THE "ARMS" PROCEEDED FROM THE KING

Hitler soon went to war, as the angel had correctly foretold:  "There will be arms that stand up, proceeding from him; and they will actually profane the sanctuary, the fortress, and remove the constant feature."  (Daniel 11:31a)  The "arms" were the military forces that the king of the north used in order to fight the king of the south in World War II.  On September 1, 1939, Nazi "arms" invaded Poland. Two days later, Britain and France declared   war on Germany in order to help Poland. Thus began World War II.  Poland collapsed quickly, and soon thereafter, German forces occupied Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France.  "At the end of 1941," says The World Book Encyclopedia, "Nazi Germany dominated the continent."

Even though Germany and the Soviet Union had signed a Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation, and Demarcation, Hitler proceeded to invade Soviet territory on June 22, 1941, the German army actually suffered defeat at Moscow.  The following day, Germany's ally Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Learning of this, Hitler told his aides:  "Now it is impossible for us to lose the war." On December 11 he rashly declared war on the United States.  But he underestimated the strength  of both the Soviet Union and the United States. With the Soviet army attacking from the east and British and American forces closing in from the wast, the tide soon  turned against Hitler. German forces began losing territory after territory. Following Hitler's suicide, Germany surrendered to the Allies,on May 7, 1045. 

"The [Nazi arms] will actually profane the sanctuary, the fortress,m and remove the constant feature," said the angel. In ancient Judah the sanctuary was part of the temple in Jerusalem.  However, when the Jews rejected Jesus, Jehovah rejected them and their temple. (Matthew 23:37-24:2) Since the first century C.E., Jehovah's temple has actually been a spiritual one, with its holy  of holies in the heavens and with a spiritual courtyard on earth, in which the anointed brothers of Jesus, the High Priest, serve.  From the 1930's onward, the "great crowd" have worshiped in association with the anointed remnant and are therefore said to serve 'in God's temple.' (Revelation 7:9, 15; 11:1, 2; Hebrews 9:11, 12, 24) In lands under his control, the king of the north profaned the earthly  courtyard  of the temple by relentlessly persecuting the anointed remnant and their companions. So severe was the persecution that "the constant feature"-the public sacrifice of praise to Jehovah's name-was removed.  (Hebrews 13:15) Despite horrible suffering, however, faithful anointed Christians together with the "other sheep" kept on preaching during World War II. -John 10:16. 

Next time: 'THE DISGUSTING THING IS PUT IN PLACE'

From the book:  PAY ATTENTION TO DANIEL'S PROPHECY! 1999

THE KING ACTS "EFFECTIVELY"

"He [the king of the north] will actually go back and hurl denunciations against the holy covenant and act effectively; and he will have to go back and will give consideration to those leaving the holy covenant."  ( Daniel 11:30b) So prophesied the angel, and so it proved to be.

After the war ended, in 1918,the victorious Allies imposed a punitive peace treaty on Germany. The Germany people found the terms of the treaty harsh, and the new republic was weak from the start. Germany staggered for some years in extreme distress and experienced the Great Depression that ultimately left six million unemployed. By the early 1930's, conditions were ripe for the rise of Adolf Hitler.  He became chancellor in January 1933 and the following year assumed the presidency of what the Nazis called the Third Reich.

Immediately after coming to power, Hitler launched a vicious attack against "the holy covenant." represented by the anointed brothers of Jesus Christ. (Matthew 25:40)   In this he acted "effectively"  against these loyal Christians, cruelly persecuting many of them. Hitler enjoyed economic and diplomats successes, acting "effectively" in those fields also. In a few years, he made Germany a power to be reckoned with on the world scene. 

Hitler gave "consideration to those leaving the holy covenant."  Who were these? Evidently, the leaders of Christendom, who claimed to have a covenant  relationship with God but has ceased to be disciples of Jesus Christ.  Hitler successfully called on "those leaving the holy covenant" for their support.  For example, he made a concordat with the pope in Rome.  In 1935, Hitler created the Ministry for Church Affairs. One of  his goals was to bring Evangelical churches under state control. 

Next time: THE "ARMS' PROCEED FROM THE KING

From the book: PAY ATTENTION TO DANIEL'S PROPHECY! 1999

THE KING BECOMES "DEJECTED" IN A WAR

"At the time appointed he [the king of the north] will go back," the angel foretold," and he will actually come against the south; but it will not prove to be at the last the same as at the first." (Daniel 11:29)  God's "time appointed" to end Gentile domination of the earth came in 1914 when he set up the heavenly Kingdom. On June 28 of that year, Austrian Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated by a Serbian terrorist in Sarajevo,  Bosnia.  That was the spark that touched of World War I.

Kaiser Wilhelm urged Austria-Hungary to retaliate against Serbia.  Assured of German support, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on July 28, 1914.  But Russia came to Serbia's aid.  When Germany declared war on Russia, France (an ally in the Triple Entente) gave support to Russia. Germany then declared war on France.  To make Paris more readily accessible, Germany invaded Belgium, whose neutrality had been guaranteed by Britain.  So Britain declared war on Germany.  Other nations became involved, and Italy switch sides.  During the war, Britain made Egypt her protectorate in order to prevent the king of the north  from cutting off the Suez Canal and invading Egypt, the ancient land of the king of the south. 

"Despite the size  and strength of the Allies," says The World Book Encyclopedia, "Germany seemed close to winning the war."  In previous conflicts between the two kings, the Roman Empire, as king of the north, and consistently been victorious.  But this time, 'things were not the same as at the first.' The king of the north lost the war.  Giving the reason for this, the angel said:  "There will certainly  come against him the ships of Kittim, and he will have to become dejected." (Daniel 11:30a)  What were "the ships of Kittim?

In Daniel's time Kittim was Cyprus.  early in the first world war, Cyprus was annexed by Britain.   Moreover, according to the Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, the name Kittim "is extended to include the W[est] in general, but esp[ecially] the seafaring W[est] ."  The New International Version renders the expression "ships of Kittim" as "ships of the western coastlands."  During the first world war, the ships of Kittim proved to be mainly the ships of Britain, lying off the western coast of Europe.  

As the war dragged on, the British Navy was strengthened by more ships of Kittim.  On May 7, 1915, the German submarine U-20 sank the civilian liner Lusitania off the southern coast of Ireland.  Among the dead were 128 Americans.  Later, Germany extended submarine warfare into the Atlantic. Subsequently, on April 6, 1917, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson declared war on  Germany, Augmented by U.S. warships and troops, the king of the south-now the Anglo-American World Power, the king of the north became "dejected" and conceded defeat in November 1918.  Wilhelm II fled into exile in the Netherlands, and Germany became a republic. But the king of the north was not finished.

Next time: THE KING ACTS "EFFECTIVELY"

From the book: PAY ATTENTION TO DANIEL'S PROPHECY! 1999

"AGAINST THE HOLY COVENANT

Continuing on, God's angel said: "And he [the king of the north] will go back to his land with a great amount of goods, and his heart will be against the holy covenant. And he will act effectively and certainly go back to his land." -Daniel 11:28.

Kaiser Wilhelm went back to the "land," or earthly condition, of the ancient king of the north.  How?  By building up an imperial rule designed to expand the German Reich and extend its influence.  Wilhelm II pursued colonial goals in Africa and other places. Wanting to challenge British supremacy at sea, he proceeded to build  a powerful navy.  "Germany's naval power went from being negligible to being second  only Britain's in little more than a decade," says The New Encyclopedia Britannica. In order to maintain its supremacy, Britain actually had to expand its own naval program. Britain also negotiated the entente cordiale (cordial understanding) with France and a similar agreement with Russia, forming the Triple Entente. Europe was now divided into two military camps-the Triple Alliance on one side and the Triple Entente on the other.

The German Empire followed an aggressive policy resulting in "a great amount of goods" for Germany because it was the chief part of the Triple Alliance.  Austria-Hungary and Italy were Roman Catholic.  Therefore, the Triple Alliance also enjoyed papal favor, whereas the king of the south, with his largely non-Catholic Triple Entente, did not.

