What historical figure might Daniel 11:36 refer to? Daniel 11:36 — Berean Standard Bible “Then the king will do as he pleases; he will exalt and magnify himself above every god, and he will say astonishing things against the God of gods. He will prosper until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been decreed will be accomplished.” Immediate Context (Dan 11:21-35) Verses 21-35 trace in detail the acts of the Seleucid monarch Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-164 BC). The historical precision of those verses is confirmed by 1 Maccabees 1, 2 Maccabees 5-6, and Josephus, Antiquities 12. Yet in v. 36 the description shifts: the vocabulary grows absolute (“above every god”), the time frame reaches “the time of wrath,” and the narrative no longer fits any known exploits of Antiochus after 164 BC. This transition is the engine of the debate over v. 36. Major Historical Candidates 1. Antiochus IV Epiphanes • Style-fit: He called himself “Theos Epiphanes,” minted coins with that title, and outlawed biblical worship (1 Macc 1:41-50). • Limits: No record shows him “prospering” after 164 BC; he died in Persia, not “between the seas and the beautiful holy mountain” (v. 45). He revered Zeus Olympios rather than abandoning all gods. His career ended long before any “time of wrath” on a global scale. 2. CERTAIN ROMAN EMPERORS (CALIGULA, NERO, DOMITIAN, ETC.) • Caligula (AD 37-41) ordered his statue set in the Jerusalem temple (Philo, Embassy 188-305). • Nero (AD 54-68) claimed divine honors and persecuted believers (Tacitus, Annals 15). • Domitian (AD 81-96) required address as “dominus et deus.” These emperors blasphemed and demanded worship, yet none matches the geography or eschatological timing of vv. 40-45. 3. HEROD THE GREAT • Herod rebuilt the temple but also erected pagan shrines (Josephus, Antiquities 15.8.5). • Some note his slaughter of infants (Matthew 2:16-18) as hatred for the coming Messiah. • However, Herod never claimed divinity “above every god,” nor do vv. 40-45 align with his death in Jericho (4 BC). 4. A FUTURE ESCHATOLOGICAL ANTICHRIST • Parallel language: “will exalt himself over everything called god” (2 Thessalonians 2:4); “was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies” (Revelation 13:5-6). • Global scope: vv. 40-44 depict world-scale conflict unprecedented in Seleucid or Roman times. • Time marker: “the time of the end” (v. 40) coalesces with Daniel 12:1-2, 7, 11-13—resurrection and final judgment. • The Antichrist interpretation explains why v. 36 suddenly escalates beyond Antiochus while maintaining prophetic continuity (a common “telescoping” pattern: near-then-far). Comparative Analysis Of Key Phrases • “Above every god” — Antiochus revered Zeus; Roman emperors accepted a pantheon; only the final “man of lawlessness” abolishes all worship but his own (2 Thessalonians 2:4). • “Prosper until the time of wrath is completed” — Antiochus was cut down quickly; no emperor’s reign marked the finish of divine wrath; Revelation links the Antichrist’s career to the final outpouring of God’s wrath (Revelation 16, 19). • “What has been decreed will be accomplished” — echoes Daniel 9:27’s “decreed end,” explicitly tied to the seventieth week, still future in a literal-futurist timeline. Prophetic Telescope: Near And Far Old Testament prophecy often fuses a proximate fulfillment with an ultimate one (e.g., Isaiah 7:14; 2 Samuel 7:12-16). In Daniel 11 the Spirit gives remarkable detail up to Antiochus (vv. 21-35) and then leaps to the final antagonist (vv. 36-45), leaving the Church Age as an implied gap. Jesus Himself endorsed a future “abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel” (Matthew 24:15), spoken decades after Antiochus’s death, validating the forward reach of v. 36. Archaeological Corroboration • Coins of Antiochus IV bear “Θεός Επιφανής.” • Fragments of Caligula’s proposed temple statue inscriptions have been recovered at Praeneste, verifying his self-deifying intent. • A dedicatory inscription from Ephesus reads “To the divine Domitian,” confirming mandatory emperor worship described in Revelation. These finds show that Scripture’s depiction of self-glorifying rulers is historically grounded, strengthening confidence in its yet-unfulfilled forecasts. Theological Implications Daniel 11:36 reminds believers that human arrogance, however intimidating, is limited by divine decree: “the Most High is sovereign over the realm of mankind” (Daniel 4:17). The verse also dovetails with the gospel: the same prophetic book that predicts the Antichrist foretells the Messianic kingdom (Daniel 2:44; 7:13-14). The resurrection of Christ, attested by “many convincing proofs” (Acts 1:3) and by the minimal-facts data set (1 Corinthians 15:3-8), guarantees the ultimate defeat of the blasphemous king and the vindication of the saints (Daniel 12:2-3). Conclusion While Antiochus IV, certain Roman emperors, and Herod show partial parallels, the most coherent, textually faithful, and theologically consistent identification of the “king” in Daniel 11:36 is the future Antichrist—an end-times world ruler who will exalt himself above every deity, persecute the people of God, and be destroyed by the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thessalonians 2:8). |
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