THE KING OF THE NORTH OF DANIEL CHAPTER 11

Updated: Nov 26, 2022

Who is the King of the North of the Daniel chapter 11?

Before answering this, we must establish some basic principles of prophetic interpretation of the symbolic language used in prophecy.

1. LINE UPON LINE

We must make the Bible its own expositor.
We must allow the Bible to explain the symbols.
We must compare Scripture with Scripture
2 Pet 1:20 "...no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation.”
1 Cor 2:13 “...comparing spiritual things with spiritual”
Isa 28:9, 10 “Line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.”
Isa 8:20 “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word it is because there is no light in them”

The following are symbols used in prophecy to describe kingdoms or nations.

“King” used interchangeably with "Kingdom" - Dan 2:37-38
“Mountain” symbolic of a "kingdom' - Dan 2:35, Rev 17:9
“Beasts” used interchangeably with “Kings”- Dan 7:17
“Beasts” also said to be "Kingdoms" - Dan 7:23
“Horns” represent Kings / Kingdoms - Dan 8:20-22
“Heads” symbolic of kingdoms - Dan 7:6, Dan 2:38
“Waters” symbolic of kingdoms - Rev 17:15
“Great City” used interchangeably with "kingdom" - Rev 14:8, 16:19
“Ribs” in Bear's mouth represent kingdoms the Ram conquered - Dan 7:7, Dan 8:4

2. THE LITERAL & LOCAL TYPIFIES THE GLOBAL & SPIRITUAL IN OUR DAY

Literal & local kingdoms in the old testament typify the global & spiritual in our day. The names remain the same but that which they refer to takes on a symbolic meaning when the Kingdom of Rome transitions to Papal Rome. The three angels messages of Revelation 14 and that of Revelation 18 include the cry that Babylon is fallen and to "come out of her my people". The Babylon of Revelation does not refer to the literal Babylon of King Nebuchadnezzar's day but to spiritual Babylon - see later.

LITERAL LOCAL Babylon => Spiritual Babylon (false religion world-wide).
LITERAL LOCAL Israel => Spiritual Israel (the Christian church)
LITERAL LOCAL sanctuary => Heavenly Sanctuary - for all mankind.
LITERAL LOCAL Jezebel => Spiritual Jezebel of Revelation.
LITERAL LOCAL River Euphrates => Spiritual Euphrates of Revelation.
LITERAL LOCAL 7 Churches => Spiritual 7 churches of Revelation.

3. REPEAT & ENLARGE:

Daniel follows the repeat & enlarge principle in the prophecies.
The last earthly power in Daniel 2, 7, 8 is Rome.
The last earthly power described in Daniel 11 must, therefore, be Rome.

“Does the eleventh chapter of the prophecy of Daniel cover the ground measured by chapters two, seven, and eight? If so, then the last power in that chapter is Rome." James White, Signs of the Times, July 22, 1880; Also R&H, Nov. 29, 1877.

4. DANIEL 11 - ALL LITERAL, ALL SYMBOLIC OR BOTH?

Daniel 11 focuses on the kings of the North & South.
There is no Biblical rule for a chapter to be all symbolic or all literal.
Chapter breaks were not given by God.
God did not define where the chapter ends. These were added by man.
When comparing Scripture with Scripture points to the last part of the chapter being symbolic, this over-rides all human rules of interpretation.
Interpretations requiring the end of the chapter to be known are private interpretations.

5. THE DANIEL 2 IMAGE - 4 MAJOR KINGDOMS OF BIBLE PROPHECY

The Daniel 2 image commences with literal Babylon, the head of Gold.
Daniel 2 ends with spiritual Babylon at the feet of iron & clay
Daniel chapters 5 & 8 fill in the rest of the image's kingdoms.
Babylon => Medo-Persia => Grecia => Rome => Papal Rome.
Daniel 2 has the image of a man
Daniel 7 has the eyes of a man and the mouth of a man
Daniel 11 has the MEN ruling in those kingdoms commencing with Persia.
Daniel 11 is a further detailed explanation of Daniel 8.
Daniel 8 ends with the little horn - Papal Rome.
Hence Daniel 11 must end with the last MAN of the Image - Papal Rome
Papal Rome is therefore the King of the North of Daniel 11.
There is no Turkey in all this [no pun intended].

