 63BCE.
Despite his victory over Egypt, the Roman Senate stepped in and demanded that Antiochus IV renounce his kingship of Egypt and leave the country. Antiochus IV complied, but kept his hold on Coele-Syria, Palestine and Phoenicia. Thus, all his gains were reversed, and he died shortly thereafter, in 163BCE. After him there were many more independent kings of the Seleucid dynasty in Syria, but the empire continued in decline under increasing pressure from Parthia in the east and Rome in the west. In 65BCE the Roman General Gnaeus Pompey defeated Antiochus XIII Asiaticus; and by 64BCE Syria had become a Roman province. At this point, Rome took up the role of the king of the north.
Pompey next moved down from the now Roman province of Syria and began a three-month siege of Jerusalem and took the city in the midsummer of 63BCE. He is said to have entered the sanctuary, even the Holy of Holies of the temple. He appointed Hyrcanus II to be high priest at the temple, returning him to governance of Judea and maintaining the Hasmonaean line, but now as a Roman province. In 40BCE the Roman Senate appointed Herod the Idumean (Edom) as king over Judea, and by 37BCE he had captured Jerusalem and established himself as king, ending the Hasmonaean rule. In time, the Romans set up a Procurator, under whom the Herodian kings rule.
*The Ptolemaic dynasty ruling in Egypt held the position of king of the south only a short time longer than did the Seleucids. In 31BCE the decisive battle of Actium was fought, in which Egypt's Queen Cleopatra deserted the fleet of her Roman lover, Antony, to his defeat. The victor, Octavius, the grandnephew of Julius Caesar, then proceeded to the conquest of Egypt. In 30BCE Cleopatra committed suicide, and Egypt became a Roman province, subject to this next king of the north.

[TalonKarrde_X]

Verse 20: [44BCE - 14CE]
"'And there must stand up in his position one who is causing an exactor to pass through the splendid kingdom, and in a few days he will be broken, but not in anger nor in warfare."
As history shows, the next king of the north would not be in the line of the Seleucid kings, as their line ends when the Roman general Pompey conquers Syria. A look at the Greek text also suggests that a shift would occur at this point, as it speaks of the one 'standing up in his position' being as a root out of 'his' tree-like kingdom. This imagery likens Syria to a tree, being somewhat of an anchor point around which each of the previous, successive kings of the north have set up their empires. Now, however, there is to be a change. Once the Roman Empire takes control of Syria, its capital, Rome, becomes the new focal point for this next king of the north; like a root out of the old tree.
This first of the Roman emperors mentioned is not Julius Ceasar, but the prophecy instead picks up with the emperor 'who is causing an exactor to pass through the splendid kingdom'. The word 'exactor' has reference to exacting tribute or tax and is used in this sense, for instance, at 2 Kings 23:35, which refers to King Jehoiakim's taxing Judah in order to pay tribute to Egypt's Pharaoh Nechoh. The account of the 'exactor' sent throughout the land at the time that Jesus was about to be born, is at Luke 2:1-7. Although Luke speaks of it as a registration, we must remember that this 'registration' was not merely for the purpose of finding out how many people there were in the Roman Empire, it had an ulterior motive. This was the exaction of men for the army or the exaction of taxes. This exaction would be determined and administered according to the number of people registered in any one district or province of the empire.
This verse therefore refers to the Roman emperor Gaius Octavian Augustus Caesar (44BCE - 14CE), the next king to stand up in the position of the king of the north. The prophecy moves on to him for the reason that his actions have significance in relation to 'Daniel's people' (Dan 10:14). His decree that all are to be registered causes the prophecy to be fulfilled regarding the birth location of the Messiah (Mic 5:2).
Augustus also set up the emperor's bodyguard known as the Praetorian Guard, which was later enlarged by his successor. He died at the age of 76, on August 19, 14CE.

Verses 21-24: [14-37 CE]
v21 "'And there must stand up in his position one who is to be despised, and they will certainly not set upon him the dignity of [the] kingdom; and he will actually come in during a freedom from care and take hold of [the] kingdom by means of smoothness."
Emperor Augustus had no sons. His sister had a son Marcellus, and his daughter had two sons, Gaius and Lucius, but all three died early on. Augustus had two stepsons by his third wife, Livia, Drusus and Tiberius. But Drusus, whom Augustus loved, also died early, leaving only Tiberius. Tiberius had become a capable general, and was in the position of the top-ranking soldier of the empire. In the year 4CE Augustus adopted both Tiberius and the great general Agrippa Postumus. Then in the year 12CE Agrippa died at the age of fifty-one. Afterwhich, by special law, Tiberius was raised to the coregency along with Emperor Augustus; the following year, 14CE, Augustus died.
'Tiberius', says The New Encyclopædia Britannica, 'played politics with the Senate and did not allow it to name him emperor for almost a month [after Augustus died]'. He told the Senate that no one but Augustus was capable of carrying the burden of ruling the Roman Empire and asked the senators to restore the republic by entrusting such authority to a group of men rather than to one man. 'Not daring to take him at his word', wrote historian Will Durant, 'the Senate exchanged bows with him until at last he accepted power'. Durant added: 'The play was well acted on both sides. Tiberius wanted the principate, or he would have found some way to evade it; the Senate feared and hated him, but shrank from re-establishing a republic based, like the old, upon theoretically sovereign assemblies'. Thus Tiberius 'took hold of the kingdom by means of smoothness' (also v23).

