Daniel 11 is generally regarded as one of the hardest chapters to understand as far as prophecy goes. With this in mind we will follow along, step-by-step, from verse 1 through verse 45. This will cover all of the ancient history that was fulfilled in this chapter. What the eleventh chapter of Daniel tells of the exploits of the king of the south and the king of the north (Daniel 11:5-15) refers to the Ptolemies and the Seleucids down to the battle of Paneas in 200 B.C. The following section of the chapter deals with the "glorious land" under the Seleucids down to the period of forced hellenization under Antiochus IV (Daniel 11:16-29).
The remainder of the verses cover Rome and the rise of Islam. These prophecies were given to Daniel, 300 to 400 years before the events and in so much detail that the modernists who try to discredit Daniel say that they could have only been written and recorded after the events took place. Chapters 11 and 12 are in response to the visitation of the angel in chapter 10. They follow on directly from chapter 10. I have broken the study up into six sections as follows:
Section 1: Verses 1-5: A description of events as they would take place in Ancient Persia and Greece.
Section 2: Verses 6-9: The wars and conflicts as they would take place between the empires of Syria and Egypt (the Seleucids and the Ptolemies).
Section 3: Verses 10-19: The era of the emperor Antiochus the Great.
Section 4: Verses 20-29: The era of Antiochus Epiphanes who was a type of the anti-Christ to come.
Section 5: Verses 30-35: Here we see the prophecy of Rome.
Section 6: Verses 36-45: The Rise of Islam
Section 1 (Verses 1-5) Ancient Persia and Greece
"In the first year of Darius the Mede, I took my stand to strengthen and fortify him. And now I will tell you the truth: Persia will have three more kings, and the fourth will be wealthier than them all; by the power he obtains through his wealth, he will stir everyone up against the kingdom of Greece" (Daniel 11:1-2, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures).
Keep in mind that this is 300 years before the realm of Greece. From this we know that following Darius, four more kings would arise -- the last one being very wealthy. The first three to whom reference is made were Cyrus, Cambyses and Darius Hystaspes; the fourth was Xerxes who assembled a massive army, the largest ever up to that time with something like one million men under arms. He marched across what is modern day Turkey to attack the Greek states.
Cyrus reigned after the death of his uncle, Darius, and it was he who issued the Edict permitting the Judahites, who had been in captivity just 70 years, to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple and city. According to history, Cyrus reigned seven years after the death of Darius and during that time the Persian Empire was at the peak of its glory. He is said to have been the wisest conqueror and the most accomplished prince whose record is given in history. During his reign he divided his time between the three principal cities of his Empire. Seven months of each year he spent in Babylon; three months he lived in Susa, the capital of Persia; the remaining two months of each year he was at Ecbatana, the capital of Media. He died while at Susa at the age of seventy.
Just before Cyrus' death he appointed Cambyses, one of his sons, as his successor, while to his younger son, Smerdis, he gave control over several provincial governments. Advising his sons, he said the following --
"The strength and support of the throne was neither the vast extent of countries, nor the number of forces, nor immense riches; but a due respect for the Deity, a good understanding between brethren, and the art of acquiring and preserving true and faithful friends."
There is every reason to believe that Cyrus, as a result of his close friendship for Daniel, became a true believer in YEHOVAH God of Israel. He certainly must have known about the state of the dead, for his request was that when he died his body was not to be put in a gold or silver coffin but it was to be committed directly to the earth so that it might return to its elements as soon as possible. Most heathen kings expected to have their bodies preserved and be buried with many of their possessions so that they might journey well-equipped into the next life, but Cyrus apparently was not bound by any such superstitions. Both Cyrus and Nebuchadnezzar before him reflected the results of the wonderful testimony Daniel gave when in their courts. With the death of Cyrus a good and benevolent king passed away.
A Cruel King
Cambyses, Cyrus' son, came to the throne in his place. Egypt revolted and he advanced against the land and conquered it, but he was an arrogant, cruel and evil king in every way. He refused to take the advice of his father and, in drunkenness and fits of anger, carried on a tyrannical rule. This unprincipled king reigned for seven years and then he died.
Following a short period of trouble, when others tried to usurp authority and rule in Persia, Darius Hystaspes came to the throne. It was during his reign that the Decree was issued to continue the work of rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem. That work had ceased as a result of the opposition on the part of the enemies of Judah and Benjamin.
Babylon Revolts
During Darius' reign Babylon revolted against the Persian regime. After a year's siege he took the city, destroyed its gates and demolished its walls. This was the beginning of the end of that once proud city, for its final and complete destruction was now made inevitable.
Darius made a foolhardy expedition against the Scythians in the north and, as a result, we have the famous message recorded in history which was sent to him by the Scythian leader. The message was in the form of a present of a bird, a mouse, a frog and five arrows -- the meaning of which was:
"By these you are to know that unless you can fly away in the air like birds or hide your selves in the earth like mice, or swim in the water like frogs, you shall in no wise be able to avoid the arrows of the Scythians."
Scythians or Israelites
The Scythians were Israelites of the Ten-Tribed Kingdom of Israel who had, many years before, left the land of their captors (Assyria). As Scythians they were residing north and west of the Babylonian and Persian Empires. Darius' campaign against them caused him to suffer much and accomplish nothing.
The famous Battle of Marathon was fought during his reign and Darius suffered defeat in Greece. He also had a rebellion on his hands in Egypt. He planned to move against both countries but died after reigning 36 years and before he could carry out his plans. He was succeeded by Xerxes the Great.
Xerxes the Great
Xerxes the Great was the fourth king to whom the angel had referred, who was exceedingly wealthy. With his riches he equipped a great army to wage war against Greece, hiring assistance from Carthage, Spain, Gallia (now France), as well as from Italy. Though he assembled a powerful army and a great navy against Greece, he was finally defeated and retired to Persia. All this was in accordance with the statement made to Daniel --
"...by the power he obtains through his wealth, he will stir everyone up against the kingdom of Greece" (Daniel 11:2 -- Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures).
History amply bears testimony to the truth of all this in the campaign Xerxes instituted against Greece.
"Then a warrior king will appear who will have an extensive dominion and do as he pleases" (Daniel 11:3 -- Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures).
At this point the prophecy jumps over several lesser Persian kings and points to Alexander the Great of Greece who finally defeated the Persians in 332 B.C. Alexander is the "warrior king" mentioned in verse 3. He bonded together all the little Greek states and formed the basis of the Greek Empire. He was first the king of Macedonia, then the king of Greece, and he did just as he pleased while he ruled.
Alexander led the Grecian armies against the Persian Empire, which he overthrew with great speed and power. The young commander went on to conquer the then known civilized world. His empire stretched from Europe to India.
Alexander died in Babylon while returning from the battlefield at the age of 33. His death took place in 323 B.C., and his kingdom was divided among four of his generals. He had an unborn son carried by Roxanna at the time of his death. The son was born, but never fully inherited the kingdom of his father.
"But after his appearance, his kingdom will be broken up and scattered to the four winds of heaven, but not for any of his posterity, nor with dominion like that which he had; for his kingdom will be uprooted and belong to others beside these" (Daniel 11:4 -- Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures).
Alexander the Great was succeeded by his four generals:
1. Cassander -- Greece
2. Lysimachuas -- Asia Minor
3. Seleucus -- Syria, and
4. Ptolemy -- Egypt.
"The king of the south will grow powerful; however, one of his officers will overpower him and rule, having an extensive dominion" (Daniel 11:5 -- Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures).
