Summary: Part 12 in a series on the prophecies found in the book of Daniel. This starts as in depth look at chapter 11 and the first 42 months of the Tribulation Period.

The Prophecies of Daniel

Part 12: The First 42 Months (Daniel 11:21-22, 36-38)

We have reached the twelfth week of our study of the prophecies found in the Old Testament book of Daniel. Last week we laid the groundwork for our in-depth study of chapter 11. This week we are going to start interpreting the final half of that chapter verse by verse and see what they have to tell us about the latter days and the reign of the last king of the North, the Antichrist.

Those of you who were here last week, I hope you brought your map and handout of the parallel verses in Daniel 11 back with you this morning. If you weren’t here or forgot yours there are a few extra copies on the vestibule table should you need one.

Just a brief review so we can remember where we are at. Verses 21 through 45 of Daniel, chapter eleven are all dealing with the first 42 months or 3 ½ years of the seven-year Tribulation period when the Antichrist is going to gaining his power in preparation to rule the earth the for the last half of the seven-years. In these verses all mentions of the king of the North are referring to the Antichrist who will arise from somewhere in the Lebanon, Syria, Northern Iraq area. This area was once a part of the Seleucid Empire, or the kingdom of the North as marked in red on your maps.

We didn’t talk much about the king of the South last week. But since in the historical interpretation of Daniel 11, the king of the South was Alexander the Great’s general, Ptolemy, who took over Egypt and the surrounding areas, then I have interpreted the king of the South, in the last days will also come from the same area – namely Egypt and the surrounding countries marked in green on your maps.

Now the king of the south may have another secondary meaning. The word translated in English as “south” is the Hebrew word “negeb” from which we get “Negev,” as in the Negev Desert. The Negev Desert is today the very southern-most part of Israel. It is bordered by Egypt on the west and Jordan on the east. I’m not sure what this reference to the Negev means in the scheme of prophetic events, but it is an area to keep an eye on. One prophecy teacher has even speculated that the Negev may be part of the land Israel gives up for the forming of a Palestinian State. Then the king of the South may refer to a leader of a Palestinian State. While this is possible, only time will tell events this will play out that way.

But as for my own personal opinion and our interpretation of these verses, I believe that the king of the South is mainly a reference to Egypt and the surrounding countries, of which the Negev Desert may play a part.

And one final thing, I personally believe the Antichrist will be a radical Muslim or at least come from within the Islamic religion. As I showed you in part last week, I also believe that the long awaited final Islamic prophet, the Mahdi, is the same person as the Christian Antichrist. I have therefore, interpreted these verses in Daniel 11 based on those beliefs, because in my opinion they don’t make sense if viewed any other way.

Verse 21

Okay, having all that in our heads, let’s tackle Daniel 11 in-depth, verse by verse, starting with verse 21.

Daniel 11:21 (NIV), “He [the last king of the North] will be succeeded [followed] by a contemptible person [the Antichrist/Mahdi] who has not been given the honor of royalty. He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue.”

Here is the first mention we have the Antichrist/Mahdi figure in chapter 11. He is the vile or contemptible person who comes to power in the Northern Kingdom. Notice that this verse tells us that he was not given the honor of royalty. The KJV says that they [the people of the kingdom] shall not give him the honor of the kingdom. This means that when the Antichrist/Mahdi rises to his leadership position it won’t be because he was next in line to succeed the last leader. Nor will he be elected or chosen by the people to rule over them. They don’t give him the honor of the kingdom. He comes from the outside and takes over the kingdom or country.

This verse even says how he takes control of the kingdom. “He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue.”

The English Standard Version of the Bible, which is a translation that hold true to the original Hebrew and Greek meanings of the words says it this way, “He shall come in without warning and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.”

Personally, I believe the English Standard Version is a little more accurate. I think he will come quickly, without warning, not necessarily when the kingdom feels safe, unless this is a false sense of security. He will take control of the kingdom through flatteries. This means he’s not going to come in and invade the kingdom with a large, powerful military force. He’s going to use diplomacy, intrigue, or flatteries. He’ll tell the people what they want to hear and in the process convince them to allow him to be their leader.

So, how does this play out with our Islamic Antichrist/Mahdi Theory? Well, first of all we need to know what modern day country/countries represent this kingdom which the Antichrist/Mahdi is supposed to take over.

We know he is going to be the king of the North because of Daniel 11. So we can narrow it down to one of the modern day countries colored in red on your maps. The map, however, shows the full extent of the territory controlled by the king of the North. It didn’t start out that large. If you remember, it started out with the area of Lebanon, Syria, and Northern Iraq. This is where the Antichrist/Mahdi or little horn is supposed to arise. So, we can narrow it down to one of those three countries – Lebanon, Syria, or Iraq as being the kingdom the Antichrist/Mahdi will step into, take over and rule from.

