Who is the "king" mentioned in Daniel 11:44? Text of Daniel 11:44 “But news from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many.” Immediate Context (Daniel 11:36-45) Verses 21-35 detail Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Verse 36 introduces “the king” who “will exalt himself above every god,” prosper “until the time of wrath is completed,” honor “a god of fortresses,” and meet his end “with no one to help him.” These descriptions extend beyond the career of Antiochus and link tightly with later eschatological texts (Daniel 7; 9:26-27; 12:1-2; 2 Thessalonians 2; Revelation 13, 19). Primary Identification: The Coming Eschatological Antichrist 1. Exaltation above every god (11:36) parallels 2 Thessalonians 2:4 and Revelation 13:6—characteristics applied to the final “man of lawlessness,” not Antiochus, who still sacrificed to Zeus Olympios. 2. Prosperity “until the time of wrath is completed” (11:36) coincides with the 3½-year period in Daniel 7:25; 9:27; 12:7; Revelation 11:2-3; 12:6, 14; 13:5. 3. “He will come to his end, with no one to help him” (11:45) is fulfilled in Revelation 19:19-20, where the Beast is seized and cast alive into the lake of fire. 4. Daniel 12:1-2 flows directly out of 11:45, leaping from the king’s end to a global resurrection—an event still future. Prophetic Prefigurement: Antiochus IV Epiphanes While Antiochus fits 11:21-35 precisely (confirmed by Polybius, 31.9; 1 Macc 1–6; Josephus, Ant. 12.5-9), he functions as a historical archetype of the ultimate Antichrist. Antiochus foreshadowed the desecration of the Temple (167 BC) and brutal persecution, validating the pattern but not exhausting the prophecy. Why the Futurist Reading Outweighs the Purely Historical • Verse 40 references a final conflict “at the time of the end,” terminology Daniel reserves for the consummation (8:17, 19; 12:4, 9). • No extant record places Antiochus in Judea after alarming news from “east and north.” He died in Tabae, Persia; he never pitched “his royal tents between the seas and the beautiful holy mountain” (11:45). • Dead Sea Scroll 4QDana (ca. 125 BC) already treats Daniel as predictive prophecy; its early circulation undercuts late-date composition theories and supports a still-future fulfillment design. Early Jewish and Christian Witness • 1 Enoch 90 and 4 Ezra 13 portray a final blasphemous ruler destroyed by divine intervention—mirroring Daniel’s king. • Hippolytus (On Christ and Antichrist 55-56) cites Daniel 11:36-45 of the Antichrist. • Irenaeus (Against Heresies 5.25.3) merges Daniel 7, 11 with Revelation 13 to identify the “little horn/king” as the last world tyrant. “News from the East and the North” A future Antichrist, ruling from the Middle East, is alarmed by massive troop movements—possibly: • “Kings from the East” (Revelation 16:12) crossing a dried-up Euphrates. • “Gog of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal” (Ezekiel 38:2) launching from the far north. Geopolitically, this accommodates powers such as a Russian-led coalition (north) and an Asian alliance (east), but Scripture intentionally leaves the identities open. Archaeological and Manuscript Corroboration • The Nabonidus Chronicle verifies Belshazzar’s coregency (Daniel 5), illustrating Daniel’s historical acuity. • Babylonian Prism BM 33041 names “Nebuchadnezzar” exactly as Daniel does (Daniel 1–4). • The Heliodorus Stele (179 BC) affirms Antiochus IV’s reign and military ambitions, anchoring Daniel’s earlier segment. • Qumran’s Daniel scrolls (4QDana-e) display textual stability—less than 2% substantive variation from the Masoretic; none affect Daniel 11. This coherence supports divine preservation promised in Isaiah 40:8 and Matthew 24:35. Harmonization with Revelation Daniel’s “king” = Revelation’s first beast (13:1-8) • Both wield unprecedented authority (Daniel 11:36; Revelation 13:7). • Both blaspheme God (Daniel 11:36; Revelation 13:6). • Both war against saints (Daniel 11:33; Revelation 13:7). • Both are destroyed suddenly (Daniel 11:45; Revelation 19:19-20). Theological Implications 1. God’s Sovereignty: Foretelling the rise and fall of a final world tyrant centuries in advance underscores Yahweh’s absolute dominion (Isaiah 46:9-10). 2. Believers’ Perseverance: “The people who know their God will firmly resist him” (Daniel 11:32), a clarion call echoed in Revelation 12:11. 3. Eschatological Hope: The king’s demise precedes resurrection and everlasting righteousness (Daniel 12:2-3), secured by Christ’s own resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20-26)—historically attested by the early creed (1 Corinthians 15:3-7) and 97% consensus among scholars catalogued by Habermas. Practical Application • Watchfulness: Jesus alluded to Daniel when warning, “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by the prophet Daniel…” (Matthew 24:15). • Evangelism: Fulfilled prophecy substantiates the gospel—reasoning employed by Paul in Acts 17:2-3. • Worship: Recognizing God’s control over history fuels adoration (Romans 11:33-36). Conclusion The “king” of Daniel 11:44 is the climactic Antichrist—foreshadowed by Antiochus IV but ultimately unveiled in the final seven-year tribulation. His reign is temporary, his fury immense, yet his doom certain, for “The Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of His mouth and annihilate him by the majesty of His coming” (2 Thessalonians 2:8). |
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