Rachel Workman: Again here is some interesting commentaries on
today’s reading in you’re interested in digging a little deeper. http://prophecysigns.com/daniel-11/
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John Burnett:
21 “He will be succeeded by a contemptible person who has not
been given the honor of royalty. He will invade the kingdom when its
people feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue. 22 Then an overwhelming army will be swept away before him; both
it and a prince of the covenant will be destroyed. 23 After coming to an agreement with him, he will act
deceitfully, and with only a few people he will rise to power. 24 When the richest provinces feel secure, he will invade them and
will achieve what neither his fathers nor his forefathers did. He will
distribute plunder, loot and wealth among his followers. He will plot the
overthrow of fortresses—but only for a time.
25 “With a large army he will stir up his strength
and courage against the king of the South. The king of the South will wage war
with a large and very powerful army, but he will not be able to stand because
of the plots devised against him. 26 Those who eat from the king’s provisions will
try to destroy him; his army will be swept away, and many will fall in battle.27 The two kings, with their hearts bent on evil, will sit at
the same table and lie to each other, but to no avail, because an end will
still come at the appointed time. 28 The king of the North will return to his own
country with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant.
He will take action against it and then return to his own country.
29 “At the appointed time he will invade the South
again, but this time the outcome will be different from what it was
before. 30 Ships of the western coastlands will oppose
him, and he will lose heart. Then he will turn back and vent his
fury against the holy covenant. He will return and show favor to those who
forsake the holy covenant.
31 “His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the
temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set
up the abomination that causes desolation. 32 With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the
covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him. Based on the abomination of desolation mentioned in verse 31, we can
know that the king of the North is the Antichrist.
33 “Those who are wise will instruct many,
though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or
plundered. 34 When they fall, they will receive a little help,
and many who are not sincere will join them. 35 Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined,
purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at
the appointed time.
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Mike
Grimm: 21 “He will be succeeded by a contemptible person who has not been given
the honor of royalty. He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure,
and he will seize it through intrigue. Seleucus IV
was succeeded by his brother Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who found favor with the
Romans. 22 Then an overwhelming army will be swept
away before him; both it and a prince of the covenant will be destroyed. The “overwhelming army” refers to the way all opposition
against Antiochus IV will be broken. The “prince of the covenant” may be the
high priest Onias III, who was assassinated by Menelaus in 170 B.C. 23 After
coming to an agreement with him, he will act deceitfully, and with only a few
people he will rise to power. 24 When the richest provinces
feel secure, he will invade them and will achieve what neither his fathers nor
his forefathers did. He will distribute plunder, loot and wealth among his
followers. He will plot the overthrow of fortresses—but only for a time.
25 “With a large army
he will stir up his strength and courage against the king of the South. The
king of the South will wage war with a large and very powerful army, but he
will not be able to stand because of the plots devised against him. 26 Those
who eat from the king’s provisions will try to destroy him; his army will be
swept away, and many will fall in battle. 27 The two kings,
with their hearts bent on evil, will sit at the same table and lie to each
other, but to no avail, because an end will still come at the appointed time. These two treacherous kings were probably Antiochus IV of
Syria and Ptolemy VI of Egypt. Treachery and deceit are a power broker’s way to
position himself over someone else. When two power brokers try to gain the
upper hand, it is a mutually weakening and self-destructive process. It is also
futile because God ultimately holds all power in his hands. 28 The
king of the North will return to his own country with great wealth, but his
heart will be set against the holy covenant. He will take action against it and
then return to his own country.
29 “At the appointed
time he will invade the South again, but this time the outcome will be
different from what it was before. 30 Ships of the western
coastlands will oppose him, and he will lose heart. Then he will turn back and
vent his fury against the holy covenant. He will return and show favor to those
who forsake the holy covenant. 31 “His armed forces will rise
up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Antiochus IV, on his way back would plunder Jerusalem,
desecrate the temple, and stop the Jew’s daily sacrifices. The temple was
desecrated when he sacrificed pigs on an altar erected in honor of Zeus.
According to Jewish law, pigs were unclean and were not to be touched or eaten.
To sacrifice a pig in the temple was the worst6 kind of insult an enemy could
level against the Jews. Then they will set up the abomination
that causes desolation. I attached this link that
goes into great detail about “the abomination that causes desolation” as it is
mentioned three times in Daniel, and Jesus speaks of it in Matthew. http://www.compellingtruth.
33 “Those who are
wise will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by the sword or be
burned or captured or plundered. 34 When they fall, they will
receive a little help, and many who are not sincere will join them. Those who are wise will teach many, but they will also face
great persecution. Difficult times remind us of our weaknesses and our
inability to cope. We want answers, leadership, and clear direction. During
these times, God’s Word begins to interest even those who would never look at
it. We should be ready to use our opportunities to share God’s Word in needy
times. We must also be prepared to face persecution and rejection as we teach
and preach. 35 Some of the wise will stumble, so
that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end,
for it will still come at the appointed time. God’s
messenger described a time of trial when even wise believers may stumble. This
could mean (1) falling into sin, (2) being fearful and losing faith, (3)
mistakenly following wrong teaching, or (4) experiencing severe suffering and
martyrdom. If we persevere in our faith, any such experience will only refine
us and make us stronger. Are we facing trials? We must recognize them as
opportunities to strengthen our faith. If we remain steadfast in these
experiences, we will be stronger in our faith and closer to God.
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Monday’s reading for Daniel 11:36-45. There is no reading for Friday.
36 “The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take place. 37 He
will show no regard for the gods of his ancestors or for the one
desired by women, nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself
above them all. 38 Instead
of them, he will honor a god of fortresses; a god unknown to his
ancestors he will honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and
costly gifts. 39 He
will attack the mightiest fortresses with the help of a foreign god and
will greatly honor those who acknowledge him. He will make them rulers
over many people and will distribute the land at a price.[d]40 “At the time of the end the king of the South will engage him in battle, and the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood. 41 He will also invade the Beautiful Land. Many countries will fall, but Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon will be delivered from his hand. 42 He will extend his power over many countries; Egypt will not escape. 43 He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, with the Libyans and Cushites[e] in submission. 44 But reports from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in a great rage to destroy and annihilate many. 45 He will pitch his royal tents between the seas at[f] the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.
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