Now, last week I showed you just how similar the descriptions of the Christian Antichrist and the Muslim Mahdi are. If we go with the theory that they are one and the same and the Muslims believe the Mahdi will come from either Saudi Arabia or Iraq – the only common ground between our two beliefs would be the country of Iraq.

Now, I’m not saying we should hold the Muslim End Times beliefs as being as valid as what we are told by God in the Holy Scriptures. Absolutely Not!! I’m not saying that at all. God’s Word is the only Word of Truth there is and is the final say in all things.

But the Bible does point out in Daniel chapter eight that Iraq is one of the areas that the Antichrist may come from. So, if the Mahdi and the Antichrist are the same person and the Bible says the Antichrist may arise from Iraq and the Muslims believe the Mahdi could arise from Iraq – Iraq seems to be the most likely country for which the Antichrist to gain control of and rule from.

Here’s another point supporting this conclusion. How many of you have studied or read the book of Revelation, or maybe read the “Left Behind” series of books? Where is the Antichrist supposed to have his headquarters according to Revelation 18? BABYLON! In what country is Babylon located? IRAQ!

So, unless I’ve totally missed the mark, the kingdom the Antichrist will come to without warning and take over with flatteries, which is part of the Kingdom of the North, and located in the Middle East, and was once a part of the Old Roman Empire and the Ancient Greek Empire, is the modern-day country of Iraq.

Okay, then. If we look at the country of Iraq today, and what is going on over there and the new democratic government working there, we should ask ourselves how will it be possible for the Antichrist/Mahdi to take over the leadership of that country?

As long as the United States and some of its allies have a presence in Iraq and are pushing democracy on the people of that country, it WON’T be possible for the Antichrist to rise to power. The United States is presently a restraining presence or force in Iraq. As long as we are there, I truly believe we are keeping the Antichrist from coming to power.

Why do you think the Islamic extremists are fighting so hard to get us to leave? Yes, the hate us, they see us as the infidel and the Great Satan. Yes, they despise democracy because to them it represents a destruction of morals and their culture. But an even more powerful reason for wanting us to leave is because that they believe their Mahdi will be coming soon from Iraq, and he can’t come and take over as long as the United States is there. We wouldn’t let him.

But watch out should the United States decide to pull out. Without our military’s restraining presence there’s nothing to keep a radical Islamic leader from stepping in and flattering the people. Telling them what they want to hear, that he is the Mahdi and he has come to unite the world under the sword of Islam. Isn’t it incredible, the United States is being used by the Holy Spirit to restrain the Antichrist until the right moment, and we don’t even realize it!?!

One last comment here before we go on. If you’re familiar with the “Left Behind” series of novels or even other popular prophecy teachings, you may recall that they believe the Antichrist will come to power from somewhere in the West, like Europe or the US, and then halfway through the Tribulation period will move his headquarters to Babylon and then rule the world from there.

I believe it to be more likely that the Antichrist will arise from the Middle East and reign the first 42 months of the Tribulation from Babylon and then reign from Jerusalem the final 42 months. This theory will be supported by Scripture as we go on, but I wanted to mention it now so that you could start to get this idea or possibility in you head, and be thinking about it as we go.

Verses 36-38

Now let’s look at verses 36-38. (Right-hand column) Remember, that these are parallel verses to 21-23. They are describing people and things happening at relatively the same time. Verses 36-38 are telling us a little bit more about what this contemptible person who takes over Iraq is going to be like.

Daniel 11:36-38 (NIV), “The king [Antichrist/Mahdi] will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what had been determined must take place. [37] He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the one desired by women, nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above them all. [38] Instead of them, he will honor a god of fortresses; a god unknown to his fathers he will honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts.”

First of all, many people will read these verses and immediately put them as occurring at the halfway point of the Tribulation because they talk about the Antichrist magnifying himself above God and blaspheming Him. And they know that halfway through the Tribulation is when the Antichrist is going to destroy the Temple in Israel and set himself up proclaiming to be god. So this connection makes sense. But these verses are not giving us a time of when he is going to exalt and magnify himself. They are just telling us that he is going to do this. They are giving us a description of what he will be like and some of the things he is going to do.

This passage is mirrored in the New Testament by verses like 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 (NIV), “Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness [the Antichrist] is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. [4] He will oppose and exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshipped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.”