What about Jehovah's people?  They had long, declared that "the appointed times of the nations" would end in 1914.  (Luke 21:24) In that year, God's Kingdom in the hands of King David's Heir, Jesus Christ, was established in the heavens.  (2 Samuel 7:12-16; Luke 22:28, 29)  As far back as March 1880, the  Watchtower magazine linked the rule of God's Kingdom with the ending of "the appointed times of the nations," or "the times of the Gentiles." (King James Version) But the heart of the Germanic king of the north was 'against the holy Kingdom covenant.' Instead of acknowledging Kingdom rule, Kaiser Wilhelm 'acted effectively' by promoting his schemes for world domination. In so doing, though, he sowed the seeds for World War I.

Next time: THE KING BECOMES "DEJECTED" IN A WAR

From the book: PAY ATTENTION TO DANIEL'S PROPHECY! 1999

THE RIVAL KINGS ENTER THE 20TH CENTURY; CHAPTER FIFTEEN

"THERE is a dynamism about nineteenth-century Europe that far exceeds anything previously known, "writes historian Norman Davies.  He adds: "Europe vibrated with power,  as never before: with technical power, economic power, cultural power, intercontinental  power."  The leaders of "Europe's triumphant  'power century,' "says Davies,m "were in the first instance Great Britain . . .and in the later decades Germany." 

"INCLINED TO DOING WHAT IS BAD"

As the 19th century neared its end, the German Empire was "the king of the north" and Britain stood in the position of "the king of the south." (Daniel 11:14, 15) "As regards these two kings," said Jehovah's angel, "their heart will be inclined to doing what is bad, and at one table a lie is what they will be speaking."  He continued: "But nothing will succeed, because the end is yet for the time appointed." -Daniel 11:27.

On January 18, 1871, Wilhelm 1 became the first emperor of the German Reich, or Empire. He  appointed Otto Von Bismarck  as chancellor. With his focus on developing the new empire, Bismarck avoided conflicts with other nations and formed an alliance with Austria-Hungary and Italy, known as the Triple Alliance.  But the interests of this new king of the north soon clashed with those of the king of the south. 

After Wilhelm I and his successor, Fredrick III died in 1888 29-year-old  Wilhelm II ascended the throne and followed a policy of expanding Germany's influence throughout the world.  "Under Wilhelm II," says one historian, "[Germany] assumed an arrogant and a truculent air."

When Czar Nicholas II of Russia called a peace conference in the Hague, Netherlands, on August 24, 1898, the atmosphere was one of international tension.  This conference and the one that followed it in 1907 established the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague.  By becoming members of this court, the German Reich as well as Great Britain gave the appearance that they favored peace.  They sat "at one table," appearing to be friendly, but 'their hearts were inclined to do what was bad.' The diplomatic tactic of speaking a lie at one table' could not promote real peace. As to their political, commercial, and military ambitions,  'nothing could succeed' because the end of the two kings "is yet for the time appointed" by Jehovah God. 

Next time: "AGAINST THE HOLY COVENANT" 

From the book: PAY ATTENTION TO DANIEL'S PROPHECY! 1999

ZENOBIA'S CAPITAL CITY

Zenobia strengthened and embellished her capital, Palmyra, to such an extent that it ranked with the larger cities of the Roman world.  Its estimated population reached over 150,000. Splendid public buildings, temples, gardens, pillars, and monuments filled Palmyra, a city encircled by walls said to be 13 miles in circumference. A colonnade of Corinthian pillars over 50 feet high-some 1,500 of them-lined the principal avenue. Statues and busts  of heroes and wealthy benefactors abounded int he city in 271 C.E., Zenobia erected statues of herself and her late husband. 

The Temple of the Sun was one of the finest structures in Palmyra and no doubt dominated the religious scene in the city. Zenobia herself may have worshiped a deity associated with the sun-god. Syria of the third century, however, was a land of many religions.  In Zenobia's domain there were professing Christians, Jews, and worshipers of the sun and moon.  What was her attitude toward these various forms of worship? Author Stoneman observes:  "A wise ruler will not neglect any customs that seem appropriate to her people. . . .The gods, it was . . .hoped, had been marshaled on Palmyra's side."  Apparently, Zenobia was religiously tolerant.

With her colorful personality, Zenobia won the admiration of many. Of greatest significance  was her role in representing  a political entity foretold in Daniel's prophecy. Her reign, however, lasted no more than five years.  Roman Emperor Aurelian defeated  Zenobia in 272 C.E. and subsequently sacked Palmyra beyond repair. Zenobia was granted clemency. She is said to have married a Roman senator and presumably spent the rest of her life in retirement. 

Next time: THE RIVAL KINGS ENTER THE 20TH CENTURY: CHAPTER FIFTEEN

From the book: PAY ATTENTION TO DANIEL'S PROPHECY! 1999

ZENOBIA ASPIRES TO CREATE AN EMPIRE

In 267 C.E., at the height of his career, Odaenathus and his heir were assassinated. Zenobia took over her husband's position,  since her son was too young to do so. Beautiful, ambitious, capable as an administrator, accustomed to campaigning with her husband, and fluent in several languages, she managed to command the respect and support of her subjects. Zenobia had a love for learning and surrounded herself with intellectuals.  One of her advisers was philosopher and rhetorician  Cassius Longinus-said to have been "a living library and a walking museum."  In the book Palmyra and its Empire-Zenobia's Revolt Against Rome, author Richard Stoneman notes: "During the five years after the death of Odenathus. . .,Zenobia had established herself in the minds of her people as mistress of the East."

On one side of Zenobia's domain was Persia, which she and her husband had crippled, and on the other was foundering Rome.  Regarding conditions in the Roman Empire at that time, historian J.M. Roberts says: "The third century was .  . .a terrible time for Rome on the frontiers east and west alike, while at home a new period of civil war and disputed successions had begun. Twenty-two emperors (excluding pretenders) came and went."  The Syrian mistress, on the other hand, was a well-established absolute monarch in her realm.  "Controlling the balance of two empires [Persian and Roman]," observes Stoneman, "she could aspire to create a third that would dominate them  both." 

An opportunity for Zenobia to expand her regal powers came in 269 C.E. when a pretender disputing Roman rulership appeared in Egypt. Zenobia's army swiftly marched into Egypt, crushed the rebel, and took possession of the country. Proclaiming herself queen of Egypt, she minted the coins in her own name. Her kingdom now stretched from the river Nile to the river Euphrates. It was at this point in her life that Zenobia came to occupy the position of "the king of the south." -Daniel 11:25, 26.

Next time: ZENOBIA'S CAPITAL CITY

From the book:  PAY ATTENTION TO DANIEL'S PROPHECY! 1999

ZENOBIA-THE WARRIOR QUEEN OF PALMYRA

"SHE was of a dark complexion . . .Her teeth were of a pearly whiteness, and her large black eyes sparkled with uncommon fire,tempered by the most attractive sweetness.  Her voice was strong and harmonious.  Her manly understanding was strengthened and adorned by study.  She was  not ignorant of the Latin tongue, but possessed in equal perfection the Greek, the Syriac, and the Egyptian languages."  Such were the praises that historian Edward Gibbon bestowed upon Zenobia-the warrior queen of the Syrian city of Palmyra. 

Zenobia's husband was the Palmyrene noble Odaenathus, who was awarded the rank of consul of Rome in 258 C.E. because he had successfully campaigned against Persia on behalf of the Roman Empire. Two years later, Odaenathus received from Roman Emperor Gallienus the title corrector Totius Orientis  (governor of all the East).  This was in recognition of his victory over King Shapur I of Persia.  Odaenathus eventually gave himself the title "king of kings." These successes of Odaenathus may to a large extent be attributed to Zenobia's courage and prudence.

Next time: ZENOBIA ASPIRES TO CREATE AN EMPIRE

From the book:  PAY ATTENTION TO DANIEL'S PROPHECY! 1999

THE "ONE WHO IS TO BE DESPISED"

Less than a month after Augustus' death, the Roman Senate named 54-year-old Tiberius emperor. Tiberius lived and ruled until March 37 C.E. Hence, he was the emperor of Rome for the duration of Jesus' public ministry. 