v22 "And as regards the arms of the flood, they will be flooded over on account of him, and they will be broken; as will also the Leader of [the] covenant."
At the time that Tiberius became king of the north his nephew Germanicus Caesar was commander of the Roman troops on the Rhine River. In 15CE, Germanicus led his troops against the German hero Arminius, and put him on the run, even capturing his wife Thusnelda; they then defeated him the following year. Finally the policy with regard to the Roman frontier, became one of peace and met with fair success. 'With few exceptions the duties of the Roman forces on the borders were confined to watching the peoples on the other side while they destroyed each other'. In this way the 'arms of the flood' (compare v10) were held in check or were swept away from before him and were 'broken'.
The flood of armies was not the only thing 'broken'. Also, was 'the Leader of [the] covenant' that Jehovah God had made with Abraham for blessing all the families of the earth. The Messiah, Jesus Christ, was the Seed of Abraham promised in that covenant (Gen 22:18, Gal 3:16, Dan 9:25a). On Nisan 14, 33CE, Jesus stood before Pontius Pilate in the Roman governor's palace in Jerusalem. The Jewish priests had charged Jesus with treason against the emperor. But Jesus told Pilate: 'My kingdom is no part of this world ... my kingdom is not from this source' (John 18:36). So that the Roman governor might not free the faultless Jesus, the Jews shouted: 'If you release this man, you are not a friend of Caesar. Every man making himself a king speaks against Caesar'. After calling for Jesus' execution, they said: 'We have no king but Caesar'. According to the law of 'injured majesty', which Tiberius had broadened to include virtually any insult to Caesar, Pilate handed Jesus over to be 'broken', or impaled, on a torture stake (John 19:12-16, Mark 15:14-20).

v23 "And because of their allying themselves with him he will carry on deception and actually come up and become mighty by means of a little nation."
Tiberius was constitutionally in league with the Roman Senate; he depended upon them formally, according to the constitution. However, Tiberius went beyond this, securing power and influence over the senate 'by means of a little nation'. These were the Praetorian Guards, which had been formed by Caesar Augustus in 13BCE as an Imperial guard, like the bodyguard around the person of the commander of a Roman army. Until now, this Imperial guard had been seen only near Rome, and in small detachments, but Tiberius changed this. On the advice of Sejanus, the commander of the Praetorian Guards, Tiberius had these Guards encamp permanently, and in full force, near the city walls. By this arrangement he held in check any unruliness of the people, and gained influence over the senate. Emperor Tiberius kept strong by means of this 10,000 strong force. Without much trouble, any risings within Rome against his authority were able to be put down.

v24 "During freedom from care, even into the fatness of the jurisdictional district he will enter in and actually do what his fathers and the fathers of his fathers have not done. Plunder and spoil and goods he will scatter among them; and against fortified places he will scheme out his schemes, but only until a time."
Ceaselessly Emperor Tiberius expended great care on the Roman provinces. At his death he left all the peoples subject to the empire in a condition of prosperity that they had not known under Augustus, nor previously, and would not know again. Because of strict government economies, taxes were light and Tiberius was able to show generosity when times were exceptionally bad anywhere. If officials of the empire, oppressed anyone below them or promoted any sort of irregularity in handling matters, they could be sure of Imperial vengeance. A firm grip on power maintained public security and quiet both in Italy and in foreign lands. The improvement in the communications system helped along commerce. With what were considered the sterner Roman virtues, the emperor saw to it that affairs were administered fairly and steadily both inside and outside Rome.
In many respects the laws were improved, and social and moral relations were safeguarded by holding on to and furthering the reforms instituted by Caesar Augustus. However, Tiberius slipped further and further into acts of depravity supposedly carried out in the name of justice, but more truthfully driven by his own barbarism. After his death, in the latter half of March 37CE, he was largely viewed as a tyrant and not honored with the deification Augustus had received.

Verses 25-26a: [270-275 CE]
v25ab "'And he will arouse his power and his heart against the king of the south with a great military force; and the king of the south, for his part, will excite himself for the war with an exceedingly great and mighty military force."
At the death of Cleopatra VII in 30BCE, Egypt became a Roman province. Since Rome had already taken on the role of king of the north, the Egyptian position of king of the south was figuratively subsumed into Rome, with no one actively standing in that position. Now, the position of the king of the south briefly re-asserts itself in rivalry to the king of the north by extricating itself from Roman authority. Historically, this is seen to occur at the time when Emperor Aurelian is in the position of the king of the north (270-275 CE). At this time, Queen Septimia Zenobia of Palmyra took control of Egypt and asserted her independence from Rome (270-272 CE).
Zenobia's husband was the Palmyrene noble Odaenathus, who was awarded the rank of consul of Rome in 258CE due to the fact that he had successfully campaigned against Persia on behalf of the Roman Empire. Two years later, Odaenathus received from Roman Emperor Gallienus the title of 'corrector totius Orientis' in recognition of his victory over King Shapur I of Persia. But then, in 267CE, at the height of his career, both Odaenathus and his heir were assassinated. Zenobia took control over her husband's position. Beautiful, ambitious, experienced, and capable, she commanded the respect and support of her subjects.
Situated between Parthian Persia to the east crippled by war with Rome, and the unstable and struggling Roman Empire to the West, Zenobia sought to dominate both from her position in Syria and Egypt. Her opportunity to do so came in 269CE when a pretender disputing Roman rulership appeared in Egypt. Zenobia's army swiftly marched into Egypt, crushed the rebel, and took possession of the country. She now proclaiming herself Queen of Egypt, minted coins in her own name, and controlled a kingdom which now stretched from the Nile to the Euphrates. At this point Queen Zenobia came to occupy the position of the king of the south.
It required Emperor Aurelian to 'arouse his power and his heart' to proceed against this warlike queen of Egypt and Syria. For her part, she had to prepare herself for war with the king of the north by an exceedingly great and mighty army under her two generals Zabda and Zabbai. Aurelian first recovered Egypt for himself by Probus. Then he got ready for a big expedition into Asia Minor and Syria. Zenobia with her two generals was defeated at Emesa and retreated to Palmyra. Although this city was bulwarked by the desert, Aurelian finally formed and kept up a siege of the strongly fortified, well-provisioned city. Under the siege the courage of Zenobia cracked. She and her son got out of the city and fled toward Persia for help. The Romans captured them on the bank of the Euphrates River. The besieged Palmyrenes lost heart and surrendered their city, 272CE. Aurelian spared the life of Zenobia and took her to Rome to be his prize feature in his great triumphal march through the imperial capital 274CE. After that she was permitted to spend the rest of her life as a Roman matron.