Here, for the first time, we are introduced to a king of the south. The Grecian Empire had been divided into four parts and the ruler of Egypt, the southern division of the Grecian Empire, was called the "king of the south." The first king of the south was Ptolemy Soter, one of Alexander's generals. He controlled Libya, Egypt, Cyrenacia, Arabia, Palestine and several islands in the Aegean Sea.
"...one of his officers..." refers to Seleucus I, called Nicator, (king 306 - 280 BC) -- a governor of Syria who rebelled against this king of Egypt. He took over the Syrian territories and all eastern territories. He carved out a little empire of his own.
Section 2 (Verses 6-9) The Seleucids and the Ptolemies
Here in detail we see the conflicts between these two kings. Before we move on let us make sure a few things are clear. "The king of the north" is representative of Syria of which Seleucus and his dynasty of rulers were a part. Why north? Because Syria was north of Palestine.
The king of the north was Seleucus Nicator and history shows that he was stronger than the king of the south; in fact, the northern kingdom was stronger than any of the other three. The king of the north ruled Syria, all the countries from Mount Taurus to the River Indus -- and several provinces in Asia Minor.
"The king of the south" is representative of Egypt where Ptolemy and his dynasty were rulers. Again, Egypt is south of Palestine. The Bible is the story of YEHOVAH's people Israel and whenever another nation is mentioned it is always spoken of in relation to Israel.
"After some years, an alliance will be made, and the daughter of the king of the south will come to the king of the north to effect the agreement, but she will not maintain her strength, nor will his strength endure. She will be surrended together with those who escorted her and the one who begot her and helped her during those times" (Daniel 11:6 -- Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures).
After a few years Antiochus Theos came to the throne in Syria in the north. In Egypt Ptolemy Philadelphus became king. Antiochus made war against Ptolemy but, due to an insurrection in the eastern part of Antiochus' dominion, it became necessary for him to stop the conflict with Ptolemy.
We read "to effect the agreement." This agreement was a marriage alliance -- but it didn't work. Ptolemy took advantage of the situation and compelled Antiochus to divorce his wife Laodice, disinherit her two sons and take Queen Berenice, the daughter of Ptolemy, as his wife. It was Ptolemy's purpose to thus give the crown of Syria to the royal house of Egypt and he specified that Berenice's children should be heirs to the Syrian throne.
Antiochus, the king of Syria, or the north, made the agreement. He divorced Laodice, disinherited her children and Berenice became his wife. It proved to be of no help to Ptolemy, for he died and Antiochus put Berenice and her son away and recalled Laodice.
Laodice poisoned her husband Antiochus and placed her son, Seleucus Callinicus, on the throne. Berenice and her son, with an Egyptian guard, were returning to Egypt but Laodice and her son pursued Berenice, killing her, her son and the Egyptian guard. All were given up to death as prophesied.
"A shoot from her stock will appear in his place, will come against the army and enter the fortress of the king of the north; he will fight and overpower them. He will also take their gods with their molten images and their precious vessels of silver and gold back to Egypt as booty. For some years he will leave the king of the north alone..." (Daniel 11:7-8, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures).
The statement "A shoot from her stock" refers to Ptolemy III Euergetes (246-222) Berenice's brother. Euergetes succeeded his father and came to the throne of Egypt. Learning of the cruel death of his sister and her son, Ptolemy attacked the king of the north, for Seleucus was then on the throne of Syria. He did prevail, as prophecy declared he would, and carried away to Egypt their princes, gods and vessels of silver and gold.
"...who will [later] invade the realm of the king of the south, but will go back to his land" (Daniel 11:9 -- Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures).
Seleucus Callinicus' sons, Leleucus Ceraunus and Antiochus the Great, raised a large army and Antiochus the Great, at the head of the army, moved against the king of the south, but because of trouble at home and within his own government, he returned.
Section 3 (Verses 10-19) Antiochus the Great (222-187 B.C.)
About 200 B.C. Antiochus III stood at the height of his power. He had fought successfully against the Armenians and the Parthians. Like Alexander the Great, he had even invaded India and been accorded the name "the Great." Now he was impatient to advance westward as well, since he felt called to be defender of Hellenism and protector of the Greeks. His decisive victory at Paneas in 200 and the subsequent withdrawal of the Egyptians from Palestine made it possible for Antiochus to continue his conquests once more into Asia Minor, from where he could then advance upon Thrace and Macedonia.
For this reason the Judahites, who had surrendered their capital to Antiochus' commander (Polybius Histories xvi, 39. 4), were respected politically; their cult was even supported. In addition, Antiochus made the young Ptolemy V his son-in-law and let the income from Palestine continue to flow into the Ptolemaic treasury.
Antiochus, however, made a fatal error: his claims in Asia Minor and Hellas, as well as his collaboration with Hannibal, provoked the Romans and led to a violent counterattack. Antiochus was forced out of Hellas and then, in 190 B.C., was defeated at Magnesia in Lydia by Scipio Asiaticus. He was sentenced to pay enormous reparations over the course of twelve years. Therefore, the wealthy house of the Seleucids suddenly found itself ruined. Antiochus tried to retain his financial position by confiscating temples, which were the central banks of that period; but he was slain at Elymais during one of these episodes.
"His sons will wage war, collecting a multitude of great armies; he will advance and sweep through as a flood, and will again wage war as far as his stronghold" (Daniel 11:10 -- Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures).
The words "His sons" are telling us about the sons of Seleucus II. Seleucus III (226-223) who was murdered and Antiochus III the Great (222-187) who marched -- "as far as his stronghold" -- the border forts of Egypt.
"Then the king of the south, moved with anger, 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, his heart shall be exalted, and he shall cast down tens of thousands, but he shall not triumph" (Daniel 11:11-12, The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible).
Ptolemy IV Philopater (221-204), king of the south, was "moved with anger" and fought against Antiochus the Great, the king of the north, whose forces were taken by Ptolemy in a great victory. Ptolemy destroyed many but he was not strengthened or able to hold his own. In spite of all the gains he made he went home and squandered it all and left nothing to his descendants.
"For the king of the north shall again raise an army, greater than the former one; and after some years he shall come on with a great army and abundant supplies" (Daniel 11:13 -- The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible).
Antiochus the Great gathered a much larger army and possessed plenty of wealth to carry on the campaign. Ptolemy saw his army destroyed.
"In those times, many shall resist the king of the south; and the men of violence among your own people shall assert themselves in order to fulfill the vision; but they shall fail" (Daniel 11:14 -- The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible).
Ptolemy Epiphanes, son of Ptolemy Philopater, was a boy king on the throne of Egypt. He was helped by a strange group of people. This is probably the first time we see mention of them in the Bible. They were renegade Hellenistic Judahites (called "robbers of the people") who, because of their wickedness, contributed materially to the fulfillment of this vision. These Judahites favored Ptolemy, king of Egypt, having recognized from this vision given to Daniel that he was to be ultimately successful. However, they fell when Antiochus the Great, the king of the north, regained power over Palestine.
"Then the king of the north arrives and throws up siege works, and captures a well fortified city. And the forces of the south shall not stand, or even his elite troops, for there shall be no strength to stand" (Daniel 11:15 -- The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible).
This describes the great military victories that Antiochus the Great achieved. He conquered and took everything. The "well fortified city" is the city that held all the arms etc. It was "Sidon".
"But the one who comes against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him; and he shall stand in the glorious land, and all of it shall be in his power" (Daniel 11:16 -- The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible).