As an emperor, Tiberius had both virtues and vices. Among his virtues was a reluctance to spend money on luxuries. As a  result, the empire prospered and he had funds to assist in recovery from disasters and bad times.  To his credit, Tiberius  viewed himself as but a man, declined many honorary titles, and generally directed emperor worship to Augustus rather than to himself.  He did not name  a calendar month after himself as Augustus and Julius Caesar had done for themselves, nor did he allow others to honor him in that way.

Tiberius' vices, however, exceeded his virtues.  He was extremely suspicious and hypocritical in his dealings with others, and his reign abounded with ordered killings-man y of his former friends being counted among the victims. He extended the law of lese-majeste (injured majesty) to include, in addition to seditious acts, merely libelous words against his own person.  Presumably on the strength of this law, the Jews pressured Roman Governor Pontius Pilate to have Jesus killed. -John 19:12-16. 

Tiberius concentrated the Praetorial Guard in the proximity of Rome by constructing fortified barracks north of the walls of the city.  The Guard's presence intimidated the Roman Senate, which was a threat to his power, and kept any unruliness of the people in check. Tiberius also encouraged the informer system, and terror marked the latter part of his rule.

At the time of his death, Tiberius was considered to be a tyrant. When he died, the Romans rejoiced and the Senate refused to deify him. For these reasons and others, we see in Tiberius a fulfillment of the prophecy saying that "one who is to be despised" would arise as "the king of the north." -Daniel 11:15, 21.

Next time: ZENOBIA-THE WARRIOR QUEEN OF PALMYRA

From the book: PAY ATTENTION TO DANIEL'S PROPHECY! 1999

Conclusion of HE "FOUND ROME BRICK AND LEFT IT MARBLE"

In that same year, "a decree went forth from Caesar Augustus for all the inhabited earth to be registered; . . .and all people went traveling to be registered, each one to his own city." (Luke 2:1-3)  As a result of this decree, Jesus was born in Bethlehem in fulfillment of Bible prophecy. -Daniel 11:20; Micah 5:2. 

The government under Augustus was marked by a measure of honesty and a sound currency. Augustus also established an effective postal-system and constructed roads and bridges. He reorganized  the army, created a permanent navy, and established an elite band of imperial bodyguards known at the Praetorian Guard. (Philippians  1:13)  Under his patronage, such writers as Virgil and Horace flourished and sculptors created beautiful works in what is now called the classical style.   Augustus completed buildings left unfinished by Julius Caesar and restored many temples.  The Pax Romana ("Roman Peace") that he introduced  lasted more than 200 years.  On August 19, 14 C.E., at the age of 76, Augustus died and was deified thereafter. 

Augustus boasted that he had "found Rome brick and left it marble."  Not wanting Rome to revert to the strife-filled days of the former republic, he intended  to groom the next emperor. But he had little choice regarding a successor.  His nephew, two grandsons, a son-in-law, and a stepson had all died, leaving only his stepson Tiberius to take over. 

Next time: THE "ONE WHO IS TO BE DESPISED" 

From the book: PAY ATTENTION TO DANIEL'S PROPHECY! 1999

ONE HONORED THE OTHER DESPISED

ONE transformed a strife-ridden republic into a world empire.  The other increased its wealth twentyfold in 23 years. One was honored when he died, but the other was despised.  The reigns of these two emperors of Rome spanned Jesus' life and ministry. Who were they? And why was one honored and the other was not? 

HE "FOUND ROME BRICK AND LEFT IT MARBLE" 

In 44 B.C.E. when Julius Caesar was assassinated, his sister's grandson Gaius Octavian was only  18 years of age. Being an adopted son of Julius Caesar and his chief personal heir, young Octavian immediately set out for Rome to claim his inheritance.  There he encountered a formidable opponent -Caesar's chief  lieutenant, Mark Antony, who expected to be the principal heir.  The political intrigue and power struggle that followed lasted 13 years. 

Only after defeating the combined forces of Egyptian Queen Cleopatra and her lover Mark Antony (in 31 B.C.E.) did Octavian emerge as the undisputed  ruler of the of the Roman Empire.  The following year Antony and Cleopatra committed suicide and Octavian annexed Egypt. The last vestige of the Grecian Empire was thus removed, and Rome became the world power. 

Remembering that Julius Caesar's exercise of despotic power had led to his assassination, Octavian was careful not to offend. Roman sentiments favoring a republic, he disguised his monarchy under a republican garment.  He declined the titles "king" and "dictator."  Going a  step further, he announced his intention to turn over the control of all provinces to the Roman Senate  and offered to resign from the offices he held. This tactic worked. the appreciative Senate urged Octavian to retain his positions and keep control of some of the provinces. 

Additionally on January 16, 27 B.C.E., the Senate bestowed upon Octavian the title "Augustus,"  meaning "Exalted, Sacred."  Octavian not only accepted the title but also rename a month named after Julius Caesar. Octavian thus became the first emperor of Rome and was thereafter  known as Caesar Agustus or "August One."  later he also assumed the title of "pontifex maximus" (high priest), and in 2 B.C.E.-the year of Jesus' birth-the Senate gave him the title Pater Patriae, "Father of his Country."

Next time: Conclusion of  He "FOUND ROME BRICK AND LEFT IT MARBLE"

From the book:  PAY ATTENTION TO DANIEL'S PROPHECY! 1999

THE TWO KINGS AGAIN IN CLEAR FOCUS

Napoleon I delivered a deathblow to the Holy Roman Empire when he refused to recognize its existence following his victories in Germany during the year 1805.  Unable to defend the crown, Emperor Francis II resigned from Roman imperial status on August 6,1806, and withdrew to his national government as emperor of Austria.  After 1,006 years, the Holy Roman Empire-founded by Leo III, a Roman Catholic pope, Charlemagne, a  Frankish king-came to an end in 1870, Rome became the capital of the kingdom of Italy, independent of the Vatican.  The following year, A Germanic empire began with Wilhelm I being named caesar, or kaiser. Thus the modern-day king of the north-Germany-was on the world scene. 

But what was the identity of the modern-day king of the south?  History shows that Britain took on imperial power in the 17th century. Wanting to disrupt British trade routes, Napoleon I conquered Egypt in 1798.  War ensued, and a British-Ottomon alliance forced the French to withdraw from Egypt, identified as the king of the south at the onset of the conflict. During the following century, British influence in Egypt increased. When World War I broke out in 1914, Egypt belong to Turkey and was ruled by khedive, or viceroy. After Turkey sided with Germany in that war, however, Britain deposed  the khedive and declared Egypt a British protectorate.  Gradually forming close ties, Britain and the United States of American became the Anglo-American World Power. Together they came into the position of the king of the south. 

Next time: ONE HONORED THE OTHER DESPISED

From the book: PAY ATTENTION TO DANIEL'S PROPHECY! 1999

A GREAT EMPIRE IS DIVIDED

Without giving unnecessary details about the breakdown of the Roman Empire, which stretched over centuries, Jehovah's angel went on to foretell further exploits of the king of the north and the king of the south. However, a brief review of certain developments in the Roman  Empire will help us to identify the two rival kings in later times. 

In the fourth century, Roman Emperor Constantine gave State recognition to apostate Christianity. He even called an personally presided over a church council at Nicaea, Asia Minor, in 325 C.E. Later, Constantine moved the imperial residence from Rome to Byzantium, or Constantinople, making that city his new capital. The Roman Empire continued under the rulership of a singer emperor until the death of Emperor Theodosius I, on January 17, 395 C.E.

Following the death of Theodosius, the Roman Empire was divided between his sons. Honorius received the western part, and Arcadius the eastern , with Constantinople as his capital.  Britannia, Gaul, Italy, Spain, and North Africa were among the provinces of the eastern division. In 642 C.E., the Egyptian capital, Alexandria, fell to the Saracens (Arabs), and Egypt became a province of the caliphs. In January 1449, Constantine XI became the last emperor of the east.  Ottoman Turks under Sultan Mehmed II took Constantinople on May 29, 1453, ending with the Easter Roman Empire.  The year 1517 saw Egypt become a Turkish province.  In time, though, this land of the ancient king of the south would come under the control of another empire from the western sector. 