v25c-26a "And he will not stand, because they will scheme out against him schemes. And the very ones eating his delicacies will bring his breakdown."
Toward the end of his triumphal year, Aurelian set out on an expedition against the Persians. While waiting in Thrace for the opportunity to cross the straits into Asia Minor, those who ate his food carried out their evil plans against him and he was broken. He was going to call his secretary Eros to account for certain irregularities, but Eros incited certain officers to conspire against the emperor by forging a list of men who were marked out for death and including these officers. The sight of this list moved them to plot Aurelian's assassination.

Verse 26b: [275-476 CE]
"'And as for his military force, it will be flooded away, and many will certainly fall down slain."
The military might of the Roman Empire gradually waned under the tide of Germanic invaders until Romulus Augustulus was removed as emperor over the Western Roman Empire by the Germanic king Odoacer who made himself king of Italy. By taking control of its capital, Rome ceased to be in the position of the king of the north, and what came to be the Germanic Holy Roman Empire was now standing in the position of the king of the north.
In the century prior to this, Emperor Constantine (324-337 CE) moved the Imperial residence from Rome to Byzantium in an attempt to strengthen the unity of his empire. There, on May 11 330CE, he founded the new Imperial capital and dedicated it as New Rome or Constantinople. By the death of the emperor, Theodosius, January 17 395CE, the empire was finally divided between his sons; Honorius receiving the western section with its capital in Rome, and Arcadius the eastern, with its capital at Constantinople. Egypt became a province of the eastern division of the Roman Empire. In 641CE, when Heraclius was the emperor of the East, the Egyptian capital, Alexandria, fell to the Mohammedan Saracens and Egypt became a province of the caliphs or successors of Mohammed. Long afterward, in 1516-1517 Egypt became a Turkish province, governed by a pasha. When World War I broke out in 1914, Egypt belonged to Turkey and was ruled by a khedive or viceroy. Because of siding with the Germans, the Khedive Abbas Pasha was deposed on December 18 of that year, and Egypt was declared a British Protectorate, particularly with a view toward protecting the Suez Canal.
In the western part of the Roman Empire a new religious political figure arose in the Catholic bishop of Rome, particularly with Pope Leo I the Great, who is noted as the real founder of the papacy in the fifth century. In course of time the Pope took it upon himself to crown the emperor of the Western Roman Empire. This occurred when Pope Leo III crowned Frankish King Charlemagne on Christmas Day 800CE, at Rome, as emperor of the Western Roman Empire. Pope Leo III said: 'To Charles the Augustus, crowned by God, great and pacific emperor, life and victory'. So from then on the political ruler was supposed to rule 'by the grace of God'. Charlemagne added a second head to the eagle in his insignia, to denote that the Empires of Rome and of Germany had been united.

Verse 27: [1871-1907 CE]
v27 "'And as regards these two kings, their heart will be inclined to doing what is bad, and at one table a lie is what they will keep speaking. But nothing will succeed, because [the] end is yet for the time appointed."
The Western Roman Empire is considered to have officially come to its end, when, in 476CE, Rome, along with the Italian peninsula, was conquered by rebelling Germanic foederati after their betrayal by the emperor Romulus Augustus, and Odoacer was declared 'rex Italiae'. Theodoric the Great then brought Italy under Germanic Ostrogothic rule. After which Justinian I brought it back under Byzantine control for a time, only to be gradually pushed back by invading Germanic Lombards until, in 800CE, Germanic Frankish king Charlemagne was crowned 'Imperator Augustus Romanorum', effectively laying the beginnings of what was to become known as the Holy Roman Empire. Charlemagne also established the Papal States at this time. In 962CE, Pope John XII crowned the Germanic Saxon king Otto I the Great as emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.
Napoleon Bonaparte, in 1806CE, dissolved the Holy Roman Empire and established in its place his continental system in a bid to control trade and defeat the English Empire though economic warfare. In 1815CE the European powers assembled the Congress of Vienna which redefined the borders of Europe, particularly leaving the various Germanic states as a loose confederation. The Congress of Vienna also became an early template for the League of Nations which was formed a century later. Finally in 1870CE, the Franco-Prussian war broke out which resulted in the re-unification of all the German states along with Prussia into the German Kaiserreich under Kaiser Wilhelm I in 1871CE. Kaiser Wilhelm I now finds himself in the position of the new king of the north from 1871-1888 CE. He is then succeeded by Kaiser Wilhelm II, who rules in this position from 1888-1918 CE.
As regards the king of the south, Great Britain took on imperial power in the beginning of the seventeenth century and rose to the position of the seventh world power of Bible history, it being joined in this position by the United States of America to form the Anglo-American dual world power (Rev 17:10). During Britain's war with Napoleon Bonaparte the British army drove the French out of Egypt, the whole of which the French had conquered in 1798CE. Although Egypt came again under the overlordship of Turkey, the British government virtually controlled Egypt from 1882CE onward. Egypt was in fact a British dependency, although under its native khedive, for the British army stayed in Egypt and the British will was really the law. Then in 1914CE, because the Egyptian khedive sided with Turkey, which had joined Germany in the first world war, the British took over in Egypt, deposed the khedive and declared Egypt a British Protectorate. Thus, beginning in 1882CE, England came into the position of the king of the south. WWI helped to solidify both England's position in this role and her union with the United States of America.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague is set up as a provision of the Hague Convention of 1899CE. 'A major effort in both the conferences (those of 1899CE and 1907CE) was to create a binding international court for compulsory arbitration to settle international disputes, which was considered necessary to replace the institution of war'. Thus, the stated purpose of 'these two kings [sitting] at one table' is to put on the pretense of wanting peace, but 'a lie is what they will keep speaking', because their hearts are fully inclined towards war, as the outbreak of total war in 1914CE clearly showed.
'But nothing will succeed' refers to the intentions of 'these two kings', both of whose hearts are inclined towards a common goal, which is said to be 'what is bad'. As we have already identified, this common inclination is 'to replace the institution of war' through 'a binding international court for compulsory arbitration'. These kings do not meet with success in their goal at this time because the appointed time for it has not yet arrived. Additionally, we also learn that when these kings are successful in bringing about their intent, this will bring about an end.
These two kings will later begin to achieve success towards their goal when they are able to come together at the one table of the League of Nations founded in 1919CE (Dan 12:11). This is able to be the first successful step towards the achievement of their goal, because by then, 'the appointed time' will have arrived (consider 1 Th 5:3).

