What lies
ahead for the world and the
to this challenging question is found in the longest prophecy in the
Scriptures – Daniel 11. In this article, adapted from a chapter in
my book The
Last Days of Planet Earth: A Survival
Guide to the
End of the World, we explore this fascinating, incredible prophecy
– the most amazing fulfillment of detailed and explicit Biblical
prophecies!
William F. Dankenbring
Now it is time to get down to business. In this chapter we are going to discuss a prophecy which is one of the most astonishing proofs of the inspiration of the Bible, besides being one of the most revealing and crucial prophecies about our time, today. It is the eleventh chapter of the book of Daniel.
The
focal point of this sensational prophecy is the
There
is more animosity, more hatred, more intense passion and conflict per square
mile in the
After
the United Nations in 1948 approved a homeland for the Jews in
Since
that time
But
where exactly do we go from here? What is going to happen next in the volatile
The
administration of President Jimmy Carter seemed to be adrift in foreign policy,
if indeed it can even be said to have had a "foreign policy." The
policy of Carter to weaken the
Carter's
bumbling in
It seems strange that president who has failed in his foreign policies, who failed in Iran, who gave away the Panama Canal, who allowed Soviet Russian troops to remain in Cuba-it seems strange indeed that such a man would take it upon himself to single-handedly try to bring peace to the Middle East by initiating the Camp David talks, and bringing Begin of Israel and Sadat of Egypt to the conference table.
What
came of Carter's peace initiative in the
What did Carter's peace
initiative in the
Although specifically
this prophecy refers to the coming Day of the Lord when the nations gather to
fight against Christ, nevertheless there is an important historic truth here.
All the nations that have ever concerned themselves with
The burdensome stone of
What, then, is going to
happen in the
To understand, let's go back in time, to Daniel 11, and study this astounding prophecy which leads up to our time, today.
We begin in Daniel
"Then said he unto
me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to
understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I
am come for thy words. But the prince of the
"Now I am come to
make thee understand what shall befall thy people IN THE LA TTER DAYS:
for yet the vision is for many days" (Daniel
This prophecy, then, is for OUR TIME!
The angel added: “Knowest
thou wherefore I come unto thee? And now
I will return to fight with the prince of
Picking up the story, then, in Daniel 11:1, Gabriel continued: "Also I in the first year of Darius the Mede, even I, stood to confirm and to strengthen him. And now will I shew thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia. And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will" (vs. 1-3).
Actually, there were 12 more kings in the Persian Empire, but only the first four following Cyrus were of importance for the purpose of this prophecy. They were Cambyses, pseudo-Smerdis, Darius, and Xerxes. Xerxes was the last king, the mightiest of all and the richest of all, who stirred up war with Greece. Herodotus recounts the Greco-Persian wars in his history.
King Philip of Macedonia planned a war to conquer all Persia, but died before he could carry out his plans. His son, the youthful Alexander, took over his plans and vowed to carry them out. Alexander the Great met the Persian army at the battle of Issus, B.C. 333 (see also Daniel 8:2, 5-6), and crushed the vast Persian hordes, sending them flying. The tough Greeks fought in phalanxes, with precision and skill. The Persians had never encountered such an enemy or strategy. They fled.
Alexander then swept down into Egypt and the Nile, where he defeated the Egyptians, and then marched back into Persia for a final encounter with the Persian hordes. This time, at the battle of Arbella, B.C. 331, he crushed the Persian Empire completely, and marched all the way to India, sweeping everything before him.
Now notice verse 4 of the prophecy: "And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven; and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he ruled: for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those."
How precisely, unerringly true, this prophecy was to be! Rawlinson, in A Manual of Ancient History, wrote: "Cut off unexpectedly in the vigor of early manhood the 33rd year of his age, June, 323 B.C., he [Alexander] left no inheritor, either of his power or of his projects" (p. 237). The Grecian Empire was left leaderless, in a state of chaos and confusion. By the year 301 B.C. out of this Chaos emerged FOUR DIVISIONS, or kingdoms, just as was prophesied.
