Daniel: Does God Reign? Does God Care? - Reading PlanSample

Start with prayer, then watch the video and read Daniel 11, verses 1-35.

Most readers find Daniel 11 hard work! It’s full of detailed references to various kings of the north and kings of the south, and we struggle with who’s who and what’s what. But if we persevere, there’s lots here for us.

These prophecies describe specific events in history from Daniel’s time until the 160’s BC. They focus particularly on the king highlighted in the film clip, Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Historians and theologians all agree this is clear, detailed and very accurate. You can find timelines setting that out in commentaries, on our website, or on Wikipedia. But you don’t really need to know the details to hear the message of the passage.

What makes this extraordinary is that Daniel’s vision was 400 years before these events it describes. While more sceptical scholars argue it must have been written later, the text itself is clear that it dates to the mid 530’s BC. As we saw in the film clip, that makes this chapter an amazing demonstration of something we have seen again and again in Daniel’s visions – God is the Lord of history. He proves it here by telling us what will happen in advance.

The focus on Antiochus is also important though, because his reign would be a particularly awful time for the Jews. He ranks alongside Hitler in the hall of shame of persecutors of the Jews, and the end of his persecution is still celebrated at Hanukah. He sought to systematically eradicate the worship of God – and for a time God allowed it. It must have been easy at the time to assume God was gone or defeated, and yet Daniel’s visions would have been such a source of strength and comfort.

Not only did they show that God was still in control, but they also showed that this time would end. These verses talk often of the ‘the end’ (at this point, the end of Antiochus’ persecution), and ‘the appointed time’. Those are there to show us that while God did allow Antiochus to succeed for a while, he was always ultimately in control – and not Antiochus. Not only so, but Antiochus’ end was certain.

That can be an encouragement to us when we face ‘Antiochuses’, on small or large scales. People will always set themselves up against God – but God always still reigns.