Verses 28-30a: [1888-1918 CE]
v28 "'And he will go back to his land with a great amount of goods, and his heart will be against the holy covenant. And he will act effectively and certainly go back to his land." [1888-1914 CE]
In 1888 the grandson of Kaiser Wilhelm I came to the German imperial throne as Kaiser Wilhelm II. 'He was a firm believer in the divine right of kings and of kaisers in particular. On numerous occasions he spoke of himself as 'the instrument of the Lord', and took such excessive interest in the army, ... But his selfish ambition had no bounds. It is now generally conceded that almost from the first day of his reign he began to plan for world domination; that he ... resolved that he, William, would show the world that one man could raise himself to the topmost pinnacle and not only rule Germany, but through Germany might rule the civilized earth.' 'He declared that he owed his 'awful responsibility toward the Creator alone, wherefrom no man, no minister, no parliament, no people can relieve the sovereign'.' He built up a powerful, well-trained army in which he had great confidence: he also developed a mighty navy, including many 'untersee boats' or submarines; he launched out on great commercial and colonial expansion of the German Reich. He extended the Reich's influence to Turkey and Asia Minor, seeking a direct railroad route to the Persian Gulf. He built up German interests in the Far East, Africa and South America. He 'went back to his land' by returning to the ancient king of the north's pursuit of territorial expansion through this new colonial policy. Wanting to challenge British supremacy at sea, he proceeded to build a powerful navy. 'Germany's naval power went from being negligible to being second only to Britain's in little more than a decade', says The New Encyclopædia Britannica. In order to maintain its supremacy, Britain actually had to expand its own naval program.
Those of 'the holy covenant' had long declared that 'the appointed times of the nations' would end in 1914CE (Luke 21:24b). In that year, God's Kingdom in the hands of King David's Heir, Jesus Christ, was established in the heavens (2 Sa 7:12-16). As far back as March 1880CE, the Watch Tower magazine linked the rule of God's Kingdom with the ending of 'the appointed times of the nations'. But the heart of the Germanic king of the north was 'against the holy [kingdom] covenant' (Luke 22:28-29). Instead of acknowledging Kingdom rule, Kaiser Wilhelm 'acted effectively' by promoting his own schemes for world domination (compare Dan 7:25b, 12). In so doing, though, he sowed the seeds for World War I.

v29a "'At the time appointed he will go back, and he will actually come against the south;" [1914-1917 CE]
As we saw from verse 27b, world events were not to proceed beyond a certain point until 'the appointed time' arrived. Now in verse 29a, that 'appointed time' has arrived, and things, accordingly, begin to move forward. The arrival of this 'appointed time' coincides with the conclusion of 'the appointed times of the nations' (Luke 21:24b). This time period begins in October of 607BCE, a date which is determined by back-calculating seventy years from the time of the return of the exiled Jews to Jerusalem in 537BCE (2 Ch 36:17, 21). The duration of this period runs for 7 times, which is the equivalent of 2,520 years, and therefore concludes in October of 1914CE (Dan 4:16).
During the four decades from 1870CE to 1910CE, there was more headway made in the 'European domination of the world' than during the four preceding centuries. The issue of world domination was coming to the fore. In 1895CE, Kaiser Wilhelm II declared that 'the German Empire has become a world empire'. In addition to colonial expansion, the German Empire also sought to strengthen its position through alliances. Kaiser Wilhelm made Germany the chief part in a Triple Alliance consisting of Austria-Hungary, Italy, and Germany, with the favour of the pope of the Vatican. France and Russia began forming up on the side of the king of the south, who resented the rising power of the new German Reich, as the Triple Entente.
On June 28th 1914CE, the spark needed to touch off a world conflagration was struck. Upon the assassination of Austrian Archduke Ferdinand and his wife in Bosnia, which Austria-Hungary had annexed in 1908CE, Kaiser Wilhelm urged Austria-Hungary to retaliate against Serbia. The king of the north had seized upon this event to realize his scheme of world domination at the expense of the king of the south. Assured of German support, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia one month later, on July 28th 1914CE. Russia stepped in to aid Serbia, but in so doing, Germany then declared war on Russia. France gave her support to Russia, and so Germany then also declared war on France. To make Paris more readily accessible, Germany invaded Belgium, whose neutrality had been guaranteed by Britain, and so now England declared war on Germany. Over the course of the war, nearly every country in the world became involved to some extent.

