The Spiritual Warfare revealed by Gabriel to Daniel in Chapter 10 was not new:
Daniel 11 is not just political history—it is the earthly expression of a massive, ongoing spiritual war first revealed in Daniel 10. Behind every king, invasion, betrayal, and persecution in the chapter stands a conflict between angelic powers aligned either with God or with Satan.
Daniel 10 clearly conveys the spiritual warfare that was raging at the time and would continue after the Jewish people had returned to their homeland. This spiritual warfare was not something new. From the moment that Eve took the bite out of the apple Satan has relentlessly sought to counter God’s sovereign plans. God’s warning to the serpent in Genesis 3:15 is the first divine declaration that the woman’s seed will ultimately defeat Satan. This was the opening declaration that Satan would be defeated. It was the opening move in a long war that Scripture unfolds from Genesis to Revelation. The seed of the woman in Genesis 3:15 refers ultimately to a male descendant who would defeat the serpent. Old Testament prophecy and the New Testament identify this figure as Jesus Christ. So how did Satan try to break Eve’s lineage so this never comes about.
“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Notice God says referring to Satan “between your offspring”. God mentions “Satan’s offspring” in Genesis 3:15 because He is describing two opposing lines. These are two kingdoms that will exist throughout human history. These are the spiritual kingdoms which will wage warfare against each other. Those aligned with God and those aligned with the serpent. We see this in Daniel 10: “The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia, 14 as I came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is for days yet to come.” In these verses the nature of Satan’s offspring mentioned in Genesis 3:15 is clearly evident. In Genesis 3:15 God’s offspring is clearly evident as Eve and Adam’s offspring. The genealogy of Jesus in Luke appears in Luke 3:23–38. Luke’s recording begins after Jesus’ baptism and traces His lineage backward all the way to Adam, emphasizing His connection to all humanity. It is from this lineage that the Promised Messiah was to come. Thus, Luke is tracing it from the birth of Jesus back to Adam.
Scripture presents Satan as repeatedly attempting to cut off, corrupt, or destroy the line of the “the woman” through which the Messiah would come. God warned him stating “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Satan realized that this indicated a long conflict between him and the promised “seed of the woman,” which would culminate in someone in the line of Adam’s offspring that would be deliver a fatal blow to him, while Satan inflicts a real but non‑final wound on that individual. Scripture tells us who this individual will be through Old Testament prophecy. The coming of our Lord and Savior with His birth confirmed that the fatal blow to Satan would be delivered by the Promised Messiah. All Satan knew, however was that the one that inflict this blow was in the lineage of the woman. To prevent this from happening Satan repeatedly tries to destroy this line throughout the Old Testament. The major covenant-bearing genealogical lines in the Old Testament are Adam to Noah to Shem to Abraham to Isaac to Jacob to Judah and to David. During this time Satan’s plan was to thwart God’s plan for His Promised Messiah by targeting these lines. Yet Satan was never successful. God, for instance protected the lineage through the exile to Babylon. The Babylonians may have destroyed Jerusalem including the Temple. The Babylonian captivity effectively ended the monarchy in Jerusalem. The destruction of Jerusalem marked the final collapse of the Kingdom of Judah and the abolition of its independent rule. After the exile, the Jews returned, but not as an independent nation with one brief exception. A brief period of independence returned under the Maccabees from 167–63 BC. That being said the genealogical line survived through Jehoiachin, Shealtiel, and Zerubbabel. God preserved the line even in captivity.
The Birth of Jesus Christ – Matthew 1:18-23
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed[f] to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
While scripture never reveals the moment when Satan fully realized that the baby that had been born in Bethlehem was the promised “seed of the woman,” scripture shows a progressive recognition that Satan understood more and more as key events unfolded. By the time of Jesus’ public ministry, he knew exactly who He was. His strategic efforts to cut off or derail the Messianic line shifts from genealogical destruction, as in the Old Testament, to preventing Jesus from completing His mission. Satan’s plans included targeting Jesus’ identity, His mission, His disciples, and certainly included working through his agents to lead Jesus to death on the cross. These agents included the Pharisees and Sadducees, Judas Iscariot, Herod the Great, Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate, the Jerusalem leaders and many more that opposed Jesus as Messiah.