In Daniel chapter 2, the Image is interpreted as follows:

BABYLON

Daniel 2:37,38 "Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold."

King Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon is the Head of Gold and the King of the North of the Daniel 2 image.

MEDO-PERSIA

Daniel 2:39 "And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth."

After Babylon, the mighty power of the Medes & Persians, the second kingdom, comes to power overthrowing Babylon. The narrative is told in Daniel chapter 5.

GRECIA

Daniel 2:39 "And after thee shall arise ...... another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth."

Grecia crushes the Medes & Persians in Daniel chapter 8 as we see these powers at war in the symbolism of the Ram (Medo-Persia) & the He-Goat (Grecia)

ROME

Daniel 2:40 "And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise." Rome enters the prophecy in Daniel 8 as the Little Horn. It arises in the latter time of the four divisions of the Grecian kingdom after Alexander the Great's empire was carved up by his four generals - Cassander, Lysimachus, Ptolomey and Seleucus. The characteristics of this horn unmistakably point to Rome both Imperial and Papal. Note the transition from Pagan Rome to Papal Rome as the iron legs give way to the feet of Iron (ROME) and Clay (?)

PAPAL ROME

Daniel 2: 41-43 "And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay."

Note the following:

Daniel 2 has the image of a MAN representing the prophetic kingdoms.
Daniel 7 contains the eyes of a MAN
Daniel 7 also contains the mouth of a MAN
Daniel 11 has the MEN ruling the prophetic kingdoms.
Revelation 13 has the number of a MAN
Revelation 13 has the name of a MAN

Daniel 11 - the MEN who ruled in those kingdoms:

Xerxes - Persia.
Alexander the Great - Grecia.
Julius Caesar etc. - Rome.
Popes - Papal Rome

DANIEL 11 IS A MORE DETAILED EXPLANATION OF DANIEL 8

The last power that comes to its end in Daniel 8:25 is Papal Rome - "he shall be broken without hand". With Daniel 11 being a more detailed explanation of Daniel 8, it goes to follow that the last power to come to its end in Daniel 11:45 is Papal Rome, the King of the North - "..shall come to his end,..none shall help him"

SUMMARY OF DANIEL 11

DANIEL 11 - THE MEN WHO RULED THE KINGDOMS

Verses 1 & 2 - Medo-Persia and its four kings.

Also I (Gabriel) in the first year of Darius the Mede, even I, stood to confirm and to strengthen him. And now will I (Gabriel) shew thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; (Medo-Persia) and the fourth (Xerxes I, the Great, alias Ahasuerus of Esther 1:1-7) shall be far richer than they all: and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia. vs 1,2

Four Persian kings which followed Cyrus were:

1. Cambyses II 530-522BC

2. False Smerdis alias Gaumata. Reigned part of 522BC, and hindered the work of rebuilding the sanctuary in Jerusalem.

3. Darius I 522-486BC.

4. Xerxes I, the Great, (486-475BC. This is the Ahasuerus of Esther 1:1-7). He was “richer than all” and with his wealth he raised a huge army intending to conquer Greece. - “by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia"

Pythius, a Lydian, offered to help fund Xerxes’ invasion of Grecia. Upon asking who this man was, Xerxes received this reply: “...he is, next to yourself, the richest man of whom we have any knowledge.” Heredotus, book 7, sec 27, Loeb Classical Library, p 343. cf. Est 1:4-7.

ALEXANDER THE GREAT

Verses 3 & 4 mighty king - Alexander the Great

Break up of Grecia into 4 kingdoms and eventually 2 territories : Kingdoms of the North & South

Verse 3: "And a mighty king [Alexander the Great - Grecia] shall stand up, [come to power] that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will." cf

Daniel 10:20 Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come. At the death of Alexander the Great, the Grecian empire was divided among his four generals, Cassander. Lysimachus, Ptolomey and Seleucus.

Verse 4: 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: [each division was weaker than the whole] for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those.

Broken = Alexander the great was the mighty king who ruled with great dominion but died at the height of his power.