v29b-30a "but it will not prove to be at the last the same as at the first. And there will certainly come against him the ships of Kittim, and he will have to become dejected." [1917-1918 CE]
Previously, the Roman Empire in position as the king of the north, had been consistently victorious against Egypt as the king of the south. Now, however, things are not the same as at the first, and, as such, the king of the north, despite coming close to winning the war, is unable to gain a victory. The reason for this, is that 'the ships of Kittim' come up against the king of the north.
Kittim is the ancient name for the island of Cyprus. Additionally, Jewish historian Josephus applies the term to the coasts of Italy. And according to the Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, the name Kittim 'is extended to include the West in general, but especially the seafaring West'. Interestingly, Britain annexed the island of Cyprus late in 1914CE, and also Italy joined on the side of Britain in 1915. But, primarily, 'the ships of Kittim' refers to the great British navy. England and Germany were engaged in an extensive naval conflict throughout the war. But a key turn of events greatly strengthened the British Navy. On May 7th 1915CE, the German submarine U-20 sank the civilian liner Lusitania off the southern coast of Ireland. 128 Americans aboard died. This, combined with Germany extending its submarine warfare further into the Atlantic, brought the US into the war on April 6th 1917CE. The king of the north was finally defeated by the now full power of the king of the south as the dual Anglo-American World Power. Germany conceded defeat in November of 1918CE, and Wilhelm II fled into exile in the Netherlands.

Verse 30b: [1933-1945 CE]
"'And he will actually go back and hurl denunciations against the holy covenant and act effectively; and he will have to go back and will give consideration to those leaving the holy covenant."
The armistice signed on November 11th 1918CE effectively brought an end to WWI. After which, negotiations led to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on June 28th 1919CE. However, one general was quoted as saying, 'This is not Peace. It is an Armistice for twenty years.' Despite the intention that the treaty bring about peace, events around the world moved quickly and inexorably towards a second global conflagration.
Part I of the treaty was the 'Covenant of the League of Nations' which provided for the creation of the League of Nations, an organization intended to arbitrate international disputes and thereby avoid future wars. The previous attempts in 1899CE and 1907CE through the Permanent Court of Arbitration were unsuccessful in preventing WWI. The League was to be the next step towards the realization of this goal. Now that 'the appointed times of the nations' had come to their end, this attempt is able to become the 'placing of the disgusting thing that is causing desolation' (Dan 11:27, 12:11). Thus, on October 13th 1919CE, the League of Nations went into effect.
Beginning within just a few short years, domestic civil unrest in Germany and Italy led to Benito Mussolini seizing power in 1922CE, promising to create a 'New Roman Empire' for Italy, and Adolf Hitler establishing a totalitarian, single-party state in 1933CE, espousing German superiority, and seeking to break the harsh impositions of the Treaty of Versailles. Political turmoil in China gave Japan the opening it needed to invade and occupy Manchuria in 1931CE. Over this issue, Japan withdrew from the League in 1933CE; Germany also withdrew from the League later that year; Italy followed suit a few years after that. In October 1936CE, Germany and Italy formed the Rome-Berlin Axis; a month later, in a bid to halt communist expansion promoted by the Soviet Union, Germany and Japan signed the Anti-Comintern Pact, which Italy would also join in the following year. At this point, the political alliance of the Axis Powers was in place.
Immediately after coming to power in 1933CE though, the king of the north launched a vicious campaign 'against the holy covenant', represented by the anointed brothers of Christ Jesus (Mat 25:40). In the preceeding ten years, the church leaders in Germany had pursued legal efforts against the Bible Students resulting in thousands of court cases. However, persecution intensified in 1933CE, after Hitler came to power, and continued until 1945CE. According to notarized eyewitness testimony of Karl R. A. Wittig, 'On October 7th 1934CE...Dr. Frick showed Hitler a number of telegrams protesting against the Third Reich's persecution of the Bible Students... After which Hitler jumped to his feet and with clenched fists hysterically screamed: 'This brood will be exterminated in Germany!'' In this he 'acted effectively' against these loyal Christians, sending approximately 12,000 of them into concentration camps. In contrast to this, he made a concordat with the pope in Rome, and in 1935CE, created the Ministry for Church Affairs. Both the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant churches in Germany supported Hitler throughout his 12-year reign of terror.