Understanding who the agents of Satan are and how God watches over His people are the themes of Daniel 11 and 12. Daniel 11 shows that successive foreign powers that repeatedly oppressed, politicized, and tried to reshape Israel by bringing military threats, cultural pressures, religious persecutions, temple desecration, and political manipulation. Throughout this chapter it should be noted how through God’s sovereign control He watched over and protected survival of His faithful remnant.
In Daniel, God’s watchfulness is obvious. He actively intervenes, He strategically protects, He sends revelatory guidance through angels, and He confirms His sovereign control over kings, empires, angels, and history itself. Daniel is one of the clearest books in Scripture showing how God watches over His people in the middle of spiritual warfare, hostile empires, and overwhelming human weakness. Throughout Daniel God watches over His remnant people by revealing the future to prepare His people for what is to come soon and into the future. God maintains spiritual warfare on Israel’s behalf since the conflicts of Daniel 11 are not just political, they are demonically energized assaults on God’s covenant people.
The return of the Jews from Babylon to Jerusalem
The return from Babylon to Jerusalem was not only a historical event, but it was to be a major front in spiritual warfare, where earthly opposition, political resistance, and angelic conflict intersected. The books of Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Daniel all present the restoration as a moment when God’s purposes advanced and hostile spiritual powers resisted. One of Satan’s goals was to prevent the Jewish people from ever reaching the land God promised them. If he could accomplish this it would be an indication that the Jewish people could not rely on God’s promises. God did fulfill that promise and the Jewish took possession of the Promised Land. Satan would not quit. Using his agent the Babylonian Empire he certainly felt he had succeeded when the Babylonians invaded, destroyed Jerusalem including the Temple and marched off the Jewish people to Babylon. Satan, seventy years later, therefore, clearly was not pleased that the Jewish people had not been permanently removed from their Promised Land when they were permitted by King Cyrus to return. He would then immediately recruit earthly beings to oppose the Jewish presence in Judah and especially Jerusalem where they were commanded by God to rebuild their Temple.
In Daniel Chapter 10 Daniel had been mourning for three weeks. Since the heavenly messenger had not yet revealed the prophetic message that he was sent by God to reveal to Daniel regarding the nations, it is apparent that his mourning was because of the opposition that he knew the Jews were facing on their return to Jerusalem from Babylon after seventy years. Satan’s purpose for the people of the opposition was to not only stop the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple but to halt any further resettlement from Babylon and to drive the Jewish people out of area. This opposition was so bad that they were forced to stop building God’s Temple. The main opponents of the Jews returning from Babylon were the peoples settled in and around Samaria, especially the Samaritans and other mixed populations placed there by the Assyrians.
The resettling of Jerusalem was a current event during Daniel’s lifetime. What the heavenly messenger was about to reveal in Chapter 11 would be future events yet to come. Daniel 10 starts out with “In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia”. That puts the time of this revelation to Daniel at approximately 536/535 BC. The Persian Empire’s time of dominance was 550–330 (Daniel 11:1-2). Alexander the Great’s time of dominance was 336–323 BC (Daniel 11:3-4). Ptolemaic Egypt, referred to as the “King of the South” who warred with the “King of the North”, held power 305–30 BC (Daniel 11:5–20). The Seleucid Empire, referred to as the “King of the North” and warred with the “King of the South” held power 312–63 BC (Daniel 11:5–20). Antiochus IV Epiphanes, King of the Seleucid Empire, reigned from 175–164 BC (Daniel 11:21–35).
In Daniel 11 God revealed the rise and fall of these future nations to prepare His people for a long, difficult stretch of history so they would not lose faith, lose identity, or lose hope in the coming Messiah. Daniel 11 is so detailed that Jewish believers in the 300s–100s BC could literally watch prophecy unfold verse by verse. When Antiochus IV desecrated the temple (Daniel 11:31), faithful Jews could say: “God told us this would happen. God is still in control.” God was telling His people: “You will be ruled by Persia, Greece, and others; however, My plan is still moving forward.” In Satan’s attempts to cut off the line of the Messiah he often found that some of these nations were very useful to him. In Satan’s attempts to destroy the Jewish people as a nation he often found that some of these nations were very useful to him. Satan’s goals were to destroy Israel so there would be no Messiah, to corrupt Israel so there is no holy seed, to kill the Davidic line so there would be no rightful king. He sought also to scatter Israel so there would be no covenant people and finally he sought to ensure that the lineage of Him that was to strike him dead was broken. Some of these nations were his tools to win the spiritual battle.