Even a new improved Egyptian army could not hold back Antiochus. He conquered the "Glorious Land" -- in Scripture this will always refer to the land of Palestine. It happened in 198 BC and Antiochus then used Palestine as a base to move down and try to conquer Egypt.
"He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; thus shall he do. And he shall give him the daughter of women to destroy it; but she shall not stand with him, or be for him" (Daniel 11:17 -- King James Version).
The Romans backed up the interests of Ptolemy. Antiochus conquered Egypt and once again to cement the alliance he married his daughter Cleopatra I to Ptolemy V Epiphanes (king 203-181) -- the king of Egypt. He hoped to corrupt her into betraying her husband into his hands. The plan failed when Cleopatra disobeyed her father and sided with her husband. She even congratulated the Romans when they finally triumphed over Antiochus the Great.
"He will turn to the coastlands and capture many; but a consul will put an end to his insults, nay pay him back for his insults" (Daniel 11:18 -- Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures).
Thwarted in Egypt, Antiochus the Great moved his attention to the islands of Greece. He conquered all the islands around Crete and Cyprus also the islands in the Aegean Sea. In doing this he was moving west and coming against a new power of Bible prophecy -- the Roman Empire. The consul who stood up against him was the Roman Lucius Scipio. The brother of Lucius was Scipio Africanus -- who fought against the famous Hannibal. In 190 B.C. Lucius defeated Antiochus so badly in the Battle of Magnesia that he was forced to give his son Antiochus Epiphanes as a hostage to pay Roman tribute; and Antiochus the Great had to turn back.
"He shall then retire to the fortresses of his own land, only to meet trouble and to disappear" (Daniel 11:19 -- Moffatt Translation).
After his defeat Antiochus fled and withdrew all his forces back into the Tarus Mountains. When he returned to his own fortified cities he was killed by an uprising of his own people when he attempted to plunder the Temple of Elymais.
Rome was now ascending to power. The authority once wielded by the Empire of Greece and the kings of the north and south, as well as the east and west, was passing. Grecian history, beyond the days of Antiochus the Great, became intermixed with that of the expanding Roman Empire.
Section 4 (Verses 20-29) Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-164 B.C.)
"His place will be taken by one who will dispatch an officer to exact tribute for royal glory, but he will be broken in a few days, not by wrath or by war" (Daniel 11:20 -- Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures).
Seleucus IV (king 187-175) took the place of Antiochus the Great. During his reign he devoted himself to grinding down the poor and taking as much money as he could from all so that he could maintain good relations with the Romans. History records how he sought to tax the Temple in Jerusalem to pay Roman tribute. He reigned only 11 years and eventually was murdered by his own minister -- Heliodorus, a tax collector. "He will be broken in a few days, not by wrath or by war" -- he was poisoned and died in his sleep.
In order to rescue the dynasty of the Seleucids, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, a brother of the murdered king, hastily made himself king of Syria. After the battle of Magnesia, he had lived in Rome as a hostage. He was captivated by the city -- particularly the Hellenism cultivated in diplomatic circles there. The crown prince (later King Demetrius I), who was not yet of age, had just been brought to Rome as a hostage in place of his uncle. During the journey back to Syria, Antiochus heard of Heliodorus' attempt to seize control; and he used the opportunity to usurp the throne in Antioch.
Following his natural inclinations and his admiration for Hellenism, he tried to continue the expansionist policies of his father Antiochus the Great. From Ptolemy V he borrowed the surname Epiphanes, "manifest," to indicate that he was a manifestation of the deity. Strongly reinforcing a tradition of the Seleucids, he required men to worship him as Olympian Zeus (II Macc. 6:2; also on coins), thereby giving a special Western emphasis to his imperialism and Hellenism. Unlike his father, he was always careful to keep on good terms with Rome and its allies in Asia Minor.
The immediate goal of Antiochus IV was to seize control of Egypt, which had lost most of its power. His brother-in-law and sister in Egypt had died and could no longer claim the income from the taxes mentioned above. Naturally the Judahites became involved in the struggle since Antiochus IV needed money for his Egyptian campaigns and also because Judea was an important staging area. Neither reason was anything new in the history of Israel, Judah and Judaism. In his enthusiasm for Hellenism and in his efforts to unify his empire (I Macc.1:41) however, he made use of cultural and religious coercion such as had long ago been employed by the Babylonians and Assyrians -- but not by the Persians and only to a limited extent by Alexander and his Epigoni. The traditional Judahite religion was to be replaced by a new state cult, the Levitical ordinances by a Hellenistic way of life.
"His place will be taken by a contemptible man, on whom royal majesty was not conferred; he will come in unawares and seize the kingdom through trickery" (Daniel 11:21 -- Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures).
This is Antiochus IV Epiphanies (king 175-164) the brother of Seleucus IV and the "contemptible man" of Bible prophecy. He escaped from a prison in Rome where he was being held as a hostage. He returned to Syria and through bribes and corruption got himself into a position of power. He over-rode all the rightful heirs to the throne, Seleucus IV's son -- Demetrius, his sister Cleopatra I of Egypt and her son -- Ptolemy VI.
Antiochus Epiphanes was ambitious and refused to honor the treaties of peace signed by Ptolemy Lagus and Antiochus the Great in 302 B.C. The disputed territory was Coelo-Syria and Palestine. After the death of his father Antiochus the Great, Antiochus Epiphanes seized the throne of Syria at Antioch (which was named for his father) and launched a successful campaign against Egypt and Israel. In 170 B.C. he plundered the Temple, murdered the high priest and shut down the sacrifices for the next six years -- see Daniel 8:14.
Two years later, in 168 B.C., Epiphanes was defeated near Alexandria, Egypt, by the Roman army. In frustration and humiliation, he marched back through Judah on his way to Syria, and in a rage slaughtered 80,000 Judahites, banned the Torah scrolls, abolished all Judahite religious services, forbade circumcision and forced the people to eat swine.
Antiochus Epiphanes then began his military conquests against Egypt with a small force of men.
"With the force of a flood they shall be swept away from before him and be broken, and also the prince of the covenant" (Daniel 11:22 -- New King James Version).
The "prince of the covenant" was the High Priest who ruled in Jerusalem at that time. Antiochus IV Epiphanies removed him and made the office one that could be bought. Whichever Judahite could pay the highest price, was made the High Priest. As a matter of fact he made one High Priest after another.
"And, from the time an alliance is made with him, he will practice deceit; and he will rise to power with a small band. He will invade the richest of provinces unawares, and will do what his father and forefathers never did, lavishing on them spoil, booty, and wealth; he will have designs upon strongholds, but only for a time" (Daniel 11:23-24, Tanakh: the Holy Scriptures).
Antiochus tricked and deceived his nephew (Ptolemy VI (181-145)) the king of Egypt. He overran Egypt, something that none of his predecessors were able to do. He took them into his own possession largely because of Ptolemy's own minister's treachery -- so much so that in verse 27 they held a peace conference.
"And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the south shall wage war with an exceedingly great and mighty army; but he shall not stand, for plots shall be devised against him. Even those who eat his rich food shall be his undoing; his army shall be swept away, and many fall down slain. And as for the two kings, their minds shall be bent on mischief; they shall speak lies at the same table, but to no avail; for the end is yet to be at the time appointed. And he shall return to his land with great substance, but his heart shall be set against the holy covenant. And he shall take action, and return to his own land" (Daniel 11:25-28, The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible).
On his way back from Egypt to Syria Antiochus Epiphanes wrought havoc in Jerusalem. He slew 8,000 of the holy ones, the faithful people of Judah who kept the covenants and laws. He defiled the sanctuary. He tried to burn the Scrolls of the Law. He persecuted YEHOVAH's people -- and that was just in a passing visit! It was this type of thing that provoked the revolt of the Macabees which you can read about in the Apocrypha books.