In the western wing of the Roman Empire arose the Catholic bishop of Rome, notably Pope Leo I, who was renowned for asserting  papal authority in the fifth century C.E. In time, the pope took it upon himself to crown the emperor of the western section. This occurred in Rome on Christmas day of 800 C.E., when Pope Leo III crowned Frankish Kind Charles (Charlemagne )emperor of the new Western Roman Empire. This coronation revived the emperorship in Rome and, according to some historians, marked the beginning of the Holy Roman Empire.  From then on there existed the Easter Empire and the Holy Roman Empire to the west, both claiming to be Christian.   

As time passed, the successors of Charlemagne prove to be ineffectual rulers.  The office of the emperor even lay vacant for a time.  Meanwhile, German King Otto I had gained control of much of norther and central Italy.  On February 2, 962 C.E., Pope John VII crowned Otto I emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.  Its capital was in Germany, and the emperors were Germans, as were most of their subjects.  Five centuries later the Austrian house of Hapsburg obtained the title of "emperor" and held it for most of the remaining years of the Holy Roman Empire.  

Next time:  THE TWO KINGS AGAIN IN CLEAR FOCUS

From the book:  PAY ATTENTION TO DANIEL'S PROPHECY! 1999

AROUSED AGAINST THE KING OF THE SOUTH

God's angel continued with the prophecy, saying:  "He [the king of the north] will arouse his power and his heart against the king of the south with a great military force; and the king of the south, for his part, will excite himself for excite himself for the war with an exceedingly great and mighty military force.  And he [the king of the north] will  not stand, because they will scheme out against him schemes. And the very ones eating his delicacies will bring his breakdown. And as for his military force, it will be flooded away, and many will certainly fall down slain." -Daniel 11:25, 26. 

 About 300 years after Octavian had made Egypt a Roman province, Roman Emperor Aurelian assumed the role of the kin gof the north. Meanwhile, Queen Septimia Zenobia of the Roman colony of Palmyra occupied the position of the king of the south."  The Palmyra army occupied Egypt in 269 C.E. under the pretext of making it secure for Rome. Zenobia wanted to make Palmyra the dominant city in the east and wanted to rule over Rome's eastern provinces. Alarmed by her ambition, Aurelian aroused "his power and his heart" to proceed against Zenobia. 

As the ruling entity headed by Zenobia, the king of the south "excited himself' for warfare against the king of the north "with an exceedingly great and mighty military force" under two generals, Zabdas and Zabbai.  But Aurelian took Egypt  and then launched an expedition into Asia Minor and Syria. Zenobia  was defeated at Emesa (now Homs), whereupon she retreated to Palmyra.  When Aurelian besieged that city, Zenobia valiantly defended it but without success. She and her son fled toward Persia, only to be captured by the Romans at the Euphrates River. The Palmyrenes surrendered their city in 272 C.E. Aurelian spared Zenobia, making her the prize feature in his triumphal procession  through Rome in 274 C.E. She spent the rest of her life as a Roman matron.

Aurelian himself did not stand because of schemes against him.'  In 275 C.E., he set out on an expedition against the Persians. While he was waiting in Thrace for the opportunity to cross the straits into Asia Minor, those who 'ate his food' carried out schemes against him and brought  about his  "breakdown."  He was going to call his secretary Eros to account for his regularities. Eros, however forged  a list of names of certain officers marked for death. The sight of this list moved the officers to plot Aurelian's assassination and to murder him. 

The career of the king of the north did not end with the death of Emperor Aurelian. Other Roman rulers followed. For a time, there was an emperor of the wast and one of the east.  Under these men the "military force" of the king of the north was "flooded away," or "scattered," and many 'fell down slain'  because of  the invasion of the Germanic tribes from the north. Goths broke through the Roman frontiers in the fourth century C.E., German leader Odacer removed the last emperor ruling from Rome. By the beginning of the sixth century, the Roman Empire in the west had been  shattered, and German kings ruled in Britannia, Gaul, Italy, North Africa, and Spain. The eastern part of the empire lasted into the 15th century.  

Next time: A GREAT EMPIRE IS DIVIDED

From the book:  PAY ATTENTION TO DANIEL'S PROPHECY! 1999

A TYRANT 'SCHEMES OUT HIS SCHEMES'

Still prophesying about Tiberius, the angel said:   "Because of their allying themselves with him he will carry on deception and actually come up and become mighty by means of a little nation." (Daniel 11:23)  Members of the Roman Senate had constitutionally 'allied themselves' with Tiberius, and he formally depended upon them.  But he was deceptive, actually becoming "mighty by means of a little nation."  That little nation was the Roman Praetorian Guard, encamped close to Rome's walls.  Its proximity intimidated the Senate and helped Tiberius keep in check any uprisings against his authority among the populace.  By means of some 10,000 guards, Tiberius remained mighty. 

The angel added prophetically:  "During freedom from care, even into the fatness of the jurisdictional district he will enter in and actually do what his fathers and the fathers of this fathers have not done. Plunder  and spoil and goods he will scatter among them; and against fortified places he will scheme out his schemes, but only until a time." (Daniel 11:24)  Tiberius was extremely suspicious and his reign abounded with ordered killings. Largely because of the influence of Sejanus, commander of the Praetorian Guard, the latter part of his reign was marked by terror.  Finally, Sejanus himself fell under suspicion and was executed.  In tyrannizing over people, Tiberius exceeded his forefathers. 

Tiberius, however, scattered "plunder and spoil and goods" throughout the Roman provinces. By the time of his death, all the subject peoples were enjoying prosperity. Taxes were light, and he could be generous to those  in areas undergoing hard times. If soldiers  or officials oppressed anyone or promoted irregularity in handling matters, they could expect imperial vengeance. A firm grip on power maintained public security, and an improved communications system helped commerce.  Tiberius made sure that affairs were administered fairly and steadily  inside and outside Rome. The laws were improved, and social and  moral codes were enhanced by the furthering of reforms instituted by Augustus Caesar. Yet, Tiberius  'schemed his schemes,' so that Roman historian Tacitus described him as hypocritical man, skilled  at putting on false appearances.  By the time he died in March 37 C.E., Tiberius  was considered to be a tyrant. 

The successors to Tiberius who filled the role of the king of the north included Gaius Caesar (Caligula), Claudius I, Nero , Vespasian, Titus, Domitian, Nerva, Trajan, and Hadrian. "For the most part," says The New Encyclopedia Britannica, "the successors to Augustus continued his administrative policies  and buidling program, though with less innovation and more ostentations."  The same reference work further points out:  "In the late 1st and early 2nd centuries Rome was at the peak of its grandeur and population." Although Rome  had some trouble on the imperial frontiers during this time, its first foretold confrontation with the king of the south did not occur until the third century C.E. 

Next time: AROUSED AGAINST THE KING OF THE SOUTH

From the book: PAY ATTENTION TO DANIEL'S PROPHECY! 1999

'THE DESPISE ONE STANDS UP

Continuing with the prophecy, the angel said:  "There must stand up in his [Augustus'] position one who is to be despised, and they will certainly not set upon him the dignity of the kingdom; and he will actually come in during a freedom from care and take hold of the kingdom by means of smoothness. And as regards the arms of the flood, they will be flooded  over on account of him, and they will be broken' as will also the Leader of the covenant." -Daniel 11:21, 22.

The "one who is to be  despised" was Tiberius Caesar, the son of Livia, Augustus' third wife.   Augustus hated this this stepson because of his bad traits and did not want  him to become the next Caesar.  "The dignity of the kingdom"  was unwillingly bestowed upon him only after all other likely successors were dead.  Augustus adopted Tiberius in 4 C.E. and made him heir to the throne. After the death of Augustus, 54-year-old Tiberius-the despised one-'stood up,' assuming power as the Roman emperor and the king of the north. 

"Tiberius," says, The New Encyclopedia Britannica, "played politics with the Senate and did not allow it to name him emperor for almost a month [after Augustus died]." He told the Senate that no one but Augustus was capable of carrying the burden of ruling the Roman Empire and asked the senators to restore the republic by entrusting such authority to a group of men rather than to one man. "Not daring to take  him at his word,"  wrote historian Will Durant, "the Senate exchanged bows with him until at last he accepted power."  Durant added:  "The play was well acted on both sides.  Tiberius wanted the principate, or he would have found some way to evade it; the Senate feared and hated  him, but shrank from re-establishing  a republic based, like the old, upon theoretically sovereign assemblies." Thus Tiberius 'took hold of the kingdom  by means of smoothness.' 

