Daniel 11:36-40

Daniel 11:36

And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.

 

Antiochus IV had taken full control of Judea and was now performing his will according to his good pleasure.  He exalted himself and magnified himself above every false god there was in Jerusalem at the time.  His name “Epiphanes” means “god manifest.”  His blasphemy of the true God of Israel was performed when he sacrificed a pig on the altar of the Temple.  He was allowed to continue in this evil until the indignation be accomplished.  In Daniel 11:30, we read that the indignation was his tirade against the holy covenant.  Since it was a prophesied event, it had to continue until the time that God stopped it.

 

Daniel 11:37

Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.

 

Since he thought that he himself was a god, he would not even consider any other gods, whether they be the false gods of the surrounding countries or the true God of Israel.   He was a Greek polytheist and magnified himself over all other gods.  His word was the law and his religion was the only one.  He would be so busy exalting himself and bringing trouble to Judea that having a wife would be the last thing on his mind even though he was a married man.  The desire of women also deal with the dainty things that the women go for and these things would have no place in his desires.  His concern was for his power and nothing else.

 

Daniel 11:38

But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.

 

Since he was a king who used military might to gain what he wanted, he was one who bowed the knee to the god of forces.  He completely decried the worship of any other gods, only the one here that fit his military campaigns.  He honored this false god by removing all the wealth of the lands that he conquered and brought them back to Syria where his base of operation was located.

 

Daniel 11:39

Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.

 

No fortress would be strong enough to resist when he made war with the help of a foreign god.  He tended to promote those who acknowledged him with a false glory and would make them rulers and by dividing the lands he conquered, he would give them small kingdoms to rule which would be under his authority.

 

Daniel 11:40

And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.

 

Then the king of the south, that is, the king of Egypt will make an attempt to conquer him again but the strength of the king of the north will be too much for him as he has amassed a big army at his disposal.  The fact that he is described as overflowing means that he was too much for those countries that he entered and had overwhelmed their defenses.  This will be the last campaign of Antiochus IV.

Back