"At the appointed time he shall come again into the south; but it shall not be this time as it was before" (Daniel 11:29 -- The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible).
He brought a second expedition down against them. When he came back in about 168/167 BC he actually defiled the Temple -- he sacrificed a pig on the altar in the holy place. He dedicated YEHOVAH's Temple to the worship of the pagan god Zeus. In this, he was a forerunner of all the apostates who would tread down not just the literal Temple but the spiritual temple which is the true Church of YEHOVAH God.
This is the end of that period. When we go into verse 31 we come into the period of the Roman Empire, verse 35 into the Papal era, and verse 40 into Islam.
Section 5 (Verses 30-35) Rome
We begin our study of this section with the Romans coming into Palestine just a few years before the birth of Yeshua the Messiah. Rome sent General Popilius to face down Antiochus Epiphanes. The Romans arrived in what Daniel called the "ships of Kittim."
"For ships of Kittim shall come against him, and he shall loose heart and retreat, and shall turn back and be enraged and take action against the holy covenant. He shall turn back and concentrate on those who forsake the holy covenant. Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall do away with the continual burnt offering; and they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate" (Daniel 11:30-31, The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible).
Epiphanes was asked to consider terms. Popilius drew a circle around him with his sword and told him to decide before he left the drawn circle. Epiphanes had to agree to the terms and General Popilius forced him to return to his own land, remain peaceful and honor the authority of Rome. On his return to Jerusalem, Epiphanes once again took his anger out on the Judahites.
Antiochus Epiphanes secured and entrenched his power more thoroughly. He waged political war with Ptolemy Physcon while keeping the rightful heir, Ptolemy Philometer, under his control. This caused much discontent in Egypt. Soon Epiphanes plundered the city of Memphis of its wealth and placed Ptolemy Philometer in control of lower Egypt.
Ptolemy Philometer finally conspired with his brother Ptolemy Physcon and sought Roman assistance in dealing with Epiphanes. The ships of Rome came and broke the power of Antiochus Epiphanes IV.
"And arms shall stand on his part" or "Forces from him shall appear" -- an alternative reading to that says "and apart from him shall arms stand" or apart from Antiochus Epiphanes and his Greek legions and Assyrian soldiers another force -- another nation -- another kingdom -- will enter upon the stage of world history and they shall stand up in the Holy land of Palestine and "profane the Temple." They shall take away the daily sacrifices and place there the abomination of desolation.
When Yeshua was talking to and warning the disciples, on the mount of Olives, he told them to read Daniel. He said, "When you see this abomination of desolation you'll know its time to flee". Those words were not future tense. They were current to the days in which the Messiah lived. After all, he told the disciples to watch for this. Forty years after Yeshua said to them, "You'll see what Daniel predicted", those words from Daniel's prophecy and the words from Matthew 24 and Luke 21 were fulfilled. When the legions of Rome and the armies of the Roman prince Titus came and infested the whole city of Jerusalem, they captured it after a terrible siege and then burned the city to the ground and destroyed it.
Notes Philip Mauro --
"The Roman army, which, by comparison of the Lord's words in Matthew 24:15, 16 and Luke 21:20, 21, is clearly seen to be "the abomination which maketh desolate," encompassed Jerusalem before the failure of the daily sacrifice..." (The Seventy Weeks and the Great Tribulation, p.177).
Further, Mauro goes on to say --
"Now, as a matter of historic fact, the daily sacrifice was taken away during the siege of Jerusalem; and this was counted by the Jews an event of such importance, and such a portent of approaching disaster, that Josephus has recoded the very date on which it occurred, saying: "And now Titus gave orders to his soldiers that were with him to dig up the foundations of the tower of Antonia, and make a ready passage for his army to come up, while he himself had Josephus brought to him; for he had been informed that, on that very day, which was the seventeenth day of Panemus, the sacrifice called 'the daily sacrifice' had failed, and had not been offered to God for want of men to offer it; and that the people were grievously troubled at it" (Wars, VI. 2.1.). -- Ibid., p.177.
The Romans burned the Temple to the ground. The gold melted and ran down through the crevices of the bricks so the Roman soldiers tore it down stone by stone to get the gold and the silver out. That fulfilled the words of Yeshua when he said there wouldn't be a stone of the Temple left standing one on top of the other. Then to really defile it, Titus, the Roman prince went to the high altar of the Temple, planted the standards of the Roman legions by it and then proceeded to sacrifice a pig on the alter in the Holy of Holies. He fulfilled Daniel 11:31 that he should defile the sanctuary, take away the daily sacrifice and place there the abomination. Read on, for in verse 32 we are introduced to two categories of people.
"He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant; but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action" (Daniel 11:32 -- The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible).
Two groups of people are mentioned here. Firstly, those who reject the Covenant -- and in distinction from them, those who know their God and because of this they are capable of doing great exploits.
The people who rejected the Covenant, historically according to this prophecy were the Jews (those NOT descended from the tribe of Judah) of Yeshua's day. For 40 years they were given the gospel of repentance, remission of sin etc. preached to them by the disciples and apostles -- and they rejected it. All through the Book of Acts you'll find the persecution of the early church, even before the Romans persecuted them. Everywhere Paul went the Jews followed and stirred the people up. They stoned them. They beat them. They hounded the servants of YEHOVAH God to their death and martyrdom. They rejected Yeshua the Messiah, and YEHOVAH's offer of mercy.
Notice that there is a category of people like the ones we find in 2nd Thessalonians, and it says that YEHOVAH God has blinded their eyes so that they won't even be able to understand the Truth. Once people reject the Truth they give themselves over to a seducing spirit. One of those seducing spirits is the spirit of flattery. Beware of people who allow themselves to be lifted up by a spirit of pride and flattery. Those who love to take distinctive titles and lord it over people.
The second group of people in the above verse are the ones who accepted the covenant, were strong in YEHOVAH God and were able to carry out great exploits. Read through the book of Acts to learn more about these people and their exploits. Verse 32 gives us a standard -- "people who know their God." Know Him -- be strong in Him and you too will do exploits.
"And those among the people who are wise shall make many understand though they shall fall by the sword and flame, and by captivity and plunder, for some days" (Daniel 11:33 -- The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible).
"And those among the people who are wise shall make many understand" -- and they did! As fast as the Romans persecuted the early church it increased. YEHOVAH multiplied the church. They did instruct the church and they did increase, but they suffered terrible persecution. It tells us here that in the midst of what they were doing for YEHOVAH God, "they shall fall by the sword and flame, and by captivity and plunder, for some days."
"When they fall, they shall receive a little help. And many shall join themselves to them with flattery" (Daniel 11:34 -- The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible).
In 313 A.D. a so-called "Christian" emperor, Constantine, took over the Roman Empire. Research indicates that he was not a Christian at all. He did, however, cause the church to be helped a little because he passed the Edict of Molane in 313 that gave the church freedom, civil rights and no more persecution. Was that a good thing? Did it keep YEHOVAH's church pure? No it didn't -- read the last part of verse 34. As a result of that many joined themselves to the church by intrigue or flattery. It may say in your Bible " -- that same spirit of deception." All the pagans came in. It was popular to be a Christian now. There were jobs for Christians in the emperor's service. It was the "in thing" to be a Christian. So the pagan priests changed their vestments. The pagan temples were turned into churches -- they just happened to keep their little statues and give them Christian names. The same was with their ceremonies. Did you ever wonder why the church building is such an important part of Christianity today. In the days of the Acts of the Apostles the "church" was the people, not a building.