Divided toward the four winds = After Alexander’s death Greece was divided not among his children but among four of his generals (Parallels the four horns on the Grecian He-Goat: Daniel 8:8, 22). Alexander’s young son was murdered and Alexander’s generals took upon themselves the titles and styles of kings. See Diadorus, Book 19, sec 105, Loeb Classical Library, p119

Cassander - Greece and the adjacent countries, which lay to the west
Lysimachus - Thrace, Asia Minor, the Hellespont and Bosphorus & north of Palestine
Seleucus - Syria and Babylon, which lay to the east;
Ptolemy - Egypt & neighbouring countries, which lay to the south.

The Grecian Empire finally resolved into two Kingdoms:

The Kingdom of the North centred in Syria and ruled by the King of the North - Seleucus

The Kingdom of the South centred in Egypt and ruled by the King of the South - Ptolemy

Verses 5-13: LITERAL KINGS OF THE NORTH & SOUTH

Verse 5: Ptolemy and Seleucus

"And the king of the south [Ptolemy 1 - Egypt] shall be strong, and one of his [one of Ptolemy’s] princes; [Seleucus Nicator, 305-281BC,] and he [Seleucus] shall be strong above him, [above Ptolemy], and have dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion." [The Seleucid Empire]

“Seleucus ruled from the Mediterranean to the Indus...having a territory 5 to 6 times as large as that of Ptolemy. His dominion was emphatically a great dominion.” Egypt and Babylon, p 207.

Arrian, the leading historian of the period said that Seleucus was "the greatest king of those who succeeded Alexander, and the most royal mind, and ruled over the greatest extent of territory, next to Alexander." Anabasis of Alexander vii. 22).

Verse 6 - Berenice, daughter of the King of the South

"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."

About 35 years after the death of Seleucus 1 a notable marriage alliance took place but it failed to bring peace. There were frequent wars between the kings of Egypt and Syria. Especially was this the case with Ptolemy Philadelphus, the second king of Egypt, and Antiochus Theos, third king of Syria. They at length agreed to make peace upon condition that Antiochus Theos should put away his former wife, Laodice, and her two sons, and should marry Berenice, the daughter of Ptolemy Philadelphus. Ptolemy accordingly brought his daughter to Antiochus, bestowing with her an immense dowry. {1897 UrS, DAR 250.4}

History records the accurate fulfillment of the continuing conflicts between the Ptolemies and the Seleucids.

Verse 6: And in the end of years they [kingdoms of the North & South] shall join themselves together; for the king's daughter of the south [Berenice, the daughter of Ptolemy II Philadelphus] shall come to the king of the north [Antiochus II Theos, 261-246BC] to make an agreement: [to marry to solidify peace] but she [Berenice] shall not retain the power of the arm; [Antiochus later divorced Berenice and took back Laodice] neither shall he [Antiochus] stand, [Antiochus died suddenly ? poisoned by Laodice] nor his arm: [some read, “his seed” referring to his children by Berenice] but she [Berenice] shall be given up, [divorced] and they that brought her, [maids] and he that begat her, [vowel change suggests her child who was murdered - see RSV] and he that strengthened her in these times. [probably Antiochus] See Encyclopaedia Britannica, 15th ed., Vol. 10, p618, art. Seleucus II.

Verse 6: “Halfway through this century (249 BC.) the desultory warfare between Egypt and the Seleucid power came to a temporary end (Dan 11:6). Ptolemy II, Philadelphus, gave his daughter Berenice with a great dowry to Antiochus II, Theos. When Ptolemy died (247 BC.) Antiochus’ divorced wife Laodice was restored to favor, and Antiochus died suddenly [poisoned by Laodice] in order that she might regain her power. Berenice and her son were likewise removed from the path of her son Seleucus……the new king of Egypt, Ptolemy III, Euergetes I, invaded the Seleucid territory, ‘entered the fortress of the king of the north’ (Dan 11:7 sqq.), and returned - laden with the spoils, images captured from Egypt by Cambyses, and captives (Jerome on Daniel loc. cit.) - to put down a domestic rebellion.” Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Ed., art. Palestine]

Berenice (Seleucid Queen) - Wikipedia

“Berenice (Ancient Greek: Βερενίκη, Berenikē) (c.275 BC[1]–246 BC), also called Berenice Phernophorus ("Dowry Bearer") or Berenice Syra, was the daughter of Ptolemy II Philadelphus of his first wife Arsinoe I of Egypt.