Verse 31ab: [1939-1945 CE]
v31a "And there will be arms that will stand up, proceeding from him;"
The 'arms that stand up', are the military forces of the king of the north. Although Hitler and the Nazi party had taken power in 1933CE, their military arms do not 'stand up' until 1939CE. On September 1st of that year, a combined German-Soviet invasion of Poland began which led to WWII. 'At the end of 1941CE', says The World Book Encyclopedia, 'Nazi Germany dominated the continent'.

v31b "and they will actually profane the sanctuary, the fortress, and remove the constant [feature]."
Once the 3 1/2 years of spiritual upbuilding, which ran from 1919CE to 1922CE, had concluded, persecution against the Bible Students and their preaching work resumed (Rev 12:14-15, Ps 94:20). Then in 1933CE, under the Nazis, persecution increased further as the previous verse showed (Dan 11:30b). And now, in the war period of 1939CE to 1945, in lands under the control of both the kings of the north and the south, persecution increases to a peak.
In Britain, witnesses were imprisoned for refusing war-service, or interred in camps or deported. In Canada, Jehovah's Witnesses were completely banned; all activities and books outlawed subject to arrest or seizure. In the United States there were court cases against the preaching work, nationalistic persecution, and imprisonment for refusing war-service. And in India and Ceylon, Australia and New Zealand, a similar banning of the Witnesses arose. Throughout Europe, predominantly controlled by the Axis Powers, bans, imprisonments and legal restrictions came upon France, Spain, Poland, Belgium, Greece, Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Rumania, Yugoslavia, Estonia, Finland, Denmark and Norway. Also in Asia and the Pacific area under Japanese control similar bans occurred in Japan, the Philippines, Burma, Malaya, Straits Settlements, Indonesia, and Fiji.
All of these actions undertaken by the kings of the north and the south to 'remove the constant [feature]', constituted a profaning of the earthly courtyard of Jehovah's spiritual temple (John 2:19-21, Rev 11:2, Heb 13:15). However, if we continue on to verse 16 of Revelation chapter 12, we see that this river of persecution was not to continue indefinitely. Beginning during the war, courts began to uphold favourable rulings and over-turning the bans and legal proceedings in many countries, such that, by the end of WWII, this river had become a trickle.

[TalonKarrde_X]

Verse 31c: [1945 CE]
"'And they will certainly put in place the disgusting thing that is causing desolation."
As Europe neared the outbreak of WWII, the League of Nations ceased to function in any meaningful way. From 1939CE to 1946CE, when it was dissolved, the League entered into a state of complete inactivity; it was, but during this time, it is not. Revelation 17:11 describes the League of Nations as an eighth king and as a wild beast which springs, or receives it authority, from the seven kings. In 1919CE, there was merely 'a placing of the' League of Nations, but after its abyssal, this eighth kings ascends out of the abyss and is now 'put in place' as the United Nations (Dan 12:11, Rev 17:8).
The US and Britain began planning the post-war era long before WWII had ended. By as early as 1943CE, the United Nations was already being prepared, and between August and October 1944CE, at Dumbarton Oaks, USA, work was begun on the charter, so that it was able to be established on October 24th 1945CE, just a few months after WWII ended. Additionally, all remaining assets of the League of Nations were transferred to the UN in 1946CE, and also several of the institutions established through the League, were transferred to the UN; showing that these two organizations are not separate, but are in fact, one and the same. 'The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are international law, international security,... and achievement of world peace', just as was the League of Nations.
In Matthew 24:15, Jesus gave the third condition into which 'the disgusting thing that is causing desolation' would enter. In 1919CE, there was a tentative 'placing of' it, then in 1945CE, it was more solidly 'put in place', and lastly it will be 'standing' (Dan 12:11, Dan 11:31c, Mat 24:15). In the first century, 'the disgusting thing' was the sixth head, ascendant at that time, and the 'desolation' that it caused was the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem which brought that system to its conclusion (Rev 17:10, Mat 24:3b). Since the eighth king has been in ascendancy since 1919CE, in the second fulfillment of Matthew 24:15, 'the disgusting thing' will be the UN when it enters into its final condition of 'standing in a holy place'.

Verses 32-43: [1914-1991 CE]
When Rome conquered the tree-like kingdom of Syria in 64CE (v20), its emperor stood up like a root out of that tree, signifying that the position, or land, of the king of the north had now shifted to Rome. Up until that point, all the previous kings of the north had been in control of the territory of Syria; from that point forward, however, the next king of the north would take control of the land of the previous king of the north. Since Rome was then in position as the king of the north, the land of the king of the north was then Italy, and when Italy was conquered by Germans, it was Germany that would become the next king of the north. There was some time of delay, but when the king of the north's power was solidified, then the land of the king of the north became Germany. When Germany was defeated at the end of WWII, the USSR gained control of a part of the land of the king of the north, known as East Germany, and stood up in the position of the king of the north.
Taking a step back to 1917CE, after 2 1/2 years of all-out war with Germany in WWI, social unrest and war-weariness in Russia led to a revolution which saw the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, ending the Romanov Monarchy, and the formation of the Russian Provisional Government. Dissatisfied with the Provisional Government's continued participation in the war, and especially after the failed Kerensky Offensive, a second revolution took place in October of 1917CE. In 1903CE, Vladimir Lenin had led a faction that sought to overthrow the Russian Tsar through a workers' revolution, to break away from the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, and form the Bolshevik Party. Now, in October of 1917CE, amidst a second revolution, the Bolshevik Party was able to come to power in Russia under the leadership of Vladimir Lenin.
In order to consolidate power, Lenin issued a decree forming the Cheka, a force granted extraordinary police powers to imprison, torture, or execute, at their discretion, anyone suspected of opposing the Bolshevik regime; this was Russia's secret police. The political structure, the Politburo, was designed with the specific intent in mind to effectively extend the communist revolution to every country in the world; the world revolution. After failed revolutions in smaller European countries, it was thought that, through Russia, India, and China, accounting for a majority of global population, the complete victory of socialism would succeed.
After Lenin's death in 1924CE, the Communist Party's General Secretary, Josef Stalin, managed to consolidate more and more power into his hands, gradually putting down all opposition groups within the party. He remained in power from 1922CE (having been second to Lenin prior to his death), until he died in 1953CE. During this time period, from the outset of WWI to 1953CE, the number of people who died due to warfare, famine, civil unrest, persecutions, purgings, and genocides, was on the order of 100 million people. The USSR formally dissolved into separate nation states upon its breakup in 1991CE.
The primary time of fulfillment of verses 32-43 is the time of the ascendancy of Nazi Germany, from 1933CE to 1945CE, and the USSR, from 1945CE to 1991CE; each of whom stand in the position of the king of the north in their turn. The kings of the north and south, respectively, also reflect the divided nature that is characteristic of 'the kingdom of mankind' in 'the time of the end' (Dan 4:17, 12:4a, 12:9b, 11:35, 2:41). These two kings of the north, each epitomize the 'iron', or totalitarian, division existing within the kingdom; and, it is this totalitarian division and its rivalry with the clay-like division, which is described by these verses.

