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 ow do we know that the Bible is the Word of God
and therefore true? We know that we cannot trust our emotions. We cannot trust our politicians to be truthful and factual. We cannot trust science since it is always changing
and seeking truth. Science has not yet arrived. An aerospace scientist recently stated that science is an imperfect discipline that is trying to understand what it believes
to be true. It short, science is not what the common man thinks it is nor is it what some scientists want us to believe. Forbes’ ASAP magazine captured that truth in its
feature article by James Burke in its October 2, 2000 edition. The author demonstrated that science is in constant change. Once the entire world thought the world was flat.
We all know how that brilliant piece of science ended. Truth is not found in my experience, for I have discovered that my emotions vary with the day of the week, the time of
day, and even my thoughts. Truth is not found in broken, worn out, and dusty books or in cultural philosophy. Truth is not found in television, UFOs, the occult, or in looking
at earth worms.
Discovering Truth. So where do we find truth? Today we know a great deal about the present; but what about the future? Can you predict what next week will be like? How about next
year or in ten years? How should we react about a book that contains prophecies that actually came true? If we can find a source that has accurately predicted the future, then we
have found something that is dependable. And if it speaks to spiritual issues, then we can understand spiritual truth.
This study is about a long sequence of very detailed prophecies found in Daniel 11. They are incredible. They are a reason to believe the Bible! In this study you find a list of
predictions that even the majority of the critics of the Bible agree are very detailed, extremely accurate, and without mistake.
Background. In Daniel 10, the prophet Daniel asked God for information about the end time and the anti-Christ specifically. In response, God sent an angel to Him and after battling
some evil angelic forces, God’s holy angel finally came to Daniel. The angel proceeded to explain why he was late and then to answer his question. Daniel 11:2 is the beginning
of his answer. This means that Daniel 11 is about the future and at the end of the chapter we will get a glimpse of the series of events at the end of the age.
This chapter contains the most detailed prophecy in the Bible. Dr. J. Vernon McGee had this to say about Daniel 11,
This prophecy is rather complicated and goes into prophecy a little deeper than the average person likes to go into it. Most people seem to like the exciting, sensational part of prophecy, but they do not want to dig down into the Word of God to see what it really says. However, if you are one who enjoys a deep and detailed study of prophecy, you will be thrilled by this section of the remarkable Word of God. We trust that you are eager to dig into this detailed prophecy. Hold on! When you are done,
you will be amazed. This is good news. A series of charts will be presented to help summarize the details of the prophecy.
Medo-Persian Empire. Daniel 11:1 should not be the beginning of this chapter since the angel is continuing to talk to Daniel from the previous
chapter.
And in the first year of Darius the Mede, I arose to be an encouragement and a protection for him. (NASB) Dan. 11:1
Here we are told that the angel told Daniel that he had helped Darius the Mede in some way, but we are never told how. Have you ever wondered if God helps non-Christians? He
did here. God loves and helps even those who are non-Christians. He may be helping your neighbor, the policeman who stopped you, or the fellow employee next to you. God loves
even those who reject Him. Just think how much more He helps those who are His own!
First Prophecy. In Daniel 11:2, the angel introduces us to the first prophecy.
And now I will tell you the truth. Behold, three more kings are going to arise in Persia. Then a fourth will gain far more riches than all of them; as soon as he becomes strong through his riches, he will arouse the whole empire against the realm of Greece. (NASB) Dan. 11:2 He tells Daniel that four more men will become kings in the kingdom. Since the angel is speaking during the reign of King Cyrus (Dan. 10:1), all that we have to do is count
one, two, three kings after Cyrus and we discover that the fourth king is Xerxes (486-465 B.C.).
History tells us that Cambyres conquered Egypt in 525 B.C. and then murdered his brother. He reigned eight years and was followed by Pseudo-Smerdis who reigned less than one
year.
Darius I is the second king in the count. He was a cousin of Cyrus I. He organized the kingdom and imposed taxation on the people of the empire. This allowed him to attempt
to expand the empire into Greece, but he was defeated. However, Darius I attacked Greece in 490 B.C. preparing the empire for Xerxes I.
Xerxes I became the fourth king in the count and was soon very wealthy as a result of his predecessor amassing great wealth through a taxation program. With a wealth of funds,
Xerxes sought to defeat the territory around Greece. He gathered a huge army of one hundred thousand men, 120 ships, and an elite group of soldiers. Historians say this elite
group was exotically and gorgeously dressed. They were armed also with bows, daggers, spears, and shields. He then attempted a military defeat of Greece in 480 B.C. but was
defeated. This stopped the Medo-Persian Empire expansion into Europe and served as a warning to Greece of the dangers from the Medo-Persian empire. The rest of the Medo-Persian
kings were ignored in the prophecy.
All of the other Medo-Persian kings are not important to this prophecy. Xerxes was important because he motivated Greece to come after the Medo-Persian empire. They were a threat.
We will see next that scripture describes each of the kings of Greece and then stops at Antiochus IV Epiphanes.
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