The pagans flooded in and became Christian in name only. The true church of YEHOVAH God was absorbed and swallowed up by what was called "Christendom." They seduced YEHOVAH's church by flattery and deception where they couldn't put it down by persecution. Isn't that the same today? When there was opposition there was a stand for Truth, but now the church welcomes people with all sorts of strange gods and ideas of worship. Hudson Taylor, a great English missionary to the Chinese, once said, "Fellowship at the expense of Truth is treason".
The deception and the flattery come with words like "Let's all come together", "Let's all join forces", "fellowship with the other churches." Gradually your stance is watered down, adulterated and diluted. That is a greater menace than open persecution. YEHOVAH's message is not to unify -- it is to "come out from them and walk in total separation." Unity is spoken of only in the midst of TRUE believers.
"And some of those of understanding shall fall, to refine them, purge them, and make them white, until the time of the end; because it is still for the appointed time" (Daniel 11:35 -- New King James Version).
This verse spans the whole Christian era of prophecy. It speaks of great tribulation through which the saints will pass. So in Revelation the revelator can say, "Who are these in white robes?" and the answer will come back, "Those are the ones who came out of great tribulation, washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb."
Section 6 (Verses 36-45) Islam
In Daniel (11:36-45 and 7:23-25) the prophet sees a future king who treats the people of YEHOVAH God (the Holy People) very badly. This King defeats three kings, and changes the set times and laws.
This king has many battlefield conquests and invades the Holy Land. Today many people think this king is still in the future (perhaps the “Antichrist”), but almost certainly Daniel was writing about the second Muslim caliph after Mohammad named Umar. Daniel wrote this 1,200 years before the time of Umar.
Every point Daniel uses about this King accurately describes the life, conquests and unique death of the Islamic caliph Umar. After Mohammad died in 632, his successor was Abu Bakr. When Abu Bakr died in 634, Umar took his place. Umar was the Islamic caliph from 634 to 644 and was responsible for most of the Islamic victories in the Middle East. Umar matches all the of Daniel prophecies.
36 The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take place.
37 He will show no regard for the gods of his ancestors or for the one desired by women, nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above them all.
38 Instead of them, he will honor a god of fortresses; a god unknown to his ancestors he will honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts.
39 He will attack the mightiest fortresses with the help of a foreign god and will greatly honor those who acknowledge him. He will make them rulers over many people and will distribute the land at a price.
40 “At the time of the end ["at the end of the time" -- Septuagint] the king of the South will engage him in battle, and the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood.
41 He will also invade the Beautiful Land. Many countries will fall, but Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon will be delivered from his hand.
42 He will extend his power over many countries; Egypt will not escape.
43 He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, with the Libyans and Cushites [or people from the upper Nile region] in submission.
44 But reports from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in a great rage to destroy and annihilate many.
45 He will pitch his royal tents between the seas at [or the sea and] the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him. (NIV).
Daniel 7:
24 As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings shall spring up and another shall spring up after them. This one shall be different from those before him, and shall lay low three kings.
25 He shall speak words against the Most High, shall oppress the holy ones of the Most High, and shall think of changing the times and the law; and they shall be handed over to him for a time, two times, and a half a time. (The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible).
36, 25 Umar the King of the Islamic Caliphate
Umar, also spelled Omar (Arabic: translit. Umar ibn Al-Khattab, lit. 'Umar, Son of Al-Khattab'), was born in 583 AD and died November 3, 644 AD. Umar was one of the most powerful and influential Muslim caliphs in history. Umar was "the king will do as he pleases" because he was never defeated in battle. He was a senior follower of the Islamic prophet Mohammad. He succeeded Abu Bakr (632
–634) as the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate on August 23, 634. He was an expert Islamic jurist known for his pious and just nature, along with his strong oratory skills which earned him the epithet Al-Farooq ("the one who distinguishes between right and wrong"). He invented the Islamic calendar and introduced Sharia law in all the conquered territories.Under Umar, the caliphate expanded at an unprecedented rate, defeating the Sassanid Empire and more than two-thirds of the Byzantine Empire. His attacks against the Sassanid Empire resulted in the conquest of Persia in under two years (642–644). After invading the Holy Land, the Covenant of Umar was an apocryphal treaty between the Muslims, Jews and Christians of Syria, Mesopotamia and Jerusalem that held canonical status in Islamic jurisprudence.
The Rashidun Caliphs (meaning "Rightly Guided", "Righteously Guided", "Righteous" Caliphs), often simply called, collectively, "the Rashidun", is a term used in Sunni Islam to refer to the 30-year reign of the first four caliphs (successors) following the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, namely: Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali of the Rashidun Caliphate, the first caliphate. The terrorist group ISIS today models themselves after the rightly guided caliphs. The rigid form of Sunni Islam that follows the "rightly guided ones" is called Salafism.
37 Initially Umar Honored the Gods of His Ancestors -- But Then Converted to Islam and Showed No Regard for the Gods of His Ancestors.
Note that Daniel says the "gods (plural) of his ancestors." This means the king's ancestors were polytheistic. To fulfill this prophecy, the king must change from a long line of polytheism to monotheism. No Jew, Muslim, atheist or Christian could fulfill this prophecy today, since none has ancestors with “gods”.
This is the key to understanding who fulfilled this prophecy.
Umar's father and his tribe were polytheists who worshiped many gods in Arabia. In 610 Mohammad (after given false revelations about the Messiah and the holy spirit from Satan masquerading as the Angel Gabriel) started preaching the new message of Islam and Allah. Like many others in Mecca, Umar opposed Islam and he even threatened to kill Mohammad. Umar believed Islam was opposed to the many gods of his ancestors.
Umar strongly tried to defend the traditional polytheistic religion of Arabia. He was adamant and cruel in opposing Mohammad and very prominent in persecuting Muslims. Umar recommended Mohammad's death. Umar firmly believed in the unity of the Quraish (the historical tribe of Umar) and saw the new faith of Islam as a cause of division and discord. The Quraish were a powerful merchant tribe that controlled Mecca and its Kaaba and that, according to Pre-Islamic and Islamic tradition, descended from Ishmael. They worshipped many gods. Due to persecution, Mohammad ordered some of his followers to migrate to Ethiopia. As a small group of Muslims migrated Umar became worried about the future unity of the Quraish and decided to have Mohammad assassinated.
Umar converted to Islam in 616, one year after the move to Ethiopia. On his way to murder Mohammad, Umar met his best friend Nua'im bin Abdullah who had secretly converted to Islam but had not told Umar. When Umar informed him that he had set out to kill Mohammad, Nua'im said, “By Allah, you have deceived yourself, O Umar! Do you think that they would let you run around alive once you had killed their son Mohammad? Why don't you return to your own house and at least set it straight?”
Nuaim told him to inquire about his own house where his sister and her husband had converted to Islam. Upon arriving at her house, Umar found his sister and brother-in-law saying Islamic verses. He started quarreling with his brother-in-law. When his sister came to rescue her husband, he also started quarreling with her. Yet still they kept on saying "you may kill us but we will not give up Islam". Upon hearing these words, Umar slapped his sister so hard that she fell to the ground bleeding from her mouth.
