Daniel 11:36-3936And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. 37Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. 38But in his estate shall he honor the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honor with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things. 39Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain. (Daniel 11:36‑39)
At the 36th verse of our chapter a new person is abruptly introduced into the prophecy, — “the king”. It is not “the king of the north”, or “the king of the south”, both of whom are mentioned as his enemies in verse 40, but a king of the Jews who has not yet reigned, of whom other Scriptures tell. In Antiochus Epiphanes, and in Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar and Darius, God has shown both the character and the actions of the principal oppressors of His people in a time soon to come, for the purpose of preparing those who, at that time trusting Him, are to pass through those fearful experiences.
“The king” of verse 36 is mentioned as such in Isaiah 30:3333For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made it deep and large: the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it. (Isaiah 30:33) and 57:9. He is referred to as the “idol shepherd” in Zechariah 11:15-1715And the Lord said unto me, Take unto thee yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd. 16For, lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, which shall not visit those that be cut off, neither shall seek the young one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces. 17Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened. (Zechariah 11:15‑17). It is he of whom the Lord spoke in John 5:4343I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. (John 5:43):
“If another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.”
2 Thess. 2:3-103Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. 5Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 6And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 8And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. (2 Thessalonians 2:3‑10) tells of him as the “man of sin”, and “that wicked”; the First Epistle of John names him “the Antichrist”, and in the Rev. (13:11-18, and chapters 16 and 19), he is the miracle-working false prophet. All of these passages, and others in the Psalms declare his wickedness.
This false king of the Jews—how he will attain the title is not disclosed by the Scriptures—will be a man of great self-will—the very opposite of Him who is the true King (John 4:34; 5:3034Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. (John 4:34)
30I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me. (John 5:30)), Whose obedience is set before believers as their pattern (1 Peter 1:22Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. (1 Peter 1:2); Phil. 2:88And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:8)). He will exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, hesitating not to speak with great daring against the true God, who will permit him to prosper until “the indignation” is accomplished. Isaiah 5, and many other passages have foretold the pouring out of God’s righteous indignation upon Israel, and “that that is determined shall be done”, this wicked man unconsciously serving His purposes.
Verse 37 shows that the false king is a Jew for he shall not regard the God of his fathers. “The desire of women” refers to the hope of Jewish women to be the mother of the Messiah: He will have no regard for Christ the Son of God. Yet, while he sets himself as superior to all, there will be an object or being whom he will venerate: “the god of forces”, a god, whom his fathers knew not. Is it a pagan god of war, associated with his connection with the Roman Empire yet to be revived as when the Lord was on earth? The Scriptures tell no more, and we need not speculate; it is enough that he who claims to be above all, will yet venerate a superior power which, not being divine, can only be of Satan. The king will divide the land (of Israel) among those who are in league with him (verse 39).
God will allow all this, and more, to go on in the land of His choice, It belongs to the time of Jacob’s trouble (Jeremiah 30:77Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it. (Jeremiah 30:7)) during which the Jews will be gathered in great numbers in the Holy Land, and they will be confirmed in its possession by a covenant between themselves (or “the many”—the unbelieving majority), and the last head of the Roman Empire, for the period of 7 years (chapter 9:27).
ML 08/30/1936