After Alexander's death, the empire was divided up into four parts by Alexander's generals. They were:
1. Ptolemy (Soter), ruling Egypt, part of Syria, and Palestine.
2. Seleucus (Nicator), ruling Syria, Babylonia, and territory east to India.
3. Lysimachus, ruling Asia Minor.
4. Cassander, ruling Greece and Macedonia.
From this point, the prophecy concentrates on what was to occur to two of these kingdoms-Egypt, called the "King of the South, , , and the Syrian kingdom, the Seleucidae, called the "Kingdom of the North." As viewed from Jerusalem, of course, the Syrian kingdom was northward, and Egypt was to the South. It is because the Holy Land passed back and forth between these two powers that the prophecy deals with them.
Ptolemy1,
Soter
Notice verse 5: "And the king of the south [Egypt] shall be strong, and one of his princes; and he shall be strong above him, and have dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion."
History reveals that the original Ptolemy I, called Soter, became a very strong and powerful king. He developed Egypt beyond the greatest dreams of Alexander. One of his generals ("one of his princes" as the prophecy stated), Seleucus Nicator , also became very strong and powerful. In B.C. 312 he took ad. vantage of Ptolemy's being tied up in a war, and established himself as king of Syria.
Verse 6: "And in the end of years they shall join themselves together; for the king's daughter of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement: but she shall not retain the power of the arm; neither shall he stand, nor his arm: but she shall be given up, and they that brought her, and he that begat her, and he that strengthened her in these times."
At the end of fifty years this occurred, exactly as described, to the very letter!
The ruler of Syria at
this time was Antiochus II, called "Theos." His wife was
"Laodice." Says Rawlinson's Ancient History: "Her
influence. . . engaged him in a war with Ptolemy Philadelphus (king of the
south), B.C. 260, which is terminated, B.C. 252, by a marriage between
Antiochus and Bernice. Ptolemy's daughter."
The prophecy continued, saying that all three of these individuals would come to their end. Notice how it happened:
"On the death of Philadelphus ["he that begat her"], B.C. 247, Antiochus repudiated Bernice, and took back his former wife, Laodice, who, however, doubtful of his constancy, murdered him to secure the throne for her son Seleucus (11) B.C. 246 . . . Bernice . . . had been put to death by Laodice" (Rawlinson's History, p. 251-252).
Fulfilled, to the very letter!
The prophecy of Daniel 11, unlike any other prophecy in the Bible, gives tremendous detail as to what was to happen!
War
in the Holy Land
Now notice verse 7: "But out of a branch of her roots shall one stand up in his estate [margin, in his office], which shall come with an army, and shall enter into the fortress of the king of the north, and shall deal against them, and shall prevail."
What does this mean?
"Out of a branch," or "shoot" of her roots: Her parents would be her roots, from which she sprang. Hence, this must mean her brother, who next should occupy the throne of the kingdom of the South.
Now listen carefully to this precise, accurate fulfillment of this prophecy written 200 years before: "Ptolemy Euergetes [the III, eldest son of Philadelphus, and therefore Bernice's brother, a branch of her roots] invaded Syria, B.C. 245, to avenge the murder of his sister. Bernice. . . in the war which followed, he carried everything before him" (Rawlinson, p. 252).
Verse 8: “And [he] shall also carry captives into Egypt their gods, with their princes, and with their precious vessels of silver and of gold; and he shall continue more years than the king of the north.”
The king of the North at that time was Seleucus II.
Verse 9: “So the king of the south shall come into his kingdom, and shall return into his own land.”
Ptolemy III fulfilled this prophecy, to the very letter, jot and tittle! He entered the fortress of the king of the north (v. 7). He seized the fortress of Syria, Seleucia, and the port of Antioch, capital of the kingdom! He carried back to Egypt immense booty, some 2,500 molten images and idolatrous vessels which, in B.C. 527, had been carried away from Egypt. He outlived the king of the north, ruling until 222 B.C., while Seleucus II died in B.C.226.
When Seleucus II died, his two sons took over the kingdom of the north; first Seleucus III, who ruled only three years, B.C. 226-223; and then his brother Antiochus III, called "the Great," who ruled from B.C. 223 to B.C. 187. Both of these sons assembled immense forces to war against Egypt, to avenge their father's defeat and recover their port city Antioch and their fortress, Seleucia.
Again, Bible prophecy foretold it, to the letter!
"But his sons shall be stirred up, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces: and shall certainly come, and overflow, and pass through: then shall he return [margin, be stirred up again] and be stirred up, even to his fortress" (Daniel 11:10).
What happened?
Continues verse 11: “And the king of the south shall be moved with choler [furious anger] and shall come forth and fight with him, even with the king of the north: and he shall set forth a great multitude; but the multitude shall be given into his hand.”
In fulfilling the latter part of verse 10, Antiochus the Great, after 27 years, recovered his fortress Seleucia, and also conquered the territory of Syria, as far as Gala, including Palestine. But the young Egyptian king, Ptolemy IV (Philopater), was roused to action, and with an army of 20,000 troops inflicted devastating defeat on Antiochus the Great, thus fulfilling verse 12, killing tens of thousands, again annexing Palestine to Egypt.
But he was not strengthened. He made a rash and hasty peace with Antiochus and returned to Egypt in dissipation, throwing away the hard-won fruits of victory.
Verse 12 explains what occurred: “And when he hath taken away the multitude, his heart shall be lifted up; and he shall cast down many ten thousands: but he shall not be strengthened by it.”
He grew overconfident, thinking he had won a great victory. But he assumed too much. As verse 13 explains: "For the king of the north shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former, and shall certainly come after certain years with a great army and with much riches." Twelve years later, or "after certain years," in B.C. 205, Ptolemy Philopator died leaving his throne to an infant son, Ptolemy Epiphanes. Then Antiochus assembled a greater army than before and won great victories. He now made a treaty allying himself with Philip of Macedon, and others, to fight against Egypt. They wrested Phoenicia and southern Syria from the king of the south. The Jewish historian Josephus says that some of the Jews helped Antiochus at this time. But notice-once again-how precisely the prophet Daniel foretold events which occurred centuries after his death!
Now verse 14: "And in those times there shall many stand up against the king of the south: also the robbers of thy people [apostate Jews] shall exalt themselves to establish thy vision; but they shall fail." Here the treaty or league the king of the north made with "many" is plainly foretold, as well as the part played by some of the Jews.
Verse 15: "So the king of the north shall come, and cast up a mount, and take the most fenced cities: and the arms of the south shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, neither shall there be any strength to withstand."
Verse 16: "But he that cometh against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him: and he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed."
Antiochus the Great marched into the "glorious land," which of course refers to Palestine, the Holy Land. Antiochus the Great besieged and took Sidon from Egypt and destroyed the interests of Egypt in Palestine at the battle of Mount Panium in 198 B.C.
"He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; thus shall he do: and he shall give him the daughter of women, corrupting her; but she shall not stand on his side, neither be for him" (verse 17).
In 198 B.C. Antiochus arranged a marriage between his daughter, Cleopatra (not the Cleopatra of Egyptian fame who lived 31 B.C.) and young Ptolemy Epiphanes, king of the south. "Upright ones" in verse 17 (see the margin) means "equal conditions, or marriage." But the one to be married would not stand by his side. By this marriage, Antiochus planned to gain control and subtly gain domination of all Egypt, but his scheme backfired. Rawlinson says on page 254: "Coele-Syria and Palestine promised as a dowry, but not delivered." Cleopatra did not truly stand on the side of Antiochus, for it was only a trick to gain possession of Egypt.