So, this is what the Antichrist is going to be like and what he will do, and he will be allowed to do so until the time of wrath or the 7-year Tribulation is complete.

Verse 37 is a little more difficult to interpret. There are many valid theories about what it means that the Antichrist will not regard the gods of his fathers or the one desired by women. But I will tell you what I think it means and let you judge for yourself.

Working from the premise that the Antichrist will be a radical Muslim, we assume that he will believe in no other god but Allah. That is the basic belief of Islam. There is only one god and that god is Allah. Assuming again that if the Antichrist is Muslim, then his father was probably also Muslim. If that fact is true it makes this verse confusing. If he believes there is no God but Allah and more than likely was raised in the Muslim culture that also believes this, how could he have no regard for the gods of his fathers?

The key to understanding this verse is found in the words “gods” and “fathers.” Notice that it say “gods” – plural – as in more than one. Now anyone from a Muslim culture would not worship more than one god, but here we have the word “gods”-plural. This is explained if we interpret the word “fathers” not as our near relations, but as ancestors of the distant past.

Let me explain. Most Middle East cultures of ancient times whether they were, Arabs, Chaldeans, Persians, Medes, Summerians, Canaanites, Egyptians, Hitties, Moabites, etc. worshipped multiple gods, not just one god. Before Mohammed, most Mideast religions were pantheistic, meaning they worshipped many gods. So, while today’s Muslims worship only one god and have for centuries, their ancient ancestors, who would have been Daniel’s contemporaries, worshipped many gods.

So, verse 37 is saying that the Muslim Antichrist/Mahdi will not worship the ancient gods of his ancestors. Instead he is going to worship Allah, a god unknown to his ancestors or fathers.

Now the phrase, “or for the one desired by women” is controversial and confusing as well. In the KJV it reads, “nor the desire of women.” Some scholars have interpreted that phrase to mean he will be a homosexual or will have no interest or sexual desires whatsoever. But I don’t think this phrase has any sexual connotation associated with it at all. This again goes back to the ancient pantheistic religions of his ancient Mideast ancestors.

While almost every ancient culture with the exception of the Jews, believed in many gods, all of them also had a chief male god and a chief female god. There was Baal and Ashteroth, Ra and Ishtar, Zeus and Hera, Cronos and Gaea. While the men worshipped the male deity, the women worshipped the female deity.

So this phrase in verse 37 about having no regard for the one desired by women means that the Antichrist will not worship the female counterpart goddess either. This again fits with a Muslim who would never worship a female goddess.

Verse 38, however, does tell us he will honor a god of fortresses, a god unknown to his fathers or ancestors. The word “fortresses” could also mean “forces,” “munitions,” or “strength.” He worships a god of war or violence. I think you’d agree with me that this is a good description of the Muslim god, Allah. And Allah would be an unknown god to his ancient ancestors because Islam didn’t exist until centuries after the time of Christ.

Verse 22

Now we come to our last verse of the morning a very interesting verse, verse 22. (Left-hand column) Remember that the Antichrist/Mahdi has just appeared on the scene and taken over what I believe will be the country of Iraq. We know what he is like and what he believes from verses 36-38. But he is not very powerful yet. And now verse 22 occurs.

Daniel 11:22 (NIV), “Then an overwhelming army will be swept away before him: both it and a prince of the covenant will be destroyed.”

The English Standard Version of this verse uses instead of the phrase “an overwhelming army” the word “armies” – plural shall be swept away. Putting these two translations together we see that one large overwhelming army made up of several smaller armies will be swept away.

At first, this verse was a bit difficult to understand. I couldn’t think of an end time event near the beginning of the Tribulation that fit this description. The phrase “prince of the covenant” made me think of the Jews since they are the people of covenant. I knew that in the historical interpretation of this verse “the prince of the covenant” referred to the high priest of Israel. But the Jews aren’t supposed to be swept away by a mighty army at the beginning of the Tribulation. There are no other Bible passages that support that idea. So we have to take a closer look at some of the individual key words of this verse.

Again the key to understanding can be found in the original Hebrew meanings of two key words, the words “prince” and “covenant.” The word translated as “prince” in English is the Hebrew word “nagid” (naw-gheed). Nagid is an important person, a leader, a chief, a prince, or overseer. It is derived from the word “nagad” (naw-gad) which means “to front or stand out boldly opposite.”

Putting these facts together we see that this verse could be saying that a leader or chief prince who stands in opposition to something is being destroyed. Putting two of its meanings together, chief and prince, we get the phrase “chief prince”. This is a phrase that appears a few times in Scripture and may give us a clue as to the meaning of this verse. Let’s look at the word “covenant” and see what else we find.

