Daniel 11:1-4
Daniel 11:1-4
1“Also in the first year of Darius the Mede, I, even I, stood up to confirm and strengthen him.) 2 And now I will tell you the truth: Behold, three more kings will arise in Persia, and the fourth shall be far richer than them all; by his strength, through his riches, he shall stir up all against the realm of Greece. 3 Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will. 4 And when he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken up and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not among his posterity nor according to his dominion with which he ruled; for his kingdom shall be uprooted, even for others besides these.
My Thoughts:
Daniel’s last vision has now been interpreted and we are told that after the visit from Gabriel he is confirmed and strengthen. So now we now enter into a prophecy of future events, but unlike the figures and symbols in Daniel’s visions in Chapters 2, 7 and 8 these are mostly in plain language.
The 4th king after Cyrus was Xerxes, the son of Darius Hystaspes. Known for his wealth, we see that this is a direct fulfillment of the prophecy stating that he would be “far richer than them all” it was said that he was determined to conquer the Greeks, therefore he organized and army that numbered 5,283,220 men. He was also the last Persian king to invade Greece; and now the prophecy passes over nine minor rulers and introduces the mighty king Alexander the Great.
After defeating Persia Alexander became the lord of the ultimate empire, which was greater than any Persian king had ever possessed. His dominion comprised of the greater portion of the known world. How well was he described as a mighty king? It is said that he did according to his will, but at last it was his exhausted energies in rioting and drunkenness that lead to his death in 323 B.C. Within a few years of his death his kingdom had been split by his four generals; Cassander, Lysimachus, Seleucus, and Ptolemy. And these four would become the four horns of the he-goat mentioned in the prophecies id the prophet Daniel, which grew after the breaking off if the first horn, the first horn being Alexander the Great.
Ellen White Statements:
“Daniel’s prayer had been offered “in the first year of Darius” (verse 1), the Median monarch whose general, Cyrus, had wrested from Babylonia the scepter of universal rule. The reign of Darius was honored of God. To him was sent the angel Gabriel, “to confirm and to strengthen him.” Daniel 11:1. Upon his death, within about two years of the fall of Babylon, Cyrus succeeded to the throne, and the beginning of his reign marked the completion of the seventy years since the first company of Hebrews had been taken by Nebuchadnezzar from their Judean home to Babylon.
The deliverance of Daniel from the den of lions had been used of God to create a favorable impression upon the mind of Cyrus the Great. The sterling qualities of the man of God as a statesman of farseeing ability led the Persian ruler to show him marked respect and to honor his judgment. And now, just at the time God had said He would cause His temple at Jerusalem to be rebuilt, He moved upon Cyrus as His agent to discern the prophecies concerning himself, with which Daniel was so familiar, and to grant the Jewish people their liberty” {PK 556}
Last thoughts:
The things that Daniel saw and the understanding that was given to him, how humbling that must have been. We should all strive to be the Daniel of our time, he lived a life that was truly devoted to God and he has shown each of us that we too can live a life worth of Christ.
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At first I was thinking it was Daniel speaking but when I went back to chapter 10, I realized that it is Gabriel speaking to Daniel. Gabriel is the one who stood up to confirm and strengthen the king. While chapters 2,7, and8 are in plain language, it is not easy to understand. It is almost like a code and because of this there are many different interpretations. We must study, pray and be so careful about what is out there and what we believe.
As I study the Bible including this verse I see and am encouraged by the fact that God is the One in charge of this world. My God is truely King of Kings! How wonderful it was for Daniel, and us as well, to be comforted and strengthen in the trust and peace of our Father being in charge of our tommorrow. We’ve been studying Habakuk which shows how, just like Daniel, he stressed and worried about prophecy given him because he preceived it as bad and didn’t understand how bad could come from a good God. But we are taught that all things(including “bad”) work out for good. Trusting God’s goodness and wisdom gave them and us peace that surpasses understanding. Daniel made peace with his circumstance and the state of his beloved, God loved and born, country given over to hethens who were no better in Daniel’s eyes….but which God saw as no worse. Daniel had peace through all the turmoil and godliness of his time. Rome is rising up more even today and the signs are clearer that we’re close to the turmoil of the end times; but come what may….I trust God has planned it for ultimate good and it is well with my soul.