Around 252 BC, following the peace agreement of 253 BC between Antiochus and Ptolemy to end the Second Syrian War, she married the Seleucid monarch Antiochus II Theos, who divorced his wife Laodice I and transferred the succession to Berenice's children.

In 246 BC, when Ptolemy died, Antiochus II took up again with his first wife, Laodice. Antiochus died shortly thereafter, many suspect from poisoning. Queen Berenice claimed the regency for her infant son Antiochus however, she and her son were both killed by Laodice. Berenice's brother, Ptolemy III Euergetes, succeeded their father and set about to avenge his sister's murder by invading Syria and having Laodice killed. This is also mentioned in the Book of Daniel 11:6.[2]"

2.John H. Walton, Victor H. Matthews and Mark W. Chavalas. IVP Bible Background Commentary, 2000.

**Verse 7: *KING OF THE SOUTH ATTACKS KING OF THE NORTH

*KOTN = King of the North

**KOTS - King of the South

But out of a branch of her roots shall one stand up [Berenice’s brother, Ptolemy III Euergetes] in his estate, which shall come with an army, and shall enter into the fortress of the king of the north, [Ptolemy III attacked Laodice’s son, Seleucus II Callinicus, 246-226], and shall deal against them, and shall prevail:

Verses 8 & 9: THE KING OF THE SOUTH IS EGYPT.

"And 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. So the king of the south shall come into his kingdom, and shall return into his own land."

Verse 10: KOTN ATTACKS THE KING OF THE SOUTH

"But his [Seleucus II Callinicus, the KON], sons [Seleucus III Ceranus Soter, who was murdered after a short reign, & Antiochus III Magnus (the Great)] shall be stirred up, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces: and one [Antiochus III Magnus (the Great)] shall certainly come, and overflow, and pass through: [In 219BC he retook much from his rival Ptolemy] then shall he return, and be stirred up, even to his fortress."

Verses 11 & 12: PTOLEMY PHILOPATER - KOTS

"And the king of the south [Ptolemy IV Philopater] shall be moved with choler, [anger] and shall come forth and fight with him, even with the king of the north: [Antiochus III]: and he [Antiochus III, king of the north] shall set forth a great multitude;[62,000 infantry, 6000 cavalry, 102 elephants (Polybius, Histories, v. 79)]; but the multitude shall be given into his" [Ptolemy IV’s] hand. [Ptolemy IV was victorious at the battle of Raphia, 217 B.C. AntiochusIII is reputed to have lost 10,000 infantry and 300 cavalry, plus 4000 prisoners.]

"And when he [Ptolemy IV] hath taken away the multitude, his heart shall be lifted up; [When in Jerusalem he attempted to enter the most holy place but the Jews withstood him. This upset Ptolemy] and he shall cast down many ten thousands: [He slaughtered 40-60,000 Jews in Alexandria] but he shall not be strengthened by it." [Ptolemy IV Philopater did not capitalize on his victory over the north. He died 205 B.C.? and his four-five year old son, Ptolemy V Epiphanes who ruled 204?-180 B.C., took the throne]

Verse 13: ANTIOCHUS III MAGNUS (KOTN)

"For the king of the north [Antiochus 111] shall return, [Antiochus saw five year old Ptolemy V Epiphanes on the Egyptian throne as a good opportunity to attack the South] and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former, and shall certainly come after certain years [literally, “at the end of times, years.” The period is probably the 16 years which passed after the Battle of Raphia before Antiochus’ second campaign against the south] with a great army and with much riches.

Verse 14: ROME ENTERS THE PROPHECY.

"And in those times there shall many stand up against the king of the south: also the robbers of thy people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision; but they shall fall."

[Heb. “periyts” - literally BREAKERS or destroyers. Same word used in Ps 17:4. Compare Daniel 7:23 “Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall DEVOUR the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and BREAK it in pieces.”] Rome, the breakers / conquerers of Daniel's people enters the prophecy to establish the vision and the correctness of the vision.

Rome’s appearance at this point confirms the accuracy of the vision.

