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This passage is interpreted in 8:23 -25 as follows:
'And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are
come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark
sentences, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by
his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper and
practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. And
through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand;
and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy
many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he
shall be broken without hand'.
It will be seen that in Daniel 8 no record is given of
the history that intervenes between the break -up of the kingdom of Alexander
and the advent of the antichristian king. This has an important bearing upon
the interpretation of Daniel 11, for the prophecies concerning the kings of
the south and the north in 11:10 -20 are usually interpreted as being
fulfilled in the doings of Ptolemy I, II, III, IV, V and VI, of Seleucus I,
II, III and IV, and of Antiochus II, III and IV. Instead of commencing
future prophecy at 11:21, however, we follow the lead of Daniel 8:23 and the
explicit statement of Daniel 10:14 (viz., that the revelation of Daniel 11
and 12 concerns Israel 'in the latter days'), and commence the prophetic and
future section of Daniel 11 at verse 5, seeing in the activities of Ptolemy
and Antiochus foreshadowings only and not fulfilments of the earlier verses.
Before proceeding further, it will be helpful to see the whole prophecy
set out before us. The subject -matter is,
of course, too vast and too involved for us to attempt to include every
member, or to account for every detail. All we can do is to point out the
most obvious features, leaving the reader the difficult but joyous task of
seeking fuller details for himself.
Daniel 11:3 to 12:3
A1
11:3.
A king.
He shall do according to his will.
B1
11:6.
The king's daughter.
C1
11:7 -10.
In his estate.
D1
11:14.
They shall fall.
A2
11:16.
A king.
He shall do according to his will.
B2
11:17.
The daughter of women.