Prophecy By the Angstrom

Daniel 11:1-20

Daniel 11, Part 1

 

Introduction: The angstrom is the smallest unit of measurement. It is one ten-billionth of a meter. It would be 1/10,000,000,000 of 3.28 feet. It would take 245 million angstroms to equal one inch. To put in perspective a human hair would be 500,000 angstroms thick, a sheet of paper one million angstroms thick and a credit card would be 8 million angstroms thick. It is so small that it was retired in 1978 as obsolete.

Why bother with this? Because the prophecy of Daniel 11 is so accurate that skeptics have declared it impossible to be prophecy. It is so minute that it must be written as history! “This is the chief reason why the liberal school wants to put the writing of Daniel in the time of the Maccabees, about A.D. 165.” (Boice, pg.119)

 

I.            Medio-Persia The Second Great Kingdom (1-2)

A.   The first year of Darius the Mede takes us to 539 B.C.

B.   An angel has come to explain to Daniel what is written in the book of Truth. The term is literally “writing of truth” (Walvoord, pg.250). What we have before us is the writing of God’s Truth!

1.   This angel was supporting Michael, the prince of Israel.

2.   Remember, the first year of Darius, world power shifted from Babylon to Medio-Persia.

3.   Those in the kingdom sought to rid the empire of Jewish influence.

4.   Daniel was thrown into a den of hungry lions!

5.   The result, however, was that through God’s miraculous deliverance of Daniel, Darius was favorably disposed to God’s people and to Daniel’s God (6:25-28). There is an unseen world affecting that which is visible!

C.   Daniel is now told that:

1.   Persia will have three more kings.

2.   Persia will have a fourth king that will be richer than all others.

3.   This fourth king will stir up everyone against Greece.

4.   Is this “Prophecy by the angstrom” accurate? Remember, this is written in 539 B.C.

a.    Since this is prophetic we will exclude Darius I and Cyrus II who were presently ruling. The next four kings were:

1.   Cambyses (529-522 B.C.)

2.   Pseudo-Smerdis (522-521 B.C.)

3.   Darius I Hystaspes (521-486 B.C.) Ezra 5 & 6

4.   Xerxes I (486-465 B.C.)

 

b.   Remember, the fourth king would stir up everyone against Greece. Xerxes I led a great expedition against Greece. He launched his attack against Greece in 480 B.C. but lost! He had amassed an army of hundreds of thousands “…one of the largest armies in the ancient world” (Walvoord, 256).

c.    Xerxes I is the Ahasuerus of Esther 1 & 2. His expedition against Greece occurred between chapters 1 & 2.

5.   Since Xerxes I represents the height of Medio-Persia he is the last Persian king mentioned. His defeat also began the demise of the kingdom. So now the vision moves from Persia to Greece!

 

II.          Greece and Alexander the Great (3,4)

A.   We are told that a mighty king will appear.

B.   We are told “after he has appeared” (NIV) “when he shall stand up” (KJV) his empire will be broken up into 4 parts. It will not go to his descendants. It will not be as strong.

C.   Is this “Prophecy by the angstrom” accurate? Remember, this is written in 539 B.C.

1.   Alexander the Great was a “mighty king.”

2.   He ruled absolutely and did as he pleased.

3.   “When he shall stand up” – the idea is that he had a very short reign. He died at age 32!

4.   As we have already noted his kingdom was divided into 4 parts!

5.   His kingdom will not go to his descendants:

a.    His son Hercules was murdered.

b.   His son Alexander was murdered.

c.    “All his descendants, including his wives, children and even distant relatives were murdered…” (Boice, pg.120)

6.   His kingdom never had the strength divided into 4 that it had under him as a whole!

 

III.        The kings of the South and North (5-20)

A.   The king of the South is Egypt (8).

B.   The king of the North is Syria. “Syria is not mentioned by name, as at the time of Daniel’s writing, no such nation existed…” (Walvoord, 258)

C.   Is this “Prophecy by the angstrom” accurate? Remember, this is written in 539 B.C.

1.   The king of the South becomes strong (5). This is Ptolemy I Soter (323-285 B.C.)

2.   A commander (NIV), prince (KJV) of Ptolemy will become strong above him. He will have dominion! Seleucus I Nicator (312-281 B.C.) fled from Babylon and was associated with Ptolemy. Seleucus and Ptolemy combined their forces and defeated Antigonus of Babylon! This enabled Seleucus to gain control of Asia Minor to India and become king of Syria. Now we have two rival countries:

a.    Syria in the North

b.   Egypt in the South

3.   After some years they will become allies (6).

a.    The daughter of the king of the South (Ptolemy II, 285-246 B.C.) was Bernice. She married Antiochus II Theos (261-246 B.C.)

b.   But she (Bernice) will not retain her power.

c.    Ptolemy II, Bernice’s father, demanded that Antiochus II divorce his wife Laodiceia.

d.   We are told:

1.   He and his power will not last

2.   She will be handed over

e.    Shortly after the marriage of Bernice and Antiochus II Theos, Ptolemy II died. Then Antiochus took back his wife, Laodiceia. Laodiceia then murdered Antiochus, Bernice and their son.

 

 

TO BE CONTINUED…