©Shannon Gist
Chapter 11:36-39 (ESV) - “And the king shall do as he wills. He shall exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak astonishing things against the God of gods. He shall prosper till the indignation is accomplished; for what is decreed shall be done. He shall pay no attention to the gods of his fathers, or to the one beloved by women. He shall not pay attention to any other god, for he shall magnify himself above all. He shall honor the god of fortresses instead of these. A god whom his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. He shall deal with the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign god. Those who acknowledge him he shall load with honor. He shall make them rulers over many and shall divide the land for a price.”
Question to consider: Who were the rulers who came after the Greeks and exalted themselves above every god?
Luther believed there should have been a chapter break at the end of verse 35 so that 36-45 were associated with the text of chapter twelve. While “the king” in today’s passage is assumed to be the continued narrative of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, there is a shift in that Antiochus IV did not exalt himself as a god but was a worshiper of Zeus.
The reference to “king” here could be an amalgamation of all who would rule over Israel until the coming of Christ, but it could also be a reference to the one who the LORD called the prince of Persia or the prince of Greece. The devil is the one who battled against the LORD and His archangel, Michael, and it is the devil who has exalted himself above every god and speaks astonishing things against the God of gods.
While the devil may have been the spiritual entity behind the earthly kings, I believe today’s passage began the LORD’s discourse about the fourth beast, the terrible beast that caused Daniel tremendous concern for its iron teeth and ten horns.
Rome was founded on Mars, the God of war. After the death of the first Caesar (Julius), Rome elevated him to the status of god and thus began the Imperial cult. So this “god of fortresses” in verse 38 could refer to the worship of Rome and its Emperor. It makes sense in light of verse 39 (honoring those who acknowledge him).
Luther stopped comparing the rest of this chapter with events in history, but I believe they correspond to events that happened during the reign of the Caesars and will go through some of them in tomorrow’s study. In the meantime, if we considered Julius to be the first of the ten horns, we could consider the list leading up to the end of the temple age as follows:
Dear heavenly Father, You have made your Son King of kings and Lord of lords. May we as His church be bound together in love for Him and one another, and sacrificially serve and sustain one another in the faith until He returns in glory to judge the living and the dead. Amen.