Daniel 11:45 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he shall pitch his palatial tents between the sea and the glorious holy mountain. Yet he shall come to his end, with none to help him.

NIV: He will pitch his royal tents between the seas at the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.

NASB: And he will pitch the tents of his royal pavilion between the seas and the beautiful Holy Mountain; yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.

CSB: He will pitch his royal tents between the sea and the beautiful holy mountain, but he will meet his end with no one to help him.

NLT: He will stop between the glorious holy mountain and the sea and will pitch his royal tents. But while he is there, his time will suddenly run out, and no one will help him.

KJV: And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.

NKJV: And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him.

Most of the prophecy contained in this chapter has already been fulfilled, making the identity of certain persons and nations easier. However, the appearance of an arrogant, blasphemous king (Daniel 11:36) appears to be set in what is still our future. The text leaves open many possible interpretations. All we can be sure of are the most basic concepts as explained here—definite meaning is nearly impossible to assign to these passages.

This profane ruler is connected to concepts (Daniel 11:37–39) echoed in the book of Revelation (Revelation 13:1–4, 11–17). It is this king who will be attacked by a "king of the south" and a "king of the north." The king of the north seems especially effective, leading what appears to be a coalition of many nations (Ezekiel 38:4, 11–15; Joel 2:2, 20). At some point, a threat from the east and north causes this invader to turn around, intent on violence (Daniel 11:44).

Here, the king of the north and his army seem to meet their defeat. Some believe the threat mentioned in the prior verse is an eastern power such as China. Others see the armies of the first beast of Revelation coming to aid the second beast.

Similarly wide options exist to explain this defeat. Somewhere in Israel, between the Mediterranean Sea and some "glorious holy mountain," this evil ruler will come to his end. Some commentators believe that Ezekiel chapter 38 contains a description of this event. In that prophecy, God intervenes with massive earthquakes. These cause the norther soldiers confusion and infighting. The Lord then rains down water, fire, hail, and sulfur, putting an end to the northern army (Ezekiel 39:4). That would explain how the king could meet his fate without any help.

The exact meaning of this prophecy is yet to be seen. In the following passage, Daniel will provide more prophetic remarks about the end times.

Daniel 11:36–45 is part of a prophecy given to Daniel; everything he was told was to occur after his own life. Viewed from the modern perspective, most of the predictions have been fulfilled in our past. In this passage, that viewpoint shifts to the future. In the last days before the final judgment, a time of tribulation, a notable figure will honor some kind of military god. He will be attacked by armies from the north, but the leader of those armies will hastily retreat to a location between the Mediterranean Sea and Israel, where he will perish.

This chapter is most easily understood in terms of the historical events which it predicts. These include the conflicts between Ptolemaic Egypt and the Seleucid Empire up through the second century BC. This mentions the infamous Antiochus IV Epiphanes and what eventually became the Maccabean Revolt. The last portion of prophecy looks to the end times: blasphemous rulers, an invasion from the north, and a major defeat.

Daniel is receiving a prophecy, in an encounter which began in chapter 10. The substance of that prophecy is mostly given in chapter 11. This predicts the major events relating to Judea leading up to the conquest of the Roman Empire. It also begins to speak of end-times events. This leads to chapter 12 and the final prophetic remarks given to Daniel. Chapter 11 connects to other prophetic segments of Scripture such as Ezekiel 38 and Joel 2. Occurrences recorded here are also used by Jesus to depict end times events (Matthew 24:15).

The book of Daniel contains famous Old Testament stories and prophecies. Daniel was taken from the Israelite people and made an advisor for a conquering empire. He demonstrates faithfulness and wisdom during many years serving in this role. Though Daniel does not deliver a public message, Jesus refers to him as a "prophet" (Matthew 24:15). The first portion of the book mostly describes Daniel's interpretations of dreams and other events. The second portion looks ahead to the end times. Daniel is classified in English Bibles as a "major" prophet, meaning the book is relatively long and the content has broad implications. The book of Revelation echoes and expands on many of the same themes.