Myer’s General History: “Syria, or the kingdom of the Selucidae (312-65B.C.).- Under its first rulers this kingdom comprised nominally almost all the countries of Asia conquered by Alexander, thus stretching from the Hellespont to the Indus; but in reality the monarchy embraced only Asia Minor, Syria, and the Old Assyria and Babylonia...but finally the country was overrun by the Roman Legions and was made part of the Roman Republic.” (63B.C.).” Myer’s General History

"Antiochus, king of Syria, and Philip, king of Macedonia, during the reign of Ptolemy Philopater, had discovered the strongest zeal for the interests of that monarch, and were ready to assist him on all occasions. Yet no sooner was he dead, leaving behind him an infant, whom the laws of humanity and justice enjoined them not to disturb in the possession of his father's kingdom, than they immediately joined in a criminal alliance, and excited each other to shake off the lawful heir, and divide his dominions between them. Philip was to have Caria, Libya, Cyrenaica, and Egypt; and Antiochus, all the rest. With this view, the latter entered Coele-Syria and Palestine, and in less than two campaigns made an entire conquest of the two provinces, with all their cities and dependencies. Their guilt, says Polybius, would not have been quite so glaring, had they, like tyrants, endeavored to gloss over their crimes with some specious pretense; but, so far from doing this, their injustice and cruelty were so barefaced, that to them was applied what is generally said of fishes, that the larger ones, though of the same species, prey on the lesser. One would be tempted, continues the same author, at seeing the most sacred laws of society so openly violated, to accuse Providence of being indifferent and insensible to the most horrid crimes; but it fully justified its conduct by punishing those two kings according to their deserts; and made such an example of them as ought, in all succeeding ages, to deter others from following their example. For, while they were meditating to dispossess a weak and helpless infant of his kingdom by piecemeal, Providence raised up the Romans against them, who entirely subverted the kingdoms of Philip and Antiochus, and reduced their successors to almost as great calamities as those with which they intended to crush the infant king." - Ancient History, Book 18, chap. 50. {1897 UrS, DAR 256.3}

Verse 15: ANTIOCHUS III - KOTN

"So the king of the north [Antiochus III] shall come, and cast up a mount, [siegeworks] and take the most fenced cities: [Sidon and Gaza both fell to Antiochus III] and the arms [military forces] of the south shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, neither shall there be any strength to withstand [Egypt, "the arms of the south" or King of the South, fell].

Verses 16 - 30 takes in the following:

Pagan Rome, the new King of the North after it conquers the Northern Kingdom.
Julius Caesar
Augustus Caesar
Tiberius Caesar
Jesus Christ - vs 22

Verse 16: ROME CONQUERS THE KING OF THE NORTH AND BECOMES THE KING OF THE NORTH

"But he [Rome] that cometh against him [against Antiochus III] shall do according to his own will, [Have power over all] and none shall stand before him: [Rome would conquer all] and he [Rome] shall stand in the glorious land, [Palestine] which by his hand shall be consumed [conquered]."

Pagan Rome conquers the Kingdom of the North and takes on the title "King of the North".

Note the characteristics of this power in verses 16, 14, 22

Do according to his own will.
None shall stand before him.
He shall stand in the glorious land (Palestine)
The glorious land will be consumed (conquered) by this power.
This power arose after the division of the Grecian kingdom.
This power is the robbers of thy (Daniel's) people - v 14
This power crucified the Prince of the Covenant - v 22

Only one power fits the bill - Imperial or Pagan Rome.

This power corresponds to the little horn of Daniel 8 / King of fierce countenance after the division of the Grecian Empire -Daniel 8:23

Moses predicted this power would arise and decimate God's people:

Deut 28:29,50 - "The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand; A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young:"

As we saw earlier, "King" and "Kingdom" used interchangeably in prophecy. This "nation" of fierce countenance is the King of fierce countenance of Daniel 8:23 which understood dark sentences. Israel did not understand Latin, the language / tongue of Rome.

Verse 17: ROME (KOTN) & CLEOPATRA (EGYPT = KOTS)

"He [Rome] shall also set his face [determine] to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; thus shall he do: and he shall give him [give to Rome] the daughter of women, [Cleopatra] corrupting her: but she shall not stand on his side, neither be for him.

Verses 18 & 19: JULIUS CAESAR - "ET TU BRUTE? THEN FALL CAESAR"

"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. Then he shall turn his face toward the fort of his own land: but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found."