"As regards the arms of the flood"-the military forces of the surrounding kingdoms-the angel said: "They will be flooded over and will be broken.' When Tiberius became the king of the north, his nephew Germanicus Caesar was commander of the Roman troops on the Rhine River.  In 15 C.E., Germanicus led his forces against the German hero Arminius with some success.  However, the limited victories were won at great cost, and Tiberius thereafter aborted operations in Germany. Instead, by promoting civil war, he tired to prevent German tribes from uniting. Tiberius generally favored a defensive foreign policy and focused on strengthening the frontiers.  This stance was fairly successful.  In this way "the arms of the flood" were controlled and were "broken." 

"Broken" too was "the Leader of the covenant" that Jehovah God had made with Abraham for blessing all the families of the earth.  Jesus Christ was the Seed of Abraham promised in that covenant.  (Genesis 22:18; Galatians 3:16)  On Nisan 14, 33 C.E., Jesus stood before Pontius Pilate in the Roman governor's palace in Jerusalem.  The Jewish priests had charged Jesus with treason against the  emperor.  But Jesus told Pilate: "My kingdom is no part of this world. . . .My kingdom is not from this source." So that the Roman governor might not free the faultless Jesus, the Jews shouted: "If you release this man, you are not a friend of Caesar. Every man making himself a king speaks against Caesar." After calling for Jesus' execution, they said:  "We have no king but Caesar." According to the law of injured majesty," which Tiberius had broadened to include virtually any insult to Caesar,m Pilate handed Jesus over to be "broken," or impaled on a torture stake. -John 18:36; 19:12-16; Mark 15:14-20. 

Next time: A TYRANT 'SCHEMES OUT HIS SCHEMES'

From the book: PAY ATTENTION TO DANIEL'S PROPHECY! 1999

A NEW KING SENDS OUT "AN EXTRACTOR"

In the spring of 33 C.E., Jesus Christ told his disciples:  "When you catch sight of the disgusting thing that causes desolation, as spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in a holy place, . . . then let those in Judea begin fleeing to the mountains." (Matthew 24:15, 16) Quoting from Daniel 11:31, Jesus warned his followers about a future 'disgusting thing causing desolation.' This  prophecy  involving the king of the north was given some 195 years after the death of Antiochus IV, the last Syrian king in that role. Surely, another ruling entity  would have to assume the identity of the king of the north. Who would that  be?

Jehovah God's angel foretold:  "There must stand up in his position  [that of Antiochus IV] one who is causing an exactor to pass through the splendid kingdom, and warfare." (Daniel 11:20)  The one 'standing up' in this way proved to be the first Roman emperor, Octavian, who was known as Caesar Augustus. 

"The splendid kingdom" of Augustus included "the land of the Decoration"-The roman province of Judea. (Daniel 11:16) In 2 B.C.E., Augustus sent out "an exactor"   by ordering a registration, or census, probably so that he could learn the number of the population for purposes  of taxation and military conscription.  Because of this decree, Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem for registration, resulting in Jesus' birth at that foretold location.  (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:1-12) In August 14 C.E. -"in a few days," or not long after decreeing the registration-Augustus died at the age of 76, neither "in anger" at an assassin's hands nor "in warfare," but as a result of illness.  The king of the north had indeed changed identity!  This king of the north had by now become the Roman Empire in the person of its emperors.

Next time: 'THE DESPISED ONE STANDS UP'

From the book:  PAY ATTENTION TO DANIEL'S PROPHECY! 1999

THE TWO KINGS CHANGE IDENTITIES: CHAPTER FOURTEEN

SYRIAN monarch Antiochus IV  invades Egypt and crowns himself its king. At the request of Egyptian King Ptolemy VI, Rome sends Ambassador Caius Popilius Laenas to Egypt.  He has with him an impressive fleet and orders from the Roman Senate that Antiochus IV renounce his kingship of Egypt and withdraw from the country. At Eleusis, a suburb  of Alexandria, the Syrian king and the Roman ambassador come fact-to-face. Antiochus IV requests time for consultation with his advisers, but Laenas draws a circle around the king and tells him to answer before stepping across the line. Humiliated, Antiochus IV complies with Roman demands and returns to Syria in 168 B.C.E. Thus ends the confrontation between the Syrian king of the north and the Egyptian king of the south.

Playing a dominant role in the affairs of the Middle East, Rome goes on dictating to Syria. Hence, even though other kings of the Seleucid dynasty rule Syria after Antiochus IV dies in 163 B.C.E., they do not occupy the position of  "the king of the north." (Daniel 11:15) Syrian finally becomes a Roman province  in 64 B.C.E.

Egypt's Ptolemaic dynasty continues to hold the position of  "king of the south" for a little over a 130 years after the death of Antiochus IV.  (Daniel 11:14) During the battle of Actium, in 31 B.C.E., Roman ruler Octavian defeats the combine forces of the last Ptolemaic queen-Cleopatra VII-and her Roman lover, Mark Antony. After Cleopatra's suicide the following year, Egypt too becomes  a Roman province  and no longer plays the role of the king  of the south. By the year 30 B.C.E., Rome has supremacy over both Syrian and Egypt.   Should we now expect other rulerships to assume the roles of the king of the north and the king of the south?  

Next time: A NEW KING SENDS OUT "AN EXACTOR"

From the book: PAY ATTENTION TO DANIEL'S PROPHECY! 1999

THE CONFLICT CONTINUES

As the king of the south, Ptolemy V tried to gain the provinces that should have come to him as Cleopatra's dowry, but poison ended his efforts. He was succeeded by Ptolemy VI.  What about Seleucus IV?  In need of money to pay the heavy fine owed to Rome, he sent his treasurer Heliodorus to seize riches said to be stored in Jerusalem's temple.  Desiring the throne, Heliodorus murdered Seleucus IV.  However, King Eumenes of Pergamum and his brother Attalus had the slain king's brother Antiochus IV enthroned.

The new king of the north, Antiochus IV, sought to show himself mightier than God by trying eradicate Jehovah's arrangement of worship.  Defying Jehovah ah, he dedicated Jerusalem's temple to Zeus, or Jupiter.  In December 167 B.C.E., a pagan altar was erected on top of the great altar in the temple courtyard where a daily burnt offering had been made to Jehovah. Ten days later, a sacrifice to Zeus was offered to the pagan altar. This desecration led to a Jewish uprising under the Maccabees. Antiochus IV battled them for three years.  In 164 B.C.E., on the anniversary of the desecration, Judah Maccabaeus rededicated the temple to Jehovah and the festival of dedication -Hanukkah-was instituted. -John 10:22.

The Maccabees probably made a treaty with Rome in 161 B.C.E. and established a kingdom in 104 B.C.E. But the friction between them and the Syrian king of the north continued. Finally, Rome was called upon to intervene.  The Roman General Gnaeus Pompey took Jerusalem in 63 B.C.E. after a three-month siege. In 39 B.C.E., the Roman Senate appointed Herod-an Edomite- to be king of Judea.  Ending the Maccabean rule, he took Jerusalem in 37 B.C.E.

 How thrilling it is to see the first part of the prophecy of the two kings in conflict fulfilled in detail! Indeed, how exciting to peer into the history of some 500 years after the prophetic message  was delivered to Daniel and identify the rulers occupying the positions of the king of the north and the king of the south!  However, the political identities of these two kings change as the battles between them continues through the time when Jesus Christ walked the earth and down into our day.  By matching historical developments with intriguing details revealed  in this prophecy, we will be able to identify these  two contending kings. 

Next time: THE TWO KINGS CHANGE IDENTITIES: CHAPTER FOURTEEN

From the book: PAY ATTENTION TO DANIEL'S PROPHECY! 1999

ROME CONSTRAINS THE EXPLOITER

Jehovah's angel gives us this answer:  "He [the king of the north] will set his face to come with the forcefulness of his entire kingdom, and there will be equitable terms with him; and he will act effectively. And as regards the daughter of womankind, it will be granted to him to bring her to ruin. And she will not stand, and she will not continue to be his." -Daniel 11:17.

