But they shall fail and they will be defeated. The armies of those empires march back and forth through the holy land, and some violent men among Daniel's own people (verse 14) will even participate in the wars. Between those two empires lay the holy land. What is clear is that a constant struggle arises between the southern empire (mainly Egypt) and the northern empire. We won’t go into detail of what happened next. But Alexander died young, at the age of 33 and his kingdom was divided among four tetrarchs. Then he (Xerxes) will stir up all against the kingdom of Greece, but he will be defeated and a great king shall arise, the Greek king Alexander the Great. The point he makes is that the wealth of the Persian Empire will increase, but it also invites an attack from other empires, even the kingdom of Greece. It is not the intention here to give a precise number. We can find this in other passages such as Amos 1:3, 6, and Proverbs 30:15, 18, 21, 29. It is a familiar Hebraism, where “three more” is used to indicate more than one or two. But we should not read three and four literally. This verse describes a period of two hundred years of Persian rule, during which time there were at least nine kings. A history book will show that there were quite a few more kings than only three. Certain events that are important in world history are left out, because they were not important in the history of salvation.Īn example is in verse 2 where we read about three more kings which shall arise in Persia, and then a fourth one. It does not describe the history (or future) of the world, but what will happen to God’s people, and, even more important, what must happen on the way to the coming of the Saviour. This vision is all about the future of God’s people. It does not even mention the most important things that a history book would mention. Not everything that will happen in the intervening years is mentioned in this vision. Much of chapter 11 is historically recognizable, particularly if you take a history book and read it alongside this chapter. These chapters describe what would happen between the return out of exile (the first year of Darius) and the coming of Christ (chapter 11), and the second coming of Christ (chapter 12). Until ultimately, also those will be destroyed and God’s people will be delivered (see 12:1, 2). They will come to their end and another will take their place. But then God also shows that they will not prevail. Here it is God’s enemies who rise up against God and try to blaspheme God and destroy his worship service. Although the Babylonian exile was a punishment for the sins and disobedience of God’s people, this persecution after the return from exile is not characterized as a punishment. These chapters show what will happen in the future. And Israel itself can only remain standing if it totally depends on God. God put his people somewhere where they would be a stumbling block for all those who raise themselves against God. They should put their trust in him, or else they would be destroyed in the battles between those superpowers. It is because his people must know that they must depend on God. Why is it that God chose this piece of land, Canaan, for his people? Looking at this world from a heavenly perspective gives us a completely different picture than many on this earth want to make us believe! The entire battle on earth is about God’s people, from the Old Testament to now! Already for thousands of years the Middle East, the area where Israel is situated, was a constant battle field between superpower countries, far more powerful than Israel. Even though it may seem as if Israel is an unimportant people in the world and Canaan is only a small piece of land, God is looking after them. The purpose of this vision is to show to Daniel and to God’s people that God has assigned Michael, one of the mightiest angels, to his people, to protect and defend them. Why would it be impossible for him to know and foretell in the days of Daniel what was going to happen in the centuries thereafter? There is no reason for us to believe that these chapters were not written by Daniel. God himself governs all creation and he is the One who makes everything happen. It is important for us to maintain that the Holy Spirit is the Author of the Bible and also author of these chapters. Since it becomes vague in its description after 165 BC, it is concluded that the historian lived around this time. Parts of it are quite clear, detailed and precise which has led many modern theologians to the conclusion that this part of Daniel (chapter 10-12) was not written by Daniel, but by a historian. It gives a description to Daniel of the future of God’s people. The vision which Daniel received in Daniel 10-12, is the longest one in the book of Daniel.
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