From the time God sent the people of Judah and Jerusalem on the road to Babylon five major empires ruled over the land of Judah and Jerusalem in succession, with one brief period of Jewish independence in between. From the return under Cyrus until the New Testament, Israel was ruled by a series of foreign empires including Persia, Greece, Egypt, Syria, and Rome. There was one brief century of independence under the Maccabees when they ruled Israel from 167 BC to 37 BC. The Roman empire would bring that to an end.
The Kingdom’s that Gabriel the angel would reveal in his vision in Chapter 11.
Daniel 11:1–2 — The Persian Kings
“And as for me, in the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood up to confirm and strengthen him.
2 “And now I will show you the truth. Behold, three more kings shall arise in Persia, and a fourth shall be far richer than all of them. And when he has become strong through his riches, he shall stir up all against the kingdom of Greece.
It must be remembered that God used Cyrus the Great of Persia to allow the Jewish people to go back to Jerusalem after 70 years of Babylonian captivity. When Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon in 539 BC, he issued the Edict of Cyrus, allowing the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Second Temple thus ending the Babylonian exile. This is recorded in Ezra 1:1–4 and 2 Chronicles 36:22–23, and it aligns closely with the broader Persian policy contained in the Cyrus Cylinder. So, what was the Cyrus Cylinder? It was Cyrus’ policy of restoring local religious traditions and repatriating displaced peoples in the countries that he would control. When Cyrus conquered Babylon in 539 BC, he implemented a broad imperial policy of repatriating displaced peoples and restoring their temples. By allowing local rulers and traditions to continue, Cyrus reduced resistance and maintained stability across a vast and diverse empire. This is a policy that King Artaxerxes would eventually use to facilitate the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple.
The Persian Empire’s view toward Israel during this time was fundamentally supportive, tolerant, and even protective, especially compared to the empires that came before and after it. The Achaemenid Persians (539–332 BC) adopted a deliberate imperial policy of religious freedom, local autonomy, and restoration of displaced peoples, and Israel benefited more from this policy than almost any other nation. Under Darius I, Xerxes I, Artaxerxes I, and Darius II, the Jewish community generally enjoyed protection and support. While Satan was using local opposition to appeal to the Persian Kings to stop restoration of Jerusalem and the Temple he could not use them to go against Persian policy. A good example of their opposition is recorded in Ezra 4:4-5 – 4 “Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build 5 and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.” The local opposition did not succeed, because of these policies, in gaining the support of the Kings, especially Artaxerxes I.
In Ezra 4:7-16 are the details of their “Letter to King Artaxerxes” which was sent to the King by the local opposition to protest the Jews rebuilding the Temple. It is a hostile petition detailed in Ezra 4:11–16. The letter claims Jerusalem would be a “rebellious and wicked city” since the Jews had a long history of resisting imperial authority. They warn that if Jerusalem is rebuilt, the Jews will stop paying tribute, taxes, and duty. This accusation targets the king’s financial interests since the Persian kings were extremely sensitive to revenue loss. The letter claims that rebuilding the walls will make Jerusalem strong enough to withhold revenue and possibly rebel again. It implies that allowing the Jews to fortify the city would destabilize the entire Trans‑Euphrates region. They urge Artaxerxes to search the archives, insisting he will find records proving Jerusalem’s kings were powerful and rebellious. If he had searched the records, they would have found that Jerusalem under David and Solomon was a wealthy, fortified, tax‑collecting, region‑dominating kingdom. If Artaxerxes’ officials had searched those records, they would have found evidence that Jerusalem once exercised real political and military power. This would have made the accusations in Ezra 4 sound plausible, even though they were misleading. This letter framed the Jews as a political threat, not a religious community rebuilding their home. Because of this “Letter” Artaxerxes initially halts the rebuilding of the Temple and Jerusalem after receiving these accusations. Artaxerxes, however, would eventually reverse himself and permit the rebuilding to resume. He did so after considering the Cyrus Cylinder. He ultimately treats the Jews with strong imperial support since this was the Persian policy that was in accord with the Cyrus Cylinder. To facilitate his support, he empowered Ezra with legal authority and later enabled Nehemiah to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls. Artaxerxes permitted any Israelite who wished to return to Jerusalem with Ezra the right to return. He provided large sums of silver and gold from the royal treasury for Temple worship. Ezra was empowered to teach and enforce the Law of Moses as a civic legal code and Temple personnel were exempted from taxes. Thus, Artaxerxes’ actions aligned with the broader Persian policy of supporting local peoples and their temples to ensure loyalty.