The king of the north, Antiochus III,  "set his face" to dominate Egypt "with forcefulness of his entire kingdom."  But he ended up making "equitable terms"  of peace with Ptolemy V, the king of the south. Rome's demands had cause Antiochus III  to change his plan.  When he and King Philip V of Macedonia leagues against the Egyptian king of tender years to take over his territories, the guardians of Ptolemy V turned to Rome for protection. Taking advantage of the opportunity to expand its sphere of influence, Rome flexed its muscles.

Under compulsion by Rome, Antiochus III brought terms of peace to the king of the south. Rather than surrendering conquered territories, as Rome had demanded, Antiochus III planned to make a nominal transfer of them by having his daughter  Cleopatra I-"the daughter of womankind"-marry Ptolemy V. Provinces that included Judah, "the land of Decoration," would be given as her dowry. At the marriage in 193 B.C.E., however, the Syrian king did not let these provinces go to Ptolemy V. this was a political marriage, formed to make Egypt  subject to Syria.  But the scheme failed because Cleopatra i did "not continue to be his," for she later sided with her husband. When war broke out between Antiochus III and the Romans, Egypt took the side of Rome. 

Referring to the reverses of the king of the north, the angel added:  "And he [Antiochus III] will turn is face back to the coastlands and will actually capture many.  And a commander [Rome] will have to make the reproach from him cease for himself [Rome}, so that his reproach [that of Antiochus III] will not be. He [Rome],m will make it turn back upon  that one. And he [Antiochus III] will turn his face back to the fortresses of his own land, and he will certainly stumble and fall, and he will not be found." -Daniel 11:18, 19. 

The "coastlands" were those of Macedonian, Greece, and Asia Minor. A war broke out in Greece in 192 B.C.E., and Antiochus III was induced to come to Greece. Displeased because of the Syrian king's efforts to capture additional territories there, Rome formally declared  war on him. At Thermopylae he suffered a defeat at Roman hands. About a year after losing the battle of Magnesia in 190 B.C.E., he had to give up everything in Greece, Asia Minor, and in areas west of the Taurus Mountains.  Rome exacted a heavy fine and established  it domination over the Syrian king of the north. Driven from Greece and Asia Minor and having lost nearly all his fleet, Antiochus III 'turned his face back to the fortresses of his own land,' Syria. The Romans had 'turned back upon him his reproach against them.' Antiochus III died while trying to rob a temple at Elymais, Persia, in 187 B.C.E. He thus 'fell'  in death and was succeeded by his son, Seleucus IV, the next king of the north. 

Next time: THE CONFLICT CONTINUES

From the book: PAY ATTENTION TO DANIEL'S PROPHECY! 1999

THE EXPLOITER RETURNS

Because of all his exploits, Antiochus III came to be called Antiochus the Great.  Of him, the angel said:  "The king of the north must return and set up a crowd larger than the first; and at the end of the times, some years, he will come, doing so with a great military force and with a great deal of goods." (Daniel 11:13) These "times" were 16 or more years after the Egyptians defeated the Syrians at Raphia.  When young Ptolemy V became king of the south, Antiochus III set out with "a crowd larger than the first" To recover the territories he had lost to the Egyptian king of the south. To that end, he joined forces with Macedonian King Philip V. 

The king of the south also had troubles within his kingdom.  "In those times there will be many who will stand up against the king of the south," said the angel. (Daniel 11:14a) Many did not "stand up against the king of the south." Besides facing the forces of Antiochus III and his Macedonian ally, the young king of the south faced problems at home in Egypt.  Because his guardian Agathocles, who ruled in his name, dealt arrogantly with the Egyptians, may revolted.  The angel added:  "And the sons of the robbers belonging to your people will, for their part, be carried along to try making a vision come true; and they will have to stumble."  (Daniel 11:14b) Even some of Daniel's people became 'sons of robbers,' or revolutionaries.  But any "vision" such Jewish men had of ending Gentile domination of their homeland was false, and they would fail, or "stumble." 

Jehovah's angel further foretold: "The king of the north will come and throw up a siege rampart and actually capture a city with fortifications. And as for the arms of the south, they will not stand neither the people of his picked ones; and there will be no power to keep standing. And the one coming against him will do according to his will, and there will be no one standing before him. And he will stand in the land of the Decoration, and there will be extermination in his hand." -Daniel 11:15, 16. 

Military forces under Ptolemy v, or "arms of the south," succumbed to assault from the north, at Paneas (Caesarea Philippi), Antiochus III drove  Egypt's General Scopas  and 10,000 select men, or "picked ones," into Sidon, "a city with fortifications."  There Antiochus III 'threw up a siege rampart,' taking that Phoenician seaport in 198 B.C.E. He acted "according to his will" Because the forces of the Egyptian king of the south were unable to stand before him. Antiochus II then marched against Jerusalem, the capital of "the land of the Decoration,"  Judah. In 198 B.C.E., Jerusalem and Judah passed from domination by the Egyptian king of the south to that of the Syrian king of the north. And Antiochus III, the king of the north, began to "stand in the land of the Decoration." There was "extermination in his hand" for all opposing Jews and Egyptians.  For how long would this king of the north be able to do as he pleased?   

Next time: ROME CONSTRAINS THE EXPLOITER

From the book: PAY ATTENTION TO DANIEL'S PROPHECY! 1999 

THE TIDE TURNS

Like Daniel, we expectantly listen as Jehovah's angel next foretells: "The king of the south will embitter himself and will have to go forth and fight  with him, that is, with the king of the north; and he will certainly have a large crowd stand up, and the crowd will actually be given into the land  of that one." (Daniel 11:11)  With 75,000 troops, the king of the south, Ptolemy IV, moved northward against the enemy.   The Syrian king of the north, Antiochus III, had raised "a large crowd" of 68,000 to stand up against him.  But "the crowd" was "given into the hand" of the king of the south in battle at the coastal city of Raphia, not far from Egypt's border. 

The prophecy continues: "And the crowd will certainly be carried away.  His heart will become exalted, and he will actually cause tens of thousands to fall;but he will not use his strong position." (Daniel 11:12) Ptolemy IV, the king of the south, "carried away" 10,400 as prisoners.  The kings then made a treaty whereby Antiochus III kept his Syrian seaport of Seleucia but lost Phoenicia and Coele-Syria. Over this victory, the heart of the Egyptian  king of the south 'became exalted,' especially against Jehovah. Judah remained under the control of Ptolemy IV.  However, he did not "use his strong position" to follow up  his victory against the Syrian king of the north.  Instead, Ptolemy IV turned to a life of debauchery, and his five-year-old son, Ptolemy V, became the next king of the south some years before the death of Antiochus III. 

Next time: THE EXPLOITER RETURNS 

From the book: PAY ATTENTION TO DANIEL'S PROPHECY! 1999

THE SYRIAN KING RETALIATES

How did the king of the north react?  Daniel was told: "He will actually come into the kingdom of the king of the south and go back to his own soil." (Daniel 11:9)  The king of the north-Syrian King Seleucus II-struck back.  He entered "the kingdom," or realm, of the Egyptian King of the south but met defeat.  With only a small remnant of his army, Seleucus II 'went back to his own soil,' retreating to the Syrian capital Antioch in about 242 B.C.E. At his death, his son Seleucus III succeeded him.

What was foretold concerning the offspring of Syrian King Seleucus II?  The angel told Daniel:  "Now as for his sons, they will excite themselves and actually gather together a crowd of large military forces. And in coming he will certainly come and flood over and pass through. But he will go back, and he will excite himself all the way to his fortress." (Daniel 11:10) Assassination ended the reign of Seleucus III in less than three years. His brother, Antiochus III, succeeded him on the Syrian throne.  This son of Seleucus II assembled great forces for an assault on the king of the south,m who was by then Ptolemy IV. The new Syrian king of the north successfully fought against Egypt and won back the seaport of Seleucia, the province of Coele-Syria, the cities of Tyre And Ptolemais,  and nearby towns.  He routed an army of King Ptolemy IV and took many cities of Judah. In the spring of 217 B.C.E., Antiochus III left Ptolemais and went north, "all the way to his fortress" in Syria.  But a change was in sight. 

