“One from her family line will arise to take her place. He will attack the forces of the king of the North and enter his fortress; he will fight against them and be victorious. He will also seize their gods, their metal images and their valuable articles of silver and gold and carry them off to Egypt. For some years he will leave the king of the North alone. Then the king of the North will invade the realm of the king of the South but will retreat to his own country. His sons will prepare for war and assemble a great army, which will sweep on like an irresistible flood and carry the battle as far as his fortress. Daniel 11:7-10 (NIV).
These are prophecies about the empires that would succeed Greece after the death of Alexander the Great. And they’re also more. According to https://lifehopeandtruth.com/prophecy/understanding-the-book-of-daniel/daniel-11/, in ancient days, the king of the North would be Syria, and the King of the South would be Egypt. Both of these would eventually be conquered by Rome. That was in the world of antiquity, though.
The site also brings up an important point about the prophecy. It is dual in nature, applying to both the ‘near’ future of Daniel’s time AND the far-off undetermined future that is still yet to come. While the prophecies would be fulfilled only a few hundred years after Daniel, they also foretell events to come at the end of time, when forces of evil gather against the armies of the Son of God.
All this happens to proclaim the majesty of Jesus Christ as the true king. The original kings of the south – the Ptolemies – fought against the kings of the north – the Selucids – over the course of several decades. After the assassinations of Bernice and Antiochus II, Ptolemy III fought against the Selucid king of Syria and recouped vengeance.
That was then. Some day, after an Antichrist has risen to power, the armies of the North and South will gather against Israel to exterminate it once and for all. The North – led by modern Russia – will join with an alliance from the south (likely an Arab or Muslim alliance, including Egypt. Islam hadn’t yet been invented in Daniel’s or Christ’s time). They will fight against Israel. But they aren’t too smart. Already their defeat is foretold. Jesus will return to fight for His people in the final battle of earthly political power.
All of this was advertised 2500 years ago to Daniel. It’s astounding how many people ignore it, and how few heed it to prepare. That was true then; it’s still true now.
For further reading: Isaiah 8:8, Isaiah 37:19, Jeremiah 46:8, Daniel 11:11
Prophesying Lord, all praise to You for telling us of Your holy plans. Of how You walk in history and tell us of weak man’s plans for conquest and evil, then how You overcome them.
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