Verse 20: AUGUSTUS CAESAR - RAISER OF TAXES.

"Then shall stand up in his [Julius Caesar] estate a raiser of taxes [Augustus Caesar] in the glory of the kingdom: but within few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle." (Augustus died peaceably & not in battle]

Luke 2:1 "And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed."

Verse 21: TIBERIUS CAESAR - VILE PERSON

"And in his [Augustus Caesar] estate shall stand up a vile person, [Tiberius Caesar] to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: [The people of Rome did not like this eccentric, misunderstood, and unloved person] but he shall come in peaceably, [When Augustus died, Tiberius ascended to the throne peacefully] and obtain the kingdom by flatteries." [Tiberius was the only stepson of Augustus. His ascension owed much to the flatterings and manoeuvring of his mother, Livia]

Luke 3:1,2: "Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness."

Verse 22: TIBERIUS CAESAR - VILE PERSON CRUCIFIES THE PRINCE OF THE COVENANT, JESUS CHRIST.

"And with the arms of a flood [military forces] shall they [enemies of Rome] be overflown from before him, [Tiberius led several successful military campaigns in Germany and in the East] and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant."

Verse 23: JEWS ENTER A LEAGUE WITH ROME.

"And after the league made with him [in 161 B.C. the Jews entered a league with Rome] he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small [little] people." [Here the “little horn” - Rome, began to become exceeding great. cf. Dan 8:9]

Verse 24: ROME EMPLOYS NEW STRATEGIES OF ACQUISITION

"He [Rome] 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 usual manner in which nations had, before the days of Rome, entered upon valuable provinces and rich territory, was by war and conquest. Rome was now to do what had not been done by the fathers or the fathers' fathers; namely, receive these acquisitions through peaceful means. The custom, before unheard of, was now inaugurated, of kings' leaving by legacy their kingdoms to the Romans. Rome came into possession of large provinces in this manner. [Rome was diverse from previous kingdoms in that she reached a stage where she allowed her people to vote in their government becoming the first Republic. Rome also often conquered through diplomacy. She entered agreements with nations calling them ‘allies,’ but Rome was usually the benefactor];

The city of Rome would continue to be the seat of world government for 360 years. From when? The battle of Actium, 31 B.C., described in the next few verses, is apparently the starting point, for it was from that date that Rome gained absolute supremacy over all when it conquered Egypt. Accordingly the 360 years ran from 31 B.C. - A.D. 330. Did Rome cease to be the seat of government in A.D. 330? Yes. Emperor Constantine gave Rome up and moved his capital to Constantinople.

[After the death of Julius Caesar, Mark Antony sought to replace him. However Julius’ grandnephew and adopted heir, Octavius, won the popular support from Antony to himself. Bitter rivalry existed between them but they faked reconciliation. They divided the empire between themselves, Octavius took Italy and the west, Antony took Egypt and the east]

Verse 25: ROME, (OCTAVIUS) THE KING OF THE NORTH, DOES BATTLE WITH EGYPT, (MARK ANTONY & CLEOPATRA) THE KING OF THE SOUTH

"And he [Octavius] shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south [Mark Antony / Cleopatra - Egypt] 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 devices against him."

This is the final battle between the LITERAL kings of the North and South as Imperial Rome will undergo a metamorphosis to Papal Rome in verses 30-31. From verse 31 to 45 Papal Rome assumes the mantle of the spiritual King of the North just as we saw in Daniel 2 where the image begins with LITERAL BABYLON and ends with spiritual Babylon in the form of Papal Rome in the feet of Iron & clay.

Verse 26: ROME (*KOTN) DEFEATS EGYPT (**KOTS)

"Yea, they that feed of the portion of his (Mark Antony) meat [the forces in the employ of Mark Antony] shall destroy him, [Cleopatra, Mark Antony’s mistress, fled the battle with 60 ships, Mark Antony followed. Upon seeing the fleet of Antony flee, Antony’s land army went over to Octavius], and his army shall overflow: [“be washed” (Vulgate, Syriac) or “swept away” (RSV)] and many shall fall down slain. [In 32 B.C. Mark Antony committed suicide. Cleopatra, finding that she could not ingratiate herself with Octavius, also committed suicide].