When he saw what he did to his sister, he calmed down out of guilt and asked his sister to give him what she was reciting. His sister replied in the negative and said "You are unclean, and no unclean person can touch the Scripture." He insisted, but his sister was not prepared to allow him to touch the pages unless he washed his body. Umar at last gave in. He washed his body and then began to read the verses that were: "Verily, I am Allah: there is no God but Me; so serve Me only, and establish regular prayer for My remembrance."
Umar wept and declared, "Surely this is the word of Allah. I bear witness that Mohammad is the Messenger of Allah." Umar's conversion to Islam granted power to the Muslims and to the Islamic faith in Mecca. It was after this event that Muslims offered prayers openly in Al-Haram Mosque for the first time. Abdullah bin Masoud said,
"Umar's embracing Islam was our victory, his migration to Medina was our success, and his reign a blessing from Allah. We didn't offer prayers in Al-Haram Mosque until Umar had accepted Islam. When he accepted Islam, the Quraish were compelled to let us pray in the Mosque."
36 Umar Says Unheard of Things Against the God of gods
In making disparaging remarks about the Messiah Umar was, in effect, saying "unheard of things" against YEHOVAH God. And since his comments were not true this, in itself, was disparaging YEHOVAH God.
When Umar was asked about marrying a Christian lady, he would say: "Allah has made it unlawful for the believers to marry ladies who ascribe partners in worship to Allah, and I do not know of a greater thing, as regards to ascribing partners in worship, etc. to Allah, than that a lady should say that Jesus is her Lord, although Jesus is just one of Allah's slaves." and Umar said: “Fear Allah, for He alone lives; all other things are liable to perish.”
39 Umar Attacks the Mightiest Fortresses with a Foreign God
While Mohammad was still alive Umar, along with Khalid, participated in over 40 major battle campaigns to advance the cause of Islam for Allah. Islam grew by the sword. Under Umar the Islamic empire was divided into the following provinces:
1. Arabia was divided into two provinces, Mecca and Medina;
2. Iraq was divided into two provinces, Basra and Kufa;
3. In the upper reaches of the Tigris and the Euphrates, Jazira was a province;
4. Syria was a province;
5. Umar divided Palestine into two provinces Jerusalem and Ramlah;
6. Egypt was divided into two provinces, Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt;
7. Persia was divided into three provinces, Khorasan; Azarbaijan and Fars
38 Umar Honors Allah a God of Fortresses
After Mohammad died in 632 Abu Bakr took his place as the first caliph. On August 22, 634, caliph Abu Bakr died. Umar assumed the office of caliph on the same day. He then addressed the Muslims:
"O ye faithful! Abu Bakr is no more amongst us. He has the satisfaction that he has successfully piloted the ship of the Muslim state to safety after negotiating the stormy sea. He successfully waged the apostasy wars, and thanks to him, Islam is now supreme in Arabia."
The commander Khalid was known for his military tactics and prowess, commanding the forces of Medina under Mohammad and the forces of his immediate successors of the Rashidun Caliphate, Abu Bakr and Umar. It was under Khalid's military leadership that Arabia, for the first time in history, was united under a single political entity, the caliphate. But in 638, after the conquest of Syria, Umar dismissed Khalid because of his ever-growing fame and influence. Umar was quoted as doing this because he wanted the people to know that victory came from Allah, not the general. Thus Umar made sure that Allah was honored in the military victories, and not a general.
"You have achieved what no man did ever before, but verily it was only through Allah's help."
38 Umar Greatly Rewards Those Who Acknowledge Him
To minimize the chances of corruption, Umar made it a point to pay very high salaries to his staff. Provincial governors received as much as five to seven thousand dirham annually -- besides their shares of the spoils of war if they were also the commander in chief of the army of their sector. This was unheard of at the time.
25 Umar Changes the Set Times
In 639 Umar started the Muslim calendar counting it from the (false) prophet Mohammad's migration to Medina, July 16 in 622.
Umar recognized the necessity of a calendar to govern the affairs of the Muslims. This was first a practical matter. Correspondence with military and civilian officials in the newly conquered lands had to be dated. But Persia used a different calendar from Syria, where the caliphate was based; Egypt used yet another.
Each of these calendars had a different starting point. The Sassanids, the ruling dynasty of Persia, used June 16, AD 632, the date of the accession of the last Sassanid monarch, Yazdagerd III. Syria, which until the Muslim conquest was part of the Byzantine Empire, used a form of the Roman "Julian" calendar, with a starting date of October 1, 312 BC . Egypt used the Coptic calendar, with a starting date of August 29, AD 284.
Although all were solar, and hence geared to the seasons and containing 365 days, each also had a different system for periodically adding days to compensate for the fact that the true length of the solar year is not 365 but 365.24 days.
There were two other reasons Umar rejected existing solar calendars. The Koran, in Chapter 10, Verse 5, states that time should be reckoned by the moon. Not only that, calendars used by the Persians, Syrians and Egyptians were identified with other religions and cultures. Umar therefore decided to create a calendar specifically for the Muslim community. It would be lunar, and it would have 12 months, each with 29 or 30 days.
This gives Umar's lunar year 354 days, 11 days fewer than the solar year. Because the Islamic lunar calendar is 11 days shorter than the solar, therefore not synchronized to the seasons. Its festivals, which fall on the same days of the same lunar months each year, make the round of the seasons every 33 solar years. This 11-day difference between the lunar and the solar year accounts for the difficulty of converting dates from one system to the other.
25 Umar Changes the Laws to Sharia
Umar was the founder of Islamic jurisprudence -- Sharia law. Umar is regarded by Sunni Muslims to be the greatest jurist. Umar as a jurist started the process of codifying Islamic Law. Sharia in Arabic means “the path to water”. This is Satan’s imitation of what the Messiah said many times -- (John 4:14, “but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.")
Muslims believe they are saved by works, as they have been told that the Messiah did not provide an atoning sacrifice. Mohammad taught that the Messiah was not crucified and did not rise from the dead. The works required are codified in Sharia law. But no one can be saved by works alone:
"Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified" (Galatians 2:16 -- NKJV).
39 Umar Distributes the Land for a Price
Because of the Islamic conquests on a large scale in Egypt, North Africa, Syria, Iraq and Persia and elsewhere a question arose as to the administration of land in the conquered territories.
Historically the Arabs followed the maxim, "Spoils belong to the victors." On this basis all spoils that were won as a result of any victory were distributed to the extent of four-fifths among the conquering army, and one-fifth was sent to Medina as the Islamic State’s share. On this analogy the army insisted that all agricultural lands should be distributed among the conquering army, and the inhabitants should be made their serfs and slaves. Umar convoked a special assembly at Medina to consider the question from all aspects. High profile companions like Abdur Rahman Auf and Bilal ibn Rabah supported the viewpoint of the army. They argued that the lands belonged to the conquerors, and future generations had no right to them. Bilal was so vehement in the support of the demand of the army that Umar had to exclaim "May Allah save me from Bilal."
At the assembly Umar argued that as the conquering army had already had the spoils distributed among them that was enough and the land should belong to the State. Umar advanced the argument that if the lands in the conquered territories were divided up among the army, where would they get the necessary finance for the raising and equipment of the armies in future for defense against foreign aggression and for the maintenance of law and order within the country.
Umar stated that lands were assets in which even the coming generations were interested, and as such these should be the property of the state. After Umar spoke a consensus was reached:
(1) The conquered lands would be the property of the Islamic state and not that of the conquering forces;
(2) The former occupants of lands would have the lands distributed to them and not be dispossessed;
(3) The inhabitants continue in possession of the lands and pay specified price (taxes) to the state.
