seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Daniel 11:2 “Now then, I tell you the truth: Three more kings will arise in Persia, and then a fourth, who will be far richer than all the others. When he has gained power by his wealth, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece. 3 Then a mighty king will arise, who will rule with great power and do as he pleases. 4 After he has arisen, his empire will be broken up and parceled out toward the four winds of heaven. It will not go to his descendants, nor will it have the power he exercised, because his empire will be uprooted and given to others.
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Here's the link to the commentary I read.
Three more kings will arise in Persia: Simply, the angel told Daniel that there would be three more kings in Persia until a fourth arose. The fourth king would be strong, rich, and oppose the realm of Greece. This strong, rich fourth king was fulfilled in the Persian King Xerxes.
The fourth shall be far richer: In fulfillment, there were actually four kings from the time Daniel spoke of until Xerxes, the one who did stir up all against the realm of Greece. Either the angel omitted the current king (Cyrus), looking only to the future, or he ignored King Smerdis of Persia (522-21 B.C.) because he ruled less than one year and was an imposter to the throne.
Persia… Greece: These visions and insights regarding the future of the Persian and Greek Empires were relevant because each empire attempted to wipe out the people of God at some time.
Shall rule with great dominion and do according to his will: This was fulfilled in Alexander the Great, who certainly was a mighty king. Alexander died at 32 years of age of a fever after a drunken party in Babylon.
This prophecy does not mainly concern Alexander because he did no harm to Jerusalem, though he conquered the general area. The ancient historian Josephus records the interesting arrival of Alexander the Great to Jerusalem, and how he was shown the Book of Daniel by the high priest (whom Alexander had previously seen in a vision). Alexander was so impressed that he spared Jerusalem and granted it religious toleration.
Not among his posterity: After Alexander’s death, none of his descendants succeeded him. It wasn’t for lack of trying. Alexander did leave three possible heirs: a half brother named Philip, who was mentally deficient; a son who was born after Alexander died; and an illegitimate son named Hercules. The half-brother and the posthumous son were first designated co-monarchs, each with a regent. But fighting amongst the regents eventually resulted in the murder of all possible heirs.
Divided toward the four winds of heaven: After the death of all Alexander’s possible heirs, four generals controlled the Greek Empire, but none of them according to his (Alexander’s) dominion.
The rest of this prophecy focuses on two of the four inheritors of Alexander’s realm, and the dynasties they established. Only two are focused on because they constantly fought over the Promised Land because it sat between their centers of power.
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I started to take on Michael's interpretation in blocks as identified by the Online Bible I use.
I copied the whole section titled "The Kings of the South and the North". I read it all, and figured I'd understand it when I got to the commentary. WRONG!
The commentary is really wordy this morning. Michael explained but the commentary on that explanation is just too complex to read in one sitting.
So.... These verses are about King Xerxes and Alexander the Great.
Persia and Greece tried to wipe each other out and then along came Alexander.
Check out verse 2. This is about Xerxes. He was a rich guy who knew how to manage the message. His message was "destroy Greece".
This is from "got questions".
The details on the life of Xerxes found in the book of Esther are not corroborated by any secular sources. While there are many detractors who simply view Esther as fiction, for those who accept the historicity of the book of Esther, Xerxes I is the most likely candidate to fill the role of Ahasuerus. What we know of the character of Xerxes I fits with what we see in the book of Esther. Xerxes had a summer palace in Susa. He was known for his drinking, lavish banquets, harsh temper, and sexual appetite. Esther mentions a foiled plot against his life, and we know from secular history that, later, in 465, Xerxes was assassinated by the head of his bodyguard.
Although Xerxes had so much money he could buy his way to power, he only got one verse in the Bible. He wanted to wipe out Jerusalem and the Jews.Verses 3 and 4 are about Alexander the Great. His message would be "Tolerance".
Check out the commentary, where I highlighted "This prophecy" in bold red. It says a high priest showed Alexander the Book of Daniel. He was shown the prophecy about him. He was so "impressed" that he never attacked Jerusalem.
Alexander the Great granted Jerusalem "religious toleration" because of the "vision".
I think it's appropriate that Michael got to explain the vision to Daniel. There was a whole lot of war going on in these two verses. Michael is a warrior angel, and he can explain war like no human could.
Fancy that, Alexander the Great is only given two verses in the Bible. After all his conquest, he's only good for two verses. After all his political prowess, he's only good for two verses.
I don't know if Alexander would have gotten a second verse, or second part of a verse, if he hadn't granted Jerusalem "religious toleration".
It says in the commentary that Alexander died after a drunken party. Sounds like he died of alcohol poisoning. Fancy that.... that talented young man molded the world to fit his bidding. Then his kids were all wash-outs and four generals [four winds] divided up his kingdom.
When I read that Alexander was only 32 when he died, I thought of Patrick Mahomes, and Josh Allen. I know, it sounds stupid at first but it shows the "heights" talented young men can scale. Those boys, Mahomes and Allen have millions of people taking sides, betting on the outcome of the "Superbowl". Alexander was their age when he was commanding armies and wiping out the "Super Power" known as Xerxes.
While Xerxes would have been happy to get rid of those ridiculous Jews and their "laws", Alexander was eager to grant them "religious toleration".
"Power v Toleration"