Next time: THE TIDE TURNS

From the book:  PAY ATTENTION TO DANIEL'S PROPHECY! 1999

A KING AVENGES HIS SISTER'S MURDER

"One from the sprout of her roots will certainly stand up in his position," said the angel, "and he will come to the military force and come against the fortress of the king of the north and will certainly act against them and prevail." (Daniel 11:7)  "One from the sprout" of Berenice's parents or "roots," was her brother.  At his father's death, he 'stood up' as the king of the south, the Egyptian Pharaoh Ptolemy III.  At once he set out to avenge his sister's murder. Marching against Syrian King Seleucus II, who Laodice had used to murder Berenice and her son, he came against "the fortress of the king of the north."  Ptolemy III took the fortified  part of Antioch and dealt a deathblow to Laodice.  Moving eastward through the domain of the king of the north he plundered Babylonia and marched on to India.

What happened next? God's angel tells us: "And also with their gods, with their molten images, with their desirable articles of silver and gold, and with the captives he will come to Egypt. And he himself for some years stand off from the king of the north." (Daniel 11:8) Over 200 years earlier, Persian King Cambyses II had conquered Egypt and carried home Egyptian gods, "their molten images." Plundering Persia's former royal capital Susa, Ptolemy III recovered these gods and took them 'captive' to Egypt.  He also brought back as spoils of war a great many "desirable articles of silver and of gold." Obliged to quell revolt at home, Ptolemy III 'stood off from the king of the north,' inflicting no further injuries upon him. 

Next time: THE SYRIAN KING RETALIATES

From the book: PAY ATTENTION TO DANIEL'S PROPHECY! 1999

THE CONFLICT BEGINS

Listen! Describing the start of this dramatic  conflict, Jehovah's angels says:  "The king of the south will become strong, even one of his [Alexander's] princes; and he [the king of the north] will prevail against him and will certainly rule with extensive dominion greater than that one's ruling power." (Daniel 11:5) The designations "the king of the north" and "the king of the south" refer to kings north and south of Daniel's people, who were by then freed from Babylonian captivity and restored to the land of Judah.  The initial "king of the south" was Ptolemy I of Egypt.  One of Alexander's generals who prevailed against Ptolemy I and ruled "with extensive dominion" was Syrian King Seleucus I Nicator.  He assumed the role of "the king of the north."

At the onset of the conflict, the land of Judah was under the dominion of the king of the south.  From about 320 B.C.E., Ptolemy I influenced Jews to come to Egypt as colonists. A  Jewish colony flourished in Alexandria, where Ptolemy I founded a famous library. The Jews in Judah remained under the control of Ptolemaic Egypt, the king of the south, until 198 B.C.E. Concerning the two kings, the angel prophesied: "At the end of some years they will ally themselves with each other, and the very daughter of the king of th south will become to the king of the north in order to make an equitable arrangement.  But she will be given up, she herself, and those bringing her in, and he who caused her birth, and the one making her strong in those times." (Daniel 11:6) How did this come to be? 

The prophecy did not take not of Seleucus I Nicator's son and successor, Antiochus I, because he did not wage a decisive war against the king of the south. But his successor , Antiochus II fought a long war against Ptolemy II, the son of Ptolemy I.  Antiochus II and Ptolemy II respectively constituted the king of the north and the king of the south.  Antiochus II was married to Laodice, and they had a son named Seleucus II whereas Ptolemy II had a daughter name Berenice.  In 250 B.C.E., these two kings entered into "an equitable arrangement." To pay the price of this alliance, Antiochus II divorced his wife Laodice and married Berenice, "the very daughter of the king of the south."  By Berenice, he had a son who became heir  to the Syrian throne instead of the sons of Laodice.

Berenice's "arm," or supporting power, was her father, Ptolemy II.  When he died in 246 B.C.E., she did not "retain the power of her arm" with her husband . Antiochus II rejected her, remarried Laodice, and named their son to be successor. As Laodice planned, Berenic and her son were murdered. Evidently, the attendants who had brought Berenice from Egypt to Syria-"those bringing her in"-suffered the same end. Laodice even poisoned Antiochus II and thus "his arm," or power, also did "not stand."  Hence, Berenice's father-"he who caused her birth"- and her Syrian husband-who had temporarily made her "strong" -both died.  This left Seleucus II, the son of Laodice, as Syrian king.   how would the next Ptolemaic king react to all of this?

Next time: A KING AVENGES HIS SISTER'S MURDER

From the book: PAY ATTENTION TO DANIEL'S PROPHECY! 1999

TWO RIVAL KINGS EMERGE

A few years after coming to power, Casander died, and in 285 B.C.E., Lysimachus took possession of the European part of the Greek Empire.  In 281 B.C.E., Lysimachus fell in battle before Selducus I Nicator, giving Seleucus control  over the major portion of the Asiatic territories. Antigonus II Gonatas, grandson of one of Alexander
s generals, ascended to the throne of Macedonia in 276 B.C.E. In time, Macedonia became dependent upon  Rome and ended up as a Roman province in 146 B.C.E.

 Only two of the four Hellenistic kingdoms now remained prominent-one under Seleucus I Nicator and the other under Ptolemy Lagus.  Seleucus established the Seleucid dynasty  in Syria. Among the cities he founded were Antioch-the new Syrian capital-and the seaport of Seleucia.  The apostle Paul  later taught in Antioch, where the followers of Jesus first came to be called Christians. (Acts 11:25, 26; 13:1-4) Seleucus was assassinated in 281 B.C.E., but his dynasty ruled until 64  B.C.E. when Roman General Gnaeus Pompey made Syria a Roman province. 

The Hellenistic kingdom that lasted the longest of the four was that of Ptolemy Lagus, or Ptolemy I, who assumed the title of king in 305  B.C.E.The Ptolemic dynasty that he established continued to rule Egypt until it fell to Rome in 30 B.C.E.

Thus out of four Hellenistic kingdom, there emerged two strong kings-Seleucus I Nicator over Syria and Ptolemy I over Egypt.  With these two kings began the long struggle  between "the king of the north" and "the king of the south," described in Daniel chapter 11. Jehovah's angel left the names of the kings unmentioned for the identity and nationality of these two kings would  change throughout the centuries.   Omitting unnecessary details, the angel mentioned only rulers and events that have a bearing on the conflict.

Next time:  THE CONFLICT BEGINS

From the book: PAY ATTENTION TO DANIEL'S PROPHECY! 1999

A GREAT KINGDOM DIVIDED INTO FOUR

"A mighty king  will certainly stand up and rule with  extensive dominion and do according to his will," said the angel. (Daniel 11:3) Twenty-year-old Alexander 'stood up' as king of Macedonia in 336 B.C.E. He did become "a mighty king"-Alexander the Great.  Driven by a plan of his father,Philip II, he took the Persian provinces in the Middle East. Crossing the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, his 47,000 men scattered the 25,000 troops of Darius III at Guagamela.  Subsequently, Darius fled and was murdered, ending the Persian dynasty.  Greece now became the world power, and Alexander 'ruled with extensive dominion and did according to his will.'

Alexander's rulership over the world was to be brief, for God's angel added: "When he will have stood up, his kingdom will be broken and be divided toward the four winds of the heavens, but not to his posterity and not according to his dominion with which he had ruled; because his kingdom will be uprooted, even for others than these." (Daniel 11:4) Alexander was not quite 33 years old when sudden illness took his life in Babylon in 323 B.C.E.

Alexander's vast empire did not pass to "his posterity."  His brother Philip III Arrhidaeus reigned  for less than seven years and was murdered at the instance of Olympias, Alexander's mother, in 317 B.C.E.  Alexander's son Alexander IV ruled until 311 B.C.E. when he met death at the hands of Cassander, on of his father's generals.  Alexander's illegitimate son Heracles sought to rule in his father's name but was murdered in 309 B.C.E. Thus ended the line of Alexander, "his dominion" departing from his family.