The lands were left in the possession of their former occupants and assessed taxes according to the nature of crops sown. These rates were: wheat two dinars per unit per year; barley one dinar per unit; sugar cane six dinars; cotton five dinars; grapes ten dinars; and date palm gardens ten dinars. Land revenue assessment under private occupation worked out to 86 million dinars per years.
Umar Gives a Covenant to Christians and Jews
The Pact of Umar (also known as the Covenant of Umar, Treaty of Umar or Laws of Umar) is an apocryphal treaty between the Muslims and the Christians of either Syria, Mesopotamia or Jerusalem that later gained a canonical status in Islamic jurisprudence. There are several versions of the pact, differing both in structure and stipulations.
The external and internal criticisms of this document have provided researchers with several pieces of evidence that strengthen their doubts about the document's authenticity in technical and historical terms. They have concluded that the document is either forged or at least concocted during the Ottoman period.
In general, the pact contains a list of rights and restrictions on non-Muslims (“dhimmis”). By abiding to them, non-Muslims are supposedly granted security of their persons, their families, and their possessions. Other rights and stipulations may also apply. Dhimmis are lower class citizens.
The so-called Pact of Umar sets the legal foundation for the way Muslims mistreat Christians right down to the present time. Even today, Christians are required to pay a safety tax in Muslim controlled nations. Basically Muslims will allow Christians to live in their Muslim controlled cities as long as they live as second class slaves and never openly practice Christianity. The penalty is jail, confiscation of all personal property and children, and of course death. Nothing has changed in 1400 years. In Islamic countries today, audio cassette tapes of Islamic preachers are sold in corner stores. The tapes show that the Pact of Umar is still used today and Christians are viewed as second class citizens. Imaging how Muslims would howl if the West forbade Muslims the right to public worship, demolished their Mosques and seized their houses and cars for simply practicing Islam.
According to Ibn Taymiyya, one of the jurists who accepted the authenticity of the pact, the dhimmis have the right "to free themselves from the Covenant of 'Umar and claim equal status with the Muslims if they enlisted in the army of the state and fought alongside the Muslims in battle."
40, 42 Umar Conquers Egypt -- The King of the South Will Engage Him in Battle
After losing the Levant (the term “Levant” refers to states or parts of states of Cyprus, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Turkey) to Umar, the economic life line of Byzantines and Armenia, the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius was left incapable of any military come back, he rather focused to consolidate his power in Egypt. In his visit to Syria in 637 to receive surrender of Jerusalem, Umar’s commander Amr tried to convince Umar for the invasion of Egypt, but Umar rejected it on the ground that Muslim rule in Syria was still not firm.
In 639 Umar paid a visit to Syria and was again persuaded by his commander Amr for the invasion of Egypt. Along with various other reasons, Amr convinced Umar that Byzantine influence in Egypt is a continuous threat to Muslim rule in Palestine and that Egypt is the richest land on earth that can provide Muslims with immense wealth, economical stability and strategic location for trade with North Africa and Mediterranean.
The Muslims laid siege to Alexandria in March 641 AD. The city was heavily fortified: there were walls within walls, and forts within forts. There was no dearth of provisions and food supply in the city. The city also had direct access to the sea, and through the sea route help from Constantinople in the form of men and supplies could come at any time.
As Amr surveyed the military situation, he felt that Alexandria would be a hard nut to crack. The Byzantines had high stakes in Alexandria, and they were determined to offer stiff resistance to the Muslims. They mounted catapults on the walls of the city, and these engines pounded the Muslims with boulders. This caused considerable damage to the Muslims and Amr ordered his men back from the advance position so that they might be beyond the range of the missiles. A see-saw war followed. When the Muslims tried to go close to the city they were hit with missiles. When the Byzantines sallied from the fort, they were invariably beaten back by the Muslims.
40 The King of the North Will Storm Out Against Him
Heraclius, the Byzantine emperor in the north, collected a large army at Constantinople. He intended to personally march at the head of these reinforcements to Alexandria to defeat Umar. But before he could finalize the arrangements, he died. The troops mustered at Constantinople dispersed, and consequently no help came to Alexandria. This further demoralized the Byzantines.
44 Reports from the East and North Will Alarm Him
The East is the Sassanid Empire in Persia. Arab Muslims first attacked the Sassanid (East in Persia) territory in 633, when general Islamic warriors invaded Mesopotamia (Sassanid province of Asoristan; what is now Iraq), which was the political and economic center of the Sassanid state.
Following the transfer of the commander Khalid to the Byzantine front in the Levant, the Muslims eventually lost their holdings to Sassanian counterattacks. The second invasion began in 636 under Umar, when a key victory at the Battle of Qadisiyyah led to the permanent end of Sasanian control west of Iran.
The Zagros mountains then became a natural barrier and border between the Rashidun Caliphate and the Sassanid Empire. Due to continuous raids by Persians into the area, Umar ordered a full invasion of the Sasanian empire in 642, which led to the complete conquest of the Sasanians around 651. Directing from Medina, more than a thousand miles from the battlefields of Iran, Umar's quick conquest of Iran in a series of well-coordinated, multi-pronged attacks became his greatest triumph, contributing to his reputation as a great military and political strategist.
41 Umar Invaded the Beautiful Land
Umar conquered Palestine and Jerusalem. Under Umar, the Muslim armies consolidated their conquest of the Levant and went deeper into Palestine after the decisive Battle of Fahl. Bet She'an surrendered after a little resistance followed by the surrender of Tiberias in February 635. Umar, after having received intelligence regarding the position and strength of the Byzantine army in Palestine, wrote detailed instructions to corps commanders in Palestine and ordered Yazid to capture the Mediterranean coast.
The Muslim warriors marched against the strongest Byzantine garrison in Ajnadyn and defeated them in the 2nd Battle of Ajnadyn after which the two corps separated, with Amr moving to capture Nablus, Amawas, Gaza and Yubna in order to complete the conquest of all Palestine, while Shurahbil moved against the coastal towns of Acre and Tyre. Islam advanced from Damascus to capture the ports of Sidon, Arqa, Byblos and Beirut. By 635 AD, Palestine, Jordan and Southern Syria, with the exception of Jerusalem and Caesarea, were in Muslim hands. On the orders of Umar, Muslims next besieged Caesarea, which was lifted but resumed after the Battle of Yarmouk until the port fell in 640 AD.
Next Umar decided to conquer Jerusalem. The siege of Jerusalem lasted four months after which the city agreed to surrender, but only to caliph Umar in person. Some suggested that the commander Khalid should be sent, because of his very strong resemblance with Umar. But Khalid was recognized and Umar had to come himself to accept the surrender of Jerusalem on April 637 AD.
After Jerusalem, the Muslim armies broke up once again. Part marched to Damascus and captured Beirut. The Muslims also went to conquer the rest of Palestine, and a second Islamic group of a 17,000 strong army moved north to conquer the whole of Northern Syria. In September of that same year, 637 AD, initial terms and conditions were drawn up near Deraa, now the southern border of Syria with Jordan; notably, the very place of battle between Israel and Og, King of Bashan. The Muslim commanders were dressed in rich robes, their war horses fitted with the spoils of battle. The Muslim warlords were later rebuked for their pompous attitude by Umar himself who had recently arrived to secure the Jerusalem hand-off.
45 He Will Pitch His Royal Tents Between the Seas at the Beautiful Holy Mountain
Umar entered Jerusalem. Later, as Umar toured the Church of the Sepulchre, Sophronius (the Patriarch of Jerusalem), whispered in Greek to one of his Christian subordinates, “Surely this is the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place spoken of by Daniel the Prophet.” Sophronius would later write that the Muslim invaders were “unwitting chastisement of the weak and wavering Christian community” which had fallen astray from the faith; the loss of the city to Muslim infidels was in the Patriarch’s view divine judgment on the Christians. They had become negligent in their faith and therefore YEHOVAH God had sent the Muslim heathen to punish them.
