Daniel 11:36-45
The King Who Exalts Himself
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.
What is this passage about? Or a better question may be who? Many (!!!) commentators agree that in this prophecy Daniel is seeing beyond his current situation and speaking about the antichrist, a leader who will come in the end times to lead people away from God. In 417AD Jerome said:
The Jews believed that this passage has reference to the Antichrist alleging that after the small help of Julian a king is going to rise up who shall do according to his will and shall lift himself up against all that is called god, and shall speak arrogant words against the God of gods (Jerome's Commentary on Daniel. Translated by Gleason L. Archer, Jr. Grand Rapids, Mich: Baker Book House, 1958. Page 136)
The Wycliffe Bible commentary agrees that this is about an end times antichrist:
Da 11:36 mentions a king whose period is “the indignation,” a technical term drawn from Israel’s prophetic literature, usually having reference to eschatological events (e.g., Isa 26:20). (Pfeiffer, C F: Wycliffe Bible Commentary. 1981. Moody)
Eschatological = end times.
The list could go on but I wont overwhelm you so early in the morning!
If this is true and they are both correct, then this chapter reveals that there will be a time when an antichrist will rise and who will fight against everything that God stands for. He (although he may not be a man) will deceive many and lead us away from God. Instead, he will place himself in the place of God and will cause war and strife. In Matthew 24:22 Jesus said, “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.”
It is important to say that the antichrist is not the devil but a human and their rule will be short lived. Even the most powerful and corrupt of superpowers will not last forever and God will bring their reign to an end.
Why is it helpful for us to know what will come?
How does this bring hope into our current lives?