Overall, the Persian Empire’s view toward Israel was generally positive and tolerant, especially under Cyrus and Darius, with policies of religious freedom and support for rebuilding. However, there were periods of tension and even hostility, such as under Xerxes I, and the empire’s later decline reduced its ability to protect Israel effectively
Daniel 11:3–4 — Alexander the Great and the Division of His Empire
3 Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion and do as he wills. 4 And as soon as he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not to his posterity, nor according to the authority with which he ruled, for his kingdom shall be plucked up and go to others besides these.
Alexander the Great was favorably disposed toward the Jews, according to the strongest ancient traditions. He did not persecute them, did not interfere with their worship, and in several accounts even honored the God of Israel and granted the Jews special privileges within his empire.
Alexander the Great was favorably disposed toward the Jews during his short reign. He did not persecute them, he did not interfere with their worship, and in several accounts he even honored the God of Israel and granted the Jews special privileges within his empire. The Jews were incorporated peacefully into his empire. Jewish communities were allowed to continue their laws, temple worship, and priesthood. Jews served in administrative and military roles in the new Hellenistic world. The Jewish historian Josephus records this story. It recounts that when Alexander the Great approached Jerusalem, the high priest Jaddua came out to meet him in priestly garments. Josephus describes that Jaddua, encouraged by a dream, led the people of Jerusalem to greet Alexander outside the city. The conqueror, impressed by their appearance and demeanor, bowed down before Jaddua and claimed that it was Jaddua who had appeared to him in a vision three years earlier, urging him to launch his campaign against Persia. Following this encounter, Alexander entered the Temple, sacrificed to the God of Israel, and bestowed gifts upon the Jews. While Josephus’ account is very detailed, it was written nearly four centuries after the events and probably blends historical fact with legendary Jewish elements.
Alexander generally allowed subject peoples to keep their laws and temples. The Jews fit this pattern. Alexander’s reign began the Hellenistic period, which later produced a more Hellenistic culture in Israel and the surrounding areas including Greek-speaking Jews and the Septuagint. Alexander’s own rule remained peaceful and respectful although afterward there would arise tensions under later rulers, especially Antiochus IV.
Daniel 11:5–20 — The Wars Between the Kings of the North and South
5 “Then the king of the south shall be strong, but one of his princes shall be stronger than he and shall rule, and his authority shall be a great authority. 6 After some years they shall make an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement. But she shall not retain the strength of her arm, and he and his arm shall not endure, but she shall be given up, and her attendants, he who fathered her, and he who supported her in those times.
7 “And from a branch from her roots one shall arise in his place. He shall come against the army and enter the fortress of the king of the north, and he shall deal with them and shall prevail. 8 He shall also carry off to Egypt their gods with their metal images and their precious vessels of silver and gold, and for some years he shall refrain from attacking the king of the north. 9 Then the latter shall come into the realm of the king of the south but shall return to his own land.
10 “His sons shall wage war and assemble a multitude of great forces, which shall keep coming and overflow and pass through, and again shall carry the war as far as his fortress. 11 Then the king of the south, moved with rage, shall come out and fight against the king of the north. And he shall raise a great multitude, but it shall be given into his hand. 12 And when the multitude is taken away, his heart shall be exalted, and he shall cast down tens of thousands, but he shall not prevail. 13 For the king of the north shall again raise a multitude, greater than the first. And after some years he shall come on with a great army and abundant supplies.
14 “In those times many shall rise against the king of the south, and the violent among your own people shall lift themselves up in order to fulfill the vision, but they shall fail. 15 Then the king of the north shall come and throw up siegeworks and take a well-fortified city. And the forces of the south shall not stand, or even his best troops, for there shall be no strength to stand. 16 But he who comes against him shall do as he wills, and none shall stand before him. And he shall stand in the glorious land, with destruction in his hand. 17 He shall set his face to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and he shall bring terms of an agreement and perform them. He shall give him the daughter of women to destroy the kingdom, but it shall not stand or be to his advantage. 18 Afterward he shall turn his face to the coastlands and shall capture many of them, but a commander shall put an end to his insolence. Indeed, he shall turn his insolence back upon him. 19 Then he shall turn his face back toward the fortresses of his own land, but he shall stumble and fall, and shall not be found.