v32a "'And those who are acting wickedly against [the] covenant, he will lead into apostasy by means of smooth words."
Those who are acting wickedly against the covenant are the false Christian members of Christendom. In this context, 'apostasy' means an even further turning away from the true worship of Jehovah God to that of atheism. So, even as atheism becomes the predominant 'religion' in lands under the control of the kings of the north, Christendom desires to maintain its friendship with them (Jas 4:4).

v32b-33 "But as regards the people who are knowing their God, they will prevail and act effectively. And as regards those having insight among the people, they will impart understanding to the many. And they will certainly be made to stumble by sword and by flame, by captivity and by plundering, for [some] days."
True Christians are 'made to stumble' by the intense persecution they face in these totalitarian controlled countries led by the kings of the north. However, 'they prevail' in maintaining their integrity towards God, and 'impart understanding' by continuing the preaching work (Dan 12:3). The number of Jehovah's people continues to increase despite the obstacles that the kings of the north place before them.

v34 "But when they are made to stumble they will be helped with a little help; and many will certainly join themselves to them by means of smoothness."
The persecution that Christians face is often brought to an abrupt end due to changing politics. It is rarely continued without letup. The defeat of Nazi Germany, and the fall of the Berlin wall and the collapse of the Iron Curtain being the most striking examples of this. Contrastingly, government spies infiltrate God's people pretending to be Christians, but are secretly reporting to the government authorities. One report from Russia reads: 'Some of these unscrupulous characters were avowed Communists who had crept into the Lord's organization, made a great display of zeal, and had even been appointed to high positions of service'.

v35 "And some of those having insight will be made to stumble, in order to do a refining work because of them and to do a cleansing and to do a whitening, until the time of [the] end; because it is yet for the time appointed."
As we saw from verse 29, the appointed time arrives in 1914CE. The period of refining, which must take place, does not begin before then, and it will not end until its proper conclusion. The benefit of this, is that those who remain strong are cleansed, able to move forward in righteousness (Rom 5:3-4, Mal 3:3).

v36-37 "'And the king will actually do according to his own will, and he will exalt himself and magnify himself above every god; and against the God of gods he will speak marvelous things. And he will certainly prove successful until [the] denunciation will have come to a finish; because the thing decided upon must be done. And to the God of his fathers he will give no consideration; and to the desire of women and to every other god he will give no consideration, but over everyone he will magnify himself."
In the totalitarian regimes of the kings of the north, worship of the state and its leader must take the highest place among its citizens. To this end, the king of the north will know no limits. In the time of the Nazi regime in Germany, those who refused to say, 'Heil Hitler', were sent to the concentration camps. In communist Russia, particularly under Stalin, religion was outlawed in order to make the state the object of worship. Those who continued in the practice of their religion faced being sent to slave labor camps, torture, or simply being killed.

v38 "But to the god of fortresses, in his position he will give glory; and to a god that his fathers did not know he will give glory by means of gold and by means of silver and by means of precious stone and by means of desirable things."
The one god that this king will give worship to is the god of technological, militaristic strength, which gives his kingdom a fortress-like security. Nazi Germany attempted world domination through its extensive military strength, and, as well, Germany's scientific research progressed its technological capability far ahead of everyone else in many regards. The USSR, in its time, maintained the largest military in the world. Thousands of warships and tens of thousands of tanks and warplanes were not enough. In his endless pursuit of power and technological supremacy, the USSR also came to wield tens of thousands of nuclear weapons. The USSR sacrificed great wealth on the altar to this god in order to make his own self strong; a fortress indeed.

v39 "And he will act effectively against the most fortified strongholds, along with a foreign god. Whoever has given [him] recognition he will make abound with glory, and he will actually make them rule among many; and [the] ground he will apportion out for a price."
It is this foreign god of technological militarism that allows the king of the north to act effectively. To those nations which lend their support to the king of the north, he will strengthen them by means of military strength - but only for a price. Nations who enter into relations with these kings must align themselves accordingly. In the time of the USSR, many of her satellite nations are so cut-off, that they are said to be, 'behind the iron curtain'.

v40 "'And in the time of [the] end the king of the south will engage with him in a pushing, and against him the king of the north will storm with chariots and with horsemen and with many ships; and he will certainly enter into the lands and flood over and pass through."
Primarily during the cold war era of 1945CE to 1991CE, the 'pushing' that these two kings enter into, is an expression of their rivalry through indirect means of warfare. They engage in intrigues and espionage against one another, toppling governments in order to establish regimes favourable to their own. They fight against one another by proxy, through other nations such as Korea, Afghanistan, Vietnam, and others. In these rivalries, the king of the north has many successes against the king of the south; he is able to 'flood over and pass through' unchecked.

