The Kings of the North and the South part 2

                                                            Daniel 11:10-20

 

April 7, 2024

 

The Kings of the North and the South

 

“His sons shall wage war and assemble a multitude of great forces, which shall keep coming and overflow and pass through, and again shall carry the war as far as his fortress.  Then the king of the south moved with rage, shall come out and fight against the king of the north. And he shall raise a great multitude, but it shall be given into his hand.  And when the multitude is taken away, his heart shall be exalted, and he shall cast down tens of thousands, but he shall not prevail.  For the king of the north shall again raise a multitude, greater than the first. And after some years, he shall come on with a great army and abundant supplies.

“In those times, many shall rise against the king of the south, and the violent among your own people shall lift themselves up in order to fulfill the vision, but they shall fail. Then the king of the north shall come and throw up siegeworks and take a well-fortified city. And the forces of the south shall not stand, or even his best troops, for there shall be no strength to stand.  But he who comes against him shall do as he wills, and none shall stand before him. And he shall stand in the glorious land, with destruction in his hand.  He shall set his face to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and he shall bring terms of an agreement and perform them. He shall give him the daughter of women to destroy the kingdom, but it shall not stand or be to his advantage.  Afterward, he shall turn his face to the coastlands and shall capture many of them, but a commander shall put an end to his insolence. Indeed, he shall turn his insolence back upon him.  Then he shall turn his face back toward the fortresses of his own land, but he shall stumble and fall, and shall not be found.

I will tell you what others have to say about the kings of the north and south, later, but this one part jumped off the page at me.  I’ve worked on a book about the Christian Army and its fitness for many years.  I want you to give thought to how important the soldier is to be equipped for that Army.

I also want you to imagine how important it was to have ample supplies to feed from 250,000 to 400,000 warriors over many miles and months on foot, and the animals they used for battle.   These are the two verses that got my thinker going: For the king of the north shall again raise a multitude, greater than the first. And after some years, he shall come on with a great army and abundant supplies.

 

This question came into my mind: How equipped is the Christian Army for battle?  Has it had good training? Does it know how to follow orders? Will it stand firm, at God’s command? Will it understand that, unlike the Army that comes against it with weapons of this world, like hate and evil desires, the Christian Army must stand on faith, prayer, and love, and watch the Lord fight in ways they may not understand.  If they are not trained, they will not stand firm and will attempt to use the world’s weapons.

 

Now, what others say about the kings of the North and South is the time these battles took place.  It is important to remember that these kingdoms are north and south of Jerusalem.   The timeline is 200 B.C.   Jerusalem had Egyptian troops stationed there, and the Syrian victory replaced them.  So, the king of Egypt came up with a plan to marry his daughter to the king of the south, to form what would seem an alliance, but his goal was for her to be his spy.  That we are told took place in 193 B.C.

 

As often the best plans of men do not work, the queen's loyalty was not to dear old Dad but to her husband.  Rome was now a power and told the king of the North to stay out of Greece.  When he did not in 191 B.C. Rome attacked and defeated him at Thermopylae in 191 BC. The king of the North was humiliated and was forced to pay tribute to Rome.  Daniel 11:20: “His successor will send out a tax collector to maintain the royal splendor. In a few years, however, he will be destroyed, yet not in anger or in battle.”

Fulfillment: The Seleucid successor was preoccupied with getting money to satisfy Rome. His attempt to loot the temple in Jerusalem to get tribute money was unsuccessful. This king had a short, inconsequential reign.

This brings us to Antiochus IV Ephiphanes, one of the most notorious and brutal kings of the North.  (Taken from Got Question)

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice