KINGS OF PERSIA DANIEL 11: 1 - 4
Chapter 11 covers history from the time of King Cyrus to almost 200 years of wars that desolated the land of Palestine after the death of Alexander the Great. It declares the absolute unerring precision of God's Holy Word, as it is a prophecy given to Daniel; today we see how precise the prophesy was, bolstering our confidence in His Word. The angel's reference to the "Scripture of Truth" is clearly a record kept, not on earth, but in heaven; the omniscient God having outlined, long before it comes to pass on earth, the events to occur in the kingdoms of men.
I will cover this chapter a little different from previous chapters, inserting commentary from H.A. Ironside in italics as we go along.
11: 1 And in the first year of Darius the Mede, I took my stand to support and protect him.) After the overthrow of Babylon, this angel had stood to strengthen Darius the Mede from his first year.
2) "Now then, I tell you the truth: Three more kings will arise in Persia, and then a fourth, who will be far richer than all the others. When he has gained power by his wealth, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece.
Cyrus's son, Cambyses was the first. Pseudo-Smerdis was the second. Not Cambyses's son, but an imposter, thus "Pseudo" Smerdis. The third was Darius Hystaspes. The fourth, who was far richer than all of them, was Xerxes the Great. He was not the last king of Persia, and it was not stated in Scripture that he would be.
Xerxes the Great had a massive army, over two and a half million, according to historians. He invaded Greece with it, but the very size of his army defeated his own purpose and was driven back into Asia.
3) Then a mighty king will arise, who will rule with great power and do as he pleases. This refers to Alexander the Great. 4) After he has arisen, his empire will be broken up and parceled out toward the four winds of heaven. It will not go to his descendants, nor will it have the power he exercised, because his empire will be uprooted and given to others. (NIV)
Alexander the Great had two sons: Hercules and Alexander. One was killed before Alexander the Great died; the other after his death. So, neither inherited the kingdom. We saw in Chapters seven and eight, that his kingdom was parceled out to four of his generals.
We now follow two of those generals and their successors: Ptolemy Lagus, ruler of Egypt; and Selucas, Satrap of Syria. Their wars cover about two centuries. Ptoloemy was King of the South; Selucas, King of the North.
The reason the other two kingdoms do not appear in scripture is that the angel is showing Daniel what was in store for "his people", the Jew.
I will cover this chapter a little different from previous chapters, inserting commentary from H.A. Ironside in italics as we go along.
11: 1 And in the first year of Darius the Mede, I took my stand to support and protect him.) After the overthrow of Babylon, this angel had stood to strengthen Darius the Mede from his first year.
2) "Now then, I tell you the truth: Three more kings will arise in Persia, and then a fourth, who will be far richer than all the others. When he has gained power by his wealth, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece.
Cyrus's son, Cambyses was the first. Pseudo-Smerdis was the second. Not Cambyses's son, but an imposter, thus "Pseudo" Smerdis. The third was Darius Hystaspes. The fourth, who was far richer than all of them, was Xerxes the Great. He was not the last king of Persia, and it was not stated in Scripture that he would be.
Xerxes the Great had a massive army, over two and a half million, according to historians. He invaded Greece with it, but the very size of his army defeated his own purpose and was driven back into Asia.
3) Then a mighty king will arise, who will rule with great power and do as he pleases. This refers to Alexander the Great. 4) After he has arisen, his empire will be broken up and parceled out toward the four winds of heaven. It will not go to his descendants, nor will it have the power he exercised, because his empire will be uprooted and given to others. (NIV)
Alexander the Great had two sons: Hercules and Alexander. One was killed before Alexander the Great died; the other after his death. So, neither inherited the kingdom. We saw in Chapters seven and eight, that his kingdom was parceled out to four of his generals.
We now follow two of those generals and their successors: Ptolemy Lagus, ruler of Egypt; and Selucas, Satrap of Syria. Their wars cover about two centuries. Ptoloemy was King of the South; Selucas, King of the North.
The reason the other two kingdoms do not appear in scripture is that the angel is showing Daniel what was in store for "his people", the Jew.
MY THOUGHTS
The record keeping in heaven is something to contemplate {Daniel 10: 21) but first I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth.}. It was written in the "Scripture of Truth" when I would be born. It was written that my maternal grandfather would get sick and die as we were traveling to see him. It was written that he would never see me. All the days of my life are written in that book. He knows how many beats my heart has, He has numbered the hairs on my head. He knows the time and day of my death. Oh, that I knew Him as intimately as He knows me!
Dear friend, please make your life matter. Seek God's Face. Study His Word. He loves you so much He sacrificed His Son so you could be in His presence forever. If you have not accepted His salvation, please visit our "Pathway to Salvation" page (click here: https://omaswisdom.blogspot.com/p/path-to-salvation.html.) and leave us a comment when you accept His gift.
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You are also invited to visit Oma at http://omaslife.blogspot.com and http://omaspolitics.blogspot.com.
you see things so clearly and break it down so simply, thank you . . .
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment. Just reading the text of The Bible can sometime be confusing. I spend a lot of time studying and researching before I post. I hope it helps you as much as it helps me.
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