v41 "He will also actually enter into the land of the Decoration, and there will be many [lands] that will be made to stumble. But these are the ones that will escape out of his hand, Edom and Moab and the main part of the sons of Ammon."
In the time of ancient Israel, the nations of Edom, Moab, Ammon, and Israel ('the Decoration') were all situated between the two kings (originally Egypt and Assyria), and thus represent the area over which they fight in order to extend their dominion. The king of the north has many successes ('many made to stumble') in controlling other countries but also some failures ('the ones that escape'). 'Entering into the land of Decoration' is a reference again to the persecution the king of the north extends towards God's people wherever he has influence.

v42-43 "And he will keep thrusting out his hand against the lands; and as regards the land of Egypt, she will not prove to be an escapee. And he will actually rule over the hidden treasures of the gold and the silver and over all the desirable things of Egypt. And the Libyans and the Ethiopians will be at his steps."
Egypt was the ancient land of the king of the south. The king of the north makes attempts to take control of lands against the will of the king of the south. The king of the south does not escape in that he is sometimes defeated by the king of the north. Most notable is the US loss in Vietnam. Cuba stands out as an example in relation to 'the Libyans and the Ethiopians will be at his steps'. These nations neighboured on Egypt; similarly, countries such as Cuba, Chile, Mexico, and others, which are all very near to the US, geographically, have been strongly allied to the kings of the north, and/or, have maintained totalitarian styled regimes.
Ruling over the wealth of Egypt expresses the expenditure that the king of the south must put out to maintain his position of strength against the king of the north. Since the Second World War, the US has maintained the largest military budget of any country in the world, at times exceeding the military budgets of all other countries combined; and this, in direct response to the threat posed by the USSR. Additionally, economic trends in this time have meant that economic competition between the two rivals has had impact to both sides.

Verses 44-45: [The final days of this system]
These verses have not yet come to fulfillment, and thus we are, obviously, unable to correlate them to specific events.

v44 "'But there will be reports that will disturb him, out of the sunrising and out of the north, and he will certainly go forth in a great rage in order to annihilate and to devote many to destruction."
Isa 41:25 "'I have roused up [someone] from the north, and he will come. From the rising of the sun he will call upon my name. And he will come upon deputy rulers as [if they were] clay and just as a potter that tramples down the moist material." Here the Messiah is spoken of as being roused up from the north by Jehovah. From this verse as well as Psalms 48:2, Jeremiah 1:14, 50:9, Amos 8:12, Isaiah 14:12-14, and Ezekiel 38:14-16 we can see that heaven is symbolically referred to as the north. Amos 8:12 is particularly telling in that it gives the place of searching for word from Jehovah as the north and the sunrise. We can, therefore, fairly conclude that the report out of the sunrising and the north is in connection to divinely inspired direction from Jehovah God which rouses the king of the north to action.
We find similarity to this in Revelation 16-17, which discusses how the nations are led, through divine direction, to carry out God's will in the destruction of Babylon the Great and the kings of the earth. Revelation 16:12 says that the way will be prepared for (Jehovah and Jesus). Verse 14 says that the kings of the earth are gathered together against God, perhaps in response to verse 12. Revelation 17:16-17 says that these same kings will be directed by God to destroy false religion just as He had directed them to be gathered together. In Jeremiah 1:14, and 50:9 these nations of Babylon and Persia are said to be divinely directed by God to carry out his judgments. If we also bear in mind Zechariah chapter 2, we should be able to see that the direction God gives to the king of the north causes him to go forth in a great rage directed at Babylon the Great - false religion.

v45 "And he will plant his palatial tents between [the] grand sea and the holy mountain of Decoration; and he will have to come all the way to his end, and there will be no helper for him."
But, continuing in the same blasphemous arrogance displayed previously (v36-37), he now oversteps (Rom 1:24) the divinely decreed judgment against false religion and continues on to pursue God's people (Zech 2:8). And, in accord with Zechariah 2:5, 9, this brings speedy destruction instantly upon them (1 Th 5:3). Afterwards, the fulfillment of Zechariah 2:10-12 will bring welcome relief and joy to Jehovah's people when these two kings have come to their end (2 Th 1:6-7).

[Beckrl]

I have my thoughts on this, but wanted the comments of others on it. I do not intend to post any comments or injections of my own in this thread, I am looking for others' input.

Well my input would be that Daniel 11:36 'and the king' was still in reference to Antiochus IV. Just a thought in all of the other instances when changing from to another there was a note such as 'Then shall stand up in his estate '.

I see none in verses after Antiochus IV.

[John 8:32]

Thanks TalonKarrde_X, I am reading and digesting this. This is the type of response I was looking for and it is appreciated.

[vinsight4u8]

Do you think Daniel ever writes out the vision that he saw in chapter 10? Verse 14 shows it will occur in the latter days.

So where is that information ever told to us?
Daniel 11:14 ...the vision...


/The holy being ran out of time to give Daniel 10's explanation, so he came back to see Daniel for the time of chapters 11-12.

[vinsight4u8]

John 8:32

You place Darius as to having his first year over Babylon in 539.

me - This would mean the Jews remained in captivity another 4 years of so -before the first year of Cyrus came and the decree to release the Jews that wanted to leave to return to Jerusalem to build the temple of God.

captivity began
605 BC
ended 70 years later
around - 535 BC - not 539 BC /the third year of Cyrus would be around 532 BC
This means Babylon's kings have years left to rule the world in order to fulfill the seventy years that they were prophesied to complete.

[vinsight4u8]

Consider that more than one group is mentioned in Daniel 11:13?

multitude
and
after certain years
a great army


In verse 14 - the vision seen in chapter 10 begins to be told to us.
This chapter 10 vision is set for the latter days.