Now verse 18: " After this shall he turn his face unto the isles, and shall take many: but a prince for his own behalf shall cause the reproach offered by him to cease; without his own reproach he shall cause it to turn upon him." Antiochus turned his attention in another direction, and between 197-196 B.C. he tried to conquer the islands and coasts of Asia Minor. He failed. The Roman general Lucius Cornelius Scipio Asiaticus utterly defeated him at the battle of Magnesia, B.C. 190.
Verse 19: "Then shall he turn his face toward the fort of his own land: but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found."
Next turning his attention to the fortresses of his own land, in east and west, and attempting to recruit and replace his dissipated wealth by plundering the Oriental Temple of Belus, in Elymais, he was killed B.C. 187.
“Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom: but within few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle” (verse 20). Seleucus Philopator (IV), his son, in an effort to raise money, sent a tax collector, Heliodorus, through Palestine. But he reigned only 11 years (187-176 B.C.), when Heliodorus poisoned him. He left no heir to the throne. This remarkably fits with the prophecy to come next!
"And in his estate [his kingdom] shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries" (verse 21).
The brother of Seleucus Philopator, a younger son of Antiochus the Great, named Epiphanes (Antiochus IV), who was a contemptible reprobate, came by surprise and through flattery took the kingdom. Helping him was his aide Eumenes. Says Rawlinson's Ancient History: “Antiochus [Epiphanes] , assisted by Eumenes, drives out Heliodorus, and obtains the throne, B. C. 176. He astonishes his subjects by an affectation of Roman manners" and "good-natured profuseness [flattery]” (p. 255).
Antiochus
Epiphanes
Now verses 22-24: "And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant. And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people. He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers' fathers; he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and riches: yea, and he shall forecast his devices against the strong holds, even for a time."
The “prince of the covenant” referred to was the Jewish high priest, whom Antiochus attempted to replace by another who would be subservient to him.
Although only a few were with him at the first, Antiochus crept into power and through flattery, Roman affectations, and charming manners, he won the people to him, and his kingdom grew and prospered. He invaded Galilee and Lower Egypt. His fathers, the former kings, had shown favour upon the Jews in Palestine, but this wicked, deceitful king despised the Jews. Says Rawlinson, the Jews “were driven to desperation by the mad projects of this self-willed monarch” (p. 255).
After consolidating his power, Antiochus Epiphanes went to war with the king of the South, as his predecessors had done. And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the south shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand; for they shall forecast wicked devices against him. Yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow: and many shall fall down slain.
“And both these kings' hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.
“Then shall he return into his land with great riches; and his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall do exploits, and return to his own land" (verses 25-28).
In fascinating detail, Rawlinson describes from the pen of the historian, the actual fulfillment of these words of prophecy:
“Threatened with war by the ministers of Ptolemy Philometor [now king of the south], who claim Coele-Syria and Palestine as the dowry of Cleopatra, the late Queen-mother, Antiochus marches against Egypt, B.C. 171” (pp. 255-256). His forces were met by his nephew, Ptolemy Philometor, king of the south, with another immense army. But the Egyptian king was defeated through the treachery of his own officers and was outwitted by Antiochus (pp. 277-278).
Rawlinson continues: " After his victory at Pelusium, Antiochus advanced to Memphis, and having obtained possession of the young king's person [Ptolemy Philometor, king of the south], endeavored to use him as a tool for effecting the entire reduction of the country" (p. 278). In; 174 B.C. the uncle of the king of the south sat at a banquet. Antiochus pretended to ally himself with the young Ptolemy, against his brother Euergetes 11, but each was trying to deceive the other to gain the upper hand.
The Abomination of Desolation
In 168 B.C., after returning from Egypt with great riches, spoils of war and plunder, Antiochus showed his true attitude toward the Jewish people. He set himself against the Jews, treated them as an enemy, and massacred thousands. He then returned to Antioch with golden vessels from the Temple at Jerusalem.