20 “Then shall arise in his place one who shall send an exactor of tribute for the glory of the kingdom. But within a few days he shall be broken, neither in anger nor in battle.
After Alexander died, his empire split into four Greek kingdoms, but only two mattered for Israel: the Ptolemies (Egypt) and the Seleucids (Syria). For 150 years the Ptolemies ruled Israel fairly peacefully, but under the Seleucids, especially Antiochus IV Epiphanes, Israel experienced intense oppression, persecution, and the events that eventually led to the Maccabean revolt.
The Ptolemies and Seleucids fought a series of six major wars (the Syrian Wars, 274–168 BC) over control of Coele‑Syria, especially Israel. The fighting would swing back and forth.
Israel sat right between these two major Greek kingdoms, therefore whoever controlled Judea controlled the land bridge between Egypt and Syria. This is why in Daniel 11 he calls them the King of the South (Ptolemies) and King of the North (Seleucids) fighting over this exact strip of land. Israel’s value to these two kings was also economic. Israel sat on major international trade routes. Caravans from Arabia, Persia, and Mesopotamia passed through it. Customs, tolls, and taxes from these routes enriched whoever ruled it. For the Ptolemies, who built a massive commercial empire centered in Alexandria, controlling Israel meant controlling the flow of goods.
Israel was literally caught in middle between these two powers, making it a constantly contested region. The “king of the south” (Ptolemaic Egypt) and the “king of the north” (Seleucid Syria) fought over control of the Holy Land, leading to shifting alliances, betrayals, and military campaigns. This instability disrupted Jewish sovereignty and left Judah vulnerable to foreign domination. The wars meant that Judea changed hands multiple times between the two powers, disrupting local governance and economic stability.
The wars between the King of the South and the King of the North in Daniel 11 lasted over 150 years, from the early 4th century BC to the late 2nd century BC, with the most detailed prophetic account ending in the final war just before the Maccabean uprising. Because of these wars Judea lived under a constant threat of invasion. Israel literally was caught in the middle.
After these two finished fighting each other, the worst was yet to come.
Daniel 11:21–35 — The “Vile Person” (Antiochus IV Epiphanes)
21 In his place shall arise a contemptible person to whom royal majesty has not been given. He shall come in without warning and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. 22 Armies shall be utterly swept away before him and broken, even the prince of the covenant. 23 And from the time that an alliance is made with him he shall act deceitfully, and he shall become strong with a small people. 24 Without warning he shall come into the richest parts of the province, and he shall do what neither his fathers nor his fathers’ fathers have done, scattering among them plunder, spoil, and goods. He shall devise plans against strongholds, but only for a time. 25 And he shall stir up his power and his heart against the king of the south with a great army. And the king of the south shall wage war with an exceedingly great and mighty army, but he shall not stand, for plots shall be devised against him. 26 Even those who eat his food shall break him. His army shall be swept away, and many shall fall down slain. 27 And as for the two kings, their hearts shall be bent on doing evil. They shall speak lies at the same table, but to no avail, for the end is yet to be at the time appointed. 28 And he shall return to his land with great wealth, but his heart shall be set against the holy covenant. And he shall work his will and return to his own land.
29 “At the time appointed he shall return and come into the south, but it shall not be this time as it was before. 30 For ships of Kittim shall come against him, and he shall be afraid and withdraw, and shall turn back and be enraged and take action against the holy covenant. He shall turn back and pay attention to those who forsake the holy covenant. 31 Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate. 32 He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. 33 And the wise among the people shall make many understand, though for some days they shall stumble by sword and flame, by captivity and plunder. 34 When they stumble, they shall receive a little help. And many shall join themselves to them with flattery, 35 and some of the wise shall stumble, so that they may be refined, purified, and made white, until the time of the end, for it still awaits the appointed time.
The reign of Antiochus IV Epiphanes
Antiochus IV Epiphanes stands at the very center of Daniel 11:21–35, where this prophecy, written in 536/535 BC, becomes a detailed, historically accurate account of Antiochus’ rise, his policies, his persecutions, his military campaigns, and his eventual downfall. This account by the heavenly messenger was of a king who reigned from 175–164 BC, approximately 372 years after Daniel received the vision. Daniel 11 portrays Antiochus IV Epiphanes as a contemptible king who seizes power through intrigue, wages repeated wars with Egypt, persecutes the Jewish people, desecrates the Temple, and ultimately dies suddenly.
Antiochus is defeated and turns his anger towards Israel.