Following the death of Alexander, his kingdom was "divided toward the four winds." His many generals quarreled among themselves as they grabbed for  territory.  One-eyed General Antigonus I tried to bring all of Alexander's empire under his control.  But he was killed in a battle of Ipsus in Phrygia.  By the year 301 B.C.E., four of Alexander's generals were in power over the vast territory that their commander  had conquered.  Cassander ruled Macedonia and Greece. Lysimachus gained control over Asia Minor and Thrace. Seleucus I Nicator secured Mesopotamia and Syria. And Ptolemy Lagus took Egypt and Palestine.  True to the prophetic word, Alexander's great empire was divided into four Hellenistic kingdoms.  

Next time: TWO RIVALS EMERGE

From the book:  PAY ATTENTION TO DANIEL'S PROPHECY! 1999

AGAINST THE KINGDOM OF GREECE

"As for me said the angel, "in the year of Darius the Mede [539/538 B.C.E.] I stood up as a strengthener and as a fortress to him."  (Daniel 11:1)  Was no longer living but the angel referred to his reign as the starting point of the prophetic message.  It was this king who had ordered  that Daniel be taken out of the lion's pit Darius had also decreed that all his subjects should fear Daniel's God. (Daniel 6:21-27) However, the one for whom the angel stood up as a supporter was, not Darius the Mede, but the angel's associate Michael-the prince of Daniel's people.  (Compare Daniel 10:12-14) God's angel provided this support while Michael contended with the demon prince of Medo-Persia. 

God's angel continued: "Look! There will yet be three kings standing up for Persia, and the fourth one will amass greater riches than all others. And as soon as he has become strong in his riches, he will rouse up everything against the kingdom of Greece." (Daniel 11:2) Just who were these Persian rulers?

The first three kings were Cyrus the Great, Cambyses II, and Darius I (Hystaspes).  Since Bardiya (or perhaps a pretender named Guamata) ruled for only seven months, the prophecy  did not take his brief reign into consideration. In 490 B.C.E., the third king, Darius i, attempted to invade Greece for the second time. However, the Persians were routed at Marathon and retreated to Asia Minor.  Though Darius made careful preparations for a further campaign against Greece, he could not carry it out before his death four years later. That was left up  to his son and successor, the "fourth" king, Xerxes I. He was the King Ahasuerus who married Esther. -Esther 1:1; 2:15-17. 

Xerxes I did indeed "rouse up everything against the kingdom of Greece," that is, the independent Grecian states as a group.  "Urged on by ambitious courtier," says the book The Medes and Persians-Conquerors and Diplomats, "Xerxes launched an assault by land and sea."  Greek historian Herodotus, of the fifth century B.C.E., writes that "no other expedition compare to this seems of any account."  His record states that the sea force "amounted in all to 5`7,610 men. The number of the foot soldiers  was 1, 700, 000; that of the horsemen 80,000; to which must be added the Arabs who rode on camels, and the Lybyans who fought in chariots, whom I reckon at 20,000.  The whole numbers, therefore, of the land and sea forces added together amounts to 2,317,610 men." 

Planning on nothing less than a complete conquest, Xerxes I moved his huge force against Greece in 480 B.C.E. Overcoming a Greek delaying action at Thermopylae, the Persians ravaged Athens. At Salamis,m though, they met with terrible defeat.  Another Greek victory took place at Plataea, in 479 B.C.E. None of the seven kings who succeeded Xerxes on the throne of the Persian Empire during the next 143 years carried war into Greece.  But then there arose a mighty king in Greece.

Next time:  A GREAT KINGDOM DIVIDED INTO FOUR

From the book: PAY ATTENTION TO DANIEL'S PROPHECY! 1999

TWO KINGS IN CONFLICT;CHAPTER THIRTEEN

TWO rival kings are locked in an all-out struggle for supremacy.  As all years pass, first one, then the other, gains ascendancy. At times, one king rules supreme while the other becomes inactive, and there are periods of no conflict.  But then another battle suddenly erupts, and the conflict continues. Among the participants in this drama have been Syrian King Seleucus I Nicator, Egyptian King Ptolemy Lagus, Syrian Princess and Egyptian Queen Cleopatra i, Roman Emperors Augustus and Tiberius , and Palmyrene Queen Zenoba.  As the conflict nears its end, Nazi Germany, the Communist bloc of nations, the Anglo-American World Power, the League of Nations and the United Nations have also been involved.  The finale is an episode unforeseen by any of these political entities.  Jehovah's angel declared this exciting prophecy to the prophet Daniel some 2,500 years ago. -Daniel, chapter 11.

How thrilled Daniel must have been to hear the angel reveal to him in detail the rivalry between two forthcoming kings? the drama is of interest to us as well, for the power struggle between  the two kings stretches into our day. Seeing how history has shown the first part of the prophecy to be true will strengthen our faith and confidence in the certainty of fulfillment of the last part of the prophetic account. Paying attention to this prophecy will give us a clear view of where we are in the stream of time.  It will also fortify  our resolve to remain neutral in the conflict we patiently wait for God to act in our behalf.  (Psalm 146:3, 5) With keen attention, then, let us listen as Jehovah's angel speaks to Daniel. 

Next time: AGAINST THE KINGDOM OF GREECE

From the book: PAY ATTENTION TO DANIEL'S PROPHECY! 19999

Conclusion of A "VERY DESIRABLE MAN" STRENGTHENED

Having strengthened Daniel and helped him to recover his mental and physical capabilities, the angel restated the purpose of his mission.  He said: "Do you really know why I have come to you?  And now I shall go back to fight with the prince of Persia.  When I ma going forth,  look! Also the prince of Greece is coming.  However, I shall tell you the things  noted down in the writing of truth, and there is no one holding strongly with me in these  but Michael, the prince of you people." -Daniel 10:20,  21.

How loving and considerate of Jehovah!  He always deals with his servants according to their potential and limitations. On the one hand, he gives them assignments according to what he know they can accomplish, even though they may sometimes feel otherwise.  On the other hand, he is willing to listen to them and then provide what is needed to help them carry out their assignments.  May we always imitate our heavenly Father, Jehovah, by lovingly encouraging and strengthening our fellow worshipers. -Hebrews 10:24. 

The angel's comforting message was of great encouragement to Daniel. In spite of his advance age, Daniel was not strengthened and prepared to receive and to record further remarkable for our benefit. 

Next time: TWO KINGS IN CONFLICT; CHAPTER THIRTEEN

From the book: PAY ATTENTION TO DANIEL'S PROPHECY! 1999

Continue with A "VERY DESIRABLE MAN" STRENGTHENED

Note: I am not feeling well today. So if you do not see a blog this afternoon or for a day or so, it is because I may have a cold or the flu.  Please be patient I will back on  as soon as I can.  Thank you  for your patience and God Bless You!


Instead of Daniel's being aroused by the prospect of receiving such an intriguing message, it appears that the things he heard had an adverse affect on him.  The account states: "Now when he spoke with me words like these, I had set my face to the earth and had become speechless."  But the angelic messenger was ready to render loving help- a second time. Said Daniel: "Look! one similar to the likeness of the sons of mankind was touching my lips, and I began to open my mouth and speak." -Daniel 10:15, 16a. 

Daniel was strengthened when the angel touched his lips. (Compare Isaiah 6:7)  With his power of speech restored, Daniel was able to explain to the angelic  messenger the hardship he was enduring.  Daniel said:  "O my lord, because of the appearance my convulsions were turned within me, and I did not retain any power. So how was  the servant of this my lord able to speak with this my lord? And as for me up to now there kept standing in me no power, and no breath at all, was left remaining in me." -Daniel 1-0:16b, 17. 

Daniel was not voicing any complaint or making an excuse. He was merely stating his predicament, and the angel accepted his statement.  Thus, for a third time, Daniel was helped by the angelic messenger.  "The one like  the appearance of an earthling man proceeded to touch me again and strengthen me," said the prophet. The messenger followed that energizing touch with these consoling words: "Do not be afraid, O very desirable man.  May you have peace. Be strong, yes, be strong."  That loving touch with those upbuilding words seem to be just what Daniel needed.  The result? Daniel declared:  "As soon as he spoke with me I exerted my strength and finally said: 'Let my lord speak, because you have strengthened me.' "Daniel was not ready for another challenging assignment. -Daniel 10:18, 19. 

Next time: Conclusion of  A "VERY DESIRABLE MAN" STRENGTHENED

From the book: PAY ATTENTION TO DANIEL'S PROPHECY! 1999