The Kings of the North and South

Daniel 11:10–19
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Last time, we read about rise of Alexander the Great. His early death resulted in his Kingdom being divided among four of his generals. Today’s passage is a continuation of that conflict we saw last time between the king of the North (Seleucus) and his descendants in Syria and the king of the south (Ptolemy) and his descendants in Egypt. These two kingdoms would fight each other for 130 years with the Jewish people caught in the middle. 

Daniel chapter 11 is the most detailed chapter on prophecy in all the Bible. These prophecies are so accurate that liberal and unbelieving scholars say it must have been written down after it happened. No man, they say, could have possibly made 135 accurate predictions like we see in Daniel 11. Of course, we take this as proof that God wrote it. 

Why does Daniel focus on Persia and Greece so much? It’s because these empires tried to wipe out the Jewish people. Persia did it through the plot of Haman (read about it in the book of Esther). Then Antiochus IV tried to deny and reject everything that made them Jewish while trying to convert them to Greek culture. Both attempts failed. 

Application

You might know a lot about the past, but God knows more about the future then you know about the past. God has a plan and a purpose for Egypt and Syria. He has a plan for all humanity including you and me. We might feel small and insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but you have a place in God’s plan. That’s a comforting truth.