Verse 29-30: “At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the south, but it shall not be as the former or as the latter. For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant."
The same year, B.C. 168, he again invaded Egypt, but this time he was met with a surprise. The Egyptians successfully defended their land and forced him to retreat back to his own land. Ptolemy Pilometor, king of the south, got help from Rome. The Roman fleet came against Antiochus and he was forced to surrender to the terms of Pompilius of the Roman fleet, and retire from Egypt and restore Cyprus to Egypt.
Enraged and maddened at this twist of fate, Antiochus vented his spleen upon the Jews, and extended special favors upon those Jews who would forsake their religion and ancestral customs.
Notice now verse 31: “And
arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of
strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice. and they shall place
the abomination that maketh desolate.”
This happened, precisely as foretold!
In 168 B.C. Antiochus Ephiphanes sent troops to the Holy Land to punish the Jews. His soldiers captured Jerusalem, desecrated the Temple of God and polluted the Sanctuary, causing pig's blood to be sacrificed upon the altar of God. Faithful Jews who would not recant their religion were burned alive in a large frying pan of hot scalding oil! Many were martyred for their faith.
In this inhuman act of outrage, Antiochus abolished the daily sacrifice. On the date of Kisleu 15, Hebrew calendar, he placed the abomination of the image of Jupiter Olympus in the Holy of Holies, making it desolate (see Rawlinson, p. 255).
The abomination that maketh desolate was the idol of Jupiter set in the Holy of Holies, B.C. 168, by Antiochus Ephiphanes, whose very name meant "God made Manifest," a slur and sacrilege upon the true God.
During that time, the Maccabean Jews rose in revolt, and after three years repulsed the troops of Antiochus, cleansed the Temple, and restored the daily sacrifice. Thus we read: "And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits [wonders]. And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days.
"Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries. And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed" (verses 32-25).
Type
and Antitype
Here we need to understand a basic and fundamental Bible truth. In prophecy, type often blends subtly into antitype. That means, there is often a comparatively minor fulfillment of a major prophetic event pictured for the "last days." Even so, the wicked Antiochus Ephiphanes, who desecrated the temple, and abolished the daily sacrifice, is merely a TYPE of a king in these latter days, who will once again invade the Middle East, conquer Jerusalem, and raise up the abomination of desolation!
When this prophecy of
Daniel 11 comes to the wicked Antiochus Ephiphanes, it becomes DUAL in
fulfillment! That is, these things are going to happen again, in OUR day!
Even as the people were taken into captivity in his day, so Judah and modern Israel are once again going into national captivity. Even as they fell "by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days" -- so it shall be once again! (verse 33).
Even as there were some among the people who were wise, and understood God's way, and were martyred for God's truth; so it shall be again, in the near future!
Therefore, although we
are reading in one sense ancient history, we are also reading in explicit,
accurate detail, what is shortly going to happen once again, in our
lifetime!
The Arabs, including Egypt and her allies, will send powerful military forces into the Middle East once again. They will ‘push’ against the European and Western powers. They will probably cut of their “OIL” supply!
In response, the Northern Kingdom will attack – with aireborne troops, armies, and even a naval armada will be included, to protect the vital interests of the King of the North; a vast army with tanks ("chariots"), and motorized infantry ("horsemen"), and airplanes ("a whirlwind") -- bombers, fighters, troop transports, helicopters, and the whole arsenal of modern weapons.
"He shall enter also into the glorious land." Israel shall not escape. Jerusalem shall be captured, the houses rifled, the women ravished, and half the people taken into exile (Zechariah 14:1-4).
"Many countries shall be overthrown." Virtually all northern Africa, and the Middle East, the focus of this military blitzkrieg, will be quickly subdued and overrun. But notice -- the prophecy also pinpoints which nations will escape the jaws of destruction: Turkey, and Jordan! Turkey is a MEMBER of the NATO alliance. Jordan has always been favorable toward the West. Perhaps those nations will be "allies" of the Beast Power, or be at least "neutral." Probably they will escape because they cooperate with the Beast power, offering the use of their facilities and air fields to the King of the North. Whatever the precise reason, prophecy says they will escape!