30 For ships of Kittim shall come against him, and he shall be afraid and withdraw, and shall turn back and be enraged and take action against the holy covenant. He shall turn back and pay attention to those who forsake the holy covenant. 31 Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate.
Antiochus wages a campaign against Egypt and defeats Ptolemy VI in 170-169 BC. He wages a second campaign against Egypt in 169 BC. Daniel 11:29-30 describes this humiliating defeat. After his defeat he returns through Palestine and takes out his anger against Israel. As Satan’s agent he uses apostate Jews, “those who forsake the holy covenant” to rage against God’s people. 1 Maccabees 1:44-54 describes his actions.
“And the king sent letters by messengers to Jerusalem and the cities of Judah; he directed them to follow customs strange to the land, to forbid burnt offerings and sacrifices and drink offerings in the sanctuary, to profane sabbaths and feasts, to defile the sanctuary and the priests, to build altars and sacred precincts and shrines for idols, to sacrifice swine and unclean animals, and to leave their sons uncircumcised. They were to make themselves abominable by everything unclean and profane, so that they should forget the law and change all the ordinances. “And whoever does not obey the command of the king shall die.” In such words he wrote to his whole kingdom. And he appointed inspectors over all the people and commanded the cities of Judah to offer sacrifice, city by city. Many of the people, everyone who forsook the law, joined them, and they did evil in the land; they drove Israel into hiding in every place of refuge they had. Now on the fifteenth day of Chislev, in the one hundred and forty-fifth year, they erected a desolating sacrilege upon the altar of burnt offering. They also built altars in the surrounding cities of Judah.”
All of Chapter 11 up to now contains historically accurate predictions of the events from the reign of Cyrus through to the unsuccessful effort of Antiochus Epiphanes to stamp out the Jewish faith. This historic prophecy and its subsequent fulfillment are evidence of the divine inspiration of Scripture. It confirms God’s complete sovereign authority over the course human history, especially in the Book of Daniel, since only God could possibly foreknow the future and see to it that His plan would be precisely fulfilled as foretold by a prophet of God more than 360 years in advance.
Transition for verses 11:21-35 to 11:36-45
Some of Daniel 11:36-39 could certainly apply to Antiochus Epiphanes, yet there are other verses that certainly do not point to him as the subject of these closing verses. Here are some of the contrasts between how Antiochus is described in verses 21-35 and the “End‑Time King” as described in verses 36-45. Antiochus honored Greek gods and promoted Zeus. The End‑Time King rejects all ancestral gods. Antiochus exalts Zeus, not himself above all gods. The End‑Time King Exalts himself above every god. Antiochus introduces no new god. The End-Time King honors a new “god of fortresses”. Antiochus stops sacrifices and desecrates the Jerusalem Temple. The End Time King stops sacrifice which parallels Daniel 9:27: “And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.” This sounds like the end times Antichrist not Antiochus. Antiochus was king over Syria, Judea, Egypt. The End-Time King was global. Antiochus dies in Persia. The End-Time King dies between the sea and the glorious holy mountain that is Israel.
Daniel 11:36–45 — The Final King Who Exalts Himself
Verse 36 “And the king shall do as he wills. He shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods. He shall prosper till the indignation is accomplished; for what is decreed shall be done.
This verse introduces a new figure whose behavior surpasses Antiochus. He exalts himself above every god and speaks blasphemies against the God of gods. He prospers only until God’s appointed indignation is complete.
Verse 37 He shall pay no attention to the gods of his fathers, or to the one beloved by women. He shall not pay attention to any other god, for he shall magnify himself above all.
This does not match Antiochus, who honored Zeus and the Greek pantheon. The verse describes a ruler who abandons all ancestral gods, a trait associated with the final enemy in biblical eschatology.
Verse 38 He shall honor the god of fortresses instead of these. A god whom his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts.
This deity is unlike anything in Antiochus’ history. The text portrays a militaristic, power‑centered religion.
Verse 39 He shall deal with the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign god. Those who acknowledge him he shall load with honor. He shall make them rulers over many and shall divide the land for a price.
He uses this foreign god to empower military conquest and rewards those who support him with land and authority. This describes a political‑religious system built on loyalty and coercion.
Verse 40 “At the time of the end, the king of the south shall attack him, but the king of the north shall rush upon him like a whirlwind, with chariots and horsemen, and with many ships. And he shall come into countries and shall overflow and pass through.
