Truth Spoken

Read Daniel 10-12
 
Daniel 11:21 “The next to come to power will be a despicable man who is not in line for royal succession. He will slip in when least expected and take over the kingdom by flattery and intrigue…25 Then he will stir up his courage and raise a great army against the king of the south. The king of the south will go to battle with a mighty army, but to no avail, for there will be plots against him…27 Seeking nothing but each other’s harm, these kings will plot against each other at the conference table, attempting to deceive each other. But it will make no difference, for the end will come at the appointed time. 28 The king of the north will then return home with great riches. On the way he will set himself against the people of the holy covenant, doing much damage before continuing his journey.”
 
THIS prophecy refers to a Greek ruler named Antiochus IV. He was one of four Greek rulers to follow Alexander the Great. (Daniel 8:22 The four prominent horns that replaced the one large horn show that the Greek Empire will break into four kingdoms, but none as great as the first.)
   Antiochus was a contemptible ruler. He led a very powerful army to defeat and remove the prince of the covenant, which was a high priest ruling in Jerusalem. The angel then described Antiochus’ future conflict with Egypt, the king of the South.
   History tells us Antiochus won the war, but the two leaders, just as the angel said, would sit at the same table and lie to each other with their hearts bent on evil. In short, Antiochus didn’t get what he wanted. On his return from Egypt to Greece, Antiochus displayed his frustrations on the Jews when he desecrated the temple.
   One criticism of Daniel is its accuracy. Some say the book was written by historians attempting to demonstrate God’s sovereignty. Knowing what happened, they were able to write it as a prophecy. But there is much evidence for Daniel’s authorship around 600– 550 BC. Any attempt to discredit Daniel, is an attempt to minimize and discredit God.
   Be of faith to know what the LORD has done, so you know what he will do. Psalms 67:4 Let the whole world sing for joy, because you govern the nations with justice and guide the people of the whole world.