Historically Christians had built churches throughout the Holy Land. Yet Christians refused to build anything on what they considered the Holy Temple site. Umar immediately saw this as an opportunity. Umar confiscated the empty so-called Temple Mount lot and ordered two "abominations" set up -- the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. They were completed after Umar’s death.
43 Umar Gained Control of the Treasures of Gold and Silver and All the Riches of Egypt
Egypt did not escape. The Muslim conquest of Egypt’s vast wealth meant a loss of a huge amount of Byzantium's food and money.
Umar stated the wealth of the Egyptians in Alexandria would be spared, but instead Umar took all of Roman and Greek assets for booty. Greek citizens were given a choice, to return to Greek territories safely without their wealth, or to stay in Alexandria and pay Jizya. Some chose to stay, while others went to Byzantine lands. Coptic Christians had to pay the Jizya tax. All land used for crop and food production had to pay a tax to Umar.
43 Umar Placed the Libyans and Cushites (Nubians) in Submission
Umar launched a preemptive raid on Nubia in the south, and next decided to undertake campaigns in the west, so as to secure the western borders of Egypt and clear the region of Cyrenaica, Tripolitania and Fezzan from Byzantine influence. In September 642 AD, Muslim troops headed west. After one month of marching the Muslim forces reached the cities of Libya.
Muslims under Umar’s command marched to Zaweela, the capital of Fezzan. No resistance was offered, and the entire district of Fezzan, what is present day north-western Libya, submitted to the Muslims. Soon after the Muslim army marched westward from Burqa. They arrived at Tripoli in the spring of 643 AD and laid siege to the city. The city fell after a siege of one month.
From Tripoli, Umar sent a detachment to Sabratha -- a city forty miles from Tripoli. The city put up feeble resistance, and soon surrendered and agreed to pay the Jizya tax on non Muslims. From Tripoli, Umar’s commander is reported to have written to Umar the details of the operations in the following words:
“We have conquered Burqa, Tripoli and Sabratha. The way to the west is clear, and if the Commander of the Faithful wishes to conquer more lands, we could do so with the grace of Allah."
The Ten Kingdoms Conquered by Umar Had Three Governing Kings
Daniel 7:
23 “He gave me this explanation: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it.
24 The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings.
25 He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time. (NIV).
The ten kings referred to in verse 24 are:
1. Armenia (638, 644) Heraclius (Byzantine, Eastern Roman)
2. Azerbaijan (643) Yazdegerd III (Sassanid Persian)
3. Eastern Anatolia (638) Heraclius (Byzantine, Eastern Roman)
4. Egypt (640-642) Heraclius (Byzantine, Eastern Roman)
5. Iraq (636-637) Yazdegerd III (Sassanid Persian)
6. North Africa (643) Heraclius (Byzantine, Eastern Roman)
7. Palestine (635-637) Heraclius (Byzantine, Eastern Roman)
8. Persia (633-654) Yazdegerd III (Sassanid Persian)
9. Sistan (643-644) Kushan Sahi king
10. Syria (634) Heraclius (Byzantine, Eastern Roman)
Umar subdued three kings. Umar's conquests included 1) Heraclius of the Byzantine Eastern Roman empire, 2) Yazdegerd III of the Sassanid Persian empire and 3) under Umar the Muslims captured the Sistan king Kushan Sahi in what is today Afghanistan.
45 Umar Comes to His End, and No One Will Help Him
Even Umar's death followed exactly what Daniel predicted. Umar came to his end while praying to his false fortress-god Allah, and no one helped him.
In 644 Umar was at the height of his power having conquered most of the Middle East. He had a very large army along with many bodyguards. That year Umar went to Mecca for the Islamic pilgrimage. Next Umar went to Medina. Umar led the prayers at the front Mosque in Medina. While praying to Allah in the Medina mosque Umar was attacked by his Christian Persian slave and no one came to help him and stop the attack. Umar was stabbed six times and yet no one stopped the attacker. Islamic tradition says the worshipers were too horrified to do anything. All they could do was watch. The attack was in response to the Islamic conquest of Persia.
The Persian slave, Piruz Nahavandi (also known as Abu Lulu), brought a complaint to Umar about the high tax charged from him by his master Mughirah. Umar wrote to Mughirah and inquired about the tax; Mughirah's reply was satisfactory, but Umar held that the tax charged from Abu Lulu was reasonable, owing to his daily income. Umar then is reported to have asked Abu Lulu: "I heard that you make windmills; make one for me as well." In a sullen mood, Piruz said, "Verily I will make such a mill for you, that whole world would remember it".
On October 31, 644, Piruz attacked Umar while he was leading the morning prayers, stabbing him six times in the belly and last on the navel, that proved fatal. Umar was left profusely bleeding while the other stunned worshipers just looked on. As Daniel says, “no one will help him.” Umar died of the wounds three days later on Wednesday, November 3, 644.
Islamic tradition says as the end drew in sight, Umar began to weep, because of the fear of Allah. "My son," he called out to Abdullah, "help me put my forehead on the ground." "O Allah," murmured the dying caliph Umar, "cover me with Your forgiveness. If that does not happen, woe to me and woe to the mother who bore me." After this statement Umar died.
Umar Said Unheard of Things Against YEHOVAH God
"The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods..." (Daniel 11:36 -- NIV).
Whenever Umar was asked about a Muslim marrying a Christian lady or a Jew, Umar would say: "Allah has made it unlawful for the believers to marry ladies who ascribe partners in worship to Allah, and I do not know of a greater thing, as regards to ascribing partners in worship, etc. to Allah, than that a lady should say that Jesus is her Lord although he is just one of Allah's slaves" (Hadith Volume 7, Book 63, Number 209. Narrated Nafi').
Thus the person in this picture is just repeating a quote from Umar: “Jesus is a slave of Allah.” Of course, the Messiah is the first-born Son of YEHOVAH God and not a slave to anyone.
This is just part of Islamic false teaching and is, in fact, disparaging YEHOVAH God and His plan for His people Israel.
The Legacy of Umar Is Powerful Even Today
ISIS today, and many other Muslim jihadists, follow a form of "Salafism", that is the "rightly guided ones." Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali are called the rightly guided caliphs, meaning the first four caliphs after Mohammad. Of these, Umar was by far the most important. Umar's many influences are still widespread today.
You may logically ask, shouldn’t Daniel’s king be about the very last days? Why is it not the antichrist (Satan)? Why is it the Islamic Umar instead? Daniel saw the final days, but was precluded from writing about them. The very last days were sealed. Daniel was allowed to write about near end time events. Yet Islam has a key role to play in all of this.
"I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, 'My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?' He replied, 'Go your way, Daniel, because the words are rolled up and sealed until the time of the end. Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand'” (Daniel 12:8-10).
The term "Day of the End" in Daniel 11:40 is rendered quite differently in some translations, indicating that the phrase is more than likely NOT referring to a time in the immediate future as most translations lead us to believe -- notice!
"at the end of the time" (Septuagint)
"at the time prefixed" (Douay Rheims Bible)
"at the time determined" (Wycliffe)
"When the king of Syria's final hour has almost come" (Good News Bible)
Thus Daniel did not write about the absolute final days that we are living in now, but rather important events leading up to the final days.
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