The word “covenant” is the Hebrew word “berith” (ber-eeth) which means a stipulation, a covenant, a league, or a confederacy. So now we have a chief prince of a confederacy of armies that is being destroyed along with his army. Does this sound familiar to anyone?

Listen as I read a passage of Scripture to you, which was written by another Old Testament prophet.

Ezekiel 38:1-6 (ESV), “The word of the Lord came to me: [2] ‘Son of man, set your face toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him [3] and say, This says the Lord God: Behold I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. [4] And I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses, and horsemen, all of them clothed in full armor, a great host, all of them with buckler and shield, wielding swords. [5] Persia, Cush, and Put are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; [6] Gomer and all his hordes; Beth-togarmah from the uttermost part of the north with all his hordes – many people are with you.”

Does this sound familiar to anyone? It’s the Battle of Gog and Magog of Ezekiel 38 and 39. This battle will have a chief prince or leader by the name of Gog, leading a confederacy of Islamic armies in one big overwhelming army against Israel. I believe Daniel 11:22 is a reference to this battle. Let’s reread verse 22 with this thought in mind and see what you think.

Daniel 11:22 (NIV), “Then an overwhelming army [made up of smaller armies coming together] will be swept away before him [the Antichrist]: both it [the army] and a prince of the covenant [chief prince or leader of the confederate armies] will be destroyed.”

In the Battle of Gog and Magog 5/6 of the armies that come against Israel will be destroyed and their leader, Gog, will also be killed by the power of God.

Now the way this verse is worded, I thought it was saying that the Antichrist would be the one to defeat this powerful army and its leader. But that’s not what it say. It says they will be swept away before him. Meaning they we be destroyed before he shows up on the scene. That interpretation fits the prophecy of Gog and Magog whom Ezekiel says are destroyed by the hand of God, not the Antichrist.

This timing, the Battle of Gog and Magog occurring before the Antichrist makes a covenant with Israel, means that Gog and Magog will occur before the Tribulation Period.

Putting It Together

Okay, so let’s put everything we’ve learned this morning together in the context of our Muslim Antichrist theory and present a possible scenario of the end time events that fit these prophecies.

The United States elects a new president in the fall of 2008. Because of public outcry and maybe some other unknown factors the United States pulls out of Iraq. In this void of support the new democratic Iraqi government isn’t powerful enough to retain control from the radical Islamic groups within its borders or from across the border in Iran. Into this void appears a man who is not an elected official, but likely has a military background – probably a terrorist or Muslims extremist. This man is viewed by the Muslims as their long awaited prophet of the end times, the Mahdi.

At the same time that he is establishing a power base in Iraq the other Muslim nations decide to take advantage of the absence of the U.S. presence in the Middle East as well. Under the leadership of one powerful man, believed to come from either Russia or one of the previous Russian states to its south, a confederacy of Islamic armies see it as the perfect time to attack Israel and destroy her. After all, Israel’s chief ally, the U.S., is no longer near enough to help.

This massive army comes against Israel only to have 5/6 of their numbers wiped out and their leader destroyed. Probably because Israel will be forced to use nuclear weapons. This paves the way for the Antichrist or Mahdi to appear on the world’s center stage.

This is just a possible scenario. I’m not saying this is exactly the way it will happen, but from what we’ve interpreted from Daniel 11 so far, I feel it is just as likely to happen this way as any other.

Now, we’ve only gotten through five of 24 verses this morning. This could take us a while to get through, so let me know at any time if you’re tired of this and need a break. Otherwise, we’ll see it through to the end even if we’re still going into the month of May or June. Next week we will pick up with verse 23 and continue from there.

Sermon Sources:

The Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible, King James Version. Edited by Spiros Zodhiates, Th.D. AMG Publishers. Chattanooga, TN. Copyright 1991.

The Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible, New International Version. Edited by Spiros Zodhiates, Th.D. AMG Publishers. Chattanooga, TN. Copyright 1996.

The Holy Bible. English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL. Crossway Bibles. Copyright 2002.

Larkin, Rev. Clarence. The Book of Daniel. Clarence Larkin Estate, Glenside, PA. Copyright 1929.

Stone, Dr. Perry. Daniel:Unlocking the Secrets of the Scroll. Two-hour VHS teaching. Copyright 2007. www.perrystone.org.

Stone, Dr. Perry. Unleashing the Beast. Book. Cleveland, TN. Pathway Press and the Voice of Evangelism. Copyright 2003.

Strong, James. Abingdon’s Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible with the Exclusive Key-Word Comparison. Nashville, TN. Copyright 1980.