This time marker signals eschatological context. A final conflict erupts between the king of the north and the king of the south. The king sweeps through nations like a whirlwind. This does not match Antiochus’ known campaigns since the scale is far larger.
Verse 41 He shall come into the glorious land. And tens of thousands shall fall, but these shall be delivered out of his hand: Edom and Moab and the main part of the Ammonites.
He invades Israel “the glorious land”, causing massive casualties. Edom, Moab, and Ammon escape. This invasion resembles the final assault on Israel described in other prophetic texts.
Verse 42 to 43 He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. 43 He shall become ruler of the treasures of gold and of silver, and all the precious things of Egypt, and the Libyans and the Cushites shall follow in his train.
He conquers Egypt and seizes its treasures. Libyans and Cushites follow him. Antiochus never achieved this level of domination; historically, he lacked the resources for such campaigns.
Verse 44 But news from the east and the north shall alarm him, and he shall go out with great fury to destroy and devote many to destruction.
Disturbing reports provoke him to launch a furious campaign of destruction. This depicts a final, desperate expansion of violence.
45 And he shall pitch his palatial tents between the sea and the glorious holy mountain. Yet he shall come to his end, with none to help him.
He establishes his headquarters in Israel—between the Mediterranean Sea and Mount Zion. Yet he comes to his end with no one to help him. Antiochus died in Persia, not Israel. This death scene aligns with the destruction of the final adversary in Daniel 7 and Revelation 19.
Daniel 7:9-11 shows his destruction in the heavenly courtroom, where God strips his dominion and annihilates him.
The Ancient of Days Reigns
9 “As I looked,
thrones were placed,
and the Ancient of Days took his seat;
his clothing was white as snow,
and the hair of his head like pure wool;
his throne was fiery flames;
its wheels were burning fire.
10 A stream of fire issued
and came out from before him;
a thousand thousands served him,
and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him;
the court sat in judgment,
and the books were opened.
Revelation 19:20
20 And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence[a] had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.
The major historical interpretations of Daniel 11:36–45
- Antiochus IV Epiphanes (Critical/Historical View). This is the dominant view in secular scholarship and in many Jewish commentaries. It is primarily based on the view that Daniel 11:21–45 is a continuous description of Antiochus IV, and vv. 36–45 describe his final years. It is argued that Antiochus is the last identifiable king in the chapter before the narrative breaks. The next argument is that his arrogance and self‑deification match verse 36 “He shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god. His persecution of the Jews also fits the chapter’s theme. The problems are that he did not die in Israel and he did not conquer Egypt.
- The Future Antichrist (Traditional Christian View) – This is the dominant view in early church fathers, most evangelical scholars, and many modern interpreters. The core claim is that Daniel 11:21–35 describes Antiochus, however in verses 36–45 there is a shift to a future eschatological ruler—the Antichrist. They support their view such as the reference in 2 Thessalonians 2:3–4: “3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Support is also given through Revelation 19:19–20: 19 And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. 20 And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. Further support for this view is Jesus in Matthew 24:15 treats the “abomination of desolation” as future, not past.
- Dual‑Fulfillment/Typological View. This is the most theologically based and is increasingly popular among scholars who see Daniel as apocalyptic literature. The core claim is that Antiochus is the type, the Antichrist is the ultimate fulfillment. Daniel often uses near/far prophecy. Antiochus is the clearest Old Testament prototype of the final enemy of God.
- Jewish views: Pre‑Christian Jewish texts such as Maccabees identify Antiochus as the villain. Later rabbinic tradition sometimes sees a future eschatological enemy in the final verses. Medieval Jewish commentators such as Rashi Ibn Ezra mostly stayed with Antiochus.
- Christian views – Church fathers, such as Hippolytus, Jerome, Theodoret and Irenaeus overwhelmingly saw Antiochus as the type and Antichrist as the fulfillment. They argued that the text “breaks” from Antiochus’s history because it is meant to. Medieval Christian commentators such as Aquinas and Calvin saw a future Antichrist.
- Modern Scholarship: Critical scholars generally believe Antiochus only. Evangelical scholars believe in dual fulfillment – Antiochus + Antichrist. Dispensational scholars believe that in verses 36-45 the Antichrist is only displayed.
Daniel 11:45 And he shall pitch his palatial tents between the sea and the glorious holy mountain. Yet he shall come to his end, with none to help him.
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