Now let us continue, verse 43: "But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver." Let me break in here. It is amazing how much gold and silver is now finding its way into the hands of the Arab states, who have lost confidence in the American dollar and who are turning to gold and silver for payment for their oil!
“. . . and over all the precious things of Egypt, and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.
"But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.
"And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him" (Daniel 11:43-45).
The King of the North will establish himself in the Middle East, even to the extent that he will set up his own palace and sanctuary for the False Prophet whom he honors in Jerusalem, between the two seas (the Mediterranean and Dead Seas). But at that juncture his agents and spies will bring him bad news from the northeast of Palestine -- bad news from the north and east -- Russia and Asia.
What kind of news could this be?
News of impending military strikes from those quarters! He will launch another pre-emptive strike, this time toward the north and east -- he will once again invade Russia and the Orient! But, just as Hitler failed in his attack through the Russian heartland and bogged down on the outskirts of Moscow, before being forced to retreat; just as Napoleon struck out and attacked Russia, and was compelled to withdraw from Moscow, losing over a million men in the retreat of his Grande Armee; even so, once again, the King of the North will attack with fury, to kill and destroy many; but his military forces will languish, and perish, overtaken once again by the furious Russian/Asian winter, their corpses scattered like dung' piles over the Russian/Asian countryside!
Russian and China will enter the war! Of course! Russia has dreamed of controlling the Middle East for centuries -- she knows that whoever controls the Middle East controls the world! When Russia and China sees the King of the North suddenly attack and conquer the Middle East, thus destroying the "balance of power," they will act. Russia, China and their allies will begin preparations to invade the Middle East and fight against the King of the North in a final battle for world supremacy. After the Fascist forces of the King of the North spend themselves upon the steppes of the Russian plains, Russia will launch her own attack -- with 200,000,000 men under arms (Revelation 9: 14-16).
Can you imagine an army of that size? One pincers movement will be a thrust through the heart of Europe, across Germany, killing millions. So few Germans will be left, God says, that a child shall be able to count them (Isaiah 10:5, 19).
Another pincers thrust shall be straight toward Palestine, from the Caucasus, beyond the Euphrates River. "And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.
"And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand [TWO HUNDRED MILLION!]: and I heard the number of them. . . By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths" (Rev. 9:13-18).
Now we pick up the story in Revelation 16:12-14: "And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty."
"And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon" (Revelation 16:16).
When Christ returns, this wicked King of the North, this Beast of Revelation, this Son of Perdition, "shall come to his end, and none shall help him" (Dan. 11:45).
Daniel describes what will happen to this wicked king. "I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.
"A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set. and the books were opened.
“I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain. and his body destroyed. and given to the burning flame” (Dan. 7:9-11).
"As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time" (verse 12). The other "beasts" -- the ten kings who ally themselves with the Beast, or King of the North (Revelation 17: 12-14)-will not be immediately killed. They will be stripped of all authority, and put in chains and fetters, and given a chance to repent and mend their ways.
"And I saw the beast," John wrote in Revelation, "and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone" (Rev. 19:19-20).
God says: "Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; that made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?
"All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, everyone in his own house. But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcass trodden under feet.
“Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned. "Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rise nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities. For I will rise up against them saith the Lord of hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant and son, and nephew, saith the Lord” (Isaiah 14:15-22).
In Ezekiel 28 the King of the North is compared to the King of Tyre, even as he is called the King of Babylon in Isaiah 14 (compare Isaiah 14:4; Ezek. 28:2). Ezekiel speaks of this great kings final demise:
“Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness; I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings that they may behold thee.
“Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee. and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
“All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more” (Ezek. 28:17-19).