©Michael Player
Chapter 11:2-4 (ESV) - “And now I will show you the truth. Behold, three more kings shall arise in Persia, and a fourth shall be far richer than all of them. And when he has become strong through his riches, he shall stir up all against the kingdom of Greece. Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion and do as he wills. And as soon as he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not to his posterity, nor according to the authority with which he ruled, for his kingdom shall be plucked up and go to others besides these.”
Question to consider: What is the overarching theme of the book of Daniel?
From the very first vision, the LORD has revealed His redemption plan for the world. Nebuchadnezzar was made to understand that of the kingdoms of men, his own was the golden head— the best of the best. The other kingdoms that would come after his own would be less glorious and would ultimately fall to a heavenly king whose kingdom would fill the earth. His response to this vision was to produce a golden statue in his own image and force all nations to bow down to it as if uniting all nations in worship of him would somehow make his kingdom the everlasting kingdom. Of course, unlike the movies, there is no thwarting the word of the LORD, and the conquering of Babylon was inevitable.
Daniel received a clearer vision of these kingdoms as beasts rising up from the sea. All would seem fierce in their own way and would cause great devastation on the earth, but eventually one like a son of man would come on clouds and take His place at the right hand of God to rule the world in an everlasting kingdom.
When their time of exile was nearing its end, Daniel interceded for the sins of Israel in anticipation of its restoration, and in doing so, received a message of the ultimate Jubilee era which would fulfill all of God’s promises for righteousness and peace. Within five hundred years of the decree to rebuild Jerusalem, the anointed prince would come and establish a covenant with people from every tribe and nation throughout the world.
Having now understood the redemption plan, Daniel again mourned and fasted for the consolation of Israel, and was met on the banks of the Tigris by the LORD Himself who has assured him that he is greatly loved. As His reassurance, the LORD completed Daniel’s understanding by giving him details about the events leading up to this everlasting covenant.
By this time, Daniel was 85 years old so he would not see all that was coming, but by writing them down, people had a prophetic timeline in which to verify that the LORD’s word was true. The first revelation was that there would be four more kings of Persia before a mighty king would come up from Greece. At the time this was revealed, Cyrus the Great was the ruler. He was succeeded by Darius the Mede (Cambyses II), then Smerdes, then Darius the Great (son of Hystaspis), and finally Xerxes.
We know that Alexander the Great, the mighty king from Greece, would quickly overtake the world (like the leopard in Daniel’s vision of the beasts), and like the goat with the single horn that broke up into four horns from chapter eight, Alexander was murdered, and his kingdom was divided among his four generals to the four winds (north, south, east and west).
Dear heavenly Father, may Your everlasting kingdom continue to grow with the proclamation of Christ crucified for the forgiveness of our sins. May this good news be received with joy and thanksgiving so that those who oppose Christ may turn to Him and receive life. Amen.